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Floating Sea
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Lemmy and Lillian manage to get the board off the wall, and flip it around for us to look at. The immediate subjects are obvious, but nobody says anything. We’re all just taking it in. Lillian ends up putting what I was thinking into words.
Lillian: “This makes a lot more sense.”
Unlike the other side, where the connections involve making massive leaps that only Jhonen really understands, this side was different. The connections were more... Coherent? Like, I can tell there’s a point to it, even if I’d need to really read it to understand what that point is.
It should be relieving, but instead it just makes me frown. I’m counting this as a point towards Jhonen being a liar.
Lemmy: “Oh my gosh, it’s about Franklin? Who could have possibly seen this coming? I mean, personally, I’m shocked.”
Me: “Really? Isn’t this why–”
Lillian: “Sarcasm.”
Me: “Oh.”
Lillian: “I think it’s a little surprising though. You’re not actually at the center of it all, your dad is.”
She was right. While drawings of us both were both on the board, his was the one in the center. A lot of the lines connected back to the Doctor, not me.
Lemmy: “It looks like there are three main splits. How’s about I look at the center, Franklin takes left, and you take the right, Lillian?”
Lillian: “Yeah, okay.”
Me: “Um, so I should look at this one...?”
The others are already reading through the notes and images on their sides. Mine is shorter, but I shouldn’t waste time. I’m not the fastest reader, I could still wind up finishing last if I don’t get to it.
I trace the string from my father down to what looks like a drawing of the Morgue. That much makes sense, it’s where he lives. I live there too though, so shouldn’t it also connect to me?
Well... Maybe this is more about how dad works there, instead of being about how he lives there. I guess that makes sense then.
There are a couple of notes connecting to it with text scribbled in Jhonen’s terrible handwriting.
“Exterior Analysis: Claim of additional full room connected to living room is dubious at best.”
“Bedridden for over a year, never visits hospital?”
Bedridden? Is this about the things I told him about Mom? It sounds like he didn’t believe them. That’s actually a point towards him being honest though, he always claimed that the stuff about my mom wasn’t what it seemed. In his words:
Jhonen: “Obviously your mom isn’t some normal human, because then YOU wouldn’t be an abnormal alien! That whole explanation is therefore HIGHLY suspect!”
The reasoning here isn’t exactly the same, but it’s the idea is the same at least.
The drawing of the morgue connects to a printed photograph of what looks like a Grave. Did he take this in our backyard? I don’t remember letting him in there with a camera.
There’s a note scribbled underneath it.
“No name engraved. Grass hasn’t grown back fully, indicating the plot is more recent.”
Honestly, I don’t recognize the grave, but the photo makes it clear why that is. It seems to be in the corner of the yard, in an area blocked off by a hedge. It’s almost deliberately placed Out of Sight.
...Which really raises the question of how Jhonen got this picture. I’m convinced he probably climbed the fence and let himself in. I want to say something about how he shouldn’t do that... but we’re standing in his bedroom right now.
On the topic of invading privacy, the final image in this line is much worse at that. He didn’t really dig it up, did he?
“Cadaver dressed in a wedding dress and ring. Height and presumed build matches with evidence, probable match for Elizabeth Stein.”
He did! That’s... We might have to talk about that! I feel like that shouldn’t be okay.
I guess this confirms one thing though: The woman from the picture did exist. She probably isn’t my mom, and the stories dad told me might not be true, but she was a real person. And now she’s gone now.
That’s sad. Not really for me, I never knew her. I guess it’s sad for dad. He had somebody he really loved, and she died. I wouldn’t want to know what that feels like.
Maybe that’s why he’s been lying about her? He could be so sad that he just doesn’t want to accept that she’s really gone, and pretending she’s still around is how he copes with the loss. That would make me feel better. It would mean he didn’t lie to hurt me or anything, but because the truth was too painful.
I don’t think that’s true, but it would be nice if it was.
That’s all that was on my side. I inform the others, who launch into explanations of their lines.
Lemmy: “So apparently, your dad has got something going on with Aiden’s dad.”
Lillian: “You mean Mr. Sheppard? The farmer?”
Lemmy: “Eeyup.”
Lillian: “Okay, what though? And why is it so important that Jhonen was looking into it?”
Lemmy: “Ee I Ee I dOn’t know the full extent. The two had some kind of Exchange going on it looks like.”
Lemmy: “There’s a picture of Mr. Sheppard walking up to the morgue here, and a few notes about him bringing his Truck when he did.”
Lemmy: “Apparently that implies he needed to carry something there or back. No explanation on what though.”
Lillian: “Maybe dead farm animals? Franklin’s dad is apparently big on messing with corpses, he could be doing experiments on them or something.”
Me: “...Can you not describe the way I was made like as “messing with corpses”? Something about that makes me feel... bad.”
Lillian: “Er, sorry. You know what I mean.”
Lemmy taps the board to get our attention back, and points at an image.
Lemmy: “The end of this line has a picture of Sheppard’s truck at the High School, so we might actually get something out of looking into this.”
Lillian: “We should keep it in mind, that’s for sure.”
Me: “Did your side have anything Lillian?”
Lillian: “Nah, I was missing a piece I think.”
Me: “Huh?”
She taps a drawing of me, as well as a newspaper page it connects to.
Lillian: “There’s a piece missing from this paper, and nothing else from it matters.”
Me: “...I was in the paper?”
Lillian: “I think so. If it’s the section I think it is at least.”
Lemmy: “What, the Obituaries?”
Lillian: “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”
Me: “What is an obituary?”
Lillian: “The part of a paper where they talk about recent deaths. You wanted to know what your name is supposed to be, right?”
Me: “...Oh! So if it said something about a kid dying, that could be me? And they’d use my name before the doctor told me it was Franklin Stein?”
Lemmy: “Who knows? Maybe your name was Franklin Stein back then too? Mournful over the loss of you, his son, the doc brought you back good as new.”
Me: “You really think so!?”
Lemmy: “No.”
Me: “Oh...”
I deflate a little bit. Lillian slaps him harder than usual. I’m glad she did this time. He got my hopes up for a second.
Lillian: “Don’t tease Franklin about that.”
Lemmy: “Just trying to bring some levity. Laughter’s the best medicine! The doc’s probably got some whopper jokes if he can bring back the dead.”
Lemmy: “Maybe he even knows why the chicken crossed the road?”
Me: “...Why would a chicken cross the road?”
Lemmy: “To get to the other side.”
I blink. He said it like a joke, but I don't get it. Not even a little bit, it just sounds like a statement of fact.
Lillian swings again, but he dodges. This is going to break out into a fight if we don’t move on.
Me: “Um, so why is there a picture of Temmie here?”
I point to a line coming off the paper. She blinks, scratching her head.
Lillian: “Hard to say. The stuff that’s written doesn’t seem like it involves her, unless The Freak sees a connection that I don’t.”
Lemmy: “One of her family members probably bit it on the same day. Like a grandparent or something.”
Lemmy: “It could have even been the same cause of death if it was an accident or a virus going around that did it. It’d make sense to put her on then, right?”
Lillian: “Hm... Yeah, maybe.”
Me: “Was there anything else?”
She pauses, scanning the board again. After a second, she nods.
Lillian: “Just one: Jhonen Knew you died.”
Me: “...Oh.”
Lemmy: “Feeeeeeeellls like the obituary clue covered that already.”
Lillian: “Yeah, but I wanted there are really no doubts about it. He has a write-up on your anatomy here where he concludes you’re some kind of zombie or flesh golem.”
Lillian: “Plus, we’re just Guessing it’s an obituary. It makes sense, but y’know, still some doubt there.”
Me: “...”
He knew. Jhonen was Sure that I died.
Every time we talked, he told me all about his theories. The ways he was going to prove that I really was an Alien.
...Did he actually believe any of that? When did he figure out the truth? Maybe That was what he was going to tell me on the day he graduated.
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