see anyone.
"Are you hurt Patrick?" she inquired in a concerned tone. How'd she know my name?
"I think I hurt me bu… bottom."
"Don't move. You may have broken something."
I stayed put, only moving slightly to crane my neck and glare at my 'crow'. There was the thwack sound of the back screen door then this mysterious woman appeared around the edge of the house carrying a wet washer. My heart started racing. She wore a long floral dress with long sleeves and white gloves that left her whole arms covered. But I couldn't help staring at her face, even though I tried not to. Her skin was the colour of Nan's good bone china and her hair was white as well. It was parted in the centre leaving only a small gap to form two flat saucer-like sides covering her temples and cheeks and pinned at the back. She wore large sunglasses and was like no one I had ever seen before. She knelt down beside me. I started to tremble. She rolled me over and pressed gently on my tail bone.
"Does it hurt here?" she asked with a voice as soft and soothing as a butter menthol.
"No."
"Tell me if you feel pain anywhere when I press." Her hands made their way bit by bit up my spine. I shook my head with every press.
"Can you stand up?" I did. "Well it appears you haven't broken anything. Now, tell me what you were doing up there in the first place?" she asked as she stood up and held the cool washer against my forehead, studying my face at the same time.
"I was after a sky rocket," I confessed, pointing up into the choko vine.
"Like this one?" She picked the spent firework up and handed it to me.
"I must've loosened it when I fell." Somehow she had put me at ease.
"That was a very dangerous thing to do. You could have been seriously injured." I felt a bit silly. "Never mind. Would you like to come inside? I'll get you some milk and biscuits." I looked in Doug's direction, a bit unsure now of what to do next.
"No, I better not. My brother's waiting for me." I was trying hard not to look like I was staring at her so I diverted my gaze everywhere else. She moved her hand to my hair and gently stroked it.
"In future, if ever you need to retrieve anything … a ball or whatever, just knock on the door. No climbing up lattice, okay? Promise?" she smiled.
"Promise. Are you going to tell Dad?"
"I don't think he needs to know, do you?" she proposed with a little laugh. "After all, you're not hurt and the lattice is intact. It can be our little secret. Bye-bye Patrick."
I started off in the direction of the fence, a bit confused.
"Are you a vampire?" I turned and asked, once I was a safe distance away.
"Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Barry says you suck the blood of cats at night." She gave a little chuckle.
"Do I look like a vampire?"
"I've never seen one up close. So I don't exactly know what one really looks like."
"No one has, because they don't exist. Just make believe in Hollywood pictures. Tell young Barry Figgins, he's wrong. And that what he said is a very hurtful thing to say about anyone, especially behind their backs."
I felt bad at what I had just asked and how it had hurt her. When I got to the fence Doug whispered from the safety of the tree.
"Did she try and suck your blood?"
"No."
I looked back around to her house, still a bit confused. She was standing there watching me as I slid back through the fence. She gave a little wave before making her way around the back of the house.
Doug shimmied down the tree as I entered our yard through the fence.
"Well?" I handed him the sky rocket. It didn't seem to be that important to me anymore.
"Well what?" I asked as he tried to check my neck for fang marks. I brushed his hand away. "She's not a vampire. She told me. Barry's wrong. They're only in pictures."
"She only said that 'cause she knows we're on to her."
"She didn't bite me. She even offered me milk and biscuits."
"Only so she could get you inside, then throw you down into her dungeon and perform evil experiments." His dark
"Are you hurt Patrick?" she inquired in a concerned tone. How'd she know my name?
"I think I hurt me bu… bottom."
"Don't move. You may have broken something."
I stayed put, only moving slightly to crane my neck and glare at my 'crow'. There was the thwack sound of the back screen door then this mysterious woman appeared around the edge of the house carrying a wet washer. My heart started racing. She wore a long floral dress with long sleeves and white gloves that left her whole arms covered. But I couldn't help staring at her face, even though I tried not to. Her skin was the colour of Nan's good bone china and her hair was white as well. It was parted in the centre leaving only a small gap to form two flat saucer-like sides covering her temples and cheeks and pinned at the back. She wore large sunglasses and was like no one I had ever seen before. She knelt down beside me. I started to tremble. She rolled me over and pressed gently on my tail bone.
"Does it hurt here?" she asked with a voice as soft and soothing as a butter menthol.
"No."
"Tell me if you feel pain anywhere when I press." Her hands made their way bit by bit up my spine. I shook my head with every press.
"Can you stand up?" I did. "Well it appears you haven't broken anything. Now, tell me what you were doing up there in the first place?" she asked as she stood up and held the cool washer against my forehead, studying my face at the same time.
"I was after a sky rocket," I confessed, pointing up into the choko vine.
"Like this one?" She picked the spent firework up and handed it to me.
"I must've loosened it when I fell." Somehow she had put me at ease.
"That was a very dangerous thing to do. You could have been seriously injured." I felt a bit silly. "Never mind. Would you like to come inside? I'll get you some milk and biscuits." I looked in Doug's direction, a bit unsure now of what to do next.
"No, I better not. My brother's waiting for me." I was trying hard not to look like I was staring at her so I diverted my gaze everywhere else. She moved her hand to my hair and gently stroked it.
"In future, if ever you need to retrieve anything … a ball or whatever, just knock on the door. No climbing up lattice, okay? Promise?" she smiled.
"Promise. Are you going to tell Dad?"
"I don't think he needs to know, do you?" she proposed with a little laugh. "After all, you're not hurt and the lattice is intact. It can be our little secret. Bye-bye Patrick."
I started off in the direction of the fence, a bit confused.
"Are you a vampire?" I turned and asked, once I was a safe distance away.
"Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Barry says you suck the blood of cats at night." She gave a little chuckle.
"Do I look like a vampire?"
"I've never seen one up close. So I don't exactly know what one really looks like."
"No one has, because they don't exist. Just make believe in Hollywood pictures. Tell young Barry Figgins, he's wrong. And that what he said is a very hurtful thing to say about anyone, especially behind their backs."
I felt bad at what I had just asked and how it had hurt her. When I got to the fence Doug whispered from the safety of the tree.
"Did she try and suck your blood?"
"No."
I looked back around to her house, still a bit confused. She was standing there watching me as I slid back through the fence. She gave a little wave before making her way around the back of the house.
Doug shimmied down the tree as I entered our yard through the fence.
"Well?" I handed him the sky rocket. It didn't seem to be that important to me anymore.
"Well what?" I asked as he tried to check my neck for fang marks. I brushed his hand away. "She's not a vampire. She told me. Barry's wrong. They're only in pictures."
"She only said that 'cause she knows we're on to her."
"She didn't bite me. She even offered me milk and biscuits."
"Only so she could get you inside, then throw you down into her dungeon and perform evil experiments." His dark
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