up and confirm that there were no other
long-term effects to the cricket case, but he forgot. And just like that, the exercise was over.
“Good job, contestants.”
“I have a headache,” Lulu moaned while covering her left eye with her hand.
“If you hold your hand like that, you could damage your eye, Lulu. Or you could trip and fall,” Theo warned, oblivious to
the girl’s condition.
“I feel a bit weak myself,” Madeleine said as she sat down in the dentist chair to ease her nauseated stomach.
Garrison wiped his brow on his sleeve and walked toward a door behind Madeleine and the dentist chair. It was a heavy metal
door, similar to that of a vault with a wheel handle. Scratched in nearly illegible marker was “Munchauser’s Masterpiece.”
“What’s Munchauser’s Masterpiece?” Garrison asked Mrs. Wellington.
“Oh! That room. That room, what a disappointment. He tried to create a machine to beat the track. No need to go in there,
contestants,” Mrs. Wellington said while adjusting her wig. “The whole lot of you look exhausted. Come, let me show you to
your living quarters. There’s nothing to be afraid of there, but don’t fret; we’ll certainly be returning to the Fearnasium.”
That was what worried Lulu, Madeleine, Theo, and Garrison.
CHAPTER 13
EVERYONE’S AFRAID OF SOMETHING:
Ailurophobia is the fear of cats.
T he living quarters, as Mrs. Wellington referred to them, were on Summerstone’s second floor, which was a far less imposing
setting than the first floor. The children’s “quarters” consisted of two rooms connected by a bathroom. First along the hallway
was the blue door with the words GARCON, RAGAZZO, BUB , and BOY inscribed on it. Behind the door, blue and white striped wallpaper, hardwood floors, and heavy sun-stained navy curtains
surrounded two twin beds with sapphire gingham bedspreads. Above each bed was a painting of Errol and Ratty, the cats, playing
baseball in uniforms.
“Sometimes I regret training them to ignore me. It would have been refreshing to have an all-feline baseball team. Of course,
the uniforms would prove a challenge. Ratty and Errol threw such tantrums when they sat for their portraits,” Mrs. Wellington
said fondly while gazing at the paintings.
A similar set of paintings, starring Fiona and Annabelle in tutus and toe shoes, hung above the girls’ beds. As with the boys’
room, FILLE, RAGAZZA, FRAULEIN, and GIRL, in perfect calligraphy, were painted on the door. Upon entering the room, Madeleine immediately realized that Mrs. Wellington’s
love of the color pink was not limited to the kitchen. Soft pink walls with white polka dots clashed with mauve carpet, fuchsia
curtains, and cherry-colored paisley duvets.
Madeleine canvassed the corners for cobwebs while haphazardly spraying around her body. As she took note of her own reflection,
barely visible beneath the netting she wore, a tinge of sadness passed over her. She quickly snapped out of it, remembering
that vanity was a small price to pay to avoid sticky spider feet. The thought of a spider’s many legs gave her goose bumps
and a whiff of nausea, as did the paisley-print bedspread.
“Mrs. Wellington, when was the last time this room was sprayed for insects by an exterminator?”
“This morning, dear. I sent Schmidty up here with four cans of repellent and told him to spray until he passed out.”
“How long did he last?” Madeleine asked in all seriousness.
“I’d say a good forty-five minutes. Macaroni only lasted ten; short-nosed dogs simply don’t have the lung capacity for that
kind of work.”
“And during the extermination, were the blankets and sheets sprayed?”
“No, dear.”
“What?” Madeleine gasped frantically.
“Of course not; I had them laundered in a repellent.”
“Gross,” Lulu moaned. “Did you do it to both beds?”
“Certainly; I didn’t want either one of you to feel
trapped
, like you had to
long-term effects to the cricket case, but he forgot. And just like that, the exercise was over.
“Good job, contestants.”
“I have a headache,” Lulu moaned while covering her left eye with her hand.
“If you hold your hand like that, you could damage your eye, Lulu. Or you could trip and fall,” Theo warned, oblivious to
the girl’s condition.
“I feel a bit weak myself,” Madeleine said as she sat down in the dentist chair to ease her nauseated stomach.
Garrison wiped his brow on his sleeve and walked toward a door behind Madeleine and the dentist chair. It was a heavy metal
door, similar to that of a vault with a wheel handle. Scratched in nearly illegible marker was “Munchauser’s Masterpiece.”
“What’s Munchauser’s Masterpiece?” Garrison asked Mrs. Wellington.
“Oh! That room. That room, what a disappointment. He tried to create a machine to beat the track. No need to go in there,
contestants,” Mrs. Wellington said while adjusting her wig. “The whole lot of you look exhausted. Come, let me show you to
your living quarters. There’s nothing to be afraid of there, but don’t fret; we’ll certainly be returning to the Fearnasium.”
That was what worried Lulu, Madeleine, Theo, and Garrison.
CHAPTER 13
EVERYONE’S AFRAID OF SOMETHING:
Ailurophobia is the fear of cats.
T he living quarters, as Mrs. Wellington referred to them, were on Summerstone’s second floor, which was a far less imposing
setting than the first floor. The children’s “quarters” consisted of two rooms connected by a bathroom. First along the hallway
was the blue door with the words GARCON, RAGAZZO, BUB , and BOY inscribed on it. Behind the door, blue and white striped wallpaper, hardwood floors, and heavy sun-stained navy curtains
surrounded two twin beds with sapphire gingham bedspreads. Above each bed was a painting of Errol and Ratty, the cats, playing
baseball in uniforms.
“Sometimes I regret training them to ignore me. It would have been refreshing to have an all-feline baseball team. Of course,
the uniforms would prove a challenge. Ratty and Errol threw such tantrums when they sat for their portraits,” Mrs. Wellington
said fondly while gazing at the paintings.
A similar set of paintings, starring Fiona and Annabelle in tutus and toe shoes, hung above the girls’ beds. As with the boys’
room, FILLE, RAGAZZA, FRAULEIN, and GIRL, in perfect calligraphy, were painted on the door. Upon entering the room, Madeleine immediately realized that Mrs. Wellington’s
love of the color pink was not limited to the kitchen. Soft pink walls with white polka dots clashed with mauve carpet, fuchsia
curtains, and cherry-colored paisley duvets.
Madeleine canvassed the corners for cobwebs while haphazardly spraying around her body. As she took note of her own reflection,
barely visible beneath the netting she wore, a tinge of sadness passed over her. She quickly snapped out of it, remembering
that vanity was a small price to pay to avoid sticky spider feet. The thought of a spider’s many legs gave her goose bumps
and a whiff of nausea, as did the paisley-print bedspread.
“Mrs. Wellington, when was the last time this room was sprayed for insects by an exterminator?”
“This morning, dear. I sent Schmidty up here with four cans of repellent and told him to spray until he passed out.”
“How long did he last?” Madeleine asked in all seriousness.
“I’d say a good forty-five minutes. Macaroni only lasted ten; short-nosed dogs simply don’t have the lung capacity for that
kind of work.”
“And during the extermination, were the blankets and sheets sprayed?”
“No, dear.”
“What?” Madeleine gasped frantically.
“Of course not; I had them laundered in a repellent.”
“Gross,” Lulu moaned. “Did you do it to both beds?”
“Certainly; I didn’t want either one of you to feel
trapped
, like you had to
Similar Books
