The Lurker at the Threshold : A Horror Mystery by Brandon Berntson (books under 200 pages .txt) 📗

take that stuff seriously?  But I got something to look forward to when I get home, and that’s something.”

“There might not be a home if we don’t find this thing.  Are you keeping an eye out?”

“Sure.  Sure.  So, what’s the deal with you and Vera, huh?  Don’t you have the spark anymore?”

“There is no spark.”

“No spark?  Whattaya mean?  There has to be!  How can you stay together for thirty-two years and not maintain a spark?”

“It’s faded,” Duke said.  “There might’ve been a spark at one time, but it’s gone.”

“But there was a spark?”

“I can’t remember, to be quite honest.”

“Can’t you be serious for two seconds?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

Newt Bardhoff grunted.  He was trying to see the humor in the situation, but he was remiss.  He didn’t know why.

“Look, Newt,” Duke said.  He stopped and looked at his partner. Newt stopped and looked back.  “I appreciate what you’re going through and how you feel.  And I think it’s great.  I really do.  It’s magical.  But you gotta get your head outta the clouds.  It’s dangerous.  We’re in the middle of something here, and we gotta get to the bottom of it.  You understand what I’m saying?”

“Sure, Duke.  Sure.  I’m sorry, huh?  I guess I just wanted a little guidance, a little fatherly wisdom from a man who’s been happily married for over thirty years.  I respect that.  I admire it.  And I guess it passes the time.  Plus, the fog is getting thick.  And things are strange now.  I get that, too.  Are you going to poor Muncie’s funeral?”

“Of course.  If we make it that far.”

The fog was rolling in.  It was hard to see because of it.  The trail of the hound through the city of Innsport had been futile. Duke and Newt had no idea where to go or what to do.  They were tracking where they’d tracked once before because they’d never seen the thing, not clearly.  Muncie had been on his usual beat, and that was the last anyone had seen him.

Things weren’t normal.  They wouldn’t be normal for some time probably.  But maybe Newt had a point.  Maybe some light conversation was the thing they needed.

Duke looked at his partner again.  “I was the same way.  I wanted everything to work out, but the real world is still out there.  It’s not that it’s bad.  You just have to realize that infatuation has to be replaced with something deeper.  The touches aren’t as frequent, the ‘I love yous.’  But it’s still good.  You get to know each other’s faults and weaknesses.  That’s not a bad thing.  It’s a good thing.  And the challenges come.  The battles.  You see what you’re made of.  You see what she’s made of.  You understand a depth of loyalty and devotion if you’re lucky, and you realize after a while that you couldn’t have done it alone.  You’re in a good spot, Newt.  You two have something special.  That’s obvious.  The honeymoon stage doesn’t last that long for a lot of people.  What do I know?  Maybe you’re both nurturing it together.  I’m not gonna tell you how to run your relationship.  It’s different for everybody, but it’s special, what you have.  And that’s good.”

“Do you still love, Vera, Duke?”

“With all my heart,” he said.

“But it’s different?”

“It has to be.  Love is different for a lot of people.  It has different meanings, definitions.  That’s why people have such a hard time with it and break up so easily.  It’s because everyone has their own idea of what love should be.  What love is.  And there’s only one kind.  One kind that matters.  One kind that stands the test of time.”

Newt looked at his partner for a long time.  “What kind is that, Duke?”

“The selfless kind.  And both of you have to have it.  It can’t be one-sided.  Otherwise, you have one person giving and the other one taking.  It doesn’t work that way.  You both have to give.  There are times when it won’t be possible for one of you to give.  Things happen.  Life gets you down.  But that’s when the other has to step up to the plate.  You’re not in a relationship to get something out of it for yourself.  You’re in it to serve the other.  I don’t mean submission or anything like that.  Doing what you're told or bossing each other around.  I mean, you know their needs, you provide what you can, emotional support, love, care, selflessness.  It’s never about you.  That’s the trick.  When you put the needs of your spouse before you, it’ll come back on you in ways you never dreamed of.  When you’re both in it to serve the other, you create a little thing called magic.  But you both have to have the same approach.  When you’re both doing it, it’s a beautiful thing, Newt.  You make sure your kids see it, too.  Because you have to lead by example.  Then they’ll know what to look for when they’re on the search themselves.  They’ll know what it takes.  You teach by your actions.  That’s how kids learn.  You teach your wife the same thing.  She teaches you.  Together, you learn and grow, and your love goes into a place you never imagined, never thought existed.  But you’re living. You’re alive in ways you didn’t think you could be.  You’ll realize how dead you were without it before. It’s a gift, Newt.  Don’t take it for granted.”

Newt stood staring at his partner for a long time.  He had no idea what to say.  He had no idea Duke was that kind of man, let alone, that kind of husband.  He was in awe.  His respect for him grew as he stood and listened.

“I never knew you were so philosophical,” Newt said.  “So deep, Duke.”

“I’m not.  Anyone with half a brain can see