Thomas thrust his arm skyward. There was a loud crack of thunder, and the rock in his hand started to vibrate and hum like a giant tuning fork. The air above it warped and shimmered, swirling the falling snowflakes in the night sky.
“Thomas!” Ben shouted. “Don’t do this! It won’t just be the end of The Light and The Dark, but everything else as well!”
Thomas flashed him a nasty smile. “I don’t care.”
Fighting against whatever force was acting on the stone, Thomas pulled it slowly downward. A sound like sheets of metal being torn apart rang out, and a jagged bolt of purple light split the air.
Lester covered his ears as the stone sliced through the star-filled sky like a knife through a heavy curtain. On the other side of the window it created, there was nothing. No stars. No moon. No trees. Just darkness like he had never seen. And yet, it moved and pulsated as though it were alive.
With a mad laugh, Thomas brought his hand all the way to the ground until the opening was big enough for a person to walk through. Then, as though a stopper had been removed from a celestial bathtub, the rift in the night sky began to pull in everything around it. The lightly drifting flakes of the storm were the first to succumb. Angling sideways through the air, they were quickly followed by large piles of snow lifted straight from the field. Next went the colorful layer of autumn leaves that had been hidden beneath.
Lester braced himself against the roaring wind rushing past him and cast about for something to hold onto. He caught Amanda’s eye and motioned to home plate. Amanda grabbed Mae, who stumbled and dropped the flare gun, sending it spinning end over end into the rift, and the three of them moved as one. It took every bit of strength they had to reach the chainlink fence. Realizing they wouldn’t be able to hang on for very long, Lester removed his belt, looped it through a section, and then re-buckled it. They each put an arm through and huddled together.
At the opening of the rift, Mr. North had thrown himself over Bernard. He lay on top of him, pressing his body as flat as possible. But without something to anchor themselves to, they were both being pulled backward, Lester’s father’s shoes leaving deep trenches in the exposed grass as they went.
Ben had also dropped to the ground and looked like he was attempting to steal second base as he wedged his legs into the side of the square bag.
The pull from the rift continued to grow stronger. A metal trashcan clanged its way up the cement steps of the visitor’s dugout, flew through the air, and vanished into the widening hole.
Mr. North and Bernard slid further toward the outfield. As they passed, Ben reached out a hand to Lester’s father. The two men stretched, fingertips brushing, but neither could find a grip and soon they were out of reach.
Lester clung to the fence with Amanda and Mae and watched. His heart was racing. In another minute, his brother and father would be gone.
Ben twisted around and shouted something. Lester cupped his hand to his ear and shook his head. Ben tried again, but the sound of the wind was too strong. Giving up, the old postmaster settled for simply mouthing the words I’m sorry. Then he launched himself into the air.
Assisted by the pull from the rift, Ben angled his body like a skydiver and flew over Lester’s brother and father. Gathering speed, he rammed into Thomas, and the boy from Salem was flung aside, the stone escaping his grip as he tumbled.
For a brief second, Ben hung alone in the air in front of the roiling opening. Then there was a loud pop, and he was gone.
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“No!” shouted Lester as he yanked his arm from the belt and set off at a run. He could hear Amanda call after him but ignored her and leaped over the pitcher’s mound. Sprinting into the outfield, he felt the tingling sensation fill his fingers.
In a desperate attempt to stop his son, Mr. North dove at Lester as he passed. But Lester ducked and spun, exhibiting an impressive display of athleticism he’d never managed in gym class, coming up out of a forward roll well beyond his father’s reach.
The moment the stone had left Thomas’s hand, the rift had started repairing itself. The wind was dying down, and the once massive hole was now barely big enough for Lester as he threw himself into the opening.
Standing firm against the pull, Lester stretched his arms wide as light poured from his fingertips. The streams of blue crisscrossed over each other, and a spherical cage quickly formed around him. Lester’s hands burned, and his body shook, but he held on, and the hole stopped shrinking.
“Ben!” Lester shouted into the rift, but it was the most complete blackness he’d ever experienced, and there was no sign of his friend.
An explosion of sparks sent a ripple through Lester’s protective bubble. He turned to see his father falling backward, smoke rising from his clothes.
“Son!” Mr. North called. “You have to let go! I can’t reach you!”
“But if I do,” said Lester, “Ben will die.”
“If you don’t, we may all share his fate.”
Behind his father, Lester saw Amanda and Mae standing over the still unmoving body of Bernard. Both girls were sobbing as they looked on.
“No,” said Lester. “There has to be a way to do both, to save Ben and Giles Hollow.”
“I’m sorry, son,” said Mr. North. “I really am. But this is the way of the world. I’ve spent my whole life wishing it were different, but it’s not. To have beauty and joy, we must accept pain and loss. Otherwise, how would we know the difference? I thought I was fighting to keep you and your brothers safe, but I was just giving in to my fear. I was too afraid of what I could lose to appreciate what I’d been given. To love someone is to know you will have to say goodbye one day. It’s a heavy cost, but if I get to spend what time I have with you boys and your mother, I’ll pay it again and again.”
“But,” Lester cried, “Ben’s my friend.”
From inside the rift, a voice echoed. At first, it was thin and distorted, as if being broadcast through a tin can from impossibly far away. But as Lester turned to stare into the black, it became clearer, and the ghostly form of Ben Titus flickered into view.
“Your father’s right, Lester,” Ben said, his image fading in and out as he spoke. “This is as much my fault as it is his. I was selfish. I wanted someone to blame for Molly’s death. But the choices we make in this life are our own, as are the consequences.”
“But that’s all over now,” said Lester. “You don’t have to live in the past anymore. Come back. It doesn’t have to end this way.”
Lester’s arms trembled under the strain. It was getting harder to maintain the flow of energy, and he could see rips and tears appearing in the blue lines surrounding him.
“I’m afraid, for me, it does,” Ben said. “But that’s okay. I’m an old man. This time belongs to you and your friends. And, Lester, as your friend, I’m asking you to let me go before it’s too late.”
All Lester had wanted was the truth. With the unwavering help of his friends, he’d fought for it. Together they’d put themselves in harm’s way to find it. And yet, despite all they’d been through, it had never occurred to him that were they successful, he’d have to accept it.
With a sizzling hiss, one of the lines in Lester’s sphere winked out. He staggered, groaning as he pushed to maintain its shape.
“It’s time to say goodbye, Lester,” the old postman said with a smile.
Lester looked at his friend one last time and knew he was right. Slowly, he lowered his arms, and the blue light around him vanished as he stepped back.
“Goodbye, Ben,” Lester said, tears streaming down his face. “Giles Hollow won’t be the same without you.”
There was a blinding flash, followed by a loud crack. When Lester opened his eyes, Ben and the rift were gone.
“That was the right thing to do, son,” Mr. North said, placing a hand on Lester’s shoulder. “I’m just sorry it had to be you.”
Lester stood, dazed, unsure what to say. Not that it mattered. Any reply would have been drowned out by the loud whispering sound that had begun to fill the night sky.