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All the trains stopped.

The only sound left in the room was the frantic panting of both Annie and Charlie. She slid down to her knees and Charlie ran into her arms and the two of them clung to each other like they would never let go.

And for a moment, Annie saw John giving her a thumbs-up.

Sixty-One

Annie had hoisted Charlie up into her arms as they walked out the front of Choo-Choo’s Trains. He was no baby anymore, and she felt the strain on her back, but he had his arms wrapped around her neck and that was taking some of the load off.

“I saw a moose before,” Charlie said.

“I saw one, too.”

As they reached the fallen tree, Annie set Charlie down so that he could scoot under it. It was more of a struggle for her, getting down on her knees briefly to get to the other side.

“The back of the car is all smashed in,” Charlie said, running ahead to show her.

“I know.”

She was astonished to realize she was thinking about Pierce the Penguin. She was ready to return to him, to share him with the world again. A story was forming in her mind, but she couldn’t see it yet.

“Mom, look.”

Charlie was pointing back to the train shop. She turned and saw smoke was rising above the building. Moments later, there were flames.

“It’s like he’s getting rid of the evidence,” Charlie said.

Not him, Annie thought.The sliver, whatever it is. It’s stepped in to clean up after him.

“I don’t think anyone’s going to be coming to put that out,” Annie said.

And just as well. Let it all burn. Let it all burn to the ground.

She got Charlie settled into the backseat. For a moment, she thought about letting him sit up front with her, so she could reach over and touch him and squeeze his knee, even though airbag deployments were said to be risky for a child his age, figuring if they could survive what they’d just been through, they could survive anything.

But her motherly instinct overruled her. Now was not the time to take chances. They’d come this far, don’t fuck it up now.

“Are we going back to that place?” Charlie asked.

“No, sweetheart. We’re going home.”

Not that there wasn’t some unfinished business back there in Fenelon. She’d have to let Standish know she’d found her son. She’d need a good story to explain how she knew where to look, and why he had run away. But she was a writer. She’d use her imagination, come up with something good. Wait for that pane of glass to materialize.

It was a noisy drive, what with the back window gone, so Annie drove with a light foot. She wanted to be able to hear Charlie over any wind noise.

At one point, Charlie asked, “Mom, did all these things really happen?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer, because she wasn’t sure herself. “I think so, but it might be best if we never told anyone else about it. It’s our story. But I’ll tell you one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Your dad’s so proud of you.”

“You mean, hewouldbe proud of me?” Charlie said.

She smiled. “Both.”

They were quiet for a long time. Charlie had his eyes closed for a while, and Annie hoped he would be spared any nightmares. But they were coming. She knew they’d be inevitable.