Dinner, Dessert, and Fine Company

Collins Hall was a very old estate with a church built into the side of it. It was beautiful before neglect and misfortune had taken it’s toll. It’s appearance was worsened still by the very well known story about the awful death of Victoria Collins.In fact this was one of the main reasons the Merode’s were so willing to attend. Nothing like a perfect atmosphere for their party tricks. Marcus Lloyd answered the mournful doorbell only identified by his blue tie, his brother always wore green. The decorations were wonderfully morbid. The Merodes muttered in agreement that they couldn’t have done better themselves. Dark purple draped the entire room and gothic wall sconces lit up the room with a drained glow. Marcus went to join his brother by the fire above which a faded portrait of Victoria still hung. The girls weren’t surprised to find that they were the only guests but they still had their manners.
“Where is everyone?”asked Moiva as she took her place in a wide dark green arm chair, Taris joined her on one of the arms.
“Well we invited everyone but I don’t think the towns people appreciate us very much” said Martin Lloyd in a very bored tone. They seemed use to not having their invitations accepted. “We knew you two would come though” Taris and Moiva stiffened they weren’t used to being predictable.
“Well I really do believe this is it, Martin lets go see if dinner’s ready”When they were out of the room the Merodes burst in exasperated whispers.
“They didn’t know we were coming”
“They bothered to decorate” Taris motioned to the drapes
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this”
“What do we have to be afraid of”
“Nothing so far but they’ve been just as good at avoiding company as we are so what do they have to hide?”
“We’re ready for you” The Lloyds came back to escort them to the dining room. They shared one last grim look and put on their most innocent smiles.
Dinner went by normally enough; no random frog parts made it to the table. However during dessert Marcus told Moiva her hair was much more flattering when it was down and the meal came to an abrupt end when his pudding started to swell in his throat. They adjourned to the room they had entered and the Lloyd’s invited them to play cards. This is what Taris and Moiva had been planning on.
“Perfect,” Taris pulled out a deck of cards “we brought a game we think is delightful”
“It’s called Ghosts.”Moiva took a seat at the card table they had set up. “It’s simple we let in a bunch of ghosts and we try to guess how they died.”
“But they can’t talk,” Taris took a seat next to her sister, “They have to show us” The Lloyd’s went a little bug eyed.
“It’s just a game right?” Asked Marcus
“Why don’t you find out?” challenged Moiva. The brothers whispered to each other for a moment Taris thought she heard them say how something wasn’t part of the deal. They soon convinced themselves and took the remaining two seats. Moiva drew a circle of chalk on the table and instructed everyone to place their hands inside of it. She then layed down the suicide king and the one eyed jack in the center and lit a candle. Taris faintly whispered something and all the sconces went out. “We’ll go first so you can see how it’s done, Taris would you like to start?” Taris drew a card off the top of the deck; it was the three of clubs. All of a sudden three morose looking people were standing around the people.
“Welcome to our game”, said Taris “We want to know how you died, will you let me guess?” The spirits nodded. “I drew clubs so you were killed in battle,” The spirits nodded again but were smiling, “Colonel were you shot?” The one in the uniform shook his head, but came around and picked up the dagger that had appeared on the table. He put it up to her chest. The Lloyd’s watched in horror as the ghost pressed hard enough to draw blood. Taris laughed, “Ah colonel you lasted until there were no bullets left and so in hand to hand combat you were stabbed through the heart” He smiled, nodded and dissolved like smoke. The blood disappeared, it was a harmless game ghosts really can’t do anything to the living but they did love sharing their deaths. However it had done the trick the Lloyds were undone. They broke the circle and the ghosts disappeared and the sconces relit. The Merodes were laughing until they realized the Lloyd’s were throwing a serious fit. They were jerking and screaming “Don’t kill us”, “let us go please.”
“Let you go we haven’t done anything to you”
“We don’t like it we don’t want to do it anymore” pleaded Martin. “Do what?” asked Moiva but they didn’t need an explanation, the sisters smelled it. The fragrance of a spell and mud filled the room.
“Undo it” screamed Marcus “ We don’t want to die”
“We’re not going to kill you” said Taris but as was her manner it didn’t sound very comforting. The Lloyd’s were now cowering in the corner and sobbing.
“Oh good grief let’s just undo it” Moiva pulled a couple of smooth rocks out of her pocket in her boot and handed one to her sister. They were always armed. Taris took it. They held the rocks in their right hands and rubbed it in rhythm with their thumbs. Then they started a rhyme.
Hush hush the storm will come
Rain will fall and land undone
Bury deep the things to hide
Truth and lies will then collide
Disguise and mask will melt away
In light and fire it cannot stay
The Lloyd’s were now unconscious. Taris and Moiva threw the stones in the air snapped their fingers twice and caught the stones again. The Lloyd’s started to twist and pop. They were soon a mesh of color and sound. The popping slowed and soon all there was left was a few frothy bubbles and a two headed salamander. One head had blue eyes and the other green.
“ A salamander,” Moiva put the stones away and started to clean up.
“That explains the frog eyes.” Taris folded up the card table and chairs, Moiva put the salamander in her purse and started taking down drapes. They were always very careful when it came to evidence. “But who sent it and what did they want?”
“I don’t know,” Moiva’s brow was creased with thought. They were worried but not enough to be sloppy. When the house was finally in perfect order they left home by way of the creek to drop off their pet. They remained silent until they were back in the safety of their library. Then they discussed the night’s events.
“ Do you think it was just a spy or had dirtier work to do?”Taris finally said aloud
“ I don’t think they were sent to do anything too tragic, whoever made that excellent spell would’ve known they wouldn’t be able to.” Moiva looked up from her book of swamp magic. Taris played with her hair restlessly.
“ But they did underestimate us, or did they just not care about getting caught.”
“ I don’t know but I think we’ll know more soon” Moiva was looking out the window at something in the distance. Taris joined her to find a column of chimney smoke rising from the direction of the most recently evicted Collin’s hall.
“ I bet we could extract a name from the real estate agent”
“Lets” said Taris who was now yawning “Tomorrow though”
“Definitely” Moiva drew the curtain and whispered a spell against trespassers and spies. The girls slept very well, they are the kind of people who enjoy dangerous life threatening situations, and they were hoping these events would turn into something very thrilling.