Hilary stormed past the teary Puppy, whom she suspected had been listening at the entrance to the dining room the entire time. “Do you consider that wise, Miss Hilary?” Puppy gulped, nodding at the inky black night outside the windows, while Mr. Rabbit trembled beside her. “It’s terribly late, and so very dark! You’ll never be able to find a cab in this part of Pittsburgh so late. Perhaps, you should await the morning and allow the storm to blow over.”
“No, Puppy. I don’t care how late it is. We’re leaving, and we’re leaving now.” She shoved past the weeping dog-girl and wide-eyed bunny man, hoping she could find her way back to her rooms on her own.
She had just finished packing her suitcase when Mr. Rabbit hopped upstairs with the other two. “Hilary, what’s all this about?” Maple was still finishing a corn muffin, crumbs falling on her floral blouse. “I don’t wanna leave! I like it here. Mrs. Fox made the best dinner. Chicken and peas on noodles with corn muffins. I ain’t eaten that well in years!”
“Hilary,” Betty immediately went to her furious sister’s side, “are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Just saw a monster in its true form, that’s all.” She flung a nightgown into the suitcase. “Betty, that brute of a troll asked me to marry him! Me, marry a…THING! And one that I’ve known less than 24 hours. I just…I couldn’t. I’d rather die!”
“Whoa.” Betty put her hand on her sister’s shoulder to calm her. “Down, Hilary. Think this through. Why would he want to marry you? It’s true, we haven’t been here that long. I think there’s more to this than it looks.”
“Yeah.” Maple licked her fingers. “There’s something weird going on here. It’s not just the animals, either. We kept hearing music during dinner. Organ music. That song you n’ Jeff liked, HIlary, ‘Roses of Yesterday.’ They didn’t play too badly, either, whoever they are. I’d like to play a duet with ‘em. I’ve missed playin’ the piano.” She frowned wistfully. “I ain’t had anythin’ to play since we had to sell Mama’s old piano to pay the rent. I really miss it. When I played, it was like Mama was still there.”
“I told you, Maple, soon as I get parts again and Betty sells more scripts, we’ll get you a piano.” She sat on her suitcase to close it. “There. We’ll send for the rest after we get home.”
“No!” Maple pulled back. “Hilary, I ain’t leavin’! I wanna see Eagle again. He wasn’t at dinner. Mrs. Fox said he was upstairs with those papers. I wanna talk to him again tomorrow.”
“Talk to what?” Hilary snapped. “A bird that can’t even respond? Who obviously cares more about those trash piles on his desk than you?”
“I agree with Maple.” Betty squeezed her shoulder. “Hilary, please. They need us here. There’s something terribly, terribly wrong. Think. Why would he ask you to marry him?”
“Don’t know.” Hilary finally managed to get the clasp on the suitcase closed. “Don’t care. Betty, get your typewriter. Maple, start packing. I’ll be calling a cab in a minute.”
“First of all, Hilary,” Betty started, “there’s no way you’ll get a cab at this hour. Not to mention,” she pointed to the softly falling white flakes outside their window, “it’s starting to snow. Second,” she sighed, “I’m not leaving, either. I want to get to the bottom of this.”
“I suppose,” Hilary grumbled as she yanked her blue wool coat on, “it’s that idiotic Bear that’s keeping you here. Betty, you know you can do better than a walking rug that can’t get two sentences out without stumbling or stand on its own two paws. I want better for you.”
Betty’s sweet dark eyes narrowed. “Hilary, stop it. It’s not just Bear, though he’s part of this. I don’t think he was always like this. You’re being too hard on him. And I want to solve the whole mystery. What happened to being in on this together?”
“Fine then!” Hilary grabbed her suitcase. “I’m leaving on my own!”
“What goes on?” Bear shuffled in, his eyes wide and hurt. “Puppy say you leave.” His rumble of a voice trembled as tears filled the sorrowful amber eyes. “Why? Why leave? Do you like us?”
“Ask your so-called Master.” She ducked under Bear’s massive arm. “Come along, girls. If we can’t get a cab, we’ll walk to the nearest bus station.”
“Hilary!” Betty followed her downstairs, with Maple and Bear at their heels. “You’re crazy! One argument, and you’re ready to give up? Besides, you don’t know your way around here!”
“Unlike some animals,” she glared at the ambling Bear coming up behind Betty, “I have enough of a brain to figure out where I’m going.”
“Hilary!” Maple and Betty followed her downstairs, with Bear shuffling behind them. Maple tried to grab her arm. “Hilary, stop it! We ain’t never gonna figure what’s goin’ on here if we run out now.”
Hilary ignored her sisters. “Come along, ladies.” Mr. Rabbit held the door open for her, even as tears pooled in his own brown eyes. “Thank you. Come along, girls.”
She did not like it when Bear took Betty’s slender arm in his big paw. “Please.” That deep rumble trembled like a leaf in the wind. “Don’t leave. Not now. Animals in woods. Robbers out there. Bad people. Don’t want you hurt.”
“It’ll be all right.” She gave his paw a squeeze, then hurried after Hilary.
“Hey!” Maple followed them, pushing past Bear and the sobbing Puppy. “Wait up guys!”
No comments:
Post a Comment