“Yes, we knew,” said Rayna. “Of course we did. The Givers told us everything long ago.”

  “Me, too,” said Joseph. “Sorry, kid.”

  “But what about all those stories of when you guys were taken into the Blackness?” I asked. “And that guy in Japan—that Ainu guy—that was the first one to enter the Blackness from this world. How does that work?”

  “It's understanding the Yumeka,” said Miyoko. “We all took our turn entering there. You just have to get past the fact that it was in our minds. That's true but only partly. The Yumeka is as real …”

  “Yeah, I've heard that a thousand times,” I interrupted. “You know what—forget it. I'm sick of thinking about it. We won. That's all that matters.”

  There we were, all the people I cared about, all of my family and friends, all together in happiness and safety, all inside what I hoped would be the last nightmare we ever had. The relief of it being over finally outweighed the constant confusion I'd felt since Farmer told me the truth.

  But I should've known better than to expect such a perfect ending to my tale.

  To my right, in the middle of the living room, a Rip in the Black Curtain appeared, its usual sound filling the room. We stared as two people emerged, holding hands.

  It was Farmer and the little girl from under the Door in the woods.

  It was time for everything to turn upside down one last time.

  “Hello, Jimmy Fincher,” the girl said, her voice like ringing crystal.

  “Uh … hi,” I said, scrambling to sit up straighter. “I haven't seen you in a long time.” I looked at Farmer. “What are you guys doing here? I thought …” I didn't know really what I thought. But it just seemed wrong that they were here. Before, I'd only seen them through the doors or inside the Stompers’ realm.

  “There's a very important reason we're here,” said Farmer. “We have a lot to talk about.”

  “Why? I know we still need to wake up in the real world. What else are you going to pull on me?”

  “Don't worry, you've saved your world, Jimmy. The Stompers are gone, back through the Black Curtain. The Shadow Ka, too. People are waking up all over your planet, already beginning to put their lives back together.”

  “Then what's the problem?”

  Farmer sighed, and sat back onto thin air—his magical chair.

  “Jimmy,” he said. “I've dreaded this part from the very beginning.”

  “Dreaded what?”

  A frown like I'd never seen creased Farmer's face.

  “Asking you to never go home again. At least not for a very long time.”

  Farmer took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “This is going to be hard for you, Fincher family. But please hear me out, and don't interrupt. Agreed?”

  Mom and Dad nodded, and Rusty did nothing. “Get on with it,” I said, dreading what he was about to say.

  Farmer's eyes watered as he looked at each member of my family. Then he focused on me.

  “Jimmy, it's time for your family to wake up and get on with building their lives again. But we need you to come with us back into the Blackness.”

  “What?” my mom and dad asked at the same time.

  “Yes,” Farmer said. “Yours is not the only world that needs saving.”

  The next few moments were filled with tension. My mom and dad were furious, and Farmer was left defending his request.

  “He is part of a greater plan,” he said, pleading. “The Four Gifts can never be repeated. Especially the Fourth, the Power. If Jimmy does not come with us and help us free the others one by one—they will live the rest of their lives in the living nightmares that you know all too well.”

  “There is no way …” Mom started again. Arguments blew up all around, but my mind focused in on what Farmer was asking. He wanted me to stay with him and help free other worlds from the nightmares of the Stompers. He wanted me to leave my real body asleep while I traveled with him back into the Blackness. He was asking me to sacrifice everything, fully and truly. And yet, I knew he was right.

  “Please, listen,” Farmer pleaded, raising his hands to stop the arguments. Everyone quieted to hear him out. “This is your choice—his choice. I am only asking. No, I am begging. Even if it's only for your world's sake, you must do this. If they are not conquered and eliminated, they will only figure out another way to come back. They don't stop. They never stop. They will do anything to grow and survive.”

  “But …” started Dad, and then everything exploded into arguments again.

  “Stop.” I stood, my muscles aching. “Mom, Dad—I have to do this.” My mind was made up—not because it was easy or I thought I was some great hero. But I had just witnessed the full and terrible reaches of the Stompers. How could I live the rest of my life knowing that I hadn't at least tried to save others? It was the right choice—the only choice.

  “Jimmy,” Rusty said, “you can't do this!”

  “No … no.” I held my hands up, shaking my head. “I'll never understand this whole Yumeka thing, but I know that everything I've learned in this life is in thanks to my mom and dad.” I looked at them. “After all that you've taught me, how could I not do this?”

  There was more arguing, more pleading, more discussion, more tears.

  But the decision was final. Instead of returning to my body, sleeping somewhere in the real world, I was going back into the Blackness to fight the Stompers.

  Over and over again.

  A lot of things made more sense now. Joseph getting the money to buy the yacht, Tanaka's swim in the ocean, the okisaru—all of them were manipulations of the Yumeka. The Stompers weren't the only ones who could do it—they were just the most powerful. The Givers had their greatest influence in the Blackness itself, which explained its healing power and the cleansing magic of the inky water there—which meant almost certain death to the Shadow Ka.

  I tried to get Farmer to explain the nature of the Givers, but he told me that was a tale for another day. We'd had enough mind-blowing details for a while. He said it was enough for me to know that they were the opposite force to the evil of the Stompers, which was just how things worked in the universe. I didn't push the matter.

  Farmer also instructed me to use the last chance of the Anything to give myself complete control of the Black Curtain. He'd always said I would need one use of it in the end, and I was glad I had waited. The Curtain now would open and close only according to my command, and in that way Earth could be protected forever. It also meant that maybe I could come back someday. Maybe.

  And so it was that I found myself standing in front of a Ripping to the Black Curtain, ready to do the hardest thing possible for a human being.

  I had to say good-bye to my family.

  I decided to start with Joseph and the Alliance and then save my family for last.

  Joseph squeezed the breath out of me and then tousled my hair.

  “I wish I could go with you, bud,” he said. “But your family is going to need a lot of help. I figure that's the best thing I can do.”

  “Go with me?” I asked, incredulous. “What are you, an idiot? I'd never let you do that. Take care of them, all right? Baka, too.”

  “On my life, little guy. On my life.”

  I turned toward Rayna, but she stopped me before I got close enough to hug her.

  “We are going with you,” said Rayna. “The Alliance is going with you.”

  “What …”

  “No, Jimmy-san,” said Tanaka. “Don't try to stop us. We go with you. No other choice.”

  Miyoko nodded, as did Half, and Hood banged the Bender Ring against the floor. Even the ghost was going with me.

  Something filled my heart, and the road ahead seemed a little more bearable. The thought of not going alone had never crossed my mind until that moment, but for some reason it made sense.

  “Okay,” I said. “If you're all dumb enough to do that, then I'll be glad to have you.” I turned to Farmer. “But what about our bodies? Who'll take care of them?”

  “Don't worry, son,” Dad said, his voice trembling with emotion. “The whole world will be in your debt. I'm sure the full disposal of every government will be at your service. Joseph, Rusty, and I will make sure you're all found and taken care of. I promise.”

  “That's right, Jimmy,” Rusty said. His voice shook too, and it meant the world to me. “Nobody's gonna come near your body until they get past me. Here, I grabbed this for you to take. For good luck.”

  He handed me the wrinkled, yellowed Braves hat.

  I wrapped my arms around him. Mom and Dad joined us, and we stood there for several minutes, hugging and crying. When you love someone so much—when your whole life is defined by the care and concern for that person, there's no need for words. My heart and mind went through a whole range of emotions as we stood there together. I couldn't help but realize the irony of how this very thing had saved my family many times because of the Shield, and now it would be the last thing I did before saying good-bye.

  “Jimmy,” Farmer said, “it's time. Your family needs to get back and make sure your body and the others are safe from harm.”

  I started to let go, and Mom grabbed me, gripping me to her with all of her strength.

  “I'll be there, son,” she said through her sobs. “Every day, every hour. I'll be there, taking care of you, right by your side. Remember that when times grow dark. I love you, Jimmy. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, Mom.” I was barely able to get the words out.

  And with that, I had enough to keep me alive for years to come.

  There were more hugs, more tears, and more promises. But we all knew it had to end, and it was time to go. Me, to the Blackness; them, to waking up in the real world.

  Farmer and the girl went first, disappearing through the Rip. Then Tanaka, the birdcage full of okisaru in his hands, followed by Hood and Rayna. Miyoko and Half came to me, touched my arm, and I turned to go with them. They went through, and I looked back at my family one last time. With my eyes flooded by tears, I waved, and did my best to smile so they would remember me that way.

  Gripping my hat, I stepped through the Black Curtain and sealed it shut behind me.

  The battle for Earth was over.

  But for me, the war was only beginning.

  The little girl held the rose with one hand and her daddy's finger with the other.

  He'd been talking all week about how it was time for her to learn something very important, and that they would be taking a special trip on Saturday. Last night, she'd been so excited that she could hardly go to sleep—almost like Christmas Eve.

  But not in a million years had she expected this.

  First of all, they'd been stuck in a traffic jam for hours, cars lined up before and behind them for miles, inching along like a snail with a sprained ankle. Just as many cars came from the direction they were heading—although not so slowly. At one point, a man in a uniform stopped their car and looked around it and under it with a flashlight. Then he looked in the trunk. He let them continue on with a wave, giving her a big smile. After what seemed like forever, her daddy finally pulled into a parking space and then helped her out of the car.

  They stood in a line and then were let through a big gate with lots of sharp pointy things all over it, and followed a bunch of other people down a long paved road. Flowers were lying everywhere, and a lot of people coming from up ahead back toward them were crying.

  Then she saw it.

  Up ahead, rising above the crowd, was a huge pyramid-looking thing. Big steps went up and up and up until they got to a big glass dome. It reminded her of one of those Christmas thingamajiggers with water in them that you shake to make it look like its snowing inside. Above it in the sky, two helicopters flew in circles, with men sitting inside holding guns. She finally asked her dad what in the world was going on.

  “All these men and women in uniform are here to protect something very special,” he said. “Don't worry, I'm going to tell you all about it when we get up there, okay?”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  They waited in line for a long time again but finally got to the bottom of the pyramid. One by one, they walked up the steps, slowly following the people in front of them. As the glass dome got closer, it got bigger and bigger. She couldn't believe it could be so huge. And now she couldn't wait to see what was inside.

  Finally, finally, they got to the top. A lady in uniform looked them over again, smiled, and then nodded toward the glass. All she could see now was a big wall of it since they were so close—it didn't look like a dome anymore. Her dad squeezed her hand, and they stepped up so they could see inside.

  There wasn't much. A few nurses walking around, some machines, and other stuff that looked like something you would see when you went to the doctor. But what really caught her attention was the thing in the middle.

  There was a big block of stone—a few feet tall, and pretty long. On top of it was a body—a man—lying on his back, with a pillow under his head and a blanket covering his legs. A tube went into his mouth, and she could just barely see his chest going up and down while he breathed. It should've given her the creeps, but for some reason it made her feel very warm inside. She laid the rose on top of some others on the ground.

  “Who is that, Daddy?” she asked, looking up.

  “He's the one who saved the world, sweetheart. He sacrificed everything to save me and you and Grandpa and Grandma and everyone you know. And now he's out there, somewhere, saving other people. There were others who went to help him—the Alliance—but their bodies are somewhere else.” He paused for a long time, a blank look on his face. Then he nodded toward the man lying on the bed. “Anyway, a lot of people call him The Boy Who Sleeps, although he's not really a boy anymore, is he?”

  “What's his name?” she asked.

  “His name? Well, Miyoko, I'll tell you. His name is Jimmy Fincher.”

  Her dad's eyes got watery—something the little girl had never seen happen to him before. He rubbed her head like he always did and then looked down at her through his tears.

  “And you wanna know the coolest part?”

  “What?” she asked.

  “He's my brother.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep, he sure is. Don't you see your grandma in there?”

  Miyoko looked closer, and sure enough, Grandma was sitting next to the bed, holding Jimmy's hand.

  “Later,” her dad said, “we'll go inside, too. I wanted you to see it from out here the first time, to show you how special he is. Come on, I'll tell you everything while we walk back.”

  He squeezed her hand again, and she waved at The Boy Who Sleeps. Then they turned and started back down the stairs. Her dad began the story.

  “It started with a tree …”

  James Dashner was born and raised in Georgia. Although he currently resides in Utah, he will always be a southerner at heart.

  After high school, James attended Brigham Young University, where he went on to receive a master's degree in accounting. He also took a couple of years off and served a mission in Japan. Since graduation, he has received his CPA, worked for a major audit firm, and now works as a financial analyst.

  He is married and has three children.

  For more information on James and The Jimmy Fincher Saga, visit www.jamesdashner.com or email him at author@jamesdashner.com.

  Michael Phipps grew up spending hours with friends drawing, imagining other worlds, making odd recordings, and building marble chutes and forts. He always knew he would be an artist as an adult, and he graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration from the University of Utah. He loves to spend time with his family and friends, be outdoors, and listen to strange music. His art can be viewed at www.michael-phipps.net. E-mail him at art@michaelphipps.net.

 

 

  James Dashner, War of the Black Curtain

 

 

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