Terminus by Joshua Graham

waist of his pants and yanked him over to the narrow yellow painted space between the two lanes.
    The second car sped by, blaring its horn.  To Nick’s disgust, it didn’t stop.
    He set Matthew down.
    He looked up at Nick—scared to death, and not just by the near accident.  Matthew could see him!
    Nick looked over to the first car, but the driver who’d seen Nick appear—out of thin air from her point of view—rolled up her window and sped off, not bothering to see if the little boy she’d almost killed was all right.  That’s humans for you.
    Nick knelt down and touched Matthew’s shoulder. 
    “You all right, little man?”
    “I...I...” Then he turned around and looked into the lane Nick had just pulled him from.  His face crumpled.  “Riley!”
    There she was, lying still about fifteen feet down the street.  As if he’d forgotten everything that just happened, Matthew rushed to his puppy, calling her name.  Nick went with him, watching for more oncoming traffic.
    Matthew fell to his knees, crying.  Riley had been hit and was gasping her final breaths—something Nick was all too familiar with.  Matthew looked at his puppy, his face all tears and dirt and heart-wrenching despair. 
    “I’m sorry, Riley!  This is all my fault!”
    “It’s not, Matthew.  Not your—”
    “I let her out without me.  Oh, Riley...Riley, please don’t die!”  He turned back to Nick.  “I messed up—I always mess up!  That’s why Mommy and Daddy don’t want me.”
    “That’s not true!”  Nick made up his mind.  The laws about unassigned healings couldn’t be so inane as to apply to animals.  And if they did, he didn’t care.
    He knelt down and placed his hands around Riley’s head.  His entire body tingled with a pulsating light that started from his heart and radiated to his fingertips, which glowed as he pressed them gently against the puppy’s furry brow.  
    He shut his eyes.
    Connected with Riley’s soul.
    It surprised him, how deep was the love a puppy felt for her master, how intense the memories.   But there they were, strong as any human’s if not stronger.  He had to take care not to send too much light into so young a puppy.
    A tear slid down Nick’s cheek.
    Joy and sadness.
    “Get up, Riley,” he whispered.  The light left him.  The puppy’s breathing returned to normal, and she lifted her head.
    “Riley?”  Matthew’s face was alight with joy and wonder.  “Riley!”
    She rolled to her feet and let out a happy bark.  Tail wagging furiously, she  leapt into Matthew’s arms and proceeded to bathe his face with puppy kisses.  Matthew finally managed to lower her enough to look up at Nick. 
    “Wow, mister!  That was awesome!”
    “Be careful crossing the street, okay?”
    “Thanks for fixing up Riley.  She’s good as new.”  He smiled big and offered Nick an outstretched hand.
    He’d already revealed himself, might as well.  Nick shook his hand.  “Don’t mention it...” Just then, the Hartwell’s front door opened.  “ Really , don’t mention it.”
    “Matthew?”  Elaine Hartwell called from across the street.
    “Over here, Mom.”
    She started for the street.  “What are you doing there?  And who is that man?”
    Nick straightened up.  He’d have to remain visible now that they’d seen him too. 
    “It’s all right, Mrs. Hartwell, I was just helping Matt—”
    She reached them and took Matthew by the arm.    “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Then how do you know us?  And what are you doing talking to my son?”
    “Everyone knows you.  From the television shows, the radio, your books—”
    “What books? Nobody knows about that yet.”
    Oops.
    “I mean your husband’s books.” 
    “He saved your son!”  From a second-floor window an elderly woman pointed down to the street.  “Your boy nearly got hit by a car.  Twice!  That nice man just came out of nowhere and pulled him out of the way