“Here, right here!” Carlton called. The little boy in the striped shirt helped align two more pictures, and Michael traced over them, connecting them into a single drawing. A second boy in a striped shirt appeared from the blurry surroundings and sat down on top of the one already sitting with them, merging into him seamlessly. Only Carlton seemed to notice the merging of the two children, not even the boy in the striped shirt himself seemed aware.

Beside them was the little girl with blonde curls: they had found all her drawings and put them together, and now she looked solid and real, no longer ghostly like the others. She was able to speak in full sentences, her cognitive abilities having steadily grown stronger as her drawings were united. Carlton struggled to find matching images for the others: he was keeping track of the three stable figures, the man, the boy in the corner, and the body, and it was clear he was running out of time. The man was making preparations to harm the boy in the corner.

“You said he saved your dog?” Carlton asked the blonde girl, grasping for answers.

“Mommy said that he went to heaven, but I heard Daddy say he was hit by a car. But I knew it wasn’t true, Bonnie told me it wasn’t true; he said that he had found my puppy.” She brushed a lock of hair from her shoulder with her hand.

“And did he take you to your puppy?”

“He took me, but I don’t remember …”

“But it was him who helped you?” Carlton pointed to the yellow bunny in the drawing that showed all five kids.

“Yes! That’s him.” She smiled. “My name is Susie,” she added. “And that’s Cassidy.” A girl with long black hair approached, carrying more pictures in her arms. “And you?”

Carlton looked briefly at a little boy with freckles. “I …” He struggled to speak, and Carlton glanced nervously at the man in the room as he matched two more drawings together.

“There!” Michael exclaimed proudly. Another ghostly image of the freckled boy climbed under the table, and merged with the one who was already there: he instantly became less ghostly, and more whole. “I’m Fritz.” He smiled, suddenly filled with more life.

*  *  *