132. Things That go Bump in the Night

It was midnight and Ty and Felina Shyboy were lying under blankets on sofas that faced each other  in the basement of Owl Creek Manse surrounded by nine cats and a dozen kittens. A few owls had also found their way in there.

Aside from the animals, there were heaps of boxes of takeout pizza on a table between the sofas and more on the floor, some empty and some with leftover slices in them. There were also half-empty cans of pop all over the place.

Things that go bump in the night were being heard. They were frightening Felina Shyboy. There was one particular little sound, like the persistent knocking of a tiny hammer that made her very nervous.

“Go see what’s making that noise,Ty. It gives me the creeps.”

                        

“Who cares what’s making that noise?” yawned Ty. “We’ve heard it before and nothing has happened. Maybe it’s termites. Live and let live.”

“I don’t think it lives. I think it’s ghosts,” said Felina, shivering under the blankets.

“All the more reason not to go disturb them. I’m not telling a ghost to shut up. The last thing I want is to get into a fight with a ghost. It’s already dead, but I’m not.”

“Make it stop, Ty,” wailed Felina. “You’re the man. You have to go.”

“You aren’t scared of going out at midnight to plant bulbs and feed the forests cats and play ball with them under the moonlight and do all sorts of exposed things I warn you not to and you’re scared of a silly noise?”

“But I make you fetch the ball if it falls too far,” pouted Felina.

“Yes, and I have to wait there standing till that happens. But that’s because you are lazy, not scared. Look, the noise is probably Uncle Lonefellow come back to haunt me for selling the manse. The last thing I need is to have a row with him right now.”

“You really think it’s him?” asked Felina. “I wouldn’t mind if it is. He always treated me like a lady. He would go see what the noise is about.”

                          

“Achoooooooo!”

This sudden noise that came from the window behind her made Felina scream and cower convulsively under the blankets. She pulled her head from under them for a second to say.

“Look at me, Ty, I’m crying! That thing is booing and I’m crying! Oh, Ty! Ty, Ty, Ty, Ty, Ty! ”

Then she tossed the blankets over her head again, and went on saying,“Ty! Ty,Ty,Ty, Ty!” She knew very well that Ty was always upset by her tears. So she added sniffling to more “Ty, Ty,Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

“Oh, please!” said Ty. “Ok, I’ll sit up and if I find my glasses, I’ll see if I can see anything from here. But just because the booing came from the window in front of me. Ah! Right there behind you. I can see...a kid’s head.”

“Oh, my God!” screamed Felina.

  

“No, please don’t be scared!” I shouted, trying to make myself heard through the glass window pane. “I need to talk to you guys. I wouldn’t have come so late, but you’re always out or sleeping by daylight. Achoo! Excuse me. I have a spring allergy and it’s very bad this year.”

“It’s that fairy kid who is friends with Alpin. Do come in, if it’s just you and you’re who I think you are.”

Ty got up and opened the window to let me in. I flew in over Felina’s head and she screamed as if she were being attacked by a mob of bats.

“Don’t mind my wife,” said Ty. “She likes to pretend she’s a fraidy cat, but the truth is she is descended from Vikings.”

                                           

“I want to ask you if you have a magic pencil like one my baby sister has. The forest cats say you do.”

“One that makes graff easy? Look, I’ll give one to you no questions asked if you do me a favor. I’m going back to my couch. Could you look around the house and see if you can find what’s making a weird tapping noise we’ve been hearing lately? It’s getting on Felina’s nerves and she’s giving me a hard time. We have to sleep down here because she’s afraid to be in the bedrooms upstairs.”

“Well...I suppose I could do that,” I said.

“If it’s one of the family ghosts rapping, say you don’t know me. Say you are a friend of Felina’s.”