A chorus of sirens blared in the distance. Disjointed bursts of music filtered down from the high rise across the street. Eunjae locked eyes with Jiyeon in the half-dark, feeling as if he’d spent a lifetime contemplating her question.
“I want to stay,” he told her. “Not for long — nothing like that. If it’s okay, that is. I understand if it’s not.”
“Of course it’s okay.” Without letting another second slip by, she turned around to interrupt the family squabble. “Alright, quit fighting and listen to me.”
Excerpt fromThe Brass Keyby Helen Fairmont-Wynn
“You may remain in this realm for one night and one day,” said the Doorkeep, holding up a single taloned finger. Her curving claw seemed sharp enough to slice straight through the sky, peeling back the layers of dusk and afternoon and mid-day until morning showed through.
Theo looked at Knob. Knob looked at Theo. Lock danced around them both, jingling like a dozen pockets full of coins.
“Mortal child, make your choice.”
“Tell us now! Use your voice!”
“You found the door, you turned the key.”
“Go or stay? Which will it be?”
The Doorkeep waited. Theo couldn't imagine her rushing anywhere, even if her roots and one elbow hadn't fused with the door frame over the long centuries standing guard. He sensed that she never hurried through anything, whether it was a choice to be made or a thought to ponder. Theo appreciated that she seemed so patient.
“What happens if I’m here longer than one night and one day?” he asked.
“You will begin to pay the price.”
“But what is the price?”
“That,” said the Doorkeep, “is not something anyone can predict. Not even the Glass Lady can say.”
Theo felt as if his mouth simply brimmed with questions. All the questions his parents were always too exasperated to answer, the questions that made him so much more difficult than other children. He wanted to know about the Glass Lady, and about others like him who had come through the door in the past. Theo wanted to ask what their prices had been, if they'd been forced to pay. But maybe the others had been good. Maybe they didn't break the rules, ever.
Yes, the more he thought about it, the more Theo felt certain that the other visitors to this place had all been much better at following rules than he ever was. They probably didn't even consider staying longer than one night and one day, despite the loveliness of the trees and the soft blue velvet of the sky.
Knob tapped his foot on the lush, green grass. Lock had found a twig. She twirled it in her tiny hands.
“Stay or go? Stay or go?”
“The price to pay? No one knows.”
Theo turned back to glance at his own world, bright and hazy with heat, asphalt still baking even as the summer sun dipped low in the sky. Tomorrow was the Midsummer Solstice, Aunt Hattie had told him. The longest day of the year. He wondered if that would count, here. If making his decision now might give him a little bit more time. Because of course Theo was going to take the chance. What if he never found this door again?
On the other side of this door, he could be another person. A better Theo. The true version of himself.
He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. “I want to stay,” he told the Doorkeep.
And the Doorkeep bowed, filling the air with the creak of branches heavy with fruit, crickets chirping, the trilling of a lone nightingale. All the sounds of evening came together to become her voice as she spoke.
“Be welcome then, mortal child. For one night and one day, all the wonders of these lands are yours to behold.”
9
Eunjaestoodinacorner of the kitchen at Wanna Waffle, trying to stay out of the way while Denny Han slammed blue plastic trays into orderly stacks on the counter. Every resounding crash made him leap partway out of his skin. It didn’t help that he was still waiting to be struck by lightning. He'd made a decision to stay here and would surely suffer the consequences soon.
There would be hell to pay. Even so, Eunjae didn't regret what he'd done. At least, not yet. This lack of regret was the most surprising thing about his situation. He’d expected to feel more of it.
In the main dining room, Mr. and Mrs. Han were having a spirited conversation about the ending ofI Loved You. From what Eunjae could gather, it had been tragic. There was something about a smashed lifeboat, and something else about a carousel. Had he been coerced into watching this drama with Jungwoo? He couldn’t remember. There had been so many dramas. Jungwoo was always looking for songwriting inspiration.
Thinking of his brother brought on a brief bout of dizziness. Was Jungwoo angry with him? Was he imagining the worst?
