He sighed. “Aw, who am I kidding? Nat’s right. Life in Dunnville is just a slower form of death. At least if we get disintegrated, it’ll be quick. Push it.”

So that was that. I tried to avoid thinking about what this said about our lives. Nodding as much to myself as to my friends, I pressed the V button.

Chapter Four: Open Sesame

Chapter Four: Open Sesame

There was a double chirp and two parallel rows of lights flashed in midair, in sync with the sounds. Immediately, a curved section of metal hull appeared between the lights and began to lower itself like a drawbridge.

“It double-chirped,” Patrick said with a laugh. “It friggin’ chirp-chirped, like my dad’s Toyota. It’s a friggin’ key fob. This is beginning to feel like the world’s biggest practical joke.”

“Well, common design requirements,” I said. “You wouldn’t want the loading ramp to squish people when it came down, so warning beeps make sense.”

Nat was obviously not impressed. “Yeah, that’ll work right up to the point where it doesn’t. Just make sure you’re not standing under something when that happens.” She gestured at the ramp, which had completed its descent, showing a set of stairs leading to the interior.

I moved my head sideways to get a different angle. The entrance hung in midair, seemingly attached to nothing, like a green-screen effect, and opened into some kind of vestibule or antechamber. I walked slowly around the ramp, feeling like reality had come slightly loose. From behind the ramp, nothing was visible. My friends seemed to be staring upward into thin air, their jaws in danger of coming unhinged. As I came around all the way, the entrance reappeared.

“Are we going in?” Nat said.

“After you,” Patrick said, motioning to me.

“No, no, I insist,” I replied. “You first.”

“Oh, I would never be so rude. Please, be my guest.”

“I couldn’t possibly. After you.”

“Oh, surely not—”

“Assholes,” Nat snarled, and stomped up the stairs.

Reluctantly abandoning the Chip and Dale routine, Patrick and I followed. The stairs had a very low rise, probably in keeping with Chewbacca’s short legs. This resulted in a shallow incline and an easy, if awkward, climb. At the top of the stairs, Nat stood in the vestibule, waiting for us.

The floor appeared to be either a fine carpet or a spongy mat. It was hard to make out, but the surface was definitely soft and slightly springy. It was a more muted version of the robin’s-egg blue of the gadgets, while the walls and ceiling were a pale greenish-yellow. The area was well-lit, but the light didn’t seem to be coming from anywhere in particular.