backforthmenu It Rises in the East. Knock, knock. Emmet and I both jump to answer the door. It’s 6:30pm in San Pedro. It’s Issac, the ghost boy from across the alley. “Hey. Is Emmet home?” “Hi, Issac.” He’s a 5 year-old, slightly chubby in mis-matched clothes and dirty face. He has with him, a worked skateboard circa 1983 and a little sister, 3, who still talks in jibberish. “Can he come out to play?” Em looks up at me. I shake my head “Well, no, we’re going to eat in a little while, Issac. Sorry.” “Yeah, sorry Issac, we’re going to eat in a little while,” Emmet repeats. The boy is not sure how to respond. He looks up at me and asks, “Have you ever seen a sunrise?” I’m caught. What the hell is he getting at? “A few.” I answer. “Yeah? Well...” he pauses. “I’ve seen... TWENTY!” and turns away. His little sister just smiles like she does, and follows him. We close the door. 3/22/00