Hamish was about to age up from infant to toddler, and Charlie knew he could no longer postpone his talk with Mayra. His family troubles would now be hers as well.
Charlie: Mayra, there's something pretty important I need to tell you. I would have told you sooner, but Hamish came as such a surprise, by then it was too late to talk about my family history.
Mayra: I know what people say about the Stalkers, Charlie. And I don't believe most of that silliness! Don't worry.
Charlie: You need to worry about some of it, I'm afraid. And the truth may be worse than what you've heard. The Stalkers came into this valley generations ago. About that time, a strange disease spread through the area. It was like nothing the village had ever seen. At first, the physicians thought it was a form of rabies since the illness first appeared after bite marks were found on the victim.
Mayra: Bite marks, Charlie? Then the rumors ...
Charlie: ...are only partly true. You see, a cure of sorts was found, and most of the sufferers were saved. The villagers anyway. My family, coming from outside the valley, didn't carry the natural immunity the others had. The Stalkers were not completely cured.
Mayra: What do you mean?
Charlie: Stalker victims appeared to be cured themselves, but the strange symptoms developed in some of the children born later through the years. And the disease was no longer fatal. In fact, just the opposite. The ones who inherit the Power live long lives and are strong in other ways too.
Mayra: Then this condition is not a bad thing, Charlie. It's good!
Charlie: Yes, it isn't a curse, Mayra. But you have to remember, a lot of people get frightened by things they don't understand. And some people want to destroy this unknown thing. ... There is more to my history you need to hear. You know that my family remained in the valley and became wealthy land owners.
Charlie: But it's my own past that most affects our family now. And it's this recent history that carries the biggest threat. ... When I was a teen, I lived with my parents and my Uncle Allen in the Stalker Mansion by the lake. We did a lot of boating. My father loved to fish, and he'd take us all with him. One early morning, we went down to the pier by our home and were about to board our Skimtron, when we found ourselves surrounded by fire!
Charlie: I don't know where my uncle was at the time, but I didn't think he was near me. I heard him yelling about going to get help.
Charlie: Then, I felt my father grab hold of me and push me to the other side of the pier. I tripped, but managed to stand up just as my dad ran back into the flames after my mother.
Charlie: The fire was getting worse. I couldn't see my parents at all anymore. I called out to them over and over!
Mayra: Oh, Charlie, how horrible!
Charlie: I tried to go back into the fire to help my father and mom, but the flames were a solid wall by then.
Charlie: There was no sign of my uncle or anyone else. But suddenly, I remembered that we had a small fire extinguisher in the storage chest on the pier. I grabbed it and finally figured out how to get the thing to work.
Charlie: I did what I could, Mayra, but it was too late. I knew it was too late. But I kept at it until the fire fighters arrived a long time later.
Charlie: They took me away in an ambulance. I was singed and suffering from the smoke, but was otherwise unharmed--thanks to my father and mother making sure I was safe before saving themselves.
Charlie: It wasn't until after I'd heard that my parents had been killed that I realized what my uncle had done.
Charlie: He'd left us there to die--just walked away, back to the house. And he purposely took too long calling for help. When I told the Inspector that, he and the officers tried to track Uncle Allen down, but he'd disappeared.
Charlie: My parents are buried at the Stalker Mansion. But I haven't been back there for a long time. The Inspector hired gardeners and housekeepers to maintain the property.
Charlie: Mayra, there's something pretty important I need to tell you. I would have told you sooner, but Hamish came as such a surprise, by then it was too late to talk about my family history.
Mayra: I know what people say about the Stalkers, Charlie. And I don't believe most of that silliness! Don't worry.
Charlie: ...are only partly true. You see, a cure of sorts was found, and most of the sufferers were saved. The villagers anyway. My family, coming from outside the valley, didn't carry the natural immunity the others had. The Stalkers were not completely cured.
Charlie: Stalker victims appeared to be cured themselves, but the strange symptoms developed in some of the children born later through the years. And the disease was no longer fatal. In fact, just the opposite. The ones who inherit the Power live long lives and are strong in other ways too.
Mayra: Then this condition is not a bad thing, Charlie. It's good!
Charlie: Yes, it isn't a curse, Mayra. But you have to remember, a lot of people get frightened by things they don't understand. And some people want to destroy this unknown thing. ... There is more to my history you need to hear. You know that my family remained in the valley and became wealthy land owners.
Charlie: Somehow flames had ignited right on the pier, blocking escape in any direction. I was engulfed in smoke, and couldn't see anything! The fire just exploded in seconds! And my mother was screaming for dad to save me.
Charlie: It all happened so fast. I guess I was in shock. And I was young. I didn't know what to do!
Charlie: I haven't been able to face the site were my parents died. Not yet.
Mayra: Charlie, that uncle of yours must have been the one to start the fire! Why would he do that?
Charlie: They couldn't prove that he had anything to do with the fire, but I do know he didn't try to help. I also know that he hated my father because ... because my father had the Power, Mayra. And so you understand now why I'm worried about Hamish's birthday. If Hamish also has the Power, we'll be able to tell then.
Charlie: And Mayra, if Hamish IS like my father, I'm afraid my uncle will come out of hiding. That's the real danger! Uncle Allen might try to hurt Hamish!
