machine. The queen of texting. The master of my technology. The—
“Rachel! Get on! This position isn’t comfy!”
I hit Send. “Done. Hey, do you want to give me the batteries? I don’t mind playing pony.”
She springs up, I crouch, and she hops on. I pick up the batteries, one in each hand; make two fists; twine my thumbs together; and say:
“Transport me to the place inside my mind.
The power of my fists shall ye bind.”
I picture the address, 122 East Granger, and a jolt of electricity runs through my body, like I just stuck my finger in a socket. My body begins to feel weightless, like I’m an astronaut in a spaceship, and my skin feels hot and dry, like it’s being blow-dried by a thousand hair dryers all set on high. Instead of our beige living room couch and wood floor, there’re a kaleidoscope of dots and swirls of blue, red, and yellow. Eventually, the wind stops, the colors settle into a flat desert yard and a wide blue sky, and my feet touch—
Ouch!
—the tip of a baby prickly pear cactus. About a hundred pins insert themselves into my right heel. Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Why am I stepping on cactus needles? I look down to see one sandaled foot and one bare foot standing on a row of cactuses. Cacti? Either way, it hurts!
“Get off, get off, get off!” I shout at Miri. “You’re making it worse!”
She hops off my back and steps away.
I peel my foot from the cactus. I am a human porcupine. Ow. I begin picking out the offending needles. Ow, ow, ow. This had better be the last one…. Ow!
Now. Where’s my shoe? “I lost a sandal!”
“Where?”
“If I knew where it was, it wouldn’t be lost, would it?” I hop away from the attack plant and look around. We’re about ten yards away from a small white stucco cottage.
“I mean, is it in Arizona?”
“It could have fallen off on the way.” It could be any-where from Chicago to Topeka.
“So what do you want to do?”
“Find it,” I whine.
“We can zap up a multiplying spell for the one you still have. Hold on. Let me find it. I think it’s on page seven hundred and two.”
Ow. Ow. Ow. I hop over to her. “My foot hurts too much. I can’t think!” I pluck out one of the needles. And another. And another.
“Weird,” she says. “I could have sworn it was here. But there’s a heat spell on page seven hundred and two instead! Where is that multiplying spell? I’m so confused!”
“Miri, can’t you just make something up?” Ow. Ow, ow, ow.
“You know I prefer to use the spells in the book,” she says haughtily. “They’re far sturdier.”
Gimme a break. “You know what would make me sturdier? A second shoe. Just do it, please!”
“All right, hold on. I’ll try.”
She takes a deep breath, bends on one knee, touches my sandal, and says:
“Missing shoe,
Give me two!”
Poof! A second sandal blossoms on the ground.
“Yay, Miri! Way to go! I’m so proud of you.”
She preens. “Thank you. I thought it was pretty clever.”
I slip my foot inside, but something feels wrong. My toes are sticking out the other side. What’s up with that? Oh. She copied the original sandal. Both shoes are made for my left foot.
“Does it fit?” she asks.
“Yup! All good,” I say quickly. No reason to undermine her confidence. There must be a spell to right the right. Right? I’ll fix it later in the bathroom. I hook her arm through mine. “Shall we?”
We start toward the cottage. “It looks so plain,” she says as we approach the one-story nondescript white building.
“What did you expect? Sparkles?”
She giggles. “Something like that.”
When we reach the door, I say, “There’s no doorbell. I guess I’ll knock.”
No answer.
“Miri, we’re not going to be the only ones at these les-sons, are we?”
“I hope not,” she says. “The whole point is to meet new people. Maybe this just isn’t the right place. Look.” Miri points to a window on the left. The shades are drawn, but it looks dark
“Rachel! Get on! This position isn’t comfy!”
I hit Send. “Done. Hey, do you want to give me the batteries? I don’t mind playing pony.”
She springs up, I crouch, and she hops on. I pick up the batteries, one in each hand; make two fists; twine my thumbs together; and say:
“Transport me to the place inside my mind.
The power of my fists shall ye bind.”
I picture the address, 122 East Granger, and a jolt of electricity runs through my body, like I just stuck my finger in a socket. My body begins to feel weightless, like I’m an astronaut in a spaceship, and my skin feels hot and dry, like it’s being blow-dried by a thousand hair dryers all set on high. Instead of our beige living room couch and wood floor, there’re a kaleidoscope of dots and swirls of blue, red, and yellow. Eventually, the wind stops, the colors settle into a flat desert yard and a wide blue sky, and my feet touch—
Ouch!
—the tip of a baby prickly pear cactus. About a hundred pins insert themselves into my right heel. Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Why am I stepping on cactus needles? I look down to see one sandaled foot and one bare foot standing on a row of cactuses. Cacti? Either way, it hurts!
“Get off, get off, get off!” I shout at Miri. “You’re making it worse!”
She hops off my back and steps away.
I peel my foot from the cactus. I am a human porcupine. Ow. I begin picking out the offending needles. Ow, ow, ow. This had better be the last one…. Ow!
Now. Where’s my shoe? “I lost a sandal!”
“Where?”
“If I knew where it was, it wouldn’t be lost, would it?” I hop away from the attack plant and look around. We’re about ten yards away from a small white stucco cottage.
“I mean, is it in Arizona?”
“It could have fallen off on the way.” It could be any-where from Chicago to Topeka.
“So what do you want to do?”
“Find it,” I whine.
“We can zap up a multiplying spell for the one you still have. Hold on. Let me find it. I think it’s on page seven hundred and two.”
Ow. Ow. Ow. I hop over to her. “My foot hurts too much. I can’t think!” I pluck out one of the needles. And another. And another.
“Weird,” she says. “I could have sworn it was here. But there’s a heat spell on page seven hundred and two instead! Where is that multiplying spell? I’m so confused!”
“Miri, can’t you just make something up?” Ow. Ow, ow, ow.
“You know I prefer to use the spells in the book,” she says haughtily. “They’re far sturdier.”
Gimme a break. “You know what would make me sturdier? A second shoe. Just do it, please!”
“All right, hold on. I’ll try.”
She takes a deep breath, bends on one knee, touches my sandal, and says:
“Missing shoe,
Give me two!”
Poof! A second sandal blossoms on the ground.
“Yay, Miri! Way to go! I’m so proud of you.”
She preens. “Thank you. I thought it was pretty clever.”
I slip my foot inside, but something feels wrong. My toes are sticking out the other side. What’s up with that? Oh. She copied the original sandal. Both shoes are made for my left foot.
“Does it fit?” she asks.
“Yup! All good,” I say quickly. No reason to undermine her confidence. There must be a spell to right the right. Right? I’ll fix it later in the bathroom. I hook her arm through mine. “Shall we?”
We start toward the cottage. “It looks so plain,” she says as we approach the one-story nondescript white building.
“What did you expect? Sparkles?”
She giggles. “Something like that.”
When we reach the door, I say, “There’s no doorbell. I guess I’ll knock.”
No answer.
“Miri, we’re not going to be the only ones at these les-sons, are we?”
“I hope not,” she says. “The whole point is to meet new people. Maybe this just isn’t the right place. Look.” Miri points to a window on the left. The shades are drawn, but it looks dark
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