The Lost Story

by Meg Shaffer

Emilie and her mom had planned to see them, but they’d never made the time. And then, of course, there was no more time to make.

“Stevie Nicks transcends space and time,”

“It’s called ‘searching behavior,’ ” he said. “People who lose someone will find themselves walking for miles or driving for hours…Lots of theories on why. I think it’s guilt. Misplaced usually. We think we should have been able to stop it, but we can’t. Even after they’re gone, your body keeps trying to do something to help even though you can’t.”

“Fair warning. Things are about to get very weird.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Rafe told her. “He pulls out the dead dad card whenever he wants pity.” Jeremy, shameless, only grinned. “Hey, it works. You can get your membership card now too.”

“Unisex?” “Like a T-shirt. Fits both men and women. Plus, T-shirts are tops.”

Put your heart where you want your arrow, son, Put your heart there first, then aim for your own heart.

“I thought I heard someone call my name,” she said. Jeremy smiled. “Better go and answer them.”

Jeremy said, “Ready? Steady? Go.”

In an infinite universe, all stories were true stories.

Joy is quieter than people think it is. Especially the joy of getting back something you thought was lost forever.”

“You lose the moon the same way you lose hope,” she said. “One day, you look up, and it’s gone.”

And then Sir Jeremy proceeded—very gallantly, of course—to make Prince Rafe forget his name.

He is the paper in Jeremy’s hands. He is torn into pieces and barely held together by invisible tape.

“There’s something I remembered that you forgot. I was lost. That day we met? The day you saw me drawing my stupid coyote in my notebook? I was already so lost. If you hadn’t found me, I could’ve ended up just like my father. Do you understand that? And remember you said you could always sense where I was because deep down I knew I belonged here, that this was home. That’s not why. I wasn’t lost because I wasn’t here. I was lost because I’m lost without you. All this time, I’ve been lost without you, and you were the only one who could ever find me. And if you die, I will be lost forever.”