Between The Fences

3. To Grandmother’s House We Go

Vera Grassly was 74 years old and wheelchair-bound. She lived alone, but got around well enough on her own. Shayla was her daily aide, yet spend more time reading and studying than taking care of Vera. The septuagenarian was a veteran of Vietnam, spending years in the early seventies as a translator for the US Army. Vera had graduated from high school and went directly to Rice University on a language scholarship. Cassidy didn’t know how many languages her grandmother spoke, but she knew it was quite a few.

Contrary to Vera’s normal attitude, she was a very refined-looking woman. She always wore nice clothes, reminiscent of the fifties, to hide her atrophied legs and accentuate her ample bosom. She had lines of face, as every woman her age did, yet they only appeared to enhance her refined qualities. Vera’s slightly graying, mahogany hair was done up in petite victory rolls. The makeup foundation wasn’t caked on, but it was still easily noticeable, and the flashy red lipstick and rose-colored blush made her piercing blue eyes like that of a vampire.

Vera’s strong aura was the first thing Cassidy felt when she walked into the darkened library. Her grandmother sat near the window overlooking the backyard, it was open so as to let in the fragrant breeze and the singing of the birds. Cass saw that Grandma had her hands in front of her, and her head was bent as though she were speaking to someone, or something, in her hands. Or she could just be napping, she thought. It was Mom that broke the silence.

“Hi, Mom! Looks like we’re the first ones here.”

Grandma wasn’t startled, yet she waited a moment to speak, appearing to abruptly end whatever conversation she was having. Cassidy wasn’t sure if either of her parents noticed, but she did notice a small shadow seem to jump down and scurry into a dark corner. Effortlessly, Grandma spun around and wheeled quickly across the library to where the family stood.

"Katherine, it's so good to see you!" she said, a smile ran from ear to ear.

Mom leaned over and gave her mother a cheek-to-cheek kiss. She stepped back and let Quentin come forward. He didn't lean over for the kiss, instead, Grandma clasped his hand in both of hers, her smile never wavering.

"Good morning, son. Thank you for coming. I see you've been taking very good care of my girls."

Dad returned her smile with affection, "You know I do my best, Mother Vera."

Grandma's eyes swept from Quentin to Kathy to Cassidy. When her eyes finally fell on the little girl, something in her changed, but only enough for Cassidy to notice. There was an urgency in that change in demeanor, an urgency that was pulsing through Cass like a heartbeat. Vera gave the girl a wink and shifted her attention to her parents.

"Well, Donald and the others should be here shortly. Shayla is in the kitchen preparing for our meal," and her expression changed to mild annoyance as she finished the sentence. "Don't say a word, Katherine. That woman has become more than just a nursing aide, and she gets well compensated for it."

Both Mom and Grandma pursed their lips at each other and they all suffered a few moments of awkward silence. Then Mom sighed and shook her head from side to side, a smile appearing once again on her face. "Whatever you say, mom."

"Exactly," she retorted. "Whatever I say." She leaned forward as she said this, giving her words added emphasis that this was her house and her rules. "Now, you two go get yourselves a drink and relax until the others arrive. I want to speak to my granddaughter."

Kathy's eyes squinted, the smile disappearing. She remembered earlier when Cass has said that she needed to speak to Grandma alone, and now her mother was saying the same thing. She cocked her head slightly, then stared her mother straight in the eyes.

"What's going on? You've both told me the same thing. Have you two been speaking without me knowing?"

"Enough of your nosiness, Katherine," her voice was short. "We have things to discuss."

Grandma's eyes widened, not imperceptibly this time, and Kathy understood. Her eyes widened in response, but it seemed it was out of irritation rather than understanding. Cassidy could see the anger rising in her mother.

"Fine, mother," Kathy said. She turned to her husband, nose in the air. "C'mon, hon, leave the girls to be girls."

She stormed out of the library. Quentin shrugged in apology and followed. Cassidy stared at the now empty doorway and listened to her parents make their way to the kitchen. Then she felt the hand on her shoulder.

"My dear Cassidy," her voice was now breathy. "It's so wonderful to see you."

She turned to her grandmother and was shocked by the expression she encountered.

"Close the door," Vera commanded. "We must talk."

Cass took the few steps to the door and closed it quietly. As she turned, she was surprised to see Grandma nearly to the window where she was when they walked in.

"Why is Mom so mad?" she asked while she tip-toed to the other side of the room.

"Your mother doesn't believe." Her voice was flat, almost deflated.

"Believe in what?" Cassidy was fairly certain she knew what her grandmother was speaking of,

but she didn't want to let the cat out of the bag.

But Grandma's glare told her everything she needed to know.

"Come, now, girl. You know precisely what I'm talking about."

And she did. The Boogeyman's red eyes flashed in her mind, and where the pulsing of anticipation once was there was now only the pulsing of fear. She could feel the manic maggots of the black-eyed children eating at her brain. She could feel the troll on her chest, inhaling deeply to drain the life out of her. Tears began to roll down Cassidy's cheeks.

"'T’will be alright, lass."

Through her bout of tears, she had not seen the creature make its way back to her grandmother. Cass brushed them away quickly and stared at the form on Grandma's lap. No more than a foot tall, she saw an old man with bright red hair beneath a pointed hat the color of a forest floor. Half of his face was hidden beneath a puffy, scraggly beard the same fiery red as his hair. His nose was bulbous beneath deep-set eyes and bushy red eyebrows. His flesh-colored lips were pursed in concern. The man appeared dirty, but well dressed. The same colors as his hat, he wore an overcoat and vest over a collared shirt. She could just make out the suspenders that held up his pants (she thought they looked a little like jeggings), and he wore high-heeled black boots.

Her tears immediately stopped as she studied the creature, and a smile spread across her face. She almost felt the need to giggle, but was at least perceptive enough to realize that may be rude.

"Cassidy, I'd like you to meet Conall of Leinster."

"Dia Duit, lass. Well met we are." Conall's smile was barely there, but she could feel how genuine he was.

"You're a... " Cassidy began, but she couldn't seem to finish the sentence.

"A leprechaun sure," he said with a slight bow of his head. "A fairy of the Emerald Isle I be, livin' between the world of wakin' and the world of dreamin'. I've a bit of luck with me and a warnin' fer ya."

“A warning?” All mirth had fled from her face.

“Aye,” he answered, his bushy eyebrows raised. “The same affliction has ye both, child. See now, the monsters of my domain exist sure. But to only a few are themselves attached. Such as yourself suffer so and have often ye minds broken. Not all ye now become broken of mind. Yer Móraí is after survivin’ the troubles.”

As if she were a priest speaking to one of her flock, Vera said, “Which one of them haunts you, my child?”

Cassidy was wont to answer, but she found her breath caught in her throat. Telling her grandmother what was happening felt like a necessity, but to be drawn into it without even mentioning it to her first was creepy. And she was having a conversation with a leprechaun for Christ’s sake! But she trusted her grandmother, and if she trusted Conall, then she had to put her trust in him, too.

“The Boogeyman comes after me the most,” she said solemnly. “He came after me last night. The black-eyed kids come after me, too.” Cassidy shrugged her shoulders, a feeling of shame washing over her. “I try not to be afraid, but I can’t help it.”

She looked first to Conall, then to Vera as a single tear rolled again down her cheek. The leprechaun studied her, his arms folded in front of his little barrel chest. Grandma reached out and cupped her cheek in her hand.

“My sweet Cassidy,” she breathed. “I’m so sorry for your suffering. How I wish that you could’ve been more like your mother in this. She was defiant in her belief of these creatures. She outlasted them and they could never sink their talons into her.”

“How do I stop believing in them, Grammy?” Cassidy’s voice was pleading. If her mother could do it, then certainly she could, as well.

But it was Conall that spoke up. “Unbelieve in them you can’t, lass. Yer needin’ to face themselves on their own ground.”

Then the leprechaun looked at Grandma, his expression somehow firm and soft all at once. After a moment of silence, the two turned their gazes on Cassidy.

“You’ll have to go to the Black House, Cass. That is their home.” Vera’s face hardened as the memories rushed into her mind. “I’ve been there…” her lip trembled only slightly. “And I never want to go back.”

“I don’t want to, Grammy!” She burst into full tears now. The memories of being attacked in her room by these creatures were bad enough, but now she was being told that she had to meet them on their own turf. Outwardly, she was a scared little girl who didn’t want to do what she was told. Inwardly, she was a defiant young woman that voiced her father’s sentiment in times like this. Fuck that!

“No choice is there here, Cassidy. ‘Tis destiny for all ye folk.”

Cass’s eyes flashed as her fear turned to anger. “Go to hell, you little twerp!”

“Cassidy Nicole!” Grandma scolded. “Don’t you dare bring that sass into my home!”

The scolding drained all anger from her, and she broke down once again, burying her head in Vera’s lap. As she sobbed, she felt a small hand rest on her curls.

“There, there, lass,” said Conall, his voice soothing and tender. “Much strength there is in yourself, just as Vera has in herself. Keep to yer faith.”

Cassidy lifted her head to Conall. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“Think nothin’ of it, lass. ‘Tis no worse than the scoldin’ this one gave meself many a year ago.”

The leprechaun shoved his thumb toward Grandma with a smile and a wink. It was quite amazing to Cass how quickly her mood could change in the presence of the little old man. She lifted her eyes back to Vera and let out a little laugh. The smile she received in kind made her heart feel lighter and her inner courage a little stronger.

“Besides,” Conall continued, “an ally there is with ya.”

From the window, she heard a single word. Her name. Cassidy. She saw the blurry form of the man that had haunted her twice already. Her hand went immediately to the little tin of sand in her skirt pocket.

“Who is he?” she asked Vera.

“That, sweet Cass, is the Sandman. The keeper of the Dream World.” Grandma lifted her hand in salutation to the being, and he returned the greeting. “This is as far into the Waking World as he can come. Here, he is only an influence. In the Dream World, he is like a king. He can guide you on this journey you must take.”

“But how will I find the monsters?”

“They’ll find yourself, lass,” Conall answered. He stepped forward on Vera’s leg to approach Cassidy. “Close yer eyes now, love.”

She felt his tiny hands cup her cheeks as he leaned in close. His breath smelled like a puppy had been drinking fruity liquor. The aroma tickled her nose as he continued to speak.

“Ná déan dearmad go deo ar cad is fiú a mheabhrú, ná cuimhneamh go deo ar cad is fearr dearmad a dhéanamh. May you never forget what is worth remembering, nor ever remember what is best forgotten.”

All of her worry, anxiety, and fear shrunk to the back of her mind. Cass now reveled in light-hearted joy and expectation. As she looked at Conall, the leprechaun could see her eyes sparkle. He smiled and winked at her.

She turned her face up to Vera. “Go now, Cassidy. Your cousins are here and mischief awaits!”

Cassidy didn’t see Conall leave as she stood and threw her arms around her grandmother’s neck. And when she released the embrace, the thought of looking for him in order to say ‘goodbye’ didn’t really cross her mind. All she wanted to do was play and laugh. Cass’s mood stuck with her for many hours, the darkness of the encounter the night before and the troubling conversation with Grandma and the leprechaun barely made a blip on her mental radar. For a while, she was just an eleven year old girl, completely ignorant of what lay ahead.

As she raced out of the library to go find her cousins, Kathy appeared in the doorway with arms folded across her chest. The expression she held was one of being betrayed and seething anger. When Vera spun the wheelchair around to confront her daughter, she was received with only three words.

“How dare you,” Kathy hissed.

4. Between the Fences

The remainder of the visit with Vera Grassly went without incident. Despite Kathy’s anger with her mother, she was stoic enough to not let it bleed into the family get-together. In fact, upon their departure, Mother Beaumont embraced Mother Grassly with all the mirth and love that was part of their greeting a few hours before. There wasn’t even a hidden look of disdain, Kathy hadn’t forgotten what her mother had done to her daughter, but she wasn’t going to ruin her daughter’s visit over it, either.

Before arriving home, Quentin drove to a home on Woodland Court in the Northgate Community. This is where Francesca DiRomano lived, and she was Cassidy’s best friend. Frankie, as Cass preferred to call her, was through and through Mediterranean. She had perfect olive skin tone, big, brown eyes, and dark brown hair that flowed like a waterfall down to the middle of her back. Her fair features were accentuated by perfect cheekbones set above a flawless and robust square jawline. She had the athletic build notable of Italian women, and she could’ve easily been mistaken for fourteen years old, not eleven. In the coming years, Frankie’s ‘perfection’ would become a spot of tension between the two, but, for now, no such envy existed. For, despite her athletic figure, Cass was the more athletic of the two.

When Frankie entered the SUVs backseat, the girls embraced with a quiet screech. Dad rolled his eyes and prepared for the antics and screaming that lay ahead. He took comfort in the fact that he’d spend a good bit of that time focused on the spare ribs and spiced potatoes he’d be grilling. Kathy sat in the passenger seat and just giggled at the girls. The only thing of note that she had in her own mind was to regulate the sugar intake Frankie and Cassidy would attempt to have. She’d have to keep a keen eye on their sneaking.

The Beaumonts and their visitor arrived at home in only five minutes. The girls immediately grabbed a juice box out of the refrigerator, sucked them down, and took off for the park in the field just beyond their fenced backyard. Mom and Dad heard the cheers of joy while they prepped for dinner. Kathy came to the screen door right before Quentin was about to light the coals in the grill.

“Hey, babe, I forgot the salad dressing and the tomatoes. Come with me to the store, please,” she said in her sexiest voice.

“What about the girls?” he asked sheepishly. It was hard to say no to his wife when she spoke to him that way.

“Call them to the yard. They can play some badminton while we're gone. The grill’s not lit.”

The wink was too much, and Quentin smiled and call the girls right away. As they came through the gate, still laughing hysterically, he used his Dad voice to get their attention.

“Girls… Girls!” The two settled enough for him to continue speaking. “Lock the gate and play

some badminton while we’re gone. We need to go to the store for a couple of things.”

Cass and Frankie groaned in unison, coupled with laughter, and rolled their eyes.

“Fine, Daddy!” she said. “Hurry back!”

As they ran for the rackets and the birdie, Quentin chuckled. Cass must be in a good mood if she called him ‘daddy’. She had made it a point to try not to call him that as a sign of maturity. Though not necessary for him, Quentin certainly didn’t fault her for doing so.

“Bye, baby… Bye, Frankie!” said Mom as they were heading out the door. The girls only replied with laughter.

Conall’s Irish prayer had calmed Cassidy down and allowed her to push the fear of what she must face to the background of her mind. Now that it was only Cassidy and Frankie at the home, the prayer’s power would quickly wane. Cassidy had no idea how long her parents had been gone (it had only been a few minutes), but, as she missed a volley, her hand went to the pocket that held the tin of sand as she bent over to pick up the birdie. She shook her head and turned to Frankie, smiling big, though not exactly feeling the smile inside. The serve went perfectly to her friend, but the return shot went errant, arcing high into the air and carried by the wind into the space between the fences of the adjoining yards.

As Frankie laughed hysterically and apologized for the horrible hit, Cass turned to the fence with a sense of loathing.

“Frankie!”

Her friend only laughed harder at the plea. Cassidy rolled her eyes and went to the gate. She unlocked it and turned her annoyance to Frankie.

“C’mon, Frankie, you’re gonna help me get the birdie.”

"Okay," she groaned and snorted a sigh. "I'm coming."

Her giggles continued as she and Cass walked through the gate and turned immediately to face the space between the fences. It was overgrown with weeds and rogue saplings. It was always a useless wonder for Cassidy, as she fingered and ripped off the leaves of these hidden trees that had the luck of growing through the slats of the fence and into the sunny backyard. Now she saw them. And though the revelation was highly anticlimactic, she gazed into the space between the fences with a sense of foreboding.

"Well, go ahead, Cass!" Frankie urged through more giggles. "What're you afraid of? Bugs!"

Cass shot Frankie a look very similar to the one she had given Conall earlier in the day. In this case, though, no words needed to be said. Frankie instantly sobered up, but not without some protest.

"Okay... jeez," she muttered. "Do you see it?" she asked, trying to turn the situation more business-like.

"No, Frankie," answered Cass, her annoyance still on high alert. "C'mon, let's go in..."

She had to turn her body in order to fit into the space, and this only added to her sense that something was going to turn out very wrong. Yer needin' to face themselves on their own ground, Conall had told her. But she was fairly certain that there was no Black House in here. Cass entered into the little realm between the fences, the badminton racket still in her right hand. Of course, with the little room for movement between the fences, she really had no way of using it to protect herself, or Frankie, but it did make her feel better. It was her sword as she entered Mirkwood with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. It was her one wish, in this moment, that it was hobbits she was looking for. The truth was too frightening... Cassidy Beaumont simply didn't want to be found.

The air between the fences was heavy and stifling. Cass felt the sweat break out on her skin, and, as she glanced to Frankie behind her, who had grabbed the end of the racket to use as a safety line, she wasn't the only one sweating. All of Frankie's jocularity had ceased. There was fear in her eyes, to Cassidy that was plain. But why should she be afraid? It's not like the monsters were after her. Despite the sweat, though, both girls shivered at the same time. It had already felt like an eternity since they had entered, yet they weren't quite halfway to where the birdie lay tangled in weeds. Nevertheless, Cass could take no more. She turned to Frankie.

"Let's go back, Frankie," she said, almost pleading. "We'll find something else to do."

Sure, giving up now felt like a defeat to Cass, but she was afraid. Do you know what it's like to have to face something terrible, and knowing that you can do nothing to stop it? Now, imagine you're eleven years old in that same situation. Confrontation with the monsters of the night may be a foregone conclusion, but she could at least give herself more time to prepare. Grandma, nor Conall, ever said anything about her showdown with the creatures being today. Did she not have any control over this?

"Uh... yeah," Frankie replied, a note of happiness squeaking through her words.

Cassidy took one last look at the birdie, then felt the pull of her best friend taking the first step towards the exit... and freedom. She did worry what tonight might bring, though. No doubt the monsters were lying in wait, anxiously expecting their showdown with the little girl. She resisted Frankie's pull for just a moment, a revelatory thought blooming in her mind. What is the point of all this? Why must I face them at all? Her mother never faced them. Her grandmother had faced them, too, and defeated them... Right? If Grandma hadn't defeated them, then what happened? Cassidy's mind raced through these thoughts, and she got angrier and angrier. None of it made sense. Yes, she was only eleven years old, ignorant of the workings of most of the world. But dammit! She wanted to at least understand this! She was a part of it!

"What's the point?"

It was a moment she'll never forget. Cassidy heard Frankie ask her what she said. She also heard the disembodied voice of the Sandman calling her name. She watched the air between her and the birdie begin to shimmer like heat waves rising off of hot pavement. Then she saw the black, muscular hand with the long fingers take her by the wrist. She heard the growl emanating from the shimmer. She felt the inevitable and overwhelming pull. She heard the scream of Frankie behind her, failing miserably to fight the pull of the Boogeyman. It all happened so fast and so slow.

As she watched her hand disappear into the shimmer with the monster's hand, she heard the Sandman answer her question.

The fear is the point, Cassidy.

Then she was gone, followed by Frankie, who had never let go of the racket. Cassidy had a terrible thought before things went dark. She knew this showdown was inevitable, and it scared the shit out of her. She had no idea how she would save herself from the monsters in the Black House. Grandma had never explained what she did to survive. But, not only was Cass now tasked with saving herself, she had to save Frankie, too.

Continue to Part 3: Torment and Sand