Chapter 10: The Cheshire Cat

Mother and daughter walked back in silence. Emily taking the lead, she occasionally glanced back to make sure Cora was still there. Cora shuffling her feet, kicking a few rocks here and there, she could feel her mother's gaze on her. Never once taking her eyes off the road.

"I wish you wouldn't punish me like this, Cora," Emily said gently. "I am only doing this to give you your best chance. Don't you see? If I don't do this you will be sent off to fight in the Ogre wars. I cannot bare the thought of losing you."

"Why did you have to kill, Mr. Wyeth?" Cora abruptly said, catching her mother off guard. "And where did you go the other night?"

Emily remained silent, as she turned back to look at her daughter.

"Mother! Tell me right now. Where did you go?" Cora said, her voice trembling.

That red gleam in her eyes brightening slightly, Emily pursed her lips together, knowing there was no point in trying to brush what she had done under the rug now.

"So, you witnessed that, did you? I suppose that is why you see me as a monster, and that foolish father of yours," she snorted. "Putting such falsehoods into your head."

"It's not Father's words that have made me see you as a monster! You have done that all on your own!"

It was then a loud popping sound filled the air. Cora stunned by what had just occurred, she slowly placed her hand up to her cheek. Already feeling a bruise starting to form, Emily slowly lowered her hand back down to her side: turning away from her daughter.

Tension was rising in the Spindle household. Cora and Emily no longer talking to one another (while Tucker spent the majority of his time away from home) it was up to Cora to work on chores around the house. Her father cutting up the wood for her, she would work on piling it in the shed. As soon as she was done with that, Cora would head inside the house scrubbing the floors; cleaning the cabinets; washing and hanging up the laundry; and numerous other things. Cora stepping out on to the deck with a broom sweeping away dirt and other questionable things; a tiny cry came from the left side of the deck, close to where her bedroom window was. Leaning the broomstick against the house, Cora walked over to see a small kitten just sitting on the ground: staring up at her with its big emerald eyes.

"Well hello there," Cora said, clicking her tongue at it. "Where did you come from?"

The kitten starting to purr as it trotted right up to her; Cora let out a light chuckle, petting its fur.

"How peculiar you look," she noted, examining its coloring. Having thick grey hair, Cora's attention was focused primarily on his stripes. Noticing the colors were black and green, the kitten also was wearing what appeared to be a wide smile on its face. "You are most certainly a funny little creature."

The kitten's purring growing louder and louder, Cora couldn't resist the urge to pick it up. Doing a quick inspection, she let out another soft chuckle.

"So, you are a Mr. then. Well my, dear lad. What shall we call you? Charles? Stripes? Mr. Fuzzy?"

The kitten hissing at the last name, Cora's chuckles turned into a hearty laugh.

"Those are pretty sorry names, I agree. No, how about something like, Ches?"

The kitten remaining silent, staring up at her with its large, round emerald eyes; Cora carried the little fur-ball back into the house.

Cora was expecting her mother to tell her to get rid of the kitten as soon as she had laid her eyes upon it that night. Instead, Emily allowed Cora to keep him. The kitten seeming to bring the two closer together, Emily commented on the kitten's odd coloring, stripes, and his seemingly glued smile that remained stretched across his tiny face.

"I've never seen an animal such as this one," Emily commented, staring down at him from in the there living room. "I had many cats when I was a little girl, but none of them looked like him."

Cora was sitting on the floor directly in the center of the living room between a small couch and an old fireplace. Little Ches running around her, he occasionally pounced on her feet nibbling at her toes.

"Ouch!" Cora yelped, feeling his claws digging into her feet. "Not so rough there, Ches."

"He's a feisty little tyke," Emily said, crossing her arms. "Now, Cora, you know by me allowing you to keep him it will be YOUR responsibility to take care of him."

"Of course, Mother," Cora said, not really listening to a word her mother was saying.

Emily rolled her eyes at Cora, knowing perfectly well her daughter was not listening to anything she had just said.

"I suppose you'll want him sleeping with you, correct?"

Cora nodded.

"Well, we better prepare him a litter box."

Cora helping her mother to find a medium sized box; Emily then placed sawdust inside of it.

"Alright, Mr. Ches, time to introduce you to your new bathroom."

Emily placing him inside the box, he instantly bounded out sliding right underneath Cora's bed.

"Ches!" Cora snapped, looking for him under her bed. "Where is he?"

"He went under the bed, darling," Emily said, wiping the sawdust off of her hands.

"I don't see him," Cora said, her voice taking on a slight edge.

"Oh, let me see, you foolish girl."

Emily carefully examining every inch under Cora's bed she, too, could not spot him.

"What the devil?"

Cora barely able to contain the panic building inside of her: a sudden meow came from where the litter box was. Both swiftly turning their attention towards it, Cora and Emily were stupefied to see him lying there: staring at them with that wide smile.

"You sly little, Cheshire Cat," Emily said, chuckling.

For Cora to hear her mother laughing was almost shocking. After the incident in the woods (which had occurred only three days ago) and what had happened with the Wyeth's and the guards, it was a rare moment for mother and daughter to share such a peaceful moment.

Cora unable to stop herself, she abruptly wrapped her arms around her mother. Emily taken aback by this, she was soon returning her daughter's hug.

"Oh, my Cora," she whispered, resting her chin upon Cora's thick hair. "I love you. I love you so very much."

"I love you, Mother," she whispered, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

Emily petting her hair enjoying the embrace: the serenity was shattered by the sound of the front door slamming shut. Releasing Cora abruptly, causing her to stagger back, Emily was already out the door before Cora could get a word out.

Having gone to bed, Cora could hear her parent's voices loudly and clearly. Little Ches sleeping right by her head; she silently stroked his tiny ears listening intently to her mother and father's argument.

"Don't lie to me, Tucker! I know you've been sneaking out to the taverns." Cora heard her mother say accusingly.

"Ye're wrong, Em," her father replied sternly. "I was out meeting my old friend, Absolem Rickman, who was discussin with me about the Ogre wars. He mentioned something about leavin the Land of Nothing, and somehow escaping to one of the other four lands."

"And how do you propose we would do that?!" Emily snarled. "Have you forgotten we work for King Argon, you foolish man!?"

"I don't care, Em!" Tucker said, his voice growing louder. "We need to flee this land! In order to protect our ourselves and Cora."

"Fleeing is not going to solve our problems. In fact, it's only going to create more. Don't you understand?" Emily's voice suddenly dropped into a near whisper: "It doesn't matter where we go. There will always be ogres and tyrannical kings. That is why, my dear husband, I have come up with a plan to stop the king and ogres permanently."

Tucker eyed his wife nervously. That familiar glint of malice just briefly appearing in her eyes told him she was up to something diabolical.

"What do ye mean by that?"

Emily; however, did not reply. Tucker watching her walk over to the front door; giving him one last side-glance, she then exited the house: leaving him to ponder what she was up to.