Uninvited

We turn onto Baker Street. Lazarus leads, leaping and pirouetting with arms outstretched. I limp behind.

Vanilla smoke laces the night breeze, which whips through the cookie-cutter homes. Obviously, a housewife on this street forgot to set her kitchen timer, and consequentially crisped the sugar biscuits. If she's not good in the kitchen, then she might want to reconsider her life on Baker Street. I'll be sure to tell her that. On second thought, I'd better help her move on from here. Hereafter Hotel is sure to have vacancies; of course, it might be crowded this time of year. Humans check in, but they don't...well, you know.

Lazarus stops short at a doorstep. Screwing up his eyes, he cocks his head to the side and listens. He listens to nothing. Then, he ducks down, lifts the corner of a ragged mat, and reveals a dingy brass key. He holds up the begrimed scrap like a prize.

"Dark power," he confides.

The key turns the lock. Leaning against the door, Lazarus meets with resistance. The door doesn't budge.

"You have to be invited inside," I whisper.

"No, I just locked the door." He stammers an explanation. "It was left open, so I'm testing to see if the key is still good. It is."

Unlocking the door he enters the dark foyer. "Follow me," he says. "I have acute, vampiric vision." Zombie-walking through the front hall, he shambles down a corridor, toward a seam of light. Dutifully, I follow. My vampiric vision must have yet to develop. I can't see anything in the windowless interior except for the light at the end of the hallway.

Sniffing the air, I identify a pungent aroma. The food in this house must be terrible. This baker cooks with lavender!

Why would anyone eat lavender? And, why would a vampire bake, anyway? Lazarus did say we were going to see a vampire who could help me, didn't he?

"This guy can be a bit high-strung," Lazarus admits. The low glow from beneath the door illuminates the underside of his dark chin, nose, and brow like a flashlight prop in the hand of a storyteller. "I'll go first."

A plump hand fumbles for the doorknob; his other hand clutches at his trusty cape. For a moment, he hesitates. He seems frightened. I lean forward in anticipation. With sudden gusto, he swings open the door. "Hey, I brought someone to..."

He freezes.

Inside the room, sits something shocking.


What is the unexpected something?
A. An empty casket surrounded by potent flowers
B. A filled casket and lavender incense to cover the smell of rotting flesh
C. A cauldron boiling over with odoriferous potions
D. A naked woman in the bath