Reliving The Past
A/N: I hope you all like this chapter. Can't wait to hear what you think.
Chapter 5
The guys get upstairs and head toward the noise. They knock first not sure if she is decent.
"Come in! Help me!" Elizabeth is standing on a chair in the middle of her room. One of the dresser drawers is pulled half out and the covers on her bed are part way pulled back. They look at her.
"What's wrong?" Dante asks, looking around.
"The drawer and in my bed!" She's pointing at the drawer and then the bed.
"What about the drawer and the bed? We need more to go on Liz." Franco comes over to her and attempts to help her down.
"No, I'm not coming down until I know there is not another one of those things anywhere in my house!" She's jumpy. Franco takes her hand.
"What was in the drawer and your bed?" He thinks she's just upset over this letter thing and see really didn't see anything.
"S..Snake! Two of them. One in the drawer and one in the bed." Franco jumps. Gets a little closer to her chair. Looking like he's about to jump up there with her.
"Snakes you say! Well, maybe I should go call and wait for the animal control outside. You got this handled, right Dante?" Franco is already out the bedroom door and down the stairs.
"Wow, I never thought anything could scare Franco. Ha-ha. Why don't you go down stairs with Franco and call the animal control. There could be more here. We need to make sure that all of them are gone and find out if these are poisonous."
"I didn't even think poisonous. How would they get here Dante? Unless they were deliberately placed in my home. In places I would go. He's either trying to scare me to death literally. Or he's trying to make me live in fear. I can't do that. I have three little boys and they need better than this. I need to get this house rid of those nasty things." She jumps down and rushes out of the room. "Be careful Dante!"
Down stairs, Franco is outside. Elizabeth grabs the house phone and calls the animal control. Explained the situation. Then goes outside to see a pacing Franco.
"Are you ok?"
"Sure. I just had a terrible experience with snakes as a child. Not too fond of spiders either. But snakes are the worst. When I was about 9, a boy a little older than me tied me to a tree and tortured me with a snake. Letting it slither all over my neck and on my head. I got so scared I wet myself and passed out." Franco looks embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you. Kids can be cruel." She goes over and rubs his arm in comfort. "It's ok. You are big and no one can hurt you." Elizabeth hugs him.
"Thanks. It is awful having a fear that you know is not really rational. Most snakes here are non- poisonous. I just don't understand how that fear can still be there."
"We all have fears. Some are real and rational. But some are just as they are called. It's how we overcome that fear. I'm afraid of snakes too. Why don't we go in and face that fear together." Elizabeth grabs Franco's hand and pulls him into the house. They go slow. First into the living room and then slowly up the stairs. They get to her bedroom door. "Dante, we are coming in to face our fear." They walk in and stop just inside the door.
"Where are they?" Franco asks, we a little nervousness.
"Well, I have yet to find one. Are you sure there was any snake?" Dante looks confused.
"I swear! Dante, it was in this drawer and one under my covers." Elizabeth looks in the drawer. She moves things around. Then she feels something like a thick rope. "Dante, I think I found it. Please come over and take it." Elizabeth stays calm. Or stays as calm as she can. "Hurry Dante, it's moving again!" She cringes. Dante can't help but laugh. He tries to make his way over, but has a hard time walking from the laughter. Franco steps outside the room and watches.
"Sorry Liz. I am torn. I want to help you, but the fear is too great." Franco leans into the room barely. That is until Elizabeth pulls her hand out of the drawer with the snake in it. She's visibly shaking. Her eyes are closed as she holds out the snake. Franco makes a little girly whimper and runs downstairs.
"Dante, take this damn snake now or I will sick Lulu on you! NOW!" The snake starts to wrap around her arm, freaking her out more. Dante whips his eyes and tries to catch his breath.
"Oh…Oh ok. Give it here. Try to locate the one in the bed please. I also need a pillowcase." Dante takes the snake from Elizabeth. She grabs the pillowcase off her pillow and then pulls back the covers. Nothing. Until she feels it around her ankle. It takes everything in her not to scream or run away. She bends down and grabs it. Dante holds the pillowcase open. She puts it in. Just as they were about to leave the room, she feels something else coming out from under her bed. She looks down and it's another snake.
"What the HELL! It's another snake. Dante, that means there could be lots more." She grabs it fast and gets it into the pillowcase. "Let's just go outside and wait for animal control. It's going to be hard enough to not be creeped out sleeping in this bed now." She's the first out of the room, down the stairs and out the door. Dante is right behind her. Still holding the closed pillowcase.
"Are you going to let them go into the woods?" Franco didn't like being this close to the pillowcase.
"No, not until the animal control documents how many there was that we caught. And then how many they might catch. Also to check to see if they are dangerous or not."
"WHAT!? Did you just say dangerous? Oh my God! Well see Franco, I overcame my fear enough to grab them no matter how dangerous they were. I'm stronger because of it. And it could be the anger and adrenaline too." Just then the animal control pulls up to the house.
"Hello there. What have we got going on here tonight?" The fuller animal control officer approaches.
"We have three snakes in here. But we are unsure if there are more in the house. Or any. If you would document how many and if they were dangerous, then I could go over to the wooded area and let them go." Dante says, holding the pillowcase higher. He opens the pillowcase for the man to look.
"They don't seem to be harmful to anyone. Go ahead and let them good. We will check the house out." The two animal control officers head into the house. Dante heads to the wooded area.
"Thank god! If they would have been the variety of harm kind, I would be on the ground now. Unconscious. This has to be the letter writer. But how would he know I am terrified of snakes? I don't even think Lucky knows that. It never seemed to come up. He knew I was afraid of rats." She laughs. "That one time that we stayed under the docks. We ran away and slept under the docks. No snakes, but there was a rat. Lucky tried to play it off as a cat." She laughs again. "I wasn't that stupid. But I also knew Lucky wouldn't let it get me." Elizabeth smiles at the memory.
"Why would you sleep under the dock? Why not on it?" Franco is confused.
"Because, we were both under age. If the cops would have found us, they would have sent me home and Lucky would have left town. I couldn't lose him. I needed him that summer." Her smile fades. The memories just as fresh as they were when they happened.
"Are you ok? You look like you just ate something that didn't agree with you." Franco puts his hand on her back. Elizabeth jumps and moves away quickly.
"Yeah. I just need to get those snakes out of my house. I need to make sure Dante gets those letters and I can go pick up the boys at Grams. I think I am going to set up a BBQ party for the 4th. So you are invited. I need to invite Ric and his new girlfriend, Grams and maybe Griffin. Maybe some other people from work. Laura and Spencer. Then I will send Gram and the boys to my parents." Elizabeth tidy's up the porch. Trying to not look weird. Or remember the awful past.
An hour later, the animal control guys come out. They had a satchel of snakes. They had caught an additional 5 snakes. They set up live traps just in case there were more they couldn't find. But they were all harmless.
"We caught 5 more. All harmless. We set up live traps in every room just in case we missed some. We will come back in a few days to collect the traps. If there isn't one in any of the traps, then there are no more. If there is we need to do this all over again." He goes to free the snakes into the wooded area.
"Is it safe to live in there? My boys can't get hurt by these live traps can there?" Elizabeth can see the boys getting pinched or braking a finger.
"It's safe ma'am. They can't get hurt. These are live traps. You must be thinking like the old style mouse traps. These newer ones are perfectly pet and child friendly." They walk to the car. They call back. "We will see you in a few days. Call us it the traps are all full." They get in their car and leave.
"Dante, please get those letters to the police station. I have to think this is related to him too. So put this in the report too. From now on, I will write down anything else that comes in unless it's bad like this. I really have to go pick up the boys at Grams. Are we done here?"
"Sure. Let me just go grab the letters and I'll be on my way."
"You, Lulu and Roco are invited to the BBQ I'm having on the 4th. I will be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. I just wanted to let you know so you and Lulu can trying to find a better offer." Elizabeth chuckles.
"I will mention it to Lulu. We'll get back to you."
"Please extend the offer to Laura, Spencer and anyone they want to bring." Elizabeth goes and grabs her purse and keys. She locks the door as Dante and Franco start to walk to their cars. Elizabeth then walks to her car. None of them see the man in the woods across the street. Lurking and waiting for the next time.
A/N2: Hope you all liked my try at comedy. If not, I'm so sorry. I was just in a giddy mood. And you have to have some humor in the face of scary stuff or you loose yourself in the dark. Please remember to review. Keep smiling and have a great evening.
