Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune
“Because you’re still here.”“I am,” Nelson said. “I am.”“Do you feel that?” he whispered. Weightless, like he was floating, thesong, the whispers filling his ears.Nelson looked troubled. “Yes, but it’s not the same for me. Not anymore.Not like it once was.”And for the first time, Wallace thought Nelson was lying.He continued up the stairs. The stairway was narrower, and he knew hewas climbing toward the odd turret he’d first glimpsed upon his arrival withMei. It’d been something out of a fairy tale, of kings and queens, a princesstrapped in a tower. Of course this was where the door would be. He couldn’timagine it anywhere else.He took each step slowly. “Did you try to stop him?”“Who?”Wallace didn’t look back. “The Reaper. With Lea.”Nelson sighed. “He told you.”“Yes.”“I did,” Nelson said, but it sounded faraway, like a great distanceseparated them. A dream, the edges hazy around a thin membrane. “I triedwith all my might. But I wasn’t strong enough. The Reaper, he … wouldn’tlisten. I did everything I could. Hugo did too.”The stairs curved. Wallace gripped the railing without thinking. The woodwas smooth under his fingers. “Why do you think he did what he did?”“I don’t know. Maybe he thought it was the right thing to do.”“Was it?”“No,” Nelson said harshly. “He should never have laid a hand on that girl.He’d done his job by bringing her here. He should have left matters wellenough alone. Wallace, are you sure about this? We could go backdownstairs. Wake up Hugo. He wouldn’t mind. He should be here for this.”Wallace wasn’t sure of anything. Not anymore. “I need to see it.”And so he climbed.Windows lined the walls, windows he hadn’t seen on the outside of thehouse. He laughed when he saw sunlight streaming through them, even thoughhe knew it was the middle of the night. He paused at one of the windows,looking out through it. There should’ve been a vast expanse of forest on theother side, perhaps even a glimpse of a town in the distance, but instead, the
window looked out into a familiar kitchen. The faint sounds of Christmasmusic filtered in through the window pane, and a woman pulled homemadecandy canes from the oven.He continued on.He didn’t know how long it took to reach the top of the stairs. It felt likehours, though he suspected it was only a minute or two. He wondered if itwas like this for everyone who’d come before him, and he almost wishedHugo were there, leading him by the hand. Such a funny little thought, hemused to himself. How it pleased him, the idea of holding Hugo’s hand. Hehadn’t lied when he’d told Hugo he’d wished he’d known him before. Hethought things could have been different, somehow.He reached the fourth floor.He was surrounded by windows, though the curtains had been drawn. Alittle chair sat next to a little table. On top of the table was a tea set: a potand two cups. A vase had been placed next to the cups, filled with redflowers.But no door.He looked around. “I don’t … Where is it?”Nelson lifted one finger, pointing up. Wallace lifted his head. And there,above them, was a door in the ceiling.It wasn’t as he’d expected. In his fear, he’d built it up in his mind, a greatmetal thing with a heavy, foreboding lock. It’d be black and ominous, andhe’d never work up the courage to walk through it.It wasn’t like that.It was just a door. In the ceiling, yes, but it was still just a door. It waswooden, the frame around it painted white. The doorknob was a clear crystalwith a green center in the shape of a tea leaf. The whispers that had followedhim up the stairs were gone. The insistent tugging on the hook in his chest hadsubsided. A hush had fallen in the house around them as if it held its verybreath.He said, “It’s not much, is it?”“No,” Nelson said. “It doesn’t look like it, but appearances aredeceiving.”“Why is it in the ceiling? That’s a weird place for it. Has it always beenthere?” The house itself was strange, so he wouldn’t be surprised if it’d been
- Page 123 and 124: “It was fast,” Hugo said, stari
- Page 125 and 126: Hugo seemed to let it go. “The Ma
- Page 127 and 128: “You can’t ever go to them,”
- Page 129 and 130: finding the truth within himself. W
- Page 131 and 132: And now here they were in the fifth
- Page 133 and 134: Her fault, he told himself as he sa
- Page 135 and 136: They all fell into a schedule of so
- Page 137 and 138: One of the other women said, “My
- Page 139 and 140: “Because he doesn’t want to,”
- Page 141 and 142: Wallace bit back a sharp retort whe
- Page 143 and 144: stumbled around, making promises to
- Page 145 and 146: Nelson laughed. “Refreshing. Frus
- Page 147 and 148: Hugo, for his part, didn’t look a
- Page 149 and 150: “I mean, there’s always a plea
- Page 151 and 152: came here looking more alive than s
- Page 153 and 154: Nothing.“All the time you—would
- Page 155 and 156: Desdemona gasped, pulling her hands
- Page 157 and 158: “A,” Desdemona said as the plan
- Page 159 and 160: followers, and I command you to—
- Page 161 and 162: CHAPTER12That night, Wallace follow
- Page 163 and 164: “Then why didn’t you put a stop
- Page 165 and 166: “It’s not always like this,”
- Page 167 and 168: Wallace closed his eyes. Nancy was
- Page 169 and 170: “A guardian of the doors,” Hugo
- Page 171 and 172: “What does that mean?”“I can
- Page 173: green door at the end. He walked th
- Page 177 and 178: CHAPTER13At the beginning of his tw
- Page 179 and 180: Hugo shrugged. It was infuriating.
- Page 181 and 182: everything I’m saying right now?
- Page 183 and 184: The tea shop was busy all day. Sinc
- Page 185 and 186: “What will it take?” Wallace as
- Page 187 and 188: Watch.”Wallace stood next to him
- Page 189 and 190: some … some let it become all the
- Page 191 and 192: “Obviously,” Nelson said. He re
- Page 193 and 194: Wallace bit back a retort. They wer
- Page 195 and 196: but my legs didn’t work. My arms
- Page 197 and 198: “Yes,” Hugo said.“I was murde
- Page 199 and 200: behind clouds. The tea plants looke
- Page 201 and 202: people like him.” He swallowed th
- Page 203 and 204: him and he waited, waited, waited f
- Page 205 and 206: CHAPTER15Alan tried to leave.He did
- Page 207 and 208: we’re all traveling on.”Alan sh
- Page 209 and 210: we can do it after—”“Oh, hey,
- Page 211 and 212: come. “Any specific reason?”“
- Page 213 and 214: Wallace blinked. “Oh, uh. Practic
- Page 215 and 216: “How did it go?”Hugo started to
- Page 217 and 218: CHAPTER16“Are you sure about this
- Page 219 and 220: down at his tea, muttering under hi
- Page 221 and 222: “Yes,” Wallace said. “And whe
- Page 223 and 224: The tables jumped again as Alan too
“Because you’re still here.”
“I am,” Nelson said. “I am.”
“Do you feel that?” he whispered. Weightless, like he was floating, the
song, the whispers filling his ears.
Nelson looked troubled. “Yes, but it’s not the same for me. Not anymore.
Not like it once was.”
And for the first time, Wallace thought Nelson was lying.
He continued up the stairs. The stairway was narrower, and he knew he
was climbing toward the odd turret he’d first glimpsed upon his arrival with
Mei. It’d been something out of a fairy tale, of kings and queens, a princess
trapped in a tower. Of course this was where the door would be. He couldn’t
imagine it anywhere else.
He took each step slowly. “Did you try to stop him?”
“Who?”
Wallace didn’t look back. “The Reaper. With Lea.”
Nelson sighed. “He told you.”
“Yes.”
“I did,” Nelson said, but it sounded faraway, like a great distance
separated them. A dream, the edges hazy around a thin membrane. “I tried
with all my might. But I wasn’t strong enough. The Reaper, he … wouldn’t
listen. I did everything I could. Hugo did too.”
The stairs curved. Wallace gripped the railing without thinking. The wood
was smooth under his fingers. “Why do you think he did what he did?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he thought it was the right thing to do.”
“Was it?”
“No,” Nelson said harshly. “He should never have laid a hand on that girl.
He’d done his job by bringing her here. He should have left matters well
enough alone. Wallace, are you sure about this? We could go back
downstairs. Wake up Hugo. He wouldn’t mind. He should be here for this.”
Wallace wasn’t sure of anything. Not anymore. “I need to see it.”
And so he climbed.
Windows lined the walls, windows he hadn’t seen on the outside of the
house. He laughed when he saw sunlight streaming through them, even though
he knew it was the middle of the night. He paused at one of the windows,
looking out through it. There should’ve been a vast expanse of forest on the
other side, perhaps even a glimpse of a town in the distance, but instead, the
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