* * * * *

The three of us huddled to the left of the closet door as it slid open. And, we realized our worst fears when we recognized Courtney's voice.

"Yoohoo! It's me, boys. I've come to get you ready for your deb..."

She gasped at seeing the birdcage empty. Which we subsequently took as our cue to make a break for it. And, of course, she caught our movement out of the corner of her eye.

"You little shits! Get back here!"

You know something? That's the one thing I had always found unintentionally funny about most crime dramas on TV. A kidnap victim is going to be killed; he/she makes a bid for escape; and the would-be killer orders them to return as if he seriously expects them to obey! So, naturally, we were just as disobedient.

Courtney quickly removed her sweatsuit jacket, and tried to net us en masse with it. But, she only succeeded in doing so with Ted. Diego and I managed to scramble beneath her bed. With him, climbing up the right leg of the footboard towards the box-spring mattress. While I high-tailed it towards the wall behind the headboard!

Hiding behind its left leg, I debated my next move. Crawl up into the box-spring, like Diego? Or, hide under the rug before she moved the bed away from the wall?


I was spared any further effort at deciding which was the less dubious evil by an unexpected development. Namely; the kicking open of Courtney's bedroom door!

"What the...? What are you....mmmmmmmmmmph!?"

Two seconds later, Courtney slumped to the floor, her mouth covered by a grayish-gloved hand holding a white handkerchief. One laced with chloroform, by the smell of it! Then, I saw the owner of that hand.

It was the foam-rubber head of Uga, the Georgia Bulldog mascot.

tbc