Treasure
Void
Pheobe sat in the middle row of the ancient, rattle-trap minivan, staring out the window at the grey, wet world passing them by. The rain drizzled wimpily, adding an extra sheen to everything, yet it failed mightily to glitter. Brick was a major building material around here, it seemed. Immovable, coarse, and unimaginative. Unlike her three brothers pushing each other back and forth in the row behind her. She heaved a sigh and pushed her suitcase out of her hip once more, only to have it shift the next time her father turned a corner, and it ended up with a corner in her ribs. That was worth another sigh as one of her brother's cases smacked into her ankle.
"Ah, here we are!" Dad called from the driver's seat. All four kids crowded to the windows on the left. He slowed to a stop in front of...
"It's a brick," Icelos stated with a frown, peering up at the three-story building.
Pheobe had to agree with the statement. The house could not possibly get more square, and the pillars leading up to the front door did not help much. If anything, the tiny porch all but disappeared between the four pillars and blended in. The windows were all dirty and had those weird shutter things that were just for show and probably did not work. The massive place reminded her of an apartment building or a motel and devoid of all personality. Oh, please let this be the wrong house!
"How do we get in? I don't see a driveway," Morpheus asked, leaning over Icelos to see.
"Oh, that's easy! We just... um..." Dad hesitated as he looked around. The white fence was neat, beautiful, and showed plenty of wear and tear, but no signs of a gate.
Mom stepped in. "I think the pictures showed it around the corner."
"We just go around the corner!"
Pheobe glared at the house as Dad pulled around and awkwardly pulled up in front of the garage. They had actual cobblestones as a parking spot. She didn't think she'd ever seen actual cobblestone before. It was weird, and so was having the garage so far from the house. The car had its own house! She shoved the suitcases out of the way and reached over to slide open the door. No sooner was it open, then her three brothers piled out of the car and dashed to the house. She gave them a minute to get a head start then followed them out onto the road. She stretched out the kink in her spine and tried to straighten her rumpled black shirt and tangled red hair. Travel did not treat her well. Transversely, her brothers looked like they'd only been in the car five minutes. She glanced over as her parents got out of the car. Her trim mother, at least, echoed a bit of what Pheobe felt, and her heavier set father just looked a bit wrinkled. All of them were stretching and trying to remember how their legs worked.
"Okay, everybody!" Dad bellowed. "Let's go look in the house!"
The family gathered behind him like a bunch of ducklings and followed his lead through the creaking little metal gate, through the shambly little "garden" with it's broken fountain, and up to the white back door. Dad made a big show of putting in the key, turning it, and flinging open the door. The boys charged in eagerly and came to a stop. Mom followed the boys with Phoebe behind her. They all stood in the... entryway? Phoebe wasn't even sure where they were, and from the looks on four of the five other faces, neither did the rest of her family.
"Isn't it great?" Dad grinned enthusiastically.
Mom smiled that tightlipped smile she got when she was definitely not going to argue with Dad in front of the kids. "Dear... I thought you said this place just needed a little TLC. This is not a little. Can we even sleep here?"
"Of course we can!" Dad assured her. "The first floor is in the best shape, and the kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms down here are in the best shape! The rest of it just needs some paint and airing out."
Mom said nothing. Phoebe couldn't blame her as they walked through the rest of the house. The place was MASSIVE!! Also a massive wreck. No one had been in here for who knew how long, and while at one time this place must have looked amazing, the glitter had clearly tarnished here with dust and dirt everywhere and all visible wallpaper peeling. To its credit, nothing seemed to be badly damaged or irreversibly broken, but it was going to take a lot of cleaning. She sneezed. And probably by them, knowing her father's "do-it-yourself" philosophy.
"I think it's fantastic!" Phantasos stated, grinning. He and his brothers took off running to explore. "It's like our own castle!"
"Atta boy!" Dad grinned. "Go on, Pheobe. Take a look around and pick out your room. Just stay out of the cellar for now, and tell your brothers to do the same. The pest control people haven't gotten here yet."
Phoebe nodded and started walking. Behind her, she heard her mother's strangled hiss, "Pest control people??" Yep. This was going to be a fantastic adventure in Salem, Massachusets. Maybe the stupid witch stories were true and she was cursed with this family.
"Ah, here we are!" Dad called from the driver's seat. All four kids crowded to the windows on the left. He slowed to a stop in front of...
"It's a brick," Icelos stated with a frown, peering up at the three-story building.
Pheobe had to agree with the statement. The house could not possibly get more square, and the pillars leading up to the front door did not help much. If anything, the tiny porch all but disappeared between the four pillars and blended in. The windows were all dirty and had those weird shutter things that were just for show and probably did not work. The massive place reminded her of an apartment building or a motel and devoid of all personality. Oh, please let this be the wrong house!
"How do we get in? I don't see a driveway," Morpheus asked, leaning over Icelos to see.
"Oh, that's easy! We just... um..." Dad hesitated as he looked around. The white fence was neat, beautiful, and showed plenty of wear and tear, but no signs of a gate.
Mom stepped in. "I think the pictures showed it around the corner."
"We just go around the corner!"
Pheobe glared at the house as Dad pulled around and awkwardly pulled up in front of the garage. They had actual cobblestones as a parking spot. She didn't think she'd ever seen actual cobblestone before. It was weird, and so was having the garage so far from the house. The car had its own house! She shoved the suitcases out of the way and reached over to slide open the door. No sooner was it open, then her three brothers piled out of the car and dashed to the house. She gave them a minute to get a head start then followed them out onto the road. She stretched out the kink in her spine and tried to straighten her rumpled black shirt and tangled red hair. Travel did not treat her well. Transversely, her brothers looked like they'd only been in the car five minutes. She glanced over as her parents got out of the car. Her trim mother, at least, echoed a bit of what Pheobe felt, and her heavier set father just looked a bit wrinkled. All of them were stretching and trying to remember how their legs worked.
"Okay, everybody!" Dad bellowed. "Let's go look in the house!"
The family gathered behind him like a bunch of ducklings and followed his lead through the creaking little metal gate, through the shambly little "garden" with it's broken fountain, and up to the white back door. Dad made a big show of putting in the key, turning it, and flinging open the door. The boys charged in eagerly and came to a stop. Mom followed the boys with Phoebe behind her. They all stood in the... entryway? Phoebe wasn't even sure where they were, and from the looks on four of the five other faces, neither did the rest of her family.
"Isn't it great?" Dad grinned enthusiastically.
Mom smiled that tightlipped smile she got when she was definitely not going to argue with Dad in front of the kids. "Dear... I thought you said this place just needed a little TLC. This is not a little. Can we even sleep here?"
"Of course we can!" Dad assured her. "The first floor is in the best shape, and the kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms down here are in the best shape! The rest of it just needs some paint and airing out."
Mom said nothing. Phoebe couldn't blame her as they walked through the rest of the house. The place was MASSIVE!! Also a massive wreck. No one had been in here for who knew how long, and while at one time this place must have looked amazing, the glitter had clearly tarnished here with dust and dirt everywhere and all visible wallpaper peeling. To its credit, nothing seemed to be badly damaged or irreversibly broken, but it was going to take a lot of cleaning. She sneezed. And probably by them, knowing her father's "do-it-yourself" philosophy.
"I think it's fantastic!" Phantasos stated, grinning. He and his brothers took off running to explore. "It's like our own castle!"
"Atta boy!" Dad grinned. "Go on, Pheobe. Take a look around and pick out your room. Just stay out of the cellar for now, and tell your brothers to do the same. The pest control people haven't gotten here yet."
Phoebe nodded and started walking. Behind her, she heard her mother's strangled hiss, "Pest control people??" Yep. This was going to be a fantastic adventure in Salem, Massachusets. Maybe the stupid witch stories were true and she was cursed with this family.