3

Darius opened the door. “Yes, hello,” he grunted.
“Darius! How are you?” Nadia held her arms open invitingly, but Darius stuck out his hand.
He sighed. “Oh, I’ve been much better, Nadia. What are you doing here?”
Nadia resisted the urge to invite herself in. She knew how Darius could get. “You know, I’m in the neighborhood, I just thought I’d stop by and see how my brother’s doing! What have you been up to?”
Darius glanced over his shoulder suspiciously and said, “Well, you’ll never guess-” A blustery wind made its way inside. Nadia shivered, but she kept a smile. “I’ll tell you inside,” Darius said, more for his own comfort than for his sister’s.
He led her into the living room. The warmth of the fire was cozy and inviting. They sat across the room from the shredded chair, but still there were bits and pieces of stuffing at their feet. “Are you.. Um.. Redecorating?”
“No, no! Not at all. I have a most troubling situation on my hands!”
Nadia looked puzzlingly at her older brother.
Flailing his arms, Darius exclaimed, “My house is haunted!”
Nadia stared incredulously at Darius. “Oh? How so?” 'Maybe Darius is getting a little nutty, living in a big, empty house all alone.' she thought.
Darius just scowled and looked down at his feet. “No, no, don't let me worry you with my own troubles. Besides, you'd probably think I've gone crazy if I try to explain.”
Nadia just looked down at her clasped hands. “Now, Darius,” she began. How was she supposed to tell this man there are no such things as haunted houses? She then realized why she had come over in the first place. “Why don't we talk about this later, hmm? Look- I've brought you something.” Nadia pulled a key from her pocket and handed it to Darius. It was warm. Abnormally warm, like it was recently taken out of a fire.
Darius’s eyes grew to the size of tennis balls. He thrust the key back at Nadia, scrambled out of his seat, and disappeared behind it.
Nadia rushed over and knelt down beside him. “Darius! Calm down! What is the matter with you?” She tried to calm her brother's heavy breathing.
“That key! That key was in the letter.. And.. The fire.. And now you have it.. Something has gone horribly wrong! What’s the matter with this place?”
“Calm down, Darius! What letter? What are you talking about?”
Darius scrambled to his feet and dashed to the kitchen. Nobody had ever seen him move so fast. A second later, he reappeared with newspaper and a bucket full of water, which he immediately dumped over the fire. It made a distinct ‘FWOOOSH’ noise and the flames finally sizzled out. Darius dropped to his knees and began shoveling the ashes onto the newspaper with a scoop. All the while Nadia sat in an armchair, motionless, too stunned to move. “It’s not there! It’s gone!” Darius exclaimed.
Nadia snapped back to life. “What’s not there?” she said, faltering.
“The key, I’ve told you already! It’s disappeared!” Darius wasn’t crazy. The key really had disappeared. I would know, because I made it happen.