As Katrine went out to look for her morning paper it was the first thing she noticed, the total absence of sound. The morning had come with a terrible silence. The birds and other small wild life that you normally would expect in their suburban dream were nowhere to be found. It was as if they all had gone into hiding.

And the light was strange, diffused as if there was something more than air it had to travel through, tinted red, like gazing through some thin shimmering gauze. The sight was bad too, it seemed as she couldn’t see further than some thousand yard before everything dissolved into a haze, like some chemical smog permeating the air.

Normally she wasn’t the only one coming out to pick up the morning paper, but this time there was no one to be seen, just that eerie silence. She went in again taking the paper with her. As she left it in the kitchen she could hear Vanja soothing Andrew, realizing that it was time for her to get some relief she put on the percolator and prepared some sandwiches and two glasses of milk.

Carrying it to them she found Rachel asleep in the bed next to Andrew who was laying on his side, looking much better but with dark rings around his eyes. She felt tired too as she watched him and his sister. There was no single answer to how people could treat each other as that man had treated those children. But somewhere there had to be a reason. Perhaps it was as the church believed, she thought, perhaps there was a constant battle between good and evil. Shaking of her mordant thoughts she came up to them with her plate of goodies.

“Vanja, there’s coffee in the kitchen, could you bring me a mug too?” sending her away with a smile and a whispered confirmation that she would take over now.

“How are you child?” putting the tray at a small square table they had placed beside the bed.

Andrew tried to smile but it came out as pained grimace.

“Thank you ma’am. I’m good, you’ve been very ..”

There he started to cough again in the small pail standing on the floor, racked by his coughs it almost looked as if he was losing it, falling out of the bed, and Katrine hurried over to steady him.

“I’m much better.” He at last succeeded to say.

Rachel, who had awakened again as he coughed, sleepily looked at Katrine, recognizing her as the lady that had been so nice to them last night.

“He really is ma’am.” She assured her.

“Good, I have milk and sandwiches for you, and I want you to try to eat a little too Andrew. If not for your sake then for our’s. Your body needs all energy it can get.

The stagnant smell of dried blood in the pail made her want to retch herself. As Vanja came back holding their two mugs of coffee she took the opportunity to rush out and empty it. Rinsing it she took it back, to her joy seeing both Andrew and Rachel eating, well, actually it was Rachel that ate but at least Andrew was trying to drink some of the milk, Vanja helping him.

Vanja was looking at her strangely though, as if she wanted to say something important, but not in front of the children. After a while they heard Therese in the kitchen, muttering, sounding less than thrilled. Mornings wasn’t her thing at all, but as she finished she came in looking as spaced out as Vanja. In the end Katrine had to give up on their silence.

“What?” she asked exasperatedly. “Why are you looking at me like that, did the cat get your tongues?”

“Did you look at the morning paper Katrine?” asked Vanja.

“No.”

“Why don’t you. It’s in the kitchen.”

Katrine went out, at first she thought it seemed as usual but then she had to take a new look at the first page. The Caption was in red and black, having a grainy picture to it.

‘Slut and boy at large. Reward.’

‘It has come to our notice that a thirteen year old child prostitute and her sissy brother have eloped from their rightful owner. The morning post is proud to inform that a award of no less than ‘your dreams desire’ will be awarded to the one helping the bereaved father reclaim his love pets. Be the one to receive it. Call 666, the hot line of your choice, with your sightings.’

She stared at it, the name was right, ’The Morning Post’, but the layout, as well as the captions and language, reminded her more of some torrid BDSM magazine. As she read some more she became more and more incredulous. ‘Does life suck? Open that glory hole and suck back. Thirteen ways to give it to him.’ And. ‘Seven? Too old says child welfare.’

As she stared at the paper she might had decided it a sick joke, if it hadn’t been for that grainy picture. It was in black and white, depicting a little girl and her brother. She knew all to well who they were. They were after all in the next room to her.

She realized that they all needed to have a talk, but she didn’t want to scare Rachel and her brother. Thinking of it she decided to wake Anna, but as she came in she found all of them in one big heap of snoozing bodies, contentedly holding each other even in their sleep. Buried in the middle of the heap she saw Amanda in her nightie, snoring happily under the girls.

She stared at them. ‘They seem happy campers all’ she had to admit, a little enviously. This hadn’t been any plan of hers, but remembering the paper she tried to shrug it off. There were greater issues at hand than kids exploring their sexuality.

“Anna, please wake.” She whispered in her ear, shaking her shoulder gently. Suddenly all of them were awake, staring at her.

“It’s Andrew, right?” said Anna worried. “He’s getting worse.”

“No, he’s okay, but I could use some help watching him. Would you do that for me Anna?”

“Sure mom. We’ll take care of it, won’t we.” said Anna, looking at the others.

The youngsters got up instantly, and after hurrying through their mornings necessitates they all walked down the stairs together, dressed in assorted clothing’s. Adam in a pair of boring boy’s jeans, much to the girl’s disappointment.

“You could at least have tried mine first.” Muttered Anna.

“Or mine.” whispered Therese dreamily to herself, secretly wondering what he had under them. She couldn’t see any hemline. Was he going commando?

Andrew liked it, greatly. Therese still wore her pink and fluffy nightie with ‘my little pony’ on it. And our Andrew fell in love instantly, not with the pony though. Therese smiled at him, and noticing his love struck gaze she sat down beside him. After all, the happier he was the faster he would get well, right?
==

They choose the kitchen as their meeting place. Katrine had some problems with Sarah though. He opened one bleary eye as she tried to wake him. Seeing her he grabbed her and it took her quite some persuasion to let her go again.

“What’s so important?” he asked. “Is it Andrew?”

“No, you won’t believe me if I told you. I’ll show you in the kitchen” Katrine answered.

Lending a bathrobe to put over his disheveled nightgown he followed her out finding her friends already there and waiting for them. Katrine gave him the newspaper as she went to make them all some more coffee. As Sarah started reading he couldn’t believe his eyes. ‘It have to be a joke’ he thought wondering why they would go to such an effort just to fool him, especially when thinking of Andrew.

“It’s a bit tacky Katrine, to try to set me up like this.” He muttered as he continued to turn over the leaves.

“It’s a joke right?”

“No dear, it’s the morning paper.” She answered as she stood there measuring the grind.

“It can’t be.” Said Sarah incredulously. “No way they would print this.” Once more looking at that first page.

“We thought so too.” Said Vanja.

“But then we went outside.” Said Elena. “It was so silent, I don’t know what has happened here.”

Sarah took the offered cup from Sarah, mixed it with some milk to cool it off and slowly started to sip it as he walked over to look out the window. The scenery seemed much the same as yesterday even though the haze seemed to have some strange red or maybe pink coloration to it. He opened it and listened. They were right, it was very silent, no cars and no people to be seen, and no birds either. It gave him a strange uncomfortable feeling of being somehow exposed standing there. He closed it again and went back to his chair. Sitting down he looked at Katrine.

“Yeah it’s kind of eerie.” He admitted. “Like Halloween but for real.”

Katrine nodded. “I’m not sure what it is.” She said in a low voice.

“The houses seems empty, I mean it’s not normal. People should be leaving for work now.”

“Do the phones work.” Asked Sarah.

“Yeah, not the cellphones though.”

“So did you call the hospital?”

Vanja looked at Elena as she answered.

“We tried earlier, but we only came to some sort of operator.”

“And he laughed when we asked for a hospital.” Said Elena. “He laughed first and then he asked where we were calling from.”

“We hung up.” Said Vanja. “and then we tried for another hospital, but no matter what number we called we came to the same man.”

“So we stopped calling.” Said Elena.

“Maybe it’s some sort of exercise?” suggested Sarah. “You now, like some catastrophe exercise by the military.” He could hear how weak it sounded himself.

The ladies just looked at him disbelievingly.

“Forget it.” He said. “Have you tried to see if there are any neighbors?”

“Not yet, we wanted to discuss it first.” Answered Elena

“Well.” He said looking at the paper again. “Either we’re in the twilight zone.” Smiling weakly at them, in vain hoping for them to smile back. “Or it is something happening that we, ah, slept over?”

He felt like an idiot saying it, but you had to admit it. There were a whole lot of wrongs here and very little right.

Elena stood up. “Perhaps we should go around and see.” She suggested. “Hopefully somebody is home.”

So, they did, telling the youngsters to stay inside they went out only to find the houses empty. It wasn’t until they ringed on Mrs. Andersen’s door that they got a response.

“Get in, quickly.” She ordered ushering them in. “Did anyone see you?”

“See us Amy? There’s not a soul here.” Answered Katrine, now feeling even worse.

Mrs Andersen was very much a changed person from what she remembered. Her house was a small one, not as opulent as the ones surrounding her, but with it came a big front yard with lots of land to it. She knew that the realtors had been on Amy repeatedly trying to persuade her to sell of some of it but she just refused. “It’s my home.”

Now she seemed a different person. Her brown eyes studied them long and hard. Looking at Sarah she seemed a little nonplussed for a moment but as Katrine protectively laid her arm around his shoulders a small smile came upon her face.

“Ah yes, good for you Katrine.” She mumbled. “And your name child?” she asked him.

“Sarah, I mean Leonard ma’am.” Answered Leonard, very much feeling as if he was standing in front of some teacher of the older, more sturdy material.

“Tss, call me Amy Sarah.” She answered smiling at him. “Lovely bathrobe by the way.”

He became slightly flustered as he wondered if she was teasing him but seeing her delight in his appearance and her suddenly twinkling eyes he relaxed. She took them to her living room where she sat down with them.

“Where are your children, and why are you here?” She asked.

As Katrine told her she listened, when they came to how Leonard and Adam had gone out to save the kids she looked at Leonard again muttering. “Fools luck Sarah, but very brave my girl, very brave.”

When they had finished telling their story ending with how they had came here she seemed to disappeared into thoughts. After a while she looked at them.

“First things first, you don’t have any wards, do you Katrine?” observing Katrine’s obtuseness she nodded to herself. “Thought so.” she muttered.

“It’s understandable Katrine, but we need your youngsters here, and now. See too that you pack what clothes and food you have, and all other things you might need and bring them here. There’s no time to waste here children. Your house is an open invitation for them and your phone calls is bound to have drawn attention to you.”

“Hurry now. I will come lay a warding around our houses. It won’t hold for ever though, so be quick about it.”

They sat and stared at her disbelievingly as she went over to the old cabinet, lifting out a little copper bowl, filling it with water and some herbs she crushed between her fingers.

“Are you still here?” she said sharply looking at them, her eyes old and weathered but still sharp.

“Didn’t I tell you to hurry? There is no time Katrine. They’ll be here soon.”
===

As they run back taking care to get with them whatever they thought themselves to be needed for an extended sleepover Leonard looked at Katrine, still unsure about that weird old woman.

“Is she, unstable?” he asked.

Katrine shook her head. Whatever Amy was it wasn’t unstable, quite the opposite.

“I don’t think so.” She answered. “I don’t like this at all, there’s a little wagon in the backyard that I bought for the kids when they came over to play Sarah. Could you get it for me?”

Elena had informed the kids about their move, and Adam in particular looked slighty relieved when he heard about Mrs. Andersen.

“A hedge witch.” He had said surprised. “I didn’t think this town had any.”

Elena and the others had stared at him, but then Elena shook her head dismissively.

“That one you can explain later.” she said. “Get your things together now. I will stay here with Andrew, you too Rachel. Help them.”

It took them a little over an hour but finally they had gotten all Katrine and the others could think off over to Mrs. Andersen. When she had carried over the 22 caliber bird gun Amy had smiled shaking her head. “That won’t help child.” But as Leonard came over with the compound bow and arrows he had found in the garage she had looked quite pleased.

“Good thinking, Adam is it? Or is it Amanda?” she had asked.

Thinking of it Adam had started to smile. “I think both ma’am.” He answered, a little surprised himself.

Amy nodded.

“Anna is a lucky girl Amanda, and the others too.”
==

The town wasn’t itself any more. Where wildlife had been there was none, and the edges of it ended abruptly, falling into a dark red haze the further away you came from its center making it impossible to see what was there. Not that there was anyone looking, well, not human anyway.

Our monster had for the first time in his life received a direct order to present himself in front of the council. He too had noticed the absence of sound and life, and he too had realized that something had changed. But for him it was yet another proof of his masters might and as he put himself at their disposal he was meet by four silent men sitting in a chamber in what formerly had been the citys town hall.

“Speak Mr. Waverly.”

“I’m sorry my lords. My brat’s is gone, though no fault of mine.” He hastened to assure them.

“That’s not how we see it Mr. Waverly. Your wife?”

“I don’t know, the wretched thing is still unconscious. I’ve tried everything but she’s not responding, even when I beat her.”

“Just as good Mr. Waverly, just as good. We are not pleased with your performance. We put it upon you to arrange a safe return of your, children. Failure is not an option here, do you understand?”

“Yes, naturally my lords. I won’t fail you.”

“Again, you mean. And the boy is to be taken directly to this chamber, as for the girl we have a place for her too. Bring them both Mr. Waverly, bring them both, safe and unharmed you hear. The wench will still be yours to dispose of in what manner you please. Now leave.”
==

As our monster had stopped groveling he left to find his worthless underlings, leaving the council to discuss what had happened. None of them knew where they were, as I told you before they had been playing with forces erstwhile unknown in magnitude, foolishly expecting themselves to be the masters of it. They were all dabblers in the darker aspects of power and, although none of them would admit to believe in any hell, they all were secretly afraid.

“So Agnew, how did this happen?” One asked curtly.

Agnew looked at them embarrassed as he answered.

“Well, we must somehow have overloaded the cyclotron as we were building up power. And as we also were providing it with power from the nerouflux there could have been a slight dimensional nudge. I’m afraid that this is all I can say for now. But we got it all with us, and as soon we have looked over our recordings.” He smiled trying to impose that feeling of scientific superiority.

“Well, I’m expecting it to be reversible.”

The men studied him thoughtfully. Power attracts power and those men had spent their lives to the buildup and understanding of it. Agnew on the other hand was a physicist. When they first had contacted him with their proposition he had been revolted, but as they ever so slowly introduced him to the sweet corrupted scent of sexual abuse and personal might he slowly had adapted.

None of us is lily white, most of us comes in shades of gray. But if we could have seen his aura we would surely have noticed that it, nowadays, had a very dark tinge with flickers of envious green, like slime dripping of the edges of it. Furthermore, he was also the one they had promised the boy.

The others worked in more arcane ways, manipulating the life forces of our universe. All technology, if sufficiently advanced, will look as magic some say. And if we accept that proposition then what they had been, and were, doing was also a sort of technology. Although on that plane where subatomic particles breaks down into sheer probability, disappearing from our sight.

From that to draw a conjecture to heaven and hell is not needed. Because hell exists in every mans, and woman’s, heart as we all have seen to many times. But they were still afraid. After all, they manipulated, and what was it to say that there couldn’t be something manipulating them too.

The place and plane they so suddenly had found themselves in put a heavier weight to that hypothesis than any of them wanted to contemplate.
===

“Fools.” Muttered Amy as she looked up from her scrying.

“Damned fools, eternally so.”

She was sitting in the kitchen with Adam. And sharing her vision with him he found that he had to agree.

“Yes granny I agree.” Meeting her had been as meeting a relative. Somehow he had felt the connection directly, as had she.
The others were still occupied with Andrew, and sorting out the stuff they had taken over, but Amy had taken Adam with her to see what she could find out. She had noticed his aura and the buildup of power he seemed to get, stronger every time she looked at him. It was as if he was some sort of chalice for what forces there existed in this realm she thought, and with his help her scrying had became so much easier.

Adam had found himself able to talk with her freely, just as easy with his girlfriends, and finding it so he at last felt as if he was finding that lost connection to his own village. But as he had told her about it she seemed surprised as if she never had heard of it.

“And you had hedge witches?”

“Oh yes, my mom was the chairwoman in the city council, she organized them in a union too.”

“A hedge witch trade union?” Amy had to sit down. “Really? I’m impressed Amanda.”

Adam smiled as he curtsied. “Thank you ma’am. But you’re a hedge witch too, right?”

Amy had to think about it for some time before she hesitantly answered.

“I have a gift Amanda, or is it Adam? You don’t mind me using Amanda, do you child?”

“No ma’am, I like it, when we’re here at least.”

“Yes, as I said Amanda, I have a gift. It has run through my bloodlines for as long as I’ve been able to track it. We’re not that old here child, only a few generations. Where we came from, Lapland, we had shamans and scrying was accepted. We also had some other abilities, but this is the first time I’ve heard about hedge witches, I’m sorry Amanda.”

Adam tried to smile hiding his disappointment and as Amy saw it she took him in her arms.

“Child, I will scry for your hometown, I promise. And when I find it we will all go visit it. You’re a relative now Amanda. We share the same gifts.”

“If we can get out of this.” She murmured as she assessed their situation again. She actually had some knowledge of where they were, she knew about the planes, but from a shamanistic angle. And when traveling there you left your body. This was the first she had heard about anyone being able to lift a whole town into it. Also they seemed to be staying for a prolonged time which was something rarely seen.

She knew that one could get lost in the planes too, normally meaning that ones body lost its connection to the mind, leaving the one experiencing it as a catatonic husk at his former plane. It scared her thinking of it, as she wasn’t sure they really was here in the corporal sense.

“We can do it granny. I know we can.” Said Adam, unable to explain why he knew, but he knew it in his soul all the same.

“That’s good child.” Answered Amy, smiling slightly observing his self-assured cockiness. “You are right, there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”

Standing up she turned to him. “Come Amanda, let’s join the others.”

As they all sat down together discussing she started with explaining, much as she had done with our Amanda. As she finished she turned to Adam.

“Our young friend share this gift too.” And as she looked around she smiled at Anna. “You too Anna, I will be pleased to teach you what I can.”

Katrine nodded thoughtfully. That explained much of Anna’s strange behavior as she suddenly had frozen last night.

“So that’s why there’s no people, and no animals here?” asked Elena, suddenly realizing.

“Yes, I think so.” Answered Amy. “To bring a whole town into the planes is unprecedented. And if they had succeeded bringing all those living too? I don’t know what that would have done to us. We are creating our reality, we always do. But normally we don’t notice it. But dreaming with your eyes wide open you will.”

She nodded again, wistfully looking at the old portrait of her family, the one she once had, now gone.

“Being here we carry with us our entire heritage, our tales and history’s, dreams and fears. And those responsible don’t know that, yet. Frankly I find them deserving of what will come. The only thing we can do is to ward our place as closely as we can. There will be repercussions, I can already feel it building.”

Therese who long had been interested in Buddhism, especially the Tibetan variant couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Is this bardo Amy, that plane we meet as we die.”

Amy looked at her surprised. “Bardo child?”

As Therese blushingly explained what she remembered from ‘the Tibetan Book of the Dead’ and the way it instructed you what to meet as you died Amy looked at her impressed.

“Not a bad analogy child, I really don’t know. To die sounds rather final, this I believe to be something more to live, although in the mind. It’s hard to define the difference and as I haven’t read it I can’t say. Isn’t that a rather morbid subject for one so young?”

Now Laila jumped in defending her friend. “It’s not Amy, Therese is the brain here. She’s way smart.”

Anna nodded. “She is, your mom too.” Smiling at Elena.

Amy looked at them as they sat there, a ragged little congregation, brave and secure in their protective love for each other, feeling as if she suddenly had gotten herself a family again.

“Yes, I can see that child. I didn’t mean anything bad with it.” She smiled at them a little melancholy.

“Nothing bad that doesn’t have anything good with it, eh.” She said. “I don’t know how it is with you, but I’m hungry. Anyone for it?”

As they went out to the kitchen to fix the meal, splitting it up in different tasks, Adam Anna and Rachel stayed to talk some more with Andrew. He was resting in the guest room and even though very weak he already had started to feel better. If it hadn’t been from the ache from the separated rib, and the way it hurt breathing he would already had tried to get up from the bed. Adam, who sat in the easy chair next to the window looked at him thoughtfully.

“Andrew, I wonder if Amy couldn’t help you with your breathing. She’s a hedge witch you know, they know all sort of things.”

Andrew nodded weakly hoping he was right. Rachel also shone up hearing him.

“That would be real neat.” She said.

“We’ll see after the dinner.” Said Anna. “You’re a very brave boy Andrew, you and your sister both.”

Andrew smiled again, then he remembered his mom and had to blink away the tears.

“Do you think she’s alright sis.” He asked finding that he started to cough. Talking did that to him.

Rachel tried to look as if she knew as she answered. “I’m sure she is bro. she’s not here, she’s safe.”

Having to look away as she said the last. She wasn’t sure her mom still was alive. There was no way telling what her dad might have done to her, with her away.

Adam silently promised himself to ask if Amy could scry for her, but he hoped Rachel was right. Suddenly he got an idea.

“Look, Andrew Rachel. I have a problem.” He looked meaningfully at Anna.

“I have three girlfriends, you already know them Andrew. They are more trouble than I want to discuss now.” Nodding meaningfully towards Anna.

Both Anna and Andrew started to smile at that.

“I could use some help with them Andrew, are you in for it?”

Andrew tried to understand.

“What do you mean?”

“Well if we were two, it would be a whole lot easier on me.”

“Two boyfriends?”

“Oh what a good idea.” Said Anna. “Then I could get more time with you too.” Smiling gloriously.

“Nah, Anna. You see I was thinking of Rachel too. Would you be interested?” looking at Rachel.

Rachel started to blush, of course she was interested.

“Does that mean that I have to have a dress too.” Asked Andrew a little worried.

“Only if you like.” Answered Anna smiling at him. “I know that Therese already likes you, a lot.” Nodding meaningfully.

Yes, you are right, there was a lot of meaningful nods in that room. And Anna who had seen where the discussion were going went over to Rachel to hug her.

“Welcome girlfriend.” She whispered. “you can have Sunday for yourself if you like?”

Rachel stared at her, she had been an outcast her whole life. And the way her father had treated her had made her think that the only thing she ever would be seen as was a toy, something to use and then discard, a cheap whore. A boyfriend, and one at her own age, well almost. She leaned into Anna’s embrace and started to cry.

Andrew started to try to get up from the bed, worried for his sister, but Adam went over to him to hold him.

“Look bro, your sister is crying because she’s happy, not sad. What do you say? Will you help me out. Therese would be ever so pleased.”

Andre lay down again, coughing. Adam helped him lifting the pail to his mouth, noticing that there was much less blood clots coming up now.

“Anna can you get the others?” he asked. “Rachel come and help me with your brother, tell him that it’s okay.”

As Rachel came over she was still crying, it was as if a dam had broken through and she couldn’t stop. But she sat down at the bed, smiling through her tears.

“Andrew, it’s okay. I’m happy.” Looking at Adam. “Do you mean it?”

Adam leaned over to her taking hold of her. Looking into her eyes he said. “For ever and ever Rachel, cross my heart.” Kissing her brow.

The others came in now, Anna already told them, smiling.

“Boyfriend.” Said Therese looking at Andrew. Yes he was a little skinny but with some good food and her mom was real good at that, and some exercise, he could become quite handsome in a few years she thought.

And the way he looked at her, as if she was some angle descended from heaven, touched her deeply. She kissed him, and not on the brow either. The taste was a little unpleasant but it was weighted up by the innocence and enthusiasm he answered it with.

“Was that your first kiss from a girl.” She whispered in his ear, watching him shyly nod.

Now there were two crimson faces gleaming in the weak light from the window, Rachel and Andrew both. Laila didn’t want to do worse so she too came over to give him a big sloppy kiss on his mouth.

“Ah, baby lamb.” She purred. “We will have so much fun.”

Anna just smiled at him as she sat down beside Rachel, putting her arm around her.

“Happy?” she asked.

Rachel hid her face in Anna’s chest.

“Yes.” She whispered.

“Good.” Said Anna, calmly stroking her hair.

“We’re proud over you Adam.” She said. “But you will have to give us other some quality time too.” Admonishingly, sternly staring at him before she started to laugh. Embracing a fiercely blushing Rachel, who didn’t know where to turn her eyes anymore.
==