Paula made her way upstairs to her son’s room, knocking softly before opening the door slowly, “Hey,” she said softly, trying to smile at her son, but wasn’t able to make the expression go fully to her eyes. “Need some help?”

                Howie shook his head no, “Dad said I have to clean until I find a stupid rock…” he said, angrily throwing some paper away.

                Paula moved to sit in the middle of the room and started to help her son clean, “It must have been kind of scary; He’s never yelled at you like that before,” she said sympathetically.

                “He’s never slammed a door, either,” he admitted softly, reaching up to wipe away a tear with the back of his hand before concentrating on cleaning. “I don’t even know what the big deal is about a rock…”

                “It’s a very special rock, and I have to agree with your father on this one.” She turned to look at her son, “Once we find it, we will return it to where it should be, and now you know it’s not something to be played with, correct?” she asked softly, tossing the clothes on the floor into the corner for her to take downstairs to do the laundry later, once they’d found the crystal.

                Howie nodded softly in agreement and continued to clean for several minutes in silence.

                Paula also didn’t feel the need to speak, using the time to process everything that her husband had just told her. Howie was dead? She glanced at her son, letting her gaze linger probably a second too long. She shook her head no and began cleaning again with her son. Hoke must’ve been exaggerating… But he seemed to believe what he was saying and she had never known her husband to exaggerate anything before. She sighed softly, trying to figure out how her beautiful boy had been dead, and yet here he was, cleaning his room like any other eight year old boy. Yesterday he’d gotten in trouble for the pillows downstairs, something else every eight year old boy went through as well. Little boys were meant to be getting in trouble… but hers had died… Was he actually alive, or did that woman Hoke told her about cast a spell so he was walking around fully dead, yet still acting alive?

                She reached up to wipe away her own tears before starting to fold up his clean clothes she’d delivered upstairs earlier that day.

                Howie looked over at her, misunderstanding her tears, “I’m sorry mama… I won’t do anything bad again…” he said, taking a moment to crawl into her lap and wrap his little arms around her neck.

                Paula chuckled softly, “Yes you will, Howard, dear… It’s your job to get into trouble, and it’s my job to make sure you still know I love you even while I’m teaching you not to do something again.” She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer and kissing his forehead before gently moving the curls off his forehead.

                Howie sighed and eventually pulled away from her, lying on his stomach and pulling things out from under his bed. Paula watched her son, starting to put his toys back where they belonged for him. It took the two of them probably an hour to get his room clean, and still no sign of the crystal. Paula looked around before slowly pulling his bed out from the wall.

                “Howie, can you look under the bed again?” she asked softly.

                Howie got back down on his stomach and shimmied under his bed, coming back out a few seconds later, a huge grin of triumph on his face, clutching the crystal in his hand, “FOUND IT!” he exclaimed, jumping up and down in celebration.

                Paula chuckled and pulled him in for a hug before taking the crystal from him and hanging it up where it belonged. “Now, I shouldn’t have to say this, but your room’s a mess,” she chuckled. “Can you keep it clean now that we just cleaned it up and it’s all spotless now?” she asked ruffling his hair again.

                Howie nodded softly, “Yes, mama, from now on, it’ll stay clean…” the young boy promised.

                Paula smiled softly and kissed his forehead again, “Good… Dinner will be ready shortly. I expect your homework to be out until I call your name?”

                Howie nodded softly and found his school bag, pulling his homework folder out and sat down at his desk, starting to work before she even left the room.

                When Paula made her way back downstairs, she paused when she saw her husband before walking over to him, her fingers caressing over his neck, “We found it…” she said softly

                Hoke nodded and pulled Paula into his lap, “You didn’t have to help him…”

                “Something that important? Yes, of course I did… You said there were dire consequences if it got lost… I for one do not want to know what those dire consequences are…” she said honestly. “He’s promised not to play with it again, either. You scared him earlier… He doesn’t know why it’s important, but at least now he knows it’s important…” She drew a breath and whispered, “Is he alive now?”

                “Of course he is,” Hoke said, looking up at her. “Of course he’s alive. If he weren’t, he’d have a tombstone with his name on it…” he kissed her shoulder softly. “Don’t ask that again… He’s fine, we’re fine… we have nothing to worry about.”

                Paula nodded softly, fighting tears before slowly standing up and heading into the kitchen to finish dinner. Her fears as a mother were now magnified, but she tried to return to some semblance of normalcy so Howie wouldn’t know anything was wrong. She wanted to make sure that no matter what, he was still allowed to be a child.

                She was suddenly more thankful for him, though, now that she knew the truth.