hell? Woody thought. Was Alan going to come out with the truth? Maybe it was the only way, the only way to convince Keith and Tracy .
"What are you all talking about?" Tracy said.
"And why," Dale asked, "do you all look like you're sharing a secret? I mean, it's like we've got the pizza-goers and the non -pizza goers, and the nons know something we don't.”
“Yeah," said Keith. "What's the deal?"
"Let's tell them." It was one of the few times Eddie had spoken since the others had entered. "They're going to find out anyway."
Alarmed, fearing this sharing of the truth with phantoms,
Woody waved a hand weakly in the air. "Why? How? . . .”
"This night isn't ending," said Eddie. "No time is passing. The clocks? Watches? They slowed down as we got younger. Now they've stopped. There's still no noise outside. My watch, the clock on the dining room wall, all of them, I bet. Check them."
Eddie was right. Woody looked at his wrist, around which was the Timex he had worn in college and lost years ago. The second hand was frozen at 11:28. When he looked up, he could see everyone nodding, everyone except for the three friends.
"How about yours, Keith?" he said.
Keith shook his head. "I haven't worn a watch since Easy Rider . But what do you mean, there's no noise outside?”
“Cars, trucks, voices," said Alan. "Nothing."
"Are you deaf?" Dale said. "Listen." They did. Except for the noises in the room, Woody heard only silence. "You don't hear cars?"
"What's this bullshit all about?" Keith said. “You putting us on? You decide to play a little joke on us?"
"It's a dumb joke, whatever it is," said Tracy, and Woody saw the fear behind her anger. "Knock it off, huh?"
"We're not from this time," Woody said, unable to lie to her. "We're from almost twenty-five years in the future. We came back somehow. In our own bodies. Got younger."
Even as he said it, he realized how outlandish it must sound, even to illusions, hallucinations, ghosts, memories.
"Aw, Woody," Tracy said, shaking her head as though she was disappointed in him. "Come on."
Frank stood up. "I'm going to go outside," he said. "Just for a breath of air, and to see what the hell's out there."
"I'll go with you," Curly said. "I want to see too."
'This is definitely not groovy," Keith said.
By then Frank was at the door. He turned the knob, pulled the door inward, and froze.
Through the open door Woody could see nothing. It was deeper than darkness alone, as though someone had erected a panel in the doorway and painted it a flat black that offered no reflection. Woody stood up, and heard Curly say, "Worse and worse. This is like a computer game."
"Type 'STICK HAND INTO DARKNESS,"' Eddie said.
"Now what?" Tracy said. "You guys see a monster that we don't? Maybe a dinosaur that got in your time machine?"
Woody looked at Keith. "What do you see?"
"The hallway. The floor, the banister, the walls, the light." He stepped to the doorway, walked past Frank and Curly, and was immediately swallowed by the darkness. Diane gave a little scream, and in another moment Keith's head, left shoulder, and hand appeared, as if breaking a vertical surface of black water.
"It's okay, guys. I'm alive." He grinned and stepped back into the room. "Next into the chamber of horrors?"
Curly put his hand on Frank's shoulder. "Let me try it.”
“It's not hard," Keith said, then laughed. "You clowns are good. You really look scared, Curly. And Frank, you look like you're about to wet your pants."
"Wait," Woody said. "I'm the host. I got you into this. I'll go."
"’It's my party and I'll go if I want to . . ."' sang Keith. "Take my hand," Woody said to Curly. "I'll step into it." Keith laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "Holy shit.”
“It's blackness to us," Woody explained. "Pure darkness. I think it's because we don't belong here."
"Yeah," Keith said. "You all belong in psychiatric care. But go ahead, man, step into the Twilight Zone."
Woody did. Holding on to
"What are you all talking about?" Tracy said.
"And why," Dale asked, "do you all look like you're sharing a secret? I mean, it's like we've got the pizza-goers and the non -pizza goers, and the nons know something we don't.”
“Yeah," said Keith. "What's the deal?"
"Let's tell them." It was one of the few times Eddie had spoken since the others had entered. "They're going to find out anyway."
Alarmed, fearing this sharing of the truth with phantoms,
Woody waved a hand weakly in the air. "Why? How? . . .”
"This night isn't ending," said Eddie. "No time is passing. The clocks? Watches? They slowed down as we got younger. Now they've stopped. There's still no noise outside. My watch, the clock on the dining room wall, all of them, I bet. Check them."
Eddie was right. Woody looked at his wrist, around which was the Timex he had worn in college and lost years ago. The second hand was frozen at 11:28. When he looked up, he could see everyone nodding, everyone except for the three friends.
"How about yours, Keith?" he said.
Keith shook his head. "I haven't worn a watch since Easy Rider . But what do you mean, there's no noise outside?”
“Cars, trucks, voices," said Alan. "Nothing."
"Are you deaf?" Dale said. "Listen." They did. Except for the noises in the room, Woody heard only silence. "You don't hear cars?"
"What's this bullshit all about?" Keith said. “You putting us on? You decide to play a little joke on us?"
"It's a dumb joke, whatever it is," said Tracy, and Woody saw the fear behind her anger. "Knock it off, huh?"
"We're not from this time," Woody said, unable to lie to her. "We're from almost twenty-five years in the future. We came back somehow. In our own bodies. Got younger."
Even as he said it, he realized how outlandish it must sound, even to illusions, hallucinations, ghosts, memories.
"Aw, Woody," Tracy said, shaking her head as though she was disappointed in him. "Come on."
Frank stood up. "I'm going to go outside," he said. "Just for a breath of air, and to see what the hell's out there."
"I'll go with you," Curly said. "I want to see too."
'This is definitely not groovy," Keith said.
By then Frank was at the door. He turned the knob, pulled the door inward, and froze.
Through the open door Woody could see nothing. It was deeper than darkness alone, as though someone had erected a panel in the doorway and painted it a flat black that offered no reflection. Woody stood up, and heard Curly say, "Worse and worse. This is like a computer game."
"Type 'STICK HAND INTO DARKNESS,"' Eddie said.
"Now what?" Tracy said. "You guys see a monster that we don't? Maybe a dinosaur that got in your time machine?"
Woody looked at Keith. "What do you see?"
"The hallway. The floor, the banister, the walls, the light." He stepped to the doorway, walked past Frank and Curly, and was immediately swallowed by the darkness. Diane gave a little scream, and in another moment Keith's head, left shoulder, and hand appeared, as if breaking a vertical surface of black water.
"It's okay, guys. I'm alive." He grinned and stepped back into the room. "Next into the chamber of horrors?"
Curly put his hand on Frank's shoulder. "Let me try it.”
“It's not hard," Keith said, then laughed. "You clowns are good. You really look scared, Curly. And Frank, you look like you're about to wet your pants."
"Wait," Woody said. "I'm the host. I got you into this. I'll go."
"’It's my party and I'll go if I want to . . ."' sang Keith. "Take my hand," Woody said to Curly. "I'll step into it." Keith laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "Holy shit.”
“It's blackness to us," Woody explained. "Pure darkness. I think it's because we don't belong here."
"Yeah," Keith said. "You all belong in psychiatric care. But go ahead, man, step into the Twilight Zone."
Woody did. Holding on to
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