Chapter 6, Back Home

James felt both of his feet softly hit the ground underneath. Bewildered, he glanced down at Fisher who looked happy and undisturbed, as if traveling between the worlds was nothing out of the ordinary. Unlike the dog, James was quite shaken. He walked across the lawn and into the house, his legs feeling wobbly under his weight.

Opening the door to the house freed a gust of aroma that escaped from the supper table. The dining room was dimly lit with a rusty old chandelier, giving the entire room a shabby-kind of charm. The whole family was sitting at the table. James's father – Peter, was poking at the chicken and mashed potatoes with a fork, in an apparent anticipating of the meal.

"You are right on time, dear." Alice smiled, as she set a large wooden bowl with fresh salad at the center of the table.

"Last day of school, eh?" Peter grinned and began piling mash potatoes on the porcelain plate with a blue rim.

"Huh?" James was too distracted to hear his parents speak. Still wide-eyed and weary, James found his way to the nearest chair and planted himself on its seat. The family continued their usual "during supper" discussion, exchanging day's events and plans for tomorrow.

Periodically, one of them would attempt to engage James in the conversation, although each time unsuccessfully. His silence, like always, was attributed to the heavy burden of teenage years, and thus didn't appear worrisome to his family. James, on the other hand, was so deeply preoccupied with the bubbling emotions triggered by the unexpected adventure, that he swallowed his supper in three quick bites and excused himself.

Following supper, James went up the stairs into his attic and just had enough time to flop onto his quilt-covered bed when someone knocked at the door. Hesitantly, James opened the lock and saw his grandma Polly.

"Hullo," said Polly. "May I come in?" She rubbed her knuckled hands together and smiling at her grandson entered the room. With a wee bit of annoyance James let her to the corner of the room, and helped her to get sited at a patchy armchair near the round window overlooking the forest.

Grandma Polly was a lively and quick-witted old lady, with a dancing mischief in her deep blue eyes and ready-to-crack –a- joke at any second British humor. As she rested her bones in the old chair, she glanced at James with her usual sideway look full of whimsical curiosity.

"So, Jamie, how do you do? How was your day?" Polly smirked, as she sank deeper into the velvety cushions.

"Alright, Grandma Polly," said James lowering his eyes at his feet, thinking how will he ever get rid of her now. Although James loved his grandmother dearly, he simply wasn't ready for a polite conversation today of all days. He pulled on one of his shoelaces and pretended to readjust the knot.

"You know, Jamie. I have always loved emerald green color. Isn't it simply marvelous?" Polly smiled a deeper smile and winked at her grandson. James stopped fiddling with the knot on his shoe and stared at his grandmother with cautious curiosity.

"What do mean?" James tried not to sound too interested in case emerald green meant nothing to her and she was simply trying to strike a conversation from shear boredom.

"Yellow? What do you think of yellow? To be completely honest, I have always though that both colors are quite lovely." Polly winked again and closed her eyes with a satisfied sigh.

For a minute or so James was just looking at her, hoping she will elaborate on what she had just said, but in vain. Polly had closed her eyes and dropped down her chin, breathing steadily, and napping the way only very old people do – with one leg already in the afterlife.

Feeling quire, James kneeled near Polly. He gently touched her hand, "grandma, are you there?"

Polly opened her sapphire-blue eyes and just smiled without saying a word, prompting James to speak first.

"Grandma, something very strange happened to me… Today… In the garden…" James lowered his eyes with embarrassment. He sighed, then paused; gathering his courage, and started speaking with an increased speed, "I might have been somewhere today, where things were very weird. There were lots of ponds and… and guinea-pigs…" At that moment he lost himself again and pleadingly caught Polly's soft glance.

"I know," said she. "I have been there too, you know. It is a lovely place, the wood between the worlds". Polly glanced toward the ceiling, smiled dreamily and reaching into the pocket on her apron, pulled a crumbled old drawing showing two rings, emerald green and lemony-yellow…