American cold or something.”
She relaxed a little. “Maybe. I don’t want to kill you or myself. That’s a good sign, right?”
I couldn’t help laughing. She relaxed still more. I put a hand to her forehead. “You do seem warm. Want some chicken soup?”
She made a face. Chicken soup was our little joke. My mom had brought over some once when Meri had had the ‘flu, and she had thrown it all up. “No soup,” she said. “I’ll just lie down for awhile, and when I wake up, I’ll probably be fine.” She lay down and closed her eyes and was soon asleep.
I was in the kitchen cutting up some raw veggies when Tucker came in. “You know, I think they’re going to do it,” he said.
“What?” My mind had been thinking about my parent’s house for some odd reason. I had found myself thinking about it all day, off and on.
“Close the area down. I have watched the news a lot, and that’s what everything points to. The blogs are full of demands to protect the rest of the US from those of us who are ‘infected.’”
“But it’s over two plus states. How would they do it?”
He said grimly, “I saw that today the Senate passed a bill giving the President the authority to override state quarantine laws and enact a quarantine by force if necessary. It will go to the House now, but it seems sure it’ll pass.”
“Just because they can doesn’t mean they will.”
“Maybe you’re right.” He sighed. “I guess I’ve just got a bad feeling about it.”
Silence fell only broken by my chopping. “Um, Tucker?” I said after a bit.
“Yeah?” He was looking out at Meri, soundly asleep on the sofa.
“Tell me a story.”
He looked at me, confused, and I laughed at myself. “I just need to get my mind off things. Just make something up. The sillier the better.” The truth was that I was feeling a story form in my mind, and didn’t know how to say that without sounding nuts.
“Okay,” he drew out the word. “A story.” He thought a minute. “It doesn’t have to be about princesses, does it?”
“Fine, Mr. Can’t-tell-a-story. Want me to go first?”
He gave me a mock scowl. “Go ahead.”
“Once upon a time there were three heart-breakingly beautiful girls who lived in a tower above ye old bar and grille.”
He laughed, sitting down and getting conspicuously comfortable.
“And one day an evil witch cast a spell, and many of the town-folk became ill, and some died.”
“Aww,” he said, “I don’t like sad stories.”
I put up a finger sternly. “Settle down, you. Now, these beautiful princesses—”
He interrupted, “They’re princesses now? When did that happen?”
I ignored him. “Who lived in the dark old tower knew there were trolls living in the town now. The sickness had turned some of the people into trolls. The princesses were joined by a handsome prince who helped them get groceries.”
Tucker made a show of standing and bowing.
“But the princesses were afraid the trolls would burn down the tower where they were, so one princess convinced the others to sneak out of the tower and go to the cottage on the other side of the village.”
“Did that help?” Tucker asked.
“It did. That very night, a fire was set, and if the princesses hadn’t left, they all would have been killed in the fire.”
“Darn trolls.” Tucker shook his head. “Can’t trust them. So then what happened? Did the handsome prince set up some kind of kinky harem with the princesses?”
“No!” I threw a dishtowel at him. I faltered now. The story, which had been floating around my head, was dissipating. “I think he married one of the female trolls and was unhappy ever after.”
“Ugh,” Tucker said. “Don’t like that idea.”
I smiled and said nothing. I was thinking about the story. I was also thinking about my parents’ house. “I need to go and check to make sure Mom and Dad’s place is still okay. There’s an alarm system and all, but I promised them I’d keep an
She relaxed a little. “Maybe. I don’t want to kill you or myself. That’s a good sign, right?”
I couldn’t help laughing. She relaxed still more. I put a hand to her forehead. “You do seem warm. Want some chicken soup?”
She made a face. Chicken soup was our little joke. My mom had brought over some once when Meri had had the ‘flu, and she had thrown it all up. “No soup,” she said. “I’ll just lie down for awhile, and when I wake up, I’ll probably be fine.” She lay down and closed her eyes and was soon asleep.
I was in the kitchen cutting up some raw veggies when Tucker came in. “You know, I think they’re going to do it,” he said.
“What?” My mind had been thinking about my parent’s house for some odd reason. I had found myself thinking about it all day, off and on.
“Close the area down. I have watched the news a lot, and that’s what everything points to. The blogs are full of demands to protect the rest of the US from those of us who are ‘infected.’”
“But it’s over two plus states. How would they do it?”
He said grimly, “I saw that today the Senate passed a bill giving the President the authority to override state quarantine laws and enact a quarantine by force if necessary. It will go to the House now, but it seems sure it’ll pass.”
“Just because they can doesn’t mean they will.”
“Maybe you’re right.” He sighed. “I guess I’ve just got a bad feeling about it.”
Silence fell only broken by my chopping. “Um, Tucker?” I said after a bit.
“Yeah?” He was looking out at Meri, soundly asleep on the sofa.
“Tell me a story.”
He looked at me, confused, and I laughed at myself. “I just need to get my mind off things. Just make something up. The sillier the better.” The truth was that I was feeling a story form in my mind, and didn’t know how to say that without sounding nuts.
“Okay,” he drew out the word. “A story.” He thought a minute. “It doesn’t have to be about princesses, does it?”
“Fine, Mr. Can’t-tell-a-story. Want me to go first?”
He gave me a mock scowl. “Go ahead.”
“Once upon a time there were three heart-breakingly beautiful girls who lived in a tower above ye old bar and grille.”
He laughed, sitting down and getting conspicuously comfortable.
“And one day an evil witch cast a spell, and many of the town-folk became ill, and some died.”
“Aww,” he said, “I don’t like sad stories.”
I put up a finger sternly. “Settle down, you. Now, these beautiful princesses—”
He interrupted, “They’re princesses now? When did that happen?”
I ignored him. “Who lived in the dark old tower knew there were trolls living in the town now. The sickness had turned some of the people into trolls. The princesses were joined by a handsome prince who helped them get groceries.”
Tucker made a show of standing and bowing.
“But the princesses were afraid the trolls would burn down the tower where they were, so one princess convinced the others to sneak out of the tower and go to the cottage on the other side of the village.”
“Did that help?” Tucker asked.
“It did. That very night, a fire was set, and if the princesses hadn’t left, they all would have been killed in the fire.”
“Darn trolls.” Tucker shook his head. “Can’t trust them. So then what happened? Did the handsome prince set up some kind of kinky harem with the princesses?”
“No!” I threw a dishtowel at him. I faltered now. The story, which had been floating around my head, was dissipating. “I think he married one of the female trolls and was unhappy ever after.”
“Ugh,” Tucker said. “Don’t like that idea.”
I smiled and said nothing. I was thinking about the story. I was also thinking about my parents’ house. “I need to go and check to make sure Mom and Dad’s place is still okay. There’s an alarm system and all, but I promised them I’d keep an
Similar Books
