Cursed Pool

Chapter 9. Pool Questions

I'm a couple streets away from my new home and I have way to many questions to ask this kid.
As for now I wonder why he trusts me. Don't the schools tell kids not to trust strangers? Didn't his parents give him education? I look at him. His oversized green tee shirt and his over sized jeans. His messy hair and his old sneakers. Besides the dirtiness of his clothing he was a cute child. "Y'know Child, I can just take you back to your house if you give me your address." I suggested. He looked at me with horror. "No!" He cried. "But you said that you would like to go anywhere but here." I logically told him. The child yawned, so I yawn. "Y'know child, I can drive you to my house. I got chocolate chip cookies there." I suggested. "Well sure!" Responded the child as his face lit up.

Turning on my street I was thinking about how the police went chasing him. Maybe he is a harmless kid or maybe he's an evil evil theif. I began throwing questions at him. "What's your name?" I ask.
"Scott Blue."
"Scott Blue..... Scott Blue, how old are you?"
"Ten in a half."
"Ooh that's a good age. Now... where are your parents?"
"I have no clue."
"How do you not- ah well, why do you steal bikes? Are you some sort of bicycle theif?" He shook his head in response.
I drive to the house and I let the theif inside. Why do I do this? Because I'm being good.
"So Scott, tell me why you steal bikes." I demanded. We were in the kitchen eating cookies. "Because it was much too expensive." Scott responded with a nod and a mouthful of cookies crumbs. He has some of the worst table manners. Not only is his elbows on the table, but he's chewing with his mouth open. "Listen Scott, when I was younger I had zero dollars about ninety percent of the time. So I would simply ask strangers for money." I said. "That's really rude don't you think?" Scott questioned. "Come on! It's not like it's stealing.... well I have to admit I did that too." I hesitated. Scott's eyes got intrigued. "Did the police ever get you?" He asked. "No because I ran away." I said through the cookies bite. Both of us ate about five cookies.
DING DONG! I gave a big sigh. "Hide under that table." I say in a whisper. I tried to move quickly to the door. I hoped it wasn't the police. Luckily it was somebody who definitely wasn't the police. Someone named Martin Whiteson. He gave me a dark stare. I peaked behind me to make sure Scott was hidden. "Martin Whiteson." I say stiffly. "Evangeline Conalie." Martin Whiteson said airily. I step out of the doorway. "Evangeline, on a scale of one to ten how bad do you miss your daughter?" He asked like he was very curious although the answer was obvious. "Listen Martin, it's plain obvious. Richard and I could swim in a river with the amount of tears that we cried for our daughter." Martin Whiteson looked utterly comfused after that statement. "Okay well I really have to show you something." Martin begged. "I don't know if I should believe you." I told him. "But this is essential stuff. Evangeline, I know a way that you could have Perri back." And those words that flow from the mouth of Martin got me comfused. "What?!" I say loudly. "C'mon Evangeline! I have to show you something!" He said while pulling my arm. "Hey! Let go of me!" I cried while trying not to tumble down the stairs.
Martin was a graceful old man running down the driveway like he was floating on air. Since he's far off in the distance, I called out to Scott. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" "No problem!" Scott called back.

Great. Now I got a child hidden in my house.

I refused to go into Martin Whiteson's big old fancy car, so I decided to follow him with my car. It was unknown where I was going, but we turned down a road the opposite way of Mulberry & Paggles. We drove through trees in a Forrest, we drove up hills, through rivers. "Stop! We are here!" Screamed Martin loud enough for me to hear.
This is the worst dessert area ever. I leave the car to notice the dry plants and the tumble weeds tumbling away and the windless dry sky. I walk on the dirty ground. "Okay Martin what is this?" I ask boardly. "Shhhh." Martin says to my face. "Don't shhh me! You dirty- ah! Nevermind!" I said which came out wrong. Martin didn't care though.
"Evangeline." A voice that I recognized as Mr Espcu chimed in. He came out from his car. Again dressed in black. "Hi Mr Espcu. It's fancy seeing you here." I mutter. "Great. Ah, I saw both of your cars driving down the road. I had to stop you!" He yelled. Martin currently looked unimpressed. "Oh and why is that?" He asked hastily. "It's because, I know your looking for the cursed pool. The cursed pool is dangerous!" He bellowed. "You-you think the cursed pool is dangerous?" Questioned Martin. "Uh yes." Responded Mr Espcu as if it were extremely obvious. I tell him "But Mr Espcu, Martin said that I could see Perri again if I-"
"No! This is a big dangerous risk! Trust me, I miss Perri too, but if you jump in the cursed pool, you.... you.... anyone who jumps in the cursed pool never comes out." Mr Espcu whispered. "Your talking nonsense Mr Espcu." I grunted. "Evangeline. It's called the cursed flipping pool for a reason." Mr Espcu whispered frantically. "Why?" Demanded Martin. "Well what the pool really is, is that if anybody dies while trying to save someone, they turn into a fish in the cursed pool." Mr Espcu explained while looking very cautious. "Why?" I asked confused. "Because, they did something brave and good, so therefore they deserve to live in the cursed pool. The most magical water ever. They turn into an orange fish, however there have been many many people over the last couple of years that try to dive in the cursed pool just because they want to see their dead loved ones, they would turn into a purple squid." What Mr Espcu is telling me is bringing me shivers.
"Okay maybe we should hold off on this one." I ended.

How did the pool get cursed? It was the question on my mind. Is it true? Or maybe Martin has a plot to kill me? Well come to think of it, I called him a Dirty gold demon, so maybe this is his idea of revenge? It would be stupid though. He just gets offended over something stupid it's not a big deal. Or maybe it is? Then then I come back to the thought that I am holding off of an opportunity to see Perri again. She died while trying to save herself and her friends, so yeah that means she became a fish in the cursed pool and if I sacrifice I would be a Purple squid.

I come back to the house. What frightens me is that when I look through the window I can see gray stuff. Gray stuff? Maybe it was smoke? Oh God in heaven. What is Scott doing?!?!?!
I quickly unlock the door. The kitchen and living room was filled with smoke. It's freaking me out.
I hear little voices in the kitchen. "Stop! Stop touching the oven!" Raged a voice that sounded like Olivia Espcu. "Ahh! It smells so good! Can I eat the batter?" Asked Christopher Espcu optimistically. "No! You mustn't!" Raged Olivia. "Wait, maybe add more milk and more hard boiled eggs. I think it would go more smoothly if you do that." Scott suggested nicely. "WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!" I shouted. I quickly opened up the window to let the smoke fly out. The kitchen then became clear. A clear disaster. There was something in the oven and there was a mixing bowl on the table. I saw all the children. Scott and Olivia looked like they were fighting about what should go in the mixing bowl, Jenifer was watching the stove, Phillip was watching the microwave and Christopher was doing absolutely nothing. "We were trying to cook brownies and apparently nobody else here knows how to cook." Groused Scott. "An accurate statement." I say in agreement as I peaked in the oven at something brown and crumbly. "Listen Mrs Conalie, I tried to get the others to cook the right way, but they wouldn't listen!" Complained Olivia. "Hey I'm the only one that read the menu!" Argued Scott. "That's false information! I'm the one who-" I couldn't let Olivia finnesh her rant. "Okay stop stop stop the madness! When I want food I order it, or I cook it." I explain to the kids. Olivia, Christopher, Phillip and Scott all began yelling at once. "Silence!" I say. They all shut up, intill ten seconds later when Jenifer starts saying "Mrs Conalie... It's my fault. I'm the one who said we should make Brownies... because well... you must have had a difficult summer losing your daughter and having your husband in the hospital... so I thought-"
"Okay stop talking." I told Jenifer. She tilted her curly head. "Maybe tomorrow I will teach you kids the real way to cook. Maybe you should ask for permission next time." I explain. "But thanks anyway I guess. Maybe if I didn't come back, this house would be on fire." I say softly.

After cleaning the kitchen, I let the kids eat broccoli for lunch. As a punishment for being crazy, but Olivia saw it as a reward for being generous. "Broccoli is very healthy for your system. Greens can help you be very tall." I heard her say directly to Jenifer who rolled her eyes. I left to knit in the living room where I heard the kids talk. "Oh my gosh O. You like broccoli?" Scott says in shock. "Your vegetables are good for you." Olivia says very clearly. "Yeah, they are good for you and that doesn't mean you have to like them." Added Christopher. "Broccoli is good. They are like little trees." Phillip says randomly.
After lunch I thought I should give the kids some summer education so I read some books to them.
Of course I read Cinderella to them, but Phillip complained that he already read it in school, so I read to them the Mexican version, then I read Peter Pan, then Alice in Wonderland. Then Olivia volunteered to read an entire chapter of some random book I owned called Elder Advice.
"As an elder, at age fifty or older, it is essential to take many responsibilities. Many young elders are obsessed with being younger than they are, it is most likely that they say they are twenty two, but in the stunning reality, they may actually be much older. If an elder lies about their age, they will regret it because nobody will care or put the effort to help them walk across the-"
"Okay okay that's enough of that book! Can we read something more for your age?" I ask. They all get lost in thought and I realized that I don't want to deal with them anymore so I sent them to play uno at the kitchen table. I looked at the book Elder Advice. It was written by a mysterious man named Mr Peachfuz. Then suddenly I remember yesterday at Mr Espcu's house, he mentioned his older brother who he hates writes Advice Novels. Is there a connection. I flip to the back of the book where it is mentioned how Mr Peachfuz has actually written One hundred and seven books?! There was a list at the back of the novel that listed the one hundred and seven at that point. Number 1, Dating Advice (Nicholas would need that) Number 2, Cooking Advice (All five of the kids need that) Number 3, The Entire Story Of The Cursed Pool (I need that) ~~~~~