Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

Ellie, Maine, left Jesse and her son Nathan outside the town of Baggage, and drove to the beach alone.Jessie didn't ask much, but she could tell he wanted to know what made her want to go back to where she had spent a weekend a few years ago. "It's one thing I have to do," was all she told him.She had to go, she thought, but she didn't want to tell him more. After kissing her father and son goodbye, she drove to the small town that changed her life.But now that she had been walking around town for three hours, she still couldn't find Mrs. Zola's big Victorian house.She once asked a waitress in a restaurant who said she was born and bred in this small town, and the girl laughed when she said that there were people in town who were mediums for a living.

"You mean palmistry?" the girl asked. "She doesn't just read palms," Allie explained, but she couldn't tell the girl or anyone what happened to her.She'd tried to tell Jesse twice in the past few years, but she could tell he didn't believe it, and she stopped. But for the last six months Ellie has had a strong urge to go back to Maine to visit the medium again.It took her a while to convince Jesse to arrange the trip, but she finally did. Ellie left the restaurant, trying to remember how she, Lacie, and Mayggio had found the street and the house.Before she left home, she had looked everywhere for Madame Zola's card, but could not find it.She also called Maygi and Lacey separately, but they couldn't find theirs either.For some reason, Ellie wasn't surprised by this.

She wandered down the street again, eyeing every street sign and fork.Although there are not many roads, there is no one called "Forever Street".Then she turned a corner and she saw it. She smiled and walked down the street. The house at the end of the road was just as it had been before, and it was as perfect as the first time she saw it.When she stepped forward to knock on the door, she felt her heart beating frighteningly loudly. An old gray-haired woman answered the door.She was pleasant in appearance, but she was no Madame Zola. "You must want to see the house," said the old woman. "There are often a lot of tourists here, and most of them say they can't help but want to come in and see the house."

"No, actually," Ellie said. "I want to see Madame Zola." "My God!" said the old woman. "This is new. What did you say about the lady?" "Madame Zola," Ellie said. "I'm afraid I haven't heard of her." "Have you lived here long?" The old woman smiled. "My father built this house and he gave it to my mother as a wedding present. I've lived here my whole life." "Oh." Ellie gasped.Then again, what could she expect?If someone of Madame Zola's caliber had been easily found, she would have been on the headlines of the evening papers.

"Thank you," Ellie said, turning and walking down the steps. "Wait a minute," said the old woman. "You look like you need a cup of tea, and I happen to need company. Would you like to come in and sit?" Ellie thought she should drive back to Jesse and his son, but instead she turned back and followed the old woman into the house. "By the way, my name is Rose," she said; seeing Ellie's smile, she waved her hand. "I know. It's an old-fashioned name, but my parents are old-fashioned. What should I call you?" "Aili Wu," she said, looking around.The room was furnished exactly as it had been when she, Lacey, and Maycho first came. "Do you have a sister or know anyone who dyed their hair orange?"

Rose's blue eyes sparkled. "No, if I did, I think I would remember. In fact, I think everyone in town would. Now, sit down. I was boiling water when you knocked, and it should be boiling by now." Ellie sat down on the sofa, and when she was alone in the room, she wanted to take a peek around.But Rose came back soon, and she didn't have time. Rose sat down, poured tea for the two of them, and after serving exquisite pastries to Ellie, she said: "I admit that I am a nosy old woman, but there is no one else here, maybe you would like to tell me why you I want to find this Zuo...what's her name?"

Ellie looked at the old woman with her teacup in hand.She's lying, she thought, and what I tell her will reach Madame Zola. "Thank you for your kindness, I just want to say to her." "That's it?" Rose asked, looking disappointed. "I wanted to tell her about me and my friends, but if she wasn't here—" Ellie put down her teacup. "That's nice," said Rose. "How are your friends?" Ellie really wanted to force the woman to tell what she knew, but at the same time Ellie felt that she owed Madam Zola a great favor, so she was willing to use all means to convey the words to her.

"They were all very happy," Ellie said. "Racey is now a full-time painter and her husband is so proud of her. Lacey says she's never been happier. Both of her kids are in college, and Lacey says she and her husband are living a second life now." Honeymoon." "It's good to know there's still happiness in the world. Where's your other friend?" Ellie didn't want to pretend the woman didn't know who she was talking about. "May Tho still runs her clinic in Montana, and she has another baby. She says she wants to have a dozen if she can."

"The three of us have been in close contact since... well, since we were last here, and I think we're all very happy." Rose gracefully ate the cake from a fork studded with rosebuds. "That bag doesn't include you? Are you happy too?" "Yeah," Ellie said softly. "I'm so happy. I have a wonderful husband, a wonderful son, and my editor tells me that my latest book is better than any I've ever written." "Oh, that's all right," said Rose. "It's really good." She stood up suddenly. "Now, dear, I must excuse myself. I have something to do."

"Of course," Ellie put down her teacup and stood up. "Nice to meet you, hope—" But Rose was already hurrying to the door, as if she couldn't wait to chase Ellie away.A few minutes later, Ellie was on the front porch, and the door to the house was closed. "Ridiculous!" she said, walking back into the street.She found her mobile phone in her handbag and made a call to Jesse who lived in the hotel. "I'll be right back," she told Jesse. "Fine. My son and I miss you a lot," he said. "I miss you too," Ellie replied, turning off her phone and walking to her car.

Once Ellie was out of sight, Rose lowered the curtains and walked down the long hallway to the back of the house.There was a small room with rose-patterned wallpaper, and it was sparsely furnished except for three large chairs on an oak floor.Rose walked over, pressed on a rose, and a secret door opened. Behind the door is a small room not much bigger than a wardrobe, but inside there is a small desk with a large crystal ball on it.On the wall to the left hang several velvet dresses and a bright orange wig. The wall on the right hand side, from floor to ceiling, is full of pictures of some people. Rose walked to the table, picked up three printed materials and a pair of scissors, and slowly cut out the photos on them. One of them was Ellie, which was attached to a leaflet for a new book preview.The other is Lacey, cut from the program of an art exhibition.That last one is of May Haw, from the Montana High School's "Distinguished Alumni" roster. On the right-hand wall were pasted photos of the three women taken with Polaroids a few years ago.Rose now sandwiches the new cutouts next to the old ones; then she steps back to observe the changes shown in the photos.In the original photo, each woman's eyes reveal deep sadness.But in the new photos, the sadness is all gone. Rose smiled with satisfaction, took a step back, and looked at all the photos.There were more than a hundred men and women on the walls, each with a new one tucked next to it.Some of them looked better in the first photo than in the second, but most showed a surprising shift in their view of the world in the second.For a moment, Rose looked at a picture of a man wearing black-rimmed glasses who had been blinded by a car accident when he was fourteen.The next photo is of him operating the camera with a smile on his face. Rose sighed complacently, opened the drawer, took out three business cards and stuffed them into her pocket.She went out of the closet, closed the door, and walked slowly down the hallway to the front door.Once outside, she stood for a moment on the front porch, laughing again involuntarily; then she descended the steps and walked up the street. ——End of the book——