The candy and alcohol caught up with Lock. Unfortunately it caught up with him all over the floor. He snapped out of it at least. I told Shock I'd clean it up and that she needed to take him home. He'd still been covered in blood and now he was covered in vomit. I went and got the mop, but when I came back mom took it from me and started cleaning herself. For a moment I thought she'd snapped out of it, but her face hadn't changed. She was obsessively cleaning everything. I asked Dad if she'd ever been like this before. "Not that I've known." was his response.
It got very late and still Mom was in a daze. Dad eventually pulled her away from cleaning and took her to their room. I said I'd check on Andy and Butter. Butter didn't understand what was going on. She asked me what was wrong with mom. She asked me where Lini was. How could I explain it to her? I told her Mom was sick, but that's she'd be okay soon and that meanwhile things were going to be a little different because Lini was going to live somewhere else. I made sure to tell her we loved her. I probably could have put it better, but I really had no idea what I was doing. I knew I couldn't tell her the truth. Andy by contrast, knew more than I thought he would. He also seemed rather, lost in thought. Not like how mom was, but just, quiet.
I couldnt sleep that night. I closed my eyes (err, eye sockets) and I was back in his lair and she was dying once more. I wondered if anyone else would sleep that night. As twins we'd always had a connection, but I couldn't feel her anymore, it was just emptiness. Since I couldn't sleep I sat at my desk twirling a pen in my fingers and staring out the window into the dark. I can't say that I've ever been particularly religious, but I hoped that Lini was in Heaven now where nothing could hurt her again. I thought about death. Here in Halloween, it would seem that just about everyone is dead, but when Lini died, she didn't just get up and continue as normal. I wondered if we are really, truly dead here. I mean, how can I be dead if I've never been alive? Maybe this is just a different type of life. Perhaps we're immortal. If I am dead, I couldn't die again, but if this really is just a different type of life maybe I can die. Just not in the accustomed way. Lini was born alive like most creatures, so she died as easily as the rest of them. This didn't make sense though. How could my twin be so different from me? No one knew why she was born alive. Through out my childhood people were always staring at her and from overheard whispers I'd heard many theories as to why she was the way she was. Stuff ranging from just an act of God to people saying Mom must have had an affair. I'd seen over the years what this incessant gawking had done to her sweet, friendly personality. I'd seen her cry after being made fun of just because she was different. I think that was why she was drawn to Lock, Shock, and Barrel, because they were outcasts too. I was kind of afraid of them then, but she went right up to them and followed them around until they had no choice but to include her and me. I miss her.
The next day mom would still be in her own little world. Andy was still quiet. Dad was trying his best to keep everything going. Lock and Shock came over at some point. Lock apologized for yesterday, but I told him it was okay. I understood. The team that had gone to search through the ashes came back with their report. Shock held my hand as they told us what they had found. "Nothing." said the mayor solemnly. "We couldn't find anyone. No Lini, no Oogie, no Barrel. Except for this..." He handed Dad a neatly folded piece of paper. As Dad read it his face changed and he crushed the paper in his hands. "What does it say?" I asked. He handed me the paper and Shock read with me the note that said:
'…Tut tut, you abandoning your daughter like that Jack, How could you? But don't worry Bone-man, the Boogie man is taking good care of her…'
