chapter 32

HENRY

Fueled by peanut-butter-chocolate-cinnamon cake, Henry was now on a full-fledged mission. He was going to find that marble. It wasn’t in this Salvation Army, he was sure of it. But there must be more than one Salvation Army in New Orleans.

Jake and Cora were outside getting more boxes. Henry could slip out now. He opened the door and turned to walk down the block.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” said Jake. He dropped a stack of boxes on the ground.

“Nowhere.” All of a sudden, the center of Henry’s stomach, where the cake sat, began to get warm. Like he was baking it all over again.

“Hey, I’m teasing,” said Jake.

“Oh, uh—” Henry took a few steps backward.

“We could use your help here.” Jake reached out and punched Henry lightly in the arm. “Strong kid like you.”

“I don’t know….” Henry’s belly was getting warmer.

Cora came up from behind Jake. “I promise another treat after you grab a few boxes,” she said. “I’ve got plenty of cake experiments in the kitchen.”

“A bunch of garbage bags are sitting right at the edge of the trailer. Go on and get those, Henry,” said Jake. “Okay?”

“No.” Henry’s belly was hot now. Oh man! Why wouldn’t Jake just let him go?

“No?”

“No!” Like a match striking the side of a box, the no ignited him.

“Henry.” Jake reached out to touch Henry’s arm. “I can’t let you wander around without me.”

“Let go of me!”

“What’s going on?” Jake tightened his grip. His eyes looked into Henry’s. They darted back and forth, searching for something.

Henry couldn’t look at him. Henry turned from Jake to Cora. Cora’s eyes were wide and deep. Henry thought he saw understanding swimming in them, but he couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that the fire inside him flickered.

“Henry?” Jake said gently.

Henry wanted to try to explain the fire to Jake. He really wanted to—

“What is it, Henry?” Jake asked.

No! He couldn’t tell him. Before he knew it, he’d yanked his arm away from Jake and pushed him, with both hands, in the chest.

The spot in his belly blazed.

“What are you doing, Henry?” said Jake.

“What am I doing?” he yelled.

“Yeah, what was that you just did?”

“What am I doing?” Henry yelled again. “What am I doing here?” He flashed on Mount Mansfield. Its hulking body ripping itself from the earth and somersaulting, upside down, right-side up, chasing him. He shook his head like a dog. He didn’t know how he would ever get the mountain to release him. “What am I doing here?” he said again. “I’m…I’m not being there!”

And then he ran, ran as fast as he could, ran to get away from Jake, ran like Jake and Cora were the ones burning him, ran to push the aching feeling from his heart into his legs. But no matter how much he ran, or how much he stayed, he couldn’t seem to get rid of it.