hail, still falling hard and adding inches to the thick blanket that buried the lawn during last night’s storm. The driveway is nowhere to be seen.
“I was actually picturing someplace warmer. Someplace…tropical.” My expression must show that I’m still confused, so he just comes right out and asks, “Do you want to try it?”
“I can go with you?” I guess I should have put the pieces together faster; even as I’m saying the words I’m aware of how dense I sound.
He nods and a huge grin spreads across his face. “If it’s too soon, I totally understand.”
“No, no…I’m just—” I stammer. “Will it hurt?”
“My sister gets stomachaches. My mom’s never tried it, but my dad isn’t affected in either direction. Technically, you’ve already been the third person to travel with me.” I flash on the park last night and remember how queasy my stomach felt, but I don’t want him to change his mind, so I keep it to myself. “This will be a bit of an experiment.”
“I can handle that. I think.” I let out a nervous laugh. “How long will we be gone? What if my dad comes home?”
Bennett explains that he plans to return us back to this exact spot, just a minute after we leave. “But while we’re gone,” he tells me, “time will continue as usual for everyone here. You might want to call your dad, just so he doesn’t worry if he comes home before we do.” I’m not sure I fully comprehend it all, but I dial the bookstore anyway and explain that I’m awake and feeling good, and Dad sounds relieved. While I talk, I watch Bennett fluttering around the kitchen, filling and refilling coffee cups and water glasses.
“Ready?” he asks after I hang up, and I smile and nod, mostly to convince myself that I am. Bennett walks over to the kitchen window where I’m standing and takes both of my hands in his. His are warm, strong, and for some inexplicable reason I feel safe, even though I’m completely terrified.
“Close your eyes,” he commands, and I do, smiling in the seconds before my stomach begins to contort. My intestines feel like they’re being twisted, kneaded from the inside, and while it isn’t painful, it certainly isn’t pleasant, either. Just as I feel the nausea, I see a bright light through my eyelids that forces me to shut them more tightly. Then I feel warmth on my face and a hot breeze that lifts my hair away from my forehead.
He squeezes my hands. “You can open your eyes. We’re here.”
We’re standing exactly as we had been back in the kitchen, facing each other and holding both hands. Only, when I look down, my feet are in sand.
I squint against the sunlight and look past him at the bright blue-green water that stretches out as far I can see. The cove is small; I can look in both directions and see its entire length. Giant boulders hold back the tranquil, turquoise bay until it meets the sea, and high, jagged rocks reach for the sky, like bookends holding the white sand between them firmly in place. I turn around and look behind me to find nothing but a dense collection of trees. There is no one here. Not anywhere.
Bennett’s watching me. He’s still holding my hands, which is a good thing, because I’m pretty sure I’ve stopped breathing. “I know, it’s a lame cliché. A secluded beach on a deserted island—” He stops short and looks at me. “Anna? Are you okay?”
I can’t take my eyes off the view. This can’t be real. “Where are we?” I must drop his hands, because now I’m walking away from him, like I’m being pulled by force toward the water.
His voice follows me. “It’s one of my favorite places in the world…Ko Tao. It’s a tiny island in Thailand. You can only get here by boat, and there’s no pier. You actually have to wade through—”
“No way.” I stop and turn around to look at him. “We’re in Thailand? Right now…we’re in Thailand?”
“Welcome to Thailand.” He smiles and spreads his arms wide.
“I’m
“I was actually picturing someplace warmer. Someplace…tropical.” My expression must show that I’m still confused, so he just comes right out and asks, “Do you want to try it?”
“I can go with you?” I guess I should have put the pieces together faster; even as I’m saying the words I’m aware of how dense I sound.
He nods and a huge grin spreads across his face. “If it’s too soon, I totally understand.”
“No, no…I’m just—” I stammer. “Will it hurt?”
“My sister gets stomachaches. My mom’s never tried it, but my dad isn’t affected in either direction. Technically, you’ve already been the third person to travel with me.” I flash on the park last night and remember how queasy my stomach felt, but I don’t want him to change his mind, so I keep it to myself. “This will be a bit of an experiment.”
“I can handle that. I think.” I let out a nervous laugh. “How long will we be gone? What if my dad comes home?”
Bennett explains that he plans to return us back to this exact spot, just a minute after we leave. “But while we’re gone,” he tells me, “time will continue as usual for everyone here. You might want to call your dad, just so he doesn’t worry if he comes home before we do.” I’m not sure I fully comprehend it all, but I dial the bookstore anyway and explain that I’m awake and feeling good, and Dad sounds relieved. While I talk, I watch Bennett fluttering around the kitchen, filling and refilling coffee cups and water glasses.
“Ready?” he asks after I hang up, and I smile and nod, mostly to convince myself that I am. Bennett walks over to the kitchen window where I’m standing and takes both of my hands in his. His are warm, strong, and for some inexplicable reason I feel safe, even though I’m completely terrified.
“Close your eyes,” he commands, and I do, smiling in the seconds before my stomach begins to contort. My intestines feel like they’re being twisted, kneaded from the inside, and while it isn’t painful, it certainly isn’t pleasant, either. Just as I feel the nausea, I see a bright light through my eyelids that forces me to shut them more tightly. Then I feel warmth on my face and a hot breeze that lifts my hair away from my forehead.
He squeezes my hands. “You can open your eyes. We’re here.”
We’re standing exactly as we had been back in the kitchen, facing each other and holding both hands. Only, when I look down, my feet are in sand.
I squint against the sunlight and look past him at the bright blue-green water that stretches out as far I can see. The cove is small; I can look in both directions and see its entire length. Giant boulders hold back the tranquil, turquoise bay until it meets the sea, and high, jagged rocks reach for the sky, like bookends holding the white sand between them firmly in place. I turn around and look behind me to find nothing but a dense collection of trees. There is no one here. Not anywhere.
Bennett’s watching me. He’s still holding my hands, which is a good thing, because I’m pretty sure I’ve stopped breathing. “I know, it’s a lame cliché. A secluded beach on a deserted island—” He stops short and looks at me. “Anna? Are you okay?”
I can’t take my eyes off the view. This can’t be real. “Where are we?” I must drop his hands, because now I’m walking away from him, like I’m being pulled by force toward the water.
His voice follows me. “It’s one of my favorite places in the world…Ko Tao. It’s a tiny island in Thailand. You can only get here by boat, and there’s no pier. You actually have to wade through—”
“No way.” I stop and turn around to look at him. “We’re in Thailand? Right now…we’re in Thailand?”
“Welcome to Thailand.” He smiles and spreads his arms wide.
“I’m
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