Sunlight cast the lawn in a soft, golden glow. No mist. No sprinklers. No monster. I surveyed the ground for any trace of the creature. I plucked a long, thin strand of hair off the ground and held it up to the light where it shimmered with the faintest hint of blue. I tucked the hair in my pocket.
As I turned to do another sweep, I spotted a lone figure huddled under the gazebo bench and sprinted toward them. “Are you okay? You’re Lazlo, right?”
The old man glanced up at me, shaking. “Yes. Is it gone?”
I pivoted to face the square. Still empty. “It’s gone.” I helped him to sit on the bench. “Tell me what happened.”
“I thought for sure I was a goner. It seemed hell-bent on attacking me. I got as far as the gazebo and tripped on the step, so I crawled under the bench to hide until it left.” Lazlo kicked out his leg to show me the torn fabric at his knee. “I expect the HOA to reimburse me for a new pair of pants.”
“You’ll have to submit the request to Justine’s office.”
I turned over his and Margie’s accounts in my mind. Based on their information, there was no good reason why this creature didn’t kill either one of them. Margie’s “bouncy step” was unlikely fast enough to outrun the monster, and the gazebo wasn’t warded. If the creature had wanted to enter it to attack Lazlo, it would have.
“Do you think it might be a prank?” Lazlo asked. “Somebody decided to dress up in a big green suit and scare us for fun?”
“It’s possible.” I paused. “Wait. Did you say green?”
“Yes, did I not mention that?”
“Are you sure it wasn’t blue?”
“It was definitely green, like a giant, terrifying leprechaun.”
“You’re not blue-green color blind by any chance, are you?”
He bristled. “I may be old, but there’s nothing wrong with my vision, Maya.”
Everyone had a skill. Mine was apparently insulting senior citizens.
“How many horns did it have?”
“One.”
“Any facial hair?”
“Like a mustache?”
“Or a beard.”
“Not that I noticed.”
“Did you see any mist?”
He blinked. “No, ma’am. Should I have?”
“There’s no should haves, Lazlo. I’m gathering information. That’s all.”
He slumped against the latticed side of the gazebo. “Please tell me there isn’t more than one of these things running around the Neighborhood.”
“Two, possibly. A blue one with an unkempt beard.”
Lazlo paled. “Gods save us all.”
They wouldn’t, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him that.
“Would you mind driving me home?” he asked. “My knee hurts and my legs are too wobbly to walk.”
“I wish I could, but I loaned out my golf cart.”
