In the moments after Shawn performed the card trick, a sequence of whirlwind like, events enfolded as the vortex of his physical existence gave way to what appeared to be an outburst of fast, very fast paced, delightful phenomena of unprecedented powerful intensity of a kind he never felt before.

It wasn't as amazing as the initial burst of energy when Shawn demonstrated the card trick to Eddy. In contrast to bright colors, there was a pressing sense, that while walking through the air, Shawn's body was overwhelmed and permeated by a whole array of unparalleled, marvelous sensations which absolutely overflowed his sensorial dimensions. It felt like his mind was walking through a tunnel. A boundless universe of a very bright, radiant, soothing blueish, white light totally wrapped his senses, bringing along the most unbelievable yet very real feelings of peacefulness, immeasurable joy and exhilarating harmony in unconditional loving acceptance into this new realm.....

And then Shawn blinked.

He was standing on his front lawn. There was an ambulance out front along with a police car. An EMT was shining a light in Eddy's eyes while he lay on the gurney, surprised look still on the boy's face.

How much time had passed, Shawn couldn't say.

How he had gotten back home...or how Eddy had gotten back, also appeared to be a missing gap in time.

Before Shawn said or did anything, he tried to get a read on the situation. He was standing on the lawn, so he seemed to have been moving around under his own power. The police and ambulance were present and looking after Eddy, but did they look concerned about him as well? Had he told them a story while he was out of it? He had to make sure not to contradict it.

Mom opened the front door, looking haggard and tired. She pushed past the crowd and started to approach Shawn, face filled with worry, fear.

"Shawn!" She shouted, running up to him, kneeling down to grab his shoulders and shaking him.

Shawn almost automatically grabbed onto Mom and held her tight. It felt like it'd been a long since he'd had a hug, and he hadn't realised how much he missed it. He didn't say anything, just held on for dear life.

Mom returned the hug, her clothes smelling of spirits, her skin like stale beer. "I'm..I'm sorry." She said weakly. "I don't remember anything. I can't believe I don't remember anything!" She yelled, nearly blowing out Shawn's ear with the sound of her voice and making him wince.

"Oh my baby! My baby!" She squeezed Shawn's shoulders with her hands, looking him straight in the eye.

"Never again." She promised. "Never again." She reiterated. "I'm never drinking again. EVER." She promised again. "Tonight I'm taking all of that bad stuff I bought and..." She paused, as if realizing that she was only talking about herself and her own misery.

"Oh...Shawn." She said, welling up. "Are you...Are you OK?"

Shawn didn't feel qualified to answer for his own sake, lest he contradict himself. Instead, he deflected onto another topic of concern. "I think so...is Eddy okay?"

"Just...dreaming of just terrible things Shawn. Terrible things..." Mom said, shaking her head as if lost in her own thoughts, the whir of the blue and red lights from the ambulance that Eddy was being lifted into bright against the encroaching dusk.

"Eddy." She repeated, saying the name of Shawn's friend for perhaps the first time. "Who is Eddy?" She asked, looking at Shawn. "Are you OK? You're not hurt are you?"

It wasn't a surprise that Mom didn't know Eddy or really any of Shawn's friends outside of the house. Shawn really didn't have any friends until this summer. Still, under the circumstances, not knowing Eddy or his name in that moment--the look on Mom's face already confused--seemed to put distance between her own thoughts and Shawn's reality.

"Eddy's my friend. In the ambulance." Shawn was almost as confused as Mom seemed to be. Maybe Griffix could help him make sense of the whole thing - he had to stop by to pick up the tears, right?

"Shawn, you have to promise me that you won't leave the house anymore. This neighborhood is too dangerous. This is...this is...crazy." Mom said, dismissing any discussion about Eddy, who he was and moving instead towards a discussion about Shawn's safety.

"I think...I think we have to focus on our own family for a while. We have to...we have to make sure that everything is OK with you and, well, you know, with me..." Mom didn't really sound like she had a plan. And it didn't go unnoticed that Dad wasn't mentioned. His presence was felt in the absence of mentioning  him. Shawn knew where he was though: He digging.

Dad had been digging for days now in the backyard. For what, Shawn couldn't say.

"I feel okay..." Shawn didn't feel okay, but it probably wasn't for any reason that Mom could even begin to understand. But at the same time, he didn't want to be trapped in the house.