her own cheeks then, and wiped them away.
Ellen hadn’t known Ronan as long, but even she looked depressed by the news of his departure.
“I’ll miss you all too,” Ronan said, and then backed away, breaking free from the huddle. He turned away from them and faced Erasmus.
Erasmus, blind or not, stood and then bent as Ronan approached. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it one more time… you’re a lunatic, and if you get yourself killed I will drag you back from the afterlife and kick your furry backside.”
Ronan barked laughter and put out a paw. One of Erasmus’s dreadlocks reached down, grasped the offered paw, and shook it.
Ronan turned to Bowen next. “You keep him in line and them out of trouble.”
“That’s a tall order old friend, but I’ll do my best.”
Ronan nodded, then turned his face back to Penny, Zoe, Katie, and Ellen. He winked, and then his body faded into a mist that settled to the ground and blew away in an errant breeze.
“Well,” Erasmus said, rising to his full if unimpressive height, “this has all been very edifying, but a body can only stand so much excitement in one night.”
He doffed his hat again, then removed one of his many wands from inside his jacket and gave it a shake. It lengthened and thickened, transforming into the red tipped cane Penny had seen him with earlier that day. He tapped the door with it, and Bowen stepped up to open it. Beyond the frame Penny could see the back room of Golden Arts. He gave the girls a cheery wave before stepping through, and Erasmus followed him without another word.
Chapter 4
Conversations with a Reflection
Penny found herself in the cavern again, walking down an empty stone corridor with nothing but the Phoenix Fire dancing in the palm of her outstretched left hand for light. She thought she could hear something further down the claustrophobic hallway, maybe a scuffing of shoes against stone, and followed it. The place was cold and smelled like damp earth. A slight breeze wafted down the cavern from the direction in which she walked, an exit to the outside world she hoped, and the small flame in her hand flickered, throwing the path ahead into full darkness. When the light returned, Penny was no longer alone.
Penny and the stranger made identical grabs for wands that neither had, then smiled when they recognized each other.
It was her doppelganger, identical in every way down to the clothing she wore and the haphazard fall of her hair.
“It’s you,” they said in unison, then laughed.
Penny continued on her way, walking toward the draft and the hoped-for exit, and this time the girl didn’t shy away, but fell in beside Penny and walked with her.
“What is this place?” The girl inspected the walls, the ground, the ceiling, just visible at the edges of the fire’s light. There was enough room for them to walk side by side, but not much more. “You keep bringing me here.”
“I don’t know,” Penny said. “And I didn’t bring you here.”
“Who else could have?” This was not a rhetorical question. Penny heard honest curiosity in her doppelganger’s voice. “I go where you go.”
“That’s right, you are me, right?”
“Yes,” the girl said simply.
“I don’t know where we are,” Penny said, and with a touch of frustration, “I’m trying to find my way out.”
“Oh, that’s easy.”
This time Penny stopped dead in her tracks. The other girl continued a few steps beyond her before realizing she was now walking alone.
“How?”
“Where would you rather be?”
Penny opened her mouth to respond, but the doppelganger stopped her with an upraised hand. “Just think about it. This is your dream.”
“I don’t think it works that way,” Penny said, but saw almost instantly that she was wrong. When her doppelganger had asked her where she would rather be, she’d thought of Aurora Hollow, and that’s where they were now.
“I like this much better,” the girl
Ellen hadn’t known Ronan as long, but even she looked depressed by the news of his departure.
“I’ll miss you all too,” Ronan said, and then backed away, breaking free from the huddle. He turned away from them and faced Erasmus.
Erasmus, blind or not, stood and then bent as Ronan approached. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it one more time… you’re a lunatic, and if you get yourself killed I will drag you back from the afterlife and kick your furry backside.”
Ronan barked laughter and put out a paw. One of Erasmus’s dreadlocks reached down, grasped the offered paw, and shook it.
Ronan turned to Bowen next. “You keep him in line and them out of trouble.”
“That’s a tall order old friend, but I’ll do my best.”
Ronan nodded, then turned his face back to Penny, Zoe, Katie, and Ellen. He winked, and then his body faded into a mist that settled to the ground and blew away in an errant breeze.
“Well,” Erasmus said, rising to his full if unimpressive height, “this has all been very edifying, but a body can only stand so much excitement in one night.”
He doffed his hat again, then removed one of his many wands from inside his jacket and gave it a shake. It lengthened and thickened, transforming into the red tipped cane Penny had seen him with earlier that day. He tapped the door with it, and Bowen stepped up to open it. Beyond the frame Penny could see the back room of Golden Arts. He gave the girls a cheery wave before stepping through, and Erasmus followed him without another word.
Chapter 4
Conversations with a Reflection
Penny found herself in the cavern again, walking down an empty stone corridor with nothing but the Phoenix Fire dancing in the palm of her outstretched left hand for light. She thought she could hear something further down the claustrophobic hallway, maybe a scuffing of shoes against stone, and followed it. The place was cold and smelled like damp earth. A slight breeze wafted down the cavern from the direction in which she walked, an exit to the outside world she hoped, and the small flame in her hand flickered, throwing the path ahead into full darkness. When the light returned, Penny was no longer alone.
Penny and the stranger made identical grabs for wands that neither had, then smiled when they recognized each other.
It was her doppelganger, identical in every way down to the clothing she wore and the haphazard fall of her hair.
“It’s you,” they said in unison, then laughed.
Penny continued on her way, walking toward the draft and the hoped-for exit, and this time the girl didn’t shy away, but fell in beside Penny and walked with her.
“What is this place?” The girl inspected the walls, the ground, the ceiling, just visible at the edges of the fire’s light. There was enough room for them to walk side by side, but not much more. “You keep bringing me here.”
“I don’t know,” Penny said. “And I didn’t bring you here.”
“Who else could have?” This was not a rhetorical question. Penny heard honest curiosity in her doppelganger’s voice. “I go where you go.”
“That’s right, you are me, right?”
“Yes,” the girl said simply.
“I don’t know where we are,” Penny said, and with a touch of frustration, “I’m trying to find my way out.”
“Oh, that’s easy.”
This time Penny stopped dead in her tracks. The other girl continued a few steps beyond her before realizing she was now walking alone.
“How?”
“Where would you rather be?”
Penny opened her mouth to respond, but the doppelganger stopped her with an upraised hand. “Just think about it. This is your dream.”
“I don’t think it works that way,” Penny said, but saw almost instantly that she was wrong. When her doppelganger had asked her where she would rather be, she’d thought of Aurora Hollow, and that’s where they were now.
“I like this much better,” the girl
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