You stumble forward toward the light just as the door clicks open.

He’s standing there, and when he speaks his voice is gentle and full of concern.

James…. It’s your uncle James. There’s something unearthly about him, as he stands in your doorway, framed in the golden glow of the light from the hall, like an angel coming to rescue you from the darkness.

“I heard screaming. Was it a nightmare, Vanessa?”

James scoops you into a warm, comforting hug, and for a moment…

Was it just a nightmare?

Was your time crawling and scratching your way through the hell of that town looking for him, just a nightmare? Were all those years before it you spent in bitter loss and regret after Uncle James disappeared just a bad dream?

>> Maybe it really was just a nightmare.

He is here right now. His arms are around you.

Even after all you’ve been through, how can you deny him?

Isn’t this a chance to start again?

You lean into his warmth, and lay your head gently on his shoulder, putting your arms around his sturdy body. Uncle James is your rock, your anchor, the pivot-point around which your whole life revolves. There is simply no way that you can believe that you could ever lose him without being able to find him again.

Yes, this is the beginning of a new start.

You let the world around you melt into darkness.

>> Start over