A Guest for Mr.Spider
Jon spent the following several days at Martin’s place. With him focusing on Rebecca’s dreams, rather than just drifting about, he wanted to make sure he wasn’t alone. It was rather a silly thought, but something about not being alone helped keep him grounded. There was an odd sense of curiosity he got when he Watched the dream that made him uncomfortable, like something was missing.
So, Jon packed up enough clothes for several overnight stays and that was where he spent his evenings for the week. There were already the needed supplies for Marshal since Jon spent enough nights there already that it was annoying to pack for her as well.
Jon hadn’t changed his sleeping patterns that he followed, so technically he’d only seen Rebecca in her dreams twice now. Once on the night she left her statement so she could see what he meant, then the night of the 7th, to make sure she didn’t panic with her own night terror with him missing. The first night she had sent him a text saying she saw him, and that her friend was right. His eyes were gorgeous. Terrifying, sure, but she was right. They were a comfort.
The 8th came so quickly. Jon had finished up his work for the day. He and Martin were going to get some take out and enjoy a movie to keep Jon’s mind off things. The two books were each bound in one of those bike locks that have the thick wire and lock. The keys for them, Jon left in his desk at work. They sat where Jon could see them.
Jon dreamed.
Ever since Jon was able to sleep again, his dreams had changed from when he was first Becoming. Before, he would be in every dream all at once, while also at the same time, only present in one random dream. Now, after gorging on fear, after becoming the fully realized Archive rather than just the Archivist, there was an order to his dream.
It took the form much like the archives in the institute but larger, better carpet choice, filled with every statement, ever-growing and expanding. Cabinets and shelves lined up to make countless isles, each filled with the horrors from the future he lived, and the past as he relives it. The ceiling wasn’t the institute's ceiling, in its place was the Eye, a comforting Gaze looking over Jon as it did in the future.
Rather than him experiencing them personally as he did before, unless he wanted to experience one personally -that is; just standing in his Domain was enough to inflict the nightmares on any whose statements were contained in his shelves and were given to him directly. Sadly the Beholding still took into account the handful of live statements from his first time around. He was thankful in Melanie’s dream it was too dark to make him out. Most of the people who didn’t know he was there, wouldn’t actually notice him until he took their statement again. Just felt that pressure of something watching from right behind them and enjoying it.
In this domain of his, Jon was in complete control. All the statements were orderly, perfectly in their place. His desk was always just a step away no matter how far he traveled from it, and the dream he wanted was never more than a few steps in the other direction. He hoped to be able to get the Archives as close as possible to this as he could, would keep him from having to remember two locations for everything. Here he could forget about the mess that he inherited.
It was perfect and Jon cherished it. He had tried to explain it to Georgie once, but he couldn’t find words for it. It was like explaining he was sad to Martin in the future with only being able to pull “very sad” to describe the end of humanity. There were no words to explain this place of power. The closest he got to it was comparing it to when he was on stage, and the minutes passed like seconds and then was suddenly over. Georgie had taken it as though he was referring to the time, and he didn’t have the heart to correct her, that it was in fact the feeling of never wanting to leave.
Some part of him wondered where it was located, but he Knew it was nowhere in reality. Not with the world as it is. The knowledge that if he completes the crown again, it will be there. It was always there for him if he ever looked for it. He hadn’t. He’d assumed he shared a domain with Elias cause they were so close. There was too much to know for him to realize all he had to do was go down and not up, and he would’ve been home.
Jon knows each time he wakes, he is thankful he never went down. Had Jon stepped into his domain in the future, he wouldn’t have left. He wouldn’t have wanted to leave. It was no wonder Elias never left his tower, and that Jon understood it while dreaming, left a sour taste in his mouth when he first started having the dreams. He only has the ability to leave now because it’s a dream, and realities roots in him are stronger than the pull of the Beholding on the other side where nothing is real.
Here in the dream, the Archive was stronger, Jon could feel himself wanting to complete the crown. Knowing the quickest route to getting the marks, it wouldn’t even take a week if he tried. When he would wake, he was always so thankful the Elias didn’t have access to knowing what would scare Jon at this point, but here it was frustrating that Elias was so incompetent. Jon knew what could mark him and the best way to make it stick, save for the End. Jon’s entire being was simply not compatible with reality enough that any mark could be left.
Rebecca was falling asleep.
It was like a mental alert he had set to let him know. Jon stood, and where her statement was filed away was right in his reach. He sat at his desk an experienced it with her.
Rebecca held the two books. Staring at them, taking only a moment to notice Jon. So many eyes, all focused on her. This was a nightmare, not reality. She took what little comfort as she could in that. This was not a comforting place.
She looked back to the books in her hand, and opened “A Guest for Mr.Spider”. She’d never read the book before, so she didn’t know where it’s contents came from, and that was okay. Jon had told her this might happen on one of the nights, so she assumed that she was making it up; to fill blank pages she had never seen.
KNOCK KNOCK
Rebecca read aloud from the book in front of her. There was a small echo to her voice, in a voice not unlike a small child’s but not a voice she’d ever known.
Who is it, Mr.Spider?
It's Mr.Bluebottle, and he's brought you a cake.
Mr.Spider doesn't like it.
She begins to walk in her dream. Unable to see where she is headed, but her feet know where to go. The Book of the Dead remains with her, just behind Mr.Spider as she reads. She can see Jon following from the corner of her eye, always staying the same amount of passes from her.
KNOCK KNOCK
Who is it, Mr.Spider?
It's Mrs.Fruit, and she's brought you some flowers.
Mr.Spider doesn't eat flowers.
At some point, Rebecca drops the Book of the Dead. Only “A Guest for Mr.Spider” remains in her grasp. She doesn’t notice.
KNOCK KNOCK
Who is it, Mr.Spider?
It's Mr.Horse, and he's brought you his son.
Mr.Spider doesn't like him.
Her eyes glance for a moment, and for the first time, she notices Jon’s mouth, not his eyes. His lips are moving, but the sound that comes out is her words, from her lips. As though he is providing the contents of the book directly into her mind, and she is voicing it.
KNOCK KNOCK
Who is it, Mr.Spider?
It's the boy from down the road, and he's brought you his bully.
Mr.Spider wants more.
The book's pages begin to leak red ink. The Door on the next page stares at her with a hunger that Rebecca remembers seeing in Jon’s eyes when he listened to her. How could a door with no eyes stare?
Mr.Spider wants another guest for dinner. It is polite to knock.
Rebecca looks up from the book to see a door. It is polite to knock after all.
KNOCK KNOCK
Jon screamed in static.
His skin crawled as blood rushed, Rebecca was gone. Witnessed her final thought. Felt the End accept her as she knocked. Jon experienced it, in a way he couldn’t have, never had been able too. Not even in the coma when he was staring down the End for 6 months. Not like in the End’s Domain. It wasn’t like this. Could never be like this again. No amount of time traveling into the past will ever be able to remove this mark. Not ever. The mark was left on her Statement and not Jon’s body. The Statement that will forever remain in the Archive.
She died in his Domain. It was never Mr.Spider who invited her.
He was...
“...n”
“...on”
“JON”
Martin was staring into Jon’s eyes, cradling his face gently with his hands, avoiding the extra eyes.
“...Martin”
“I’m here, it’s okay.” Martin pulled Jon into him.
“I- ͇͋S̖̫̕h̘͍͒̉e̙̦̚͝…̝͇͍̫̏̆̄͠” Tears streamed from every eye.
“God ͔͑M͎͆ą͔̓̒r͍̮̂͑ț͓̄͗i͓̿n͕̻̈́͋,̩̦̻̬̔̅͗͜͠͝---- ͙̉wh ̪-̤͡-͕̏-̖̑at̯́-̓͢-ẘ̪h̗͋a̰̕t ͛͜h-̞̆ȟ̰a̬̓v̺̦͛̃e ͚̘̎͞I͙͞ ̺̓..͈̃.̦̾do̪͂n̲̋e.̼͒ ̢̺̇͞W͙͍̗̿̽͠h̛͚̯̉͗͟á͇͍̕t̩̄͜.̟͞.̫̈.̩̫̄̅ ̡͓̓͞a̰̣̯͖̅̈́̚͡m ̨̱̝̝̍͒̔̂I̢̛̤͡-̪͙͝-͎̦̿̈́ǐ̠-͙͊-̼̹̓̿ ̡͎̫̦̽̾͋̏g̢̤͍̮̀͂̈̿o̼͙̤̞͂̄̈͠ǐ̧̳̙̭̔͆͗͟n̥̠̱̩͙͆̐̈́̾́ǵ̟͚͕̻̇̂͛͘͜ ̧͕͇͙͗̂̓͆͟t̰̱͓̪͕̋̒̈́̌͝ǫ̧̮͔̳͋́̌̀͒-̤̪̬̟̲̇̌̅͘̕” Jon couldn’t form words without static coming out. As though just leaving a signal’s range.
“Shh, shh. I’m here. Breathe with me.”
Oh, Jon needed to breathe. He inhaled with Martin, and exhaled with Martin. They stayed that way for a while.