3. The mysterious sound
A strange growl came up from under my bed when I tried to sleep. It was soft, but it wasn't something I'd heard before. "I should be asleep by now," I thought.
But when I heard it a second time, I ended up sitting up.
For a second time I jumped up to turn on the light and check under my bed. I didn't find anything. And it wasn't having found anything that left me worse than at first. Thinking about what would have triggered me stole a few hours of sleep.
The next morning, I talked about that while having breakfast with part of my family.
"It sure was a raccoon. They always come close to you for some reason", Luan said.
"I don't think a raccoon does anything like that. I know them well," added Lana, our resident animal expert.
Lucy said, "I think that if you only consider a worldly origin for everything, you will not discover the truth. It sounds like poltergeist to me".
Lisa didn't wait to finish swallowing her sandwich bite: "Ectoplasmic clusters are the scientific equivalent of fairy tales. And even if they exist, they would be something more disgusting than noisy".
Lori and Leni joined the table.
"You weren't talking about filthy things while Leni and I were away, weren't you?" cried the eldest sister. Leni smiled shyly, not saying a word.
"Hey, Leni and Lori! You look good", Luna said.
"Hi, Luna! You too", replied the sweetest Loud of all, with a more forced smile.
"Is something wrong, Leni? This should be a very happy day for you. You'll go with Dad and Mom to claim your prize".
"Yes, although I wouldn't use the word 'claim'. I will ask them kindly, you know?", she said, blushing a little.
I felt a little more relaxed after the events of the previous day, so I went to study without giving much thinking to that situation.
And indeed, when I returned home I asked my parents how they had gone. I was told that they had created a bank account for the Michigan lottery to deposit the prize. So Leni's little fortune would be safe while her money was being used. A few bills, however, were in the hands of my sister.
She peeked out of the kitchen, and enthusiastically said,
"Linc! Girls! We're all going to the mall!"
Leni gave us a fun night out. He gave us something for everyone! Can you imagine that? Lori bought her a new dress, Luna branded earphones, Luan a new camera, Lynn a smart bracelet for when she exercises, Lucy an elegant Gothic-looking notebook, Lana a very varied set of tools, to Lola a set of hairbrushes, Lisa a new book on "something scientific" and Lily a cute teddy. She gave me the best thing: a PVC Ace Savvy figure!
To close with a flourish, we ended up having dinner at Burpin' Burger. You can't imagine how crazy we are to eat there!
"I gave you all these things because I love you. You are the best family in the world, and I'm happy when I'm with you!", she confessed, causing Luan and Lori, who were sitting on one side and the other, to give her an instant hug.
"We also love that you are our sister. You're the best", Lynn said.
"And even if you didn't give me this set of hairbrushes, you know you're my favorite sister in the whole world", Lola said, causing Lana to comment between feigned coughs:
"Cough, cough, bullstuff, cough, cough!"
"Shut up, Lana!"
That made us all laugh.
Leni went on: "I gave Mom and Dad some of the money already. That's why they didn't get gifts. I want them to have a romantic dinner and pay for things from the house".
"That was nice of you, honey. We are all very grateful to you, "was what Mom said, and we all agreed. Then she expressed some concern: "But we noticed that you didn't buy anything for yourself.
"And that expensive shoes that you literally could never buy are now within your reach", said our older sister.
Leni smiled serenely and with a pose of wisdom answered: "Don't worry. My gifts will come later. There are many things I want to buy, and I will not let those shoes slip away!
We all laughed again.
That was the night. Leni finally managed to assimilate that it was only a matter of time to give her the most appropriate use of all her money. So, after returning home and watching television for a couple of hours, I went to bed to sleep like a log, in peace.
Until someone woke me up.
I heard my door slam. I opened my eyes as much as I could, and one hand covered my mouth.
"Listen out! Don't say anything, Linky. But listen to me. I'm scared. I went to my favorite store, to see the shoes of my dreams... the expensive ones... and I couldn't buy them. I COULDN'T! I loved giving gifts to you all, but I couldn't buy anything for me. I feel that if I buy what I want, I will run out of money quickly and I won't be able to buy any more things from you, and ...
Leni pressed her soft hand against my mouth with brute force. But the worst part was that she was sitting on my gut. Even if I wanted to answer her, I didn't have much air to do that.
Dang... I didn't know the fabric of her nightgown was so thin.
I had to bite the palm of her hand to remove it and I could breathe a little, as well as scold her.
"Take it easy! If I suffocate you'll have to pay for my funeral!" I exclaimed.
"I organize it for free," Lucy said in the distance. I covered my mouth, ashamed to have spoken to that volume.
Leni got out of bed and approached me. I saw that her face was sad.
"Let me guess: you haven't solved your problem yet".
"I haven't. I lied to my own family. Sometimes I don't want to have won that prize. It has made me a fool!
At that moment I needed the greatest concentration, the mysterious growl sounded beneath my bed. The fright was greater this time; So much that I jumped in Leni's arms.
"Was that your stomach? If you want, I'll make you a yummy sandwich", she suggested.
"It's not hunger! That noise comes from under my bed, and I don't know what it is!
"Well, you should check."
She put me on the floor like a puppy. The growl rang again.
"Be careful, it's probably dangerous! don't look!"
"If I don't look, you'll still be scared. And I don't want that".
What she said struck me.
"Did you hear what you said? You're very brave. You know there's a risk, and you face it. Do the same with your prize, Leni!"
"Face my prize? But how? It's my complete responsibility. That scares me".
"It's your responsibility. But it is also an opportunity. Not everyone wins that prize. Seize it! And do it well. Fulfill your greatest dream. Which one? Travel? Clothes? Or ... a combination of both... Being a fashion designer!"
Her lovely face lit up with one of her beautiful smiles.
"Yes! Fashion designer! I love it! You are a genius!
She threw me on the ground and hugged me tightly, laughing happily. I had the joy of feeling what it is like to be embraced by a loving angel. When we stopped laughing, she sat me down on the bed, and the growl sounded.
"That sound again!" I exclaimed annoyed.
"Wait," she said, and crouched under the bed. After several seconds, she came out and concluded with a smile: "It's not an animal. Your bed is breaking".
And it broke.
"Dang it", I said.
I had to lie down on the sofa in the living room. Leni wrapped me up and kissed my forehead.
"Sweet dreams, baby".
"I'm not a baby, Leni".
"Yes you are. The most intelligent and the cutest one. Bye".
And she went up the stairs, wiggling her hips. I smiled to see her so happy, and I was glad to have solved that problem. The rest of the problems that arose from that night had not yet stalked our lives.