The Fourth Person

Eli, still staring at nothing, nodded.

"When were you here?"

"Two days ago."

"Eli, you were with me two days ago."

"Well, I don't mean I really came here exactly; my mind came here."

Catherine's heart raced as she sat and gently placed her hands on Eli's shoulders. He turned his melancholy face toward her. "All those stories you told me. . . then, they're real. Like you said. . . going to the moon. . . and-- and the Grand Canyon...and..."

He looked at her with pain in his eyes, nodding slowly.

There was a long silence. She thought back to the story Pearl and George had told her and Father Michael.

"How can you do that? How long have you been doing it? Doesn't it scare you? I mean. . . to the moon!"

Eli resumed staring through the door and began, "Before I came to St. Thomas, the place I was at wasn't too good. The other kids used to call me names and were always making fun of me. One day I got in a fight and even though I was the one who got beat up, the sisters blamed me and I was punished. They made me stay in my bed all day and I wasn't allowed to eat anything. I was lying on my bed, just looking at the ceiling. It had all those square-like blocks. I was looking at the one block right above me for a long time. It got bigger and bigger until I was right up against it. I thought at first it had, like floated down against my face, but then I was real light and realized I had actually floated up to it! I looked down and saw myself and got scared. Then I was back in my bed. The next day I thought maybe I had dreamed it, so I tried to do it again and I couldn't. But I didn't quit. I tried every day, and then one day I could do it. Every time I did it after that I went farther and farther away from myself."

Catherine pondered as she studied Eli for some time, then asked, "Did you have anything to do with what happed to Steve yesterday?"

Tears streaming down his face, Eli began sobbing so hard he could barely catch his breath. "I'll never do it again," he cried as he thrust his head against her, his arms clutching her painfully. His heavy sobs shook them both.

She endured the pain, hugging him tightly until he settled down, then again put her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look directly into her eyes.

"What you did is called 'possession.' And all the things you've talked about are supernatural. Promise me you'll never do these things again."

Still crying, Eli gulped, "I thought he was going to hurt you. It was terrible in there!"

She put her arm around him, rethinking all that had happened.

"What's terrible in there, Eli? What do you mean?" She held him away from her. He wouldn't answer.

"Eli, do you want to be like Steve?"

He shuddered, staring at her with a dreadful, haunted look.

"Eli." He looked away. "Eli, that's what's wrong with Steve. He's got bad things locked up inside. Now get them out of your head before it's too late."

He looked down, tears again rolling down his face. Words became whimpers as he tried to describe what he saw.