“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Addie Mae, there’s a storm and—”
“Hush. I walked these snowy mountains long before you were ever born. I need you to concentrate on something for me. We have to save time.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Go downstairs. Her pantry is on the right of the stove.”
“I know where that’s at.”
“Go into the pantry and push the back wall where the shelves are at.”
“What?”
“Push where you see the rice on that middle shelf. The wall should open just fine. Are you there yet?”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you there now?”
“No. What do you mean the pantry wall opens up?”
Her voice darkened. “Get down there, Daniel! Hurry.”
“Okay.” I almost tripped over my own feet. I was so out of my element. Give me a gun and a bear roaring in front of me and I would’ve remained steady with no fear.
This snowman hoodoo stuff was above my head.
Listening to her, I hurried downstairs, went to the pantry, opened the door, and pushed the wall. I kept the phone to my ear. It took four hard shoves, but the wall opened right before me.
Addie Mae’s voice carried over the phone. “What are you doing?”
I gave the wall a few hard shoves. A creak sounded and then light slipped through the dark pantry as the wall moved forward.
I swallowed and gripped the phone tighter. “It’s. . .it’s open.”
Nothing prepared me for the view in front of my eyes. I figured it would be a secret room of some sorts, but not. . .an entire. . .different world.
Well.
It wasn’t a world.
Maybe the best way to describe this place was to say it was a garden, surrounded by gray stones. Old stones too. Vines clung to them. Above the walled in garden, a blue sky streamed with violet rays and a fucking bird. . .a fucking blue and green bird flew above it!!
Still standing in the pantry, I backed up. “Okay. I’m dreaming. This is an elaborate dream. I don’t know, when it started, probably when I saw Faith moaning in the snow and talking to the imaginary—”
“What?” Addie Mae’s voice rose an octave. “Faith was in the snow, moaning?”
Right in front of me, several butterflies dotted around odd flowers and herbs that expanded several feet out and stopped by the walls.
“Yes. I’m dreaming.” I dropped the phone and lowered to the ground. “None of this is real.”
Still sitting on the ground in shock, I looked behind me and peeked out of the door. The window was above the sink. Outside, it was night and snow stormed down on mountains. I directed my view back to the pantry wall’s opening.
In the back of Faith’s pantry, a sunny sky bathed some odd-looking tropical garden.
Sun? There’s a sun there. But here, it’s dark clouds. What. The. Fuck!?