The Princes of Tangleforest

by Vann, Dorlana

  “Bathroom?” She set the cookie back down on the tray as she stood up. “Can I use your bathroom? I’ve been going around, you know, house to house, and I’m about to boil over.”

  “Why certainly. Let me show you the way.” She started to get up, slowly.

  “No, that’s all right. Can you point me in the direction?”

  “It’s down the hall there, to the right. Be careful. It’s rather dark.”

  Julia turned the corner and wished she had grabbed the lantern or had asked for a candle. It was dark all right. She couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, and she had the eerie feeling that the lady stood behind her with a knife and would stuff her like the bears, adding her to the display in the front room. Misery is our punishment.

  She couldn’t go any further, so she turned back around, and the lady was behind her, the lantern under her face, the lights dancing there like they mocked Julia, saying, “Run you stupid little girl.”

  Julia sucked in a loud breath.

  “Oh my, I didn’t mean to scare you. I started thinking that I should have offered you a light.”

  Julia nodded her head and took it. She noticed the restroom right next to her.

  “I’m so used to the darkness now that I’m kind of like a cat. I forget that others aren’t like me.”

  Julia nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”

  She walked into the restroom, shut the door, and locked it. She let out her anxiety in one big breath and set the lantern on the counter by the sink. Her hands shook, and now she did have to go to the restroom. She knew she couldn’t go exploring the dark house. In her state of mind, one creaking door and she was liable to let out a blood curdling scream.

  Now she just hoped the lady would let her leave. What if she had prepared another room for this occasion? Maybe she was only pretending she couldn’t get around very well. She could be waiting around the corner, ready to grab her and lock her in a room, like Poppi, forever.

  After fumbling with the restroom lock and door for a couple of minutes, Julia made it back to the living room holding the light in front of her. Poppi’s grandmother sat in her rocking chair in the darkness. Julia noticed a cat had curled up in her lap, sound asleep.

  As Julia set the lantern down on the table, she said, “I’ve gotta go. I have more houses to visit. Thanks for the cookie.”

  “Here, let me walk you out.”

  “No, that’s all right. I remember my way.” Before the old woman had a chance to speak, Julia had already sped out the door. She didn’t stop running until she hit Tanner’s arms, holding him without giving it a thought; when she did realize and relaxed within the tight embrace, she felt safe, not only from the lady across the way, but safer than she had in a very long time. She didn’t want to let go. She didn’t want him to let go of her. As she finally allowed Tanner’s questions of concern to register, she knew she should answer him.

  “I’m fine,” she said, taking a step back, the feeling of stupidity hitting her all of a sudden.

  “You were in there forever. Why did you go in there? I was about to come and get you. Did she hurt you?”

  “I panicked, that’s all. I panicked. She was… it was really creepy. That’s all. Dark and eerie. There were bears and signs, and I don’t know. I’m just glad to be out of there.”

  “Let’s sit down.” He put his arm around her as he walked her to the porch steps. “Why did you go inside?”

  “She invited me, and I saw a chance to really get inside her head. Then I saw all that stuff. There’s no way I would’ve been able to suggest much of anything to her. ”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m pretty sure she is or used to be a fortune teller. It uses a lot of the same cold readings techniques and such. No doubt she would have caught on to what I was trying to do. So I didn’t do it. I went to the bathroom. That’s all I did. I don’t even know how to get to Poppi’s room.”

  “It’s cool. You didn’t have to go in there at all. We don’t know what the old witch is capable of.”

  “Probably just being creepy. You know… maybe we should call the cops. Maybe it would be the best thing, because I don’t know how we are going to get Poppi past her.”

  Tanner didn’t say anything. Julia knew he didn’t want to involve the police. She felt stupid again as she thought about how she had run into his arms. She felt stupid for coming over and eating dinner with his family. After the rescue, if it happened, she wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. Not with him and Poppi as a couple. “Look, I’ve gotta go.”

  “Do you want my mom to drive you?”

  “That’s all right. I can walk.”

  “It’s dark and you’re spooked. Do you want to come inside for a few minutes so you can catch your breath? Maybe you can call your dad to come pick you up.”

  She grimaced at the thought of walking home by herself, but she didn’t want to go back inside his house with him. She needed to be home so she could clear her head. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “I’ll walk.”

  “Just wait here for a second… all right?”

  She nodded.

  He ran up the steps and inside his house. A few seconds later he ran back down the steps. “The least I can do is walk you. I told my mom I would be right back.”

  She really wanted to thank him, but didn’t. As they began their walk toward her house, they spoke about unimportant things, and as she calmed and let her embarrassment fade, a new type of misery settled in; she felt so comfortable with him, it hurt.

  Chapter 19

  The little girl’s visit had been odd and had brought back memories that she had not thought about in years. She didn’t only feel the normal overcast of emotions that led to heavy depression but had actual thoughts of long-forgotten afternoons and hot evenings. She went to a wooden clothes trunk in the corner of the living room and unlocked the latch with the key she had worn around her neck for forty years. The dust caused her to have a coughing episode that lasted a good ten minutes. When she was able to breathe again, she dug inside the chest and pulled out a faded, round hatbox.

  Even though her heart quickened and her hands shook more than usual, she wasn’t going to let that stop her. She held the hatbox and steadied herself with her cane as she stood. Sitting down in her rocker, she put her hand to her chest and gasped for air. Everything was such an ordeal. When had she gotten so old?

  A tear dropped on the top picture as soon as she opened the box. She and her brother, Jerry, posed on the beach, his paddleboard between them. Their thin-strapped, dark swimsuits almost identical, his from the varsity swim team and hers homemade by her mother. She remembered how Jerry had been so adventurous and full of energy. She traced his youthful face with her finger: he seemed to smile up at her from under his sun-bleached hair and his sunburned nose. That was the summer she had cut her hair. It had made her feel grown-up. At the time, she had no idea how much growing up she would be doing that year. Her memories carried her back…

  Galveston, TX, 1938

  As soon as sixteen-year-old Myra jumped into the backseat of the motorcar where Jerry and her father waited, Jerry punched her in the arm. “Ouch!” She punched him back.

  “Is that all you got?” He punched her again.

  “You two cut it out this morning,” their father said from the front seat. “I have a lot of important things on my mind.”

  “That’s funny,” Jerry said. “Myra has nothing on hers.”

  She stuck out her tongue and then said, “Jerry does… June Long.”

  “Do not,” he said through his teeth.

  She pointed at him and laughed under her breath. She knew how much her father wanted Jerry to date June Long and how much Jerry didn’t want anything to do with her.

  “That’s good, son. She’s a real nice girl from a nice family. I’m really glad to hear that you have taken an interest in her. I’ll call her father and set up a dinner.”

  “Nooo!” Jerry pleaded, “Myra’s o
nly foolin’.”

  “I’ve been meaning to have them over for awhile now.”

  Myra was about to split her side trying not to laugh out loud.

  “We will have dinner, and you will take the Long girl for a walk. Is that too much to ask?”

  Jerry made vomiting gestures which made Myra unable to hold back her laughter any longer. She let it out, and her father jerked in the front. “I’m about to let you two walk.”

  She put her hand over her mouth, still laughing at her brother, who looked like he wanted to kill her.

  The Longs were invited into the Woodville’s home for dinner the following Saturday. Myra knew the reason her parents only weakly protested when she announced she wouldn’t be attending: they didn’t want her and Jerry to start horse-playing and ruin the chances of making a good impression. But the way Jerry had looked at her on her way out the door made her feel bad. He wasn’t playing anymore. He wasn’t teasing or joking around about it. He was really upset. There was a girl at school he liked and was afraid that if it got out about him having dinner with another girl, it would ruin it for him.

  She walked to the beach behind her house and sat in the sand. It was dusk, and the sun was melting into the ocean. Even though she wasn’t allowed to go far north or south, she didn’t mind the boundary, because her view carried her far into the ocean.

  While most girls Myra’s age hid from the browning sun, she loved it. Her mom scolded her for not taking a parasol to the beach with her. Myra didn’t care that her skin had bronzed and that her hair was only a shade darker than white. If that was the price she had to pay to feel the vitalizing warmth on her skin, she was more than willing to pay it.

  “May I sit down?” a voice from behind her asked.

  She whipped around, barely able to make out the face of the young man standing in the leftover day.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He put a hand down as he introduced himself. “Preston Long.”

  “I know you,” she said, ignoring his hand. “You graduated last year, right?”

  “May I?” he asked, using the neglected handshake to point to the piece of beach beside her.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re going to get your fancy suit all dirty.”

  “I hate this thing anyway,” he said as he sat down. He raised an eyebrow. “What are you wearing?”

  “You never wear overalls?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “But what? Do you think they’re comfortable?”

  “Sure—”

  “Would you want to wear a dress out here and get sand stuck all over your legs?”

  He laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “Hold on. Hold on. I was just surprised. I didn’t mean anything.”

  Their eye contact made her a little nervous, so she looked out at the water as she asked, “Are y’all all done in there?”

  “Why didn’t you join us for dinner?” Preston asked.

  “Not my thing, that’s all. I would rather get caught up in the waves and taken out to sea.”

  “It is beautiful out there,” he said, but she could feel him still staring at her. “I can see why.”

  She glanced at him and then back at the water with a giggle.

  Preston said, “What would you say to going to the Balinese Room with me next Saturday night?”

  She couldn’t avert her attention any longer. She stared at him, very amused, and thought how handsome he was: dark hair, strong jaw, pretty eyes. “My father will never let me go.”

  “Let me talk to him.”

  “All right,” she said. “If you can get him to say yes, I’ll go.”

  He stood up and dusted the sand off of his pants. “It’s a date, but the overalls aren’t invited.”

  ***

  “It has come to my attention that the Long boy has taken an interest in you. Now I know how you and your brother feel about the Longs, however, I strongly feel that our association with them will help the bank tremendously. This isn’t for me; it’s for our family’s future. You understand. I would take it as a personal favor if you would do this. Seeing as your brother is refusing to help out his own family.”

  Myra really wanted to go with Preston. Still, sitting there listening to her father treat it like a business deal made her feel a little used. If Preston wouldn’t have been so darn handsome she would have said, “This is what you think of your only daughter? You’re going to trade me like a cow?” She had a better idea. She would do some negotiating of her own.

  “I’ll do it,” she said softly, “on one condition. Leave Jerry alone. Don’t set him up with June anymore. He really doesn’t want to date her. She’s not his type, you know. She’s really quiet. I bet she didn’t say a word at dinner last night. Am I right? I’ll do this, but you have to let Jerry date who he wants to date. He’s had his eye on a girl in my class for some time now.”

  “Who? He never mentioned anything to me.”

  “That’s because he didn’t think you’d approve. She’s not from a family who needs your bank.”

  “Now Myra, I don’t appreciate what you’re suggesting.”

  “Do we have a deal?” She felt a wave of regret. Even if Preston turned out to be the biggest toad in the world, she had to stay with him until she got Jerry married off. She didn’t worry about Preston liking her, most boys did. They swarmed around her like she was honey and they were bees. She had thought cutting her long blonde hair would deter them; it didn’t faze them in the least. The girls, on the other hand, hated her; she didn’t have many girlfriends, so her brother’s friendship was priceless. So was his well being, even if it wasn’t important to her father.

  Her father’s face had become red, but he used a gentle voice. “I really do want what is best for you. Preston seems like a good boy. I hope you have a pleasant time.”

  “And…” she said, “you have to tell mother to let me buy a readymade dress from a store. I can’t go wearing one of these… things she makes. She’s such an awful seamstress.”

  Her father nodded and smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  She ran up to him and, despite being upset with his all-business mind, gave him a kiss on the cheek to seal the dress-buying deal.

  Chapter 20

  On the way back from walking Julia home, Tanner thought about how Julia did find out one thing: their plan was a complete dud. Julia already had some experience with the NLP stuff, and if she didn't think it would be possible to convince the witch to let Poppi go, he knew that reading the book wasn't going to do him any good.

  Once he arrived home, he sat down on the porch steps, staring across the street at Poppi’s dark house. He thought about Julia and how scared she had been.

  He visualized her tearing across Poppi’s yard and his heart began to race the same way it had when he thought something had happened to her. The entire time she was in that house he had been in a state of panic. If she’d been in there a moment longer, he would have gone up to the door no matter what the circumstances. When he had seen her run out of the house, he had felt relieved, until she was close enough for him to see the fear on her face. She had flown into his arms, her entire body trembling at first, slowly calming as he held her—

  “Tanner?”

  Tanner jerked his head, looking behind him at his mom who stood in the doorway.

  “Is everything all right?”

  He nodded and turned back around.

  “I put your sister to bed. Can I sit with you?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Sure.”

  They sat for awhile without saying anything, a soft breeze interrupting the still night every now and then.

  “What’s this?” Joanne picked up the book.

  “Julia let me borrow it,” he said.

  “A fairy tale?”

  Another perfect opportunity to explain everything to his mom, but instead he said, “Yeah.”

  “Hmm,” she said, setting the book back on the porch and taking a noticeable
transitional breath. “How is everything? I haven’t really been able to talk to you lately, with my new job and all.”

  “Fine,” he said.

  “Tanner, I’ve known you awhile. How long has it been?”

  He laughed.

  “I know when something is eating at you. You don’t have to tell me what it is, but if I could be allowed to do my mom bit, I would appreciate it.”

  Tanner smiled. She was a great mom, really. He didn’t think he would have to receive too much therapy as an adult. “Sure. I’m listening.”

  “Girls can be—”

  “No, Mom, it’s not—”

  “Aaaaa! You said I could have a mom moment. You already agreed. If this doesn’t pertain to right now, believe me, it will eventually, so just pay attention.”

  “Fine.”

  “Girls can be difficult to figure out.”

  “You didn’t have to tell me that,” Tanner mumbled.

  “It’s true that we are very intuitive. We can think with our emotions and read between the lines. However, sometimes, it is nice to hear certain things out loud… to be sure.”

  “Why do y’all have to be so complicated? It’s hard enough trying to figure myself out.”

  “You really like her, don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” he said, and then coughed from surprise when he found himself thinking of Julia instead of Poppi. “I don’t know… I mean… who?” He stared at the concrete as his mom gave him a couple of quick pats on the back.

  “You should tell her. I can tell she really likes you, too.”

  When he peeked at her, she smiled. It seemed like a good time to ask a dorky question: “How do you know when you love someone instead of like?”

  She didn’t laugh or even change her tone of voice when she said, “I think it’s a combination of things: mutual admiration, chemistry, respect. Plus you don’t want to be away from one another. I didn’t want to be away from your dad when we were dating. I still don’t.” She dragged her hand across her forehead. “Oh man, I don’t know what happened. He thought I was running away from him, and I thought he had lost all his sense of adventure and loved his job more than me…”