Into the Shadows - Chapter 2 Part 3
Chapter 2 Part 3
Birthday Surprise
Click here to read Chapter 2 Part 2
“Paivi,” started her mother, pulling her out of her birthday bliss. “And Torsten,” she continued. “Don’t go upstairs just yet, your father and I would like to have a word with you both.”
“Did we do something wrong?” Paivi asked, trying to think if she had done anything punishable in the recent past. She glanced at Torsten, who appeared to be thinking the same thing.
“Do either of you want a piece of cake?” asked Mr. Anderson. He cut a huge piece of cake for himself and dumped it on a plate.
“Oooo yes please!” answered Paivi. Cake was always good.
Torsten took a piece as well and they carried their plates to the family room, where they settled into the couches.
The family room was large, with two tall windows flanking the stone fireplace. Along the wooden mantel was a collection of family photos, showing Paivi and Torsten posing in uniform with a basketball alongside pictures of them as chubby little babies. The room was filled with overstuffed leather furniture that looked like it belonged in an English pub.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson sank into the couch across from Paivi and Torsten. Paivi looked at her parents and could see something on their faces, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She glanced at Torsten to see if he had noticed anything, but he only had eyes for his chocolate cake. He was shoveling large chunks of it into his mouth so quickly that he didn’t notice the large smear of chocolate frosting on his cheek.
“Well, we have something to tell you, and we know you will have a lot of questions,” began Mrs. Anderson.
“Are you getting a divorce?” asked Torsten, wiping the frosting off his cheek with the back of his hand, which he then licked clean. Between licks, he continued. “Because if I have to pick someone to live with—well I just can’t do it. I will have to split it evenly because I like you both equally,” he hesitated for one second, “okay, well maybe I would pick Mom. Sorry Dad, but she’s much cleaner.”
“No Tor, we are not getting a divorce. But it’s nice to know who’s side you’re on, just in case!” laughed Mr. Anderson.
It seemed to lighten the mood a little bit, and when Mrs. Anderson began again, she sounded less nervous.
“Okay, well you both are aware that Paivi has sometimes had dreams where she can see things that later happen,” she paused.
“Oh yeah!” interrupted Torsten. “Like the time she had that dream that I was going to fall off the slide at the park and break my arm and then I did! That was crazy!”
“Not only that, we later learned that Paivi can move things without touching them. However, that has only happened once, as far as we know. You remember that night a few years ago when your room was, well… a bit destroyed?” she asked, looking at Paivi.
Paivi looked a bit sheepish.
“Well, it does still happen sometimes,” she said quietly.
“Why didn’t you tell us honey?” asked Mrs. Anderson, sounding concerned.
“That’s why, that tone in your voice. I didn’t want to worry you.” She played with her piece of cake, not quite able to take another bite. “You were so worried and upset when I trashed my room, I just didn’t want to make it worse. And besides, it was just little things that moved around, not like the time you’re talking about.”
“Wait a minute!” sputtered Torsten, sitting forward in his chair and nearly dropping his plate and fork onto the dark hardwood floor. “Let me get this straight. That time when your room was destroyed and everything was smashed to bits, you, YOU did that?!!”
“Yes Tor, you have to understand, you were so young, we couldn’t just tell you the truth. We had trouble with it, and we were grownups!” responded Mrs. Anderson.
“You told me it was a crazed squirrel that came in through the window!” he said sulkily, setting down his plate and folding his arms as he sank back into the couch, pouting.
“That’s right,” Mr. Anderson chuckled. “I forgot about the crazed squirrel!”
“I was always afraid he’d come back and attack me in my sleep!” Torsten softened a little, letting out a giggle.
The memory even brought a laugh out of Paivi and her mother.
“Okay, so here’s my first question,” said Paivi. “Can Tor do anything, I mean, do you have dreams or can you move stuff?”
“Not that I know of! I wish!” said Torsten. “Why can’t I do the same things as Paivi, Mom and Dad?”
“You might someday,” began Mr. Anderson. “Our families have a long history of these special abilities. Both of our families have what are called Seers. A Seer is someone who receives visions of the future. As far as we know, they can’t be controlled. Your mother and I see things in our dreams also. As for you, Tor, some people take a little longer to discover their abilities. But it is also possible that you will never develop any.”
“Nice. Figures, Paivi gets all of the cool stuff,” whined Torsten.
“Look, it’s not like I wanted this stuff,” Paivi sounded slightly bitter. “Some of the things I’ve seen,” she paused, seeing the image of Mrs. Brown and the burning car, “I wish I never had—they were awful.”
Paivi shivered, a chill spilling down her spine. She set down what was left of her cake and pulled her knees in, wrapping her arms around them.
“So what,” said Torsten, irritated. “Then you can just do something about it if you don’t like what you see.”
“No,” said Mr. Anderson. “As a Seer, you have to follow one rule – you cannot interfere with what you see.”
“Well, that’s stupid!” said Torsten. “What’s the point of being able to see the future if you can’t do anything about it?”
Join me next Wednesday for the conclusion of Chapter 2!
Birthday Surprise
Click here to read Chapter 2 Part 2
“Paivi,” started her mother, pulling her out of her birthday bliss. “And Torsten,” she continued. “Don’t go upstairs just yet, your father and I would like to have a word with you both.”
“Did we do something wrong?” Paivi asked, trying to think if she had done anything punishable in the recent past. She glanced at Torsten, who appeared to be thinking the same thing.
“Do either of you want a piece of cake?” asked Mr. Anderson. He cut a huge piece of cake for himself and dumped it on a plate.
“Oooo yes please!” answered Paivi. Cake was always good.
Torsten took a piece as well and they carried their plates to the family room, where they settled into the couches.
The family room was large, with two tall windows flanking the stone fireplace. Along the wooden mantel was a collection of family photos, showing Paivi and Torsten posing in uniform with a basketball alongside pictures of them as chubby little babies. The room was filled with overstuffed leather furniture that looked like it belonged in an English pub.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson sank into the couch across from Paivi and Torsten. Paivi looked at her parents and could see something on their faces, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She glanced at Torsten to see if he had noticed anything, but he only had eyes for his chocolate cake. He was shoveling large chunks of it into his mouth so quickly that he didn’t notice the large smear of chocolate frosting on his cheek.
“Well, we have something to tell you, and we know you will have a lot of questions,” began Mrs. Anderson.
“Are you getting a divorce?” asked Torsten, wiping the frosting off his cheek with the back of his hand, which he then licked clean. Between licks, he continued. “Because if I have to pick someone to live with—well I just can’t do it. I will have to split it evenly because I like you both equally,” he hesitated for one second, “okay, well maybe I would pick Mom. Sorry Dad, but she’s much cleaner.”
“No Tor, we are not getting a divorce. But it’s nice to know who’s side you’re on, just in case!” laughed Mr. Anderson.
It seemed to lighten the mood a little bit, and when Mrs. Anderson began again, she sounded less nervous.
“Okay, well you both are aware that Paivi has sometimes had dreams where she can see things that later happen,” she paused.
“Oh yeah!” interrupted Torsten. “Like the time she had that dream that I was going to fall off the slide at the park and break my arm and then I did! That was crazy!”
“Not only that, we later learned that Paivi can move things without touching them. However, that has only happened once, as far as we know. You remember that night a few years ago when your room was, well… a bit destroyed?” she asked, looking at Paivi.
Paivi looked a bit sheepish.
“Well, it does still happen sometimes,” she said quietly.
“Why didn’t you tell us honey?” asked Mrs. Anderson, sounding concerned.
“That’s why, that tone in your voice. I didn’t want to worry you.” She played with her piece of cake, not quite able to take another bite. “You were so worried and upset when I trashed my room, I just didn’t want to make it worse. And besides, it was just little things that moved around, not like the time you’re talking about.”
“Wait a minute!” sputtered Torsten, sitting forward in his chair and nearly dropping his plate and fork onto the dark hardwood floor. “Let me get this straight. That time when your room was destroyed and everything was smashed to bits, you, YOU did that?!!”
“Yes Tor, you have to understand, you were so young, we couldn’t just tell you the truth. We had trouble with it, and we were grownups!” responded Mrs. Anderson.
“You told me it was a crazed squirrel that came in through the window!” he said sulkily, setting down his plate and folding his arms as he sank back into the couch, pouting.
“That’s right,” Mr. Anderson chuckled. “I forgot about the crazed squirrel!”
“I was always afraid he’d come back and attack me in my sleep!” Torsten softened a little, letting out a giggle.
The memory even brought a laugh out of Paivi and her mother.
“Okay, so here’s my first question,” said Paivi. “Can Tor do anything, I mean, do you have dreams or can you move stuff?”
“Not that I know of! I wish!” said Torsten. “Why can’t I do the same things as Paivi, Mom and Dad?”
“You might someday,” began Mr. Anderson. “Our families have a long history of these special abilities. Both of our families have what are called Seers. A Seer is someone who receives visions of the future. As far as we know, they can’t be controlled. Your mother and I see things in our dreams also. As for you, Tor, some people take a little longer to discover their abilities. But it is also possible that you will never develop any.”
“Nice. Figures, Paivi gets all of the cool stuff,” whined Torsten.
“Look, it’s not like I wanted this stuff,” Paivi sounded slightly bitter. “Some of the things I’ve seen,” she paused, seeing the image of Mrs. Brown and the burning car, “I wish I never had—they were awful.”
Paivi shivered, a chill spilling down her spine. She set down what was left of her cake and pulled her knees in, wrapping her arms around them.
“So what,” said Torsten, irritated. “Then you can just do something about it if you don’t like what you see.”
“No,” said Mr. Anderson. “As a Seer, you have to follow one rule – you cannot interfere with what you see.”
“Well, that’s stupid!” said Torsten. “What’s the point of being able to see the future if you can’t do anything about it?”
Join me next Wednesday for the conclusion of Chapter 2!
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