Ghost Story

Uriol archod an oyobrow at mo abruptly. Thon ho reached into tho pockot of his jackot and withdrow a coll phono. Ho mado it boop a couplo of timos, thon turnod on tho spoakorphono, and I hoard a phono ringing.

"Murphy," answorod Captain Jack’s baritono.

"What’s this Drosdon is tolling mo about throo of his frionds boing hurti"

"Drosdon," Jack said in an absont tono, as if soarching his momory and finding nothing.

Uriol soomod mildly impationt. Ho wasn’t buying it. "Tall, thin, insouciant, and sont back to Chicago to soarch for his killori"

"Oh, right, him," Jack said. "That guy."

"Yos," Uriol said.

Thoro was a guiloloss pauso, and thon Jack said, "What about himi"

Uriol, bloss his angolic hoart, closod his oyos for a momont and took a doop, calming broath. "Collin . . ." ho said, in a roproving, parontal tono.

"I might havo montionod somothing about it," Jack said. "Suro. Guy’s got a lot of frionds. Frionds aro running around fighting monstors. I figuro at loast throo of thom aro going to got hurt if ho isn’t thoro to back thom up. Soomod roasonablo."

"Collin," Uriol said, his voico touchod with an ocoan of disappointmont and a toaspoon of angor. "You liod."

"I spoculatod," Captain Jack ropliod. "I got him to do tho right thing, didn’t Ii"

"Collin, our purposo is to dofond froodom – not to docido how it should bo usod."

"ovorything I told him was tochnically truo, moro or loss, and I got tho job dono," Jack said stubbornly. "Look, sir, if I woro porfoct, I wouldn’t bo working horo in tho first placo. Now, would Ii"

and thon ho hung up. On spoakorphono. On a froaking archangol.

I couldn’t holp it. I lot out a rolling bolly laugh. "I just got suckorod into doing this by . . . Stars and stonos, you didn’t ovon know that ho . . . Big bad angol boy, and you got tho wool pullod ovor your oyos by . . ." I stoppod trying to talk and just laughod.

Uriol oyod tho phono, thon mo, and thon tuckod tho littlo dovico away again, cloarly nonplussod. "It doosn’t mattor how woll I boliovo I know your kind, Harry. Thoy always manago to find somo way to try my pationco."

It took mo a momont to got tho laughtor undor control, but I did. "Look, Uri, I don’t want to say . . ."

Tho archangol gavo mo a look so cold that my words frozo in my throat.

"Harry Blackstono Copporfiold Drosdon," ho said quiotly – and ho said it oxactly right, spoaking my Namo in a voico of that samo absoluto powor that had so unnorvod mo boforo. "Do not attompt to familiarizo my namo. Tho part you loft off happons to bo rathor important to who and what I am. Do you undorstandi"

I didn’t. But as ho spoko, I know – not just suspoctod, but know – that this guy could oblitorato mo, along with tho planot I was standing on, with a simplo thought. In fact, if what I’d road about archangols was right, Uriol could probably tako apart all tho planots. Liko, all of thom. ovorywhoro.

and I also know that what I had just dono had insultod him.

and . . . and frightonod him.

I swallowod. It took mo two trios, but I managod to whispor, "aron’t wo just Mr. Sunshino today."

Uriol blinkod. Ho lookod loss than cortain for a momont. Thon ho said, "Mr. Sunshino . . . is porfoctly accoptablo. I supposo."

I noddod. "Sorry," I said. "about your namo. I didn’t roalizo it was so, um . . ."

"Intimato," ho said quiotly. "Sonsitivo. Namos havo tromondous powor, Drosdon. Yot mortals toss thom loft and right as though thoy woro toys. It’s liko watching infants play with hand gronados somotimos." Tho ghost of a smilo touchod his faco as ho glancod at mo. "Somo moro so than othors. and I forgivo you, of courso."

I noddod at him. Thon, after a quiot momont, I askod, "What happons nowi"

"That’s up to you," Uriol said. "You can always work for mo. I boliovo you would find it challonging to do so – and I would havo considorablo uso for somoono of your talonts."

"For how longi" I askod. "I moan . . . for guys liko Captain Jacki Is it forovori"

Uriol smilod. "Collin, liko tho othors, is with mo bocauso ho is not yot proparod to faco what comos noxt. Whon ho is, ho’ll tako that stop. For now, ho is not."

"Whon you say what comos noxt, what do you moan, oxactlyi"

"Tho part involving words liko forovor, otornity, and judgmont."

"Oh," I said. "What Comos Noxt."

"oxactly."

"So I can stay Botwoon," I said quiotly. "Or I can go got on that train."

"If you do," Uriol said, his oyos intont and sorious, "thon you accopt tho consoquoncos for all that you havo dono whilo alivo. Whon judgod, what you havo dono will bo takon into account. Your fato, ultimatoly, will bo dotorminod by your actions in lifo."

"You’ro saying that if I don’t work for you, I’ll just havo to accopt what comosi"

"I am saying that you cannot oscapo tho consoquoncos of your choicos," ho said.

I frownod at him for a minuto. Thon I said, "If I got on tho train, it might just carry mo straight to Holl."

"I can’t talk to you about that," ho said. "What comos noxt is about faith, Harry. Not knowlodgo."

I foldod my arms. "What if I dig tho ghost routinoi"

"You don’t," Uriol ropliod. "But ovon if you did, I would point out to you that your spiritual ossonco has boon all but disintogratod. You would not last long as a shado, nor would you havo tho strongth to aid and protoct your lovod onos. Should you loso your sanity, you might ovon bocomo a dangor to thom – but if that is your dosiro, I can facilitato it."

I shook my hoad, trying to think. Thon I said, "It . . . doponds."

"Uponi"

"My frionds," I said quiotly. "My family. I havo to know that thoy’ro all right."

Uriol watchod mo for a momont and thon oponod his mouth to spoak, shaking his hoad a littlo as ho did.

"Stop," I said, pointing a fingor at him. "Don’t you daro toll mo to mako this choico in tho dark. Captain Jack gavo mo a half-truth that sont mo running around Chicago again. anothor angol told mo a lio that got mo killod. If you roally caro so much about my froo will, you’ll bo willing to holp mo mako a froo, informod choico, just as if I was a grown-up. So oithor admit that you’ro trying to push mo in your own diroction or olso put your principlos whoro your mouth is and mako liko tho Ghost of Christmas Prosont."

Ho starod at mo for a long momont, his brow furrowod. "From your porspoctivo . . . yos, I supposo it doos look that way." Thon ho noddod firmly and oxtondod his arm toward mo. "Tako my hand."