Is he looking for something? she wondered.
Because of her bare feet, Lane stayed off the grass. She walked across the concrete sun deck. She was nearly to the garage door when she saw him.
He had the lantern in one hand. He was standing on the small wooden platform beneath the trapdoor to the attic, his head tilted up, his back to Lane. His other hand waved overhead in an attempt to catch the dangling rope.
The wind tossed Lanes hair across her eyes. It bared her right side, curling gently over her skin. As she halted to close her robe again, she saw her father grab the cord and pull the trapdoor down. He set the lantern on the platform at his feet. He unfolded the ladder.
Dad?
Acting as if he didnt hear her, he picked up the lantern and began to climb.
Is he deaf?
She hurried toward him, afraid he might fall.
It wasnt like Dad to ignore her. Something was definitely wrong with him. Either drunk senseless or... sleepwalking?
She stopped beneath the ladder. He was almost to, the top.
Maybe Id better get Mom, she thought. If hes walking in his sleep, this is serious. What if he finishes whatever hes doing up there and doesnt know hes in the attic and falls right through the opening?
He could do that while Im going for Mom, she realized.
Dad scrambled off the ladder and crawled out of sight.
Lane started to climb.
WhatII I do?
Somewhere, shed heard that sleepwalkers often dropped dead if you woke them up. Probably just a stupid myth. What if its true, though?
Id better just keep an eye on him, try to keep him from getting hurt.
Through the opening above her, Lane saw the garages slanted roof, its crossbeams casting bands of shadow against the ceiling planks. The lantern had to be nearby, but she couldnt see her father.
She climbed higher. The rungs pressed into the bottoms of her feet. She noticed that her legs were shaking.
When she stepped onto the next rung, her head lifted above the attic floor. She stopped. Not much more than a yard in front of her face was a long, wooden box.
A coffin?
No way. Thats ridiculous.
But shivers crawled up her back. Her heart began to thud, pumping throbs of pain through her body. She felt as if her muscles, already sore and trembling, were melting into warm mush. She clutched the ladders top rung in case her legs should give out.
And gazed at her father.
He was standing at one end of the box.
It cant be a coffin!
Standing there, staring down into it. The lantern, held close to the side of his chest with his one hand, left smudges of darkness on his face.
I know, he said.
The words seemed to suck out Lanes breath. She knew he wasnt talking to her.
Ive missed you, too, he said. So much.
He nodded as if he heard a voice in his head. Then he straddled the box and sat down on its end. He rested the lantern on his left knee.
Forever? he asked. After a moment he said, That would be so wonderful, Bonnie.
Lane forced herself to climb higher. Dad didnt seem to notice.
She knelt on the attic floor.
She saw over the edge of the box.
She went numb.
It wasa coffin, and it wasnt empty, and the thing inside looked like a fucking Egyptian mummythat someone had unwrapped a girlmummy with a horrible grin, a stub of wood jutting out of her chest between breasts that look like oblong flaps of leather. She didnt wear a stitch. And Dad was sitting above her feet where he could see everything, and he was staring at her and talkingto her!
This cant be happening, Lane thought. I must be sleeping, and...
Hesthe one sleeping.
I know, he said, but not to Lane. But Im afraid.
He nodded.
He scooted forward on the edges of the coffin. Just above the mummys pelvis, he stopped. If Lane reached out, she could touch his left leg.
I love you, too, he said. There was agony in his voice. But I love my wife and daughter. I cant give them up, not even for you.
Those words seemed to scatter the fog in Lanes mind.
Do you promise? he asked.
Hes talking to a corpse! About me and Mom!
If you do anything to hurt them...
Again, he nodded. All right. Ill do it. Leaning forward, he reached down toward the chest of the mummy with his right hand. His fingers wrapped around the stake.
Dad! Lane punched the side of his knee. The impact shot his leg inward. The lantern tumbled off. Dads leg slammed the coffin. The lantern struck the attic floor. It went out.
Black fell across Lanes eyes. She scurried forward.
Huh? Dads voice. Confused. Then he bellowed, Yeeeeeahhhh!
Lane found his leg. He flinched rigid and his yell turned into a shriek. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Dad, she gasped as he tried to twist free. Dad, its me. Its Lane. Youre okay.
He stopped screaming, stopped trying to struggle free. He made choked, whimpering noises.
Its all right, she whispered. Its all right.
She felt a hand press against her back. Another hand touched the side of her head, moved forward and stroked her face, the fingers fluttering against her cheek. As he caressed her and sobbed, he slowly seemed to calm down.
He started to murmur Oh, my God over and over again.
Lane kept whispering Its all right.
After a while he said, I dont know what Im doing here.
I think you were walking in your sleep.
She made me. She brought me here. Oh, my God. Did I pull the stake?
I dont know.
Oh, God.
The hand went away from her face. She felt him lean forward.
Whatre you doing?
She felt a shudder pass through him.
Dad?
Its still there. Thank God.
Come on, lets get out of here.
How could I comeup here? he blurted.
Its all right, Dad. Lets just try and get down without breaking our necks. She let go of him and turned around. Dad kept a hand low on her back.
Be careful, sweetheart.
You, too.
The opening was a gray rectangle. His hand went away. She heard him moving, climbing off the coffin as she sat down and swung her legs toward the dim gap. Why dont you wait up here till I can turn on the garage light?
Youve got to be kidding, he said.
He sounded almost like Dad.
Lane scooted forward. She lowered her legs until her heels found a rung of the ladder.
You okay? Dad asked.
Yeah. Gripping the side rails, she pushed herself off the attic floor. She climbed down slowly, her back to the ladder, rungs rubbing against her buttocks and dragging open her robe until nothing covered her front except the cloth belt loose against her belly.
She hoped Dad couldnt see her.
For a moment she pictured herself lying naked in the coffin up there, Dad sitting above her with that light.
Who is she?
Lanes feet found the wooden platform. She thrust herself away from the ladder, stood up straight and tied her robe shut before turning around.
Dad came down facing the other way. When he reached the platform, he folded the ladder, took hold of the dangling rope and swung the trapdoor up. It shut with a soft bump.
He stepped down. Lane went to him and put an arm around his back. He hugged her against his side.
Together they walked to the house.
I guess we need to talk, he said.
Whats that thing doing in our garage?