standing, when he was trapped there. I’m where he is, when I approach the house. Some part of me is walking to where he is.”
“Yes. And no. You’re here,” he added softly. “This isn’t like the hospital.”
“No. In the hospital there were two of me.” Her eyes widened slightly. “The one part sees the dead,” she said softly, as if testing the words. “And the other part sees the living. Why aren’t there two of me now?”
“You only get that dislocation at the beginning,” was the quiet reply.
She looked at the burning house carefuly and then said, “Al right. We need a ladder. A big, solid ladder.” And she turned and walked back to the car.
“Why is he trapped in the house?”
“He’s not.”
“Why is he staying in the house?”
“Why is he staying in the house?”
“Better question. I honestly don’t have the answer.”
“Why are any of the dead here at all?”
Eric glanced at her in the mirror, but otherwise kept his eyes on the road. He had to, since Emma had no idea at al of how to get home. “Where should they be?” he asked at length.
He was testing her somehow, and she knew it. She had always been good at tests, but this test was decidedly unfair; she didn’t even know what the subject was. “I don’t know. Heaven?
Hel?”
“I’m not dead. I don’t know either.”
“And you don’t care.”
“No. I care. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“There must be something I can do about it.”
His silence was long, and she watched the way his jaw tightened into it. “If this is your idea of trying to stay out of things,” he told her, “you fail.”
“Ful of fail. That happens when a four-year-old is going to be trapped forever in a burning house, reliving the moment of his death.”
The phone rang, but it had been doing that on and off since they’d gotten back into the car. “You could change the ringtone,” Emma suggested.
“This is the shortest ring I could find.”
ERIC DROVE EMMA HOME and parked on the street.
Emma opened the car door and then turned to Eric. “If you need to go home before Amy’s party, I can send you the directions to get there.”
He blinked. “Amy’s party?”
“Remember? We spoke about it before we left school?”
He shook his head. “You’re crazy.”
“If you think she looks good in school, you’ve never seen her when she’s actualy trying.”
He didn’t smile. “And what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to go hit the computer and then cal Alison.”
“And?”
“Get ladders,” she replied quietly. “And go back to Rowan Avenue. If we’re lucky, we can figure out what needs to be done before Amy’s party.”
“And if you’re not?”
“If I’m not,” she said starkly, the half smile deserting her face, “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about it.”
“Emma you can’t go in there blind. You have no idea what you’re doing!”
“No, I don’t. I’m going to try to find out more before I head out there.” She turned toward the door and then turned back again. “I don’t understand what you’re afraid of, Eric. I don’t understand what’s going on with you. What I understand, at the moment, is that that child is somehow stuck in that house. And I want to get him out.”
“To what end?”
She stared at him. And then she got out of the car without looking back, and shut the door.
The phone rang. Eric listened to it, his hands stil gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white. Prying his fingers free, he picked up the phone and stared at the screen while the ring died into silence. He looked up to see Emma and got a brief glimpse of her ridiculously named rottweiler before her front door closed.
When the phone rang again, he answered.
“Yeah.”
“Eric—”
“Rowan Avenue?”
“Ten days ago.”
Eric whistled.
“Eric?”
“Ten days. I would have guessed three, tops.”
“Ten days. I would have guessed three, tops.”
The silence was
“Yes. And no. You’re here,” he added softly. “This isn’t like the hospital.”
“No. In the hospital there were two of me.” Her eyes widened slightly. “The one part sees the dead,” she said softly, as if testing the words. “And the other part sees the living. Why aren’t there two of me now?”
“You only get that dislocation at the beginning,” was the quiet reply.
She looked at the burning house carefuly and then said, “Al right. We need a ladder. A big, solid ladder.” And she turned and walked back to the car.
“Why is he trapped in the house?”
“He’s not.”
“Why is he staying in the house?”
“Why is he staying in the house?”
“Better question. I honestly don’t have the answer.”
“Why are any of the dead here at all?”
Eric glanced at her in the mirror, but otherwise kept his eyes on the road. He had to, since Emma had no idea at al of how to get home. “Where should they be?” he asked at length.
He was testing her somehow, and she knew it. She had always been good at tests, but this test was decidedly unfair; she didn’t even know what the subject was. “I don’t know. Heaven?
Hel?”
“I’m not dead. I don’t know either.”
“And you don’t care.”
“No. I care. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“There must be something I can do about it.”
His silence was long, and she watched the way his jaw tightened into it. “If this is your idea of trying to stay out of things,” he told her, “you fail.”
“Ful of fail. That happens when a four-year-old is going to be trapped forever in a burning house, reliving the moment of his death.”
The phone rang, but it had been doing that on and off since they’d gotten back into the car. “You could change the ringtone,” Emma suggested.
“This is the shortest ring I could find.”
ERIC DROVE EMMA HOME and parked on the street.
Emma opened the car door and then turned to Eric. “If you need to go home before Amy’s party, I can send you the directions to get there.”
He blinked. “Amy’s party?”
“Remember? We spoke about it before we left school?”
He shook his head. “You’re crazy.”
“If you think she looks good in school, you’ve never seen her when she’s actualy trying.”
He didn’t smile. “And what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to go hit the computer and then cal Alison.”
“And?”
“Get ladders,” she replied quietly. “And go back to Rowan Avenue. If we’re lucky, we can figure out what needs to be done before Amy’s party.”
“And if you’re not?”
“If I’m not,” she said starkly, the half smile deserting her face, “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about it.”
“Emma you can’t go in there blind. You have no idea what you’re doing!”
“No, I don’t. I’m going to try to find out more before I head out there.” She turned toward the door and then turned back again. “I don’t understand what you’re afraid of, Eric. I don’t understand what’s going on with you. What I understand, at the moment, is that that child is somehow stuck in that house. And I want to get him out.”
“To what end?”
She stared at him. And then she got out of the car without looking back, and shut the door.
The phone rang. Eric listened to it, his hands stil gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white. Prying his fingers free, he picked up the phone and stared at the screen while the ring died into silence. He looked up to see Emma and got a brief glimpse of her ridiculously named rottweiler before her front door closed.
When the phone rang again, he answered.
“Yeah.”
“Eric—”
“Rowan Avenue?”
“Ten days ago.”
Eric whistled.
“Eric?”
“Ten days. I would have guessed three, tops.”
“Ten days. I would have guessed three, tops.”
The silence was
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