by Manfred Koehler

Melissa was close to screaming. The walls of her bedroom were closing in by the hour. She’d stared at them for three days straight. Tomorrow she would be free of the dungeon-at last.

Whose parents actually punish them anymore? Melissa thought. It's totally MEDIEVAL.

Not even friends at church had parents as strict as Melissa's mom.

Three days of being grounded for going to a movie with Aunt Connie? Melissa still couldn’t believe it.

Someone knocked on her door. “You OK in there?”

Melissa rolled toward the wall with a groan. Her door slowly opened.

“Melissa?”

“I’m not dead yet, Mom.”

“But you're still upset?”

“Three days in a dungeon for accepting an invitation from my aunt? Put yourself in my shoes, Mom!”

“Honey, it’s only a dungeon if you let it be.”

Melissa rolled her eyes, glad her face was to the wall. Her mother had a perfect way with words. They always came back to haunt her.

Melissa felt Mom's hand on her shoulder. “Melissa, you still don't seem to understand why you're grounded. It's not because you went out with Connie. It was the movie you chose to watch with her."

Melissa’s eyes rolled again. The movie was only a little scary. It didn't seem like a big deal.

Her mother pulled her away from the wall. “I specifically asked you not to watch that movie, but you chose to disobey.”

Melissa closed her eyes and nodded. The movie still wasn’t very scary.

Escape

“There’s a girl named Cassandra downstairs to see you.”

Melissa’s eyes snapped open.

“She says she knows you from school.”

“Yes!” Melissa's heart raced.

“She’s new, I’ve talked to her a few times. She’s cool.”

“Does she seem nice?”

“For sure. I was thinking about inviting her to Harvest Fest.”

Harvest Fest was the Halloween alternative Melissa's church put on every year. Her mom was in charge of it.

“Since she came all the way over here," Mom finally said, "I’ll let you go outside with her."

“Yes!”

“One hour.” Mom was halfway out the bedroom door. “Not a minute more.”

Melissa flopped on her bed in despair.

One hour? she thought. Just enough time to say, "I have to go home now. Bye."

“Melissa, I’m giving you an hour, so take it-and don't forget your watch.”

Melissa grabbed the watch and whisked herself out of that dungeon before her mother could shut the door.

Flyaway Friend

Swinging at the park with her newfound friend, Melissa admired Cassandra’s long, black hair, swaying back and forth. Melissa tried not to think about her own short, sandy-blond hair.

“Don’t you just love black hair?”

Melissa blinked. Cassandra had read her mind.

“If mine weren’t black already, I’d change it.”

Melissa’s eyes grew big. “You’d dye your hair another color?”

“Sure!” Cassandra laughed.

Melissa felt her face burning. “Your parents would let you?”

Cassandra laughed again, swinging higher and higher.

Suddenly, she flew off her swing like a crow, black hair billowing behind her. She seemed to float forever. Then she crumpled to the ground in a ball of dust.

Melissa stumbled off the swing and ran toward her. “Are you OK?”

Cassandra looked up with a strange smile, staring into the sky.

“Wish I could have stayed up there a longer.” She spoke as if Melissa weren’t there.

Stayed up there longer? Melissa didn't want to ask what Cassandra had meant. She decided to ask something safer.

“Where do you live?”

“You really want to know?”

Dark Room

Cassandra’s house was nice, but when Melissa stepped inside, it was too quiet-spooky quiet.

“My parents work late.”

Cassandra's eyes narrowed as she gazed into the empty kitchen. “I don’t even care anymore. Let’s go to my room.” Cassandra marched down a long hall.

Following behind, Melissa asked, "Don’t you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I had an older brother, but now I’m really alone.” Her eyes looked cold. “He escaped this cave last year- a week after he turned 18.”

“You call your house a cave?”

Cassandra snickered. “Better believe it,” she said. “Just look at my room.” Melissa stepped through the doorway into darkness. The door closed behind her. She couldn’t see a thing.

Cassandra flipped on a small lamp by her bed.

Melissa swallowed. Dark blue walls were covered with creepy posters. She tried not to look. They were just a little too scary. Cassandra’s desk, bed and dresser were black. Melissa touched the dresser in awe, just to make sure it was real.

“I painted it myself,” Cassandra said, smiling. “My favorite color, of course.”

She clicked off the lamp.

Melissa jumped. The ceiling suddenly turned into a midnight sky, full of glow-in-the dark stars. Well, that looks pretty.

But some of the posters glowed in the dark, too.

“Could you turn the light back on?”

Cassandra chuckled and waited a few seconds before clicking the lamp on again.

Melissa swallowed hard. “You like scary stuff, huh?”

Cassandra laughed.

Melissa's face burned. She tried to think of a question Cassandra wouldn’t laugh at.

“Ever watch any scary movies?”

“A few.” Cassandra’s eyes very intent. “How about you?”

“I watched one in the theatre with my aunt last week.” Melissa said coolly.

“Not very scary.”

Not very scary? “How do you know which one I watched?” Melissa demanded.

Cassandra just grinned.

"Tell me!"

Cassandra grinned a little wider.

Suddenly, Melissa knew. “There was only one scary movie in the theatres last week," she guessed."And you saw it?”

Cassandra laughed, her hair bobbing like a black veil.

“Your parents let you see it?”

Cassandra stopped laughing. “My parents let me see any movie I want.”

“Any movie?” Melissa gasped.

Cassandra’s voice became a low growl. “My parents have given up telling me what to do.”

Scary Invitation

Melissa looked at her watch, thankful her mom had said "not a minute more." Melissa still had 10 minutes, but she was ready to get out- NOW.

She took a step toward the bedroom door.

Cassandra slipped in front of her, hands splayed against the door frame. “What are you doing Halloween night?”

Halloween night?

Melissa stared at Cassandra, hesitating. She’d forgotten all about inviting Cassandra to the Harvest Fest.

She forced her mouth open. “Harvest Fest at our church, probably. My mom’s in charge, and I’m helping her set up.”

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed. “What’s Harvest Fest?”

“It’s something we do on Halloween to enjoy the day without all the evil that goes with it.”

Melissa’s words came out too fast.

Cassandra laughed and laughed. She sounded like a rooster.

Melissa pressed her hands over her ears to shut out the mocking. But she could still hear every cackle. She stepped toward Cassandra and screamed: “WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME!”

The insane laughter ceased without an echo. Cassandra stepped away from the door and sprawled on her bed. Her face grew eerily calm. “Because I was going to invite you to watch scary movie with me Halloween night.”

Cold chills tickled Melissa’s spine.

Time to get out of this cave! Melissa opened the bedroom door. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass,” she said, her voice on the edge. “I haveto go home now. Bye.”

Then she ran. Cassandra's cackling rang in her ears all the way home.

Unlocking the Door

In her room, sobbing in her mother’s arms, Melissa's story came out in one big, sniffling gush.

“Everything Cassandra says and does is totally scary, Mom. She loves black, she flies like a crow, she has horrible posters and she watches scary movies. Her parents don’t even care! At least you care about me-enough to keep me away from scary stuff."

Her mother gently lifted Melissa’s chin. She was smiling.

“I’m letting you out of your dungeon,"she finally said. "Your grounding is over.”

This had never happened before. “You don’t have to, Mom. It’s only a dungeon if I let it be.”

Her mother's mouth curled into a smile. “There’s one condition, though.”

“What?"

“Tomorrow I'd like you to invite Cassandra to Harvest Fest. You never know, she may not want to come.”

Melissa’s heart raced. That seemed scary to even think about.

“Cassandra’s in her own kind of dungeon, you know, Mom said thoughtfully."Jesus could unlock the door for her.”

Melissa’s eyes went wide. Then she laughed. “Mom, you have such a perfect way with words. Have I ever told you that?”

xxx

	Q: What is the best way to groom a pet rodent? A: Mouse-wash. Brennan P., 10, Florida Clubhouse Jr. Click here to subscribe