Midwinter

"Now," said Hereg. "I have placed a solid skin around it. It can be moved now. But it must be done quickly!" He stepped quickly to the side, dragging Gray Mave's limp form with him.

Paul signaled to the men in the cars. He ran and stood behind the sphere, taking a coil of the chain, the one Satterly had seen earlier with the hook at the end, and hurling it over the black shape. Hereg caught his throw clum sily and fastened the hook to the loop that he held. He waved to the drivers again and leapt out of the way.

Both Broward and Meyer gunned their engines, dropping into first gear. Both autos lurched forward and stopped short as the chains pulled tight against the hard surface of the sphere. There was a sharp grinding sound, the chains grating against the unnatural black exterior of the Hole. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the giant shape began to move.

They drove downhill, along the path that Linda had led Satterly up the night before. They passed the unknown dead man's tow truck, Linda's Volvo, Paul's semi. The Hole continued to expand, growing to the height of the tallest trees. It radiated waves of energy, like a hot road on a summer's day. The wind continued, boring its way through Satterly's clothes, stinging his eyes. He helped Hereg drag Gray Mave down the long hillside.

When they reached the bottom of the slope, the LeMans died. The sphere's progress halted instantly and Broward shut off his truck, leaping out of the cab.

"Let's go!" he shouted. "Let's go!"

"I need the blood now!" Hereg cried over the wind. He held a long curved knife.

"Take mine," shouted Broward. He held out his hand.

"What about the children?" Hereg shouted back.

"We share the same blood, all of us! They're our kids! They're human!"

Hereg shook his head. Broward took the knife from his hand and sliced across his own palm, letting his blood seep onto the ground.

"The blood of life calls its people homeward!" Hereg called, his voice suddenly grown louder, stronger. "Make straight the path!"

The sphere responded with a brilliant white flash. Suddenly, within its confines, a paved street appeared, lined with low brick homes. Young trees were dotted over freshly mowed lawns. Minivans and late-model sedans were parked in the driveways. It was dusk there.

For a few breaths, no one moved. No one spoke. Satterly only heard the sound of the wind rushing through him, saw only the vision of home. Hereg broke the tableau.

"It will only hold for a few minutes. You must go now!"

Broward threw up his hands. "You heard him! Go!" He pushed Paul toward the sphere. Paul took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold. The light coming across the border refracted his silhouette; for an instant he appeared in double. Then he was standing on the street. Tears were streaming down his eyes. He screamed soundlessly, his fist to the skies, laughing. One porch light snapped on, then another. Doors opened and young men in blue jeans and women with babies at their hips stepped onto their concrete porches. Paul sank to his knees, weeping.

"Let's go!" said Broward. He pushed his own son. "Go!"

Chris stepped through the Hole, much to the shock of the suburban audience. Satterly tried to imagine the lean, scraggly Chris Broward materializing from nowhere onto their master-planned street. He laughed out loud.

Meyer and jenny each took one of their daughters' hands, and they walked toward the sphere, the four of them in a line. "Welcome home, girls!" shouted Meyer. They stepped across the boundary of the sphere.

The two parents doubled and passed through to Earth. The girls, however, simply walked through the Hole as though it were not there. When they had passed all the way through the mass of it, they stepped out the far side, their faces solemn.

Meyer and jenny turned around, bewildered, looking for their children. They stepped backward toward the sphere, but when they reached its edge, they did not reappear. Instead, they disappeared from view entirely.

"They can't come back," whispered Satterly.

"Damn you, Hereg!" cried Broward. "Damn you to hell!" Broward pulled a pistol from his vest and leveled it at Hereg, his face red. "Send those girls through, right now!"

Hereg shouted back. "I told you I cannot. The children are Fae. They are children of the land, whether you wish it or not."

"Mother fucker," Broward roared. He pulled the trigger and Hereg's head snapped backward. He fell to the ground in a spray of red.

"Fucker!" shouted Broward. He stepped through the sphere, screaming.

Only six people remained on the Fae side of the sphere. The two Schrabe girls knelt on the ground, their faces buried in the dirt. Linda clutched her daughter Rachel to her chest, looking horrified toward the sphere. Her son, Jamie stood by her, his hands clenched into fists. Satterly was riveted to the ground.

"Mom, what do we do?" said Jamie. It was the first time Satterly had heard him speak. "What do we do?"

"Go through, Jamie. Go through. We'll figure it out."

"What about Rachel?"