The kitchen

When they’d heard Simone speak, Charles desperately tried to scale the piece of straw leading up to the fourth step, Dustin leaned over and extended his hand, as they could both hear the sounds of footfalls like thunder rumbling in the distance but rolling closer.

After helping Charles, Dustin pulled up the straw and laid it at the base of the next step before crouching in the shadows created by the weak light from up above. He motioned for Charles to do the same.

Simone appeared, looming tall and imposing as each stride carried her effortlessly from the hall across what to them was a broad open expanse, coming to stop before the fridge. Pulling the lever to open the white enameled door, she bent at the waist and peered inside. Dustin looked from her to Charles and back. His heart pounded in his chest, fearing any moment she might espy the two tiny figures trying hide in the feeble shadows of the back access stairs.

Suddenly, Simone stood upright, pivoting, “Do you want a lemonade?” she called in the direction of the hall.

“Sure,” came the accented response.

Grasping the pitcher, she turned and closed the door in a single fluid motion with a bump from her hip, and walked toward the counter near the sink. Opening the cupboard, she removed two glasses and poured the opaque yellow liquid into each.

More footfalls. “Everything okay?” Elizabeth asked, appearing in the doorway.

Simone smiled.

Fear tearing at his insides, Charles started to shudder involuntarily.

Holding his own breath, Dustin stared at him, silently willing him to remain calm, remain still.

Simone walked back to the fridge as Elizabeth entered and picked up a glass of lemonade. Simone returned, pausing she walked over to the cup and saucer on the kitchen floor. Crouching down, she inspected the cookie. Looking up at Elizabeth, she smiled. “They’ve been at the cookie,” she said, pointing.

Elizabeth nodded, “Boys and cookies,” she said, taking a sip of her lemonade,”Mmm, good,” she praised.

“I figure we’ll give them a little time to try and find some good hiding spots before we begin in earnest,” Simone said rising back to standing.

“Sounds good,” Elizabeth said. “I hate it when the hunt is too easy, I like the buildup, the tension, so much more rewarding at the end. Hopefully these lads will give us a good one.”

“Absolutely,” Simone agreed. “Let’s retire to the parlor whilst our tiny guests sort themselves out,” she suggested, moving off in that direction. Elizabeth smiled and followed.

Sitting down on the chair, Elizabeth took up a spot on the divan.

Dustin and Charles

Once the women had departed the kitchen, Dustin sprang into action, pulling the straw back up and setting it in place.

“I’m so scared right now,” Charles said shakily.

“Get yourself together Charles, we can’t stay here, you know that,” Dustin urged, but Charles didn’t move. “C’mon!” growled Dustin, walking over and seizing Charles by the arm, dragging him over to the straw. “We’ve got like another fifteen stairs to go.”

Charles grabbed a hold of the straw and began to climb, Dustin pushing him to try and hurry him. Step after step, Dustin drove them relentlessly. But once they turned the corner at the midpoint landing, Dustin allowed them to relax the pace somewhat. He knew the higher the got, the more likely they might have been noticed as they moved across the women’s natural site line should either of them wander back into the kitchen. “Okay take a minute,” he said, mopping sweat from his own brow.

Charles leaned against the wall and allowed himself to slide down.

“Halfway,” Dustin said, looking up at the second flight.

Charles gave him a thumb’s up, muscles aching.

“Who do you think Elizabeth is?” Charles asked.

“I don’t know,” Dustin said. “I can’t place her accent.”

“Like possibly another vampire?”

Dustin let out a sigh, “It’s totally light out right now.”

“They could be daywalkers,” Charles postulated.

“If they were vampires, why would they make us small? Now we probably have less blood in us than one of the little creamers they use for coffee. If I were a vampire, I would think more blood would be better,” Dustin rationalized, “Instead of two little juice cartons.”

“That does make sense,” Charles acknowledged. “What about the guy who does evil stuff but his painting is the one that suffers while he stays young?”

“The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Wilde, hmm,” Dustin said, looking over at Charles. “That’s an interesting notion,” he said, nodding, “Except the image in the painting suffers the ravages of Dorian’s hedonistic lifestyle, and here, the image of Simonetta is unaltered. Good theory though.”

“So basically we might be dealing with some type of black magic,” Charles said.

Dustin nodded, “That’ll work. You ready to get going again?”

Charles nodded.

Setting up the makeshift climbing device, Dustin motioned Charles over. The smaller boy groaned and pushed himself to standing.

Hide and seek

“I think that is an adequate head start,” Simone said, setting her glass of half-finished lemonade on a coaster on the table beside the chair.

“Did you have a strategy?” Elizabeth asked, finishing her lemonade.

“Charles and Dustin are down here, I thought we might start off with them then move upstairs,” Simone said with a smile.

Elizabeth nodded, big smile on her pretty face. “Where to start?”

“I left Charles in this room, Dustin in the hall, I think we should start here and move through each room one by one,” Simone replied.

“I think it would be good to look together, that way we can savor the prey together as we find them,” suggested Elizabeth.

Simone nodded and smiled. Getting down off the chair, she lowered herself to the ground, peering around at floor level for any sign of a little one. “Are you still in this room Charles?” she asked playfully, pulling up the skirt on the chesterfield and peeking underneath.

Elizabeth moved over closer to the door, and got down on her knees, bottom on her heels, hands in her lap as she watched Simone try to flush out one of the boys.

Searching each piece of furniture. Ensuring there were no holes or other places to stash themselves, Simone leaned back. “Not in this room,” she said, hands on shapely hips.

In the next room, the library-cum- office, Simone positioned herself near the door while Elizabeth served as the beater, to startle the boys into running.

Peering under the antique desk, Elizabeth turned back and asked, “Do you have a flashlight?”

“I have one in my night table upstairs,” Simone said. “I’ll get it,” she said, hopping up to her feet. Elizabeth could hear Simone’s footstep as the blonde haired woman raced up the front set of stairs and down the hall to her room.

Simone, sitting with her butt against the side of her king-sized bed, pulled open the drawer of the night table and took out the small hand held light. Closing the drawer, she turned to look over her shoulder at the little plate on the ground. Walking over, she picked it up and smiled, noting where John and Blake had eaten some of it.

Carrying the saucer in one hand, the flashlight in the other, she descended the back stairs and into the kitchen, where she set the saucer at the edge of the sink. Returning to the office, she handed the penlight to Elizabeth.

“The little ones upstairs have been nibbling on their cookie as well,” Simone said.

“Did all four get the elixir?” Elizabeth asked, leaning forward and shining the penlight into some of the darker recess under the desk.

Simone laughed. “I told them it was tea, and I’m pretty sure they all had some of it. It should make them all a little more hardy,” she said, crouching down near the door.

Elizabeth smiled and nodded, “They can be so delicate,” she said.

“Butterfly wings,” Simone said. “The elixir will help some, probably more so with Charles and Dustin, the other two are in relatively decent physical condition.”

“Okay,” replied Elizabeth.

As before, no trace of either boy was found. They systematically searched almost every room on the ground floor, meticulously exploring every nook and cranny that might serve as a potential hiding spot. The only places on the ground floor unexplored were the enclosed porch and the kitchen.

Reunited

They had made it to the second to last step when they had heard the sounds of heavy footsteps rapidly approaching. Dustin motioned for Charles to pull himself back into the corner of the step where it met the wall.

The gigantic bare foot dropped right in front of Dustin’s face, the sound of it crashing in his ears as she quickly passed over and by him on her way down the stairs. It had been close enough he actually felt the air disturbance as it came down.

They watched as Simone descended the stairs down into the kitchen, saucer in one hand, something else in the other.

“We better hurry,” Dustin said, a measure of urgency in his voice.

Charles nodded. Propelled by fear of the close calamity, the final two steps were quickly conquered. There was very little cover to hide them in the long hallway. Staying close to the wall they ran toward the first door.

Peeking around the corner, “You watch the door,” Dustin said to Charles as he entered. “John! Blake!” he called, looking for a response.

“Dustin?” he heard John ask, voice sounding distant.

Dustin turned to Charles, “Over this way,” he said, motioning. Charles ran over and join him as they moved under the bed. On the other side, crawling out from under the far night table, they could see first John, then Blake.

“Holy fuck, am I glad to see you guys!” John exclaimed.

“Same,” said Dustin, clapping first Blake then John on the shoulder.

“No hugs,” Charles said, holding his hands up.

“How’d you guys get up the stairs?” John asked.

Charles laughed. “Dustin used a piece of straw from a corn broom. We still have it near the back stairs,” he advised.

“Fucking Dustin,” laughed Blake.

“So what do we do now?” asked Charles.

“Stay out of sight, for one,” replied John. Turning to Dustin, he asked, “You got a plan?”

Dustin laughed. “Right now I think they’re searching downstairs. If we can hear them coming up the front set of stairs, we might be able to use the piece of straw to get back down the stairs to the bottom floor.”

“That’s a long run,” John said, looking back to Blake, then Charles, knowing neither of them were strong runners.

Dustin nodded, “Or we can try and find a good hiding place up here stay put, hope for the best.”

“There was a good spot in the bathroom, the tub has clawed feet, might be a good place to hide out,” Blake said, looking to Dustin and Charles.

Dustin looked around. “This the master bedroom?” he asked. John nodded. “Why’d you guys hide in here, she probably spend more time in here than any other room,” he said.

“That was my point,” Blake responded. “That’s why I thought the bathroom would be a good place.”

“Dude, I told you, I don’t think it’s a good place,” John said.

“I think it is, better than here in her fucking room,” Blake replied. “You make one sound, she’ll find you. I thought we were done for when she barged in here,” he added.

“I don’t think any place is safe to hide,” Dustin said.

Blake turned to Charles, “At least while they’re downstairs, come check it out,” he invited.

John shook his head, “Waste of time,” he said.

“Well what the fuck am I supposed to do, hey?” Blake snapped back, pushing John in the chest.

“You better watch who you push!” John growled, eyes narrowing.

“Fuck you!” Blake said vehemently.

Dustin stepped between the two, a hand on each of their chests. “Listen, the whole situation is nuts and the last thing we need is to be going at each other.” Turning to Blake, “Why don’t you show Charles the place you’re thinking of and John and I can scout around in here, at least until cooler heads prevail,” he suggested.

“C’mon Charles,” Blake said, eyes still full of menace. Together they left the room.

“What was that about?” Dustin asked.

“Fuck, man. I woke up in the bathroom, it might be good for one of us, maybe two, but they get down low, and they going to see you, he doesn’t seem to get that,” John explained.

“We’re all on edge right now, trying to figure out what’s what, you know. He’s scared, just like all of us,” Dustin said.

John lowered his head, abashed.