Jacobs Ladder ★ Free Access

Leo touched the lowest rung. It was cold and dry, like bone in shade. When he put his weight on it, the ladder didn’t creak. Instead, he heard Maya’s laugh—not a recording, but the actual, live sound of it, rising up through his own chest.

And there, sitting on the edge of his bed, was Maya. Solid. Warm. Holding a glass of water. Jacobs Ladder

He grabbed her wrist. Felt her pulse.

She set down the water and pulled a crumpled drawing from her hoodie pocket. A dragon. Beneath it, in wobbly marker: For Leo. The best brother who ever learned how to say sorry. Leo touched the lowest rung

He doesn’t look up.

Above: nothing. Just the end of the ladder and a drop into a white haze. Instead, he heard Maya’s laugh—not a recording, but