Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“Oh my God!” I was shaking as I sank down at the kitchen table. Sebastian jumped up on my knee and I began to stroke his fur, trying to calm my nerves. “That was close,” I said to him and he mewed in earnest agreement.
I had a crazy array of emotions running through me. Fear, of course—I’d been freaking terrified! But also a strange kind of exhilaration—my adrenaline was pumping and I couldn’t believe I had outrun a real, actual monster.
But at the same time, what the hell was going on around here? None of my recently recovered childhood memories included anything like the big green guy with tusks and golden eyes who had just chased me up the hill. Who was he and why did he keep insisting I was trespassing? What—
“Riiiiinnnng! Riiiinnnng!”
The strident sound broke my train of thought and I looked around to find the source of it.
Behind me, on the wall beside the table, was an old-fashioned phone I hadn’t seen earlier. And I do mean old-fashioned. It had a long, curly cord that hung down like a tail almost to the ground and a rotary dial. It was ringing itself off the hook—a saying which took on new meaning to me as I saw that the black receiver really was hanging on a kind of hook attached to the wall.
Normally I’ll do anything not to answer the phone. It’s not much easier talking to strangers on the phone than in person—my words always seem to get stuck. Texting is what works best for me—it’s much more impersonal and I don’t have to see the other person’s face or hear their voice.
But now I found myself reaching for the phone, despite the anxiety that phone conversations always caused me. I lifted the heavy black receiver and put it to my ear.
I didn’t say “Hello” but I didn’t need to—the person on the other end started talking immediately.
“Okay, lady,” growled a harsh, masculine voice. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I am the caretaker of the house you’ve invaded. I’m going to give you one chance—get out now or I’m coming in.”
His words were scary but to my surprise, I found that I had words of my own rising to my lips.
“I’m not going anywhere!” I told him firmly, in a voice that only shook a little. “I inherited this house from my Grandmother—I own it now!”
I didn’t have time to be shocked at the fact that my words had flowed instead of getting stuck in my throat, because the guy on the other end—he must be the huge green monster who had chased me, was talking again.
“So you’re claiming to be Ms. Elvira’s granddaughter?” he demanded. “I’m going to need to see some proof of that.”
“I’ve got her last will and testament written in her own handwriting,” I shot back indignantly. “Is that proof enough for you?”
I was pissed off but also secretly delighted that I was holding my own in this conversation—not letting the big asshole bully me or back me down.
“You’d better be telling the truth because I’m coming back up to see it,” he warned.
“You’re not coming in here!” I snapped back. “I…I’ll call 911 if I see your big green ass outside my house!”
He took a deep breath and then blew it out—sounding like a Category Three hurricane on the other end of the phone.
“Fine. Just hold it up to the kitchen window then. I know Ms. Elvira’s handwriting—if it looks legit, I’ll leave you alone.”
I thought about telling him I didn’t have to show him anything, but I figured if he really had been watching the house after my Grandmother passed, I might owe it to him to prove that I belonged here.
“All right,” I said. “But once I show you her will, I don’t want you hanging around. You leave me alone or I really will call 911 on you!”
“Yeah, good luck with that,” he growled and then the phone banged down with a loud claanng right in my ear.
“Ouch!” I rubbed my ear and hung the phone back up on its hook. Then I looked around, hoping I hadn’t dropped the will and testament outside when I’d been running for my life.
Luckily, it was on the counter along with my cell phone and the iron key that had brought me to my Grandmother’s place in the first place. Also, I found that I still had the apple I had picked—I had shoved it into the pocket of the gray cardigan I still wore.
Almost before I could finish taking inventory, I looked through the kitchen window and saw the monster guy coming up the hill. Wherever he was staying, it must not be far from my Grandma’s house—a thought which was not at all comforting.
Taking a deep breath and gathering my courage, I picked up the will in one hand and my cell phone in the other. I didn’t seem to have very good cell service here, but the phone function still worked. I typed in 9-1-1 and waited with my thumb hovering over the send button.