Chapter 28
In the morning when they got up, they went downstairs to see the dollhouse sitting back in its place. Mark felt a small sense of relief. He was worried that the dollhouse would feel bad if he broke it, and he didn’t want anyone to feel bad. When Beth came down the stairs he tickled her and tossed her on the shoulder and they played for a while. “Okay honey gotta go to work.” He said to his wife who is still sitting on the couch, staring at the dollhouse. She was pale.
“Do you need some water, or something to eat before I go? I’m happy to take care of you darling.” He stepped between her and the dollhouse and smiled brightly at her. “Beautiful wife of mine, how can I make your day perfect?”
The wild look in her eyes paused and turned to his. “Don’t go to work today. Convince them that you need to stay home with me because of my broken foot. Take medical leave, whatever you gotta do.” She said. Her hands were clasped painfully together in her lap, the knuckles white, and she cocked her head to see the dollhouse behind him. Goosebumps were appearing on her skin.
Mark obliged. After all, he loved to make his wife happy. He would do whatever she needed. Whenever she needed. He was her knight in shining armor and he would always live up to that description. She was gorgeous, and loveable, sitting there on the couch, her sweaty hair plastered to her face. He stepped into the kitchen to make waffles, but Kelly stopped him. “No, don’t cook anything. We need to go see the witch now. We have to make her break this curse.”
“Okay, baby!” He said with a grin, and he kissed her on the forehead and called the girls down. “Coralina! Come on Beth, get your shoes on! Were gonna go on a little adventure.” He said with a bright smile. He whistled a happy tune while he helped Kelly and her crutches get to the car. Her movements were slow and her eyes were beautiful as they darted back and forth nervously.
Beth whispered to her mom, “Dad is being weird. He’s too happy.”
Kelly patted her quiet child on the head. “I know. I think it’s from the dollhouse. We have to stop before it gets worse.”
Beth stared at her mother with wide, terrified eyes. As if her father getting happier was the worst thing that could ever happen to them. Kelly understood exactly how she felt. It was like living with a stranger.
They all loaded into the rickety minivan that Kelly usually drove. It was a dirty beige color, and the interior had been covered by marker and vomit long before they even got to purchase it. It ran, slightly better than the truck. But not good. Nothing that they owned ran good. Kelly’s nose started bleeding as soon as she got in the passenger seat. She rifled through the glovebox and stuffed a McDonald’s napkin up it.
But Mark was chipper and put on his sunglasses, drummed on the steering wheel and they drove to the woods. The rifle was rattling in the trunk.
