Samantha

 

     After I got out of the bath I walked down the hall, and re-entered my room. I noticed a solid black cat curled up in the center of the white clothes I had laid out. Tabitha was sitting right near the black cat, her orange tail twitching just at the end. A slow sly smile began to creep across Tabitha’s face, as she glanced over at her pal.

     “Right.” I said to Tabitha and reached for different clothes from the wardrobe.

     The black cat began to lightly chuckle in her purr. Slowly she stretched out, right paws forward. Her eyes slowly opened, and dark green emeralds shone out. “I’m Samantha.” a deep soft voice purred. She straightened herself. “And Tabitha has told me some very disturbing things. Such as you went back through last night, didn’t you? To get a watch? A wristwatch?”

     “I went back to get a watch, yes.” I toweled my hair out, then reached for my brush.

     “So where is this fabled wristwatch.” Samantha demanded.

     “I forgot to get it, I ran into Cynthia Perking and her family.” I brushed through my hair gently.

     Tabitha and Samantha exchanged glances, “Don’t you know anything?” Samantha asked.

     “What?” I put down the brush and looked at them.

     “Had you even bothered to ask,” Tabitha started off. “A watchmaker would have put you away in Sanitarium.”

     “The Very IDEA!” Samantha hissed.

     Tabitha nodded in response.

     “Hey!” I protested.

     Tabitha continued, “Had you bothered to check the Time? Wristwatches weren’t for the common man in 1874.”

     “She’s defiantly no Gileda.” Samantha sat back on my clothes. “I can see why you called me.”

     “She called you? From where? There’s more of you?” I was slightly becoming unnerved.

     “Oh! Ho ho ho, ha ha ha!” Samantha made slight fun of me. “There’s a LOT more of us!”

     “Oh that’s relieving!” I replied sarcastically.

     “Listen, Julia.” Samantha walked to the foot of the bed where I stood. “A little more than just Timepieces slipped your mind last night.”

     “Such as?” I sat in a chair next to the wardrobe.

     “That doll house you so innocently let that child have, it’s haunted.” Samantha sat down, and began to tell a tale in a low voice so no one could over hear. “It’s true that Tabitha called me here, long before you came. I’ll save that for another time. The reason I was able to come here is the Time Shift, I stayed in Seventeen eighty four to explore a bit. As I sat on the roof waiting for Time to finish blurring out, I overheard the whole thing through the chimney. That doll house, fashioned after her house, was a warning to you. To stay away from the Perking family. Now you have given the messenger a new home, and a map to every nook and cranny of the Perking Estate.”

     “You better hope it’s not a pirate.” Tabitha warned. “The whole group has no taste for you at all. It would be just like Pirate Latoote to send one of his crew out, to play on your inexperience.”

     Samantha chuckled, “Try getting that information.”

     “But it WILL be US, wont it?” Tabitha complained.

     “If it must, it must. I’d like to see the Pirate that can stand up to these claws!” Samantha flexed her right front claw in the air. “There’s no rush, who knows when Eighteen Seventy Four will come up again anyway.”

     “Have we decided it always a year ending in four?” Tabitha questioned her friend.

     “Grey said he was out in Nineteen seventy two once, but you have to take into account..”

     “It’s Grey.” Tabitha finished Samantha’s sentence and nodded.

     “What’s wrong with Grey?” I asked as I resumed fixing my hair.

     “Hit in the head.” Samantha whispered and shook her head.

     “Old too.” Tabitha sided with her.

     “So if I go out there now it’s going to be Seventeen Eighty Four?”

     “No..” Samantha started.

     “Gileda.” Tabitha agreed.

Oh Sorry, that’s about all I have time to tell you right now. The shop needs opening, and Mr. Finkenstankle is dropping this afternoon.