Stephen King: The Tommyknockers

“What-?” she whispered again, and the younger boy stirred and wrapped his arms more tightly around Hilly's neck. His cheek rested against Hilly's shoulder, and she saw with something like terror that the boys looked very much alike.

She decided she had to tell Dr Greenleaf about this. Right now. She turned to leave, heart beating fast, one hand still clutching at her crucifix… and saw something that was quite impossible.

“What-?” she whispered for the third and last time. Her eyes were very wide.

More of that strange black dirt. On the floor. Tracks on the floor. Leading to the bed. The little boy had crossed to the bed and gotten in. The two boys” facial resemblance suggested that this was Hilly's missing-and long since presumed dead-brother.

The tracks didn't come from the hall. They started in the middle of the floor.

As if the little boy had come from nowhere.

The nurse bolted from the room, screaming for Dr Greenleaf.

Hilly Brown opened his eyes.

“David?”

“Shut up, Hilly, I'm sleepun.”

Hilly smiled, not sure where he was, not sure when he was, sure only that many things had been wrong-just what those things had been no longer mattered, because everything was okay now. David was here, warm and solid against him.

“Me too,” Hilly said. “We got to trade G. I Joes tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. But we got to. I promised.”

“When?”

“I dunno.”

“As long as I get Crystal Ball,” David said, settling himself more firmly into the crook of Hilly's arm.

“Well okay.”

Silence there was a dim commotion at the nurses” station down the hall, but here there was silence, and the sweet warmth of boys.

“Hilly?”

“What?” Hilly muttered.

“It was cold where I was.”

“Was it?”

“Yes.”

“Better now?”

“Better. I love you, Hilly.”

“I love you too, David. I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“I dunno.”

“Oh.”

David's hand groped for the blanket, found it, and pulled it up. Ninety-three million miles from the sun and a hundred parsecs from the axis-pole of the galaxy, Hilly and David Brown slept in each other's arms.

August 19th, 1982-May 19th, 1987