guessed she would have to take a look, after all. Just a quickie.
She set out across the rutted, rolling ground of the Nethermead and the closer she got to the house, the curiouser she became. Curiouser and curiouser. It couldn’t really be what she was thinking it was.
But as Feenix tripped up the little path that led to the front door, she saw she was right. The house wasn’t covered in glass and mirror. It was covered in candy.
Somebody had to be kidding. The walls were a fantastic arrangement of lollipops and sourballs, rock candy and jawbreakers, caramels and Gummi bears, red licorice and lemon drops. The steepled roof was glazed with a covering of shiny pink icing. Stuck into this icing were colored sugar violets and roses. The chimney, she saw, was constructed of blocks of fudge.
She’d never seen anything like it. Was it some sort of Christmas display gone off the deep end? Could this stuff all be real? She looked around. She looked at the house. With the tip of her finger she touched one of the caramels. It gave slightly. Her finger came away with a little cap of stickiness. Before she could stop herself, she gave it a lick.
Delicious. Heavenly. Cautiously, she pried the whole caramel free and then popped it in her mouth.
It melted slowly, releasing an intense, creamy flavor like nothing she’d ever tasted before. She pulled another candy off and slid it onto her tongue.
The front door of the house blew open. A little old bubby lady wearing a red kerchief tied in a large knot under her chin stood there watching her. A faded print housedress fell loosely down below her knees. Navy blue kneesocks and white tennis sneakers finished the fashion statement. She tipped her face to the night air and smiled, revealing large yellow-stained teeth. It was impossible to tell how old she was. Her nose stuck out like a carrot on a snowman, but the rest of her face was worn and sunken. She could have been anywhere between eighty and three hundred years old. She sniffed the air and squinted at Feenix. Feenix stared at her.
“Believe it or not, dearie, I was considered a great beauty in my youth. Why don’t you come in? Come in out of this damp and nasty bog-hole of a night.”
“Excuse me,” Feenix said. “I didn’t mean to disturb anybody. The wind’s just been crazy out here and I got lost.”
From inside the house, a high eager voice called out, “Has she come?”
The woman leaned forward and seemed to sniff at Feenix. “Yes. It is the one we’re waiting for.”
“Well, why are you standing there? Bring her in and shut the door.”
The woman reached out and took hold of Feenix’s hand.
Feenix tried to step backward but found that her feet had gone funny on her. They had a rubbery feel.
“Oh, now,” the woman chuckled. “Don’t be shy. Come in. Come in.” The voice was coming from far, far away. Long cold fingers enclosed her wrist. Unable to help herself, Feenix found herself stumbling forward across the doorway.
CHAPTER SIX
Forgetting
When Edward got to school the next morning, he stared at the wide front doors and had this uncomfortable feeling he had forgotten something. Before he could figure out what it was, a voice yelled out, “Heads up!” and a ball came flying through the air and landed in his hands.
“Over here! Over here! I’m open,” Danton yelled. “Pass it back!”
Clumsily, Edward passed him the ball. No sooner had the ball landed safely in Danton’s eager hands than the sound of the first bell drilled through the brick walls of the building and pierced the brain of any student still loitering around outside.
Mysteriously, it appeared that Danton had decided to adopt Edward. They were in most of the same morning classes together and in the ones where the teachers allowed them to choose their own seats, Danton chose to sit down right next to him. Edward did not pay much attention to this. He continued to be distracted by this feeling that he’d forgotten something. It
She set out across the rutted, rolling ground of the Nethermead and the closer she got to the house, the curiouser she became. Curiouser and curiouser. It couldn’t really be what she was thinking it was.
But as Feenix tripped up the little path that led to the front door, she saw she was right. The house wasn’t covered in glass and mirror. It was covered in candy.
Somebody had to be kidding. The walls were a fantastic arrangement of lollipops and sourballs, rock candy and jawbreakers, caramels and Gummi bears, red licorice and lemon drops. The steepled roof was glazed with a covering of shiny pink icing. Stuck into this icing were colored sugar violets and roses. The chimney, she saw, was constructed of blocks of fudge.
She’d never seen anything like it. Was it some sort of Christmas display gone off the deep end? Could this stuff all be real? She looked around. She looked at the house. With the tip of her finger she touched one of the caramels. It gave slightly. Her finger came away with a little cap of stickiness. Before she could stop herself, she gave it a lick.
Delicious. Heavenly. Cautiously, she pried the whole caramel free and then popped it in her mouth.
It melted slowly, releasing an intense, creamy flavor like nothing she’d ever tasted before. She pulled another candy off and slid it onto her tongue.
The front door of the house blew open. A little old bubby lady wearing a red kerchief tied in a large knot under her chin stood there watching her. A faded print housedress fell loosely down below her knees. Navy blue kneesocks and white tennis sneakers finished the fashion statement. She tipped her face to the night air and smiled, revealing large yellow-stained teeth. It was impossible to tell how old she was. Her nose stuck out like a carrot on a snowman, but the rest of her face was worn and sunken. She could have been anywhere between eighty and three hundred years old. She sniffed the air and squinted at Feenix. Feenix stared at her.
“Believe it or not, dearie, I was considered a great beauty in my youth. Why don’t you come in? Come in out of this damp and nasty bog-hole of a night.”
“Excuse me,” Feenix said. “I didn’t mean to disturb anybody. The wind’s just been crazy out here and I got lost.”
From inside the house, a high eager voice called out, “Has she come?”
The woman leaned forward and seemed to sniff at Feenix. “Yes. It is the one we’re waiting for.”
“Well, why are you standing there? Bring her in and shut the door.”
The woman reached out and took hold of Feenix’s hand.
Feenix tried to step backward but found that her feet had gone funny on her. They had a rubbery feel.
“Oh, now,” the woman chuckled. “Don’t be shy. Come in. Come in.” The voice was coming from far, far away. Long cold fingers enclosed her wrist. Unable to help herself, Feenix found herself stumbling forward across the doorway.
CHAPTER SIX
Forgetting
When Edward got to school the next morning, he stared at the wide front doors and had this uncomfortable feeling he had forgotten something. Before he could figure out what it was, a voice yelled out, “Heads up!” and a ball came flying through the air and landed in his hands.
“Over here! Over here! I’m open,” Danton yelled. “Pass it back!”
Clumsily, Edward passed him the ball. No sooner had the ball landed safely in Danton’s eager hands than the sound of the first bell drilled through the brick walls of the building and pierced the brain of any student still loitering around outside.
Mysteriously, it appeared that Danton had decided to adopt Edward. They were in most of the same morning classes together and in the ones where the teachers allowed them to choose their own seats, Danton chose to sit down right next to him. Edward did not pay much attention to this. He continued to be distracted by this feeling that he’d forgotten something. It
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