Alan nodded. “That sounds like our Gwendy.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine the courage it took for her to do what she did. But she completed the task willingly, and I believe with only one regret: that she would never return home to see you again. She talked about you and your wife all the time. She adored you, Mr. Peterson.”
“The feeling was mutual,” he said in a choked and tired voice.
With the memory of her visit fading, he stares down at the iPhone resting in his lap. And as he has done on so many other occasions, he presses the PLAY button and closes his eyes.
Hi Dad,
I don’t have much time, but I wanted to tell you I’m sorry. Please don’t be too sad, and whatever you do, don’t waste a precious minute on being angry or bitter. And no matter what you hear or see on the news, just remember this: I had a job to do, an important one, and I did it the best way I knew how. A long time ago, back when I was a little girl in pigtails running around the playground at Castle View Park, you told me something I’ve never forgotten: when faced with the choice of doing the right thing or nothing at all, you do what’s right. Every single time. I am so proud to be your daughter. There wasn’t a better father anywhere in the world. Please smile when you think of me. Please remember the good times. How lucky we were—you and me and mom! The Three Musketeers, she used to call us! Okay, I better get going. You know how I hate to be late. Goodbye for now, Pa. I love you with all of my heart, and I will see you again. Mom and I both will. I left you a surprise inside the envelope. It’s yours now. Take good care of it. It’s very special. You might even say it’s …
“Magic,” he whispers in the silence of his dark room.
Alan Peterson pulls out the small white feather from the pocket of his robe. It’s never far from him these days. He stares at it, remembering, and then places the feather upon the windowsill beside him. It’s immediately bathed in moonlight. His eyes are once again drawn to the night sky outside the window. There are so many stars tonight. Even with the oak tree blocking much of his view, he can spot the Milky Way and Taurus the Bull. High above its tallest branches, Orion the Hunter peers down at him. The words suddenly slip into his head unbidden. Mr. Peterson has no idea where they came from or what they mean, but he likes the sound of them so much he says them out loud: “There are other worlds than these.” Sitting there, staring up at the infinite darkness, he thinks they are easy words to believe.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
IT’S USUALLY PLURAL, AS in acknowledgements, but the authors decided not to do the whole Academy Awards shtick, since there’s no music to play us offstage. Lots of people helped, including our families, who give us the time and space to do this crazy job, and all those helpers know who they are. But Robin Furth, who aided Steve on the last three volumes of the Dark Tower books, deserves special mention. All that stuff about prepping for takeoff, the takeoff itself, the docking with our (decidedly fictional) space station? That’s all Robin. She sent us fact sheets, she sent us videos, and when we got things wrong, she corrected us (gently, lovingly). If it feels real, that’s because most of it really is. Gwendy’s Final Task—and her final adventure—isn’t dedicated to Robin, but it could have been; her help was enormous.
Oh, and before we let you close the book (assuming you haven’t already), we want to thank you, Constant Reader. We’re so happy you invested your time, money, and imagination in our little story.
—Stephen King & Richard Chizmar
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BEN BALDWIN WORKS WITH a combination of traditional media, photography and digital art programmes and has been a full time illustrator for the last ten years. He has worked with publishers around the world producing cover art for many writers including Stephen King, Clive Barker and Josh Malerman.
He won a British Fantasy Award for Best Artist in 2020 and won the Artist of the Year for 2013 and 2019 in the ‘This Is Horror’ awards and was also shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Artist in 2012 and 2018.
His first artbook was recently published by SST Publications and he has a website at benbaldwin.co.uk where you can see more of his work.
KEITH MINNION MADE HIS first professional story sale to Asimov’s SF Adventure Magazine in 1979. His third story collection, published in 2020, is Read Me & Other Ghost Stories. Also published in 2020 is his second novel, Dog Star. Keith is a former book designer and illustrator, and only gets pulled out of retirement—kicking and screaming—for worthy book projects like this one. He is a former schoolteacher, DOD project manager, GPO printing contract specialist, and officer in the U.S. Navy. He currently lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, pursuing oil painting and woodworking, and is well into his third novel, tentatively titled The Demon of Bushwick.
Have you read GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar?
The small town of Castle Rock has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told … until now.
Don’t miss GWENDY’S MAGIC FEATHER by Richard Chizmar
Prepare to return again to Stephen King’s Castle Rock, the sleepy little town built on a bedrock of deep, dark secrets, just as it’s about to awaken from its quiet slumber once more.