The New Frontier by Wayne L Wilson

Author:Wayne L Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Artemesia Publishing, LLC
Published: 2024-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Like a popsicle, I stood there frozen—surrounded by plant chaos and haunting piano music wafting overhead. Be that as it may, I looked around and saw some of the most beautiful and striking flowers I’d ever seen. The witch must have tended these flowers. Patsy had warned me the witch used the prettiest flowers to lure unwitting victims into her trap. One whiff of the flower’s scent and a hypnotic spell made you fall into a deep sleep. Once that happened, you’d be dragged into the house, seasoned, and thrown into a gigantic pot of boiling water.

I tried not to think about that as I searched for the ball. I kept a wary eye on the vines in case they transformed into poisonous snakes.

Yes! At last! There it was—on the porch—the red ball—as noticeable as a clown’s nose—and only a few feet away.

All I had to do was pick it up and go.

It sure looked easy enough… maybe a little TOO easy.

The front door of the broken-down house with its split and peeling walls was open. Furious music blew out of the house along with the tempting smell of chocolate chip cookies. Maybe Hansel and Gretel wasn’t a fairy tale after all.

Meanwhile, the ball just sat there on the porch teasing me like a shiny red lollipop.

Right then and there I should have said, forget it and gone home.

But I didn’t.

I crept up on the porch. Once I got close enough I reached out and grabbed the ball. Things looked good until the music abruptly ended. My heart pounded when I heard padded shoes clomping my way.

I turned to run but froze when I heard the screech of an oven door opening. Most likely the witch was checking on her cookies. Patsy had sworn the chips weren’t chocolate. They were the burnt eyeballs of babies the werewolf and witch kidnapped.

I remained still, waiting for the right time to make my move. I figured I’d get only one chance. I propped myself up onto the ball. My first step on the very old floorboards made a thunderous crackle. Seemed like the floor was coming alive with the panels turning into gnarly teeth.

I leaped to the ground, cradling the ball like a football, and raced down the narrow pathway towards the front gate. Almost there, I tripped over one of the vines and the ball flew out of my hands. Although, I was sure the vine grabbed me by my ankle and pulled me down. I was trapped in the arms of the bougainvillea and every time I tried to wrestle away its claws ripped deeper into my flesh leaving scratches all over my body.

Things got worse when I heard: “Land sakes alive! It’s the young Mister Cole! What are you doing here?”

Helplessly, I raised my eyes to see a slightly hunched-back, elderly man standing over me. He searched around in his oversized pullover sweater and withdrew a pair of spectacles. The werewolf held them to his eyes like a magnifying glass.

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