by Harper Lin
It started like a few pebbles falling along the side of the wall.
I didn’t look behind me. I didn’t say anything to Bea or my aunt. I just kept talking. I couldn’t say what I was talking about. It was all jumbled together, and I don’t even think the words were making any sense. But finally I couldn’t resist any more.
“Do you hear that?” I whispered, cutting myself off in midsentence.
Both Bea and my aunt nodded. It was as if they had heard them all along but were just trying to humor me.
Yes. At first it sounded like pebbles sliding down a wall. But then it sounded more as though something was walking behind us. Something that could maneuver in that pitch darkness and wasn’t afraid of it. It was getting louder as it was getting closer.
“None of us has any kind of light, do we?” I asked hopefully, but they both shook their heads no. I swallowed hard, and still holding Bea’s hand, I stepped a little farther back into the tunnel.
“Cath,” she said. “No.”
“Maybe it’s nothing bad,” I said, but the quiver in my voice totally betrayed me.
The scraping stopped. I held my breath and listened. Just as my shoulders started to relax and my breath came back, I heard the shuffling again. This time it was fast. As if whatever it was was pushing itself through the tight tunnel, hurrying to catch the intruders that had stumbled into its lair.
Without thinking, I backed up and held close to Bea. My aunt, who was still staring at the portal entrance—or exit, depending on if you saw the cup as half-empty or half-full—was not paying any attention to the thing coming up behind us.
“We’re almost there, girls,” she assured us.
“How can you be sure?” Bea whispered, her fingers digging into my hand.
“I can see the men leaving. At least, I think they are.”
“Aunt Astrid, something is coming.” I balked. “I think it’s big.”
“Don’t look behind us, girls,” Aunt Astrid instructed.
Bea turned her back to the darkness, but I couldn’t help myself. I looked back. I heard the shuffling get faster, and then, like a shard of ice through my heart, I heard that horrible sound Aunt Astrid described that she heard at the café.
“Aunt Astrid, I think it’s close,” I whispered. My mouth had gone bone-dry, and all the hairs were up on my neck. I tried to think of something to calm myself down, but it wasn’t working. All I heard were the shuffling steps and the guttural, hateful meow.
Cats killed for sport. Killer whales did, too. But I was pretty confident there wasn’t a killer whale behind us. Cats not only killed for sport, but they also liked to torture their prey. They’d box them in then let them get away for a moment, only to pounce again.
You can bet that I suddenly felt an uncomfortable kinship with the lab rats that were made to run mazes.
“Don’t look behind us, girls,” Aunt Astrid said soothingly. I could feel the sweat in her palms as she took hold of my hand and Bea’s. “Just don’t look.”
My body began to tremble. I looked at Bea, who did exactly what her mother instructed. I, on the other hand, was my mother’s daughter. My mother was the reckless one. The one who would risk everything, even her own life, for her daughter. She gave up everything to save me. She was pulled into a portal, too. But Aunt Astrid said she had died when that happened.
Maybe she did.
Don’t be ridiculous, Cath. My thoughts were like jigsaw puzzle pieces struggling to fit together to give me a complete picture instead of fragments. Your mother is not down this portal. She couldn’t be. That was almost twenty years ago. No. What’s back there is bad. What’s back there isn’t the pretty, kind, and spontaneous thing that was Mama. It’s a monster.
“Don’t look back, girls,” Aunt Astrid repeated. “And get ready to jump when I say so. One. Don’t look back. Two.” I felt Bea squeeze my hand tightly. “Don’t look back. Three! Jump!”
Before I jumped, before Aunt Astrid said three, I looked back. I saw the orange eyes and the skin wrinkled like the texture of the human brain. I saw it, and it saw me. That creature saw me. Maybe I was just imagining things or the darkness was playing tricks on me. That can happen. Terror can make a person see and hear and even smell things that weren’t there. But I swear that beast grinned. It looked as if it recognized me and grinned.
Suddenly, I was toppling on top of Bea and Aunt Astrid on the carpeted floor of the paneled office of Mr. Wayne.
“Dear Lord!” Bea gasped. “How long were we in there?”
“I hope it wasn’t that long, or else it might mean we missed opening up the café. That’s not good for this time of year,” my aunt said. I could see she was just trying to bring a little normalcy back into us since we were all obviously scared out of our wits. She trembled when I reached for her hand to help her up, and her hair was matted to her forehead.
Bea still looked as if she could do a fashion shoot, but she had tears in her eyes.
“Let’s n-not d-do that again,” she said. “Can we go back to the café? Can we open up even if it’s late? I’d really like to be around some people and hear talk about Christmas and shopping and the weather. Anything that doesn’t include portals and time-bending spells and all that jazz.”
“Of course we can, honey.” Aunt Astrid took both our hands, and we carefully stepped out of the office. The house had been literally torn apart. Police tape marked off everything. We stepped into the family room and pulled open the front door.
The cold air felt deliciously good, and I inhaled deeply, feeling my lungs tingle.
“The coast is clear,” Aunt Astrid said. Quickly, we hurried toward my car, piled in, and headed toward the café. No one spoke until I finally cracked the silence.
“I saw it, Aunt Astrid.” My eyes began to fill with tears. It wasn’t because I was scared but because it wasn’t what I had hoped to see.
Deep down inside, I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, there was a miracle in store for me, and my mother would appear at the end of that dark portal. She’d be just as beautiful as I remembered her, maybe a little rough around the edges, but it would be her. And she’d recognize me. She’d recognize me.
“What did you see, Cath?”
“A cat. A big one.”
Tumble
“It’s very weird.” Aunt Astrid said as she flipped on all the lights in the café.
I clutched my throat. “What’s weird? I can’t think of anything that happened at this early hour that could be called weird. Unless you are referring to the fact we hung out in a portal with a giant, ugly, hairless cat creeping up behind us. Nothing else comes to mind.”
“That portal was not friendly.” Bea made a face as if she’d just swallowed a spoonful of castor oil.
“Did you get the feeling it wasn’t Mr. Wayne’s portal?” Aunt Astrid asked.
“I did.” Bea nodded. “I’m pretty sure he knew it was there but he didn’t conjure it. Someone else did. My money is on the other cat.”
“Hey, that’s my line.” I balked. “So do you think Mr. Wayne is covering for that cat? Keeping it safe or something?”
“I don’t know.” Aunt Astrid pulled her long hair up and tied it back in a loose ponytail with a rubber band. “But if there are two giant cats, it would not be surprising if they knew each other. It would be pretty hard to maneuver through the streets and not catch sight or scent of each other.”
The Brew-Ha-Ha Café wasn’t open for business for ten minutes before the place was packed with early-rising Christmas shoppers and visitors, and I couldn’t have been happier.
I didn’t know what to think about the whole two-cat-portal thing, and I couldn’t shake the ridiculous disappointment I had felt seeing that hideous creature instead of my own sweet mom coming up behind us before we jumped back into this dimension.
I was so confused that when Darla Castellan showed up with her latest boyfriend, an older man with a Rolex watch and leather trench coat, I smiled and wished her a Merry Christma
s. The words “come see us again soon” even spilled out of my mouth. She had to think I was drunk. I wished I were.
Aunt Astrid did a few holiday fortunes at her special table in the back of the café for some of her regular visitors. Bea busied herself filling coffee cups and making special teas. I boxed up croissants and brownies and dozens of those gingerbread men that Kevin had immediately baked when he arrived a short while ago. Business was booming, and the Christmas spirit had infiltrated the café, finally chasing the dread of the morning’s encounter.
“We should change the name of this place to the Brew-Ho-Ho for Christmastime next year,” I suggested to Bea. “Wouldn’t that be cute?”
“That is hilarious,” she squealed as she added her finishing touches to a couple of her special peppermint and jasmine teas. “I love that idea. We could put it on our bags.”
“We could get sweaters with that made on them.” I clapped.
“Let’s not go crazy.” Bea smiled. She looked up and stared out the window for a second. I followed her eyes and saw a familiar face looking in at us. “Do you know that man?” she asked me.
“Um. I’ve seen him before.” I hesitated. “But I don’t know him.”
“Well, he looks like he knows you.” She bumped me with her hip.
It was the guy from the football game. He wore a long black wool coat and a gray knit cap and had a Band-Aid on his forehead sticking out from beneath it. Before I could say anything else to Bea, the guy started waving me outside.
“Why doesn’t he come in?” I asked.
“Perhaps he’s shy. It is pretty crowded in here. Go ahead.” Bea went back to pouring her teas.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. You’re not going off to get married, right? You’re just going to see what he wants.”
I looked at the window again, and then my eyes fell to Darla, who was watching the fellow outside and my reaction as if she were watching a tennis game.
Yes, it was because of her I went outside to see what this handsome stranger wanted. He was even better looking up close, and he smelled like a campfire. I folded my arms around me to keep out the cold as best I could and walked up to him.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” he said right away.
“Do I know you?” I asked awkwardly. A guy this good-looking had to have me confused with someone else. He wasn’t like Tom, who had a rugged, manly uniqueness to him that was made all the more attractive by his sense of humor and, well, his willingness to accept my pointed hat and broomstick. But this guy looked as if he’d stepped out of a magazine. He had to be at least a foot taller than me, and his shoulders looked as though they could support six acrobats without him even breaking a sweat.
“Not yet.” He smiled. “Clyde Tumble.” He reached out a black-leather-covered hand. “I saw you at the football game the other night.
“Oh, yes.” I nodded politely. “Cath Greenstone.” I shook his hand then rubbed my arms to chase away the chill. Strange that I wasn’t feeling all that chilly as I looked at Clyde.
“It is wonderful to meet you, Cath Greenstone.” He smiled as if he knew what I looked like in my underwear. “I’m wondering when I can take you out for dinner.”
“What?” I yapped, giggling nervously. “I have a boyfriend. I’m sorry.”
“Well, how about a cup of coffee?” He took a step closer and looked down at me with a very alluring grin. “He wouldn’t mind if you had coffee, would he?”
“Probably not, but I work at a coffee shop.” I jerked my thumb toward the window. “I can get all the coffee I want. For free. Would you like a cup?”
He looked at his watch and clicked his tongue.
“I’d really like to, but I’m running late.” He looked back at me and blinked innocently. “You work here every day?”
I nodded.
“Well, I think I’ll be stopping by for coffee when I have a little more time. Save me a seat, would you?” He nodded. “It was very nice to meet you, Cath.” His eyes roamed up and down my body before locking with my eyes. “I’ll be seeing you.”
He looked up at the Brew-Ha-Ha sign then back at me before walking away. Yes, he did do one of those turn around and see if I’m looking looks, and I hated the fact that heat spread from my cheeks and over my forehead, chin, and neck. To add insult to injury, I had to walk in and face my aunt and Bea as they watched me walk in.
“So.” Bea leaned over the counter. “Who was that?”
“I’m sorry, but we just came tumbling out of a vortex. Don’t you think we have more important things to worry about than my love life?”
“Love life?” Aunt Astrid mused loudly.
“You categorize him as a part of your love life?” Bea tapped her lips, smiling.
“Look, I’m not interested in this dude. I don’t even know him.” I shook my head. “I can’t even figure out what to get Tom for Christmas. The last thing I need is to involve another guy in the mix.”
“You still haven’t bought something for Tom?” Bea gasped as if I’d just said I drove my car into her living room window.
“I will.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not Scrooge.”
Dead
The cats were lounging around on the various chairs in Aunt Astrid’s house when we finally closed the café for the evening.
“Hey, guys.” I stepped inside the warm house behind my aunt and cousin. “Anything exciting happen while we were out?”
“Where should we start?” Marshmallow asked.
“What happened?” I asked out loud so my family would know our cats had something to report.
“Well, Peanut Butter took a running leap off the banister, and although he landed on his feet, he knocked over those Christmas ornaments.” Marshmallow yawned and gave her paw a lick.
My shoulders slumped, and I tilted my head to the left.
“Are you kidding?” I folded my arms and shook my head. “That’s all?”
“We all felt the ripples from the spell, and from this end, it held. Once everything settled down, we assumed it had worked out,” she replied.
“I’m glad no one was worried,” I said. “I’d hate to think any of you guys were worrying about us.” I turned to Bea. “You’ve got a few broken ornaments.” I pointed to the banister, where there were two shattered glass ornaments.
“Do I need to ask which one did this?” Bea walked up to Peanut Butter and scooped the young cat into her arms. The cat nuzzled her underneath her chin and purred loudly.
“I had to get from the banister to the living room immediately. I couldn’t waste a single second,” he said.
“Okay, girls. I’m afraid that if I smell another gingerbread cookie, I’m going to pass out. How about I defrost some spaghetti and meatballs?” Aunt Astrid said.
“I’m in,” I said, scratching Peanut Butter under the chin as I walked up to Treacle, who was stretching his back up, looking like every Halloween decoration that featured a cat. He sat down and looked at me stoically.
“Hello, handsome.” I looked at him as he blinked slowly.
“Hi.” He sniffed my hand. “Were you around another cat?”
“I’ll tell you all about it, but not now. I’m too hungry to think straight.” I scratched my cat behind his ears and started to walk over to help Aunt Astrid with dinner, when the doorbell rang.
“Be careful,” I warned Bea as she went to answer it. “We’ve had some strange visitors over the past few hours.”
“Hi, Tom,” I heard her say, and suddenly, my heart was in my throat.
Should I tell him about Clyde Tumble or just keep it to myself? Would he tell me if any woman asked him to coffee? Was it worth mentioning? No. Nope. It wasn’t at all. I smiled but knew it was awkward, as if I was hiding something. I don’t think I could have acted like a bigger spaz.
“Hi, Tom.” Aunt Astrid waved without turning away from the stove. “We’re having spaghetti and meatballs. Join us, won’t you?”
“I’d love to, Aunt As
trid. Thanks.”
He smiled when he came up to me, but he looked as though he’d just run five miles in his cowboy boots without being prepared to run at all.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t say he saw me standing outside the café with Clyde Tumble.
“Gale Wayne is dead.”
“What?” I hollered. Both my aunt and cousin froze as well.
“Jake and Blake went to his house with a search warrant, and they had another unit pay a visit to his storage facility. They found Donna Flint’s body there. It was in the same condition as the Lyle boy’s. Just torn apart.”
“My gosh.” Aunt Astrid shook her head. “Did he try to resist?”
“According to what I heard, and I know Jake and Blake would follow procedure to the letter, he was taken to the station without incident. The guys were in the middle of asking him questions when the other officers radioed in what they found at the storage unit. They said she had been killed in one location and moved there. Maybe Wayne’s thinking was to keep it until all this drama with the school died down. Maybe he had something in mind for the remains. We don’t know. All we do know is that throughout everything, he said he didn’t do it.”
“Well, he was accused of two things,” Bea interrupted. “Was he talking about the accusations at the school or the kidnapping and murders?”
“Both,” Tom said. “He insisted he didn’t do anything to any kids in Wonder Falls and that he loved his students and would never hurt them.”
“Will Jake be coming home?” Bea’s face was serious.
“That’s why I’m here.” Tom smiled wryly. “Blake called me and asked if I was coming by. I said I’d pass along the information to you and let you know they were going to be tied up for several more hours. The investigation was enough, but now, with the suicide, it’s a mess.”
“How did he do it?” Aunt Astrid asked before I could. I hate to admit it, but that was exactly what I was thinking. Sure, it’s gory and macabre, but I can’t help it. I want to know the details.
