Out of the horrible box - free! Someone was holding her… Mack… Mack was holding her in his arms, her face against the softness of his flannel shirt. Hannah's eyes struggled to focus. Slowly, the milky cloudiness disappeared as realization dawned. As it did, the sensation of being trapped in the long, narrow wooden box returned in vivid detail. Hannah began shaking violently. Covering her eyes with both hands, she began to moan. "It's okay, Hannah, it's okay," Mack murmured. "You're out of there now, you're safe, it's okay." None of which did any good. Hannah continued to writhe and moan. Lewis arrived with Ms. Quick in tow, followed closely by the conductor. Their faces registered hope that Lewis's jumbled story involved only a cruel prank, a joke.That hope vanished when they saw the state Hannah was in. "Goodness!" the teacher cried, hurrying to Mack's side. "Look at her! This is not funny!" She fixed a steely gaze on Mack. "What's been going on in here?" "Someone shut her in there," Mack said, pointing to the haw-closed coffin.
