paper-skinned, my hair dull and matted. I wanted nothing—nothing but to be with him. I wanted to see him. I wanted to hold him. I wanted him
alive
. I’d do anything.
Anything!
I sat up in bed, my heart swelling with the sudden joy of possibility.
It took six rings before Drew finally answered his phone.
“Hello?” His voice sounded thick and pinched.
“Unlock your back door,” I said. “I’m coming over.”
“Lily, is that you? What’s going on?”
I couldn’t waste precious time explaining. “Just do it. I’m leaving now.”
Without bothering to change out of the nightgown I’d worn since returning from Collin’s funeral a week earlier, I raced through the midnight-dark streets until I got to his house.
The sight of it was almost too much to bear, the memories flooding back, piercing me with longing: Collin and I cuddled together on his sofa, laughing, feeding each other popcorn, kissing … I refused to let my thoughts go any further.
It would be like that again, I told myself. It had to be!
Drew met me at the door. He looked ashen, his eyes swollen from too much crying.
“The paw!” I cried. “Do you still have it?”
Bewildered, he nodded. “I couldn’t stand to look at it again. It’s still under my bed where I threw it that afternoon.”
I flung my arms around him. “Oh, Drew, why didn’t we think of it before? We must have been crazy with grief not to think of it sooner.”
“Think of what?”
“The other two wishes. You’ve only used one.”
“Wasn’t one enough? My brother …” His voice broke.
“We’ll use another wish!” I cried. “Don’t you see?
There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy
. It’s the paw! The magic paw! We’ll wish Collin alive!”
Drew shook his head. “You’re not thinking straight, Lily. People don’t come back from the dead.”
I wouldn’t listen. Instead, I pushed past him into the house, hurried up the stairs to his bedroom.
Drew followed me, flipped on his light. I glanced around. His once car-covered walls were bare, the posters all gone. I fell to my knees, rummaged around in the mess of dirty socks and half-empty Doritos bags under his bed until my fingers found the paw. I pulled it out triumphantly, waved it at Drew.
“Hurry!” I cried. “Take it and make a wish.”
Drew gripped my shoulders. “Come on, Lily. There’s no such thing as a magic monkey paw.” He looked away, and his voice dropped to barely a whisper. “It was just our imagination, that’s all. A coincidence.”
“You don’t believe that,” I said.
“Yes, I do.”
He was lying. He believed in the monkey paw’s magic as much as I did. So why wouldn’t he make a wish? Why wouldn’t he bring Collin back?
I knew what I was about to say was cruel, but I didn’t care.
“You owe him this wish, Drew. Your first wish—your selfish first wish—killed him. So you can either bring him back alive, or live with his blood on your hands. It’s your choice.”
“No,” he groaned.
“Wish,” I urged.
He hesitated.
“Wish!”
His expression turned fierce then, belligerent. Raising the paw above his head, he cried, “I wish Collin was alive again!”
Outside, the world fell silent, as if muffled by some giant hand.
Inside, the paw fell to the floor, and Drew’s fierce expression faded. Slumping onto the floor, he moaned, “No, no, no, no.”
“He’ll come to me now!” I shrieked gleefully. “I know it. He’s rushing to me already.”
I hurried to the window and looked out.
Love goes toward love
.
“No, no, no, no.” Behind me, Drew was still moaning.
“He’ll come. I can feel it. Feel him. We just have to be patient.” In my madness to hold Collin again, I babbled. “The cemetery is two miles away. It will take some time. But the wish worked. It worked!”
I had already turned back to the window, searchingthe street for Collin—my beautiful, beloved Collin—when Drew said, “I know
alive
. I’d do anything.
Anything!
I sat up in bed, my heart swelling with the sudden joy of possibility.
It took six rings before Drew finally answered his phone.
“Hello?” His voice sounded thick and pinched.
“Unlock your back door,” I said. “I’m coming over.”
“Lily, is that you? What’s going on?”
I couldn’t waste precious time explaining. “Just do it. I’m leaving now.”
Without bothering to change out of the nightgown I’d worn since returning from Collin’s funeral a week earlier, I raced through the midnight-dark streets until I got to his house.
The sight of it was almost too much to bear, the memories flooding back, piercing me with longing: Collin and I cuddled together on his sofa, laughing, feeding each other popcorn, kissing … I refused to let my thoughts go any further.
It would be like that again, I told myself. It had to be!
Drew met me at the door. He looked ashen, his eyes swollen from too much crying.
“The paw!” I cried. “Do you still have it?”
Bewildered, he nodded. “I couldn’t stand to look at it again. It’s still under my bed where I threw it that afternoon.”
I flung my arms around him. “Oh, Drew, why didn’t we think of it before? We must have been crazy with grief not to think of it sooner.”
“Think of what?”
“The other two wishes. You’ve only used one.”
“Wasn’t one enough? My brother …” His voice broke.
“We’ll use another wish!” I cried. “Don’t you see?
There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy
. It’s the paw! The magic paw! We’ll wish Collin alive!”
Drew shook his head. “You’re not thinking straight, Lily. People don’t come back from the dead.”
I wouldn’t listen. Instead, I pushed past him into the house, hurried up the stairs to his bedroom.
Drew followed me, flipped on his light. I glanced around. His once car-covered walls were bare, the posters all gone. I fell to my knees, rummaged around in the mess of dirty socks and half-empty Doritos bags under his bed until my fingers found the paw. I pulled it out triumphantly, waved it at Drew.
“Hurry!” I cried. “Take it and make a wish.”
Drew gripped my shoulders. “Come on, Lily. There’s no such thing as a magic monkey paw.” He looked away, and his voice dropped to barely a whisper. “It was just our imagination, that’s all. A coincidence.”
“You don’t believe that,” I said.
“Yes, I do.”
He was lying. He believed in the monkey paw’s magic as much as I did. So why wouldn’t he make a wish? Why wouldn’t he bring Collin back?
I knew what I was about to say was cruel, but I didn’t care.
“You owe him this wish, Drew. Your first wish—your selfish first wish—killed him. So you can either bring him back alive, or live with his blood on your hands. It’s your choice.”
“No,” he groaned.
“Wish,” I urged.
He hesitated.
“Wish!”
His expression turned fierce then, belligerent. Raising the paw above his head, he cried, “I wish Collin was alive again!”
Outside, the world fell silent, as if muffled by some giant hand.
Inside, the paw fell to the floor, and Drew’s fierce expression faded. Slumping onto the floor, he moaned, “No, no, no, no.”
“He’ll come to me now!” I shrieked gleefully. “I know it. He’s rushing to me already.”
I hurried to the window and looked out.
Love goes toward love
.
“No, no, no, no.” Behind me, Drew was still moaning.
“He’ll come. I can feel it. Feel him. We just have to be patient.” In my madness to hold Collin again, I babbled. “The cemetery is two miles away. It will take some time. But the wish worked. It worked!”
I had already turned back to the window, searchingthe street for Collin—my beautiful, beloved Collin—when Drew said, “I know
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