Дмитрий Леонтьев – Terrible (страница 7)

“I think that it is a horrendous idea,” Emma expressed her opinion when all of them gathered in the garage.

“I don’t think so,” responded Charlie looking for some tools in the drawers to break open the box.

“I think that it is an awful idea to do this in the presence of the children because nobody knows what we may discover inside,” Emma explained her train of thought and nervously touched her hair.

“We like mysteries,” Charlie told her. “Found it!” he cried when he pulled out a crowbar from a drawer.

“Yippee,“ both children were overjoyed. They waited for their Dad to unlock the box with great anticipation and excitement.

Charlie came up to the metal box and said, “Well, kids! Let’s step back from that thing just in case.”

Christina and Danny moved back closer to their mother. She embraced them at once.

Charlie made hit the lock but missed.

“Well,” he said and hit it again. But the lock which was hanging on the box turned out to be very strong.

Charlie was determined to break the lock so he kept hitting it again and again until it broke and fell to the floor.

Charlie stood up and looked at his family. In Emma’s eyes he could read her fear and a silent plea: “Please, don’t open this box.” But in the eyes of the children he saw: “Oh, yeah! Let’s see what’s inside!”

“Well,” Charlie said and bent down to the box again.

He cautiously touched the lid with his hands and slowly began to open it.

Emma didn’t understand why her heart started pounding so fast as if it was going to jump out of her chest.

She was absolutely sure that inside the box they would find an old dead cat or a dog and she really didn’t want her children see that.

But when at last Charlie opened the box, she was taken aback like all of them standing in the garage.

“Wooooow!” Christina and Danny gasped when they saw what was inside that box.

CHAPTER 12

Inside of the metal box that Emma had found in the garden laid a doll. It was about 70 centimeters tall with ginger hair, blue eyes and red lips. It was dressed in a white dress and red boots.

“What are you doing here?” Charlie said and took it out of the box.

At once Christina ran up to Charlie. She was so amazed and just said, “It is a doll!” and tried to take it in her hands.

“Daddy,” she said, “May I hold it?”

“It is dirty, filthy,” Emma suddenly said.

“But…” Christina started saying something.

“No buts!” Emma interrupted her.

“She is so beautiful,” Charlie spoke looking at the doll.

“Yes! I like it,” Christina said.

“Lucy,” Charlie read on the doll’s back. “Emma! It has a name!” he added.

“May I keep it?” Christina asked and turned to Emma.

After a pause and deep breathing, Emma finally answered, “Yes, you can.”

“Yippee,” Christina yelled for joy and looked at Danny, “It is mine!” She poked her tongue at him.

“But why was she buried in the garden?” Emma asked.

“Maybe you can dig a car in there,” Charlie said jokingly and laughed.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Emma replied and turned around to walk out of the garage.

“Daddy, please, give it to me!” Christina Charlie asked and stretched out her hand to take the doll.

Charlie carefully placed the doll into Christina’s hands.

“Woooow!” Christina said again. “Lucy,” she said. “You will be my best friend,” she added and touched the doll’s hair.

“Come on, Christina,” Charlie called his daughter and began to move out of the garage.

Christina followed him with an ear-to-ear grin on her face.

“Well,” Charlie told her smiling, “Today we shall tidy up your room for you and your new friend.”

CHAPTER 13

It was already evening. Charlie with his wife had cleaned and tidied up at first Christina’s and then Danny’ rooms and then Emma went downstairs to make dinner while Charlie continued cleaning their bedroom upstairs.

Christina and Danny spent all day in the yard playing hide and seek, tag and swinging on the swing.

Christina kept holding on to her new doll. She cuddled it as her baby and every time she began a new game with Danny, she would put it in her field of vision so that she could easily see it.

Sometimes Christina would pick up her doll and stroke its ginger hair and smooth down its white dress.

“Christina! Danny!” Emma called them when she went out onto the porch, “Come on, let’s change for dinner.”

Without hesitation Danny ran to his mother but Christina slowly stood up from the swing and carefully holding her doll Lucy in her hands also began moving towards the house.

“Christina,” Emma addressed her, “Hurry up!”

Danny was first to sun into the front door. He could hear behind his mother’s words, “Don’t forget to wash your hands!”

“Christina,” Emma was still waiting for her daughter, “Come on.”

At last, Christina reached Emma and they both entered the house.

“You also shouldn’t forget to wash your hands!” Emma reminded Christina.

Christina obediently headed straight for the bathroom where Danny was already washing his hands.

“Charlie,” Emma shouted standing at the stairs and looking up.

“What?” Charlie asked.

“Dinner is ready,” Emma told him and waited for an answer.

“I am almost done,” she heard him say and soon saw Charlie climbing down the stairs with two bags in his hands.

“What is it?” Emma asked.

“Garbage from the former owners,” he said and came up to Emma.

“I will burn it and forget all about it,” he said and put down the bags on the floor.

“Good! Now let us all have a nice dinner together. And after dinner you can do all you want,” Emma said smiling.

Charlie shook dust off his hands and followed his wife into the kitchen.

“You have to wash your hands,” Emma told him when they were walking past the bathroom.

Charlie opened the bathroom door and saw his daughter.

“Christina! What’s happened?” Emma heard her husband suddenly ask. She understood that something was wrong and also entered the bathroom.