“See,” Melody said. “My dream was a portent. I never mentioned my nightmare in front of Jimmy, right?” Melody said. She stood up from the table, her eyes huge. She wanted to run away, but wasn't sure where to.

Suddenly, Jimmy stopped and resumed playing his game as though nothing had happened.

The Jacksons simply looked at each other. Finally, Bernie said, “Someone should ask him why he suddenly started doing that.”

“He's your relation,” Lonnie said.

“No, he's not!” Bernie said, defensively. “Joanie is your cousin.”

“By marriage.”

“Not ours, though. I'll have no part of this.” Bernie tossed his napkin down next to his plate dramatically and rose from the table.

“Sit down, Bernie Jackson,” Lonnie told him, and he quickly did so.

“Yeah, Dad,” Melody said, nervously. “We're safer if the circle remains unbroken.”

“Oh, right,” Bernie said. “Because that's a thing.”

“Oh for...,” Lonnie said, and stood up and walked over to the boy. “Hey Jimmy,” she said softly. “We heard you making some howling sounds a little bit ago. Is there a wolf in your game?” Then she said to herself more softly. “I really hope that's the case.”

“Yup,” Jimmy said.

“Oh, okay,” Lonnie said, somewhat relieved.

“Not a wolf, though,” he said. “Dog. Big big dog.”

“Oh, it's a howling dog in your game. That's sounds like fun.” She turned to face the other two and smiled.

Bernie returned a thumbs up.

Lonnie slowly inched her way next to the boy. “Can I play, too?”

However, to her horror, instead of the latest iteration of Pokemon, there was only a cracked, blank screen. Jimmy continued to push buttons as though the device were still operational. “Big Big Dog,” he said again, and a strange, slightly mad smile appeared on his face. “The Hound from Hell.”

Wide-eyed, Lonnie quickly rose to her feet and returned to her family. “It's my assessment,” she said. “That the last time he threw his little game on the ground, it broke, and now he's compensating by imagining that it's still working. There's absolutely nothing to worry about.”

"Then why do you look terrified", Melody asked her.

Outside the house, there was a roar of a fast-moving car and the squealing of brakes in front of their house.

“Now what?” Melody said.

“Let's see.” Both Bernie and Lonnie ran to the front window, each of them peeking out of a different part of the curtain.

“Oh my goodness,” Lonnie said, pulling the fabric open a little farther. “It's Chazz.”

A towering woman hopped out of a dark blue sedan, and ran to the little weather station across the street. It had been weeks since she had last been here, and the building had seemed dormant for more than a month.

“MALI,” the woman cried. “MALI, MALI...”

“Lonnie,” Bernie said, nervously. “Lonnie, Lon Lon...The door's open.”

Melody squinted, suddenly appearing at the middle window. She stared into the open maw of the little weather station. She would have assumed that if some service technician had careless left it open, she would have been able to see some equipment inside, or a flickering computer screen.

However, there was nothing.

Only blackness.

Lonnie gasped. “Oh oh oh. It is, isn't it?”

“So you did you see it?” Bernie said, talking quickly. “The door is open.”

Chazz ran up to the building towards the open door, however as soon as she reached the small set of stairs, the door slammed shut with a loud, percussive thump! She pounded on the door, calling out for her girlfriend Malika over and over again. Finally she ended up in a heap on the doorstep, sobbing.

“You saw that, right? You saw that.”

“Bernie, YES! I saw it,” Lonnie intoned.

Melody sighed. She didn't look frightened, though. She looked angry. “We need to burn that building down!”