“But where? You’ve been gone.”

“No. Reckon you’re the one who’s been gone. I been here the whole time.”

“But I’ve been looking for you.”

“And I’ve been waitin’.”

“You have?”

“Yeah. Waitin’ for you to come back.”

Peter shook his head. “Come back?”

“Yeah.”

“Back to where?”

“Back to here.”

A shooting star passed beneath Peter’s feet, journeying further out into space.

“Why, where’s here?”

“Us,” said Cooper.

“Us?” said Peter.

“Yeah. Here is us.”

“But how?”

Cooper smiled. “Quit overthinkin’.”

“But how is here, us?”

“The lake, Pete. And the plains and the forest and the cabin and the stars. They’re us, all of ’em. But you’re slippin’ away again.”

Peter shook his head. “No. I’m back now.”

“Not you ain’t. You’re slippin’.”

“Slipping?”

“Yeah. Going further away. Back to that place. Don’t go.”

“I won’t. I’m here.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“I’m right here.”

Cooper gazed up and a star passed beneath the hull of the canoe. “Peter?”

“What?”

“Nothin’,” he said. “I just wanted to hear your name is all.”

Peter’s heart beat wildly into his chest. He longed to be inside the canoe with him and no sooner had that thought occurred to him, he was. He tucked his feet beneath the bow seat and looked down into Cooper’s dark eyes. Cooper looked back, but not to observe him, or to be with him, even, but to be part of him. Peter wiped a strand of hair from his cheek and the feeling of being an us again, returned to him.

He lay there for some time while Cooper’s eyes searched his body. Eventually the wet glint on the surface of those two dark pools shifted and Cooper’s gaze settled upon Peter’s lips.

“You still feel too far away,” said Cooper.

“But I’m here.”

“Come closer.”

“I should get back to the ticket booth.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I just should.”

“No. Stay here.”

“Where’s here?”

“Us, Pete.”

“Us?”

“Yeah. Us. Come back to us.”

Peter lay down on top of Cooper, feeling his body pulse in tandem with his own, and cradled his face in wonder. “Your eyes,” he told him. “They’re full of stars.”

Cooper blinked deeply, clasping both hands and legs behind Peter’s back to draw him closer. They kissed and Peter gasped.

“I love you, Pete,” said Cooper. “I love you so damn much. But wake up. Wake up!”

30

“Wake up!”

Someone called again. Louder this time. “Wake up, Peter. Wake up.”

The woman with the soothing voice had gone. The black rectangle was dark and in her place was another face, belonging to a person who had crouched down before him.

“What are you doing in here all by yourself?” came the voice.

Peter’s eyelids drooped.

Heavy.

Unwakeable.

“Peter,” came the voice. “Peter?”

“Dad?”

“No. No, it’s Tokala.”

“Where am I?”