by Geof Johnson
“We’ll deal with that when we have, too. If we have to. Besides, you need to keep making doorways to Eddan’s world because you have so much invested there, and they’re depending on you to keep the school and the clinic going. It’s worth the risk. I feel like our luck will hold out for a while longer.”
“Maybe. I guess we need to be even more careful about our electronic communications. No loose words over the phone or texts or Facebook or anything else.”
“We can sit down together and work out some code words you can use that don’t sound like anything important. That should help.”
“Makes me wish we hadn’t told those two agents our story. We’re even more exposed, now.”
“You’d walk away from helping them? That doesn’t sound like you.”
“But what if word leaks out about our magic? Everybody’s life would be ruined. We’d have ten thousand reporters in our front yard overnight, and terminally ill people wanting magic cures, and religious nuts and would-be witches and wizards and….” He blew out a sharp burst of air. “You name it. Our lives as we know it would be over. No more normal for us.”
He patted Jamie on the back. “Have we ever had normal, Jamie?”
“I guess not. But still, it’s normal enough. That might be over now that we’re involved with those two agents.”
“That’s a risk we’ll just have to take. Somebody needs to do something about Phillip Cage, and that’s got to be us. Nobody else has the capability.”
“Is this the way it’s always going to be? Whenever there’s an unusual crisis that nobody else can handle, will it get dumped in our laps?”
“Possibly. Didn’t you say you that you and your friends’ combined magic is like magical gravity? Strong magic attracts big problems?”
“Maybe if I stop hanging around with my friends I won’t have these problems.”
“Do you really think you could stop hanging around with your friends?”
“No.”
“Well, then get used to being the magical crisis solver.” He patted Jamie on the back again and stood. “I’m freezing. Let’s go eat.”
Chapter 6
The next day, Jamie made a glowing doorway in his family room, pushed it open, and on the other side was Dr. Tindall, waiting in her house in Cullowhee. She held a Bundt cake on a plate, wrapped in cellophane, and wore a surprised expression. “Oh my,” she said breathlessly. “You did it.”
“I told you I could. Come on in.”
She stepped through and gazed around. “This is your house in Hendersonville? I’m really there? How far is that?”
“About seventy miles,” Jamie said.
“Just like that, I traveled seventy miles?”
“We can go to Australia just as fast, or anywhere, for that matter.”
“Fantastic.” She smiled faintly, then she took a deep breath through her nose. “Something smells good.”
“My mom’s roasting a turkey. Hold on.” He called out, “Mom, Dr. Tindall is here.”
Rachel came out of the kitchen and Jamie introduced them, then Dr. Tindall offered her the cake. “Where do you want this?”
Rachel took it from her and said, “This looks divine. Let’s put it on the folding table in the other house, along with the rest of the extra food.”
“What other house?”
“I told you I was going to do this.” Jamie pointed to another glowing portal on the far wall. “I made a doorway to my stone house in Rivershire and kinda joined our two houses for the day, since there are so many of us. That’s where everybody else is right now, because the weather’s nicer over there, and mom didn’t want the TV on in here.”
“I wondered where everybody was,” Dr. Tindall said. “You said it was going to be crowded, but it seems rather quiet.”
“Here.” Rachel handed the cake to Jamie. “Why don’t you take this with you and give her a quick tour? And tell everybody we’ll eat in thirty minutes.”
Jamie led Dr. Tindall to the portal and said, “I’ll make a bigger doorway once we’re ready to sit down to eat. I’ll put it in the dining room here and make it open up by the big table in the stone house. Then it’ll be like one big room and we can all eat together.”
“How many of us are there today?”
“Fifteen or sixteen, I think. That’s the most we’ve ever had. Rollie and Fred won’t be eating with us, but we may see them later.”
They stepped through into his house in Rivershire. A fire blazed in the fireplace, and sitting near it were Carl, Granddaddy Pete, Uncle Ray, Cory, and John Paul. They were spread across the furniture, watching the football game on the television in the corner, oblivious to Jamie and his guest.
“You have cable TV service on this planet?” Dr. Tindall said.
“I made a mini-portal and ran the wire into the Callahan’s house back in Hendersonville. We don’t normally have the TV out here, because our moms think it ruins the atmosphere. We usually store it in the cellar and only bring it out for special occasions. Everybody’s here except for Grannie Darla. She went shopping earlier, but she’s on her way.” He set the cake with the other food on the long folding table that was set up behind the couch, then he called out, “Hey, guys. This is Dr. Tindall.” Jamie made quick introductions and Pete stood and came to greet her.
“Good to see you again,” Pete said as he shook her hand. “I hear you’ve agreed to help us out with our next mining prospect. I don’t see why we need to do an environmental impact study, but Jamie says we have to, and he’s the boss.” He winked at Jamie and flashed a white-toothed smile.
“It won’t hurt to check it out,” she said, “because once an ecosystem is altered, there’s no going back. It’s a unique opportunity for me, though.”
“I hope it doesn’t take too long. It could be worth a lot of money to us, and Jamie’s plans for Rivershire keep getting bigger every day.”
“It’s not just me,” Jamie said. “Grannie Darla wants us to build a park there.”
Pete rolled his eyes and tsked. “Yeah, that’s my wife’s newest project. She wants us to put one on the land next to my headquarters.”
“How much will it cost?” Dr. Tindall asked.
“Depends on how big we make it and what we put in it. But there’s not one in Rivershire now, and my tourist friends would like it.”
“So would the locals,” Jamie said. “I’ll go for it if we put in a playground.”
“Darla wants flower beds and walking trails and ornamental trees, too. She wants to hire a landscape architect and go all out. It’s a good thing we have the first mining deal in the bag, because this park will probably be expensive, knowing my wife. I’d feel a lot better if we had a second deal in the works. Bigger financial cushion, with that.”
“Do you have a world picked out for me to investigate?” Dr. Tindall said.
“Jamie’s hasn’t done it yet.”
“Well, my team will work as quickly as we can, once you decide which one, but first we get a shot at Rivershire. We get to take samples while it’s still relatively unspoiled. That’s my condition for helping you.”
“When do you plan to do that?” Pete asked.
“I was hoping to begin gathering samples over the winter holiday, because I don’t have to teach any classes then. I’ll need to find a place to stay, though. Is there still room at the boarding house in Rivershire?”
“Not unless somebody moves out soon.” Pete said. “I already reserved the last two rooms for your grad students.” He shrugged. “Unless they can bunk together and you can take one of the rooms.”
“Um….” She rubbed her cheek and frowned. “One of them is a young man and the other is a young woman, so that won’t work.”
“Stay here, then,” Jamie said. “In my house. Then your grad students would each have their own room at the boarding house.”
“I couldn’t do that. That would be imposing on you.”
“Nobody’s staying here right now anyway. Our parents take t
urns staying here sometimes on the weekends, and I come here with my friends once in a while to hang out, but not so much lately.”
“It’s a comfortable little place,” Pete said. “Darla and I have stayed here twice.”
“But what about Mrs. Tully? Won’t I inconvenience her?”
“She might like the company,” Jamie said, “though you wouldn’t see her much if you’re out all day doing field research. She’d probably cook for you, though.”
“I can cook for myself. Is there a microwave oven here?”
“No.” Jamie chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. If you’re here, Mrs. Tully would probably cook for you and herself and Aiven, too. It’ll be easier on her because she’s got an old wood-burning stove at her house.” Jamie nodded firmly. “The only problem you’ll have is transportation. You’ll have to get your grad students to pick you up in the truck in the morning.”
“How far is it to your headquarters, Pete? Isn’t that where we’ll keep the truck?”
“It’s about a mile. I walk it sometimes.”
“Or you could ride a bike,” Jamie said, “if the weather’s okay.”
“You can work something out,” Pete said. “But right now I’d like to get back to the football game, if you don’t mind. It’s time for the second half.”
He returned to the couch, and Jamie said to Dr. Tindall, “Let me give you a quick tour of the house.”
He showed her the two bedrooms and the bathroom, then took her to the kitchen to find Evelyn and Aunt Connie with Mrs. Tully. The sturdy-looking housekeeper was kneading dough on a wide board, her forearms covered with flour.
“Hello, Nancy,” Evelyn said. “Glad you made it.” She introduced Mrs. Tully, who only nodded.
“I would shake your hand, Dr. Tindall,” Mrs. Tully said, “but I am afraid I would make a mess of you.”
“Oh, please,” Dr. Tindall said, “call me Nancy.”
“I doubt she will,” Jamie said, “she still calls my gramma Mrs. Wallace and she calls me Master Jamie.”
“And she calls me Mrs. Moore,” Aunt Connie said, “even though she’s our friend.”
“’Tis a matter of respect,” Mrs. Tully said. “And habit, now.”
“Call me whatever you like,” Dr. Tindall said. “What are you cooking for us?”
“I have already prepared a ham and an apple pie, and now I am making one more loaf of bread, my third, at Master Jamie’s request.”
“She makes awesome bread,” he said. “Everything she makes is awesome. She cooked for us when we stayed here over spring break.”
“Is that when you were searching through the spell books for a solution to the demon problem?” Dr. Tindall asked.
Jamie nodded. “That was an interesting week.”
“That’s an understatement,” Evelyn said. “Come on, Nancy. Let me take you outside and show you the backyard and the river. That’s where everyone is.”
Evelyn guided Dr. Tindall through the back door, and Connie and Jamie came with them. Brinna, Sophie, Aiven, and Gina were standing with Sugar. They all greeted Dr. Tindall and she said, “So this is the horse I’ve heard so much about?” She stroked Sugar’s golden brown neck. “Beautiful animal.”
Aiven bobbed his head. “She’s the best around, she is. There’s no other that can compare.”
“Aiven can communicate with her mentally,” Jamie said. “It’s pretty impressive. Sammi fell in the river once, and Aiven got Sugar to rescue her. We were inside and didn’t know at first, so Aiven had to deal with it on his own. The river was really swollen from a strong storm the previous night, and Sammi doesn’t know how to swim.”
“It scared us half to death,” Evelyn said. “Sammi nearly drowned, but Sugar saved the day.”
“Is that true, Sugar?” Dr. Tindall said.
Sugar shook her mane and whinnied, and Dr. Tindall laughed. “I guess she can understand us.”
“She pulls the carriage for Ma and Aiven,” Brinna said. “She’s a good horse, she is.”
Dr. Tindall knitted her brow. “Are you the young woman who’s married to the policeman in Hendersonville?”
“Indeed I am, and happily so, I am glad to say.”
“And I’m married to Cory,” Gina said, “one of the men watching football inside. I’m Jamie’s cousin.”
“Gina’s pregnant,” Connie said. “With my first grandchild.”
“It almost didn’t happen,” Gina said with a shy smile. “It’s a common problem with the women in our family. But Fred talked to Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley and they taught her how to make a fertility potion to take care of it, and boy, did it ever!” She grinned and patted her belly, showing a slight bulge.
Their conversation was interrupted when the back door burst open and Carl appeared. “Jamie,” he called urgently, “someone is here to see you. I think we have an emergency.”
“Who is it? What’s the problem?”
“It’s Sean. His little sister has fallen into their well.”
Jamie ran to the house and disappeared inside, and Evelyn said, “Let’s go see what this is about.”
They found Jamie out on the front stoop. With him was a young boy Evelyn knew from the Rivershire School, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
“Take a deep breath, Sean,” Jamie said, “and tell me what’s going on.”
The boy gulped and said, “My little sister Livvy fell down the well.” He panted again and shook his head. “Pa tried to get her, but he couldn’t. It’s too narrow. When he tried to lower himself down, a stone fell loose and almost hit her. Now he’s afraid he’ll hurt her if he tries to pull her out.”
“Is she in the water?”
He shook his head again. “She’s wedged in it, though, down deep. She’s scared.”
“I bet.” Jamie glanced around the front yard. “Where’s your horse?”
“My brother took it with the wagon to get firewood this morning. I ran here.”
“Goodness,” Evelyn said, “That’s over two miles. Don’t you live near Mrs. Malley?”
“Our farm is just past her house, on the same side of the road.”
“Let’s go get your sister out.” Jamie jumped down the steps to the lawn, quickly outlined a glowing doorway, pushed it open and said, “Is that your place?” Sean looked carefully and then nodded, and Jamie rushed through it to the farm beyond, while Evelyn and the rest of their group followed.
Standing by the stone well were Sean’s parents, whom Evelyn recognized from the school. On the ground beside them was a jumbled pile of rope. Jamie and Carl joined them and Jamie wasted no time. “How long has she been down there?”
“Almost an hour,” the mother said, both hands pressed against her chest, her face pale. “She’s so cold. My darling is cold.”
“Sean said a stone fell loose from the inside wall when you went down there. Is it unstable?”
“It’s old and crumbling, and we are in sore need of a new one.” The father nodded. “I don’t know how she fell in.”
Evelyn and Dr. Tindall stood nearby and watched with the others. Dr. Tindall said, “Evelyn, how did they know Jamie was here today?”
“I told the kids at school. They’re fascinated by everything he does because they look up to him so much, so I told them about how we’re doing our Thanksgiving dinner.”
Jamie leaned over the low wall and peered inside the well. “I can’t see. It’s too dark.” He gestured with one hand and a tennis-ball sized glowing orb appeared inches above his palm. He floated it over the opening and said, “Hmm,” then without another word, he swung his legs over the side and dropped out of sight.
Dr. Tindall gasped and Evelyn said, “Don’t worry. He can fly, remember?”
“It was…it was just so sudden.”
A minute later, he rose out of the opening and settled on the ground. “It’s pretty tight inside. She’s jammed in there at the top of the water, and she’s wet and scared out of her mind.”
“I would be, too,�
� Carl said. “What are you going to do, translocate her?”
“That seems best.” Jamie glanced behind him and pointed at a spot on the grass nearby. “Don’t anybody stand right there. I need that space.” Then he leaned over the well again, looked down into it and flicked his fingers. An instant later, the little girl appeared on the ground nearby.
Shouts of relief arose from everyone who’d gathered to watch, and her parents rushed to her side. Carl knelt and quickly inspected the girl, feeling her arms first, then her legs. He looked up and said, “I don’t think anything’s broken, but she’s got some bad scrapes and she may be hypothermic.”
“Let’s take her to the clinic,” Jamie said. The girl’s father lifted her in his arms and waited while Jamie outlined another doorway and opened it, revealing the two-story medical facility by the school. Jamie paused and turned to face the farmer. “There’s a phone in there, so have someone call me when you’re finished and I’ll come make another doorway so you can go home. I’ll be at the stone house by the river.”
The farmer shook his head firmly. “You have done enough, and we have already interrupted your family celebration for too long, we have. My wife can stay here with Sean, and when Carrick gets back with the wagon, she can send him to fetch us. Or we can walk.”
“Are you sure?” Jamie said. “I don’t mind coming back. Really, I don’t.”
“I am sure you do not, but I will not ask it of you. Thank you, and go back to your meal and your family.” Without another word, he stepped through the portal and Jamie followed him, opened the clinic’s door for him, and watched until he disappeared inside with his daughter.
Evelyn made it a point to have Nancy Tindall sit with her during dinner, near the end of the table, along with her sister Connie and Mrs. Tully. Jamie, Aiven, and Sophie sat across from them. Jamie had made a new portal, a wide one, and joined the dining room of the house in Hendersonville with the main room in Rivershire, and they pushed the two tables together to make one long one that stretched across planets, one half on Earth and the other on Eddan’s world.
Once they were settled in their places, Dr. Tindall studied Sophie’s features, then peered down the table at Rachel, who was with Carl and his parents. “I can see the resemblance,” Dr. Tindall said. “In the eyes and the shape of your nose. I can tell that you and Rachel are sisters.”