Free The Best People in the World by Justin Tussing

wouldn’t withstand his assault, Mary ducked into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with a pork chop still sizzling on a plate, a lump of applesauce collapsing on top. Shiloh reduced it to a Y-shaped bone.
    After ice cream the five of us found chairs in the living room. In no time Pawpaw fell asleep. Fran and Mary were talking in low, happy voices. Shiloh held out, for our inspection, the wine’s cork and Pawpaw’s Zippo lighter.
    â€œI’m going to show you a magic trick,” said Shiloh.
    Mary honked with excitement. “Fun,” she said.
    With the lighter Shiloh blackened one end of the cork. Then he asked Mary to extend both her hands. She showed him her palms. He weighed her hands, had her make fists. Did she believe in magic? Her eyes got wide. She did. He had me hold my mother’s hands as we sat there in the living room. I jiggled Mary’s hands. They were tiny things, as frightened as a toad.
    â€œYou’re squeezing too hard, honey.”
    I apologized.
    Shiloh asked me which hand felt more relaxed. The left hand? Fine. I could let go of her right hand. He touched the burned cork to the back of her left hand. It left a dark, silvery mark. He wanted me to rub the mark away. Gently, he said. Mary thanked him. I stroked the spot with my thumb. “There. It’s going,” said Shiloh. “It’s almost gone. A little harder. Be sure it didn’t just move onto your thumb, Thomas.” There was a little color on my thumb. He asked me to rub a bit more.
    â€œVoilà.”
    Mary looked at Shiloh, expectant.
    He held his left hand out in front of us and showed us his palm. There, in the center, was a faint mark.
    â€œCute,” said Mary.
    Shiloh shook his head gravely. “Thomas, would you mind checking your hand?”
    Somehow the dot had moved onto my hand.
    Mary squealed. “I love it!”
    â€œVery clever,” I said.
    â€œMagic,” said Shiloh. “Now, Mary, let’s see your hand.”
    Of course there was a spot there, too.
    â€œFantastic,” said Mary.
    Fran showed us his unblemished palms. “That’s an old trick,” he said.
    Mary turned around and swatted Fran on his thigh.
    â€œCount yourself lucky,” Shiloh said, speaking to me. “I’d give anything to know just one of my parents.”
    Mary leaned over and bumped her shoulder against mine.
    Outside, a car crept along the street. It had to be Alice.
    Shiloh stood up. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I think I’d better be going.”
    â€œOh,” said Mary, pronouncing her disappointment. She grabbed Pawpaw’s chair and gave it a little shake.
    â€œAll good things must come to an end,” said my grandfather. He shielded his eyes from the light in the room.
    I fetched Shiloh’s knapsack from the kitchen.
    Mary and Fran walked him to the door.
    â€œYou get to see the front door,” said Mary.
    â€œRight,” said Shiloh.
    â€œNot the back door,” said Fran.
    â€œGot it.”
    And he was gone.
    Â 
    Fran and Pawpaw went to bed. I cleaned the kitchen while Mary kept me company.
    â€œShiloh has sort of an aristocratic face, don’t you think?” She got up to pour herself a glass of milk. “I don’t know what came over me when I tried to embrace him. Your father thought I’d lost my mind.”
    â€œYou just caught him by surprise.”
    â€œImagine not knowing how to dress for dinner.”
    Fresh smoke leaked in from outside. Pawpaw was having a nightcap cigarette.
    Mary handed me her empty glass.
    Once it was loaded I flipped the dishwasher on. I sponged down the counter and rinsed the sink. As soon as Mary went to bed, I was going to sneak off to Alice’s.
    Mary kissed me on my cheek. “Tell Shiloh I said he’s welcome anytime.”
    But Shiloh didn’t visit again. For his next trick, he made me disappear.
    7
    Away
    Shiloh gave me a promise.