Billy hadn't told anyone about the dreams. He hadn't really meant to tell Rose, but then suddenly the words were coming out of his mouth. Truthfully, before he'd heard about the mermaid, he had thought he might be going insane.
"You had a dream that Stacey Wilkins disappeared and then she did?" Rose asked, eyes bugging slightly.
"No. Well, not exactly," Billy explained, "In my dreams I see this forest, and this lake and these people... It feels like-" He stopped, embarrassed.
"It feels like what?" Rose prompted.
"It feels like they're looking for me. Like I'm waiting for them."
"So you have a dream that you are kidnapping these people?" Rose was tilting her head again. Billy sighed.
"No, no, no. They want to be there. I told you, I don't see them disappear. But these people I see in my dreams, after I see them, they just don't seem to be around, ok?"
"So because you haven't seen Stacey Wilkins and you dreamed about her you think she disappeared?" Rose asked, voice dripping with skepticism.
"Well even you said you thought that she had moved!" Billy said defensively.
"I think there are just a lot of explanations besides disappearance. Like maybe-"
"But that doesn't explain the mermaid!" Billy jumped off the bed, fist clenched. Rose unconsciously pushed herself away from him and bumped into her desk, causing the monitor to wobble.
"You don't need to shout!" Rose complained. After she had regained her composure, she asked, "Doesn't explain what about the mermaid?"
"I had a dream about this man. He was walking. His wife and he were arguing about money for some reason. Then suddenly he was in the forest. I could hear his thoughts and his... his pain. Like he was calling to me. And then-"
"And then what?"
"He-I-I saw him change. Into a mermaid."
"Isn't a male mermaid a merman?"
"Are you really asking me such a silly question right now?"
"Well, that's important isn't it? I mean, you said the news was talking about a mermaid. How do you know it was this guy you saw in your dream? It might be a coincidence. Or maybe you subconsciously heard about this aquarium thing and forgot."
"I just know okay! All of these things can't be a coincidence."
"You had a dream that Stacey Wilkins disappeared and then she did?" Rose asked, eyes bugging slightly.
"No. Well, not exactly," Billy explained, "In my dreams I see this forest, and this lake and these people... It feels like-" He stopped, embarrassed.
"It feels like what?" Rose prompted.
"It feels like they're looking for me. Like I'm waiting for them."
"So you have a dream that you are kidnapping these people?" Rose was tilting her head again. Billy sighed.
"No, no, no. They want to be there. I told you, I don't see them disappear. But these people I see in my dreams, after I see them, they just don't seem to be around, ok?"
"So because you haven't seen Stacey Wilkins and you dreamed about her you think she disappeared?" Rose asked, voice dripping with skepticism.
"Well even you said you thought that she had moved!" Billy said defensively.
"I think there are just a lot of explanations besides disappearance. Like maybe-"
"But that doesn't explain the mermaid!" Billy jumped off the bed, fist clenched. Rose unconsciously pushed herself away from him and bumped into her desk, causing the monitor to wobble.
"You don't need to shout!" Rose complained. After she had regained her composure, she asked, "Doesn't explain what about the mermaid?"
"I had a dream about this man. He was walking. His wife and he were arguing about money for some reason. Then suddenly he was in the forest. I could hear his thoughts and his... his pain. Like he was calling to me. And then-"
"And then what?"
"He-I-I saw him change. Into a mermaid."
"Isn't a male mermaid a merman?"
"Are you really asking me such a silly question right now?"
"Well, that's important isn't it? I mean, you said the news was talking about a mermaid. How do you know it was this guy you saw in your dream? It might be a coincidence. Or maybe you subconsciously heard about this aquarium thing and forgot."
"I just know okay! All of these things can't be a coincidence."
