Wicked Forest (DeBeers 2)

There was no question I was close enough so he

could hear me, but he continued to walk, his head

lowered. I reached out and seized his right arm at the

elbow. It was enough to stop him, but he didn't turn

and he didn't speak. He just stood there, his shoulders

&nb

sp; swaying as if he were still walking.

"What is it? Why are you doing this? Where are

you going?" I fired at him, yet he still didn't turn.

"Linden!"

Finally, his shoulders stopped moving and he

stood deathly still, his head down, the strands of his

long, blond hair hanging limply like a small curtain

over his face.

I moved around to stand in front of him and

saw that his eyes were closed. In fact, he looked

asleep!

"Linden? Are you all right?"

Without responding, he turned slowly and

started to walk again, lifting his feet as though the

beach were made of sticky tar.

He's sleepwalking, I realized, I had never seen

anyone do it before and it was frightening. It was like

being drawn into someone else's nightmare. I caught

up to him again, my heart pounding.

"Linden," I said softly. "Linden, please wake

up. You're outside, on the beach."

I shook his arm gently, not sure what effect an

abrupt awakening might have on him and how he

might react in light of his recent head injuries and