Read Online Doorways to Infinity by Geof Johnson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Geof Johnson
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That can be risky. We had a problem with that before.” He had a fleeting thought of Duane Gundy sneaking through to Rivershire and abducting Sammi, back in midsummer.
“We could stay in Hendersonville and use the doorway in your grandfather’s warehouse, couldn’t we? Or would it be possible for us to stay somewhere in Rivershire during the week and come home on the weekends?”
“There’s a boarding house there where you could stay.”
“Is it expensive?”
“Not by our standards. Maybe forty or fifty dollars a week, and that includes breakfast and dinner. You’d have to get your own lunch.”
“That’s so cheap. Is it a dive?”
“It’s pretty nice, actually. The cost of living is much lower there.”
“Maybe I need to move there when I retire,” she said with a chuckle. “My money would go further.”
“We can pay for your rooms. I talked to my granddaddy, and he said we have some extra money.”
“He doesn’t mind?”
“It’s not his money. He doesn’t question what I choose to spend it on. It’s not like I’m being frivolous with it, anyway.” He scratched his cheek and twisted his mouth to one side. “You’ll need some transportation while you’re in Rivershire, especially if you need to take soil samples from the outlying farms.”
“We’ll need to take them from the widest area possible.”
“My granddaddy keeps his electric golf cart at his headquarters in Rivershire. You might be able to use that, though I don’t think it has that good of a range. We might need to look into renting an electric car or a small pickup truck.”
“A truck would be better, but where would we store it, and how would we charge it?”
“We could keep it at my granddaddy’s headquarters, with his golf cart. You can charge it there, and it’s right around the corner from the boarding house. I should warn you that the boarding house isn’t fancy. There’s no electricity, and it has a communal bath, but there’s a washstand in every room for people to clean up. I have a shower in my house in Rivershire, though. If you feel the need, you can always drive there.”
“Is it far?”
“Less than a mile.”
“That’ll be fine. It’s not exactly roughing it.” Her gaze dropped to her feet while she seemed to be thinking of something else. “Um…I guess I should ask you if the locals are going to be okay with strangers poking around their community.”
“I’ll get my grandmother to tell the parents at the school so they’ll be expecting you. And if you tell people you’re working on my behalf, they’ll be helpful, I think. At least I hope so.”
She nodded slowly and regarded him for a long moment. “You know, there isn’t a scientist on this Earth who wouldn’t die for the opportunity to study that world. Just about any field you could name — biology, geology, physics, anthropology — you could make a case for anything.”
“Then I’m glad you get to be the first. And who knows? Maybe someday you will be able to publish you findings. We’ll just have to see.” He started to turn away, but paused and said, “About Thanksgiving dinner at my house. You have to come, now.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll just —”
“You have to come. My gramma said so, and she doesn’t like to take no for an answer. Besides, now that you’re in on this, you need to meet the other people who are, too. The wizards and witches and parents and friends, they’re all involved in this…whatever you want to call it…venture. Or whatever.”
He grinned at her and she sighed. “Okay, I’ll come, if you’ll make a doorway for me. What should I bring?”
* * *
Fred and Jamie came home for Thanksgiving break on Friday, and they had a meeting that night in Fred’s living room. They included Sammi. It made her feel special and excited because something important was going to be discussed, and it was probably about magic. All of Fred’s friends and the three sets of parents were there.
“We could stay in Hendersonville and use the doorway in your grandfather’s warehouse, couldn’t we? Or would it be possible for us to stay somewhere in Rivershire during the week and come home on the weekends?”
“There’s a boarding house there where you could stay.”
“Is it expensive?”
“Not by our standards. Maybe forty or fifty dollars a week, and that includes breakfast and dinner. You’d have to get your own lunch.”
“That’s so cheap. Is it a dive?”
“It’s pretty nice, actually. The cost of living is much lower there.”
“Maybe I need to move there when I retire,” she said with a chuckle. “My money would go further.”
“We can pay for your rooms. I talked to my granddaddy, and he said we have some extra money.”
“He doesn’t mind?”
“It’s not his money. He doesn’t question what I choose to spend it on. It’s not like I’m being frivolous with it, anyway.” He scratched his cheek and twisted his mouth to one side. “You’ll need some transportation while you’re in Rivershire, especially if you need to take soil samples from the outlying farms.”
“We’ll need to take them from the widest area possible.”
“My granddaddy keeps his electric golf cart at his headquarters in Rivershire. You might be able to use that, though I don’t think it has that good of a range. We might need to look into renting an electric car or a small pickup truck.”
“A truck would be better, but where would we store it, and how would we charge it?”
“We could keep it at my granddaddy’s headquarters, with his golf cart. You can charge it there, and it’s right around the corner from the boarding house. I should warn you that the boarding house isn’t fancy. There’s no electricity, and it has a communal bath, but there’s a washstand in every room for people to clean up. I have a shower in my house in Rivershire, though. If you feel the need, you can always drive there.”
“Is it far?”
“Less than a mile.”
“That’ll be fine. It’s not exactly roughing it.” Her gaze dropped to her feet while she seemed to be thinking of something else. “Um…I guess I should ask you if the locals are going to be okay with strangers poking around their community.”
“I’ll get my grandmother to tell the parents at the school so they’ll be expecting you. And if you tell people you’re working on my behalf, they’ll be helpful, I think. At least I hope so.”
She nodded slowly and regarded him for a long moment. “You know, there isn’t a scientist on this Earth who wouldn’t die for the opportunity to study that world. Just about any field you could name — biology, geology, physics, anthropology — you could make a case for anything.”
“Then I’m glad you get to be the first. And who knows? Maybe someday you will be able to publish you findings. We’ll just have to see.” He started to turn away, but paused and said, “About Thanksgiving dinner at my house. You have to come, now.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll just —”
“You have to come. My gramma said so, and she doesn’t like to take no for an answer. Besides, now that you’re in on this, you need to meet the other people who are, too. The wizards and witches and parents and friends, they’re all involved in this…whatever you want to call it…venture. Or whatever.”
He grinned at her and she sighed. “Okay, I’ll come, if you’ll make a doorway for me. What should I bring?”
* * *
Fred and Jamie came home for Thanksgiving break on Friday, and they had a meeting that night in Fred’s living room. They included Sammi. It made her feel special and excited because something important was going to be discussed, and it was probably about magic. All of Fred’s friends and the three sets of parents were there.
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