happens if this door shuts while I’m there?” Cory asked.
Jeffrey smiled. “Nothing. You just open it again. However, I’ll hold it open for you. You’ll be able to see me standing here, but she won’t—because she doesn’t know about the secret yet. I’ll wait for you to come back. Go on. Try it out. You’ll see how much fun it is to be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want.”
Cory hesitated, then stepped into Gina’s yard. He stood for a moment, smelling the night air, seeing his own house in the distance. He felt a little heady with vertigo, yet alive with an adrenaline rush.
“Gina,” he said. He watched her whirl with surprise, to stare at him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
It was real. He glanced back and saw Jeffrey smiling his approval. He allowed himself to stay for a few minutes before Jeffrey motioned that it was probably a good idea to say goodnight and come back. As he returned to Jeffrey’s porch, he saw Gina run after him, then stare through him, as if she couldn’t see him any longer.
“Cory?” she called.
“Hurry back,” Jeffrey called. “You’ll see her tomorrow.”
Chapter 17
“What do you think of that?” Jeffrey asked as they returned to his kitchen. “You can see anything in the world when you come to visit us. And you get your favorite ice cream.”
“It’s pretty neat,” Cory agreed. “I just don’t understand how it can be.”
“All answers will come in time. For now, just feel happy. We love company. And look: your ice cream hasn’t even melted while you were gone.”
A voice came to them all. Cory recognized the sound of his mother calling.
“Cory? Cory! Answer me.”
“She’s standing at the bottom of her stairs,” Ruth intoned from above. “Best send him along before she starts looking again.”
Jeffrey stood. “Let’s hurry you back before your mother starts worrying.
Cory spooned the last of the ice cream into his mouth and set the bowl on the table.
“Did that like a champ,” Leonard cackled, opening a long thin silver box and extracting a dark-papered cigarette from its interior. He lit it with a metal lighter that elicited a long, orange flame. “See ya around kid. Night visits are always easier; your parents won’t try to stop you if they’re sleeping.” He gave Cory a wink. “We’re always here. So is the ice cream.”
Cory stared at him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Leonard.
“Madeleine’s not interested in you,” Cory blurted. He wasn’t sure what made him say it. Leonard inhaled deeply on his cigarette, held the smoke, then blew a series of smoke rings into the room. One of the smaller rings passed through a widening, fading loop. He grinned.
“That so? You know women better than me? Are you a ladies’ man?”
Madeleine looked almost pained. She clasped her hands and stared down into her lap.
“Cory!” Louder, closer.
“Better hurry,” Jeffrey rushed him along.
They passed the room that matched Cory’s in his new house. Ruth sat in a wooden rocker, rocking the baby to sleep. The rocker’s runners made soft creaking sounds along the wooden floor.
“Bye, Ruth,” Cory said.
“Oh, you’ll be back,” she crooned, “for the best strawberry ice cream in the world. Won’t he, Maddy?” The baby rested upon her shoulder. They hurried past the other bedrooms. Shapes of people lingered in them, their backs to the door, their conversation muted. One of the men turned to glance their way and Cory felt a burst of shock when he recognized the face of the dead man from the barn. He wasn’t all busted up here. Weird.
He and Jeffrey reached the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. It looked solid. Cory reached with one hand and felt it. It was hard and cold.
“I can’t go through,” he told Jeffrey.
“Do you want to go through?”
“I have to get home.”
“Then set your mind and touch it again.”
Cory stared at him.
“Go on,” Jeffrey said. “She’s halfway
Jeffrey smiled. “Nothing. You just open it again. However, I’ll hold it open for you. You’ll be able to see me standing here, but she won’t—because she doesn’t know about the secret yet. I’ll wait for you to come back. Go on. Try it out. You’ll see how much fun it is to be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want.”
Cory hesitated, then stepped into Gina’s yard. He stood for a moment, smelling the night air, seeing his own house in the distance. He felt a little heady with vertigo, yet alive with an adrenaline rush.
“Gina,” he said. He watched her whirl with surprise, to stare at him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
It was real. He glanced back and saw Jeffrey smiling his approval. He allowed himself to stay for a few minutes before Jeffrey motioned that it was probably a good idea to say goodnight and come back. As he returned to Jeffrey’s porch, he saw Gina run after him, then stare through him, as if she couldn’t see him any longer.
“Cory?” she called.
“Hurry back,” Jeffrey called. “You’ll see her tomorrow.”
Chapter 17
“What do you think of that?” Jeffrey asked as they returned to his kitchen. “You can see anything in the world when you come to visit us. And you get your favorite ice cream.”
“It’s pretty neat,” Cory agreed. “I just don’t understand how it can be.”
“All answers will come in time. For now, just feel happy. We love company. And look: your ice cream hasn’t even melted while you were gone.”
A voice came to them all. Cory recognized the sound of his mother calling.
“Cory? Cory! Answer me.”
“She’s standing at the bottom of her stairs,” Ruth intoned from above. “Best send him along before she starts looking again.”
Jeffrey stood. “Let’s hurry you back before your mother starts worrying.
Cory spooned the last of the ice cream into his mouth and set the bowl on the table.
“Did that like a champ,” Leonard cackled, opening a long thin silver box and extracting a dark-papered cigarette from its interior. He lit it with a metal lighter that elicited a long, orange flame. “See ya around kid. Night visits are always easier; your parents won’t try to stop you if they’re sleeping.” He gave Cory a wink. “We’re always here. So is the ice cream.”
Cory stared at him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Leonard.
“Madeleine’s not interested in you,” Cory blurted. He wasn’t sure what made him say it. Leonard inhaled deeply on his cigarette, held the smoke, then blew a series of smoke rings into the room. One of the smaller rings passed through a widening, fading loop. He grinned.
“That so? You know women better than me? Are you a ladies’ man?”
Madeleine looked almost pained. She clasped her hands and stared down into her lap.
“Cory!” Louder, closer.
“Better hurry,” Jeffrey rushed him along.
They passed the room that matched Cory’s in his new house. Ruth sat in a wooden rocker, rocking the baby to sleep. The rocker’s runners made soft creaking sounds along the wooden floor.
“Bye, Ruth,” Cory said.
“Oh, you’ll be back,” she crooned, “for the best strawberry ice cream in the world. Won’t he, Maddy?” The baby rested upon her shoulder. They hurried past the other bedrooms. Shapes of people lingered in them, their backs to the door, their conversation muted. One of the men turned to glance their way and Cory felt a burst of shock when he recognized the face of the dead man from the barn. He wasn’t all busted up here. Weird.
He and Jeffrey reached the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. It looked solid. Cory reached with one hand and felt it. It was hard and cold.
“I can’t go through,” he told Jeffrey.
“Do you want to go through?”
“I have to get home.”
“Then set your mind and touch it again.”
Cory stared at him.
“Go on,” Jeffrey said. “She’s halfway
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