14.

How real can a dream feel? How real can a dream be? If something feels real and everything about it tells you that it is no dream, then it indeed must be no dream, right? The world can be a very strange place, especially when you are ill-prepared for what may come your way.

Martin is not facing the gallows, either as an observer or as one who is condemned; he is not alone in any kind of cell to which footsteps walk slowly down a hall walkway. Instead, he stands at the gates to the front garden of his newly acquired Castletown home. This moment he finds himself in is as if he has just arrived back from that leisurely walk he had attempted to take.

Standing where he is, Martin is frozen for a moment or so being not quite sure as to what is going on and being not quite sure as to what exactly he should do next. His nearest neighbour Lexi comes out of her house and stands just outside her front door. She appears to be as confused as Martin is, for she has a memory of entering the MacDonald household and coming across something very odd to say the least and right now, she finds herself where she currently is with no memory of ever having left the MacDonald household.

One question, an important question would answer itself before Martin would even get an opportunity to ask it of himself. This question would obviously enough relate to his family. The front door of the new home opens and Molly comes running out to greet her dad and with that, the question is answered. He immediately picks his daughter up, kisses her on her cheek and brings her in to hold her tight.

'Oh, baby girl, I have missed you' he says. 'I love you so much.'

'I love you too daddy.'

On her way to get to her dad Molly accidentally lets Polly-Anna fall, and Polly-Anna comes to rest right next to the Station Wagon. Carrying Molly, Martin begins to move up the garden and towards the front door where Margret is waiting, obviously enough being alive and well. Martin almost steps upon Polly-Anna as he does move. He notices this and stops to pick the doll up.

Something is still not right, quite possibly very wrong in fact, for the position Polly-Anna lays in is exactly as it was in that moment that Martin had been arrested, but he never really had been arrested, right? He tries not to dwell on this ... for he really wants, no he really needs to get to his wife. The MacDonald's are a family once more.

'There is something not right about this place' Margret whispers to Martin once they are inside their home.

Martin puts Molly onto the ground, and she moves off to play with Polly-Anna, but she hasn't got Polly Anna. The moment, however, allows him to speak a little louder than what Margret had only just done though still, he makes sure to keep his own voice down, obviously enough not wanting to frighten Molly.

'I know, I've been to hell here and back already. All the same, I think we are meant to be here.'

'Are you crazy? We have Molly to think of.'

Knowing what he has already been through, Martin takes a second or two to wonder as to what Margret may have gone through. It is obvious from her tone that something very strange indeed occurred for her too, and her main concern is for the safety of her child. It goes without saying that the same can be said for Martin.

With darkness there is danger, and danger is no place for a child to grow up in. If there is a plan for either or both Martin and Margret to be right where they are, then maybe Molly is as much a part of that plan as either of her parents are.

'Then what do you suggest?' asks Martin.

'I suggest we get the hell outta here, right now.'

'Right now? As in this very minute?'

'Yes Martin, we have to get away from here as soon as we can.'

'Can we at least talk about this?'

Margret moves from being in the kitchen to be out in the hall but before she can say anything else to Martin she is stopped in her tracks. Martin follows his wife, and he too comes to a complete halt. Out in that hallway there is a dark figure, quite possibly the same dark figure Margret thought she had seen when first arrived at this new home.

15.

Fear and calm both at once, a calming fear, such a strange way to feel, especially given the current circumstance. It just stands there, a dark figure not moving. In the hallway of the MacDonald household a dark shadowy mass, an entity of some sort has Martin and Margret frozen where they stand. Standing right where the kitchen meets the hall they stare, being at a complete loss, not knowing what is happening or how to react. What is it that stands before them? Is it Human? Or something that once was ... Human?

Its face, if it actually has one, cannot be seen. The hall is too dark, it itself is dark. There it is despite the darkness; there it is maybe because of the darkness; there it is creating darkness. Margret has seen this before. She had been unsure as to if she had seen anything at all that first time. It is there before her now, whatever it is, she is sure of at least that now, and she is sure that it is the same as what was before.

Maybe it is curiosity, maybe it is something else. Margret is compelled to edge her way forward. Leading with her left foot and stretching out her left hand she begins to reach, as if her mind is in a way deceiving her and touch is what can confirm that with which her eyes see. Martin sees it too, and he is at a loss as to why Margret is moving towards this thing, whatever it is.

Before Martin can question this moment and before Margret can completely reach what it is that stands still in front of her, a distraction comes. A door in the kitchen that leads to the outside is opened. Martin can see this though he had not heard it open. Margret cannot see the open door; she has moved too far forward and is still moving towards that dark figure. Looking around the kitchen, Martin cannot see Molly.

'Molly' he says softly, 'Molly' he says again ... this time a little louder.

Margret turns briefly to look towards her husband, when she looks back down the hall she takes a second or two, she can no longer see it, that dark entity is gone. Martin moves towards that open kitchen door and Margret soon follows. The two quickly move outside and the call for Molly continues, for she is nowhere to be seen.

'Where is she?' asks Margret.

'I don't know, I'm gonna go around front to see if I can find her.'

'Alright, I'll check with next door.'

There could not have been enough time for Molly to have gone far enough to be completely out of sight let alone enough time for her to arrive to and enter the house next door, though a lot of strange happenings have been going on since the arrival to Castletown and that is to say the least.

That door in the kitchen leads to an outside that can be considered the back ... or at least thought of as being at the back of the house. Around to the front of the house, Polly-Anna is right there, lain next to the Station Wagon. Martin begins to wonder that maybe he should begin to think about leaving this place after all, once he has Molly back safe and sound of course.

Where did Molly go? And in such a short amount of time, is someone with her? Did someone lead her away? Why did Polly-Anna get left behind? Hadn't Molly wanted to go play with Polly-Anna? And if the doll had been here before that moment? Maybe someone or something took Molly and if so, then it may have been done so by force.

Margret calls out an 'hello' once she arrives to the doorstep of her neighbour's house. She then knocks at the door. The door opens a little along to that knock. Margret pushes the door open and calls out another 'hello'. Neither of her 'hellos' receive a reply. From their one and only prior meeting, Margret got the strong impression that Lexi is someone who has a need to know what is going on all around her.

This first impression is of course an accurate one. So where is this, Miss Lexi? She had observed Martin enter the MacDonald household not all that long prior but now she appeared not to be home. Surely the people of Castletown, despite their pleasant demeanours, lock their doors when they head out? Maybe not.

All these questions, some of course come with horror and despair and if it were not for that horror and despair then there may be intrigue within some of those other questions. Once again, Margret has reason to jump at the hands of her husband, for he has followed Margret into Lexi's home. Margret had not heard Martin's movements and was unaware of his proximity until the moment he placed a hand on her shoulder.

With all that is, anyone would be jumpy. Margret has been that from almost the very beginning. To be fair to her and to him too, there is no fear like that of realizing that you do not know where your child is. No matter how near or far Molly may be, her parents need to get to her and that need is an immediate one.