The Door in the Forest (17 page)

Seconds later, the beast broke into the clearing. It was a leopard, creamy white, its long tail twitching. Sitting on its back like a little king, and waving a red bandanna, was Wes Crowley, grinning.

“Wes! Hey, Wes!”

Daniel practically jumped out of the tree at the sight of his brother. But then he held back. The leopard had stopped short and was eyeing him, its eyes unreadable. It made a low sound in its throat.

“Don’t worry about Snowball.” Wesley hopped off the leopard’s back. “She won’t hurt you.”

“Snowball?”

“That’s what I call her. Hey, Emily!”

“Hey.”

He was squinting into the tree. “That you, Mrs. Byrdsong?”

“Good morning, Wesley.”

Slowly the whole group climbed down, and Miranda shook Wesley’s hand gravely and introduced herself. He’d had no experience talking to such a remarkable-looking person and felt suddenly shy. It didn’t help when she broke into a smile, because that made her even more brilliant than before, her high cheekbones flushed with pleasure and her
almond eyes shining. It was only when she’d led everyone inside the blue room for a treat of breadfruit pudding and blueberries—a combination as odd as it was delicious—that Wesley began to relax.

“Wow,” he said, looking around. “This is some place.”

“As long as you like blue,” Miranda said.

“Uncle Jakob built it,” said Bridey, with noticeable pride.

“It’s like we’re under water. Like a submarine or something.”

Over their second helping of breadfruit, the kids exchanged news about their adventures and the ways they’d arrived at this place.

“You should’ve seen Snowball!” said Wesley. “She jumped right through this big hoop, just like the circus! I
think
it was a hoop. I couldn’t see much, but there was this sticky stuff, and—”

“That happened to me, too!” Emily exclaimed. “Did you end up getting all wet?”

“Ugh, yes!”

“How did
you
get here, Mrs. Byrdsong?” Daniel asked Bridey.

“Uncle Jakob fetched me—very kind.”

“Your uncle,” said Daniel tentatively, “does he live here all the time? Why hasn’t he gone on to his, you know, final destination?”

Bridey nodded. “I’m sure he will one day. But he’s a Byrdsong. He still considers it his job to protect the island. Also,” she said, “he likes to keep tabs on his house. My house now, of course. One day, Emily’s.”

“Mine? Really, Grandma?” said Emily.

“Yes, and I hope you live in it a long time. You’ve got a big life to live out There.”

The girl frowned. “But I don’t want to live out There. I want to stay Here!”

“My dear,” said Bridey, “we need to live our lives—all of us with bodies with breath in them. You’ll see.”

“I don’t
want
to see! I want to stay here with Mama.”

Miranda folded her daughter against her. “Of course you do.”

“Well,” said Bridey consolingly, “we’re all Here now, which is a great gift. We should make the most of it.”

“Oh, I know,” said the girl. “I don’t want to waste a single minute.”

Wesley laughed. “Hey, Danny! You want to go exploring?”

In fact, Daniel had wanted to explore this unreachable island all his life. “Emily, you coming?”

“Maybe.” She seemed torn, wanting to go, but unwilling to let her mother out of her sight.

“You go on, dear,” said Miranda. “I’ll be right here.”

“Promise?”

“You can ride Snowball if you want,” said Wesley.

That clinched it. Soon he had Emily up on the animal’s smooth back and they set off, the boys walking alongside like her attendants.

Daniel noticed Emily’s secret half-smile and thought he understood. Against all probability, this orphan girl had found her mother, and now here she was riding through a mysterious forest on the back of an albino leopard! In what world could that happen?

In this world, apparently. A world called Here.

They went on, following the trails left by animals on their daily or nightly rounds. The vegetation had a primordial look, many of the trees huge and gnarled with age. The lesser trees were equally odd: ginkgos with leaves like little Chinese fans, and monkey puzzle trees, reptilian in their contortions, with spear-sharp leaves growing straight out of the trunk.

Just then a bright-winged magpie flashed down from a eucalyptus tree and landed on Emily’s shoulder. It turned and spoke: “
Pjur, weer, weer,
” then flapped to the head of the leopard, right between its rounded ears, and started pecking for lice.

“Cats and birds,” said Emily with a puzzled look. “They’re not supposed to get along.”

“And leopards,” said Wesley, “aren’t supposed to be tame.”

Daniel smiled. “Well,” he said, “if Grandma Byrdsong can climb a tree …”

Emily was smiling that secret smile again.

“What?” said Daniel.

“I love this place.”

He looked up at her, perched on her royal-looking animal. “Do you think she really meant it? That anything is possible here?”

“I don’t think Grandma was talking about silly things. More like your heart’s desire.”

“What’s
your
heart’s desire, Em?”

“Oh, I already got that.”

“Seeing your mom?”

She nodded. “If my dad were here, I’d really have everything. What about you?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“I know what
I’d
want,” Wesley piped up. “I’d like to make the clouds come down out of the sky!”

“What!” She laughed. “Why would you want to do that?”

“I don’t know. Just to be able to.”

Daniel threw him a smiling glance. “Go ahead,” he said. “Give it a try.”

“Okay.” Wesley stood still and concentrated. “Clouds? You hear me? Get down here!”

He looked around. Except for a squirrel jumping between branches, things looked pretty much the same. “It’s not working. Of course it’s not.”

“Hold on,” said Daniel as a shadow swept over the woods.

Wesley barely had time to register what was happening before massive cumulus clouds, hundreds of feet high, drifted low over the trees. A moment later, the children couldn’t see where they were going.

Wesley jumped invisibly up and down. “I did it! I did it!”

“Wes, you’re amazing!” cried Emily. “Wherever you are.”

Daniel’s reaction was less exuberant. Something about being enfolded in face-tingling clouds made him feel quiet, more inclined to whisper than shout.

Even Wesley’s voice sounded muted as he called out for a game of hide-and-seek.

From somewhere, Emily answered, “Wesley’s It.”

“You with us, Danny?” Wesley called.

“I don’t mind.”

“Okay. I’m counting to twenty. Ready? One! Two! Three! …”

Wes went on counting while the other two drifted into the general nothingness. Crouched behind a shagbark hickory, Daniel had an odd sensation—a double sensation, really—a feeling of isolation, as if he were completely alone, and at the same time a sense of multitudes on all sides. Daniel imagined he could see their flittering shadows in the milky light.

“Here I come, ready or not!”

Daniel crouched lower. To his relief, the disturbing shadows had disappeared. Only his brother was out there, stumbling through the underbrush, and Emily, who just then let a giggle escape her.

“I’m coming to get you,” warned Wesley in his version of a scary voice.

Daniel ducked lower as the ghost of his brother sneaked past.

“I’m coming to get youuuuu.”

The cloud giggled again.

Daniel realized he had not heard simple happiness from Emily before. At rare times, she’d smiled; at others, she had laughed at him, but never
giggled
.

And what about himself, serious, ever-truthful Daniel the Good? He wondered suddenly:
Is it possible, in this place of all possibility, that I could tell a lie
?

The thought was tremendous. Just a simple fib, the kind of thing people tell without thinking.

Sitting in the mist, he tried to formulate an untruth.

My mother is a fish
.

He shook his head.
That’s not a lie, that’s just stupid
.

Far off, he heard his brother’s dwindling voice: “I’m coming to get youuuu.”

Captain Sloper would never hurt anyone
.

There! He did it! No speeded-up heartbeat, no perspiration, no shortness of breath, no headache, nothing!

Mr. Fish is not hiding any chickens
.

Easy as pie.

I really hate Bridey. I don’t like Dad. I don’t love Emily
.

Suddenly he really did have trouble breathing.
What
was that last lie?

A deep-throated growl came from invisible underbrush.

“Snowball!” came Wesley’s distant voice. “Where are you, girl?”

Another growl. An I’m-over-here growl.

“There you are!”

“No fair!” cried Emily. “Your silly leopard gave me away.”

“Now to find Danny.”

The voices were getting close. Silently Daniel eased out of his hiding place, and moved farther into the ghostly trees. If he looked down, he could see the ground well enough; but two feet up, things were a blur.

“I hear him over there!” cried Wesley.

Daniel began to hurry, which meant making more noise.

“Go find him, Snowball!”

Daniel broke into a run.

“This way, Em! We’ve got him now!”

Turning his head to glance behind him, Daniel ran full speed into something—into
someone
!—and they both were knocked to the ground.

When he’d stopped rolling, Daniel looked around, rubbing his shoulder. To his shock, he saw an old man lying beside him, moaning.

“Oh no! Are you all right?”

The old fellow, wrinkled and bearded, winced, his eyes still closed. A fresh bruise glowed on his waxy forehead.

“Mister, talk to me. Are you okay?”

Suddenly Snowball loped into view and jumped on Daniel, knocking him over again. She was followed by Emily and an out-of-breath Wesley.

The leopard turned, padded over to the old man, and, with a sloppy, sandpapery tongue, began licking his face.

“Arrgh!” cried the man, lifting an elbow. “Call off the beast!” Struggling to a sit, he met the curious gaze of the children crouching around him.

“Come on, Snowball.” Wesley pulled on the animal’s fur.

Tentatively the old man touched his forehead. His bow tie was askew and his red waistcoat covered with dust and leaves.

Emily edged closer. “Are you Uncle Jakob?”

He peered at her through low cloud wisps. “You must be Emily.”

She nodded.

“Funny weather we’re having,” he said.

“It is.”

“
I
did that,” Wesley declared.

“Did you now. Impressive. Are you all so talented? What about you?” He nodded at Daniel. “What do you do, besides knock over old men?”

“I tell lies.”

“Lies. Really. Emily, you have unusual companions.”

“I think so.”

“They can be our witnesses, along with our animal friend here. But first, I wonder if the young gentleman might do us the favor of lifting these clouds.”

“Me?” said Wesley.

“Yes. It would be beneficial to see what we’re doing.”

“Oh, I can see perfectly well as it is,” said Daniel.

“You
can
?” said the little man.

“That was a lie. See how easy it was?”

Jakob looked at him oddly. “Remarkable,” he said. He turned to Wesley. “If you please?”

Wesley shifted his feet nervously, not at all sure he could perform the cloud trick backward. “I’ll try.”

“Try? Here on the island we don’t
try
to do things.”

“We don’t?”

“We
do
them.”

“Okay.” Wesley frowned hard, gathering his powers. “Cloud? Listen! Here’s the thing. Go back up in the sky!”

Everyone looked up into the woolly grayness.

Slowly the bushes and tree trunks became visible, then the middle branches, and finally the swaying treetops. The clouds were on their way into what was becoming a blue sky.

Wesley laughed out loud, completely amazed.

“Thank you,” said Jakob. He stood up. To everyone’s surprise, he was no taller than Wesley, maybe a touch shorter. Next to them, Daniel appeared outlandish.