"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Past the Size of Dreaming" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

ghost here in the haunted house who had only been lost to Edmund because Edmund was afraid to face
him again, and Susan, a friend he had met when he was in junior high here in Guthrie.
Edmund had left town after he had hurt SusanтАЩs father to protect Susan fifteen years earlier. He had
scared himself and her.
Matt had gone with Edmund to search for Susan. They found her in Palo Alto using the map-seek
spell. She had changed her name to Suki, and cut herself loose of her earlier life, but she came home to
the haunted house with them after she and Edmund walked through their mutual past again, examined it
with older eyes, changed what they could, made amends where they could, and accepted their younger
selves.
They were still two friends short.
The fishing line relaxed and circled again. After half a minute, it pulled to the northwest. Relaxed.
Circled for a while, and pulled east. Relaxed, circled. Then the weight jerked straight up, as though
tugged by a magnet, and stretched toward the porch roof. тАЬWhoa, spirit,тАЭ Edmund said. тАЬIt never did
that before.тАЭ
тАЬJulio sure moves around a lot,тАЭ said Matt.
тАЬThatтАЩs not it. This technique doesnтАЩt work on him.тАЭ
тАЬHow can that be?тАЭ
He cupped the weight in his hand and stared down at the map, a frown plowing a line between his
brows, тАЬMaybe he doesnтАЩt want to be found.тАЭ
The door creaked behind them, and Suki Backstrom, blonde and elegant in a tan sweater and olive
green slacks, stepped out onto the porch. After three weeks here she had lost most of her California
businesswoman/PR person chic, but she still hadnтАЩt relaxed into Oregon coast casual. тАЬYou found me,
and I didnтАЩt want to be found,тАЭ she said, leaning against the house. She crossed her arms over her chest
and smiled down at Matt.
тАЬAre you sure?тАЭ asked Matt.
тАЬYes. I absolutely did not want to be found. Later I was glad you found me, but not at first.тАЭ
тАЬJulio might have defenses,тАЭ Edmund said slowly. тАЬBetter defenses than you did.тАЭ
тАЬBecause of that demon thing?тАЭ Suki frowned. тАЬI thought it went away after a couple of days.тАЭ
тАЬWhat demon thing?тАЭ Matt asked.
тАЬI donтАЩt know that it ever went away,тАЭ said Edmund. тАЬI think he wanted us to believe it went away.
He pretended nothing happened. I asked him about it a couple of times, but he never gave me a straight
answer.тАЭ
тАЬWhat demon thing?тАЭ Matt asked again.
тАЬIt went away,тАЭ Suki said. тАЬHe was just the way he used to be.тАЭ
Edmund shook his head.
тАЬNathan?тАЭ Suki said.
Shadow and light shimmered beside her, coalesced into the shape of a teenage boy from a bygone
era: while shirt, suspenders, dark knickers, black knee socks, button-sided ankle boots. NathanтАЩs skin
was underground-pale; his hair was black, and his eyes gas-flame blue. Sometimes he looked more solid
than others; today his edges were pearly and translucent.
тАЬJulio got over that demon thing, didnтАЩt he?тАЭ Suki asked him.
тАЬGot over it?тАЭ asked Nathan.
тАЬPut it behind him, went on with his life.тАЭ
He looked away from her at the blackberry vines in the yard. There were mounds of them so tall you
almost couldnтАЩt see the street past them, or the wind-bent shore pines that shielded the houses next door
from view. тАЬHe went on with his life,тАЭ Nathan said,
тАЬHe didnтАЩt get over the demon thing?тАЭ Suki asked.
тАЬI canтАЩt tell you that part. ItтАЩs not my story.тАЭ
тАЬYou said you still see him sometimes,тАЭ said Matt.
The ghost smiled. тАЬOnce in a while I see who Julio is now.тАЭ