Doctor Crowder took his pipe out of his mouth and spent a long while staring out at the night sky. It was partly cloudy, and only a few stars sparkled above the Bodega valley. In the distance, the Pacific surf was as soft and persistent as breathing.

Eventually, the doctor said, “I don’t know what else to say to you, Neil. You haven’t convinced me that any of this is indisputable fact, and until you do, I can only treat it like a medical or a psychological complaint. You see my problem, don’t you?”

“I guess so.”

“I’m glad,” said Doctor Crowder. “And I’ll tell you this much. I don’t believe you’re going crazy, or anything terrible like that. I think you may be suffering from strain or hypertension, and I think that you owe it to yourself to look at your work situation and even your marriage situation to find out if that’s true. It could be that you’re feeling some kind of delayed shock, some kind of psychological ripple effect, from the death of your brother. It could be that you’re just tired. But I’ll grant that you believe sincerely that what you saw was real, and I’m even prepared to keep a little bit of my mind open—though not much, I’ll tell you—just in case you can prove to me that wooden men really do step out of solid wardrobe doors.”

Neil nodded. “Okay, doctor. I’m sorry if I sounded sore.”

Doctor Crowder laid a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got to look forward, Neil. You’ve got to think of the future, and what you can do to make your life better. Then I guarantee that you won’t be bothered by the ghosts of the past.”

Just then, Susan came out of the kitchen door. She said, “Toby’s sleeping now. I tucked him up in our bed. Do you think he’s going to be all right, doctor?”

“There’s nothing to worry yourself about at all,” Doctor Crowder told her, reassuringly. “He’s a highly strung boy, and I think that things have gotten a little out of hand, that’s all. It sometimes happens at this age, when their imagination begins to develop. They see monsters, pirates, devils, all that kind of thing. But it’ll pass, and the next you know he’ll be dreaming about girls.”

Susan laughed, and it seemed like the first laugh for a long time. Neil took her arm and kissed her, and then reached out his hand to say good night to the doctor.

“You can call me any time,” said Doctor Crowder as they shook hands. “Don’t be shy. It’s about time we got to know each other better.”