1 The Bank of the River by Michael Richan Read Free Book Online Page A

the
process. If I’m lucky we’ll get some answers.”
    “What, like
a séance?” Steven asked.
    “Well, kind
of, but you won’t be participating,” Roy answered. “We won’t be holding hands
around a table. But I will go into a trance, and come back out. I need you to keep
an eye on me, make sure I don’t trip over a rug or walk into a knife, that kind
of thing.”
    “Has that
ever happened? When you’ve done it before?” Steven asked.
    “When you’re
in a trance,” Roy said, “anything can happen. I might lose track of what I’m
doing, physically. That’s your job, to keep me safe. I’m trusting you.”
    Steven
swallowed hard and pulled into the driveway of his house.
    -
    Roy had
placed a kitchen chair in the middle of the hallway where they had both seen
the shadow the night before. He sat on the chair and handed Steven a scrap of
cloth.
    “Blindfold
me,” Roy said.
    “What,
you’re starting it now? You’re doing the trance now?”
    “Yes,” Roy
replied. “I like the blindfold, it helps me concentrate. Another reason I need
you to watch me.”
    “Wouldn’t it
be better…more successful if we waited until 3 a.m.? The time the knockings
have been happening?”
    “No,” Roy
answered. “It won’t make any difference and it might make it worse. Three a.m.
is their schedule. This is on my schedule. Now is fine. They’re
here, I know it.”
    Steven
walked behind Roy and wrapped the light cloth around Roy’s eyes. It wasn’t
thick enough to block much light, but would be enough to cause Roy to keep his
eyes closed, which Steven guessed was its purpose.
    “What do I
do?” Steven asked, behind him.
    “Come stand
in front of me, but down the hall by the bedrooms. Keep an eye on me. You have
the flashlight?”
    “Yes,”
Steven replied.
    “Good. I
know you’ve never seen this before, but you’ve got to trust me. I might make
all kinds of noises, but don’t try to stop the trance until I take the
blindfold off myself, OK? Promise me.”
    “I promise,”
Steven said, now more concerned than intrigued. Given what had happened to Roy
the night before, he felt this was not going to end well.
    “Good,” Roy
said. “Now, turn out the light and just stay quiet. Don’t talk to me. It may
take a while. We’ll wait and let things play out.”
    -
    Steven had
initially crouched down on his legs at the end of the hall but after ten
minutes in the position he felt his legs beginning to cramp, and he shifted as
quietly as he could into a cross-legged position. His father was still
motionless in the chair halfway down the hall, and he couldn’t hear any sound
coming from him, not even breathing. Steven suppressed a sudden wave of panic
at the idea of his father having a heart attack or a stroke while sitting
there. If he’s had either, Steven thought, he’d be slumped over. But
he’s not – his head is upright, just as I left him ten minutes ago. Be patient.
    Another ten
minutes passed, with Steven’s mind racing. What would he do if the shadow
appeared again? Would it start at the end of the hall? That would be behind
Roy’s head, would he know it was there? Steven strained to see the place where
the shadow had first appeared. It looked normal.
    Steven
checked his watch. Another ten minutes passed, it had been thirty minutes. How
long would this last? Would his father sit there until the knockings started at
3 a.m.? Steven felt his eyelids get heavy and he fought back the desire to shut
them. His breathing was relaxed now, and the darkness and stillness seemed to
envelop him the way the promise of pleasurable sleep washes over you just
before it takes you. He felt his head nod, and he remembered thinking that
letting it hang was a bad idea.
    He thought
he had nodded off for maybe a minute, but when he came back to awareness he was
afraid it might have been longer. Things had changed in the hallway. The light
was considerably less than before he had fallen asleep, and Steven had