The Watcher

Part 3

    That night Tracy decided to tell her father about The Watcher, but she waited till her mother was sitting in front of the TV and her Dad was in his home office working on something. Her father was a scientist and also the CEO of the Silver Star scientific research facility located north of the town. "I'm busy right now," he said, "Can it wait?"

"No, I don't think it can." she said.

He looked closely at her for several seconds, then he said, "Of course, if it's important I'm never too busy for you, Tracy."

She sat in front of his desk and told him the whole story.

Dr Phillip Hammond listened to his daughter and then leaned back in his chair looking thoughtful. Tracy watched him tentatively. She was glad he hadn't freaked out as she was sure her mother would have. Finally he spoke. "I'm glad you told me. I don't think it's a hallucination or a ghost. Remember how you told me about your visit to a psychic at the Sydney Show two years ago?"

Tracy nodded.

"She said you would become intuitive and spiritually aware in the next few years. In other words you were going to develop telepathic abilities. You inherited them from me." He paused, then continued, "I think you are indeed developing these abilities. Your mind has become 'open' as it were to allow this entity 'The Watcher' as you call him, to appear to you."

"But what does he want with me?" Tracy asked feeling confused. "Is he dangerous?"

"I don't think so. You yourself said you had a feeling that he meant you no harm. I think he is appearing to you for a reason. We need to find out what that reason is, and where he is from. I have an idea about the latter."

"Where, Dad? Where do you think he is from?"

"Let me work on something tomorrow," her father replied, "Then on Saturday, I want you to come out to the facility. In the meantime tomorrow just walk home from school as normal. Try waving to him again, or even some verbal interaction. You may have to yell if he always appears half a block away. I'm certain he is not dangerous." He rummaged around in his drawer and handed Tracy a compact camera. "This is a new digital camera we've just developed. Try taking a photo of your new friend."

The next afternoon as Tracy walked home from school she tried calling out to her mysterious follower, but he didn't answer, however he did give her a wave again as they neared her house. She snapped off several photos of him with the camera, wondering what they would show.

The following day was day was Saturday and Phillip Hammond drove his daughter out to the facility. The Silver Star complex was a large research facility built in a rural area about a twenty minute drive from from their house in town. Phillip Hammond had set it up in the 1970s with a large inheritance from his parents' estate when they died. A number of highly skilled scientists worked for him on advanced and often highly secretive scientific projects. 

They entered a laboratory full of machines and computer screens.

"Dad, you still haven't told me why I'm here," Tracy said.

"Come over here and sit in this chair," her father said. "Okay, I'll explain. Your new 'abilities' have allowed 'The Watcher' to cross over from what I believe to be another dimension into ours and to appear only to you. He is in your mind, but you are seeing him as if he is a solid physical being. Because he is only in your mind no one else can see him and that's also why those photos you took of him yesterday showed nothing."

A short man with a beard and wearing a lab coat walked in from the adjoining office.

"Good morning Dr Hammond and Miss Hammond," he said with a smile, "Are we ready to start?"