Fablehaven I (2 page)

They pulled to a stop outside the garage.

The front door opened and Grandpa Sorenson

emerged, followed by a tall, lanky man with large ears and

a thin, older woman. Mom, Dad, and Seth got out of the

car. Kendra sat and watched.

Grandpa had been clean-shaven at the funeral, but

now he wore a stubbly white beard. He was dressed in faded

jeans, work boots, and a flannel shirt.

Kendra studied the older woman. She was not

Grandma Sorenson. Despite her white hair streaked with a

few black strands, her face had an ageless quality. Her

almond eyes were black as coffee, and her features suggested

a hint of Asian ancestry. Short and slightly stooped,

she retained an exotic beauty.

Dad and the lanky man opened the back of the SUV

and began removing suitcases and duffel bags. You coming,

Kendra? Dad asked.

Kendra opened the door and dropped to the gravel.

Just place the things inside, Grandpa was telling Dad.

Dale will take them up to the bedroom.

Where’s Mom? Dad asked.

Visiting your Aunt Edna.

In Missouri?

Edna’s dying.

Kendra had barely ever heard of Aunt Edna, so the

news did not mean much. She looked up at the house. She

noticed that the windows had bubbly glass. Bird nests clung

under the eaves.

They all migrated to the front door. Dad and Dale carried

the larger bags. Seth held a smaller duffel bag and a

cereal box. The cereal box was his emergency kit. It was

full of odds and ends he thought would come in handy for

an adventure-rubber bands, a compass, granola bars,

coins, a squirt gun, a magnifying glass, plastic handcuffs,

string, a whistle.

This is Lena, our housekeeper, Grandpa said. The

older woman nodded and gave a little wave. Dale helps

me tend the grounds.

Aren’t you pretty? Lena said to Kendra. You must be

around fourteen. Lena had a faint accent that Kendra

could not place.

In October.

An iron knocker hung on the front door, a squinting

goblin with a ring in its mouth. The thick door had bulky

hinges.

Kendra entered the house. Glossy wood floored the

entry hall. A wilting arrangement of flowers rested on a low

table in a white ceramic vase. A tall, brass coat rack stood

off to one side beside a black bench with a high, carved

back. On the wall hung a painting of a fox hunt.

Kendra could see into another room where a huge,

embroidered throw rug covered most of the wooden floor.

Like the house itself, the furnishings were antiquated but

in good repair. The couches and chairs were mostly of the

sort you would expect to see while visiting a historical site.

Dale was heading up the stairs with some of the bags.

Lena excused herself and went to another room.

Your home is beautiful, Mom gushed. I wish we had

time for a tour.

Maybe when you get back, Grandpa said.

Thanks for letting the kids stay with you, Dad said.

Our pleasure. Don’t let me keep you.

We’re on a pretty tight schedule, Dad apologized.

You kids be good and do whatever Grandpa Sorenson

tells you, Mom said. She hugged Kendra and Seth.

Kendra felt tears seeping into her eyes. She fought

them back. Have a fun cruise.

We’ll be back before you know it, Dad said, putting

an arm around Kendra and tousling Seth’s hair.

Waving, Mom and Dad walked out the door. Kendra

went to the doorway and watched them climb into the

SUV. Dad honked as they drove off. Kendra fought back

tears again as the SUV vanished into the trees.

Mom and Dad were probably laughing, relieved to be

off by themselves for the longest vacation of their married

lives. She could practically hear their crystal goblets clinking.

And here she stood, abandoned. Kendra closed the

door. Seth, oblivious as ever, was examining the intricate

pieces of a decorative chess set.

Grandpa stood in the entry hall, watching Seth and

looking politely uncomfortable.

Leave the chess pieces alone, Kendra said. They

look expensive.

Oh, he’s all right, Grandpa said. By the way he said

it, Kendra could tell he was relieved to see Seth setting the

pieces down. Shall I show you to your room?

They followed Grandpa up the stairs and down a carpeted

hall to the foot of a narrow wooden staircase leading

up to a white door. Grandpa continued on up the creaking

steps.

We don’t often have guests, especially children,

Grandpa said over his shoulder. I think you’ll be most

comfortable in the attic.

He opened the door, and they entered after him.

Braced for cobwebs and torture devices, Kendra was

relieved to find that the attic was a cheerful playroom.

Spacious, clean, and bright, the long room had a pair of

beds, shelves crowded with children’s books, freestanding

wardrobes, tidy dressers, a unicorn rocking horse, multiple

toy chests, and a hen in a cage.

Seth went straight for the chicken. Cool! He poked

a finger through the slender bars, trying to touch the

orange-gold feathers.

Careful, Seth, Kendra warned.

He’ll be fine, Grandpa said. Goldilocks is more a

house pet than a barnyard hen. Your grandmother usually

takes care of her. I figured you kids wouldn’t mind filling in

while she’s gone. You’ll need to feed her, clean her cage,

and collect her eggs.

She lays eggs! Seth looked astonished and delighted.

An egg or two a day if you keep her well fed, Grandpa

said. He pointed to a white plastic bucket full of kernels

near the cage. A scoop in the morning and another in the

evening should take care of her. You’ll want to change the

lining of her cage every couple days, and make sure she has

plenty of water. Every morning, we give her a tiny bowl of

milk. Grandpa winked. That’s the secret behind her egg

production.

Can we ever take her out? The hen had moved close

enough for Seth to stroke her feathers with one finger.

Just put her back afterwards. Grandpa bent down to

put a finger in the cage, and Goldilocks instantly pecked at

it. Grandpa withdrew his hand. Never liked me much.

Some of these toys look expensive, Kendra said,

standing beside an ornate Victorian dollhouse.

Toys are meant to be played with, Grandpa said. Do

your best to keep them in decent shape, and that will be

good enough.

Seth moved from the hen cage to a small piano in the

corner of the room. He banged on the keys, and the notes

that clanged sounded different from what Kendra would

have expected. It was a little harpsichord.

Consider this room your space, Grandpa said.

Within reason, I’ll not bother you to pick things up in

here, so long as you treat the rest of the house with

respect.

Okay, Kendra said.

I also have some unfortunate news. We are in the

height of tick season. You kids ever hear of Lyme disease?

Seth shook his head.

I think so, Kendra said.

It was originally discovered in the town of Lyme,

Connecticut, not too far from here. You catch it from tick

bites. The woods are full of ticks this year.

What does it do? Seth asked.

Grandpa paused for a solemn moment. Starts out as a

rash. Before long it can lead to arthritis, paralysis, and heart

failure. Besides, disease or no, you don’t want ticks burrowing

into your skin to drink your blood. You try to pull them

off and the head detaches. Hard to get out.

That’s disgusting! Kendra exclaimed.

Grandpa nodded grimly. They’re so small you can

hardly see them, at least until they fill up on blood. Then

they swell to the size of a grape. Anyhow, point is, you kids

are not allowed to enter the woods under any circumstances.

Stay on the lawn. Break that rule and your outdoor

privileges will be revoked. We understand one another?

Kendra and Seth nodded.

You also need to keep out of the barn. Too many ladders

and rusty old pieces of farm equipment. Same rules

apply to the barn as apply to the woods. Set foot in there,

and you will spend the rest of your stay in this room.

Okay, Seth said, crossing the room to where a little

easel stood on a paint-spattered tarp. A blank canvas rested

on the easel. Additional blank canvases leaned against the

wall nearby, beside shelves stocked with jars of paint. Can

I paint?

I’m telling you twice, you have the run of this room,

Grandpa said. Just try not to destroy it. I have many

chores to attend to, so I may not be around much. There

should be plenty of toys and hobbies here to keep you

busy.

What about a TV? Seth asked.

No TV or radio, Grandpa replied. Rules of the

house. If you need anything, Lena will never be far. He

indicated a purple cord hanging against the wall near one

of the beds. Tug the cord if you need her. In fact, Lena will

be up with your supper in a few minutes.

Won’t we eat together? Kendra asked.

Some days. Right now I need to visit the east hayfield.

May not be back until late.

How much land do you own? asked Seth.

Grandpa smiled. More than my share. Let’s leave it at

that. I’ll see you kids in the morning. He turned to leave

and then paused, reaching into his coat pocket. Turning

back, he handed Kendra a tiny key ring holding three

miniature keys of varying sizes. Each of these keys fits

something in this room. See if you can figure out what each

unlocks.

Grandpa Sorenson walked out of the room, closing the

door behind him. Kendra listened as he descended the

stairs. She stood at the door, waiting, and then gently tried

the handle. It turned slowly. She eased the door open,

peered down the empty stairway, and then closed it. At

least he had not locked them in.

Seth had opened a toy chest and was examining the

contents. The toys were old-fashioned but in excellent

condition. Soldiers, dolls, puzzles, stuffed animals, wooden

blocks.

Kendra wandered over to a telescope by a window. She

peered into the eyepiece, positioned the telescope to look

through a windowpane, and began twisting the focus

knobs. She could improve the focus but couldn’t get it

quite right.

She stopped fiddling with the knobs and examined the

window. The panes were made of bubbly glass, like those in

the front of the house. The images were being distorted

before they reached the telescope.

Unfastening a latch, Kendra pushed the window open.

She had a good view of the forest east of the house,

illuminated by the golden hues of the setting sun. Moving