Excerpt: Bess watched her brother staggering toward his bedroom, like he was walking on a boat that was being rocked by waves. “You were not staggering earlier. You must be putting me on. But I do know your breath smelled.” Bess looked at the door to her mom’s bedroom. Bess guessed she would keep Billy’s secret but his drinking worried her. Bess walked to the kitchen to get some water. She felt uneasy. Scared. She guessed that Billy talking about his dream had spooked her. “Lost souls in a drive-in? Strange.”
Hearthville Serial: Book 7
Episode 7
Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental.
All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2021
All Rights Reserved
Chapters / Episodes
The two lost souls began touching Billy.
Billy screamed in a giggly, ticklish, manner. “Stop. What are you doing?”
A female voice came from somewhere but seemingly nowhere. “I told you he is ticklish.”
They stopped tickling Billy.
Donny Maxtone said, “Lost souls who are playful. That is kind of odd. And who was that talking to them.”
Billy said, “That was my mom’s voice.”
Suddenly, Billy vanished from the sight of Victor and Donny.
Billy woke up in his bed. “What the hell? I guess I was dreaming. I need some water.”
Billy crawled out of bed. He knew besides the strange dream, something did not feel right. But what? He opened the door from his bedroom. He walked toward the living room. And there he saw his mother. Her arms were strangely, straightly, out in front of her and in her fist she was holding a large, sharp, dangerous, knife.
“Mom? What are you doing?”
Billy’s mom, Maureen, did not answer. Her head was moving strangely. And her walk did not look right.
“Mom?”
Maureen turned toward her son. Her eyes were closed. Her arms remained out in front of her.
Billy asked, “Are you sleep walking?”
Maureen spoke. Her voice was eerie like sometimes when a person is talking in their sleep. “Victor sent Belial to hell. What kind of being can do that. And my son. What is he?”
“Mom wake up. Wake up.”
Maureen heard Billy’s voice. “Mom, wake up. You are sleep walking.” She tried to wake from her sleep, but she couldn’t.
Maureen’s arms dropped from in front of her and fell to her side.
Bess ran into the room. “Billy, you should not wake her. We need to lead her to her bed and help her to lay back down.”
Billy nodded. “Okay.”
With care, Bess and Billy guided Maureen back to her bedroom. They helped her lay down. Resting on her back, she began to snore. Quietly, almost looking sneaky, Bess and Billy crept out of Maureen’s bedroom. Billy carefully closed her door so as to not make a sound.
Bess stared at her brother. “How did you find her sleep walking?”
“I was having the most weird dream. I was in the back of Victor Duddley’s car and we were in a drive-in and there were two lost souls in the backseat with me. They were spooky as hell. So anyway when the lost souls started tickling me, I woke up. I came to the kitchen to get some water and there was mom, sleep walking.”
“Weird. A drive-in?”
Billy hugged his sister.
“What was that for?”
“For being normal.”
Bess smelled Billy’s breath. “Have you been drinking?”
“Yeah. I am drunk as a skunk. I am going to bed to sleep it off.”
Bess watched her brother staggering toward his bedroom, like he was walking on a boat that was being rocked by waves. “You were not staggering earlier. You must be putting me on. But I do know your breath smelled.” Bess looked at the door to her mom’s bedroom. Bess guessed she would keep Billy’s secret but his drinking worried her. Bess walked to the kitchen to get some water. She felt uneasy. Scared. She guessed that Billy talking about his dream had spooked her. “Lost souls in a drive-in? Strange.”
***
Victor and Donny saw Billy vanish.
Victor asked, “Where did he go?”
“Probably back to the world of the living. If I could do that, wouldn’t that be cool.”
Victor smiled. Then Victor had a sad look. “You died, saving me. It was like you swapped your life for my life.”
“Well. Obviously, that was not my plan, but I do not regret it. You sent Belial to hell. You began the rescue of Pluto Viso.”
“I wonder what kind of powers I have. I wonder.”
“You are very powerful but you already have some members of the Witches Council in a fit. They see you as a threat. Do not underestimate them. They may figure out a way to cage you. Do not forget that Belial was able to cage Amelia in the Pluto Viso Wars?”
“How could I forget that?”
“You have to be careful.”
“Is that why I was brought here? For you to warn me?”
“Are you now working for the Witches Council?”
“How could you even think that?”
“Suddenly, it has occurred me that you might not even be Donny?”
The image of Donny faded and Victor could see Alice Malokey standing there. Alice laughed, “You caught me but let the my message be clear. “Do not underestimate what I can do?”
“Honey, do you want me to put you in a cage so you can see what I can do?”
“Sorry.” Alice vanished.
Victor waved his arms. He cast a spell to park his car at his house and to put himself in bed. “When I wake, I will think that all of this will have been just a dream.” Victor laughed. “And it will have been.”
Donny appeared next to Victor’s bed. “It was Alice but it was also me there. Please do not misunderstand. I was not working with her. I had no idea what was happening. Please believe me.”
“I believe you.”
“We have to be careful of her.”
“Why did she she pick that location for her game and to bring the lost souls into it?”
“I don’t have a clue. Victor. Please do not ever doubt that I am on your side.” Donny Maxtone vanished.