The Gathering

Chapter 19


The gathering became a storm of questions.
Where are we?
How long have you been here?
How do we get home?
Who else is here?
Nobody had good answers.
One gremlin had awakened beside a road.
Another inside an abandoned shed.
One remembered falling asleep beneath his own roof and waking beneath a human bridge.
Another had opened his eyes in a drainage ditch.
Different places.
Same missing moment.
Nobody remembered crossing.
Worse, nearly everyone was missing pieces of something else.
A name they should know.
A street they could almost picture.
A face that would not come into focus.
A stretch of time that ended in fog.
Nifty listened.
He was not the only one forgetting.
Eventually someone shouted over the others.
"Who called the gathering?"
Thicket pointed at Nifty.
"He did."
The clearing quieted.
A gremlin near the back lifted his head.
"What did you say his name was?"
"Nifty," Thicket answered.
The stranger stared.
Another gremlin turned.
Then another.
Nifty felt the attention shifting toward him.
"My name is Nifty," he said.
The first stranger took a slow step forward.
"Nifty..."
Something about the name bothered him.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"I've heard that name."
Nifty moved closer. "Where?"
The gremlin's face tightened as he searched his own memory.
"I..."
He stopped.
"I don't remember."
Nifty glanced at Thicket.
Thicket immediately found something fascinating about the waterfall.
Nifty narrowed his eyes.
Not now.
Nifty searched the gathering again.
There was one face he wanted more than all the others.
"Does anyone know Rook?"
A few heads turned.
Nobody stepped forward.
Nifty described him.
The uneven grin.
The nick along one ear.
One gremlin thought the name sounded familiar, but could not place it.
Nobody had seen him here.
Nifty already knew why.
The last time he had seen his friend, Rook had still been standing beneath the sky of home.
He had run for the opening.
He had not made it through.
The questions started again.
Louder this time.
Where were they supposed to sleep?
What if humans found them?
What were they supposed to eat?
How long until another opening appeared?
Nifty had no answers.
Then, slowly, the voices stopped.
Everyone was looking at him.
Nifty looked behind himself.
Nobody was there.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" Nifty shouted
A gremlin near the water shrugged. "You called us."
Nifty looked at Thicket.
Thicket smiled.
"Congratulations."
"On what?"
Thicket's smile widened.
"I don't know yet, but looks like your in charge”
Nifty looked around the gathering.
Some were frightened.
Some were exhausted.
Some had been hiding alone for days.
Maybe weeks.
He thought about his first night in the human world.
He thought about the cabin.
About the food Corey had left when Nifty would not come near him.
About what it felt like to realize one person knew he existed and had chosen not to hurt him.
Nifty sighed.
"You're coming with us."
Thicket blinked. "All of them?"
Nifty looked around.
"Yeah."
"Corey's going to love this." Thicket teased
Nifty grimaced.
"I know."