BACKGROUND:
In Part 1 - Emily/Danny, Sarah and Thomas were driving home after their first journey through the dreamscape together. Daniel had been revealed to be a child, not much older than Emily. Suddenly a rather strong smell originated in the car. The family instantly turned on each other. Daniel, already being a little touchy about odors retreated to the dreamscape and locked his sister out for some reason. Emily panicked and began accusing her mother and father while simultaneously admonishing her invisible brother. Thomas was trying not to say something off color, looking a bit suspicious, while Sarah was cursing her very existence and promising fury on whoever the offending party was. Here is the conclusion.
CONCLUSION:
The investigation had gone nowhere. The serene atmosphere, any 'feel good' considerations completely out of the window.
At that point it didn't matter if Daniel had de-aged, that Sarah and Thomas were literally raising a second child, that the entire family had just seen each other, face to face, in a different plane of existence that their children could access. Gone were any humorous memories of the sibling 'fight', the teasing, the warmth, the promises.
No, at this point, the car was on a powder keg.
For, nobody confessed.
Danny had fled reality.
Emily had screamed in betrayal.
Thomas had gone suspiciously silent.
Sarah had sworn vengeance on whoever had violated her breathable air.
And yet, no one cracked.
The tension was unbearable.
Everyone was glaring at each other.
Until—
Thomas squinted out the window.
"...Wait a second"
Sarah, exasperated: "What?"
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Thomas, still staring out the window, points - “Uh."
Emily and Sarah followed his gaze.
Daniel emerges for a second to copilot with Emily, curiosity piqued.
As the trees cleared, they all saw it.
It had been there the entire time, just blocked by the canopy flanking the highway...
Now, visible, rolling past the car window, stretched out along the highway, was—
A FARM.
Not just ANY farm.
A working, ACTIVE, cattle farm.
The kind that came with a very specific, very powerful, stench.
An all consuming stench.
A scent that could, under the right conditions—say, driving past at the exact wrong moment—
Invade a car and frame an innocent person for an unforgivable crime.
Silence entered the car.
A horrible, dawning silence.
Emily, stunned: "…We framed each other."
Danny, switches, horrified: "I fled to another plane of existence for NOTHING?"
Sarah, gripping the wheel, "You mean to tell me—"
Thomas, finally breaking, laughing and gasping: "WE GOT OUTPLAYED BY A FARM?!"
Emily, screeching: "NOBODY DID IT?!"
Danny, internally, groaned "This is the dumbest day of my life."
Sarah, staring at the road ahead, dead inside: "I hate this family. I hate this universe"
Thomas, wiping away tears: "I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS."
Emily, still in shock: "I accused my own brother!"
Danny, grumbling: "I RETREATED LIKE A COWARD."
Sarah deadpanning "I HAD TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS. WE ALMOST DIED."
Thomas, choking on laughter: "SOME POOR COW WAS OUT THERE LIVING ITS LIFE, COMPLETELY UNAWARE IT JUST WRECKED OUR ENTIRE FAMILY DYNAMIC."
Danny, grumbling: "I have never been so embarrassed in my entire afterlife."
Emily, groaning: "We can never tell anyone about this."
Sarah, muttering: "Agreed."
Thomas is still laughing “Why not???"
Danny, muttering: "I’m going back to the dreamscape. Em, doors open, feel free to join"
Emily, yelling: "YOU STAY HERE AND SUFFER WITH THE REST OF US, COWARD."
And with that, the most ridiculous mystery in family history came to a close.
Forever unsolved.
Forever haunting them.
