PARANORMAL | ❝Nothing is stranger than believing...❞
Cath knows a thing or two about Will Byers. Daphne, on the other hand, knows virtually nothing about Tonya McCarthy. Still, none of that changes the fact that both of them have up and vanishe...
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THURSDAY 10th NOVEMBER, 1983
DAPHNE can think of many reasons over the years that have made her want to skip class, none of them truly coming to fruition — reasons that are unpleasant to reminisce of. But none of them had involved Nancy Wheeler and a series of gloomy photographs that could only have even darker origins.
And yet here she is, struggling to fall into step alongside her new companion as she walks briskly along the streets of downtown Hawkins. Daphne glances uneasily around them with every step; the last thing she needs is for her dad to waltz out of the Hawk Theatre and see her truanting. She can only hope that with the afternoon being closer to the 'rush hour' (if she could even call it that) for movie goers, he would be safely cooped up in the sealed darkness of his projection box showing 'All The Right Moves' for the umpteenth time.
Once the small tinkle of the doorbell subsides with a swift shutting of the door, Daphne's throat closes up; where has all the air gone? The musty, artificial scent hits her with a sudden vengeance, choking from the inside. And gets worse when they turn the corner. A still sea of coffins surround her, stationary and cold. Too many bad memories here. A man in a suit with a scratchy voice gestures gingerly to one coffin, sickeningly advertising it like a material possession. "It's made of soft wood with a crepe interior," he rasps. When Jonathan doesn't respond, his shoulders tense and eyes vacant, the owner clears his throat to move on. Where is Joyce in all of this? she wonders. She knows this experience is horrid enough with company...
"Uh, now, I... I don't know what your budget is," the man stammers, shepherding Jonathan over to one of the more central coffins, "but over here, we... we have copper and bronze."
Now in their line of sight, Jonathan turns and blinks in surprise to see the two girls lingering by the doorway. Daphne can't find the words and Nancy says nothing either, struggling between meeting his gaze and averting hers elsewhere. This really doesn't seem like the right time anymore.
Unexpectedly, Jonathan sighs and turns back to the man briefly. "Can you just give me a second?"
"Of course," the man replies respectfully, bowing out of Daphne's periphery with a characteristic sombreness. It's almost funny to her. It felt like something that only happened in movies or books, where someone like a funeral director would embody their profession in every way...
Or maybe Will's death has simply pushed her over the edge.
"Hey," Jonathan murmurs when he reaches them, glancing awkwardly between Daphne and Nancy.
