Spirit’s Key (20 page)

The smells, the noise, the big trucks—they mean the people who need a house will have one again. Everyone is pitching in to rebuild what was lost. Our neighbors are in hard hats, and they raise wood into the sky. The skeletons of homes line the street. Nector has named the partially built wooden shells
spirit homes.
The insides of our houses-to-be.

“Got a new room put up in your spirit home,” he says. “Want to see?”

I laugh because everyone can see. There are no walls. It's what's fun about today. Some tomorrow in the near future, things will go back to normal. We'll get new houses and new keys.

New keys. New futures.

Futures without fear.

Well, there's always something to fear, but the openness of how we live now and everything that's happened with the baldies has changed things some. People don't mention devil spirits as often, for one. While we wait for our homes to be finished, Dad's disaster supplies have come in handy. There's plenty of food and flashlights, and my job is to make sure people have what they need. We live in tents and shower in a facility we built by the beach. Mrs. Borse's tent is next to mine and Dad's. She's covered it in fur she had Dad help her order. Some things change slower than others.

Once a day Mrs. Borse comes out in her red bathing suit and straw hat to say hello and take her shower. I don't approve of the fur covering her tent, and when she appears I tell her so. We argue a bit, and then she hides away again. I asked her once if she minds us arguing, because I don't want to discourage her from coming outside. She said it's only real friends who disagree.

There are also mainlanders in green vests who care about the baldies as much as I do. They understand the dogs need protecting. I follow the mainlanders around and explain what I know. Together we create a fund called Protect the Baldies to educate people like Eder who don't understand the importance of preserving wildlife. We want to build a baldie statue in the center of town, too. We have a meeting about it where islanders vote
yea
or
nay.

Mrs. Dialfield makes enough honeysuckle sorbet for the meeting to feed the whole island and probably half the mainland. When everyone's mouth is filled with ice-creamy sweetness, she reminds us that we all played a part in what happened. She warns that fear is contagious, and no one is immune, not even her. She says the statue will be a good reminder of our past mistakes so we don't repeat them. She also points out that along with everyone else, Dr. Wade and Eder Mint will see the baldie statue every day, maybe even from their living room windows. Mr. Selnick and Mrs. Fishborne cheer when Mrs. Dialfield says that, and they both vote
yea.
I can't blame them for still being sore at Eder and Dr. Wade. I'm still a little sore, too, but I drink my yaupon tea every day, and that helps.

It also helps that Eder donated money to replant the damaged trees, and Dr. Wade made a small donation to the Protect the Baldies fund. The mainland sheriff asked me what I thought about it, and I said it seemed like a step in the right direction to me.

Dad works construction with the Hatterasks like he did when we first moved here—before he earned people's trust enough to give readings. We've come to this moment again, only now I'm the one earning trust.

I can't give readings to those who want them most, because those of us whose houses burned don't have keys yet. But I go around visiting people anyway. If they have a problem or a question, I try to help them. Mostly I listen, then I repeat the vision I had holding Mrs. Borse's key. I tell them how I
saw
our houses rebuilt. This is enough to make people happy. Dad says I'm doing a good job. I'm giving people the courage to face what lies ahead.

This is the Holden way.

The other day, Gomez handed me his father's key because, for once, their house was spared. He wanted a reading. I was proud to give it, because I'm not mad at him anymore.

I've decided being a dingbatter or not being a dingbatter doesn't have anything to do with how long I've lived here or how much tea I drink. I'm not sure exactly what it has to do with, but this is
our
island, and I have hope for our future. And that is all I
know.

 

 

 

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book was initially inspired by Marisol, a dog who went missing. She belonged to my dear friend Anindita Sempre, whose faith that her dog would return to her knew no bounds. I have Anindita to thank for Spirit's faith in Sky and the baldies.

I have the magical Outer Banks of North Carolina to thank for inspiring Spirit's home of Bald Island. Bald Island is a fictional place, but I drew so much from the very real magic of the Banks.

Heartfelt thanks to the Ladybugs: Bridget Casey, Kristi Olson, and Hannah Hudson. You've been with me since the beginning, faithfully reading and critiquing nearly every piece of fiction I've ever written. I can't imagine my writing life without you. Even three thousand miles away, you give me wings, every day.

Thank you to Cecil Castellucci, who taught me that magic should have consequences and who, along with Sherri Smith, gave thoughtful notes on early pages.

I owe tremendous gratitude to Nova Ren Suma and her Media Bistro class. Nova asked all the right questions. I will be forever thankful to her for showing me how to outline. She helped me realize I could write some, outline some. For me, this back-and-forth was the key. I also owe a special shout-out to classmate Tara Oliveri, who asked all the right dog questions, forcing me to clarify what I wanted to say about communicating with animals.

Incredible thanks to the Highlights Foundation Workshop and my reader Rita Williams-Garcia. I pushed to finish this novel and make it worthy because I knew Rita Williams-Garcia (!) was going to read it. I will forever cherish the letter she wrote me, and especially thank her for pointing out that I could do more with Spirit's sense of smell. I'm also grateful to technical difficulties and the circumstances that led Rita to give Sara Crowe the first twenty pages of this book. I didn't think it was possible for two such amazing people to love my book in the same week, but the stars aligned. Sara is the best agent Spirit and I could ask for. She doesn't waste a second, and she found us the perfect editor.

Every writer dreams of having an editor like Susan Dobinick. Susan is that second pair of eyes with a sixth sense for what you're trying to do and where you're trying to go. She
knows
my book like Sky knows the woods, and her navigation has made the process more fun than work. She has a talent for asking that special question each round—the one that lets me dive into the magic of adding a new piece to the story, the one that gets me
excited
about doing another revision. It's been a heck of a lot of fun playing manuscript catch with her. And I couldn't ask for a better home for Spirit's story.

I'm extremely grateful for the support the book has found at FSG. Particular thanks to Joy Peskin, Kathryn Little, and Kristin Brophy for championing it and gratitude to Janet Renard and Karla Reganold for their marvelous copyediting talents. My adoration to Andrew Arnold and Eliza Wheeler for the mysterious and spooky cover, which couldn't more perfectly capture Spirit and Sky's adventures. Hugs to those who work so hard to get the word out about
Spirit's Key
: my publicist Brittany Pearlman and Lucy Del Priore and the rest of the school and library marketing team. And a giant kiss for Simon Boughton who made me a published author and was sweet enough to say he was the lucky one.

Enormous appreciation to critique partners Demetra Brodsky, Julia Collard, and Miguel Camnitzer. Spirit's story was shaped by your notes and enthusiasm. Extra thanks to Julia for her wondrous illustration talents. She created the lovely Bald Island map and
Spirit's Key
promo images that appear on my Web site. She also hosts spreadsheet-perfect writing retreats, gathering together Leigh Bardugo, Jennifer Bosworth, Sara Wilson Etienne, Abby McDonald, Gretchen McNeil, Nadine Nettmann, and Jennifer Gray Olson. Thank you to all the aforementioned ladies for friendship, laughs, and shenanigans. I'm glad to have you girls in my pack.

Love and thank-yous to my newest pack and critique group: Rita Crayon, Lori Snyder, and Frances Sackett. Our sisterhood has been such a
great
gift and your notes a
great
rope opening the door to a better book.

And thanks to Amanda Hollander, who was a reader and a fan when I needed it.

I would be lost without the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, an organization that has provided me invaluable educational conferences and friends.

Thank you to my mother for reading great children's books to me when I was little, and to all my family for their love and support over the years. Special thanks to my husband, Jer, who helped me imagine that being an author could be a real possibility. Without you, it might have stayed a dream. Instead, I'm living its sister, a miracle.

 

Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers

175 Fifth Avenue, New York 10010

 

Text copyright © 2014 by Edith Cohn

 

All rights reserved

First hardcover edition, 2014

eBook edition, September 2014

 

mackids.com

 

eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected]

 

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Cohn, Edith.

    Spirit's key / Edith Cohn. — First edition.

        pages cm

    Summary: Having finally developed the psychic ability her father has used to provide for them, twelve-year-old Spirit Holden, aided by the ghost of her beloved dog Sky, investigates the mystery of why wild dogs are dying on their remote island.

    ISBN 978-0-374-30011-1 (hardback)

    ISBN 978-0-374-30012-8 (ebook)

    [1.  Psychic ability—Fiction.   2.  Dogs—Fiction.   3.  Animal ghosts—Fiction.   4.  Single-parent families—Fiction.   5.  Fathers and daughters—Fiction.   6.  Islands—Fiction.   7.  Mystery and detective stories.]   I.  Title.

PZ7.C66493Spi 2014

[Fic]—dc23

2014012867

 

eISBN 9780374300128