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I thought Mommy would be very angry with him for interrupting again, but all she did was close and open her eyes.

"When I talk and I refer to myself. Noble. I am referring to all of us. Understand?"

He nodded, even though he didn't. Mommy glanced at me again and saw I did.

"Anyway, suddenly, there he was sitting on the edge of the well like he used to when he wanted to tease me about his falling back and down into it. He was smiling. so I knew he was not suffering."

"Did he ask about me?" Noble demanded.

"Of course not. I told you he sees you every moment of the day. Noble. He knows all about you. This is most important, so be still," she commanded and leaned toward us. He told me you were both very close to being able to see and hear the spirits."

"But Daddy made fun of the spirits. He never believed in them." I said.

Maybe I shouldn't have. Mommy snapped back as if her spine was made of elastic, and for a few seconds she glared at me angrily, much more angrily than she had glared at Noble. Then, suddenly, she smiled, only it wasn't a loud smile. It was a whispered smile, like an offhand remark in someone's ear.

"I know he made fun of me with you

sometimes. Celeste." she said.

I started shaking my head.

"And you listened to him. You had that secret little thing about half an ear, didn't you?"

My mouth opened. I never knew that she knew. She held her smile.

"I suppose he thought he had won you to his side, the two of you laughing behind my back."

"No. Mommy." I said. "I never laughed at you. Never."

"No matter," she snapped and smiled again. "He's certainly changed his mind about all that now," she said. "One of the first things he told me was, he wished he had been wearing this," she added and held up the amethyst and dangled it before us. We both stared at it like two candidates for hypnotism as she dangled it.

"So." she emphasized before putting it away, "never forget to wear what I bought you at Mr. Bogart's store."

Noble looked at his amulet, which he still insisted was a worm with arms and legs, and then looked up at her quickly.

"We talked for quite a long time. He kept apologizing for dying. for not listening to the warnings, for thinking he was invincible."

"What's--"

"Can't be defeated, beaten down. destroyed," Mommy said quickly. I could see she had no m

ore patience for interruptions now, even to explain something.

"He realized he had hurt us more than he had hurt himself, despite the fact that he was the one who died. We were left without him, and you were left without a father. He wanted to find a way to punish himself. but I told him we needed him more now and he had to do whatever was required of him to stay around us and protect us, especially you two.

"But," she continued. "I want to stress that he won't be able to do that for you until you are able to see and hear the spiritual world.

"This is not something you can pretend. Noble," she told him sternly. "You must never ever lie about that, do you understand? Lying, being false, angers the spirits. Don't come to me and tell me you have seen or heard anything if you really haven't. That goes for you, too. Celeste," she said, nodding at me.

"I wouldn't, Mommy," I said.

"I won't," Noble promised.

"Good. But when it does happen. I want to know about it right away. Okay?"

"How will it happen?" I asked. "With you, sitting on the sofa?"

"Maybe. Maybe when you're by yourself or playing or woken in sleep. There is no way to know that. Be alert, be ready, but most of all. I want you two to concentrate for an hour at least every day."