The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim (the mitten read aloud .TXT) 📗

Be good, you hear, unless you dare;

Don’t let him see your deepest fear;

The dokkaebi may take a bite.

I shudder. What would a creature like that demand as payment for conjuring the last fallen star?

“Even if we wanted to consult a dokkaebi,” I start, “which I’m not sure I do, where would we find one?” Everyone knows you don’t go looking for a dokkaebi. They come looking for you.

“Well, actually,” Mr. Pyo mumbles from the pavement, where he’s still huddled in a ball, “there’s a guest room at the temple. Room forty-four on level forty-four. My sources tell me a dokkaebi has been lodging there for some years now. No key is required, because he never locks the door. But that’s because no one in their right mind dares to enter. If you fall asleep in there, you may never come out again.”

Everyone frowns at him. It seems a little convenient that he happens to know this.

“And why should we trust you?” Taeyo asks.

Mr. Pyo rubs his shoulder where Areum’s claws poked through his shirt. “Believe it or not, I don’t want goddesses roaming the Mortalrealm any more than you all do.”

It’s not a bad answer. And considering Hattie’s rotting heart, time is of the essence. I look around, and it’s clear everyone is thinking the same thing. We’ll have to take a leap of faith. Even if it means facing our deepest fears.

“Well, what are we waiting for, then?” Emmett says, already halfway inside Eomma’s SUV with Boris in his arms. “Get those butts moving, people!”

Leaving Mr. Pyo drenched and dejected on the pavement, we make for the temple.

Eomma drops Auntie Okja at Tokki Elder Lee’s place to grab some sleep potion. The infusers call the mixture Knock-Out Juice, because it sends you into a deep slumber within seconds of swallowing. My parents sometimes use it at the clinic for saram patients who are extra suspicious about our methods. Add a few drops into their tea, and bam, they’re not complaining anymore.

Auntie Okja meets us at the temple, and my parents, Emmett, the scholars, Areum, and I assemble near the elevators. We haven’t discussed it yet, but there’s a gigantic elephant among us. Who’s going to be the one to step into room 44 and drink the potion in order to meet the dokkaebi? Who is willing to confront their deepest fears in exchange for the last fallen star?

As soon as we jump into the elevator, my eomma clears her throat. “I know this situation could affect the fate of all mortalkind, but it is first and foremost a rescue mission for my daughter. So I’d like to be the one to face the dokkaebi, and I hope everyone can respect that.”

“No, I’ll do it,” Appa says, his forehead creasing into a maze.

“No, I will,” I say. “I’m the one that created this entire mess. Let me be the one to fix it.”

Eomma and Appa both shake their heads adamantly.

“No. Not a chance.”

“Don’t even dream of it!”

By the time the elevator bell dings for level 44, everyone (except Areum and Boris) has volunteered for the mission at least once, and we are no closer to deciding who will be going under.

Eomma gets frustrated and snatches the vial of Knock-Out Juice from Auntie Okja. Her perm is frizzing up like she’s been plugged into an outlet. “The potion is in my hand now, so the decision is mine. And I’ve decided that I’ll be the one to do it. End of discussion.”

She makes a zipping motion over her mouth, and everyone mutters but doesn’t argue. I know why Eomma has volunteered. She wants to save Hattie herself, to make sure her daughter comes home safely. And as much as I want to right my wrongs, I don’t argue anymore. I’d probably just mess up the rescue mission. After all, I’m the one who got Hattie into trouble in the first place. As much as I hate to admit it, letting Eomma do it is in Hattie’s best interest.

“Fine,” Auntie Okja finally says, also relenting. “But let’s go over the rules of engagement.”

We all huddle outside room 44 and agree on the details until the plan of attack is clear:

(1) Eomma, Appa, Areum, and I will enter the room together, while everyone else waits safely outside.

(2) Eomma will take the potion while Appa and I watch over her body.

(3) If Eomma looks like she’s in trouble, we’ll wake her up immediately.

(4) If at any point there are worrying noises coming from the room, the outside team will enter with expediency.

(5) No one will spend a second longer than they need to in that room.

“Please be careful,” Auntie Okja says to Eomma. “All of you.”

“And remember to call out if you need help,” Sora adds. “We’re just on the other side of this door.”

Eomma, Appa, and I steel ourselves. And then, on the count of three, we all burst into room 44 together, with Areum on my shoulder.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, it wasn’t this. The plain room has a king-size bed in the middle and identical nightstands on either side, each with a tassel-shaded lamp. The lights are dim, and there’s a weird haze in the air. Except for that, there’s nothing else inside. There isn’t even a bathroom, which is a nightmare of its own. And there’s no dokkaebi to be seen.

We all exhale together, and even Areum looks relieved.

Eomma sits in the middle of the bed with her legs stretched out in front of her. “All right, I’m ready.” She steels herself, looking just like Hattie when she makes her boss face. And suddenly, I miss my sister so much, my stomach aches.

Appa kisses her on the head. “Bring back our daughter, Eunha. We will be waiting for you right here.”

We fan ourselves around the bed as Eomma says a quick prayer to Mago Halmi. Then she opens the vial and swigs its contents. Immediately, she drops onto her back and falls into