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Shane was already in the van by the time that Ebony reached the door. When he saw her coming up the front walk, he went into the garage from the house so that Espen could see him go and drove up to where she was and handed her a scrap of paper that had a rough sketch of the house on it, including a door that said “Portal: Do not open!”, his bedtime: 9 o’clock, what was in the fridge and a fleeting:

“Oh, and try to get him to eat something that isn’t junk. He likes simple things, try fish and chips. There’s twenty dollars on the counter for food and I’ll pay you when I get back.” He was reversing now. “Go in through the garage, it’s open! Sorry for the short notice! Thank youuuu!” and with that he and whoever else was in his van, was gone.

The street was open and quiet, it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. A neighbour’s house could be seen down the dirt road in the distance, noticeable only by a faint glow of lights against the nearly fading twilight. Calling the yard spacious was an understatement, and the house, despite being only two floors with a basement, seemed quite chic. From inside the garage, the sound of some movie playing with the sound of a strangely deep and charming voice speaking could be heard.

"Turn back Sarah! Turn back before it's too late!" the suave voice answered.

A head peaked out and upside-down from behind a corner, hair dangling to the ground.
"I can't!" said another girl's voice, "Don't you understand that I can't?"

"Hello!" said the upside down head. "Cannya pwease closa door. Wiffwaff might wrun away." The boys eyes widened at the words, and he bent forward to check something, before looking back at the purple girl in relief.

"What a pitty." said the suave voice.

At the mention of the word "Labyrinth" the boy began to laugh as though somebody was tickling him furiously.

"No silly!" he giggled "I'm watchin' a moovee!" This being only his second movie, Espen didn't know that there were many other types quite yet that all had different names.

The room that Ebony entered had an ocean-blue coat of paint around it and a deep green-blue carpet which had the texture of a blanket. There was a comfortable green couch in front of the television which hung on a wall with two bookcases that looked like seaweed filled with random Earth books, DVDs and VHSs. A fake stone coffee table was in front of the couch, and on it was a bowl of puffed cheese snacks and six unopened cans of pop.

The boy was sitting on the carpet and craning his neck to look up at the screen, instead of sitting on the couch like he should, and watching with awe as a strange looking person began blowing away fairies with a spray-gun. In the boys hands, a white mouse fidgeted slightly before popping out and running towards a stray piece of puffed cheese which was randomly by one of the bookcases.

"Yesh, you may." Espen invited and then decided to scoot himself over closer to the couch to sit next to the girl.

"I'm Espen!" he announced looking up at her from the ground "Who're you?"

Espen's face flashed a look of inexplicable dread for a moment that even he didn't quite understand, and then relaxed again into a serious expression as he tried to find a way to describe exactly where he came from. He spoke quickly, and jumbled his words together accidentally as he did so.

"Vewy dark, vey-ey scawy place. Lotsa weeard peeple comta see me an do weird tings...bu I didn't cwy." Espen lied in his own defense and then smiled up to Ebony and pointed around "I like this house bettah. Ebney like my house too white?"

"But...Espen looks like Espen!" he replied, a little confused as to what Ebony had said. Then a strange thought came into his mind,

"Do I havva twin? Izzat wat's in the door dat I canna go in?!" He said, pointing do a very normal looking door with a big padlock and rushing his words again. "My odther broder says dat's where he come's from, but canna go in no more. Maybe broders come outa dat door ya think?"

Now there was a strange goblin thing on the screen opening a large an ominous door out of a cliff wall.

Espen had never really considered the fact that he was made by somebody, but thinking on it it sorta made perfect sense. He didn't understand how it made sense, but he just knew that it was true for him.

"Wa place did yo fwends come out?" Espen said, then whispered as though it was a private matter "Did sombody make Ebney too?"

"Hmm, mebby I'm from dere too." Espen pondered this silently as he munched away on a few more cheese snacks and smiled peacefully as Ebony played with his hair. He watched the movie for a while, until a dance break was over, which he joined in on, before getting bored and that as long as he had somebody here, it might be more fun to do something together.

Looking up at Ebony, he smiled slyly.

"Does Ebny wanna pway a game?" he asked.