Brian woke on top of his bed fully clothed save his sneakers. He rose slowly, his head heavy. Its weight pulled him forward and towards the floor. He steadied himself by clutching the blankets on either side and glanced at himself in his bedroom mirror. “You look like shit, Kroner.”
He stood, stretched, and went into the kitchen. Uncle Tom and Aunt Leslie sat at the table playing cards. Tom looked up, concerned. “You okay, Buddy?”
“Yeah. Guess so. Strange dreams.”
Leslie put the cards away and walked onto the deck. Dawn was turning into morning. The sun was red and just above the horizon. He followed her and stretched. “Red sky at morning, sailor take warning?”
Leslie kept her eyes on the ocean. “Go clean yourself up, Brian. I’ll put out some breakfast.”
Half an hour later he dried himself in front of the mirror. He caught a reflection over his shoulder, soemthing on the deck outside his room, turned, and saw Danny there.
Except it wasn’t quite Danny. It wasn’t rightly Danny. It was like Uncle Tom being betwixt and between, something caught between coming and going, and right now, right this second as Brian looked, it was being Danny.
“You killed me, Bri. You’re a murderer. Just like Grandma was to Uncle John and just like Mom is to Dad. You’re no better than the rest of them, except that you knew what you’re doing and they didn’t have a clue.”
Danny walked away, out of view.
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