Free The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint

paintings were destroyed. Whoever did it left all the other ones alone.”
    â€œWhy?”
    Sophie shrugged. “Why would anybody do it in the first place?”
    â€œYou should tell Lou,” Wendy said. “It might be a clue.” She laughed. “I’m rhyming again.”
    Sophie smiled. “Well, you are our resident poet.”
    â€œI do try. Maybe I should become a DJ. Rappin’ Wendy, she’s really quite friendly.”
    Their laughter died away quickly. It was hard to maintain good humor at a time such as this. The guilt of having any fun at all while Jilly lay immobile upstairs reared immediately.
    â€œI will tell Lou,” Sophie said. She took a sip of her tea, studied Wendy over the brim of her cup. “How did you find her tonight?” she asked.
    â€œI’ve never seen her this bummed before. And it’s so weird, when you think about it. Jilly’s always the one who rises above things. Everyone comes to her with their troubles.”
    â€œThe eternal den mother.”
    â€œWell, it’s true.”
    Sophie shrugged. “I know.” She took another sip, then set her cup down. “But what really worries me is how all she wants to do is sleep and visit the dreamlands. It’s like nothing here means much to her anymore, now that she has access to that other world.”
    â€œAs things stand,” Wendy said, “she hasn’t exactly got a whole lot waiting for her here.”
    â€œShe’s got us.”
    â€œYou know what I mean.”
    Sophie sighed. “You’re right. But the real trouble is, she’s so caught up in mucking about in the dreamlands that she’s not putting any real effort into getting better. All she does is sleep.”
    â€œThe doctor said she needs to rest—didn’t he?”
    â€œHe also said she’s got to want to get better.”

    But Wendy wouldn’t let it go. “What harm is there in her getting a break from how horrible everything’s become for her?”
    â€œThe dreamlands aren’t real.”
    â€œBut they feel real, don’t they? Isn’t that what you always say about your dreams? It’s like they’re another life.”
    â€œâ€˜Like,’ not ‘they are.’”
    Wendy shook her head. “You’ve even got a boyfriend there.”
    â€œBut it’s not real .” Sophie tapped the table. “This is real. This is what she has to concentrate on now or she’s never going to get better. They can exercise those paralyzed muscles, but if she doesn’t put some effort into it as well, nothing they do is going to help.”
    â€œCome on,” Wendy said. “It’s not like she wants to be paralyzed.”
    â€œOh, god. I know that. It’s just …”
    â€œYou can’t stand watching her slip away from us.”
    Sophie nodded.
    â€œThe really sad thing is,” Wendy said, “if that’s what she wants to do, there’s nothing we can do to stop her.”
    That was what scared Sophie the most.
    â€œI was always afraid of this,” Wendy said after a moment.
    â€œOf what?”
    â€œThat if Jilly ever actually got access to fairyland, she’d go and never come back.”
    â€œI can’t imagine the world without Jilly,” Sophie said.
    Wendy sighed. “That’s the trouble. I can. And it would be a horrible, boring place.”
    â€œWe can’t let her go.”
    Wendy only nodded. She didn’t have to repeat what she’d said earlier. Sophie could still hear the words ringing in her head:
    If that’s what she wants to do, there’s nothing we can do to stop her.
    4
    I can’t seem to explain why I need to get away as badly as I do. This broken body that everybody comes to visit in the hospital might seem reason enough, but I’ve never been one to wallow in my misery. I’m just not built that way. If there’s a problem, I fix it. If