Page 42 of Into the Abyss
The man sat on a rock, his elbow propped on his kneeand his chin on his fist as he watched two children laughing whilethey played. The children kicked a white ball with black spots backand forth between them. Their mops of shaggy brown hair bouncedagainst their faces as they ran.
“Dana?” Magnus asked, and the man glanced athim before focusing on the children again.
Then, Dana’s brown eyes came back to Magnus,and his eyebrows shot into his russet hairline. “Magnus?” he askedincredulously.
“Yes,” Magnus said and grinned.
Dana studied him before turning away.“You’re not real either,” he muttered.
Magnus glanced at me, and I shrugged. Heknew as much about what was happening here as I did.
“I’m real,” Magnus said.
“Yeah sure, and so are they,” Dana waved hishand at the kids. “They’re as fake as fake can get. Oh, and yep,here comes the other phony one now.”
His words confused me until a pretty womanwith her blonde hair pulled into a bun emerged from behind somerocks. She wiped her hands on her checkered apron as she approachedthe children.
“Dinner’s ready, kids!” she called to thembefore turning to Dana and waving. “Are you hungry, love?”
When Dana lifted his middle finger to her,the woman’s smile remained plastered in place. It was a gesture I’dseen before, and I’d figured out what it meant pretty quick.
“We can do the equivalent of that later,”the woman said with a laugh, and Dana groaned.
“What is this?” I asked.
Dana glanced at me and turned away beforefacing me again. “Who are you?” he demanded.
Magnus gave Dana a look that made the mancringe away from him.
“My name is Amalia,” I replied.
“She’s here to helpyou,” Magnusgrated, “and you’ll talk to her with respect.”
I didn’t point out that he wasn’t exactlyrespectful in the beginning. There was no reason to bring up thepast or argue about it when we might have a chance of helping Dana.The man realized something wasn’t right here.
“Yeah, sure she is, and I suppose you’rehere to help me too,” Dana muttered and rolled his eyes.
“Iamreal.” Resting his hand onDana’s shoulder, Magnus bared down until the man winced. “Does thatwoman or those children make you feel pain?”
“Mywife,mychildren. I’veheld them, and loved them, and…” Dana’s voice trailed off as hisattention returned to the laughing family. The woman joined in tokick the ball around with the children. “And I felt their touch onme.”
“So why are you sitting here?” I inquired.“If you’ve felt them, then why do you think they’re fake?”
The man’s shoulders slumped. “Because I knowsomething’s not quite right about them. As much as this family ismine,something inside me says they’re not. Have you everseen kids or a woman so perfect before? I mean, kids complain abouteverything, but not these two. Nope, not my two flawless boys. Andmy wife is… is… I’ve known many good women before, but how many ofthem would smile at you after you flip them off?”
“Not many,” Magnus said.
“No, of course not!” Dana cried. “I told herthat her cooking sucks—which it doesn’t, it’s fantastic—but shelaughed and told me she’d improve. It’s all so perfect andwrong. It’s like I married a Stepford Wife, and I gotta tellya, that movie creeped me out as a kid.”
I didn’t know what a Stepford Wife or moviewas, but Magnus sympathetically patted Dana’s shoulder.
“What is your wife’s name?” I asked.
Dana opened his mouth before a look ofconsternation crossed his face. “I… I don’t know. And there’ssomething really wrong withthat.”
“So this wasn’t a family you had before thegateway opened?” Magnus asked Dana.
“The gateway?”
