Summerhill Read Free Page A

look like this.”
    The woman sighed. “Let me try again, then, sir,” she said, and once more she stared him down through the high-tech monocle. A moment later, she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, but I don’t have you in my database.”
    The dog leaned forward and pointed at the electronic clipboard. “My name ought to be on the guest list,” he said. “I’m Summerhill. Try looking under ‘S.’”
    As if insulted that he was even trying this, the woman arched an eyebrow, then sighed again, louder. “Mr. Summerhill,” she murmured, flicking her finger across the flat screen as she scrolled through a list of names. “I’m sorry, sir, but I’m still not finding you.”
    “Well, that’s strange,” Summerhill said. “I mean, if I wasn’t invited, how else did I get here?”
    A clever gleam appeared in the hostess’ eye as the monocle disappeared from view. “Excellent question, sir,” she said, her voice quieter, but also sharper. “Care to tell me?”
    Telling her was absolutely out of the question. Not only would it be foolish to admit guilt, she probably wouldn’t believe that he’d simply walked into the distance until ending up in the middle of nowhere, even though it was true. “You’re not accusing me of being a stowaway, surely?” Maybe he could buy himself some time and some brilliant idea would come to him. Maybe.
    The hostess tapped one of her earrings, and a small earpiece appeared, in the same manner that the monocle had. “Security,” she said. “This is Katherine. I’m in the ballroom, and I—”
    Summerhill felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes going wide and his fur standing on end. The name shot to the front of his mind, spelling itself out in brilliant blue letters on the inside of his eyelids when he blinked. “Wait,” he blurted. “ You’re Katherine?”
    Katherine rolled her eyes. “Nice try,” she muttered to him before resuming her report to Security. “I’m in the ballroom,” she repeated, but before she could finish that statement, Summerhill reached out and grabbed her arm.
    “Hold on,” he begged. “Please, I really do need to talk to you. I just need a minute to explain myself.” This was Katherine. She was real.
    For several seconds, Katherine was quiet as she searched Summerhill’s eyes. Her businesslike demeanor and serious gaze didn’t falter at all, but when she spoke again, she said, “Security, belay that. Ident scan checks out; false alarm.” Her fingers brushed her earring again, and the communication device disappeared.
    She set both hands on her hips. “Right, then,” she said. “You’ve got one minute before I get back on the line to Security, Mr. Summerhill. Make it good.”
    Summerhill took a deep breath and paced back and forth, rubbing his hand-like paws together. “Okay. Now, fair warning, this is going to sound pretty strange.”
    “I’m Chief Hostess of the Nusquam ,” Katherine countered. “Try me.”
    The dog chuckled. “Right,” he said. Oh, this was going to sound stupid. “So, the gist of it is that I was told that I needed to find you.”
    Katherine raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What for?”
    “That’s the thing,” Summerhill said. “It depends on whether or not you know the person who sent me.”
    “Well, who sent you, then?”
    Summerhill looked down at the floor. “It’s a long story,” he said. “Or, well, actually, I’m not sure if it’s a long story or not. I’m not sure how long of a story it is.”
    “Mr. Summerhill,” Katherine said with an exasperated growl, “I really don’t have time for this. If there’s something you need to tell me, give me the short version so I can figure out what the hell to do with you.”
    “I think I sent me.”
    One
    Oblivion
    Summerhill lived in the World of the Pale Gray Sky.
    The World of the Pale Gray Sky was a quiet place, mainly because Summerhill was the only person who lived there. This didn’t strike him as weird, though—not until he started coming