THREE MEN AND A LADY
Chapter Sixteen

Fabrizio found himself in the hall, without anything to do or anywhere to go. He wrinkled his nose in frustration. There was no way in hell he was going back into the kitchen, and the living room was out, as was Jack and Rose’s room.

Fabrizio wished fervently for the attic, but it also was off-limits. He wandered down the hallway, peering into the bathroom, but again decided that it would not do.

He stopped in front of a door that he wasn’t sure he had seen before. The door opened easily, revealing what appeared to be a rarely used bedroom. It had two beds, a closet, and a bed table with a clock and a lamp.

Happy with his new discovery, Fabrizio climbed into one of the beds and settled down for a nap.

*****

Cal sat at the table; he wracked his brain for a plan. He had to get rid of them for the good of the house. Tommy appeared not to notice the homicidal look on Cal’s face. Ruth was too engrossed in Tommy to care.

Ah-ha! Why had he not thought of it before? "Hey, you guys!" he boomed. The two of them turned and stared at him. "Why don’t you go upstairs and continue this there?" Cal had decided that the best approach was to pretend that he thought that they were deaf so they would be sure to hear him.

"Well, that is an idea," Tommy said after a moment.

Ruth grabbed his hand. "I agree," she simpered.

Cal was elated. "Well, bye now. Don’t sleep too late." He hurried from the table and into the living room.

The remaining people in the kitchen were silent.

"Well, shall we go?"

Ruth nodded. They were soon in the same hallway in which Fabrizio had stood only minutes before.

*****

Cal snuggled down into his couch. Ah…this was the life. No visitors, no housemates, just him and his TV. Wait a minute. What the hell was going on with the TV?

Cal frantically pressed every button on the remote. Nothing happened. He felt his blood freeze. This was not happening. After everything that had happened that day, this could not be happening. The remote was broken!

*****

Ruth and Tommy stumbled into the bedroom on the left--the bedroom that Fabrizio had selected. Drunkenly, though they had consumed no alcohol, they landed on the bed.

Fabrizio gave a cry of pain and surprise. He began flailing wildly in an attempt to free himself from the tangle of bodies.

Because of the struggles of the bed’s three occupants, the heavy wooden headboard fell and hit Fabrizio on the head. Alas, that was not the end of the madness, but more would follow soon.

Chapter Seventeen
Stories