Keeping Holiday (22 page)

The shepherd cleared his throat, stood up straight, and recited:

“You don’t have to find the Founder; he’s found you.
When the Founder finds you, he makes you a finder too.”

Everyone responded with absolute silence. Then the shepherd winked. “It
rhymes!”
he announced, and the whole crowd, not least of all Dylan, exploded in laughter. Dylan laughed and laughed, until he could no longer breathe. He looked over at Clare who was holding her sides, doubled over. The gatekeeper was wiping tears of laughter from his face while even the candlemaker had set down his candle because he was shaking uncontrollably. The laughter went on, peal after peal, with no one in any hurry to stop.

When Dylan finally gained control of himself, he saw the shepherd smiling at him. “Look at your pass,” he said. Dylan pulled the green visitor’s pass from his pocket. Dylan had no idea how or when it had happened, but words had been stamped across his pass. He read, “Permanent authorization to keep Holiday all year, in all places, and at all times.”

“Thank you, all of you,” Dylan said. “And now I really must get home.” He turned to Clare. “Let’s go,” he said. “We’ve got to get back to Mom and Dad. They’re going to want to know about this.”