Subj: Strangers on a Train chapter five
Date: 12/11/00 10:51:43 PM Central Standard Time
From: Melissa
The Fourth Reading or "There Goes the Neighborhood"
Dr. Julia smiled when she saw the little house. She was home. She had just returned from a much-needed vacation, but it felt good to be home.
She looked at her garden. She had to thank the neighbors for taking such good care of the garden.
"Welcome back Julia," a voice said from behind her. She rolled her eyes as she turned to see her other neighbor, Jerome Bellows. "How was your vacation?"
"It was lovely. How have things been in the neighborhood?"
"Not much has been going on, a lot of the neighbors are away on vacation. I noticed that the Chasseur's watering your flowers did they get your mail too?" he asked in his whinny voice that drove Julia crazy.
Yes I had them get my mail, if it's any of your business. Good grief, he's upset because I didn't ask him to do it.
"Yes I asked them when they were over one evening," Julia said. She tried to have as little contact with him as she possibly could, like most of the other neighbors did.
"Oh I see, well if you need anything, just call," he said as he walked back to his house.
Julia went inside her own, and smiled. Lauren had put fresh flowers around the house. She had made Julia's homecoming so special.
Julia went into her bedroom to change. It felt so good to get out of those clothes at last.
When she changed into a comfortable pair of pants she poured herself a drink, and sat back. The phone rang, "Hello?"
"Julia, I saw you coming up the path. How was your trip?" Lauren asked.
"It was wonderful. I had such a good time."
"I hope you like the flowers the girls put around the house."
"Yes their beautiful," Julia said.
"I have your mail, I was going to come over, but I thought that you might be tired, so I was wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner?"
"Thank you Lauren. That would be very nice. Then I can give you the things I got for you and your family."
"You shouldn't have Julia."
Julia stopped her, "No I wanted to besides it's a thank you gift for watering my plants and getting my mail."
"Well thank you Julia."
When they hung up Julia went to her suitcase and pulled out the gifts, each one was wrapped already. She put them in a bag and placed it by the door so she wouldn't forget it.
When it was time for dinner she went next door, Lauren's husband, Rob opened the door. "Hello Julia, nice to see you again. How was your vacation?"
"It was nice, thank you Rob. How are things in going in town?"
"Oh the usual," he said. Julia smiled and walked with Rob into the family room, were Lauren and the their two daughters were.
"Hello Miss Hoffman," Dana said.
"Hi Miss Hoffman," said her older sister Cate.
"Hello girls," Julia said hugging the girls. "I brought something for you two," she took out the packages and handed them to the girls.
Both girls began to open them, Lauren handed Julia a cup of coffee and watched the girls open their gifts.
"Wow," said Cate taking out a beautifully designed box, when she lifted the lid a sweet, but haunting melody played, "Thank you Miss Hoffman, this is beautiful."
"Your welcome," Julia said.
Dana took the china doll that was dressed in traditional Italian dress. "Thank you Miss Hoffman, I don't have one like this in my collection."
"I'm glad you both like them," Julia said, she handed Lauren a box, "I got this for you and Rob.
Lauren took the box, "Thank you Julia." She opened the box and removed one of the glasses. "Oh Julia there beautiful, you didn't have to."
"I wanted to," she said.
"Well dinners ready, why don't we go into the dinning room," Lauren said carefully putting the glass back into the box.
Over dinner Julia told them about the things that she had seen, she answered all their questions; they didn't notice how late it had gotten.
"I would love to do their," Cate said when Julia was getting ready to go.
"It was beautiful, I want to go back myself," Julia said as she waved goodnight.
As she walked back home she thought how lovely the evening had been. It was times like those she wished she gotten married when she had the opportunity. She had been close, but it just wasn't meant to be.
Before she unlocked her door, she saw Jerome watching her. She waved a little when he saw her looking at him, and he retreated behind the curtain. What a creep, she thought to herself.
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Julia was working in her garden the following Saturday, it was a beautiful day, and the whole neighborhood seemed to be out and enjoying it.
She had just finished with her roses, and now was beginning on her vegetable garden, which was behind the house.
As she was pulling the weeds she found a funny looking plant, it was like a vine, but it was like nothing she had ever seen before.
"This wasn't here before," she said to herself, she took the shovel and began to dig it out. To her surprise a cry came from the plant, and it seemed that it moved. But that couldn't have happened, things like that don't happen in real life.
Julia decided she'd just leave it, if it got to big she'd get rid of it. Everyday she went and checked on the plant. On the third day a beautiful flower opened. It was so beautiful that Julia decided to cut it. Nothing unusual happened, so the plant wasn't possessed, the cry must have come from a child in the neighborhood.
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The next day, in the late afternoon, as Julia was working on some paper work on some clients she heard an awful scream. She rushed outside and to the back of the house.
Julia screamed; hanging from the vine was Jerome.
"What is it," Rob asked running over to her. He had heard the first scream, but wasn't sure that was what it was, but when Julia screamed he had run over as fast as he could.
He looked over at the body hanging from the dozen vines that had grown over night.
"Go to my house Julia," Rob told her leading her in that direction.
"What is it Rob," Lauren asked meeting him halfway.
"Go into the house, don't let the girls come out here, Jerome's dead it was some kind of accident, call the station and tell them to come out right away."
Lauren and Julia went into the kitchen and Lauren called the police, as Julia sat at the table.
"I'll make you some tea," Lauren said.
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"I've never seen anything like this before," said George, "Have you any ideas?"
"No he must have gotten caught in them somehow."
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"Come on girls we have to help Julia. She's been through so much," she turned to her husband, "I wish she'd let me cook."
"She wants to forget what happened," Rob said.
"I know, but I don't think she should be cooking us dinner."
The family walked next door to Julia's, the neighborhood was unusually quite.
"Come on it," Julia said as cheerfully as she could.
"It's so nice of you to have us over," Rob said.
"Well I've been to your house so often I thought I should have you over to make up for all those times."
Julia worked hard to forget about what happened to Jerome. She hadn't liked him, but she never wanted anything bad to happen to him.
"Anyway," Julia said after everyone was sitting at the table, and she was bringing the meal to the table, "I hope you enjoy dinner. I learned how to make it on my vacation."
"It smells great," Rob said cheerfully.
Throughout the meal they kept the conversation light, talking about the upcoming events in town and Cate's birthday.
As Julia brought the desert Cate began to scream.
"What's wrong," her father asked.
Cate couldn't speak but she pointed to the French windows. They all turned and they were all shocked to see that the windows were being covered thickly with vines. There was no space to look out.
Lauren turned away, and cried out, "They're all over!"
Julia ran to the phone, "Oh my god it's dead."
"What are we going to do?" cried Lauren.
Rob opened the front door hoping that it might be free of vines, but it too was covered thickly, the vines moving tightly together. Rob slammed the door before they could come in.
"Everyone needs to calm down, someone will call for help. Someone is bound to see that the house is covered."
Hours flew by; the Chasseur's huddled together as Julia paced back and forth across the living room.
"I need a cigarette," Julia blurted out. She had quit before she left for her vacation, and she hadn't felt the need for one until now. She searched everywhere for one, then she remembered where she had hidden a pack. She went to the grandfather clock and went to the bottom door; she had put it there for emergencies, but not one like this.
She went to her desk, and got her lighter. From the corner of her eye she noticed the vines moving away from the window slightly.
"Rob," she cried out. "Look, they're afraid of the fire. We should have thought of that before."
"We got to find some rags," Rob said.
"I'll go find something," Julia said. She came back with several old rags and towels. Rob took the pokers and made torches.
He wet them with some lighter fluid Julia had kept under her sink. He handed everyone a torch, and they all went to a window.
The vines went crazy. "Come on Julia we'll get out of here," Rob said.
"No you go get help. Take your family, I'll be safe here inside. I've got a torch."
He protested but Julia wouldn't leave, Lauren and her daughters huddled close holding out their torches as they made their way out the door. The vines fell away from them; some caught on fire and fell to the ground dead.
Julia set a fire in the fireplace, everything would go back to normal, or would it?
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"Could that really happen," Peter asked curiously.
"It says so in the cards," Dr. Schrek said.
"It's impossible," Julia said in a way you knew she was trying to convince herself that it was true.
"What does the fifth card say," Angélique asked.
Dr. Schrek turned the fifth card over and revealed the death card once again.
"What about me?" Barnabas asked after awhile.
Dr. Schrek gathered up the cards and held them out to Barnabas.
To be continued. . .