Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear (22 page)

TWENTY-EIGHT

BEN SAT ON THE BOTTOM bunk, fiddling his thumbs. He stared at the gray concrete. Everywhere, gray concrete. Except the stainless steel sink/toilet combo, though that was a kind of gray, too. He leaned against the cold wall and sat up again. Then he stood. Three steps to the door. A heavy, electronically controlled metal slab fitted with a thick, glass porthole permitting a view to the empty commons. Clean tables with attached chairs, a TV with a dark screen, newspapers stacked neatly in the corner. At least he saw color. If that shade of pale yellow was considered a real color. He spun and walked the three paces to the bunks, reversed course and retraced his steps. It was all he had to do.

He rubbed the bruises on his wrists. Handcuffs hurt. Being arrested hurt. It didn’t compare to his overwhelming sense of powerlessness, though. Nothing did.

He walked to the bunk and sat again. The so-called bed consisted of a rickety frame with hard metal springs and a worn-out pad no more than an inch thick. No way would he be able to sleep on it. Of course, he could use the mattress from the empty bunk. Two of them stacked together might have been halfway comfortable. The advantages of having no cellmate.

The door let out a
Buzz!
then a
Click!
Another
Click!
and it opened. A uniformed woman peeked in.

“You got a roommate.”

The doorway darkened. At first Ben thought the lights had gone out. He craned his neck upward. Carrying a jail-issue plastic bin, the man entering ducked to avoid the frame, keeping an eye on Ben the whole time.

“You two try and get along,” the guard giggled.

Buzz!

The door slammed shut.

Ben nodded and tried not to let on he was about to lose control of his bodily functions. The man squinted, refusing to return the gesture. He let out a throaty snort and yanked Ben by the arm, nearly pulling it out of the socket. In one heave, he tossed Ben against the door. It would have been impressive if it didn’t hurt so much. The man dropped his container and sat on the bottom bunk. He kicked off his orange flip-flops and leaned with his hands folded behind his head.

“Okay,” Ben talked fast. “That’s fine. If you want the bottom bunk, hey I’m flexible. I always say, ‘Ben James, you gotta be flexible,’ so I try to be…”

“Ben James!” the man propped up on his elbows. “Yer Ben James?”

“Well, uh, yes,” he cleared his throat. “I am.”

The man exhaled hard. He stood and his nostrils whistled. Ben cowered against the cold metal door.

“I’ve wanted tuh meet
you
fer a long time,” he stepped closer. “The name’s Ed. There’s somethin’ I wantcha tuh see.”

Ed needed only two strides to cover what had taken Ben three. He lifted his right hand. Ben winced, bracing for an attack.

“Lookit this…see?”

Ben peered through his fingers. Ed pulled back his cheek and upper lip, exposing a row of lustrous molars and incisors.

“What? You have a perfect set of teeth.”

“Exactly! They’re perfect, ain’t they? The prettiest pearly whites yuh ever did see.”

“Well, that’s great. I’m…happy for you.”

Ed laughed. “Yuh don’t get it, do yuh?
You
did this.
You
fixed muh teeth.”

Ben thought about the O/A. Had he opened a passageway to an alternate universe where his ‘other’ self was a dentist?

“Um, well,” he tried to be cautious, just in case. “I’m glad I could help you.”

“Yuh don’t remember me, do yuh? I was at the school board meetin’ in the Loo Wit Room. When yuh showed off yer machine.”

“I, uh—no.”

“Makes sense. You were laser-beamed in on that contraption. Yer son might remember me, though. He saw me. I tried tuh tackle yuh. Ha! Floor buckled right before I got to yuh. Knocked me on muh butt.”

“You
were
there.”

“And thank God I was, too. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have these,” he pointed to his mouth.

“But, how? I didn’t touch you. How could I have possibly fixed your teeth?”

The big fellow lumbered to the bunk.

“Man, all I know is before that night, I had one doozy of an ache in muh mouth. This tooth rotted away completely. It fell out when I was eatin’ scrambled eggs, of all things. Others were goin’ fast. I couldn’t hardly chew. It was horrible. And I couldn’t get ‘em fixed. Who can afford dental insurance these days, yuh know? Anyway, after that school board meetin’, that’s when everything changed. It started happenin’ right away, too. When I was drivin’ home, muh jaw went numb. Fer the first time in months the pain was gone. Then came a tinglin’ feelin’, like thousands of tiny bubbles inside muh gums. Man, it was weird. I nearly swerved off the road’n hit a tree.”

“Then what? Your teeth spontaneously regenerated?”

“I don’t know what that means, but they sure grew back.”

“Grew back! You actually want me to believe a new set of teeth just suddenly appeared?”

“Believe what yuh wanna believe. I’m tellin’ the truth. I felt like a kid again and all muh baby teeth were fallin’ out, makin’ way for bright, shiny new ones,” he gave Ben a big grin. Ed’s dental work resembled a picture in a toothpaste ad. Straight. White. Glistening. “Listen, if yuh don’t believe me, check this out. This’ll prove it.”

He opened his plastic bin. Under a pair of socks, he found a small pile of photos. He handed Ben a frayed, wallet-sized print. It showed Ed and a young woman, dressed in formal clothes. Their wedding, probably. They were smiling. Ed had a hole in his mouth. Not a gap, a hole. It was as if someone had hit him with a muddy stick. Specks of yellow, gray and black on the few remaining stumps. Shame on him for smiling in public.

Ben analyzed him, then the picture again. No way. He’d had some work done. A lot of work.

“They do great things with dentures these days, don’t they?”

Ed pinched his front teeth and pulled. “Nope. Not dentures.”

“Then that’s the best crown job I’ve ever seen. But what do I know about dentistry? Anyway, what kind of a con are you trying to pull on me?”

“I’m not tryin’ tuh hustle yuh, man. I’m on yer side. Way on yer side. Yer muh hero.”

“Because of some teeth?”

“It’s not just muh teeth. It’s everything. I feel better, more energetic when I’m awake, more rested when I sleep. And I dream now. I dreamt before, but now it’s like I know when I’m dreamin’, yuh know?”

“Yeah. I suppose.”

“And it’s not just me. Almost everyone I know who was there’n witnessed yer machine in action’ve had strange miracles happen. Broken bones healin’ overnight, severe arthritis goin’ away, one woman even swears her thyroid cancer went inta remission ‘cause’ve yer machine. Her doctors’re baffled.”

Ben snickered. “Okay, now you lost me. You had me up until the word, ‘cancer.’”

“Laugh all yuh want. It’s true.”

“But spontaneous healing wasn’t what I designed the O/A to do. It’s an unintended side effect. A total fluke. And I don’t know what other effects it might be having. Your teeth. What if they keep falling out and regrowing over and over? What if that woman who was supposedly cured of cancer suddenly gets twice the malignancies?”

“I think yer obsessin’ here. Look, muh teeth’re fine. It’s been months and nothin’ bad has happened. Can’t yuh see? Nothin’ bad has happened tuh any of us. We all feel great, and we owe it all tuh you.”

“I can’t explain this. I’m a scientist. I need to be able to explain this. If what you say is true…”

“It is.”

“If it
is
true, then I’ve got a lot more experimenting to do. Just what exactly is the O/A capable of? I built it for one specific purpose, to harness the excess dimensional energy emitted from all the infinite parallel universes. I know it’s powerful. Thanks to the boundless energy it supplies the user, anything seems possible. But what’s happening here? What don’t I understand?”

“Seems there’s a lot yuh don’t understand. Yuh sure yer the one who invented it?”

“Sometimes I wonder. It’s like it came out of a dream, like it came to me instead of me creating it.”

“I get it. Like divine inspiration.”

“Something along those lines, only much more vivid. More like being handed a piece of alien technology and then reverse engineering it. As you go, you discover all its different functions and capabilities.”

“Yuh mean it’s alien technology?”

“No, no. I built it. I mean I developed it, or nurtured it.”

“What’re yuh talkin’ about? Whaddya mean nurtured it? Is it alive or somethin’?”

Ben sighed. “I don’t know anymore.”

“What’re yuh sayin’?”

“I’m saying I’m not sure what the O/A really is. I mean I made it, yeah. But now I’m starting to wonder exactly why. Why the dreams, the visions, the flashes of insight? Why me? Why now?”

Ben sat and buried his chin in his hand. “I don’t even know where it is right now. I lost it, trying to save the Tana…” he stopped.

“The Tanakee?” Ed’s teeth sparkled. Ben eyed him. “What? Yuh don’t think anyone else has hearda’ the Tanakee?”

“So you know all about them, huh?”

“I heard things. News of this mornin’s little brew-ha-ha at Winmart got around town fast. Lotsa people saw those little critters. There’ve been rumors circulatin’ about their existence fer a while. Now the cat’s outta the bag. Seems yer son has developed quite a bond with ‘em.”

Ben sat up. “What do you know about my son?”

“Hold on. Take it easy. I’m on yer side, remember?”

“Just leave my son out of this.”

“Don’t know if that’s possible. He already got himself into it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t yuh heard? There was another big scene at the store this afternoon. Yer kid stole a buncha teddy bears. That’s the official story, anyway.”

“Jack! What have you done!”

“He got those critters outta there. But the police’re still after ‘em.”

Ben shuddered. “Not just the police. There’s someone else involved. By the way they operate, I think it’s someone with a lot of money and influence. It scares me what’s going on. My son might be unwittingly getting himself into a lot of danger. What am I going to do?”

“I know this may seem strange and all, but hear me out. What if yuh used yer machine?”

“The O/A? How?”

“I don’t know, man. Yuh said it does that dimensional energy stuff. We already know it can do some pretty amazin’ things.”

“But I haven’t gotten it to function properly for me, yet. Besides, it’s broken. Even if I was able to do what you suggest, I’d have to fix it.”

“Then fix it.”

Ben glanced at the jail cell and put up his palms. “That’s going to be kind of difficult in here. And I’m not getting out any time soon. They’ve trumped up the list of criminal charges on my case. The bail alone is set at five hundred thousand dollars.”

“Five hundred thousand? That’s unheard of.”

“They certainly want to stick it to me this time.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find a way tuh getcha outta here. You’ve got lotsa fans on the outside, even if they’re keepin’ quiet. We’re talkin’ powerful people, too. Doctors, lawyers, even local politicians. Ben, you have a big surprise comin’ when yuh finally realize exactly whatcha done by inventin’ that wonder machine.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing it hasn’t hit me yet. I might be a pile of jelly right now if I actually let myself take it all in. I guess I’m running on adrenalin.”

“You need tuh rest. Go on ‘n take the bottom bunk if yuh want it.”

“No, really, I…”

“Take it,” he insisted. “It’s yers.”

TWENTY-NINE

FINALLY JACK FOUND a moment to study his dad’s invention. The hole where the bullet had lodged was visible and, evidently, some minor repair work had been done.

“You tried to fix this?”

Pud yawned, rubbing his stomach. “Huh? Wha…ouch!”

“Don’t worry, Pud,” Takota said. “It’ll wear off soon.”

“Pud, you poor thing. They got you good, didn’t they?” Teresa knelt to his side and dabbed his forehead with a damp washcloth. “There, now. This is a little blend from my own garden. Healing herbs for that nasty ache of yours.”

Casually, Jack slipped the O/A into his pocket when Teresa wasn’t paying attention.

“I love your house,” Amelia gazed in wonder. “When was it built?”

“This old place? I’m not quite sure, honestly. It’s been in the family for generations. My great-great grandmother was born in this house. Died here, too.”

Jack caught the relaxing scent of lavender and jasmine. Teresa’s place might have been old, or it might have been new. From the inside he couldn’t tell. Of course on the outside, earlier when they’d arrived, it had him staring with astonishment. Concealed at the base of a gentle, forested foothill, the grey stone, old growth timber and white stucco dwelling was an inhabitant of the woods instead of an intruder. Large, hand cut basalt boulders forged the foundation, framing the cellar and the corners. Three stout chimneys, also made of rock, poked from the steep thatch roof, each billowing friendly puffs of smoke. The pale plaster provided a sharp contrast to the knotted, exposed support logs and the bright green moss clinging to the mortar between the stones. A rounded, two-story turret finalized the appearance of a charming, old-world country cottage.

Inside, though, it was a different story.

Covering every solid surface, stacked six, seven, eight feet high were tons and tons of books. Books of all types: thick hardcovers bound in rich leather, flimsy dimestore paperback novels, along with others—ancient and rare and weathered. Books everywhere, hiding the tall tray ceilings and intricate moldings, under the curved archways and along the hardwood hallways. He got the feeling the books went on endlessly.

Outside, through a sunny window, he sensed movement in the trees. To his pleasant surprise, he saw at least a dozen butterflies of various colors, fluttering among the brilliant flowers. The stunning insects relaxed him, although deeper down, another feeling stirred. It was more instinctual than logical. He swore someone else was there with them, someone unseen and watching.

Amelia said what he was thinking.

“Are there any ghosts living here?”

Teresa’s timeworn face beamed with giddiness. “Hundreds. More keep showing up all the time.”

Liz had Lily clutched to her. “I’m sorry, Miss…”

“Tree, Teresa Tree. We’ve met.”

“Yeah. At the store. I just want to know one thing. How did you know?”

“Know what, dear?”

“Don’t play games with me,” she pointed at the Tanakee huddled next to Pud. “I mean, just look at them. They’re real, live teddy bears.”

“Stop calling us teddy bears,” Cheyton glared.

“And they talk! Have you ever heard of such a thing! What am I saying? I guess you have, since you act like it’s no big deal. You must have seen this all before, right? Or did you cast some sort of spell to make this all happen?”

“No, dear,” Teresa giggled. “I cast no such spell.”

“Then how did you know exactly when we were going to run out that back door. You want to explain that to me?”

Jack was both embarrassed and angry at his mother.

“Mom! She just saved us. Can’t you at least say thank you?”

“It’s okay,” Teresa left the washcloth with Pud and took one long, wooden match from a glass container on the hearth. “I do need to explain a few things.”

“You need to explain more than a few things.”

“Mom, please. She’s helping us.”

“She can help us by telling us what’s going on!”

Teresa’s smile disappeared. She regarded each of them one at a time. Then she sighed.

“It’s so wonderful to have you all here. It’s been so long, I was beginning to wonder if this day would ever come. There are so many stories to tell,” her smile returned. “But first thing’s first.”

She tiptoed on bare feet to the dining room. On a worn wooden table, among yet more books, sat a row of five long, thin candles. She struck the match and lit them. Mounted on the wall in front of her were additional candles. She lit them. This she repeated with still more candles in several locations until the room became awash in dancing light. She extinguished the match in a small stone bowl and smoke rose from the bowl. She placed a handful of dried moss and leaves inside. More smoke. She gathered the vessel and proceeded into the living room where she waved her hands over each guest.

“The smoke heals my body, nurtures my blood, fills my breath and, cleanses my spirit.”

“So you
are
a witch,” Amelia inferred.

Teresa winked. “You may call me that. We’ve had many names, many titles throughout time and place. Witches, prophetesses, sorceresses, mediums, sibyls. I come from a long line.”

Amelia asked, “So, how you do apply your magic? Do you read the Tarot?”

“Many of us use Tarot to connect with the spirits. Some use the zodiac, or numerology, or runes. Some can even read the moles on your skin. My mother’s gift was interpreting tea leaves. But my method is a little different. There aren’t many of us around anymore. I have a storytelling Gaia.”

“Storytelling Gaia? What’s that?” Jack wondered.

“I use ancient stories to summon spirits and spells, evoking a world of living mystery.”

“Garbage,” Liz grumbled. Everyone glared at her. “Well, it is. I mean, really. Stories that summon spirits? A world of living mystery? Give me a break.”

Jack gestured to the Tanakee. “Mom, if you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of already living in a world of mystery.”

Liz blinked. She didn’t answer.

Takota spoke up. “It’s not a matter of belief at this point. We’re here together, so we’re all in this together. Personally, I have no idea what to do. If this nice lady has something to tell us, then I think it’s a good idea to listen.”

“What an intelligent little being!” Teresa launched her hands to her cheeks. “A born leader. You must be Takota.”

“Uh, I don’t remember telling you my name.”

“You didn’t need to. I’ve already been told all about you. You might not know it yet, but you will be a great and wise warrior.”

“Yeah, right,” Cheyton snarled.

“Um, I don’t know about that,” Takota said.

“Oh, but I do. I know many things about you all. Come, let’s sit, and I’ll tell you a tale or two.”