Rosehead

by Ksenia Anske

  “Where did you buy it?” Panther growled nonchalantly.

  Ed stared. Panther’s talking had a freezing effect on him.

  “What?” said Lilith.

  “The bed.” Panther wagged his tail. “I’m asking where Ed bought his bed. I enjoyed it immensely. If I could upgrade my request from the doggy bed to, you know, this one, it would make me work that much harder.”

  “Really? Did you really just ask that?” Lilith glared.

  “What can I say, I enjoy my comfort. I imagine chasing flowery monstrosities across the garden will be very uncomfortable.”

  Ed smiled.

  “That’s Panther for you,” said Lilith with exasperation, although secretly she was grateful to him for pulling her out of her stupor. “Ed, I’m...look, I apologize I was afraid to trust you.”

  Ed shook his head no.

  “Thank you for covering for us. You have the wickedest hiding place ever.” She bit her lip. “And I’m sorry your step-mom got sacked. It’s my fault. I should’ve never—”

  Ed put up a hand to silence her.

  “Are you mad at me?”

  Ed waved his arms so hard he knocked a pile of papers from his desk and sent them flying.

  “You’re not? Oh, okay. I thought you were. It’s hard to tell...Well.” Lilith sighed. Words deserted her, causing her usual polite demeanor to crumble and her logic to backfire. “My parents are worse, if that makes you feel any better,” she said quickly, pondering a second too late why she said it in the first place. “My dad only cares for his dog racing, and my mom...she knits. Day and night. She’s obsessed with knitting.” And with feeding me pills, Lilith wanted to add. “I don’t think it’s healthy. At least drinking makes you get out of your skin. I mean...Oh, that came out wrong. Excuse me. I’m so sorry.” She covered her mouth in horror. Her face flushed. She positively didn’t feel like herself around Ed.

  IT’S OKAY. I’M GLAD YOU DON’T KNOW. LIVING WITH A DRUNK IS HELL.

  “I can’t imagine. Please excuse my temporary lack of manners,” Lilith whispered, thinking that in another moment her face would simply boil off her skull.

  “I think chasing squirrels is a much better alternative to getting out of your skin. If my humble opinion matters here, of course,” came from below.

  Ed froze, but only for a moment.

  He glanced at Lilith. She held his gaze. Both friends communicated something important without words. Panther looked from on to another, scratching himself nervously.

  “We need a plan,” said Lilith, at the same time as Ed flipped his notepad and wrote, WE NEED A PLAN.

  They gasped.

  “Did we just...”

  A curious tension spilled in the air, the kind that transcends staring contests into the anticipation of a kiss.

  Panther coughed.

  The friends jumped apart, looking down.

  Unable to read or see what the deal was, Panther desperately tried to be a part of the conversation. “Don’t you think, madam, that before we come up with any plan whatsoever, perhaps it’s time for you to part with your lovely habit of wearing various berets? Incidentally, they tend to land us into all sorts of trouble. Incidentally...” He fell quiet, miffed by the fact that the object of his reverie stopped paying him any attention. He rolled into a ball, curling his tail in defiance.

  Lilith and Ed were back to gazing at each other. Their wordless exchange came to a breaking point. Notepad tossed aside, Ed opened and closed his mouth, emitting a frustrated groan.

  “Were you going to say something?” Lilith held her breath. “Please? Just for me? I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

  Ed shook his head dejectedly and rubbed his nose, leaving charcoal smudges. He grunted and started picking up fallen papers.

  “Sorry I asked. So sorry.”

  Panther snapped his jaws. Lilith thought if she said sorry one more time, he’d probably bite her.

  “A flummoxing hiding place. Your bed. Awesome, I mean,” she added hastily, prompted by Ed’s puzzled look. “My house in Boston, it also moves, but it can’t do things like that.”

  Ed’s face lit up.

  “Your cottage is like a rose, isn’t it? A wild rose?”

  Ed grabbed a notepad. YES. I THINK—

  Lilith couldn’t stop herself now. “And grandfather’s mansion, it’s more like a groomed rosebush, right?”

  RIGHT. BUT—

  “When grandfather said, Do you want to see your friend again...alive, what did you tell him?”

  TO PISS OFF. HEY, WE NEED TO—

  “Do you think I’m sick?” Lilith blurted, her heart going wild.

  NO, I DON’T. LOOK. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR MOM SAYS. YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT MY RELATIVES SAY ABOUT ME. RIGHT NOW THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS—

  “So you’re still my friend?” Lilith interrupted.

  OF COURSE I AM. BUT WE NEED TO—

  “I’m still your friend, too,” Panther grumbled. “I was your first friend, by the way.”

  “Panther, cut it out.” Lilith took him in her lap. “Ed, can I ask you about your doctor? Is he...”

  HE’S A CLOWN. TRIED MAKING ME TALK. YOU’LL HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH HIM. LISTEN, WE REALLY NEED TO—

  Lilith’s mind slipped into an anxious frenzy. “Do you think grandfather is planning to feed me to Rosehead? To hang my portrait in that gallery?” Her eyes widened.

  Ed dropped the pencil and pulled his hair, looking at Panther, who shrugged with a knowing grin. “What can I say, that’s Lilith for you.”

  There was a loud bang and a yelp, as if someone tripped and fell. “Ed? Ed!” The rest Lilith didn’t understand. The dreamy voice of Rosalinde Vogel was now a drunken drawl.

  “Your step-mom.”

  Ed dismissed it with a wave of his hand. WRITING TAKES FOREVER. UGH. He groaned. WE NEED A PLAN. I THINK ALFRED WANTS TO USE YOU FOR SOMETHING.

  “For what? You said an heir can control Rosehead. It seems only prudent for me to become one. Although...I don’t understand. Grandfather doesn’t strike me as idiotic. He’d have figured out by now that you told me everything you know.” She stared into nothing.

  “I can just see you strolling up to that leafy hippo, saying, hey, Rosehead, care to become a vegan?” Panther yawned.

  Ed stared at him, but only for a moment. LET’S ASK HER.

  “Ask who?” Lilith exclaimed.

  ROSEHEAD.

  “Ask her? Can she talk?”

  Ed migrated to his desk.

  Lilith carefully put Panther onto the bed and trotted over. The whippet promptly turned away, pretending to be very upset. It didn’t have the desired effect.

  Lilith watched Ed work. He held his pencil the way one holds a feather. It flew across the page, covering it with rows and rows of words.

  Neither of them noticed dusk advancing. It was too quiet in the garden, with not a soul in sight. Even the crows sat still, dosing.

  HERE IS WHAT I KNOW. ROSEHEAD GETS REBORN EVERY DECADE. SHE REQUIRES A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PEOPLE TO SATISFY HER HUNGER.

  Lilith’s stomach clenched. “How many?”

  DUNNO.

  “And you propose we ask her? Like, hello, Rosehead, nice outfit. Hey, I was wondering, for what purpose do you think grandfather wants to use me, exactly? Oh, and how many people would be enough for your breakfast today?”

  Ed grinned. WHY NOT?

  “Did you talk to her before?”

  NO, I DUNNO IF SHE CAN. IT’S WORTH A TRY. I ONLY KNOW THAT SHE NEEDS PEOPLE FOR SOME PURPOSE. DAD SAID TO WATCH FOR THE STINK, THE SCREAMS, AND THE CROWS. I WAS FOUR LAST TIME IT HAPPENED. HE WOULDN’T TELL ME MORE.

  “Wait, were you at grandmother’s funeral? I don’t remember seeing you.”

  I DO. YOU WERE SNIFFING ROSES. He tilted his head.

  “Oh, was I? I suppose I was. They stank.”

  THEY STILL DO.

  Lilith’s eyes widened. “Her casket was sealed. What if...What if it wasn’t an accident. What if my g
randmother died from...Could she have been...” Lilith stopped breathing, mortified.

  Ed raised a brow.

  “You figured this out already, didn’t you?”

  Ed nodded.

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  Ed slapped his forehead.

  “All right, all right. Sorry. It’s just that...it’s so unequivocally and morbidly fascinating. So terrible. So absolutely and unashamedly disgusting.” A choking noise escaped her throat. “So, does this mean that grandfather...” Lilith couldn’t say it. She mentally added one more reason to hate Alfred. Her top reason. A brute, a book hater, and a liar paled by comparison. He was a murderer. Her heart drummed. “I can’t believe this. You think it’s true? That he could’ve fed grandma to Rosehead?”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me,” growled Panther.

  “Is that why you hate him so much?” Lilith addressed Ed in a shaky voice. “You planned on stopping this outrageous massacre yourself, didn’t you?”

  Ed nodded. SINCE DAD DIED. THEN YOU SHOWED UP.

  Panther scowled and turned away as noisily as he could, fluffing up the blankets and taking time to curl his tail.

  Lilith chewed on her hair, thinking about her parents, little Petra and her brother, the Schlitzberger twins, their mother, the blind lady, her daughter, and all the other guests. They had no idea what danger they were in, and they wouldn’t believe her if she flat-out told them.

  THERE IS THIS SECRET PLACE—

  “We have to stop him,” croaked Lilith.

  YES. TOMORROW MORNING. I HAVE A PLAN. MEET ME AT THE BACK OF THE COTTAGE.

  “What plan? Oh, to talk to Rosehead? Why not now?”

  IT’S ALMOST NIGHT. YOUR MOM WILL CALL POLICE IF YOU DON’T SHOW UP SOON.

  “Let her. I hope she does. I hope they turn this entire place upside down.”

  BUT ROSEHEAD WILL SUCK THEM DRY. POLICEMEN.

  Lilith never blushed so hard in her life. “Right. You’re absolutely correct. My head has not been functioning properly, please excuse me. Tomorrow, then.” She paused. “Wait! What if they lock us up again?”

  Ed pointed to the whippet, who turned around with aplomb. “Not to worry, madam. I will pee, and we will fly.”

  A particularly loud crash echoed from below, followed by stomping up the stairs.

  All three of them jumped. Lilith had enough time to press Panther to her chest. The door swung open and a leering figure of a disheveled Rosalinde barged in. Her heel caught on the rug and she crashed to the floor, pumps flying.

  Ed pushed Lilith and Panther out of the room.

  “Does she get like this often?” whispered Lilith.

  Ed averted his eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” said Lilith and, before her girly cowardice seized her, she leaned in and pecked Ed on the lips, then scurried down the stairs so fast she nearly fell at the very bottom, her ballet slippers sliding this way and that on the polished wood.

  “You never kissed me on the lips,” came a disgruntled growl from between her arms.

  “Oh, shut it, Panther.” Lilith closed the front door and lowered him to the ground. “If you want to be jealous, now is not the time. It might be possible that my grandfather sent my grandmother to death ten years ago. Can you believe it? Do you understand what this means? I need to tell dad.”

  Panther rumbled something sounding like silly speculations again.

  Lilith stood, fuming.

  The Bloom mansion had on its every light, plunging the garden into darkness. The sky turned purple. It was beautiful, if not for the sickening stench that oozed around her.

  “The crows must know what’s coming,” whispered Lilith grimly. German swearing floated from Ed’s bedroom window, then another thud. Lilith’s insides twisted.

  “I did say that your grandfather is a bloody creep, didn’t I? This question has been consuming me lately, if I may? Do you have a single normal relative, or are they all, dare I say it, a bit unbalanced?” Panther growled crossly.

  “How can you be so insensitive?” Lilith flared up. “What if your mom was—”

  “What? Crazy about squirrels?”

  “Very clever.” Lilith glared.

  “I’ll take it as a compliment. So, what’s the plan?”

  “The plan is to get back to the mansion. It’s not my fault you decided not to participate in our discussion.”

  “It’s not my fault I can’t read.” Panther stalked off.

  Lilith marched after him.

  The garden parted in a clear path, as if directing them to the front of the mansion. Deep in their own thoughts, they hardly noticed, walking along in silence, emerging in the motor court and halting by the front doors.

  “Hey,” Lilith said, as she leaned in and held Panther’s front paws. “I’m sorry, okay? I promise I’ll read Ed’s notes for you next time.” She gave him a smooch. “There, I kissed you on the lips. Friends again?”

  Panther rolled his eyes, but his tail betrayed him, wagging like mad. “Only I was your first friend.”

  “Yes, of course. You were my first friend.” Lilith stood. “Ready?”

  Panther pawed at the door.

  Lilith took a deep breath and reached for the handle.

  Chapter 17

  The Grand Return

  Lilith picked the perfect time for her comeback. An hour earlier and she would’ve been facing her parents and grandfather separately, not to mention the Schlitzberger twins who planned to tease her about the escapade. Now, however, the entire Bloom family was sitting down to dinner, mulling over her misfortunes. Irma proclaimed she was kidnapped. Patrick told Petra she was snatched by aliens. And Gwen and Daphne agreed that the corpses she found in the garden ate her, but couldn’t decide if they chewed her first or swallowed her whole. Unaware of any of it, teeth clenched for courage, Lilith hiked straight into the dinner hall, causing an abrupt silence.

  It took several seconds for Gabby and Daniel to register their daughter’s presence, and another minute for the rest of the guests. They didn’t recognize Lilith at first. Her beret was missing, her tutu torn, and a fine layer of dust covered both her and Panther, who didn’t look much better.

  A collective gasp was quickly replaced by excited voices, moving chairs, and running feet. Lilith wisely closed her eyes, ready to endure the scrutiny.

  First came her mother. “Lilith! Where on earth have you been?” She methodically examined her daughter, turning her around to check if anything was broken. “Open your eyes!”

  Lilith squinted harder.

  “Look at me! How did you get out of your room? Your face is scratched. Who did this to you? What good are you, not leading her home sooner?” This was directed at Panther.

  He growled something that conspicuously sounded like, “Watch it”.

  “Daniel, she’s not talking to me!”

  Daniel moved Gabby aside and hugged his daughter. “Hey, pup, we’re so happy you’re back. You scared us. We thought...we didn’t know what to think. Your grandfather...”

  His voice drowned in the chatter. People pressed in, eager to touch the girl who returned from the dead, to give her their version of how she must have felt when she got lost, how she got lost, what she should do to prevent this from happening in the future, what her parents should do to prevent this in the future, how they should raise her, how child rearing in America was not at its best, how child rearing in Germany was superior, and a slew of similar observations.

  “Daphne said you found graves in ze garden. Did zey invite you over for dinner, ze corpses?” Gwen squeezed in closer.

  “You got it wrong,” said Daphne. “Zey wanted to have her for dinner.”

  “Zat iz what I said.”

  “No it wazn’t.”

  “It waz too.”

  They switched to German, then to slapping, then to crying. Lilith couldn’t help it and peeked out of the corner of her eye.

  Irma intervened to try to pull her daughters apart. It could’ve easily been a hippo c
aught in the middle of two giant piglets gone berserk.

  The crowd pressed on.

  “Petra, let go of her tutu, it’s dirty!” said Sabrina.

  “...was looking forward to a peaceful night,” muttered Trude Brandt. “Alfred, I request you move her to another room. This is not a hotel, this is a private residence. At my age, I require—”

  “I’m sorry, but can you please let us through?” Daniel patiently waited for people to part.

  “Oh, this is ridiculous. Leave my daughter alone,” Gabby hissed, elbowing her way through. “She’s had enough excitement for today.”

  Talking hushed. The soft steps of Alfred entered.

  A sickly fragrance enveloped Lilith. She opened her eyes.

  Her grandfather’s stare pinned her. “Lilith, my dear girl,” he said with a chill. “It’s good to have you back...alive.”

  Lilith bristled. “Kindly, thank you for your concern about my wellbeing, dear Grandfather. Incidentally, I happen to have a knack for returning from the dead.”

  “Pup? You feeling okay?” Daniel glanced at his daughter.

  “Lilith, enough of your jokes,” Gabby snapped.

  She didn’t hear, oblivious, her attention on Alfred. An open war commenced between them. They both knew it. There was no use pretending anymore. “Grandfather very much hopes to see me dead, only I manage to escape his clutches every time, much to his annoyance,” said Lilith icily.

  Alfred raised his eyebrows.

  Gabby sucked in a mouthful of air. “How can you say something like that, missy. It’s morbid and uncalled for.”

  “Please, love, don’t be so apple-headed. We don’t know what she’s been through, do we?” Daniel interrupted.

  “Apple-headed, is it? I’m sick of your dog terms, you know that? Can you speak like a normal human being for once? What about us? Does she ever think what we’ve been through—what we have to go through every day? Tell me, does she?” Gabby’s lip trembled. They launched into an argument, the typical fare of a high-pitched voice against a softly spoken one.