town like North Hampton where everyone knew one another the two women often made small talk when they bumped into each other at the grocery store, the gas station, or the fruit stand.
"Marie, what's wrong?" she asked. If something had happened to Tyler the director would not sound so pleasant, she told herself. If he had hit his head or hurt himself badly Marie would sound a bit more panicked, wouldn't she? Joanna wished she had Ingrid's talent for seeing into the future. What was going on? Why was the school calling her now? Gracella had dropped the boy off at nine and Joanna was meant to pick him up at two. She was going to show him how to make indestructible soap bubbles today with the help of a fortifying spell.
"Darling, I don't want you to panic, but there's something wrong with Tyler. He hasn't fallen or hurt himself, but he won't stop crying. We've tried everything to calm him down, and I've tried both his parents but they're not picking up. You were listed as another emergency contact. Would you mind . . . ?"
"Oh my goodness! Of course! Hector and Gracella are in New Jersey helping his brother move. I'm responsible for the child. I'll be there right away."
Joanna's heart was beating so rapidly and her legs were trembling so hard that it was a moment before she realized she was flying. Somehow she had conjured a broomstick from her rake and had taken off to the skies, still wearing her bucket hat and her gardening clogs. She zoomed high above the tall trees and the gabled houses, taking care to shield herself under a canopy of clouds from any eyes below. Now, this was definitely against the rules, but she did not much care; it had been as natural as breathing. Once she had allowed magic back into her life it was as if it had always been part of it. Why wouldn't Tyler stop crying? What was wrong? Marie had been kind enough to try to mask her concern, but Joanna read a note of real fear in her voice.
Tyler never cried. He was the most cheerful kid Joanna had ever met, merry in an old-fashioned way, with his twinkling eyes and adorable munchkin face. Of course he was far from perfect; like many four-year-olds he threw the occasional massive tantrum, especially if one tried to feed him something outside of his four favorite food groups. He ate only apples, tunafish, goldfish crackers, and dessert. He sniffed the bread his mother made for his sandwiches to make sure it was the proper kind, as he wouldn't eat it otherwise. Joanna could already feel her heart clench at the thought of anything happening to the boy.
The Sunshine Preschool was located in two low-slung beach cottages surrounded by a metal gate. Whenever Joanna picked Tyler up, he was always holding some kind of art project that he'd made - macaroni stuck to a paper plate or a new toilet-roll creation - and there was a cheerful weekly newsletter with surplus attachments: photographs or videos of the children in the sandbox. It was a clean, safe, and happy school, and Tyler enjoyed going there. She forgot the code to the security door and waved a hand so that it swung open quickly. There was no time; she wanted to see the boy now. Joanna told herself not to panic even as her mind began to race with apocalyptic scares. There were so many diseases that could affect children nowadays, a whole host of incurable flus and mysterious ailments that could attack a developing immune system. As she ran she began to imagine the worst: swine flu, meningitis, staph infection. Marie was in her office and stood up as soon as she saw Joanna. "He's all right - still crying. I hate to alarm you but I thought it was best if we called . . ." she said.
At that moment one of the teachers, a large, sweet Jamaican woman who was Tyler's favorite, walked in with the wailing boy in her arms. His whole face was red and he was sobbing, big fat tears falling down his chubby cheeks. He pointed to his right ear and howled.
"I'm so sorry, we've tried everything," the teacher apologized. "A couple of kids have come down with a nasty virus that's kept them out of school the past couple of days. Tyler probably caught it."
"It's probably an ear infection; they're very painful,"