Hide and Seek

-I dor where he is." She frowned and shook her head. "I think I

remember I think he went back toward the house. I'm not sure."

"Think. It's important."

"Oh god."

"Come on, Case."

"Okay. Yes. All right. I remember ashadow. Movement. Yes. He's

back there, Clan."

"Shit. Checking to see if there are more of us, probably. That means

we're screwed either way."

"Great. Wonderful. Okay, let's work this through. It'sa long way

back there, and a lot of it's narrow tunnel. We'd have Ben ahead of us

for sure. And if they come back looking for us, we'd have Mary and

that thing behind us too. With no room to turn around, maybe. I can't

say I like that much."

"But the dog, Clan."

"We don't know what the hell's in that direction, except the sea is

there somewhere...."

"Pretty close, I think."

"And Mary and the dog are there too, somewhere. What do you like?"

"Clan?"

"What."

She hesitated. "I was about to say I loved you. But what if I'm just

grateful? Very grateful."

"I'll take it. Either way."

"You will, won't you."

"Yes."

She moved quietly to the flashlight and picked it up and then returned

to me. She looked at me a moment.

"It's love," she said. "It always was, I think."

"I know. For me too, Case."

We stood there, not even touching.

What a terrible time to find out how good life can be, I thought. And

how good to find out anyway.