Leapholes (2006) by James Grippando Page A

apple to fall on your head. You have to think like a lawyer. We understand better than anyone that laws are fluid."
    "Laws of magic, huh? That must be the most popular course in college. Right up there with Fairy Godmothers 101."
    Again, Hezekiah smiled. "You're definitely not ready for the whole leaphole enchilada."
    "You're definitely right."
    "But you're in luck, my boy. Leapholes work whether you believe in magic or not."
    "Thanks to the computer," said Ryan, still skeptical.
    "If that makes you feel more comfortable, then sure. It's the computer. Or is it magic? Only the members of the Society know for sure. The good news for you is that it doesn't matter.
    You get to go along for the ride and decide for yourself. Ready?"
    "Sure," said Ryan.
    "Good. Let's give it a go."
    "You mean we do it right here?"
    "Yes, of course."
    "But you said we need a staging area where human movements are constrained as little as possible."
    "You're thinking too narrowly when I speak of human movements. Human movement includes the imagination. That makes the library a perfect staging area. Nowhere is the imagination less constrained than in a library."
    Ryan studied the man's expression. Hezekiah was genuinely excited. On one level, Ryan thought this had to be a joke. But if it was a joke, Hezekiah was one heck of a good actor.
    "All right," said Ryan. I'll play along. I'll go on your little computer trip."
    "That's my boy," said Hezekiah. He hopped to his feet and took Ryan by the hand. "Come now. Quickly. Get ready for the journey of a lifetime!"

    Chapter 13
    Ryan followed Hezekiah up and down the stairs in the library. Every now and then, the old man would stop, pull a book down from the shelf, and tuck it under his arm. When he had collected all the books he could carry, he looked at Ryan and said, "This way."
    "Where are we going?"
    He smiled and patted his stack of books. "Wherever we want."
    Hezekiah led him to a conference room, and he laid the books on the table, one next to the other. It was an assortment of law books, some so old that the bindings cracked when Hezekiah opened them. Others were not quite so old. When he had each book opened to the selected page, he stepped back to make sure that everything was in order. He seemed satisfied. Then he went to a large closet in the back of the conference room and brought out a helmet. It looked a lot like the protective headgear that Ryan wore in his BMX races. It had a big plastic shell that covered the entire head. A dark reflective visor covered the face.
    "You'll need to wear this," said Hezekiah. "It creates your virtual legal environment."
    Ryan had seen gizmos like this in game rooms, so it made sense. "You want me to put this on now?"
    "No, not yet." Hezekiah went to the other side of the room. There was a large glass jar on the very top shelf. He reached up and brought it down with great care. Gently, he placed the jar on the table amidst the open books.
    "What's that?" asked Ryan.
    Without saying a word, Hezekiah opened the jar and laid the lid aside. He reached inside and removed something that looked like a metal bracelet. It was just the right size to fit around a person's wrist, except that it wouldn't have been very comfortable to wear. It had a certain thickness to it, but it was perfectly flat, as if a steamroller had gone over it. If anyone tried to wear it, the edges would dig into the wrist bones.
    Hezekiah held it before Ryan's eyes and said, "This is a leaphole."
    "Looks more like jewelry for my baby sister's Woodkin dolls," said Ryan.
    Hezekiah took, aim at one of the open books on the table. He held the leaphole in his right hand, directly above the book. Then he let go. It dropped onto the open page below, landing with a thud.
    Ryan's gaze was fixed on the leaphole, partly because he was curious, but mostly because Hezekiah was staring at it so intently that Ryan had to watch. He was expecting something exciting to happen. Instead, the leaphole just lay there,