"Why are we here?" Terry asked, looking around as if he could see his surroundings. These surroundings, as luck would have it, were the local Waffle House, where Ken Shaw would often retreat after work for a waffle, a steak, and a cup of coffee.
Ken looked up, his face having formerly been buried in his hands. "I'm trying to sort my thoughts," Ken said. "There was something going on down there... and I want to try to figure out what it was."
"They were right about that, you know," Terry said.
"What do you mean?" Ken asked.
"The creatures," Terry answered. "They said that your understanding wasn't important. They were right."
"How can you say that?" Ken asked, aghast. "Something is happening down there! People are dying! And I need to find out why!"
"Why do you ask 'why'?" Terry asked. "You would do better to ask the other questions first."
Ken was about fed up. "What?!"
"For starters," Terry said, smiling. "But also 'how', 'who', 'when', and 'where'..."
"The answer to just about all of those questions is 'giant friggin' lizards,'" Ken answered begrudgingly, taking a final swig of his coffee and motioning to the waitress for a refill.
"I do not mean asking them about the case," Terry said, his beard gently wagging as he shook his head slightly. "I mean to ask them of yourself."
Terry paused as he took a bite of his steak and a drink from his coffee mug. "You are better than you credit yourself."
"I'm... not sure I follow," Ken answered as the waitress filled his mug. Ken flashed her a brief smile and said, "Thank you" as he reached for cream and sugar. Turning back to Terry, he asked: "What do you mean?"
"Ask yourself questions. Start with what."
"...what," Ken replied, obviously lost.
"What did you feel when the creatures entered the subway car?" Terry prompted.
"I felt... scared," Ken answered simply. "I felt like I was going to die."
"No, no..." Terry shook his head a bit. "I mean to ask... what did you... sense?"
"As in a gut reaction?" Ken asked.
"As in the five senses," Terry responded.
"Oh," Ken said, furrowing his brow in thought. "I saw... well, nothing really. They were disguised. I could hear them, though... their terrible shreiking cries. Almost ghastly."
"You... heard them?" Terry asked.
"Yeah," Ken answered, sipping his coffee and looking up at his new companion. "Why? Didn't you?"
"I did not hear what you heard," Terry answered. "I only heard an incredibly high-pitched whine... similar to a dog whistle. Had I not been blind and my other senses mildly increased as a result, I doubt I would have heard anything at all."
"Wait, wait, wait..." Ken said, holding up his hand. "You mean to tell me... that what I was hearing was some kind of high-pitched whine?"
Terry simply shrugged.
"What would that mean, though?" Ken asked, pushing himself back from the table slightly. "How could I have heard that? What's going on?"
Terry smiled. "You see?" he said with a mild chuckle in his voice. "One good question always opens the door for several more. There are a lot of questions on the way to 'why'. To start at 'why' is to get lost in the shuffle."
Terry snapped his fingers as the waitress came back over to their table. Terry turned his face toward hers. "My dear, could we possibly get a full carafe of coffee to share between us? My friend and I have much to discuss..."
