Page 83 of Whistle
“Magic,” Annie said.
“That’s it. That one freaked me out. So what makes you bring up that rocking horse thing?”
“No judging, right? I tell you something that sounds totally off the wall, you’re not going to laugh at me or anything.”
“Annie, you know me better than that.”
She had to steel herself to tell her. “Charlie found some trains.”
“Trains?”
“Some toy trains. Left over in a box up here. An engine and cars and lots of track and some buildings. They were stored in a shed back of the house.”
“My dad had trains,” Maya said, sounding wistful. “When I was growing up, I thought it was kind of weird and didn’t even want my friends to know, but when I got older, I saw that it was good for him. He was a fireman. I ever tell you that? Anyway, it was a good way for him to unwind. It’s a big hobby, or was. Not sure how many kids are into it these days.”
“Charlie asked if he could set it up, and he did, in the studio where I’m trying to get back to work. Sometimes... sometimes when I look at them, I get this kind of vibe off them, like there’s something not right with them. Like... like they’re looking at me, or they run when there’s no power hooked up to it, or I see thousands of bugs crawling out of it that aren’t really there. And Charlie had a sleepwalking episode last night and wandered up the road to an abandoned rail line, and when I found him I heard the train, saw it coming right at us, and then it was gone.” She let out a long breath. “There, I said it.”
There was a long silence.
“Jesus, say something,” Annie said.
“What do you think’s going on here?” Maya asked. “I mean, you’re not saying this train set is possessed or something...”
Annie didn’t say anything.
“Annie?”
“I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“You are a rational, brilliant woman, so I don’t think I need to make the case that in the real world, a doll or any other kind of toy is just that. It might have an emotional attachment, like the stuffed toys we had as kids, but they’re notevil. They’re not possessed. They are not taken over by some kind of spirit. I think what’s happening here is more obvious.”
Annie waited.
“You’re still processing what happened to John, still trying to finda way to deal with the tragedy of that young boy. A mind under stress does some pretty amazing things, Annie. And you’re worried about Charlie. Your anxiety surrounding him is manifesting itself in ways that are hard to understand.”
“Maybe so.”
“And Charlie has found something he really likes. He’s found a focus. These trains are probably a great way for him to think about something other than losing his father.”
“He says John lives in his little town.”
“Ah, I see. But, you know, it sounds like he’s dealing with it, in his own way. And you need to let him.”
“I don’t know.”
“Annie.” Maya’s tone said everything.Pull yourself together, for fuck’s sake.
“You’re probably right,” Annie said.
“Do you need your prescription renewed? I can phone it in to a local drugstore for you if you let me know which one.”
“I still have some,” Annie said. “If I run out, I’ll be in touch.”
“You going to be okay?”
“I’m going to be okay,” Annie said. “Thanks for this.”
They said their farewells, and Annie slowly closed the laptop, thinking,She’s wrong.
