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“LittleLuna?”Hannaasked, approaching her carefully, the same way she might approach a stray cat that was skittish and scared of people. “LittleLuna, is that you?”
Thegirl looked up andHannawas glad to see that her eyes hadn’t gone sunken and dull like the eyes of the dead.Herface was filled with curiosity.
“Whoare you?” she asked in a clear, piping voice. “Whyare you here in the gray place?”
“Yourmommy sent me to come look for you,”Hannasaid, kneeling down beside her. “Doyou remember your mommy?Shemisses yousomuch.”
Thelittle girl looked puzzled.
“Butthen…why didn’t she come looking for me herself?I’vebeen here, waiting and waiting, but she andDaddynever came for me.”
“Theycan’tcome for you, sweetheart,”Hannatold her. “Noteverybody can come to the gray place.”Shenodded around at theShadowLands. “I’mone of the only people in the world who can, so your mommy asked me to come and bring you back to her.”
Lunalooked at her mistrustfully.
“MommysaysI’mnot supposed to go with strangers.Areyou a stranger, lady?”
Hannabit her lip.Shehad to be careful how she answered—she was at the furthest limit she could go without getting lost forever.Thedoor back into the hospital and theLandof theLivingwas barely a bright spark on the horizon.Ifthe girl ran from her, she didn’t dare to follow or both of them would be eternally damned to wander the gray half-life forever.
“Itell you what,” she said, having an idea. “Myname isHanna.What’syour name?”
“Youalready said it—my name isLuna.ButMommycalls me ‘LittleLuna,’” the little girl replied.
“LittleLuna, it’s very nice to meet you.”Hannaput out her hand.Thechild looked at it for a long time, but finally she took it.
Hannashook hands with her cheerfully and smiled.
“Lookat that—we just got introduced to each other!” she said, laughing a little. “Thatmeans we’re not strangers anymore.”
“We’renot?”Thelittle girl’s brow furrowed and then cleared. “Okay—Iguess we’re not.”Shesmiled atHanna. “Sowhat should we do now?Doyou want to be my friend and play in the sand with me?It’salmost like the beach…except there isn’t any ocean,” she added, sadly.
“Wecan play in a minute but first, can we go on a walk?”Hannastood and held out a hand to her. “Ithink if we hurry, we can find the way back to yourMommy.Wouldn’tyou like to see her again?”
“Oh—Mommy!Yes,ImissMommyandDaddyso much!”Lunajumped up and gaveHannaher rather damp little hand.
“Thenlet’s go see her.”Hannasmiled down at the little girl. “Let’sgo see yourMommy.”
Andthe two of them began the long walk back.
21
HANNA
Timemoves differently in theShadowLands.Hannafelt as though she had been trudging for hours, keepingLittleLunafirmly by the hand.Atfirst she had been afraid that she’d gone too far—that there was no getting back to theLandof theLiving.Butlittle by little, the tiny bright spark that was the door that led to the hospital room began to grow bigger.
Lunawalked by her side, uncomplaining.Inthe living world she might have said that she was hungry or thirsty or that she needed to go to the bathroom.Butin theShadowLandsthere is neither hunger nor thirst—neither intake nor elimination.Thatwhich is,isand it never changes.
Goingback was like walking through quicksand,Hannathought.Ormaybe just really thick mud.TheShadowLandsseemed to suck at her and the girl beside her—Lunaespecially had been there long enough that the gray half-life considered her its own and wanted to keep her.
Butthey persevered and after what felt like hours and hours, the door was at last right in front of them.Lunahad been keeping her head down as they walked—the effort to keep moving was clearly taking all her energy.Butthen the sounds of theLivingLandsdrifted out to them and she heard her mother’s voice.
“Mommy!” she exclaimed, looking up eagerly.Shesaw her mother standing beside the hospital bed and frowned and looked up atHanna. “There’smyMommy…but who is that little girl in the bed?” she asked. “Shelooks likeme.”
“That’sbecause sheisyou,”Hannatold her.
“Sheis?Buthow can she be me whenI’mme?”Thelittle girl looked confused.
“Ishould have said she’spartof you,”Hannacorrected herself. “She’sthe part that can run and play in the sun—she doesn’t have to stay in the gray place.”
