The Imps

"I wish I could see what she sees," Dana whispered.

Dana's mother Nina joined her at the window.

"What do you mean dear?" Nina asked as she started cleaning the vegetables.

Dana, Lane and Jacob, Dana's 22 month old son, lived at the Space base in Houston. Nina had moved in with her only daughter when Dana's husband Lance had disappeared along with his 15 crew mates. Mission control in Houston had lost contact with the Titan Explorer, of which Lance Gordon was Captain, eight months previously, the ship only 10 months into its 24-month mission. No trace of the Explorer on the Titan surface, or the orbiting return module could be found. Dana, faced with the prospect of raising her children, alone, had asked her mother to move in with her.

"I have asked Lane whom she plays with and she keeps telling me it's a secret. But that if I open my eyes, I would see them. She even said that 'they' had said their parents sent their regards. Mum they get into everything. Lane has come home several times now covered in mud. Lisa, from the day care says Lane is usually off playing by herself. She rarely plays with other children, and when she does it is always with Ryan's, Sally's and Pete's kids, you know, from Lance's crew. But Lisa says that all the children from that crew play off by themselves usually. Even Lisa thinks it strange, and they all seem to have invisible friends. Even Lane's teacher has said that Lane is now withdrawn from her classmates. That she prefers working by herself than we any others. The one exception is Anthony Richards."

"That's interesting dear," Nina replied absently, concentrating on peeling the potato in her hand. Dana sighed and picked up a bag of carrots.

"You know dear," Nina started suddenly, "you were the same way once, remember?"

"No mother I don't."

"Oh yes Dana. From the time you were about eight," Nina paused as she put the potatoes in a saucepan. "No, not eight. Lets see, we had just moved into the house on Lovell Street, so you were seven. That's right, seven, I remember now, it was . . . "

"Mother. You are digressing again." Dana looked at her mother and smiled.

"Yes dear," Nina smiled at her daughter.

"As I was saying, you were seven when you started doing it." Nina washed her hands, poured a cup of coffee for herself and Dana. Sitting down at the kitchen table Nina sipped her coffee as she talked.

"You were out in the garden one day, it was lovely, the roses were all in bloom, do you remember the garden dear?" Nina looked at her daughter and continued when she saw Dana's smile and nod. "The flowers were all in bloom. It was a nice day, just a slight breeze blowing. You were playing on the swing set. Suddenly you stopped, jumped off the swing and started running around the yard, squealing and giggling. I thought then that it was . . . unusual, but you were happy. Every morning from then on, you jumped out of bed, got dressed, had your breakfast, and you were off outside to play. You were so happy, the frown that had been on your face just melted away, even the nightmares stopped."

Dana looked up startled. "What frown, what nightmares?"

Lane had been having nightmares ever since she had been told that her father's ship had disappeared.

"You don't remember dear??? The nightmares started just after your father's ship disappeared. We tried everything, psychoanalysts, telepathic healings, grief counseling, but nothing stopped the nightmares. And then 'they' appeared. Within a few days the nightmares virtually stopped. When you did had one, you did cry for long. Of course at the time it was just decided that you had found a way to express your own grief. A couple of times you would come home and find me crying. You would walk up to me, put your arms around me, kiss my check and give me a nice squeeze. Then you would tell me not to worry, that Daddy was fine and he would be home soon. I remember you came in crying one day, saying that 'they' had gone. Within a couple of days your father's ship reappeared, and he returned to us. 'They' never came back."

Dana stood and walked to the window, looking out at her daughter playing in the garden.

"Just like Lane." She whispered.

"Mum, did you ever ask me about 'them'?" Dana asked.

"Why yes dear. You explained them to me once, I remember it well. You said there were like little bubbles of happiness. They said that they knew you were sad, but that everything was going to be all right. That your father was with their parents and that they had been sent to play with you until your daddy could come home."

Nina looked up from her coffee cup to find Dana smiling, the first time she had done so since Lance's disappearance.

"Dana, what is it?"

"I can see them Mum. Lance is coming home."

Nina stood and walked to the kitchen door as Dana ran into the yard where her daughter played. Laughing, jumping, running and squealing with her daughter and her friends, knowing now that her husband would return to her just as her father had done years before.