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“You really think we could? Isn’t that more of Sam’s territory?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“What if something
goes wrong and we end up making the dance hall disappear instead?”
“Hopefully that won’t happen.”
Jericho raised both eyebrows. “That’s the best you’ve got?”
“Science requires experimentation. And danger.”
“At least we won’t have to listen to any more of Doc’s long-winded stories,” Jericho said, making Ling smile at last.
“Here goes,” Ling said. She and Jericho squeezed their hands together and stared out at the light pole. Sweat beaded on Jericho’s forehead. I’m not a real Diviner, he thought. But Ling held fast to his hands. He could hear her heart beating in perfect time, could sense her excitement and her fear. He could just make out the silhouette of her thoughts, bits and pieces and vague hopes. It was as if they were one person, almost. Jericho had never experienced such an intimate encounter before. It was so much deeper than something physical. It frightened him; he wanted more. Can you feel me? he wondered.
To his great surprise, he heard Ling’s voice. Yes.
He almost let go. The shock was so great.
Ling?
Jericho.
He was giddy with the sensation. Hey. Do you smell something?
Yes.
Sulfur. Like a match being struck. He heard a discordant, mechanical hum. Pressure began to build inside him. So much pressure. He feared it would rip him in two.
Ling?
I feel it.
What is that?
I don’t know.
Should we stop?
Not yet.
The hum getting louder, becoming a clang. A scream. Something was taking shape. A dark wood. All bare trees and sickly pale bark. High above, a yellow moon hid its shine behind thin gray clouds.
Where are we?
Ling did not let go of Jericho’s hands. I think we’re in the land of the dead.
And then as suddenly as the sensation had come, it was gone. Jericho and Ling stood near the dance hall, still holding hands and panting for breath.
“Wh-what just happened?” Jericho said.
“I’m not sure, but I believe somehow we managed to open up a door into that other dimension—his dimension,” Ling said, clearly excited.
“But we don’t know how we did it,” Jericho said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ling said. “The important thing is, we know we can do it.”
