Chapter 10
Gently, he knocked on the door, pushing it hesitantly open when there was no reply but for the sound of the music, the crackle of the record turning slowly, the needle in the groove.
Outside the window, as he pushed open the door, he could see the old apple tree, with its sense of familiarity and belonging, rising up out of the soil, reminding him of where he was, who he was, who he had been, who they all had been. Awkwardly, he stood there on the threshold of Charlie’s bedroom, watching the kid perched on the edge of the bed, a book open in their lap, the large shape of Cassidy sleeping contentedly on the windowsill.
“Hey, kid,” he said softly, hesitantly. “Echo Base, this is Rogue Two, and all that.”
At his side, the yellow plastic bag from Mega-Hits Records on Eleventh an
