Free Spiritwalk by Charles De Lint Page B

Chance explained to Button as they dragged her out of the car. “But don’t worry—things’re going to pick up real soon.”
    Button shivered at the grin that appeared on Joey’s lips.
    5
    Emma exchanged her armchair for a straightback, which she brought over to the desk. Leaning closer to the computer, she asked Blue, “How did you get it to do that?”
    “I don’t do anything,” Blue said. “Jamie’s got his own mind.”
    “You mean like... Artificial Intelligence?”
    “You could call it that, I guess.”
    Emma looked at the computer. “But that’s just an old IBM model—I mean, it’s so small.”
    “It’s connected to something a whole lot bigger,” Blue said. Yeah. Like would you believe the whole frigging house?
    Emma shook her head. “I’ve read about stuff like this—you know, like in that William Gibson novel—but this...”
    “This is for real,” Blue said.
    AS ARE YOUR DREAMS, Jamie added.
    Emma numbly stared at the screen.
    “What’re you talking about, Jamie?” Blue asked.
    THERE’S NO OTHER EXPLANATION. WHAT EMMA THINKS TO BE A DREAM HAS TO BE REAL. SOME CREATURE OF FAERIE HAS MANAGED TO SPLIT THE TWO HEMISPHERES OF HER MIND. BUTTON HAS THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE—THE SIDE THAT’S RESPONSIBLE FOR VISIO-SPATIAL ABILITIES, THE EMOTIONAL OR ARTISTIC SIDE OF THE BRAIN. EMMA HAS THE LOGICAL HEMISPHERE. EACH OF THEM HAS SUBSTANCE, HENCE THEIR LACK OF SHADOW. THERE WAS ONLY SO MUCH MATERIAL TO WORK WITH.
    “That... that’s impossible,” Emma said in a small voice. She looked to Blue for confirmation, but he was shaking his head.
    “We’ve... ah... seen this kind of thing before,” he said, remembering how the druid Thomas Hengwr had become two separate entities.
    “But it’s not so cut-and-dried,” Emma said. “You can’t get by on just one side of your brain—can you?”
    I USED THAT DESCRIPTION MERELY TO SIMPLIFY THE EXPLANATION, Jamie replied, BUT THE THEORY DOES FIT YOUR PRESENT DIFFICULTIES.
    Emma looked away. “Oh, Jesus,” she mumbled.
    “Look,” Blue said. “We’re going to help you.”
    “Help me? I have to be insane to be listening to this.”
    Blue nodded. “So where’s your shadow?”
    “I... it...”
    “Right. And just who the hell was your twin that got snatched out of here just before you arrived?”
    “I...”
    “She woke up this morning with the name Esmeralda in her head,” Blue said. “I guess that’s just a coincidence, too?”
    The computer beeped loudly and the words LIGHTEN UP appeared on the screen.
    Blue glared at the screen for a moment; then he nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said to Emma. “I...” He didn’t know how to explain what he felt about Button. Christ, he’d only just met her. But what she had was something that called out to him—something Button’s twin sitting here beside him didn’t have. Right side, left side. Who cared about brains. It was something in Button’s heart that touched him.
    I REMEMBER ESMERALDA FOYLAN. Jamie’s words slipped across the screen. SHE STAYED HERE A LONG TIME AGO—THAT WAS BEFORE YOUR TIME, BLUE. I REMEMBER SHE LEFT US SOMETHING.... The computer made a soft humming noise, occasionally broken by a sound that was almost like an old man’s cough, as it searched its memory files. YES, I THOUGHT IT HAD BEEN ENTERED. SHE LEFT US A BOOK ENTITLED
THE TALE OF THE SEASONS
, A COLLECTION OF ANIMISTIC VERSE—QUITE GOOD, TOO.
    “We used to write to each other,” Emma explained. “And we took on other personalities in our letters.” She fetched her purse and pulled out a sheaf of letters, poems and drawings. “I was Autumn and she was a Westlin Wind.”
    I SENSED THAT IN YOU, Jamie said. AND IN BUTTON, TOO. AND OF COURSE ESMERALDA—SHE
WAS
LIKE A WIND. NOT FLIGHTY SO MUCH AS... EVERYWHERE AT ONCE.
    Emma looked surprised. “What?”
    THE SPIRITS THAT MAKE UP THE WORLD SOMETIMES CHOOSE HUMAN HOSTS, Jamie explained.
    Emma looked to Blue for help, but he just reached for the clutter on her lap.