Beth folded up her clown costume and stuffed it into her drawer.
Ding dong!
Beth sighed, and ran to get the door. None other than Luis stood there.
"Hi, Beth!" said Luis, holding a small bag.
"How are you, Luis? Couldn't resist hanging out in my house?" Beth asked, faking a smile.
"Yup! And look what I brought!" Luis opened the bag, revealing his toothbrush, toothpaste, and shaving cream. "I spend so much time here, I might as well have a sleepover!"
"Oh, that's great!" Beth paused for a second, then said, "But how about something different for a change? Why don't I sleep over at your house instead?"
"No, no, I insist! I've grown so attached to your basement! I can't resist sleeping there! You and me, we can stay up late telling ghost stories down there!"
'This is not good! What if Luis finds Sheridan?' thought Beth. Then aloud, she said, "You've already been in my basement, but I've never been in yours. It would be more fun to tell ghost stories there!"
"But I came all the way here already!"
Beth sighed, trying to regain her composure. "Luis, please. For me?"
"Beth, listen to me. Why do you think I've been at your house every day for the past month? It's because I want to be with you, in your basement." Luis, who had been slowly edging his way nearer to Beth's basement, had gone all the way to Beth's couch, where he sat down. "But first, why don't I watch that DVD of Sheridan? I just need to watch it one more time to make sure she's all right."
"Luis," Beth said, sitting down next to him, "It's obvious that Sheridan's all right. She's in Paris!"
"Yeah, but, you know, just in case." Luis turned the DVD player on, watched the low-quality video with close scrutiny, then sighed. "You're right, Beth. Sheridan's in Paris, all right. She should get better video equipment, though. I should find some to give to her after she comes back."
Beth smiled an honest smile. "Yes. Why don't we go to the video store and look for some?"
Luis paused. "Actually, I was thinking of looking in your basement. You might have some down there. It'll save us a trip."
Beth shook her head. "I know I don't have any good video equipment down there. Only the really old, beat up types."
"Well, who knows? Maybe you accidentally left a new video camera in the basement when you did spring cleaning."
"No, Luis. I always keep track of my video camera. Besides, I only have one, and it's right there." Beth pointed to her video camera lying beside the television.
Suddenly, a bright smile appeared on Luis's face. "I know! Why don't we make a video for Sheridan?"
"Yeah, so we could show her that we're doing all right, too. We can go to the park to film it!"
"Actually, I was thinking of filming it in your basement."
Beth sighed, wondering where Luis's obsession with the basement came from. "Why would you want to do that? It's all dark and gloomy down there!"
"Don't you want Sheridan to know your house is all right?"
"Well... yes..."
"So there!" called Luis, grabbing the video camera and racing to the basement.
"Shit!" Beth cursed to herself. She chased Luis down the stairs, catching him. "Luis! Filming upstairs would be---"
Luis stopped Beth mid-sentence with a surprised gasp. "You really scared me, Beth. Hey, that reminds me, I wanted to come down here to tell ghost stories."
"Right, but the video first," Beth said, her voice filled with anxiety.
"Naw, this is perfect for ghost stories! I just can't wait!"
"Luis--"
"Please?" interrupted Luis, holding Beth's hands.
Beth sighed, nearly melting in Luis's grip. "All right," she muttered, not thinking.
"Okay, you can tell the first one!"
Beth, noticing her mistake, realized that Luis was dead-set on ghost stories. She pondered how to stop Luis from finding Sheridan momentarily, then came up with her master plan. Beth knew she had always been an expert at storytelling, and that Luis would be totally absorbed into any ghost story she told. If she could only drag on a story for long enough, Luis would fall asleep before looking around the basement could so much as cross his mind.
"All right, I've got a good one," she said, and began to tell her tale.
Hours of storytelling passed, and from the bottom of the pit, Sheridan began to stir.
"Then, the man crept into the dark room, slowly closing the door behind him. Dust flew as the door shut tight... and then he began to hear footsteps," told Beth.
"Oh, no!" gasped Luis.
'Was that just Luis's voice I heard?' wondered Sheridan. 'Am I hearing things, or... Could Luis really be here to save me?' Sheridan smiled at the thought, and elated, decided to call out.
Beth continued, "and then he heard a scream."
"LUIS!" cried Sheridan.
Luis coiled back in fright. Suddenly, he lost his footing and fell. Down, down, down, into the pit, knocking Sheridan unconscious. Luis was none the wiser, assuming he had fallen into a pile of clothes.
"Luis?" Beth called, worried.
"Beth!" he hollered, "I'm impressed! Not only did you mimic Sheridan's voice, but you even dug a pit! I swear, you are the best storyteller in the world!"
Beth breathed a long, sweet sigh of relief. 'Good,' she thought, 'he doesn't seem to have found Sheridan. But it's only a matter of time until he does. I've got to get him out of there!'
"Luis! I'm going to get you out of there! Just hold still!" Beth ran upstairs to get some rope.
Meanwhile, Luis sat in the pit, admiring its construction. It was quite deep, with smooth sides, and actually felt very cool and comfortable.
Beth returned, throwing the rope down to Luis. "Catch!" she called.
Ignoring the rope, Luis replied, "Actually, I've grown attached to this pit. I'd like to stay here."
But the rope got caught in Luis's shirt, and Beth managed to pull him out.
"Luis! Are you all right?" she asked, hugging him.
"Yup!" he cried, excited. And then, when Beth released him, he jumped right back into the pit.
"Luis! No! What are you doing?" cried Beth, shocked.
Sheridan came to, and felt her way around the pit... Someone else was there! "Luis?"
Surprised, Luis responded with "Sheridan?"
She clutched him and cried, "Luis! You're finally here! Get me out of here!"
"Get you out of here? Why? It's great here! I love this basement. In fact, I want to spend the rest of my life here!" And he did.
Ding dong!
Beth sighed, and ran to get the door. None other than Luis stood there.
"Hi, Beth!" said Luis, holding a small bag.
"How are you, Luis? Couldn't resist hanging out in my house?" Beth asked, faking a smile.
"Yup! And look what I brought!" Luis opened the bag, revealing his toothbrush, toothpaste, and shaving cream. "I spend so much time here, I might as well have a sleepover!"
"Oh, that's great!" Beth paused for a second, then said, "But how about something different for a change? Why don't I sleep over at your house instead?"
"No, no, I insist! I've grown so attached to your basement! I can't resist sleeping there! You and me, we can stay up late telling ghost stories down there!"
'This is not good! What if Luis finds Sheridan?' thought Beth. Then aloud, she said, "You've already been in my basement, but I've never been in yours. It would be more fun to tell ghost stories there!"
"But I came all the way here already!"
Beth sighed, trying to regain her composure. "Luis, please. For me?"
"Beth, listen to me. Why do you think I've been at your house every day for the past month? It's because I want to be with you, in your basement." Luis, who had been slowly edging his way nearer to Beth's basement, had gone all the way to Beth's couch, where he sat down. "But first, why don't I watch that DVD of Sheridan? I just need to watch it one more time to make sure she's all right."
"Luis," Beth said, sitting down next to him, "It's obvious that Sheridan's all right. She's in Paris!"
"Yeah, but, you know, just in case." Luis turned the DVD player on, watched the low-quality video with close scrutiny, then sighed. "You're right, Beth. Sheridan's in Paris, all right. She should get better video equipment, though. I should find some to give to her after she comes back."
Beth smiled an honest smile. "Yes. Why don't we go to the video store and look for some?"
Luis paused. "Actually, I was thinking of looking in your basement. You might have some down there. It'll save us a trip."
Beth shook her head. "I know I don't have any good video equipment down there. Only the really old, beat up types."
"Well, who knows? Maybe you accidentally left a new video camera in the basement when you did spring cleaning."
"No, Luis. I always keep track of my video camera. Besides, I only have one, and it's right there." Beth pointed to her video camera lying beside the television.
Suddenly, a bright smile appeared on Luis's face. "I know! Why don't we make a video for Sheridan?"
"Yeah, so we could show her that we're doing all right, too. We can go to the park to film it!"
"Actually, I was thinking of filming it in your basement."
Beth sighed, wondering where Luis's obsession with the basement came from. "Why would you want to do that? It's all dark and gloomy down there!"
"Don't you want Sheridan to know your house is all right?"
"Well... yes..."
"So there!" called Luis, grabbing the video camera and racing to the basement.
"Shit!" Beth cursed to herself. She chased Luis down the stairs, catching him. "Luis! Filming upstairs would be---"
Luis stopped Beth mid-sentence with a surprised gasp. "You really scared me, Beth. Hey, that reminds me, I wanted to come down here to tell ghost stories."
"Right, but the video first," Beth said, her voice filled with anxiety.
"Naw, this is perfect for ghost stories! I just can't wait!"
"Luis--"
"Please?" interrupted Luis, holding Beth's hands.
Beth sighed, nearly melting in Luis's grip. "All right," she muttered, not thinking.
"Okay, you can tell the first one!"
Beth, noticing her mistake, realized that Luis was dead-set on ghost stories. She pondered how to stop Luis from finding Sheridan momentarily, then came up with her master plan. Beth knew she had always been an expert at storytelling, and that Luis would be totally absorbed into any ghost story she told. If she could only drag on a story for long enough, Luis would fall asleep before looking around the basement could so much as cross his mind.
"All right, I've got a good one," she said, and began to tell her tale.
Hours of storytelling passed, and from the bottom of the pit, Sheridan began to stir.
"Then, the man crept into the dark room, slowly closing the door behind him. Dust flew as the door shut tight... and then he began to hear footsteps," told Beth.
"Oh, no!" gasped Luis.
'Was that just Luis's voice I heard?' wondered Sheridan. 'Am I hearing things, or... Could Luis really be here to save me?' Sheridan smiled at the thought, and elated, decided to call out.
Beth continued, "and then he heard a scream."
"LUIS!" cried Sheridan.
Luis coiled back in fright. Suddenly, he lost his footing and fell. Down, down, down, into the pit, knocking Sheridan unconscious. Luis was none the wiser, assuming he had fallen into a pile of clothes.
"Luis?" Beth called, worried.
"Beth!" he hollered, "I'm impressed! Not only did you mimic Sheridan's voice, but you even dug a pit! I swear, you are the best storyteller in the world!"
Beth breathed a long, sweet sigh of relief. 'Good,' she thought, 'he doesn't seem to have found Sheridan. But it's only a matter of time until he does. I've got to get him out of there!'
"Luis! I'm going to get you out of there! Just hold still!" Beth ran upstairs to get some rope.
Meanwhile, Luis sat in the pit, admiring its construction. It was quite deep, with smooth sides, and actually felt very cool and comfortable.
Beth returned, throwing the rope down to Luis. "Catch!" she called.
Ignoring the rope, Luis replied, "Actually, I've grown attached to this pit. I'd like to stay here."
But the rope got caught in Luis's shirt, and Beth managed to pull him out.
"Luis! Are you all right?" she asked, hugging him.
"Yup!" he cried, excited. And then, when Beth released him, he jumped right back into the pit.
"Luis! No! What are you doing?" cried Beth, shocked.
Sheridan came to, and felt her way around the pit... Someone else was there! "Luis?"
Surprised, Luis responded with "Sheridan?"
She clutched him and cried, "Luis! You're finally here! Get me out of here!"
"Get you out of here? Why? It's great here! I love this basement. In fact, I want to spend the rest of my life here!" And he did.
