I awaken in a bed. A blanket has been draped across me. It must still be daytime, since there is light sneaking in through the shaded window. I touch my hand to my forehead — it is soaking wet. As for that matter, so are my clothes. My dream is fading now, but I know something horrible must have happened. Dreams could be a place to find answers, but this one seems like the kind I’m glad I don’t remember.

Reeks jumps on the bed to greet me, aware that I am now awake. She meows softly and begins pawing her way up my body towards my chest, where she decides is the best place for her to lay down. I giggle a little — I can never quite get used to how affectionate and strange this cat is. After a few minutes of riding the sea of lung breaths, she decides she has enough and hops off. I’m not sure what I’d do without that cat. She is the closest thing to a friend I have.

My head aches and, for that matter, so does my stomach. I try and push past the pain and the uneasy feeling I have in my parent’s house. Our conversation prior to my bout of unconsciousness was certainly intense, and an eye opener. All this time, I believed my parents never believed me. Somehow, their “denial” was a way for me to try and ignore my affliction. In some ways, it worked. I really did try and ignore it as much as I could. Now, I can’t.

I roll over in bed. There is an end table set up and my cell phone is plugged in and charging. Next to the phone is a folded piece of paper. I open it up. It is from my mom.

Josh,

We are so sorry for acting like we didn’t believe you. Our hope is that you can at least understand where we were coming from and that you can forgive us.

Please continue reading as this is very important. Uncle Thomas somehow knew that by dying before your father’s death date, he spared him. However, your dad doesn’t know how he found out, or why. But he thinks the answer is out there.

Here is the address to where Thomas was buried.

Sleepy Plains Cemetery

3000 South Sycamore Lane

Lake Eagle, WI 54422

Maybe there is something you can find there to help you figure it out. We don’t want to lose you. We want to help you in any way we can. To give you some space, we’ve taken a trip to Madison to visit your sister. We will be back in a week.

Love,

Mom

A cemetery? How could that possibly help me? I laugh at the thought of being Nicholas Cage in National Treasure, running form clue to clue in the hopes of finding some massive treasure. However, slowly but surely, I’m figuring out small pieces of this puzzle that is my life. Somehow, an act of sacrifice can change someone’s death date. But how can we choose who that is? Is sacrifice the only thing we can do? More questions flood my brain. Are there others out there like me? What other strange afflictions do people have? The biggest question in my mind that I keep falling back to: why me? Why was I giving this “thing”? Answers are few, but we have a lead, and it is time to follow it.

I roll myself out of the bed and don’t worry about changing clothes, as I’m still in what I passed out in this morning. Reeks is complaining about food, so I make sure she has some in her bowl. I don’t plan on being gone long, little kitty. Still, don’t eat it all in one sitting!

I exit the bedroom and make my way towards to kitchen. The refrigerator is surprisingly stocked, so I locate some turkey and ham to make myself a quick sandwich. After eating that, I quickly head out the door.

6pm. Wow, I have been out for quite a while. So, this is perfect. Headed to a cemetery at dark. My last experience in the dark was so great that I’m just dying (pun definitely intended) to get back out there. I nearly jump out of my shoes when my phone starts ringing, just as I begin to head out the door.

It is Kaley.

I think for a few seconds. If I answer, what do I say? If I don’t, what does that say to her? Mind games are a constant fixture in my mind, as I probably over think things more often than not. I decided to answer.

“Hello…”

“Lyle! It is so good to hear your voice. I was just thinking about you and was still worried about how hard you might be taking things with Sarah. You didn’t call me and I was really concerned. Can I stop over and see you?”

“Thank you for your concern. Really, I’m fine. Well, mostly. I’m actually at my parent’s place. And will be for a little while. Meaning I won’t be at school at all this week. Taking some time off”

Kaley volleys back with a new sadness in her voice. I can’t say I hate to hear that, because it means I mean something to her. “Well, I do understand that. But I’ll miss you at school! Please hurry back. It won’t be the same around here without you.”

Even though I haven’t known this girl for long, for some reason, despite everything, I’ve really opened up to her. She has known me better than most people ever have, even my own family. I am renewed in my want to save her. Even if it means that I have to die.

“I will. There are just some important things I have to take care of you. I promise, I’ll tell you all about it when the time is right. I’ll be sure to call you by next weekend to let you know how I’m doing, that way you won’t have to worry.”

“Okay, Lyle…” Loud coughing noises break up the sentence. “Ack…sorry. I think I’m coming down with something. In fact, it is probably good that you aren’t around for me to drop by. Wouldn’t want to get you sick. Take care, and call soon!”

We say our goodbyes and I’m on my way. Hopefully that isn’t the last time we get to speak.

Chapter 16

The drive isn’t too long, about 40 minutes, but the roads are narrow and windy. It gets dark just as I arrive. Thankfully, I remembered to grab a flashlight before I left. Now, to scamper around a graveyard at dark, looking for my uncles tombstone. Doesn’t that sound like fun? I contemplate leaving the lights of my car on, but I really don’t need a dead battery out here in the middle of nowhere.

I can barely make out the general layout of the cemetery, but I lucked out — it is fairly small, with maybe 15 rows of graves, and about 100 graves in each row. I start my trek down the first row, pointing my flashlights at every tombstone, looking for anything that says “Thomas Baudner”. I sure wish they put cemeteries in alphabetical order!

Craig and Amanda — Forever soulmates. Aww. That’s cute. Good for them. Linus Richards: the finest soldier we ever knew — 1995–1999. Ugh. That one is sad. So many tombstones. So many stories. Many of these people deserved better. Why should Kaley get to live, when Linus barely made it four years? How cruel this world can be. I just happen to get a closer glimpse of it all. I clear the first row. Still no Thomas. I begin my trek through row two.

The process is rinsed and repeated as I weave in and out through the rows. Eventually, in row 11, grave 72, I find him. Thomas Baudner. Devoted uncle. That is it. It is depressing to think he never got to have a family or kids of his own. I creep down a little closer — nothing is as comfortable as crouching over someone’s final resting place — and try and get a better look at the tombstone.

It is worn, with the Thomas having died in 1975. I search every square inch. Just when I’m about to call it a day, I notice some etching that disappears below the grass line. I can’t make out anything, so I need to dig. Even though the ground is cold, it is still early enough in the fall that it can be dug up with relative ease. After a few minutes, the inscription is revealed. As I read it over, the response makes me both excited and puzzled. I was hoping for something concrete. At least, it keeps the hope alive:

To See Your End is to Unsee Theirs

The key is to find your Pair

If nothing else can done

End yourself to save someone

My father never said my uncle was poetic, but there is a good chance he had no idea this was written here. I contemplate what this might mean. My thoughts must have been enveloping me, because I am completely caught off guard when someone taps on my shoulder. I turn around, and sure enough, there is an older gentleman standing there. And he doesn’t look friendly.

He opens with a voice weathered by years of shouting. “What are ya doing here? It is past dark. Park’s closed”

Interesting. This is his idea of a park? I need to tread carefully.

“Sorry, sir. I was just trying to pay respects to my Uncle. I’m from out of town, and I never got to see his grave. My dad tells me he had a big influence on him, so I had to stop her before going home. I’m really sorry, I’ll be on my way”

He gives me a cold stare. There is something odd about him. It is almost like…I can see through him. Also, and I’m not sure if this is due to the diminishing ability of mine, but this guys death date…it is in the past.

“Doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be here. This is my spot!” He seems to almost hiss as he says the last word. I’m officially freaked out. I knew I didn’t want to be here after dark.

“Okay, okay, I am moving along.” As I turn to walk away, I decide to make a what might end up being one of the dumbest decisions I make. I stop, turn around, and decide to speak up again. I used to think I was smart.

“Sir, if I may, can I ask you a question? Is your name Thomas, by any chance?”

The man looks at me and laughs. “Good luck, kid” he says, right before vanishing. What the hell was that about? I didn’t need to find out. As best I can in the dark, I sprint back to my car, panting as I crawl in the driver’s seat. I certainly have a lot to think about as I drive away. First and foremost — what did the inscription mean by pair? How do I go about finding somebody or something that I didn’t even know existed until a few moments ago? Any thoughts of this being easy have certainly vanished at that point.