The Phantom Limb (20 page)

“Good-bye, my friend,” a voice said. “And thank you for bringing her to me. I couldn't do it on my own.”

Isaac was standing in the hospital basement again, next to the gauze folder, with the mirror box at his feet. It was the first time he had heard Joey's voice.

Joey had saved him.

But Candi wasn't there. She must still be in the mirror box, thought Isaac. Joey had gotten her because of what Isaac had done with the spiral aftereffect.

“Hello, Candi,” Joey said.

 

EALLY, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO SAY. My friends found me in the basement. Miss Sharpe felt cornered, and she ran. She's out there somewhere,” Isaac said politely to the reporter and hung up the phone.

“My grandson, the celebrity.” Grandpa chuckled.

“Hey, Ize, are you still giving autographs?” Kravetz asked.

Their laughter was interrupted by a knock at the door. A UPS man was holding two large boxes, one marked F
RAGILE
. He was standing at the open doorway of the new house that Vera, Grandpa, and Isaac had moved into a few weeks earlier.

“My collection! I thought they were lost forever,” Isaac said as he ran to the door. “Careful, they're fragile. Hey, Matt, wait until you see these.”

“Thank you,” Grandpa said. He smiled as he watched Isaac and Matt carefully climb the stairs, each holding a box.

Upstairs, the two boys gently placed the boxes on a table in the attic of the small, sunny house. Like a skilled surgeon, Isaac cut open the boxes and removed the carefully wrapped contents. The process was long and tedious, but necessary.

When everything was unpacked, Isaac knew something was missing. It was the mirror box. Instinctively, he understood why it wasn't there. Isaac had given it what it wanted, and it had given Isaac what he needed.

“Hey, man, what's this?” Matt asked, getting Isaac's attention.

“It's the Menger sponge,” Isaac said. “I'll tell you about it sometime.”

Downstairs, Vera's next student arrived for her piano lesson.

W
ILLIAM
S
LEATOR
met A
NN
M
ONTICONE
while they both worked at the Boston Ballet. He was the pianist and she made costumes. Their friendship was cemented when they discovered that their favorite movie is
Bride of Frankenstein.
They have previously collaborated on the book
Test
together. Ann lives in Boston and teaches at an elementary school. William divides his time between homes in Boston and Thailand.

This book was designed by Maria T. Middleton. The text is set in 11-point ITC New Baskerville, a revival typeface reinterpreted by John Quaranda in 1978 and based on the original eighteenth-century classic created by John Baskerville. The display font is Webster Roman.

This book was printed and bound by R.R. Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Its production was overseen by Erin Vandeveer.