whatever I want. You don't own me."
Harvey could see by the glazed look in Wendell's eyes that the House was already working its seductive magic. It could only be a matter of time, he knew, before his own powers of resistance were worn away. And what then? Would he forget his work here entirely, and become an empty-headed boy, laughing like a loon while his soul was sucked away?
"No!" he said aloud, "I'm not going to let you do it!"
"Do what?" said Wendell.
"We've got work to do!" Harvey told him.
"Who cares?" Wendell replied.
"I do. And so did you five minutes ago, Remember what it did to us, Wendell."
The wind in trees seemed to sigh at this.
"Aaahh..." it said, as if it now understood Harvey's purpose here, and would waft this intelligence to the ears of Mr. Hood.
Harvey didn't care. In fact, he was pleased,
"Go on," he said, as the gusts flew toward the House. "Tell him! Tell him!" He turned on Wendell. "Are you coming?" he said. "Or am I going to go in alone?"
"I don't mind going in, " Wendell said cheerily. "I'm hungry."
Harvey stared hard at Wendell. "Don't you remember anything we said out there?" he demanded.
"Of course I do," Wendell replied. "We said we were going to..." He paused, frowning. "...going...to..."
"This place has stolen time that belonged to us, Wendell."
"How did it do that?" said Wendell, still frowning deeply. "It's just...just..." Again he faltered, searching for the words. "...just such a perfect day." The frown began to fade again, and a broad smile replaced it. "Who cares?" Wendell said. "I mean, on a day like this, who cares? Let's just enjoy ourselves."
Harvey shook his head. He was losing precious time here, which was exactly what Hood and the House wanted. Instead of wasting any further words on Wendell, he turned on his heel and headed toward the front door.
"Wait for me!" Wendell hollered. "Can you smell that pie?"
Harvey could, and wished he'd put some food in his belly before he'd started out on this adventure. Knowing that these tantalizing smells were all part of Hood's repertoire wasn't enough to stop his mouth from watering or his stomach from grumbling.
All he could do was think of the dust to which his ark animals had turned when he'd stepped out into the street. The pie on the kitchen table was probably made of the same bitter stuff, concealed beneath a veneer of sweetness. He held on to that thought as best he could, knowing that the House into which he was about to step would be full of such blandishments.
With Wendell again trailing a step behind, he climbed the porch steps and marched into the House. The moment they were both inside, the door slammed behind them. Harvey reeled around, his skin crawling. It was not the wind that had thrown the door shut.
It was Rictus.
[[pg 142 picture]]
XVII
Cook, Cat and Coffin
"Great to have you back, boy," Rictus said, his smile as wide as ever. "I told everyone you wouldn't be able to stay away. Nobody believed me. He's gone, they said, he's gone. But I knew better." He started to wander toward Harvey. "I knew you wouldn't be satisfied with a little visit...not with so much fun still to be had."
"I'm hungry," Wendell whined.
"Help yourselves!" Rictus grinned.
Wendell was off at a sprint, into the kitchen.
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" he hollered. "Look at all this food."
Harvey didn't reply.
"Aren't you hungry?" Rictus said, raising an eyebrow high above his spectacles. He cupped his hand behind his ear. "That sounds like an empty belly to me."
"Where's Mrs. Griffin?" Harvey said.
"Oh...she's around," Rictus said mischievously. "But she's getting old. She takes to her bed a
Harvey could see by the glazed look in Wendell's eyes that the House was already working its seductive magic. It could only be a matter of time, he knew, before his own powers of resistance were worn away. And what then? Would he forget his work here entirely, and become an empty-headed boy, laughing like a loon while his soul was sucked away?
"No!" he said aloud, "I'm not going to let you do it!"
"Do what?" said Wendell.
"We've got work to do!" Harvey told him.
"Who cares?" Wendell replied.
"I do. And so did you five minutes ago, Remember what it did to us, Wendell."
The wind in trees seemed to sigh at this.
"Aaahh..." it said, as if it now understood Harvey's purpose here, and would waft this intelligence to the ears of Mr. Hood.
Harvey didn't care. In fact, he was pleased,
"Go on," he said, as the gusts flew toward the House. "Tell him! Tell him!" He turned on Wendell. "Are you coming?" he said. "Or am I going to go in alone?"
"I don't mind going in, " Wendell said cheerily. "I'm hungry."
Harvey stared hard at Wendell. "Don't you remember anything we said out there?" he demanded.
"Of course I do," Wendell replied. "We said we were going to..." He paused, frowning. "...going...to..."
"This place has stolen time that belonged to us, Wendell."
"How did it do that?" said Wendell, still frowning deeply. "It's just...just..." Again he faltered, searching for the words. "...just such a perfect day." The frown began to fade again, and a broad smile replaced it. "Who cares?" Wendell said. "I mean, on a day like this, who cares? Let's just enjoy ourselves."
Harvey shook his head. He was losing precious time here, which was exactly what Hood and the House wanted. Instead of wasting any further words on Wendell, he turned on his heel and headed toward the front door.
"Wait for me!" Wendell hollered. "Can you smell that pie?"
Harvey could, and wished he'd put some food in his belly before he'd started out on this adventure. Knowing that these tantalizing smells were all part of Hood's repertoire wasn't enough to stop his mouth from watering or his stomach from grumbling.
All he could do was think of the dust to which his ark animals had turned when he'd stepped out into the street. The pie on the kitchen table was probably made of the same bitter stuff, concealed beneath a veneer of sweetness. He held on to that thought as best he could, knowing that the House into which he was about to step would be full of such blandishments.
With Wendell again trailing a step behind, he climbed the porch steps and marched into the House. The moment they were both inside, the door slammed behind them. Harvey reeled around, his skin crawling. It was not the wind that had thrown the door shut.
It was Rictus.
[[pg 142 picture]]
XVII
Cook, Cat and Coffin
"Great to have you back, boy," Rictus said, his smile as wide as ever. "I told everyone you wouldn't be able to stay away. Nobody believed me. He's gone, they said, he's gone. But I knew better." He started to wander toward Harvey. "I knew you wouldn't be satisfied with a little visit...not with so much fun still to be had."
"I'm hungry," Wendell whined.
"Help yourselves!" Rictus grinned.
Wendell was off at a sprint, into the kitchen.
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" he hollered. "Look at all this food."
Harvey didn't reply.
"Aren't you hungry?" Rictus said, raising an eyebrow high above his spectacles. He cupped his hand behind his ear. "That sounds like an empty belly to me."
"Where's Mrs. Griffin?" Harvey said.
"Oh...she's around," Rictus said mischievously. "But she's getting old. She takes to her bed a
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