The Guardian of Threshold by A. A. Volts Read Free Book Online Page B

mother again.
    If I was right, I would be able to see her every night, and I would once again feel a sense of normalcy. Just the thought of feeling her love and care made me drown in hope and wonderment.
    “Carla isn’t going to be happy that we’re late again, but oh well,” said Jonas carelessly. He hated being bossed around by his older sibling—although they were twins, Carla had been born a full two minutes before Jonas, and she never let him forget who was the boss.
    “I just hope she doesn’t order my food. So, do you care to fill me in on why we’re going to the library?” Jonas finally asked.
    “It’s about what happened to me this afternoon, I need to check on something,” I said vaguely.
    “Do you mean the dream?”
    “It wasn’t a dream, it was more like a very real nightmare,” I said.
    “Then it was a nightmare? But why do you seem to be so… so happy?” said Jonas, looking puzzled.
    It was true; I’d been filled with immense joy and happiness, a strange feeling that I hadn’t experienced in years. Even the biting cold felt warm and comforting. My hands, which had been freezing just before my epiphany, now felt painlessly numb. At that moment, nothing could hurt me.
    “I’m not 100 percent sure yet… promise me you won’t laugh?” I asked, having decided to fill him in.
    “I can promise that I’ll try not to,” said Jonas, already laughing.
    “This afternoon I took a nap in which I felt my soul lift out of my body and hover in the air. I was certain that I was dead when a strange voice started to talk to me. It was like a warning to stay away from that place. Then I started to fall through the floor, which ended up with me falling into my bed awake,” I said.
    “So why is that good?” asked Jonas, confused.
    “Don’t you see it? I was sure that I’d died, yet here I am talking to you. Don’t you realize what that means?”
    “Huh… it means you’re glad you didn’t die,” said Jonas lightly.
    “No! It means there’s a small chance I can see my… mother again; see her, talk to her, maybe even touch her.”
    “Mark, it was just a dream… no, a nightmare,” said Jonas seriously. As delicately as he could, he added, “We all have those once in a while, but it doesn’t mean we’ll see our dead loved ones again.”
    “There has to be more to it, I know there is. If that thing hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve found out,” I said. “I’m hoping the librarian will know more about it and maybe even recommend me a book or two.”
    “Okay, my friend, we’re almost there,” said Jonas, apparently not sure of what else to say as we passed the old Stoneham Theatre & Ensemble red brick building, which happened to be located right in the heart of Stoneham.
    It was fairly dark already. The signs and theater marquee were brightly lit, giving us a warm yellow glow as we passed underneath.
    I could not help but notice the sign on the marquee advertising the next Christmas showing. My mother loved that theater.
    ***
    The ambient light seemed to change as we got closer to the Stoneham Public Library. I looked up, trying to find out why, and that’s when I noticed that the streetlights near the library were burnt out, leaving the library illuminated only by the bright shades of red and orange in winter sky. It made the square concrete building seem sinister.
    The library was surrounded by a park filled with trees—some as high as a two-story building—and benches that spread throughout the property, all of which were deserted due to the cold.
    “I wonder if they are still open,” said Jonas, looking around.
    “I hope so,” I said, cringing as I looked inside, searching for any signs of life.
    I climbed the front steps, skipping every other step in a rush to get in faster.
    I grabbed the handle on the door and pulled it as my heart sped up. Much to my relief, the cold metal door clicked open.
    We still hadn’t seen any signs of life inside, but at least the lights were