“Oh, Amy, no, you’re not stuck. This isn’t the same situation as Ryan’s. Your spirit isn’t trying to fool you or keep you trapped. Its only purpose is to give us a place where you and I can safely say our goodbyes.” She cast yet another ominous look skyward, where something was clearly drawing her attention. “But we don’t have a lot of time. Can you see what’s happening? The moon’s getting bigger and brighter. Soon its glow will cover the entire sky and turn everything white, and then our time will be up. We mustn’t delay. We need to get you home.”

Standing up, but taking great care not to rock the boat, her mother moved to Amy’s end and squeezed onto the seat beside her. “You trust me, don’t you?”

Amy swallowed uncomfortably when she saw her mother glance over the edge of the boat. “Of course, I do.”

“Good, because the only way out of here is for you to get in the water—and I need you to get in now, sweetheart, before it’s too late.”

“What?”

“You need to jump in and swim, as deep as you can go.”

Amy instinctively grabbed her pendant, clenched it tight. “Mom, you can’t be serious.”

“Everything will be okay. You’ll know what to do. When you reach the bottom, you’ll find the way out, I promise.”

“Mom, no, I can’t.” The mere thought of it left Amy teetering on the edge of panic.

“You can do this. I know you can do this. You must do this.”

Amy looked up and saw the moon was twice as large as it was a moment ago, its glow spreading like an enormous ink stain across the night sky.

“I don’t understand. Why isn’t there another way out? Do I need to prove myself worthy? Is that it? Is this all just one big test?”

“No, it’s no test, but you’ve been lingering away from your body for far too long. The connection is growing weaker and weaker, and the pull of the light—of me—it’s getting too strong. We’re out on the ocean because this is where your spirit has decided you needed to be, and now an act of courage is needed to force your spirit back home. But the more time we spend together, the longer we wait, the harder it’s going to get.”

41

41

A crowd had gathered in the doorway. Kevin looked up and screamed out orders. “Someone see if there’s a doctor here. A nurse! Check every room, check downstairs! Go!”

One by one they scattered, leaving behind Kevin and the bartender, who had just gotten through to emergency services and was busy taking instructions.

“Yes, he’s already doin’ that,” the bartender said into her phone, her hands shaking. “Yes, yes, that too.”