Page 70 of Goldilocks

“I saw someone,” Sam whispered. He hardly even breathed the words, they were so quiet.

Fionn stilled. Slowly, he leaned through the doorframe and looked in the same direction Sam was. “What do you mean? Like a family member?” Despite the inane suggestion, Fionn dropped his voice to match Sam’s volume.

“Why would a family member hide?”

“Where’d you see them? That doorway?”

Sam nodded.

Fionn looked from the doorway to Sam’s expression, then back to his dad. He cursed under his breath and quickly walked to the table. “We’re going outside,” he told him, still speaking quietly. “Your leg’s bad, is it? Hold my arm.”

“Outside?” his dad repeated, a tremble in his voice.

“Show me the birds,” Fionn said, encouraging him to his feet. “I bet you have tons in those fruit trees.”

His dad rose, and Fionn guided him to the front door. Sam walked backwards until he was there too and pulled the door shut. It felt wrong to close the door, like he was doing something he shouldn’t. To lose sight of that doorway and whoever might be in the room. But as he walked down the few short steps from the front door to the drive, joining Fionn where he had his dad leaning against his car and was already on the phone, telling whoever was on the other end their address, Sam’s clenching gut relaxed.

Fionn lowered his phone, resting it against his chest with the mic covered. He gestured to the house. “You want to confront them?”

“No.”

“Good, because I’m terrible in a fight,” Fionn admitted. “And you’re a pacifist, so we’d definitely lose. Unless it’s a kid. I could probably win a fight with a kid.”

“It was a big shadow for a kid,” Sam muttered. He stood in a way that kept the windows in view and as much of the sides of the house as possible. He would see anyone if they tried to approach. With a wince, he raised his hand, shielding his eyes from the beaming sunshine slowly baking his face.

“The birds are in the garden,” his dad said. He took a step toward the gate, and Fionn quickly caught his arm before Sam could even react.

“Dad…” Sam had to tear his gaze away from the house, chills racing over his skin to lose the careful vigilance. “Let’s visit Mary. She’s been wanting to see you. Would you mind waiting in the car for me? I’m going to talk to Fionn for a few minutes.”

His dad wavered for a few moments before he nodded. “Haven’t seen Mary in a while, have I?” He turned, walking slowly to the car. Sam watched him get into the passenger seat and strap in. Once sitting, he leaned back his head and shut his eyes.

Sam angled himself back to the house. The paint on the outside was faded to grey, badly stained, especially along the front. Dirt and grime obscured the windows. A breeze blew the garden gate open, and the hinges squeaked badly. The home looked abandoned, or like whoever lived there didn’t care about its upkeep.

Sam couldn’t remember the last time he’d done anything productive in the house. Anything other than bringing food in, cooking for his dad, washing his clothes and himself, and then leaving in the morning feeling less rested than when he’d arrived the night before.

“While we’re waiting, we can brainstorm?” Fionn suggested. He leaned against his car, legs casually stretched out in front of him.

“I’d bet on that weird friend of yours,” Sam said offhandedly.

“Gary? Why do you say that?”

Sam’s attention was on the house. The gutters were clogged, a build-up of leaves and silt clearly overflowing at the top. Cracks lined the entirety of them. “He gives me the creeps,” Sam said. “Your friends are all kind of jerks anyway, but he’s strange. And violent.”

A handful of shingles were missing from the roof. Sam followed scrapes down from those missing shingles and saw their shattered remains in the grass.

“He is strange,” Fionn admitted with a grumble. “The other day when he punched you…That was…I’m sorry about that. Just so you know, I didn’t tell him to do that, and I gave out shit to him for it too. Actually, even before that, he was asking questions about you. Do you guys know each other?”

Sam took a step back. With the sun shining, the garden flourishing and overgrown, the house looked derelict. “I didn’t notice how bad the house has gotten,” Sam said. It was more to himself. More him trying to figure out this confusion he felt going through him. How could he not have noticed this?

“It’s…” Fionn looked at the house too. “It’s a mess, yeah,” he agreed. “Want me to find the name of a contractor? I’ll need at least six months for Dad to give me access to my accounts again, but I’ll get it fixed up for you. All on me. As thanks.” Fionn’s voice went deeper. Quieter, as if he was forcing himself to speak.

Sam didn’t want to fix it. He never wanted to go inside the house again. He didn’t want his dad to go back either. Sam dug out his phone from his pocket, tapping at the screen. Icons brought him to the contact list, and Sam scrolled, the words a meaningless jumble.

“Who are you looking for?” Fionn straightened up, looking over Sam’s shoulder at the screen.

“Mary.”

Fionn reached out, scrolled down, and tapped her name. “Want me to write anything?”