Demon Doppelgangers

Chapter One Paige Matthews orbed herself and her nephew, Wyatt, to the north edge of Lincoln Park, materializing in a small thicket at Land's End. She quickly checked to see if anyone was around who could have seen her, although she knew the chances of that were slim. It was Tuesday, June 21, the first morning of summer, but the blustery conditions were decidedly unsummerlike, and she was convinced the weather would keep most people from a location this open to the elements.Confirming that they were alone, she checked on Wyatt, making sure he was bundled against the wind. Then she pushed the baby stroller out of the woods and into the open."I love coming here," she said to the baby, "and I thought today would be a good day to share it with you, too."She always talked to Wyatt as if he could understand her every word, and she sometimes wondered if he could, in fact, do just that. He seemed to understand his parents, Piper and Leo, far more than other babies could understand theirs. That, of course, was because, like Paige, he was the product of a witch and her Whitelighter, her guardian. To Paige, this created a special bond between Wyatt and her, and it was part of the reason she'd brought him here today, part of the reason she talked to him as if he were an adult rather than just a baby.She pushed the stroller near the edge of Land's End and stopped, taking in the view: the sweep of the Presidio, with its hills and trees curving away from the park and stretching to the Golden Gate Bridge; the bridge itself, holding its mass above the expanse of water on spires lifting heavenward; and the bodies of water separated by the bridge, the enclosed bay on one side surrounded by the city, the open ocean on the other, the home of the elements. The wind blustered enough to keep the bridge in view, making the whole panorama breathtaking.Paige took it in for a moment silently, smelling the salt air, then continued her conversation with Wyatt. "Do you see that?" She checked to ensure that he in fact could see the view, that he was still bundled against the wind and the cold. Then she straightened, continuing her explanation. "That, over there, is the Pacific." She pointed out over the gray ocean, its white-topped waves falling over one another as the wind pushed them under the bridge and into San Francisco Bay. "That landmass, the one with all the trees and not much in the way of buildings, is the Presidio. And that" -- here she pointed to the bridge itself -- "is the Gate. Nice name, don't you think?" She smiled, repeating it. "The Gate. The pathway from one life to another. From the wild of the sea to the civilized world, to all that humankind has built."She paused. "It's like a metaphor for you and me, Wyatt. The place where nature and things beyond humankind's control meet the world as we know it." She breathed deeply, closing her eyes. "And today, it's summer. You may be dressed like it's still winter, but it's really summer." She smiled again. "That ol' summer will come on its own terms, not ours."She took in the view for a moment longer, then turned the stroller. "Okay, enough of this. Let's get out of this wind and see the rest of the park."She pushed the stroller toward the Legion of Honor Museum. "I wonder what's happening at the museum today," she said. "Maybe Auntie Paige can show you some antiquities." She stopped as a tour bus rolled up to the front entrance of the museum. "Oh, look, Wyatt, tourists. Let's see how many of them think that just because it's summer, it'll be hot enough for shorts and T-shirts."As the bus disgorged its passengers, Paige noted that there were indeed several dressed in shorts, or in other clothing too light for the day's chilly conditions. She watched as they hurried into the museum, hugging their cameras as if for warmth."See that?" she asked Wyatt. "Those tourists are another metaphor, in their own way." She glanced doElliot, Greg is the author of 'Demon Doppelgangers ', published 2005 under ISBN 9781416900269 and ISBN 1416900268.