Playing with Fire, page 21
She told her tale, more quickly than she’d done with him, but time was short.
Still, she covered everything—her mother’s decline, inheriting the wardrobe, the dreams, the chance encounter with Dr. Esfahani at the museum, finding the wardrobe’s secret compartments, reading some of the papers, conducting the ritual and summoning a monster in a moment of weakness—or inspiration... she still wasn’t sure—her father’s fall, making tea and finding that she’d made much more than tea, fighting the beast with Eric, and the little creature’s mysterious final words.
Dr. Esfahani listened silently. At times it looked as if she would speak, but she didn’t. Whether out of respect for Lotte’s request, or simply due to an utter lack of words that could convey her thoughts, Eric couldn’t determine. Silent, however, she remained, until Lotte ran out of tale to tell.
“Would you like more water?” Lotte asked, more to break the spell she seemed to have cast on Dr. Esfahani than the perceived need for something more to drink. As hoped, the words initiated a response.
“Can I see the artifacts?” she asked, with wonder and hunger in her voice.
“Of course, come upstairs.” Lotte again helped Eric navigate back to the second floor.
His legs throbbed and felt stiff, and he wondered how he’d explain this to his parents.
Well, I was carrying this bucket of water, when all of a sudden.... That pretty much sucks, but it may be the best I can come up with.
Upon reaching the bedroom, she guided him to one of the red-cushioned wooden chairs, then walked over and stepped up onto the white marble platform of the wardrobe. Carefully, she carefully lifted a portion of the comforter to reveal a section of frame, but kept the mirror concealed.
“Allahu Akbar,” Dr. Esfahani whispered, approaching the platform to get a better look at the carved streaks of Fire Quartz. “This is richer than any Alkuartiz Alnaar I’ve ever seen. These must have been the most desirable pieces—and the most powerful.”
Lotte released the comforter, again fully concealing the frame. She opened the right closet, revealing the shallow bowls still containing wax from the melted candles, and pulled out the black marble slab from its hiding space. Dr. Esfahani examined all these items with equal amazement. Finally, Lotte took her to the walk-in closet.
Eric reluctantly limped behind, not wanting to miss the action.
Once shown the contents of the room, Dr. Esfahani wandered silently, glancing at the index sheets and inspecting some of the leather folders on the shelves. She examined the rolled-up chart near the final Morocco file, and her eyes went wide.
“This is original,” she said with amazement. “It’s priceless, as are all the artifacts in your bedroom. This is delicate and should be put safely away.” She rose and again surveyed the room. After another long period of silence she turned and spoke. “What do you plan to do now, Lotte, and what do you want from me?”
Lotte approached and looked her in the eye. “I want to try again to summon the creature. I want to find out what it wants, and give it what it needs that will make it go away for good. I want to do it properly, though, and I feel there’s information I’m missing—pieces, like a puzzle that I haven’t put together. I can’t figure it all out on my own, and I know the consequences could be terrible if I fail. I fear destroying the mirror and risk being stuck with these dreams in my mind for the rest of my life. I’ll go mad. So, I want to try. I sense I must, but I’d feel more confident if I had your help.”
I would too. Eric held his breath.
Dr. Esfahani considered. For long moments she again wordlessly wandered the small room. Periodically, she perused various folders and files, deep in thought. Several times it appeared as if she would ask a question, but each time the words seemed to die on her lips. Ever so slowly, a look of resolve formed on her face. She bit her lower lip as she returned her gaze to Lotte and Eric.
“I’ll need access to all this,” she quietly said, opening her arms wide with palms outstretched to indicate the closet’s contents. “I make no promises, Lotte. If I can’t find the puzzle pieces you seek and feel it’s too dangerous to try what you’re proposing, I’m going to report this find and turn it over to others.”
Lotte gave a slight gasp and Eric felt his chest tighten. This was exactly what they’d feared, and why they perceived such risk involving anyone else.
“But that’s a last resort,” she continued, her words breaking some of the tension. “This creature is dangerous, and powerful. Getting free accidentally is one thing. In the wrong hands, however, it could be used for... terrible purposes.”
Again, she paused and gazed, wide-eyed, around the room. “Yes, selfish purposes. The fewer people who know of its existence, the better. So, I agree with you, Lotte. We need to try, but first we need to know everything we can about what happened, and about this entity, so it can be controlled.”
“The papers are yours to study,” she gratefully replied. “No one is more qualified than you to gather and interpret the information they might contain. No one is better prepared to make the right decision. This is why I called you. This is why we need you—why you’re here.”
All three occupants of the walk-in closet stared deeply at one another, as if their lives depended on what they saw. In all likelihood, they did.
“Lotte, how long will your father be in the hospital?”
“Several days. He had a bad fall. He may even need to go to another hospital in Wore-ses-tear to be evaluated.”
Dr. Esfahani stared in confusion.
“She means Worcester,” Eric interjected, realizing the correct pronunciation was further from Lotte’s literal reading than it really ought to have been.
Imagine me correcting Lotte! He almost smiled. Almost.
“Yes, Woostah,” she repeated with a look of annoyance and distaste. “In any case, he’ll be gone for most of the week, perhaps longer.”
“Well then,” Dr. Esfahani said with a slight smile on her face, “perhaps I could work here with the papers? This way I can be close to the artifacts. I’ll be no trouble. I can sleep on a couch in your beautiful living room. You’re nearby and can visit after school so we can discuss what I’ve found. Does this sound acceptable?”
It was more than acceptable to them. Lotte even suggested Dr. Esfahani sleep in her room, but she declined, wanting some distance from the artifacts to perhaps avoid what Lotte’s mother, and now Lotte, seemed to have experienced. They finally decided she could sleep in Mr. Schwarz’s room, to which Dr. Esfahani politely acquiesced after some cajoling.
There were only two rules. First, she had to leave her car in the little parking area by the walking trails, as Eric’s parents would be suspicious if they saw an unfamiliar vehicle in the circular driveway.
Second, no leaving the tea kettle unattended.
To the final rule, Dr. Esfahani voiced no objections.
Lotte passed her father’s house keys to Dr. Esfahani and gave her the alarm code.
Dr. Esfahani wanted to go home and get some clothes and other things she would need, but planned to return later that night. She intended to call in sick to the museum, wanting to focus exclusively on the papers. They confirmed the plan to meet at the house after school tomorrow, and she drove away.
Eric texted his mom to come get them while Lotte went upstairs to pack some clothes and toiletries. It was about 6:45, and his mother had texted a couple of times wondering where they were. He’d apologized and said it had been a messier job than anticipated. This would help soften the blow when she saw him in Mr. Schwarz’s clothes.
Explaining his limp would be trickier.
Lotte grabbed her Doc Martens from the Mud Château, and they both left the house and waited in the driveway. Mom arrived quickly, telling them that she and Dad had already ordered and eaten because they were hungry, but she’d re-heat their pizza when they got home.
Good thing. I’m starving.
“What happened to your clothes?” his mother asked with a perfectly attuned balance of alarm and curiosity.
“Oh, I got water, and blood and... well... like... other stuff on them. Lotte tossed them in the laundry. I’ll bring them home when they’re dry. Don’t worry about it.” He truly hoped she’d just forget about them, because there was no hope of that stuff ever being seen again.
On the way in from the car when they got to the house, his mother noticed how gingerly he moved. “Eric, why are you walking that way? What happened?” This time the question was attuned far more toward alarm.
“Well, I was carrying this bucket of water, when all of a sudden....”
He could see the skepticism Mom’s face at his story about slipping and hurting his back, and his leg—actually, both legs—and oh, by the way, Lotte had stepped on his foot pretty hard yesterday too. At the last bit, Lotte flashed him a grumpy look.
His mom couldn’t withstand the verbal carpet bombing and just shook her head in bewilderment. “Be more careful, honey,” she said in a perplexed tone.
I will, Mom. The next time I have to wrestle a shiny-black-ash-devil-freak-cloud-monster, I’ll definitely be more careful. Promise.
Lotte called the hospital when they got inside. Her father was in “serious but stable” condition, but with the help of some powerful pain relievers he was apparently “resting comfortably.”
“We’ll see if he’s up for a visit tomorrow,” his mom said. “I’m free all day. I can take you. Were you planning to go to school, honey?”
Hey, I’m honey! he thought with a sting of jealousy.
“That’s so nice of you, Mrs. Schneider,” Lotte replied. “I think I will try to go to school. I need to stop at my house for a bit afterward, just to keep an eye on things, but perhaps a little later in the afternoon?”
Mom seemed to think that was okay and started dishing out the pizza.
The pair ate silently in the kitchen. After all that had happened over the past few days, they needed some quiet time to process things. Plus, they were starving. When finished, they both realized how utterly exhausted they were. They put their dishes in the dishwasher and then went to the TV room.
“We’re totally beat,” Eric announced. “I think we’re both going to bed.”
“It’s barely eight o’clock,” his dad said with disbelief. “Linda, take the boy’s temperature. He’s obviously feverish.”
“Oh, Fred, they’ve had a big day, Lotte especially. I think it’s a good idea they get some sleep. Honey, Eric will show you the guest room. I’ll be up to help you in a couple of minutes.”
He led her to the stairs as instructed and they began to ascend. His legs had really stiffened up, and he found it hard to climb the steps. She came up beside him and supported his arm, which didn’t help that much but felt really nice.
“Thanks,” he said when they reached the top, still wincing a bit from the pain.
“Eric,” she softly said, looking toward the ground. “I should be thanking you. I can’t believe I’ve dragged you into this. You could have been killed today, or seriously hurt.”
Umm, helllooooo, he thought, feeling the throbbing from the gashes on his thighs. Not serious enough for you?
“If you want out of this, I’ll totally understand. This is my struggle, and it’s unfair to put you at risk.”
He gently took her arm and guided her down the hall, not wanting his parents to accidentally hear a conversation like this.
He actually thought momentarily about getting out. What they were doing was extremely risky and could have very serious consequences... but this was also the most exciting and interesting thing he’d ever done in his life. He wanted to see what happened, even if meant watching a giant cloud monster rip his intestines out.
Well, okay, I hope it won’t come to that.
Still, curiosity and excitement won the day. Then, of course, there was Lotte. He couldn’t imagine abandoning her. It had only been like three, maybe four weeks that he’d known her, but somehow, she’d become the center of his world. Forget the monster and the excitement and the curiosity... she had become a force in his life, even if all she did was correct his lousy German pronunciation and share the occasional Coca-Cola.
Well, maybe not so occasional. Whatever.
In the end, it wound up being a remarkably easy decision, despite the dangers.
“I’ll never abandon you, Lotte,” he said with a cheerfulness that surprised even him. “You can’t make me... and if you tried, I’d be a total pest, so you’d eventually give in. I want to see this through. This is one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me... but the coolest thing to me is you! I’m better for knowing you. You make me better, and it’ll take a lot more than this for me to let that go.”
For once, she had no words. She just stared at him, until she closed her eyes and put her arms around his waist. She didn’t have the strength to crack his spine. She simply hung in his embrace—limp. Her feet briefly brushed the ground as the pair rocked in silent unison.
He heard his mother approaching on the stairs, and in one quick motion, she left his arms and turned down the hall.
“Which is the guest room?” she asked in a trembling voice.
Last door on the right, he thought, but couldn’t articulate the words for lack of breath.
Once Lotte got settled, Eric fell asleep almost immediately, not even bothering to take off Mr. Schwarz’s sweatpants. His sleep, however, was fitful. At around midnight, he woke up and realized his legs hurt pretty badly, and were probably keeping him up. He clicked on his bedside light and hobbled to the bathroom.
There, he removed the sweatpants and inspected his wounds. Blood had stained the adhesive bandages, but hadn’t completely soaked through. He figured they probably needed changing, so he went for the box of Band-Aids in the cabinet. Noticing Lotte’s toothbrush and toothpaste in a glass by the sink, he smiled.
I guess they don’t come in black.
He removed the old bandages and dabbed the punctures and scrapes with a wet tissue, not wanting to get blood on any towels. He then applied the new bandages and gathered up all the trash, which he’d have to throw away in the big garbage can in the kitchen where they wouldn’t be seen. On the way downstairs, he realized he should probably take some ibuprofen for the pain.
Maybe if I’d done that before, I’d still be asleep. Duh.
He reached the kitchen and jammed all the bandage crap in the bottom of the trash can next to the fridge. He got a glass of water, returned to the bathroom for some ibuprofen, and was soon back in bed. This time he wore a pair of his own sweatpants, which were dark in color. Hopefully, they’d hide any bloodstains that might leak through the Band-Aids.
He lay on his back and closed his eyes. Tired as he was, thoughts flooded his mind that kept sleep at bay. He replayed the battle with the impish monster and wondered how it might have gone had the beast been his size.
Not well, he decided.
What the hell are we dealing with? Where did this thing come from, and how will we get it to leave Lotte alone and go the fuck away? Why would it bargain with her and then look at me like I’m freaking dinner? Too many questions.
He glanced at his bedside clock: 1:15 a.m.
Holy crap, I’m never gonna get any sleep tonight. Tomorrow is gonna suck, even more than a normal Monday. He lay a while longer and tried to calm his mind.
Just on the cusp of falling asleep, he heard a noise outside his room. Someone entered, and then closed the door behind them.
“Lotte?”
“Shhhhhhhh,” she replied.
He heard her walk across the room and approach the foot of his bed. There she sat, making a sound as if she were crying—little puffs of air escaping her mouth as she fought back tears.
Maybe she’s being tormented by dreams?
He reached for his bedside light and clicked it on.
The monster stood before him.
Not a tiny golem this time, but a beast that hulked close to seven feet tall—shimmering black with wings unfurled. Its barbed tail hovered above its horned head. It loomed over him, braced on one arm whose giant clawed hand pressed at the edge of the bed. The other covered the creature’s hideous mouth as it giggled with maniacal glee.
Paralyzed by fear at what he beheld, he knew he was cornered. He slammed his back into the headboard in a feeble attempt to flee.
The beast raised both its arms in the air, crouching and tightening all the muscles in its body, and then it sprang! Its barbed tail and razor-sharp talons led the devastating and unstoppable assault.
Eric screamed in abject terror, and the world became a jumble of darkness as the beast descended upon him.
He fought with desperation, but the monster enfolded him, stifling his movements as if he were trapped in clay. It tore at him as he frantically covered his head in his arms to fend off its blows while he madly kicked and twisted to break free.
He screamed a long wail of panic and despair, envisioning his body ripped to pieces and left in a muddle of blood and viscera, soaking through the nice satin sheets of his comfortable but slightly too soft twin bed. Now, he felt his legs immobilized—unresponsive to his urgent need for flight. He felt as if he were encapsulated and tumbling in space—helpless and doomed.
He screamed, and screamed, and screamed... and screamed... and then... there was light.
It shone in a line straight ahead, as if coming from under the door to his room.
Actually, it is coming from under the door to my room.
He heard a sound, like a Mongolian yak car alarm, ceaselessly emitting its monotone wail to fend off some invisible perpetrator and prevent yet another costly and disruptive Yak theft.
Wait a minute, I’m making that noise.
Light spewed into the room as if from an incandescent firehose as the door swung wide.
Silhouetted in the threshold, his father stood before him in boxers and a t-shirt. “Eric! What in the Sam Hell is going on?”
