Read Online The Ice Cradle by Mary Ann Winkowski, Maureen Foley - Free Book Online Page A

tongue out at me?”
    She stuck it out again.
    “Okay, Vivi,” I said, sighing. “I think we’ve all had a very long day. I know Henry’s tired.”
    “No, I’m not,” said Henry.
    “Well, I am, and we all have to get up very early tomorrow. So Vivi, honey, maybe it’s time for you to go back to—”
    I broke off. To where? The hallway? The attic? Her cubby under the stairs? The truth was, I had no idea where this kid went when she wasn’t with us.
    Vivi glared at me, her skinny little arms crossed angrily.
    “Can she sleep over?” Henry asked. “Could you ask her mom?”
    Could I ask her mom?
Okay, so this meant that Henry believed Vivi
had
a mom, either here on the premises or, possibly, reachable by phone. That indicated that Vivi seemed like a normal kid to him, a kid whose mother, like any other parent, would or would not grant permission for a last-minute sleepover. So far, this hadn’t given me any new information.
    “You know,” I said, “I’m not sure tonight’s the best night.”
    Vivi stamped her little foot and scowled at me defiantly.
    “Why not?” Henry whined petulantly. “You
said
 …”
    “I said what?”
    “You
said
it was vacation.”
    I sighed. “We still have to get up early, honey. You’ve got that car to paint.”
    “Greased Lightnin’,” he said edgily. “We’ll go to sleep right away, I promise.”
    I knew how the night would go. Just as it usually went when Delia and Nell, Henry’s half sisters, ages four and three, spent the night: there would be laughing and whispering followed by tickling and kicking followed by fighting and crying.
    Now I was the one feeling irrational. There was no reason to feel anxious about this little sprite, but I just didn’t like the schizophrenic vibe she was sending off: curling up in my lap one minute and acting devilish and fresh the next.
    Like most children her age, I reminded myself.
    I understood. I did. She was desperate and lonely, and she had finally found a playmate her age, a playmate who could actually see her and talk to her. Not to mention a mother-type person who had let her curl up in her lap.
    And now the person who had been nice to her last night was turning on her. I was saying no. No to the playmate, no to the sleepover, and no to the shelter and solace she had found in my arms. I was turning her out into the darkness.
    “Vivi,” I said quietly. “Henry’s going to hop in the tub, and maybe you and I can have a little talk.”
    “I don’t like you,” she answered, in a squeaky little voice. “You’re mean.”
    “Henry, honey, go in and run a bath. Go on.”
    “I don’t want to,” he groused.
    “Now!” I snapped, a little more fiercely than I meant to. Istartled him. He got right up and went into the bathroom, and I heard the water begin to flow. I also heard him lock the door.
    “Unlock that door,” I called.
    I heard him obey. I also heard him give the door a little kick, but I decided to let that go.
    I wasn’t aware until the moment I opened my mouth that I had changed my mind: I wanted her gone,
now
! I wanted this much more than I wanted to find out about Henry’s paranormal abilities.
    “Vivi,” I said. “I know you must be really lonesome for your mommy and daddy. I can help you cross over and see them again. Right now. Would you like to do that? We can do it right this minute.”
    “No,” she said, pouting.
    “No?”
    “I want to play with—him. I want to stay here.”
    “Well, you can’t, honey. Your mommy and daddy really miss you, and they’ve been waiting a long, long time to see you. I want you to look over at that door.”
    Vivi refused to turn her head, but I went ahead anyway, confident that she would be mesmerized by the sight of the glowing doorway and would, upon seeing it, instantly change her mind and hurry toward the light.
    I closed my eyes and imagined the light burning warmly and brightly inside me. I pulled the glow upward and outward and opened my eyes, and