Justin concentrates.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to bring back General Hawk.”
“Hmmm…”
I step back and give him space. He has his eyes closed and he looks like he’s trying to summon up a mystical force.
He opens his eyes and looks around.
Nothing has changed.
He closes his eyes again and concentrates.
Then he opens them again.
Nothing happens.
He shouts at the air. “General Hawk! I want you here! Right now! Come back, General Hawk!”
General Hawk, whoever he is, does not appear.
“Damn it!” Justin kicks the railing. “Damn it! That’s her second death! She doesn’t deserve so many deaths!”
I keep my distance.
“She doesn’t deserve so many deaths,” he says again. “She’s so young!”
“It’s the price of adventure,” I hear a voice behind us.
We both turn.
Joy’s standing on the deck. She’d climbed the ramp and we’d turned our backs to it.
Justin looks at her and his face turns red.
“Joy, a kid shouldn’t experience so much death,” he says almost inaudibly.
“It’s the price,” she repeats emphatically, “of adventure.”
Justin shakes his head. “There shouldn’t be so much adventure. I’m sorry for all the adventure, Joy.”
“You’re being stupid!” Joy told him simply.
I’m shocked by her behavior.
Justin isn’t. He shakes his head and keeps speaking softly, his face still red in shame. “You don’t know anything else, Joy. I’m going to teach you what life is without adventure.”
Joy runs up to Justin and thrusts a finger into his stomach. “Don’t! You! Dare!”
Justin looks at Joy and Joy looks at Justin.
For a second there it feels like we’re in a showdown in one of those Westerns and one of them is going to draw their gun first.
They just stare at each other and no one moves for quite a few seconds.
Then Justin moves away first and turns his back to her. “We’ll talk about it later, Joy.”
“We’ll talk about it!” she yells, “Now!”
He turns back to face her, his voice calm this time. “What about Master Mind?”
She had been with Suzy just a minute ago. Her Grandma Suzy was supposed to teach her how to sew that crazy robot Master Mind back together. Joy had no doubt come because Justin had been yelling.
Joy’s face keeps its determination for one second, then breaks. She whirls around. “We’ll talk about it after I fix Master Mind!”
She storms off the deck.
Justin looks at me and looks down. He sighs.
“I’m glad you’re here, Dad,” he says. “But I’m not sure you can help me with this one.”
I look over the railing at the small island that houses my suburban home. I’m not sure I can help him, either.
(To be continued.)
—Told by The Red Dragon