the closed door and the carpet. Cautious, he approached the door and again heard footsteps inside the room. It also sounded like some type of heavy broom was being dragged across the carpet.
David placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it.
Shit…this sucker’s really cold!
The noises continued, as if whoever made them remained unaware of his presence, or didn’t care. He counted silently to three and pushed the door open.
As before, no one was there. But a trail of small twigs and dried yellow leaves had been spread across the carpet in the shape of an arc around the bed from nightstand to nightstand. The twigs and leaves lay intertwined upon one another in a deliberate pattern.
Beyond the initial surprise, his first thought was this must be part of some symbolic ritual. His next thought? No way in hell it could remain here, even though he wished Miriam could view it first to help decipher its meaning. But he couldn’t let her see it, and for only one reason. The little cloth bag with “Allie Mae’s Treasures” stitched on it, which now bore smeared pizza stains from when it fell into the trash container the night before, rested on the bed. The obvious centerpiece, it sat between two decorative pillows and another below it.
The minivan’s headlights flashed though the bedroom windows, announcing. Miriam’s return. Surprised that nearly half an hour had passed since she left to go to Janice’s place, he hurriedly gathered up the twigs, leaves, and bag and stuffed them inside the same dresser drawer he used Sunday night.
She entered the house just as he scooped up the last few twigs and leaf fragments. He noticed his hands smelled funny, for the leaves carried a peculiar odor. He ran into the bathroom and washed them thoroughly with the antibacterial soap Miriam preferred. She stepped into the bathroom, startling him.
“ I’m feeling a little jumpy too,” she admitted, after he stifled a gasp. “The kids have settled in for the night, and I gave Jan money for breakfast and a snack at school tomorrow. Even Sadie seems calmer now that she knows she won’t be here tonight.”
She let out a long sigh, laying her coat and purse on the bed.
“ Are you sure you’re okay staying here tonight?” he asked, as he rejoined her in the bedroom. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
“ Yeah, I think so.” She sniffed the air around her. “Do you smell that?”
“ Smell what?” he asked, aware now of the leaves’ acrid aroma hanging in the air.
“ It smells like mice or something,” she said, bending down to lift the bedspread. She then positioned her nose just above the carpet. “It reminds me of the lovely mouse shit you found in the garage last summer,” she advised once she stood back up. “That smell wasn’t here earlier.”
“ It’s hard to say.” He shrugged his shoulders. “We could sleep someplace else tonight. In one of the guestrooms, maybe?”
“ No,” she replied, her hands on her hips while she looked around the room. “If I’m spending the night in this house—our home —then I’m staying here in this bedroom. It will take more than just the smell of mouse turds to get me to leave!”
She had moved past fear toward anger. Figuring out what to do about the little bag that refused to go away might be harder with her more pissed off than afraid. But at least she wouldn’t overreact to every creak and bump she heard tonight, which meant the actual prospect of her sleeping would be better. As for David, he no longer expected a restful night’s sleep.
“ I guess it’s settled,” he told her, forcing a smile that lasted long enough to sell the illusion he wasn’t worried about them spending the night here.
By the time they were ready for bed, the strange odor had mostly disappeared from the air. But a feeling of uneasiness pervaded the bedroom. Lying in bed, huddled close together, they turned off the TV after watching part of an HBO special. 11:30 p.m. approached, and
David placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it.
Shit…this sucker’s really cold!
The noises continued, as if whoever made them remained unaware of his presence, or didn’t care. He counted silently to three and pushed the door open.
As before, no one was there. But a trail of small twigs and dried yellow leaves had been spread across the carpet in the shape of an arc around the bed from nightstand to nightstand. The twigs and leaves lay intertwined upon one another in a deliberate pattern.
Beyond the initial surprise, his first thought was this must be part of some symbolic ritual. His next thought? No way in hell it could remain here, even though he wished Miriam could view it first to help decipher its meaning. But he couldn’t let her see it, and for only one reason. The little cloth bag with “Allie Mae’s Treasures” stitched on it, which now bore smeared pizza stains from when it fell into the trash container the night before, rested on the bed. The obvious centerpiece, it sat between two decorative pillows and another below it.
The minivan’s headlights flashed though the bedroom windows, announcing. Miriam’s return. Surprised that nearly half an hour had passed since she left to go to Janice’s place, he hurriedly gathered up the twigs, leaves, and bag and stuffed them inside the same dresser drawer he used Sunday night.
She entered the house just as he scooped up the last few twigs and leaf fragments. He noticed his hands smelled funny, for the leaves carried a peculiar odor. He ran into the bathroom and washed them thoroughly with the antibacterial soap Miriam preferred. She stepped into the bathroom, startling him.
“ I’m feeling a little jumpy too,” she admitted, after he stifled a gasp. “The kids have settled in for the night, and I gave Jan money for breakfast and a snack at school tomorrow. Even Sadie seems calmer now that she knows she won’t be here tonight.”
She let out a long sigh, laying her coat and purse on the bed.
“ Are you sure you’re okay staying here tonight?” he asked, as he rejoined her in the bedroom. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
“ Yeah, I think so.” She sniffed the air around her. “Do you smell that?”
“ Smell what?” he asked, aware now of the leaves’ acrid aroma hanging in the air.
“ It smells like mice or something,” she said, bending down to lift the bedspread. She then positioned her nose just above the carpet. “It reminds me of the lovely mouse shit you found in the garage last summer,” she advised once she stood back up. “That smell wasn’t here earlier.”
“ It’s hard to say.” He shrugged his shoulders. “We could sleep someplace else tonight. In one of the guestrooms, maybe?”
“ No,” she replied, her hands on her hips while she looked around the room. “If I’m spending the night in this house—our home —then I’m staying here in this bedroom. It will take more than just the smell of mouse turds to get me to leave!”
She had moved past fear toward anger. Figuring out what to do about the little bag that refused to go away might be harder with her more pissed off than afraid. But at least she wouldn’t overreact to every creak and bump she heard tonight, which meant the actual prospect of her sleeping would be better. As for David, he no longer expected a restful night’s sleep.
“ I guess it’s settled,” he told her, forcing a smile that lasted long enough to sell the illusion he wasn’t worried about them spending the night here.
By the time they were ready for bed, the strange odor had mostly disappeared from the air. But a feeling of uneasiness pervaded the bedroom. Lying in bed, huddled close together, they turned off the TV after watching part of an HBO special. 11:30 p.m. approached, and
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