Continued from scene twenty-six
Chapter Six
“Mrs. Wilcox tells me I won’t get to go trick-or-treating this year. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“I’m afraid so, Jeff, and send my apologies to Olivia.”
“Are you kidding? She lives for weddings. I’m not sure if you know it, but she’s president of the Elysian Woman’s Club. On top of that, she bakes and apparently, has plans for a colossal cake with a Halloween theme.”
“I’m sure it’ll be beautiful, so send her a big thank you.”
“I’ll do it, now climb on. We’ve got a tour to complete.”
“I haven’t ridden on a tractor fender in quite some time.”
“Well, hold on, so you don’t fall off. I’d hate to tell the Chief I ran over her fiance.
Our first stop was the old farmhouse where Jeff hurt his foot. Once inside, we descended steps into the basement, where I stopped halfway, expecting them to move like the ones in Doc’s house. Who, by the way, has taken to his new nickname quite nicely, as most everyone has started to refer to him in that way.
“Were not fancy over here, son. You’re going to have to keep walking,” said Jeff as he continued to the floor below.
“Who’s place is this?”
“Mine now. It came with the land. Been here a long time, I imagine.”
As he dug through a can of rusty screws, he continued. “Some say the place is haunted.”
“Is it?”
“It is if I’m a ghost. Now, put some pressure right there, Christian, while I maneuver this screw in between the blocks.”
As he did, it clicked, causing a wall section to swing wide open, revealing a ten-by-ten room. Along the back, shelves of liquor bottles overlooked two shot glasses standing ready at the bar. While an old jukebox full of vinyl stood quietly in the corner. A round card table finished out the decor.
“This is your labyrinth?”
He chuckled. “Nonsense, this is where I come to get away from Olivia.”
“You old drunk, no wonder you hurt your foot.”
“A connoisseur, my friend. Now let us drink to privacy and secrecy as we continue on our journey.”
Stepping out into the basement, we once again made our way across fallen boards from the collapsed floor above to another wall. And just as before, he worked a small hole, revealing another doorway.
Continue to scene twenty-eight
Shift is an online work of fiction.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift – Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
The story centers around shapeshifting.
I’m currently working on chapter nine.
Timothy French 