“I sure hope it works,” Mia said. “Are you sure that it’s alright to have Brian here over the weekend? I could take him to his Aunt Sabine’s.”
“Nonsense, Brian and I have a routine. First thing in the morning, we watch a few old videotapes of the ’86 Bears. And then we do our colors. He can already identify Blue and Orange.”
“I bet he can,” Mia said.
“I do worry though. He is awfully fond of Red and Gold.”
“I think that’s his father’s doing.”
“Anyway, Brian has been such a good addition to our family.”
“Brian hasn’t, you know…”
“Done any paranormal stuff?” Susan finished. “No. He’s pretty advanced verbally, and he and Tom can see things that I can’t. Both of them were staring at something last time we were in the library.”
“That would be Old Man Taylor. He’s very protective of the historical document room,” Mia told her. She was pleased as punch that Susan took Brian around as if he were her grandchild.
“I have Miss Sabine’s number in case he does exhibit any behavior I can’t deal with. She is such a kind person. I was telling Tom just the other day…”
Mia listened to Susan go on and on about how Tom should ask Sabine out. “Susan, if he’s interested, he’ll get around to it in his own time. Sabine’s probably not sending him any sign that she’d like to start dating. Her husband was the sun and the moon to her.”
Susan nodded. “It’s too bad you and Tom…”
“We’re fated to be friends,” Mia said quickly. “Tom will find the perfect daughter-in-law for you.”
“In the meanwhile, I have Brian to keep me company,” Susan said. “So don’t you worry about this weekend. Tom will make sure Maggie is fed and exercised, and I’ll entertain our little chatterbox. Make sure you bring him something home. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It says that you thought of him while you were away,” Susan counseled.
Mia nodded. She made a mental note to bring Susan something back too.
Chapter Five
Mark walked down the dark hallway. He hadn’t remembered the place being so dark before. His footsteps echoed off the plaster walls. “Gran,” he called timidly. He didn’t want to wake his grandfather, but he needed the reassuring words of his grandmother. “I can’t sleep,” he said quietly when the figure emerged from the room at the end of the hall.
“I sleep all the time,” the gravelly voice told him.
“You’re not my gran,” Mark said, backing away.
“I sleep with my eyes open. I sleep with them shut. I hear the scratching of the bugs and the singing of the mice. They crawl over me, and I can’t move to protect myself.”
The figure continued to advance on Mark. He made it to his room and shut the door between him and it. He leaned against the door.
“Do you know who is responsible for my pain?” the figure whispered through the door.
“No,” Mark said, sliding down, putting his hands over his ears. “Go away.”
“The angels have condemned me to this hell!” the voice screamed. “Horrid creatures, sick, vile creatures, horrid… horrid.”
Mark heard it move away. He dove for his bed and pulled the covers over his head.
“Mah ark,” a young boy called. “Mah ark,” was chorused with another boy’s voice. “Come to the house. Mah ark…”
“Please, leave me alone,” he said, trying to breathe. He couldn’t stay under there too much longer. He prayed for help. He didn’t know how long it had been, but he had to chance it. He lifted the covers and saw only moonlight in his room. He gulped down the fresh air as if he had been underwater for too long. He had to go to the bathroom, but he didn’t want to chance the hallway. He looked around frantically as the urge to go was becoming too much. He grabbed the Mason jar on his desk and emptied out the collection of shells. He relieved himself and left it as far from his bed as possible. He sat back down and lifted his legs, and even though the air was hot, he pulled up the extra cover.
“Mah ark,” the boys called.
Mark started crying. He turned his face to the wall.
“Come to the house. Mah ark…”
~
Mia and Ted stood there, staring open-mouthed. They were informed that this was classified as a hill, but to flatlanders, it seemed like a mountain. The resort had installed large gondolas in the hope that families would find them a safe and convenient way to travel to the hotel. Ted had condensed the equipment so there would be less to transport up and down the pseudo-mountain. He was surprised by how much Mia could carry. Her workouts with Ed had made her stronger. Since she’d returned, Mia would start her day training on the hillside with Brian watching her from his stroller.
Cid and Murphy had yet to arrive. Cid had texted that they were still half an hour away.
Mia and Ted would have the majority of the equipment transported by the time they arrived. They had everything ready to load into the next available gondola and were standing on the platform killing time. Mia was happy to have Ted to herself, even though he was on the other end of a large, black storage container. Burt, Mike and Audrey were already at the hotel, and contracts had been handled by Alan prior to the team arriving.
Mia looked at the returning gondola and thought of Murphy who was scared of heights. She would offer to walk up the mountain with him if he refused to use the gondola. She didn’t mind; he would do it for her had the circumstances been reversed.
“A gold-pressed latinum slip for
