First Destroy All Giant Monsters (The World Wide Witches Research Association) by Carter D.L

Author:Carter, D.L. [Carter, D.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The World Wide Witches Research Association and Pinochle Club Trilogy
Publisher: Corvallis Press
Published: 2012-12-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“I do not understand why you drive that blasted thing,” Karl complained as he carried his overnight bag across the forecourt to the antique VW camper. Then he looked around, stunned.

“Where the hell is my car?” he demanded. “It was bad enough when the color changed, but this is theft.”

Smoke chuckled as Amber joined them and they watched Karl staring at a blank section of gravel.

“Where’s my car?” Karl repeated, refraining only through weakness from grabbing one or the other of the cousins and shaking them. “You can’t have started it. I had the distributor cap. If you don’t bring it back I’m calling the cops.”

“Planning on telling them that a house stole your car?” asked Smoke.

“No. They’d think I was crazy. I’m beginning to think that myself. Come on, the house has to do what you say; you’re the witches. God above, did I really say that?”

He leaned against the fender of the VW which creaked and shifted away. Karl stood up fast.

“I,” said Amber, dropping her case and the emergency magic bag onto the ground, “have a midnight black Aztec. New, midnight black Aztec. The house, for reasons no one can explain, has hidden my car and insists on giving me Uncle Robyn’s … thing.” She waved her hand vaguely in its direction, glaring at the peeling paint and bumper bar held on with wire. “It isn’t even a car. It’s a formation flying rust team held together by paint and the belief that it was once an automobile.”

“Make it give me back my car,” demanded Karl.

“I can’t even get it to give me mine. I’ve been in and out of the house for half an hour arguing with it and this is all I have to show for it and I can’t even drive the van. I’m too tall!”

Karl blinked.

“I know I’m going to regret asking this, but how, exactly, do you argue with a house?”

“Don’t ask. And if you ever accuse me of enjoying magic too much I will throw things at you. Starting with the house.”

“All of this is beside the point,” said Karl. “We need a decent car to get to Buffalo. This thing won’t even get us as far as a rental place. How old is it anyway?”

“Oh, over thirty easily,” said Amber. “Maybe more. Who knows. It doesn’t work. And the house hates me. I know it does. Why else would it punish me by giving me this heap of junk to drive?”

Karl studied her pouting lip and bright eyes and laughed for the first time in days. She sounded close to tears. He didn’t blame her; it just struck him as funny.

“Why doesn’t the house fix the car?” said Karl, then added to himself. “Did I really ask that question?”

“That’s easy enough to answer,” said Smoke, coming over to pat the side panels of the old van companionably. “Robyn won’t let the house repair this old lady. He says that cars are real and their repairs should be real, too. Only Robyn is a busy man; he never has time to take this old girl in for work.

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