CHAPTER ELEVEN

11

I clung onto his leg, like a 6-year-old clinging onto their fun babysitter, “Don’t ever leave me like that again,” I whimpered. 

“What are you talking about, Brownie, you left me.”

“What? No, you left me, and I got stuck behind a plexiglass wall. I was yelling your name, but you couldn’t hear me, I banged on the wall, but you didn’t even look my way, Danny, I got scared. I thought I had lost you.”

He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, like a sack of corn. I responded with an “Oof,” then I hugged his back and closed my eyes. “Don’t ever leave me like that ever again, Daniel Kevin Michaels,” I whispered.

He rubbed my back and reassured me that he wouldn’t.

“I love you, Danny,” and for the first time ever, I didn’t just mean it as his best friend. Being in that dark smoky room, not being able to get to Danny, I realized that he’s the only person I have left, the only person I want to have left. 

He sighed, “I love you, too Brownie, I promise to not leave you without telling you again, I’ll always be here for you. Always and forever.” I moved my arm and linked my pinkie with his.

He put me down. I hung onto his hand and he slowly tried getting out of it. I had forgotten about Eve. 

“My arm,” He quietly said, “I need to talk to Eve, soon,” He moved my hand up to his arm. “But, I’ll never ever leave you. I’ll always be here for you. Like it’s always been, and it always will be.”

I stayed quiet, held onto his arm as we proceeded to walk through the house. Countless doors were placed randomly throughout the house. The weirdest thing was, the doors weren’t attached to walls, they were just doors. I clung onto Danny, and walked over to the door, and walked behind it. The same dark, smokey room behind the door, then I opened the door. 

It was a completely different room.

“Daniel, stay with me.” I pleaded.

“Ha, I have no choice. You’re stuck to my arm.”

We walked into the room, it was bright sky blue and covered in fairy tale clouds. Sort of like the little clouds you would see on Super Mario. There were fields of bright and colorful flowers, not normally something you would see in a Haunted House, and - get this - there was angelic singing. What was up with that? I walked into the room, holding a tight grip on Danny. I walked around for a while, ended up getting lost, but never losing my grip. “Danny, what is this room?” 

“No idea, the sunshine and rainbows room?” 

“Keep your guard up Daniel, it could be a trap.”

“Got it.”

If only I had listened to myself.

We continued to walk through the deceptive fairyland. Watching for traps, there was a chocolate fountain, which was so hard to avoid. Then the worst thing happened, a giant batch of brownies was right in front of my face, Danny tried to hold me back, but he ended up losing his grip and I slipped right through. I ran to the brownies, then, as soon as I got to them, I picked up a piece of one, opened my mouth - and fell.