A Midsummer Night in Oz: Book 6 of the Mari Fable Mysteries by Emily Fluke

Author:Emily Fluke [Fluke, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“And sleep, that sometime shuts up sorrow's eye, Steal me awhile from mine own company.”

— William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Home smelled of soured baby bottles, Chinese takeout, and the bitter hint of taurine from too many half-consumed energy drinks. I breathed deeply as soon as we stepped inside. The warmth of the enclosed space wrapped around me like a welcome hug and the mess greeted me with the comfort of normalcy. The thought of sitting crisscross applesauce on the floor to fold onesies and underwear filled me with giddy excitement. To crank a podcast or a song from The Cranberries on my speaker while I scrubbed the dishes, was a luxury I wanted to sink into.

If only I could clean the mess of Storyland with a sponge and a vacuum.

We didn’t dare flick on the light and disturb the lump on the couch. I squinted at the shape of Carlos curled across the cushions with one hand on the bassinet he’d dragged from the bedroom. Though his eyes looked closed, he continued rocking the portable crib with gentle sways.

Loud snores that could rival a chainsaw came from behind the couch where Scarlet lay sprawled on an air mattress large enough to cover our entire dining area floor. Why she’d chosen the temporary mattress over using our bed, I had no idea. It couldn’t be comfortable to sink a nearly 9-month-pregnant body into a mattress made of air, but Scarlet often made odd decisions, like sprinkling cinnamon on potatoes or intentionally misquoting idioms.

As if hearing my thoughts, Kai’s silhouette shrugged before he spun around and marched through the kitchen, turning left for the main bedroom.

I shook my head at Scarlet and let my shoulders sag, relieved she was sleeping soundly, and safe from the witch who’d escaped Storyland. I quieted rising fears of Mother Gothel and the wolf by slowing my breaths and focusing on the surrounding details.

Our tall table and four tavern-style chairs had been shoved to the front wall. Beyond Scarlet’s temporary bed, white shutters were angled just enough to block most of the city’s glow and the moonlight from streaming in through the sliding glass door. The stark light broke through in thin slits that lined the room.

I tiptoed around the coffee table which had been pushed to the center of the living room and piled with baby wipes, empty energy drink cans, a styrofoam takeout box, and my stack of study books with a few notes stuck to the edges. My scribbles kept track of the Grimm gods’ suggestions. Tomorrow I’d go over the notes again with refreshed eyes and new information.

For now, I peered inside Jack’s bassinet. He was swaddled in a yellow and blue crocheted blanket given to us by Kai’s mother. The oversized blanket was the only one large enough to wrap around this chart-topping four-month-old.

“Five-month-old,” I whispered, realizing that in the eight days we’d been gone, Jack had hit a new age milestone. Tears welled to the surface of my eyelids and stung just enough to dull the aches that still plagued me.

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