JenifersSon

Jenifers Son

This relates to HarmlessFreeRadicals, but is really the sequal to a story called "The Life of Ink." I doubt I'll continue this.

Jenifer's son, Forrest, is working with his dad in the garage, making a pinhole camera (illustration opportunity!). He sees a doll and a book on the top shelf and asks his dad about it. After talking about how special Jenifer is, his dad says to ask mom, and Jenifer explains. The doll is Akailea and the book is "The Life of Ink" by Fenmere, the Worm. Forrest asks his mom who Fenmere is, and she replies, "a cartoonist I knew when I was in college. I told him my story and he published it. I have some of his comics if you want to read them." Forrest reads the comics and is confused. Jenifer explains a little more. Forrest feels a little jealous of such an imagination, so Jenifer tells him, "an imagination isn't something you have, it's something you create."

---

Basic concept of the story. Forrest, with his mom's advice in his head, has to deal with troubles at school. He's going to be in fifth grade next year, but the district has built a new school and is moving the three smaller schools in the south of Fairport into the one school. His parents are a little pissed about this, and Forrest is understandably scared. Forrest also has a bully he's got to deal with.

In the course of the story, he uncovers layer by layer the truth of his mom's past and the imaginary world she lived in. In the process, he gains access to it, through another magic place (the vacant lot is long gone). His dad begins to feel left out. For a moment it looks like things might be kind of a retelling of Jenifer's story, with his newfound friends helping him with school and chores. In fact, at some point he figures out how to include his dad in the magic. Then things start to go bad. He finds that his imaginary friends don't die when the meet other people, and they're starting to populate the real world and meddle in the affairs of humans.

One day, he comes home from school to find his parents missing. He waits and waits, and they don't come home. Crawling to bed scared and crying, he grabs Akailea and huddles on his pillow staring at her. And that's when she finally talks to him...

"It's a full moon," she says, with a smirk.

"What does that mean?" asks Forrest.

"Open the window," she replies.

He does, but nothing happens.

"Give it some time," Akailea whispers. "And when he arrives, tell him your problem."

"Who," Forrest asks.

"The Shadow Drak," says Akailea.

When the Shadow Drak finally arrives, Akailea remains silent. Forest asks the Shadow Drak if he's Ink. The Drak says, "OK, if you want be to be." Forest thinks about it for a moment, then says he'll call him Blacky, instead.

Forest explains that his parents are missing, and that the Dragon People are taking over Fairport. Blacky says, "That's a problem! What are you going to do about it?"

... this is getting too baroque. Simplify it!

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