"Shingeru...?" Tessa repeated. Shingeru's head nodded. Just then, a bright, shining light beamed right at Shingeru. Tessa gasped in fear. Now what was happening? First darkness, and now light?

The man called Shingeru screamed in pain and vanished. Tessa looked to where the direction the light came from, but no one was there to be seen. "Hello?" Tessa cried out. The darkness suddenly faded into light, transporting her back to a more familiar place: her backyard. 'What was that...?' She thought to herself.

Tessa shook her head. "It wasn't real... it wasn't real..." She told herself. Then a bolt of lightening streaked across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. The sun had disappeared and the sky had grown pitch black. Rain began tapping down on the ground, soaking everything around her. Tessa gave a small yelp and covered her head as she ran into the house.

The tall grandfather clock in the hallway dinged dully but loudly, signaling it was 8:00 pm. Tessa watched the pendulum swing back and forth slowly. Had she been lost that long?

Tessa sighed. Whatever had happened just now seemed like it was all just a fragment of her imagination. Maybe it was just a dream? She wondered. She shook her head again. Her father wasn't home yet, but that was normal for him. So she got ready for bed and went to sleep, wondering what 'connection' that man had talked about before...