Дмитрий Леонтьев – Terrible (страница 6)

“I hope she is okay,” Emma said and gave Charlie a hug. “And I also hope that this will not affect us,” she added.

After a little while, Charlie and Emma began walking towards the house. Hardly had Emma closed the gate, when she remembered about the metal box she had found in the garden. She decided that it would be better to tell Charlie about it right now when the kids couldn’t overhear them.

“Charlie,” she said and stopped. “Do you remember that little grave in our garden?”

“Yeah,” replied Charlie. “And that grave also looks scary now. I think I will remove it today and we will forget about it once and for all,” he added and began resumed walking.

“Wait,” Emma caught Charlie’s arm. “Please, wait!” she repeated and fixed her hair with her hand.

“What?” Charlie asked a little bemused.

“I have already done it,” Emma blurted out.

Charlie looked completely baffled, “Have done what? Got rid of the grave? So who was in it?”

“I found inside a strange metal box. It was locked,” she said and looked Charlie in the eye.

“Locked?” Charlie asked seriously.

“Yes, and there was a weird inscription on its surface,” Emma said. “I’d better show it to you,” Emma said and took his hand again to lead him to the porch when she had left the box earlier in the morning.

Feeling curious, Charlie followed Emma.

“Did you try to unlock it?” he asked her.

“No! Of course, not,” she said and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked.

“I’m pretty sure I had left it here on the porch,” Emma spoke and pointed to the porch with her index finger.

Charlie stared at the porch but couldn’t see any box there. The porch was empty.

CHAPTER 10

“I swear that I had left it here!” exclaimed Emma loudly.

“What a strange day today!” remarked Charlie and began walking to the front door through the porch.

“But…. I clearly remember putting the box on the porch,” muttered Emma already behind Charlie.

“Come on, Emma! Let’s go into the house. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely find your box. Who could have come and stolen that useless box?” Charlie said and turned to Emma.

“Yes, you must be right. Maybe, I got something wrong.” Emma said approaching Charlie.

Charlie opened the front door and cheerfully declared, “Emma, I know where your box is!”

“Where?” Emma asked bewildered and ran up to the front door.

At the entrance, Christina and Danny were sitting bended over something. They had already brought the box from the porch into the home.

“Christina!” Emma addressed her annoyed. “What have you done? This is disgusting!”

Right at the moment when Christina and Danny heard their mother, they dropped the box and stood up.

“Sorry, mummy!” Christina said guiltily.

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday not to touch things here and not go out of the house alone?” asked Emma reproachfully, looking first at Christina and then at Danny.

“Mum, we were having breakfast and suddenly heard a knock,” Christina explained.

“What knock? Where?” Emma asked.

“We thought that it was you. We thought that you had locked yourself out of the house and were knocking at the front door. We thought you couldn’t open the door like earlier in the morning,” Christina continued. “And I went to open that door for you. The knocking was getting more insistent, harder. So, when I opened the door, I saw this,” Christina pointed towards the metal box. “Of course, Danny came here with me ‘cause he always follows me,” Christina added.

Emma and Charlie exchanged glances in complete bewilderment.

“Daddy,” Christina turned to Charlie.

“Yes, what?” he said.

“What does ‘Damn you to hell’ mean?” Christina asked.

“Oh, my! I have no idea,” he answered quite perplexed.

“What is inside that box?” Christina kept asking.

Charlie bent down towards the box and picked it up. Having flipped it several times in his hands, he shook it and said at last, “Well, the question remains and it is very, very interesting: What is inside the box?” After a short pause, he added, “Well, we should break it.”

“No!” Emma protested. “Charlie, the box looks so repulsive and hideous.”

“Why?” Charlie asked.

“What do you mean ‘Why?’, Charlie?!” Emma rolled her eyes. “It is a coffin from a grave!”

Momentarily, Danny and Christina inquisitively looked up at Emma.

“What is this?!” Christina let out a scream looking scared.

Charlie shook the box once again and they all could hear something rumbling inside.

Charlie inspected closely the lock on the metal box and tried to sniff in between the lid and the box.

Then he sniffed in one more time.

“What are you doing?” asked Emma.

“You know what… You will be surprised but it smells exactly like a perfume,” he said and glanced at Emma.

“Oh, Charlie! Is it one of your stupid jokes again?” Emma inquired.

“No, I mean it,” Charlie objected and handed the box over to Emma.

“No, no! I won’t do it!” Emma screamed waving her hands.

“Daddy, may I…” Christina suggested cheerfully.

“No,” shouted Emma but it was too late because Charlie had already given the box to Christina.

“Charlie,…” started Emma.

“Smells nice,” Christina gave her verdict after taking a deep sniff.

“And me, I also want to smell it,” asked Danny.

“No way,” interrupted Emma. “Get rid of it!”

“Why? I want to know what is inside,” replied Charlie and stood up.

“Where are you going?” asked Emma.

“To the garage,” Charlie answered and added, “Who is going with me?”

“Meee,” both children shouted in unison.

“Charlie,” Emma wanted to say something but they were already on their way out of the house.

CHAPTER 11