Chapter 1

Johnny, take a walk with your sister the moon
Let her pale light in to fill up your room
You've been living underground, eating from a can
You've been running away from what you don't understand
Love
"Mysterious Ways" -U2

Travis threw back the bedcovers with exasperation; sleep was eluding him again and though he was exhausted, the restlessness was unquenchable. He wanted to blame it on the peace and quiet of the Michigan's Upper Peninsular hinterland, but he knew it wasn't so. He had left Detroit a month ago with no regrets and had slept deliciously every night, until last week. The cool air of early autumn had been good for his soul thus far.

Nothing special happened last week to provoke a bout of insomnia; it was just one night he woke up unable to return to slumber. He stared at the clock, he pissed, and even popped a couple of aspirin; nothing seemed to help. Tonight he dressed in the dark and walked out to the front room of the cabin. He glanced at the dark screen of the satellite TV and shook his head with dismissal. He slid on his Lands End jacket and plopped his cap on his head, forcing the hat down upon his unruly black hair. Flashlight in hand, Travis hesitated for an instant and then stepped out onto the porch into the cold, crisp air.

The moon was partially obscured by clouds and a low fog was rolling in from Lake Superior, leaving the tops of the trees still visible against the panoply of stars. Every creature seemed to chirp, buzz, and ribbit as they carried on with their business. The world seemed to ignore his personal anxiety and carried on with its own unhurried business.

Flashlight on, Travis made his way across the drive to the woods, seeking the quarter mile path to the south shore of the lake. A white post marked the entrance to the path, which was easy to find. Travis stepped into the shadows of the forest. Fifty years ago, the lumber companies had clear cut the entire area. Now most of land was government property, managed and maintained with some semblance of intelligent policy. The timber companies were careful to take only small stands at any time, giving the rest of the forests time to regenerate. This area where Travis walked was now privately owned and few saws touched these trees, mostly his and his father's when they wanted wood for their own projects.

As he walked closer to the lake, the fog became thicker. Even the flashlight was unable to penetrate the murk and Travis became slightly concerned. The trail seemed to ease to the left, which Travis did not remember from previous trips, but they had been in the daytime or with his family. Perhaps he hadn't been paying close attention. With a shrug he kept moving forward.

Even with the small concerns of the trail, he found the sound of his shoes crunching dead leaves comforting and relaxing. Despite the lack of sleep, it felt good to take a walk in the quiet of the Michigan night. He continued to walk, sure that he would soon reach the rocky shore.

He jerked his head left as something snagged his peripheral vision. He thought he saw sparkling lights, but he wouldn't swear to it. Whatever they were, they were gone. Then he swung his head to the right side of the trail, just missing another set of lights. He rubbed his eyes wondering if they were playing tricks on him.

Travis took another step and realized he was standing on grass instead of the hard packed earth of the path. He looked behind but couldn't find the trail in the beam of the flashlight; it had disappeared. He wasn't going to panic yet but that wasn't all that disturbed him.

The fog was gone. He raised his head and hoping to see the lake, but all he found was more trees. Travis almost wished for the fog to return and hide the trees again. He stood in the now silent forest, completely and thoroughly lost. Even the relentless mosquitoes, undaunted until the first freeze, seemed to have disappeared. Travis peered up into the trees hoping to get a fix on the moon, but the branches were too thick. A slow thought crept into his consciousness that the world had turned into a decidedly unearthly place, alien even.

"Damn!" he muttered under his breath. With his first spoken word, his flashlight petered out and quit. He glared at the useless tube of plastic trying to resurrect it back to life by willpower alone. It refused to cooperate and Travis ended up stuffing it back into his coat pocket.

"Cheap, fucking batteries," he cursed aloud. The forest responded with continued silence.

He kept his feet planted in place and twisted in every direction looking for some distinguishing feature that he could use as a reference point, but all he saw were tree trunks. He turned face forward again and was startled by a display of twinkling lights in the space between two trees; colors of blue, red, green, purple and yellow flashed in chaotic patterns of weaving and diving.

Travis sucked in his cheeks and made a decision. He took a step forward and the lights bobbed forward as if beckoning him to follow. He did.

The grass sounded crisp beneath his feet as he walked further into the forest, and the trunks of trees seemed to grow larger too; far larger than fifty year growth.

The lights led him out of the trees into a meadow. An unblemished moon, large and bright, greeted him. He walked through the knee high grasses until he came near the center of the meadow. A teasing twist of breezes sent the grasses swaying to and fro as he surveyed the sizable plain. The rustling of the blades against each other were the first natural sounds he had heard in a while.

His guide of lights suddenly dipped, and sped off quickly back into the woods, leaving him alone. The world basked in the gentle glow of the moon; all color was softened and muted. Travis figured he was where he was supposed to be and took a deep breath of the evergreen spiced air to calm his anxiety. He ground the stalks under his feet to keep occupied as he wondered what came next. He tucked his hands in his jacket and waited.

Two figures detached themselves from the far trees and made their way towards Travis. One was tall and the other short, but their outlines were obscured by the cloaks they wore, which also covered their heads. They traveled swiftly almost floating through the grasses. Travis remained quiet, first out of curiosity and then out of concern as he realized that their feet made no sound as they passed over the meadow. His eyes were focused on the two as they approached.

The two drew close and stopped about six paces in front of him, still silent. Travis couldn't see their faces in the shadow of their hoods. The tall one flipped back his cowl to reveal a man apparently in his thirties with black hair that shimmered in the moonlight.

"I am pleased you have answered my summons," a voice spoke in Travis' head. Weird in Michigan is just weird and expected, but a voice springing up between one's ears was an entirely different experience. Travis's heart suddenly leapt into panic mode and Travis starting looking for the shortest path back to the woods.

"You're not going to piss in your pants like the last one?" The voice chided him.

The man's eyes seemed to glow. Travis felt his front pocket and the little penknife that he kept there; it was little comfort. His hands suddenly felt chilled. He wondered if he was supposed to feel afraid, and then mentally gave himself a "thumbs up" because he should have been terrified. He wasn't.