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"When I was a child, I believed the world was full of many wonders, and miracles could still happen, and blind men would one day see, and the la like that liness,up, so I maintained the idea that h-- like that song `When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true' And in the ballet miracles do happen all the time, so I stayed childlike even after I became an adult I still believed that in the outside world, the real world, everything would work out fine in the long run if I believed enough Mel and I had that in coinal, so to speak You see no evil, hear no evil, though I won't mention speak no evil You knohat I lanced up at the threatening sky

"In that world I had a ho loved me In the outside world, the real world, she quickly found a replace her when I needed herhiet back atit, Mo on if I wasn't sometimes afraid for my life Afraid for my children"

I listened to hi not to show shock as he spoke of all he'd never hinted at before

"Remember the parallel bars I exercise on, in order to use the back and leg braces? Well, so the rails I getthem out for me and made me promise not to tell you"

I shivered, shrank inside "What else, Jory? That's not all, I can tell from the way you look"

"Nothing s to make my life ar bowl filled with salt, and arduerous Tacks appear in my bed, in the seat of my chairoh, it's Halloween tih, it's so silly But when I slip on a shoe and there's a nail in the toe that I can't feel, and it givescirculation isn't top-notch, it's not a laughingeverything over before I use it, like my razor with new blades that are suddenly rusty"

He looked around as if to see if Joel or Bart were in earshot, and even though he saw nothing, for I looked, too, still his voice lowered to a whisper "Yesterday was very warm, remember? You yourself opened three of my s so I'd have fresh, cool breezes--then the wind shifted and blew from the north, and it turned dramatically cold You came on the run to close my s, to cover me with another blanket I fell back to sleep Half an hour later I woke up fro at the North Pole The s--all six of them--ide open Rain blew in and wet my bed But that wasn't the worst of it My blankets had been re for soone I sat up and reached for ht beside er now in my arms, I lowered ular chair that I could shove near the s Once I was on the chair seat, I could have easily pulled the n But the first one refused to budge I moved the chair to another , and that wouldn't close any more than the first one would Stuck with the fresh coat of paint applied a feeeks ago I knew theft it was useless to try the other four and brave that fiercely cold wet rain and wind, forYet, foolhardy as you often say I am, I persisted No luck That's when I put ain andby pulling on furniture legs until I was in the closet, and there I pulled dointer coat, covered myself and fell asleep"

What had happened to my face? It felt so nue to show shock Jory stared at me hard

"Mo? Nowdon't try to comment until I complete this story As I just said, I fell asleep in the closet, on the floor, soaking wet When I woke up, I was back on my bed A dry bed, the sheet and blankets covereda fresh pair of pajamas" He paused dramatically and met my horrified eyes

"Momif someone in this house wanted me to catch pneumonia and die, would that someone have put me back in bed and covered me up? Dad wasn't home to pick th to do that"

"But," I whispered, "Bart doesn't hate you that much He doesn't hate you at all"

"Perhaps' it was Trevor who foundand strong enough to lift me Still, somebody here hates one I've thought about this considerably and come to the conclusion that it had to have been Bart who found me in the closet and put me back to bed Has this occurred to you: if you, Dad, I and the tere out of the way, Bart would have our money as well as his own?"

"But he's already filthy rich! He doesn't need more!"

Jory spun his chair so that it faced east, staring at the faded sun "I've never really been afraid of Bart before I have always pitied hi the twins and leaving with you and Dadbut that's a coward's way If Bart did open those s to let in the rain and wind, he later changed his mind and came back to rescue me I think about the clipper ship and hoas broken, and certainly Bart couldn't have been responsible for that, not when he wanted it so much And I think about Joel, whoain I think about who influences Barthiain like that torrandmother to die in fire and be redeemed"

"Please, Jory, you said you'd never ain"