Todd had scampered down the side of the giant funnel, through the opening and out onto the huge plain that spread out before him. He stopped and took a deep breath. The emptiness went on forever. But his mother was out here somewhere and he was determined to find her. He knew she was still alive. If the demon had intended to kill her, he would have done so. He would have killed them both. So it must have something in mind for her.
He had looked out ahead at the hundreds of rock outcroppings. His mother could be behind any one of them. Without thinking, he had set off across the plains in a dead run.
Now he stood up against one of the rocks and listened. He could hear a voice in the distance. It was far away and he couldn’t make out what it said. It was strong and resonant, a man’s voice, and it sounded like it was talking to someone else that he couldn’t hear. Todd had the very strong feeling-a certainty, in fact-that this voice belonged to the demon and that it was talking to his mother.
He scuttled around the boulder and crept forward. The next one was about a football field away. It sounded like the voice was on the other side of it. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he found his mother, but first he had to know if it were her. He caught his breath, then hurried across the open space towards the boulder.
The place felt weird, whatever it was. Todd felt alone and abandoned, yet he also felt the presence of others around him. He couldn’t actually see or hear them, but he felt like they were there, just under the surface. It was almost as if he could touch them, yet there was nothing there to touch.
He slowed down when he approached the rock and crept closer, hiding just behind it. He listened intently, but couldn’t hear anything. Then he thought he heard the sounds of rapid breathing. It was his mother.
He peaked around the rock and, sure enough, saw his mother lying in the sand with her head thrown back. She was breathing rapidly, having another one of those labor pains. In front of her, though, Todd saw a naked man. The man’s back was towards him, but he saw the man’s dark hair and very muscular body. He looked to be about his mother’s age, maybe a little younger. He knelt down in front of his mother, as if he were concerned. Todd wondered if this man was a doctor.
He ducked back behind the boulder and wondered what to do. Should he make himself known and try to help his mother escape? Or should he just hide here and wait? Was this man a friend or an enemy?
He peeked around again in the hope that his mother would see him. Then, if things were safe, she’d call to him. And if not, she’d find a way to let him know. She didn’t look his way, though, but merely stared upwards at what looked like a pitch black, starless sky that enveloped this entire world.
Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. The aloneness was too much. The emptiness. The vastness of this place. His heart filled with sudden emotion and he could contain himself no more; he rushed out from behind his hiding place.
“Mom!” he called.
She sat up as soon as she heard his voice, and the look of horror on her face told him he had made a mistake. Her look said it all-grateful to see him but terrified for his life.
By now, what was done was done and he rushed into his mother’s arms, where she held him tight.
“Oh, Todd, Todd. What are you doing here?”
“I came to get you, Mom. I came to bring you back.”
“Oh, my dear boy, my love. You shouldn’t have come. Oh dear God, you shouldn’t have come.”
Then she began to weep so hard that she shook all over. She squeezed him so tight he thought he would break.
“Oh, dear God, oh why did you come here?”
“I had to, Mom,” he said. “I just had to.”
She patted him on the back of the head.
“It’s ok,” she said. “We’re going to be ok.”
Then he felt the man grabbing him by the back of the neck and pulling him away.
“So what have we here?” he said. “Another moth just flying into the fire?”
The man swung Todd around to look at him. He had dark black hair, black eyes, and tanned, almost leathery skin. He looked like any ordinary man.
“Who are you?” Todd asked.
“Your worst nightmare,” the man said, and then Todd saw him for who he was as he looked deeply into his eyes.
“You’re that awful thing that took my Mom!” Todd said. “And you tried to get me back at the rock but I got away.”
“Yes,” the demon said. “I’m that awful thing that tried to get you. But guess what? Now I’ve got you.”