Inhuman, Part One

12 August 1985

“What the fuck is a bob-cha?” Mary demanded, her hands on her hips, as Henry walked in the door. They were in Elizabeth’s house in Sharon, where they were staying while Henry focused on finishing his degree and Mary picked up hours down at Mike’s Corner Market.

“Hello dear, class was fine, thanks for asking, how were things here?” Henry answered, setting his briefcase by the door and hanging up his hat.

“Things here were fine until Johnny started throwing a fit because I had gotten him a drink when he apparently wanted some ‘bob-cha’ thing to do it!”

“Sounds like you’re trying to say ‘babcia.’”

“Is that not what I just said?”

Henry hummed, in the way Mary had learned meant he wanted to disagree but wasn’t going to start, as he slipped past her into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. “Yeah alright.”

“What the fuck is it, Henry?”

“It’s a Polish name for one’s grandma.”

“And where did our son learn a Polish name for a grandma? And why was he pointing at thin air as if someone was there?”

Henry stopped, stood silent for a moment, then set the glass down. “He did what?”

“What do you know, Henry? What aren’t you telling me here?”

“I…don’t know yet. We need to check something. Where’s the boy?”

“He’s in the back yard.”

“Please go get him. I need to find a book.”

Mary, John, and Elizabeth sat in the living room for close to five minutes before Henry walked in with a photo album. Elizabeth was watching television, and John was sitting on Mary’s lap focused on the screen. Mary’s eyes didn’t shift away from Henry as he made his way into the room and knelt in front of her. He opened it to a page with a number of images of a woman, all of them in black and white, but spanning various ages of her life.

“Johnny,” he said, tapping John on the arm. When John looked, he turned the book toward the boy. “Do you know her?”

John pointed to one of the pictures, when she looked to be in her forties. “Babcia!”

Henry sighed and closed the book. “And is Babcia here now?”

John looked around and shook his head.

“Who is that?” Mary asked.

“My paternal grandmother, Joanna.”

“You talked to him about that bastard’s family?” Elizabeth demanded. “I said his name was not to come up in this house!”

“No, I didn’t.” Henry stood and closed the book. “I think Joanna has.”

“I don’t want no haunting bullshit in my house! Can’t you do something about it? With all those books of yours?”

Henry watched John as the boy’s attention drifted back to the television. “I haven’t been able to do anything supernatural around Johnny since he was in the womb. I didn’t think much of it, but now…”

“Now what?” Mary asked, after he fell silent.

“If he’s seeing ghosts so easily, and blocking magic, I have to consider the possibility he’s something else.”

“Something inhuman?” Elizabeth asked. “Like that son of a bitch father of yours?”

“No. Not like him. But maybe useful against him. Something that can stop him.”

“This is our son,” Mary hissed, blocking John’s ears. “He isn’t a weapon, he’s a child!”

“He won’t be a child forever.”

“Oh my God!” Mary picked John up and stood. “I…I can’t even imagine what’s going through your head right now!”

“Mary, look, it’s just—”

“No! We’re going to go start on dinner. You wait here and think about what you’re suggesting. We can talk about this later.” She stormed off toward the kitchen, asking John if he wanted to help her make some food. As she left, Henry sat down and rubbed his hand over the album.

“You think he really poses some threat to your father?” Elizabeth asked, softly.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Like, a real threat? Able to end this?”

“With training.”

“Then train him.”

“But Mary—”

“You pick what’s important here, Henry. And you pay what it costs.”

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