Amy tensed up at the thought. She understood the situation; she knew she and Ryan would be going their separate ways, but that didn’t stop her from wishing they had more time. A few lousy minutes were better than nothing, but it would never be enough, not to say everything she wanted to say.

Returning her attention to Ryan and his mother, Amy could see they were no longer stationary. His mother had started walking toward him, albeit very slowly, and Ryan had found his feet too, taking small steps in her direction. It seemed to Amy that Ryan was staying calm, though it was hard to be sure of anything from this far away. They continued edging toward each other, closing the gap with each small, tentative step, until finally they came together and fell into each other’s arms. Amy instantly let go of a breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding.

“I think that’s a good sign,” she said.

Chloe smiled back, her blue eyes shining brighter from the tears welling inside. “I think so too.”

Amy and Chloe watched from afar as Ryan and his mother sat down to begin a long chat. To pass the time, they drew pictures in the sand with seashells and spoke about their experience inside Ryan’s snow globe, each sharing their relief that they had somehow been able to thwart disaster and save Ryan from eternal imprisonment. They only hoped that, despite the tragedy of his circumstances, he too would be relieved and find some comfort in the knowledge that he’d been set free.

As for how he was taking that news, it was hard to say. What Amy did notice, though, was the speed at which his snow globe was disappearing; by the time Ryan had stood and was ready to return, the sand on the beach had become a sparkling carpet with grains flickering and vanishing everywhere. Time was running out.

“Okay, it’s our turn.” Chloe leapt up and helped Amy to her feet too, ready to greet Ryan, who was now walking back up the beach.

“Thank you for everything you did,” she said, wrapping her arms around Amy’s neck. “I couldn’t have wished for anyone better to get stuck in here with my brother. You made all the difference. Without you, we never would’ve gotten him out.”

A lump stuck in Amy’s throat. “I’m glad I could help. And I’m glad I got to meet you as well, Chloe. I’m going to miss you.”

“Me too. I’ll go say hi to Ryan quickly, then you can say goodbye, okay?”

Amy smiled. “Okay.”

Chloe gave one last squeeze before peeling her arms away, spinning around, and running as fast as she could, straight for her brother.