House spirits (3)
Aaron's attention was all on Vera. He would have done anything she asked at that moment. His cheeks were slightly blushed, and he forgot about his sister's fear for a moment.
«Do we have bread, though?» Lora asked. Her brain was still working; her teenage hormones weren't too affected by the witches' beauty.
Not like her brother's. She rolled her eyes at his enamoured gaze.
«We didn't bring any with us,» Helena said. «We thought we would return home before dinner, so...»
«I see,» Vera said. «We need some. I saw there is a small shop in the village. Dogs don't need the freshest bread, so it should be fine.»
Florian got up from his corner, dusted his trousers off, and got ready for his mission. Finding bread.
He walked out of the garden, careful not to come in contact with the ghostly dog. To him, it looked like any normal pup... How could Vera guess it was actually a spirit of the house?
He walked away, relieved when the beast didn't follow him.
He came back a few minutes later and gave the shopping bag to Aaron.
«Now?» the boy inquired.
«Now, walk to the fence and leave the bread on the border. Just a piece. Then take a step towards the house and leave another place. It should be enough if he comes into the garden. He will recognise his home and, hopefully, his wife,» Vera explained.
Aaron did as he was told. He observed the dog carefully as it sniffed the bread and took a bite. Its tail continued wagging.
The dog noticed the other pieces on the grass and walked in to check them out. He ate a few, and, at some point, it didn't look hungry anymore. It walked towards the house, and the family kept their breaths. They opened their eyes wide not to miss any detail.
No one dared to move.
The dog walked to the door and lay down in front of it like a guard dog would. It leaned its head on the ground and closed its eyes to rest.
Was... Was it over?
Mark Kaplan turned to Vera, his eyes filled with questions. Was a dog enough to keep that monster inside under control?
«Now, it's good,» Vera said. «She won't hurt you anymore. She might be a little catty if you don't keep the house clean and tidy... But nothing to do with the events of before. No scratches and no broken items anymore. Oh, and remember to do the dishes before going to bed. Every single evening, okay?»
The family nodded. Doing the dishes; clear.
Mark Kaplan took courage in both hands and walked to the door. The dog didn't move while he opened it. It just raised its head and glanced inside.
When the kikimora appeared at the door - even before anyone had time to step in - the dog barked.
Mark Kaplan flinched, but he couldn't get too far because everything was over in a couple of seconds.
The dog barked at the kikimora, scolding her for good.
She became smaller at every bark, and the wind and howling inside calmed down. At that point, she looked like a granny. An ugly granny, but still...
She moaned against the dog, but it didn't back down. It walked inside, and the people in the garden had time to see - as if it had come out of nowhere - an older man with a long beard next to the woman.
He reached out to her hand, and she let him hold it.
He sat in the entrance room, right in front of the door, his face turned outside. That was his place; he would guard the house against evil.
The door closed, and the family stood in place for quite a while.
Sara's face was surprised, dumbfounded... She couldn't believe no one had zero complaints about the spirits in the house.
Was that how the agency was supposed to solve problems, for real? Vera was totally crazy! And the Kaplans! They were crazy as well.
«You can go in,» Vera said.
Mark Kaplan opened the door, and his family reached him so that he wouldn't need to walk inside alone.
They observed the scene at the entrance door, their eyes wide. They didn't know what to feel.
The dog was there, sitting where the elder had been a second before. His head was down, and his body relaxed. Only his tail was still wagging.
But a new figure was right next to him. There was a black cat, pushing its head against the dog, asking for cuddles, purring and playing with the dog's tail, in constant search of attention.
It even let out a meow or two when the dog seemed to be focused on something else.
The dog licked the cat's face when it was close enough, and they sniffed each other and cuddled without regard for the intruding eyes.
«How romantic,» Helena chuckled.
Her words didn't disturb the loving couple.
«House spirits can be spiteful, but they can also be protective,» Vera said. «It all depends on how you treat them. They will appear and disappear, sometimes change shape, but they won't leave this house.»
«Change shape?»
«The dog might become a snake or a goat... The cat could be a spider. Listen, don't kill spiders, okay? She won't make webs around the house either way. It's just how she might appear to you.»
«And the weaving loom?» Mark inquired.
«If you hear it work, it's her. Don't disturb her... It's kind of a hobby.»
«So... No more danger?» he asked again.
«No more,» Vera said. «It's over. What happens next depends on you. I can explain in detail how to behave with house spirits. You have to teach your children, and they will teach their children.»
«Thank you,» he said.
«Duty!»
And, just like that, a years-long problem was solved in a matter of two days. A witch with amber eyes had appeared, and everything found a place or an explanation.
What's more, those spirits were part of the house. Without them, Mark Kaplan's grandfather's legacy wouldn't have been whole.