Another Kind Of Hurricane Part 23

Tavius reached his hand out to Pierre, who took it and began to sing too. Ms. Cyn, Papa, and Jake joined in. Even Tiger flew around the room, singing "s.h.i.+ne" in all the right places.

- As the song filled the kitchen, Zavion had a thought.

He had made it through a thunderstorm. It hadnt been pretty. But he had made it through to the other side.

That was something.

chapter 52.

HENRY.

"This little light of mine, Im gonna let it s.h.i.+ne.

This little light of mine, Im gonna let it s.h.i.+ne.

Let it s.h.i.+ne, Let it s.h.i.+ne, Let it s.h.i.+ne."

The singing was the most beautiful thing Henry had ever heard. Layers of voices, perfectly stacked, but all of them different. Like the wind, the sparrows, and the waterfall on the mountain making music at the same time.

He felt something inside, something different from the hot, fiery feeling he usually had. A tugging feeling. A pulling-toward feeling.

Henry needed to do something. Not fight. Not run. Not sing. n.o.body wanted to hear him sing. But he wanted to be a part of it. He scooped Osprey up onto his shoulders and marched with her.

Enzo picked up something white from the laundry basket on the floor next to the back door. He unfolded a pair of underwear.

"This tighty-whitey of mine, Im gonna let it s.h.i.+ne-" He grabbed another pair and tossed it to Skeet, who picked up the underwear and the new song.

"This tighty-whitey of mine-y," he sang, "Im gonna put it on my hiney-" Enzo tossed four more pairs to Tavius, Pierre, Ben, and Jake.

"This tighty-whitey of mine-y, Im gonna put it on my hiney, It looks so fine-y Me-oh-mine-y My b.u.t.ts so tiny."

Henry laughed so hard he almost dropped Osprey.

"Put me down!" she was laughing too. Henry lifted her off his shoulders, and she marched over to Zavion and wiggled her way into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. Henry felt that tugging feeling again. He wanted to do something for Zavion.

He saw Mount Mansfield from Zavions eyes. From someone who had never seen it before. The way the trees changed from birch to fir to tundra. The view of the valley from the very top. Henry wanted to take him there. He pulled Jake aside.

"I want to take Zavion up Mansfield."

Jake played monkey in the middle with a pair of underwear. Jake caught them and threw them to Tavius. "You do?" he said.

Henry did. He needed to find his marble first. But yes, he wanted to take Zavion up Mount Mansfield just a little bit more than he was afraid to be back there.

chapter 53.

ZAVION.

The party moved into the living room. Zavion could hear them playing a trivia game.

"What colors can b.u.t.terflies see that humans cannot see?" Zavion heard Enzo ask.

"Colors on the ultraviolet spectrum," said Henry.

"In what key do flies hum?"

"F."

"Which insect can indicate the temperature?"

"Crickets. They have different chirps for warm and cold." Henry was on a roll.

It sounded like they were having fun, but Zavion stayed in the kitchen to clean up. He dried the inside of a ceramic mug with a dish towel. He stood in the middle of the room, took a deep breath, and then, very quietly, began to sing.

"This little light of mine-" His voice cracked. He wasnt a very good singer.

"-Im gonna let it s.h.i.+ne, Let it s.h.i.+ne, Let it s.h.i.+ne, Let it s.h.i.+ne-"

chapter 54.

HENRY.

After the trivia game, which Henry won hands down, everyone drifted off to sleep. But Henry couldnt. He wasnt sure why. It wasnt because he was in a new house. It wasnt because he was without Brae, although he missed him something fierce. And it wasnt because of the new breathing all around him, a chorus of inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale. That was music to his ears.

So was the lone voice he had heard earlier, coming from the kitchen.

- Henry hummed the song now. If Zavion could be brave and sing, maybe he could too. He opened his mouth. Took a deep breath. As he held it, he listened again to the in and out, up and down, steady and powerful life all around him. He closed his mouth again. He didnt want to ruin all that beautiful music.

- He climbed up the ladder leaning against the house and pulled himself onto the low roof. The sky was clear and the moon was bright. He could see the whole block from where he sat, identical ranch houses with fenced-in backyards.

"What are you doing up there?"

Henry looked down to see Osprey staring at him, her eyes s.h.i.+ning in the dark night.

"Just wanted to climb, I guess."

"Can I climb too?" Osprey put her bare foot on the bottom rung of the ladder.

"Shoot. Hold on." Henry inched his way to the edge of the roof and jumped down. "Okay, you go first and Ill follow you." Ospreys legs moved slowly up the ladder. When she got to the top rung, Henry squeezed around her onto the roof and then grabbed her hands and guided her up. She had the leash wrapped around her wrist.

"Youre making me nervous," said Henry. "Sit down, okay?"

"Whyd you come up here?" said Osprey. She squatted next to Henry.

"I dunno. I couldnt go to sleep."

"Me too."

Henry lay back so his head was resting on the roof. Osprey lay down too. A cloud pa.s.sed in front of the moon, darkening the sky for an instant, like a big eye blinking shut, and Osprey almost disappeared. Then the eye opened again and Osprey came back into view.

"I feel big up here," said Osprey. She wiggled her head up onto Henrys chest, right under his chin. Her hair was spongy and soft. "This is so much better than being inside. Dont you think so, Henry?"

"Yup."

Osprey pointed her finger into the sky and then jammed it into Henrys rib. "Are you going home soon?"

"Owww-yeah, I guess." Henry rubbed his side and Osprey grabbed his hand. He couldnt believe it, but he was going to miss this kid. "Ill send you a picture of Brae," he said.

"Whos Brae? An animal?"

"Yup."

"A pig?"

"Nope."

"A sheep?"

"Nope."

"A cow?"

"Yup."

"A cow?!"

"Yup. Part cow."

"Part cow?!"

"Yup. And part dog."

"A cow-dog?" said Osprey, her eyes getting wide.

"Yup."

"I never heard of a cow-dog."

"Oh, theyre very rare. You only find them in Vermont."

Osprey clapped her hands. She unwrapped the leash from around her wrist. "You can put this on Brae, okay? It should go on a real dog. A real cow-dog."

Henry took the leash. It was warm from being in Ospreys hand. "Thank you, Falcon," he said.

Falcon.

The PBS special!

Peregrine falcon!

And the red-breasted goose!

"You want to hear something?" said Henry.

"Yes," said Osprey.

"In the Siberian tundra, the arctic fox is always hungry. They want to eat the red-breasted geese that live there."

"Poor geese," said Osprey.

"Yup. But the peregrine falcons take care of the geese. The falcons know how to fight the fox."

"I like the falcons!"