Cursed Pool

Chapter 13. The City That Once Lived

It was a summer morning when the hot sun was breaking through my window. I opened the door for Christopher and Phillip again looking preppy as usual. "Where is Olivia?" Is the first thing I said as I noticed she wasn't there. "Olivia decided not to visit because of Scott." Christopher said in a quiet voice. "Then she's what? Home by herself?" I ask as they walk in. Christopher nodded, Phillip shrugged. Christopher ran straight for the uno cards like as if it was the last pizza slice in the world. Phillip did something interesting. I saw him open the cabinet. "Ah ah ah Phillip it's too early to go looking for snacks." I inform. What I didn't notice is how clever that child actually is. He gasped. A loud frightened gasp. "Brownie ingredients!" He squeeked. I tried to bend down to look in the little kitchen cabinet, but I got a cramp again. "Olivia didn't cook the brownies! The ingredients are still in the cabinet!" He yelled angrily. I collapsed onto the kitchen floor because my elderly legs are weak. "Oh no, Mrs Conalie are you okay?" Phillip gasped. "Don't worry about me, worry about your sister. Phillip you have to know where she is." I told him

At 10:00 AM, Scott, Jenifer, Christopher, Phillip and I drove up to the house of Nicholas Espcu. I knew that Nicholas Espcu and his fiance Autumn would be quilting at their quilting office right about now, so nobody would actually be home at all. After ringing the doorbell and standing under the trees in the front yard waiting for Olivia's gray eyes to appear and narrow angrily at Scott's brown eyes, we decided to leave.

"You really think she's at the library?" Came Phillip's voice from the trunk of my van. "Where else could she be on a day like this?" Said Christopher.
I haven't been to this particular library before, it was a wide brick building surrounded by palm trees.
The inside was beautiful. Beautifully organized. Books of all types sat together of shelves. The book shelves were all across the walls. "The library is a far walk from Nicholas's house don't you think?" Scott blurtrd. "Yeah, she couldn't have walked that far." Added Christopher. I turn to Christopher and I said "You should know where's she's been and where she goes because you live in her house." I said to him.
We spent quite a while searching the library for Olivia. "Have you seen a girl, eleven with long dark brown hair and gray eyes, a round nose and a short temper?" I ask to the woman at the desk who seemed way more focused on her computer work. "More specific please." She says in a sing songy way without eye contact. "Her name is Olivia Espcu. Goes by the name O." The woman shook her head. "We've seen her multiple times but not today." "Okay. Whatever." Was my reply.
The kids and I asked multiple people in the library untill we got hungry and thirsty. "Christopher and Phillip live with Olivia so they should know more than I do." I say in a semi angry tone as we drove through the city. "Well, we saw her last night of course, but this morning I assumed she left early without us." Whispered Christopher with a shrug. "You do know what happens when you assume right?" I tell the kids. They were like silent mice.

Olivia was missing. I can't tell it to Nicholas, or Autumn. Maybe they already know. I really really can't tell Mr Espcu because he'll hate me forever. He already doesn't like me anyway. I drive with silent kids in my car. I was praying in my head that we will run into Olivia soon.
Oh the outcomes. I can hear Mr Espcu's voice in my head saying things like "Your sopposed to keep tabs on the children, no wonder Perri died." I would be absolutely hated by all the people. People that knit or quilt or design fashion for Mulberry & Paggles. My God what do I do now?
Then I think about the brownies. Where would Olivia get the brownies? She obviously didn't cook them because the ingredients were in the cabinet.
Then I think about the apartment and talking about the Cursed Pool with Mr Peachfuz. The Brownies that rised from the water. It sounded weird to me.
"Okay kids. I have an idea!" I shouted to them.
Yes, I know that Mr Espcu doesn't want me to visit his brother, but I took the kids to that apartment because I remember Mr Peachfuz telling us about the Brownies that rise from the water. The perfect chocolate chips that tasted absolutely incredible.
"You kids met your Great-uncle right?" I ask to the Espcu kids as we approach the front doors of the apartment. Christopher shook his head. "Our Grandpa hates his brother." He said in an undertone. "Our Grandfather said he hates most of his family before us." Phillip added. "Why?" I ask. "He rarely talks about his family. He never even told us his last name before he married. Our great-uncle took his wife's last name too, of course they hated their father." Christopher says very simply. I cringed. "I hated my Father too. He was nasty. My Mother was smart and beautiful, or at least I think. She died one day after I was born May 16th 1917. I never actually met her, though my older sisters spoke very highly of her. We all hated our Father. He's always trying to work and he never payed attention to us... but I liked how he never re married. He told us to keep our name Conalie, because he didn't want the Conalie name to die out." I explain to the kids. "Would you have switched it if you had the choice?" Asked Scott. "Yeah." I said. "My husband Richard was Richard Blossom. A Cuban hairdresser. Richard Blossom towered over me and I liked it because he could do so many more things." I say driftingly. "Where is he?" Asked Scott. "He's in the hospital down in Oakland. He should be better soon. Ah I can't wait for you to meet him. He loves kids." I said.

We were standing infront of the apartment building for a while. We finally walked in the open door of Mr Peachfuz's apartment. He was sound asleep talking to himself rapped up in a blanket. "I think you're just so hot and I think that's why you won't freeze in the winter...." I silently tapped him on the arm to awake him. Luckily it worked. He rises from the furniture and drinks ice tea from a mug and places it on the little end table. "Okay now what are we doing?" He asked as he sat back down and crosses his legs.
I sat down at the white table with the children who all seemed comfused.
"Okay, before we get rolling, do you have any warnings?" I start. "Yeah. Don't slouch." He said shortly. I glance at the kids and they look at eachother and straightend up.
"Okay so-" I begin.
"Hey, you know what you should know-" He interrupts.
"Hey, can I finnesh my question? Just the first question please." I interrupted.
"Fine." He groaned.
"How do you know the Water Witch?"
"She was a friend of my opera teacher, Bernard."
"...Wait back up."
"What? Opera Teacher?"
"Bernard?"
I was knitting while the conversation went. Mr Peachfuz took notice of it.
"Work on your knitting okay, work on your knitting because it's one hundred percent effectively sufficient." He randomly added.
"Wow. Thanks for the useless tip." I say sarcastically.
"No it isn't useless. It's an unnatural thing." He whispered.
"Okay, so what do you think about Mulberry & Paggles?" I ask.
"What'd you say?" He whispered.
"Oh, you know what we should talk about the water Brownies because you love the water brownies!" I cheered.
"The water brownies. Yeah." Mr Peachfuz agreed. He slowly got up and stretched out his back. "Ooh! Did you hear that?" He asked me softly.
"Hear what?" I responded questionably. "I just cracked my back." He whispered as he used his cane to help himself move to the bookshelf. He moved his fingers gracefully across the shelf and pulled out a book. It was a medium sized book. Not too big, not small either, but he slammed it down on the table. The cover was probably the most questionable cover of every book in the world. Just plan white, except at the bottom right corner in black ink it said "The Tragedy Of The Cursed Pool By Mr Peachfuz"
"That is a very boring cover." Phillip pointed out. "Indeed." Replied Mr Peachfuz. "It's illegal isn't it?" Asked Scott. "This book is so cursed that it's extremely illegal, but I am the writer, so I can keep it." Mr Peachfuz whispered. "Is it safe to read?" Asked Scott. "No." Mr Peachfuz answered.
But before I knew it, Mr Peachfuz opens to the first page. "Mr Peachfuz no!!!!!" I cried as a big white light came shinning through the book. It was blinding. "Shut the book! Shut the book!" I yelled anxiously. "I can't!" Yelled Mr Peachfuz.
I felt light. So light that I felt like I might fly. The other people in that room became semi translucent.
Everyone there looked terrified, except for Mr Peachfuz who looked determined.
The book was still shinning and I felt intense and horrorfying wind push my body forward. I had to close my eyes, I was too scared to look, and when I opened them I was in the Middle of the street. A really different street. The street was completely gold and the trees were growing beautifully on both sides of the street. Growing hot pink flowers. The trees were full of the pink flowers, yet many of the flowers fell to the grass. "Mr Peachfuz, where are we?" I ask with a shiver. "We are in the Apple Tree village." Shivered Mr Peachfuz when he stood up. "That doesn't make any sense!" I cried Argumentively.
I look behind me at Scott, Jenifer, Christopher and Phillip, as they got off the ground. They were so frightened and comfused. I looked forward and I saw a white car zooming extremely fast infront of me. "Oh Good heavens look out!" I yelled to the kids. The car was so extraordinary fast and I was so slow that it ran over me... but I was still standing. "We're invisible!" I panicked.
I saw the car park infront of a building. Some kind of work place I guess. I saw someone step out of the car. He was an extremely beautiful man. He lifted a flower off the ground and in his hand, it turned into a golden apple. He took a bit of it and walked gracefully into the Work Place with his suitcase and a gorgeous smile. "This was a beautiful city back then. It's a horrible desert now." Whispered Mr Peachfuz. I turn to him to stunned to say a thing. "Wait... are we in the book?" Asked Scott. "Scott don't be ridiculous. How can we possibly be in-" I started to say.
"Yes. We are here. In the book." Responded Mr Peachfuz and a breeze came and blew his hair ever so gently.