heels clack up the stairs.
* * *
“You want to see something interesting, Cory?” Jeffrey asked. “Come here with me for a moment. Come step out onto the back porch.”
Cory hesitated, remembering the impenetrable fog he’d encountered, and the lack of solid ground off the last step.
“No, it’s all right. Things are clear tonight. Come—look for yourself.”
Jeffrey opened the door to the verandah while Ida nodded at him. “He’s about to show you something special,” she winked.
Cory followed behind Jeffrey’s footsteps onto the exact same porch layout as his parents’ home, only much more old-fashioned in décor. A door stood in the center of this porch: a tall, painted, wooden carved screen door, its design ornate with flowers, vines, and leaves.
“If you could imagine being anyplace right now, where might you want to be?” Jeffrey asked.
Cory paused. “I don’t know…my old house, I guess.”
“Your old bedroom, right?”
Cory nodded.
“Push the door open and take a look. Go on.”
Cory glanced between Jeffrey and the screen door. He could see a lush green yard filled with mature trees, but curious, he did what Jeffrey instructed. As he pushed the screen door open, the backdrop of lawn and trees fell away and, instead, he saw the image of his old room appear in the ever-widening gap between the door and its frame. There was all his bedroom furniture in his old room, looking exactly like it had before the movers had arrived and packed everything up.
“How can this be?” he asked, a little frightened, yet fascinated. “Is it real?”
“Of course it’s real.” Jeffrey stood beside him. “In our world, you can have whatever you want…whatever you can imagine. That’s what I meant when I said you don’t have to feel so lonely anymore. You can be wherever you put your mind. It’s even better than playing make-believe because, here, whatever you think about can actually exist. Go on; step inside your old room. Everything’s safe. I’ll walk in with you, if you want.”
Cory reached up for Jeffrey’s aged hand. His skin was cold, hard in spots with calluses, his bones protruding against the fragile skin. They walked into Cory’s old bedroom together. The screen door remained open, as if caught on a breeze. He glanced back and saw Jeffrey’s family sitting around their kitchen table, watching them. They smiled and waved. The strange man, Leonard, gave him a ‘thumbs-up’ salute.
“Is that neat, or is that neat?” Leonard called.
Cory let go of Jeffrey’s hand and slowly walked around his old bedroom. He touched his bed covers; they were real. He felt the solid boards of his floor beneath his feet. There was his window, which had overlooked his old street. He ran to it, peered out, saw some of his old friends playing, and a neighbor hauling a can of trash to the curb.
“Hey! Eric!” Cory yelled through the window. The boy named Eric paused in his playing and looked around himself, confused.
“He might hear you, but he won’t see you,” Jeffrey cut in.
“Why not?”
“It is a secret. We only show our secret to special people who are willing to visit us. Now…that new girl you met today? Gina is her name. She lives up the road from you.”
“How did you know that?” Cory felt a whisper of unease roll over his skin. “Do you know her?” He supposed Jeffrey would if they’d all lived in the same neighborhood for a while.
“Yes,” Jeffrey continued. “Shut the door for a moment; then open it again. You’ll see her playing on her swing. She’s outside, swinging by herself in her back yard.”
Cory pulled the screen door shut, then slowly opened it again, watching the regular yard fall away, to reveal Gina moving back and forth like a pendulum on her swing. She looked quiet and lonely.
“Why don’t you go say hello? Don’t stay too long; just pop over and let her know that you haven’t forgotten her. Ask her to stop by sometime.”
“What
* * *
“You want to see something interesting, Cory?” Jeffrey asked. “Come here with me for a moment. Come step out onto the back porch.”
Cory hesitated, remembering the impenetrable fog he’d encountered, and the lack of solid ground off the last step.
“No, it’s all right. Things are clear tonight. Come—look for yourself.”
Jeffrey opened the door to the verandah while Ida nodded at him. “He’s about to show you something special,” she winked.
Cory followed behind Jeffrey’s footsteps onto the exact same porch layout as his parents’ home, only much more old-fashioned in décor. A door stood in the center of this porch: a tall, painted, wooden carved screen door, its design ornate with flowers, vines, and leaves.
“If you could imagine being anyplace right now, where might you want to be?” Jeffrey asked.
Cory paused. “I don’t know…my old house, I guess.”
“Your old bedroom, right?”
Cory nodded.
“Push the door open and take a look. Go on.”
Cory glanced between Jeffrey and the screen door. He could see a lush green yard filled with mature trees, but curious, he did what Jeffrey instructed. As he pushed the screen door open, the backdrop of lawn and trees fell away and, instead, he saw the image of his old room appear in the ever-widening gap between the door and its frame. There was all his bedroom furniture in his old room, looking exactly like it had before the movers had arrived and packed everything up.
“How can this be?” he asked, a little frightened, yet fascinated. “Is it real?”
“Of course it’s real.” Jeffrey stood beside him. “In our world, you can have whatever you want…whatever you can imagine. That’s what I meant when I said you don’t have to feel so lonely anymore. You can be wherever you put your mind. It’s even better than playing make-believe because, here, whatever you think about can actually exist. Go on; step inside your old room. Everything’s safe. I’ll walk in with you, if you want.”
Cory reached up for Jeffrey’s aged hand. His skin was cold, hard in spots with calluses, his bones protruding against the fragile skin. They walked into Cory’s old bedroom together. The screen door remained open, as if caught on a breeze. He glanced back and saw Jeffrey’s family sitting around their kitchen table, watching them. They smiled and waved. The strange man, Leonard, gave him a ‘thumbs-up’ salute.
“Is that neat, or is that neat?” Leonard called.
Cory let go of Jeffrey’s hand and slowly walked around his old bedroom. He touched his bed covers; they were real. He felt the solid boards of his floor beneath his feet. There was his window, which had overlooked his old street. He ran to it, peered out, saw some of his old friends playing, and a neighbor hauling a can of trash to the curb.
“Hey! Eric!” Cory yelled through the window. The boy named Eric paused in his playing and looked around himself, confused.
“He might hear you, but he won’t see you,” Jeffrey cut in.
“Why not?”
“It is a secret. We only show our secret to special people who are willing to visit us. Now…that new girl you met today? Gina is her name. She lives up the road from you.”
“How did you know that?” Cory felt a whisper of unease roll over his skin. “Do you know her?” He supposed Jeffrey would if they’d all lived in the same neighborhood for a while.
“Yes,” Jeffrey continued. “Shut the door for a moment; then open it again. You’ll see her playing on her swing. She’s outside, swinging by herself in her back yard.”
Cory pulled the screen door shut, then slowly opened it again, watching the regular yard fall away, to reveal Gina moving back and forth like a pendulum on her swing. She looked quiet and lonely.
“Why don’t you go say hello? Don’t stay too long; just pop over and let her know that you haven’t forgotten her. Ask her to stop by sometime.”
“What
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