Table Talk

"Do you think they left it unlocked?" asked the freckled girl.

"No clue, they weren't very responsive," said the long-eyelashed girl.

"I'll go check," hurried the girl wrapped in a blanket. "It's locked," she despaired while jiggling the handle a few more times.

"Don't break it," said Eyelash. "This place is ancient."

"Certainly looks it," murmurred Freckle.

"Well, that is what we're here for, but it's freezing." Blanket was dancing impatiently. "And I have to pee. Do you think there's plumbing in this..."

"That's what they said, but I think we need to turn on the water in the basement," admitted Eyelash.

"Not it," called Freckle as lifted a rock from among some dried bushes. "I've already done my part, the keys are in here," Freckle flipped the plastic cap off the fake rock and turned it over. Dozens of acorns fell out into her other hand. She shook them out and searched the soil for a moment.

"Are you good?" asked Blanket impatiently.

"Weird, no key," said Freckle to herself.

"No key?! Come on!" yelled Blanket as she walked off.

"Where are you going?" called Eyelash.

"I'm going to pee in the woods!" yelled Blanket.

"Terrible, horror movie decision," joked Freckle. "Wait! Don't take my blanket into the woods!" she shouted following after her.

Eyelash was left alone. In her moment of peace, she pulled out her phone and went through her email.

Craigslist table, old photos of Maggie from Mrs. O, 25 Oakwood Drive rental. There it was.

Things to know before arrival: no paved access, be prepared for offroad... no parties... turn on water in the basement... no dogs... doors are locked, use kitchen window.

"Hey guys!" Eyelash turned around confused. No one had returned. She let out a sigh and started walking around the house, looking into each window for the kitchen.

The first window was to a bathroom. Too late for that. The toilet face right out the window, a little awkward if you had neighbor. Not really a concern here.

The next window she checked was to a hallway, at the far end was a mirror. Eyelash was going to have to remember to take a mirror pic later. The hall was dark otherwise, all the doors were closed.

The third window she checked was to an open living space. There was a massive stone fireplace that should could see the chimney of when they pulled up. This is where they'd post up if they could get in. She tried to pull on the window, but it was stuck. She should have been trying every window.

The next window she came up to was clearly broken as she approached it. She peered in carefully. It was the kitchen. She carefully pulled up the window. Nothing, it wouldn't budge. She exhaled in disbelief, and then reached through the shattered glass, feeling around for the latch.

She could hear Blanket and Freckle coming back now, bickering about something. She had to get in and unlock the door or they were going to freak out. Freckle would demand that they leave if she saw was Eyelash was about to do.

Eyelash took a deep breath, lifted the window and then pulled herself in, careful to avoid the shards of glass around the sink. The voices were getting closer. She brushed the dust off her front.

"Okay, no problem," she convinced herself as she headed to the front door.

When she arrived, Blanket and Freckle were already waiting. She unlocked the dead bolt, the lock, and the door guard. This place was Fort Knox for dust.

"Finally," cheered Blanket as the door swung open. "Wait, how did you get in?"

"Yeah, what?" echoed Freckle.

"The backdoor, obviously," lied Eyelash. "Get inside. Wait," she blinks her lashes at Freckle. "Could you go get the table?"

"Why me?" asked Freckle.

"Uh because the baby has a blanket over her head," Eyelash laughed as she pulled Blanket inside. "Please, it's light, I promise."

"I wasn't worried about that," sneered Freckle as she turned and left to the car.

"So, how's the place?" Blanket joked as she peered out from under her microfleece fortress.

"It's uh... dusty. And dark. Don't drag her blanket in here or she's going to freak."

"I know, I know. But this was originally Maggie's blan..."

"Don't you think that could be why she cares about it?" interjected Eyelash.

Blanket fell quiet. Eyelash could tell even under the blanket she was holding back tears.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't cool."

"Could you guys move?" ask Freckle a few feet behind them. She was awkardly balancing the table, upsidedown on her knees. She was holding a leg in each hand and crabwalking so fast she was going to crash.

Eyelash pulled Blanket aside and knocked over a painting.

"Shit, would you watch yourself?"

"I'm on table duty, and this is awkward enough without waiting behind you two." Freckle disappeared through the doorway.

Eyelash kneeled down and looked over the painting. It was as dusty as the rest of the place, but the image was clear enough. It was a tree, huge and old. Taller than the chimney, she thought. She was pretty sure they'd passed this tree on their way in.

She placed the painting back up on the wall and ushered Blanket into the living room. It felt bigger now that she wasn't just looking in. Still just as dusty, and dark.

Freckle was in the middle of the room, with the table turned upright on its three legs.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked.

"Yes," said Eyelash. She'd turned somber in an instant. "We have one of her things," she pointed to the blanket. "We have the seance table, and we have a photo of her," she pulled out her phone.

"Actually," Blanket added. "I'm really sorry, I need to pee again. I barely did it outside, I'm pee shy."

"You're kidding," said Freckle.

"You shouldn't have followed me into the woods. Besides, our sister can wait five more minutes, it's been a whole year," Blanket rambled as she opened each door out of the living room.

"There, the basement," she exclaimed. "Is somebody coming with me?"

"No," shot Freckle.

"We'll be right here, this place is safe," promised Eyelash. "Everything is locked. I had to climb through a broken window."

"You what?" Freckle turned redder than usual.

"It's uh... in the rental agreement."

"There's no way," Freckle grabbed Eyelash's phone. "Where's the broken window? Are you insane?" she began flipping through agreement. "There's no mention about a broken window."

"The kitchen window. It said to go through the kitchen window."

"I see that, but it says nothing about a broken window."

"I don't know, it made sense in the moment. Should we have given up and gone back home? We're doing this for Maggie."

"You don't seriously think that. We're doing this for us, mostly her," Freckle gestured toward the basement. "You could have emailed the people back."

"You don't get it, they were very unresponsive. And our sister's doing fine."

"She has barely left the house for an entire year. Honestly, it would have been much better for her if we'd taken her to somewhere sunny instead of a haunted house in the middle of teh woods."

Eyelash and Freckle jerked their heads to the basement door. Blanket was back.

"Did you find it?" asked Eyelash.

Blanket was standing taller, maybe she'd used a bathroom downstairs.

"Okay, well if you're ready, let's get this over with," said Freckle exhausted. She flipped through Eyelash's phone to a picture of Maggie and placed it on the table.

"Okay, you're going to have to relinquish the blanket now," said Eyelash, waving her sister over. As she looked over for a response, she saw her sister halfway up the chimney.

"Uh, what are you doing?" asked Freckle.

Eyelash grabbed her sister's hand tightly. They watched as their younger sister continued to rise up the wall. She used to climb so much as a child. It upset their mom. She'd always make Maggie go up and help her down.

But there was no Maggie here now.

"Please get down from there, and say something," begged Eyelash.

As their sister reached the ceiling the blanket fell and floated like a cloud to the dusty floor.

The dark mass on the ceiling was wriggling, very unlike their sister. Eyelash grabbed her phone and turned the flashlight on, aiming at the dark shadow. As their eyes adjusted, they saw over one hundred furry knots coiling around each other in unison.

Then they realized what they were hearing. It was a muted, wet noise, a dozen every second. The mouths opened in horror as their ears filled with the sounds of one hundred squirrels eating their sister alive.

"Not again," Freckle begged.