Chapter 11: From wishes to reality

Days now passed quickly in Rose Red, as every one was in a good mood. Nothing strange happened anymore and it was nearly as if they were just a normal family living in an ordinary house. The children had fun playing around while slowly spring come looking around the corner. The servants all seemed to be getting along fine with their work and could sometimes even be heard whistling. However, Ellen shone most throughout the house like a morning sun. She was nearly always smiling, took good care of everyone and even laughed along with her servants. Steve could not think why he had ever hated it in the beautiful mansion of Rose Red. Of course, there were still the hidden rooms and staircases everywhere in the house, but that was just something of the past that didn't belong in their time. Rose Red started to become like an ordinary house to Steve. Except then for the dollhouse Emma now had, which she told him he had given to her. Steve knew he hadn't placed it in her room, but he did know it was an old model of Rose Red itself. Now, he had decided to look at it himself just to be sure.

Steve was alone in the room. It was filled with toys and dolls of his daughter. In the middle of the room on the carpet stood a big old-looking dollhouse. It was an exact replica of Rose Red and even April, John and Ellen Rimbauer's daughter, had played already with it.

Silently, he walked towards it and crouched down to see it better. In reality, it didn't look very harmful or scary, just an ordinary dollhouse. However, Steve knew better, because one look at it made him shiver already. Even though it was already many years old and made a replica of the original Rose Red, he could clearly see the new wings that had been built only a few years ago. Things that hadn't yet existed in the original state. This meant that this had been built on to the dollhouse years later, but no one had ever done anything to it. So how was it possible that the replica remained exact to the real house if not a person ever bothered to keep it the same as in reality? Another strange thing was that this new wings were on the dollhouse made of the same material and it didn't look at all if it had been made on it later.

This was not all. The dolls in the house looked exactly like Steve, Ellen, Emma and Kevin. Certainly, they had not lived in Rose Red when this had been built. It seemed like this dollhouse had its own way of keeping itself the same as reality. Steve shuddered to think of the ways that this could be possible. Each next one as unlikely as the first one and getting only more supernatural.

Then he had felt a cold wind on his back. Filled with fright he turned around slowly. However, it was only Emma who had opened the door and entered the room. Steve felt his body relax again and let out a sigh of relief.

'Did I scare you, daddy?' Emma asked.

'No, you didn't. Don't worry,' Steve replied.

'Okay. Do you like my dollhouse? I think it looks really nice and it is fun that it is made just like our house. You know, sometimes I even think that I hear the little people talking; it's a bit scary. And you know, I could swear that I put the dolls somewhere and when I come back later, they have to another place,' Emma told her father in one breath and nodded her head to convince him of the last piece of information.

'Are you sure Kevin doesn't move them?' Steve asked his little daughter wisely, while his inside was full of doubt.

Emma now started shaking her head. 'No he can't have, because I asked him once and he said he hadn't been here. I didn't believe him and asked mummy if she knew where he had been that morning, and she told me he had been playing outside all the time or had been with her. And one time, I hadn't even left the room, but just went to do something else for a while. So I'm sure it wasn't him.'

Steve didn't know what to say to this. Because even he himself was convinced that what she was telling him was true, but of course, he could not tell her that. Therefore, he decided it was best to just not reply to it and start new subject.

'So, have you heard the exciting news from mummy yet?'

'No… What then?' Emma asked looking curious.

'Jack will be coming home tomorrow,' Steve answered grinning.

At once, a big smile spread over Emma's little face and her eyes began to shine.

'Really?' she asked.

'Yes, really!'

'Yeah! Finally, it's been ages since he's gone! I'm going to ask mummy if I can wear my new dress then!' Emma said with a last look at Steve and then run out of the room filled with excitement.

Once she was gone, Steve couldn't help stopping with smiling too. He knew how much Emma's oldest brother meant to her, and was very happy that once more they'd be a whole family again. He left the room a minute later too, without as much of a thought about the dollhouse or anything else that could spoil his mood.

----------

Only two hours had passed since the little event in Emma's playing room, when Steve was interrupted from his work again. This time he wasn't investigating strange happenings, but simply reading a book. Nor was it Emma who came into the room, but Ellen. She still looked happy, but there was something in her look Steve didn't really recognise though he was sure he had seen the look before even if it was only a few times. Still he wasn't sure what it meant and therefore became a bit cautious.

'Hello Ellen. What brings you here?' Steve asked.

Ellen didn't reply at once, but first sat down. Steve put away his book, and looked curiously and a bit worried at her.

'There is – there is something I need to tell you,' she said hesitating.

Steve stood up, walked towards her and sat down on his knees before her. Then he gently held her hands.

'Don't worry, you can tell me anything,' he friendly spoke to her wondering what was going on.

'It's just… I – I'm pregnant!' Ellen told him while a great smile appeared on her face.

For a moment, Steve was too shocked to speak, and then he came to his senses again.

'You're pregnant? Really?' he asked nearly shouting of happiness.

'Yes, it is true! We're going to have another baby,' Ellen replied with tears of luck shone in her eyes.

At that point, Steve was lost for words and didn't know what to do first. He wanted to hug her, kiss her, shout it out, run around the house, anything. Finally, he simply took her in his arms and gave her a kiss.

'I thought it was best to tell you know, so we can tell the children tomorrow when Jack comes back,' Ellen said after a while.

'Okay, yes, you're absolutely right. When did you actually find out?'

'Only a few hours ago, I did a pregnancy test because I was late.'

'Ellen, I love you.'

Again, silence fell and all Ellen could do was to kiss Steve for words were just not enough.

----------

Today was the day that Jack would come home after a long time. Everybody was exited and running around the house finishing some last things. The servants were putting up some final Welcome Home decorations, Ellen dressed herself for the last time, Emma could be found in the garden looking for some early flowers, Kevin was simply bouncing around the house annoying everyone, but everybody was too busy to say something about it. Steve was walking through all of this telling how lovely Ellen looked and her dress didn't make her fat, giving some instructions to the servants and to get Emma out of the garden before Jack came.

At three o'clock, everyone was ready and standing in line in the Great Hall waiting. However, three o'clock came and passed. Slowly more and more minutes went by. At a quarter past, Emma and Kevin got tired of just standing. Steve told them they could sit down and they came quiet again. The servants didn't utter a single word or move a muscle all the time. With every minute, Steve and Ellen got more worried that anything had happened to him. Jack was always on time and never late.

The clock let them know that it was now half past three already. Steve just wanted to start a whispered conversation with Ellen, when they heard a noise near the front door. Then it opened and there stood Jack with his luggage. His skin was still sunburned even though it was winter and his face was full of freckles. His eyes shone of happiness when he saw all of them standing there.

'Hullo everyone! Sorry I'm a bit late,' he added grinning.

'Jack!' Emma shouted, she sprung up and ran into his arms.

'We were so worried. How come you're so late, what happened?' Steve asked walking towards his son and hugging him too.

'Trust me you are never going to believe this story,' Jack said laughing.

'Well tell us then,' Ellen asked after she had kissed him first.

'Yeah, come on tell it!' Kevin said eagerly.

'Let's all go and sit down, have a drink and then tell us everything,' Steve suggested.

Everybody nodded and the whole party moved towards the sitting room.

Chapter 12: Future glimpses