"It's easily cleared up," I answered. "I volunteer to sleep there tonight, if the love of my life is willing to come along. Howie can have our bed."
Betsy nodded her agreement. "I'd love to sleep there. I hope I pop off to someplace fascinating!"
Quinn spoke up. "I can tell you already; you won't. I've spent half my summer nights in that room working on my tests. The only dreams I dreamed were about Martha."
Martha smiled. "That's so nice! I dream of you too, dear."
Quinn nodded. "It's too late for spooky games tonight. I shut off all my equipment at six o'clock when my experiment expires."
"Then," Martha added with a sigh. "We leave this rustic life and Quinn and I will be home in Massachusetts, together." She turned to Howie. "I'm sorry if the lab caused problems, but no one has to sleep there again, at least with Quinn's gizmos operating."
Howie smiled. "Thanks. I really appreciate you people listening to my tale. I'm sure I made more of it than it deserved. My past is such an enigma; this business really tangled me up."
"That's the end of it?" Betsy asked, sounding disappointed.
"Thank goodness," Quinn said with a sigh
Betsy harbored more interest in the subject than the rest of us. "Maybe it's just the room itself. Perhaps something that happened to Howie in there and his past is resurrecting these visions!"
"Did I sleep in that room when I visited?" Howie asked.
"No," Martha answered with sadness in her voice. "Annie and I slept there."
My wife wouldn't let go. "It's like a real mystery, a ghost story."
"Betsy, Hon," I said. "That's a stretch and a tug." Out of the corner of my eye, I was surprised to notice a strange look on Martha's face.
"You have to admit the subject is fascinating," Betsy protested, turning to Howie. "You said it wasn't scary; at least once you knew you weren't trapped back there; that you could wake up and escape back to reality. Aren't you captivated too? I'd have to know what was going on. Just think; they might have been real people you were seeing. You couldn't stop me from going back there again and check it out." She looked around, surprised not everyone shared her enthusiasm.
"You believe me?" Howie asked.
"Of course! I don't confess to understanding what happened but it's fascinating."
I jumped in. "We all believe you, Howie. We believe you experienced something truly unique. Beyond that, I'm pretty sure none of us, you included, possess the vaguest idea what or how it happened or if will it happen again." Howie nodded but said nothing. Betsy held on like a dog on a bone.