To begin at chapter one click here
Oh! What a Tangled Web
“Sorry I didn’t have a chance to talk to you yesterday,” Daleni says.
“That’s okay. Are you ready for the party?” I can’t even say the word party without thinking of Mrs. Hallovich’s invitations that are burning up the inside of my dresser drawer. Oh! And let’s not forget that smushed miniature birdcage. My whole house could go up in flames because of the mess I’ve made.
Daleni starts talking about the food we’re going to have at the sleepover and all the things she has planned, but I’m not really listening to any of it. My mind is focused on what the heck I’m going to tell her about the last couple of days. And how the heck am I going to invite her, not to mention the M&Ms, to Mrs. Hallovich’s tea party?
“How does that sound, Ella?”
Thankfully I hear my name.
“Sounds great!” I say. “I can’t wait!”
“So tell me. How are things going at Witch House?”
“Willow House,” I correct her without thinking about it. I move on quickly. “They’re fine. Mrs. Hallovich taught us how to play croquet yesterday, and today we had a picnic in the greenhouse.”
“The greenhouse with the poisonous plants and the bird that never dies?”
Oops.
“It’s not that bad. I saw the bird up close today. He’s really pretty.” I’m about to tell her how he sat on my shoulder, but she continues.
“Uh-huh. No more weird things have been happening?”
Where do I even start? She doesn’t know anything about that strange piano lesson or the apartment over the carriage house. My hands are sweaty.
“Nope. Nothing weird today.” And that’s pretty much the truth. Nothing scary happened today. Mrs. H. was strangely nervous down by the pond, but that wasn’t a big deal. It’s not going to be easy for Daleni to forget the stuff I told her the first couple of days. “Mrs. Hallovich has been fixing the place up. It’s not as creepy as it was on Monday.”
“Uh-huh.”
I take a deep breath and go for it. “And she’d like to have you, me, and the M&Ms over for a tea party next Saturday.”
Silence. I’m not breathing. I listen close, to see if I can hear Daleni breathing.
“Is this a joke?” she finally says.
I wipe a sweaty palm on my shorts and change phone hands so I can wipe the other.
“No. It’s not a joke. We can probably stay outside. She has a really nice, backyard, so you guys won’t have to go in the house at all.”
Daleni isn’t responding. I think she’s expecting me to start laughing and say I’m kidding. After about six hours she says, “we can talk to Mandy and Melanie about it tomorrow night. We’ll see what they say.”
I feel like an alien who just invited her human friends back to the mothership.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, to fill up dead air and get off the phone.
“Yeah. See you tomorrow. Bye, Ella.”
“Bye, Daleni.”
I disconnect and lie back on my bed. Phew! There are so many things she doesn’t know about, including the good stuff! She doesn’t know any of the stories Mrs. H. has been telling me about herself and her house. She doesn’t even know about Lep!
I reach under my bed for my diary. I’ve got to talk to somebody. I accidentally pick up the midnight blue journal that Mrs. H. gave me. I haven’t written anything in it yet, and now’s not the time to start. My life is too messy. I replace it and grab the diary. I need to get all these mysteries on paper. I make a list:
1. Rocking chair on front porch
2. Sound of footsteps above kitchen ceiling
3. Dollhouse curtains blow and rocker rocks
4. Someone in hallway outside playroom - sister doll?
5. Carriage house apartment
6. Weird piano lesson
7. How old is Mrs. Hallovich?
8. Who the heck is fixing up the house so fast?
I know there’s more stuff I’m not even thinking of. Daleni should be helping me figure this all out. I need to tell her everything, but not in front of the M&Ms. Maybe I’ll go over there a little early tomorrow. I’ll have to admit to her that I stretched the truth in a few places at the beginning. See! This is why I don’t lie!
For next chapter click here
No comments:
Post a Comment