AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, I couldn’t do that even then,” she explained, or didn’t explain.
“Okay,” I sang, letting it lie.
“I wonder if there’s anything behind the stage.”
Eugie had stayed behind and was pacing the end of the stage waiting for us. I sat our meager findings on the edge and helped Bridge back up. I didn’t have the heart to tell her there were stairs hidden behind the curtain. I helped myself and began our way to the back when the lights went off and the electricity powered down.
“Dang,” Cricket said.
It was pitch dark, so I grabbed the flashlight I’d tucked in my jacket just in case that very scenario played out.
“Oh!” she said, when I turned on the light. “Good. A flashlight.”
“Yes, a flashlight.”
“Shut up.”
I smiled and led the way.
There was nothing to the left of the stage but the pulley system and the stairs, so I led us back over to the right side. There was a tiny stage room tucked in the corner, and inside there were rows of Christmas costumes.
“That’s it then,” she said. “What we see is what we’ve got.”
“Let’s grab a couple of these wise men beards.” I snatched one off a shelf and put it over her head. “Got to keep that mug warm, Thumbelina.”
“Hey!” she said, laughing and tugging off the beard.
She placed it back on the shelf.
“How about these capes,” I suggested seriously.
Cricket ran her hands along the length of a crushed velvet one. “Yup, these are our best options.”
I tossed them over my arm and we retreated back to the stage. I layered them on the floor for some nice cushioning and Eugie immediately curled up at the end and fell fast asleep. I emptied the bag on top and we went through my findings. I lit the candle to conserve the flashlight.
I held the candle under my face. “Once upon a time, there was a devastatingly handsome young man and an okay-looking girl and they were stranded...in a blizzard...in Montana,” I bellowed menacingly.
She rolled her eyes.
“The devastatingly handsome young man hid a deep, dark secret,” I said, dropping an octave. Cricket shook her head. “At,” I began and looked down at my wristwatch, “exactly nine thirty-seven in the evening every evening, he turned...into a vampire! He knew that the okay-looking girl didn’t stand a chance against him, so he did the only thing he could,” I said, setting down the candle. “He cut off his hands!” I cried, pulling the sleeves of my coat over my hands.
I held the stumps up and Cricket eyed them for a second before bursting out laughing.
When she caught her breath, she said, “How would cutting off the hands of a vampire stop him from eating her?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I didn’t think he could overpower her at that point. Have you ever tried to do anything without hands?”
“Do you know anything about vampires? They’re super strong. Hands or no, he could still pin her down.”
“Oh my God,” I exaggerated. “I’m so sorry! Excuse me!” I shouted to the empty room, causing Eugie’s head to pop up then back down. “I have the world’s foremost leading expert on vampires in my midst! Alert the papers!”
“Shut up,” she laughed.
“I still think she could throw him off,” I tested, holding up my fake stumps and examining them.
“No,” she insisted, having no idea where I was going. “He could definitely overpower her.”
“Hmm. We should definitely test that theory,” I said, tossing myself on top of her and flapping my handless cuffs at her.
