Rosehead

Chapter 17. The Grand Return

Lilith picked the perfect time for her comeback. An hour earlier and she would've been facing her parents and grandfather separately, not to mention the Schlitzberger twins who planned to tease her about the escapade. Now, however, the entire Bloom family was sitting down to dinner, mulling over her misfortunes. Irma proclaimed she was kidnapped. Patrick told Petra she was snatched by aliens. And Gwen and Daphne agreed that the corpses she found in the garden ate her, but couldn't decide if they chewed her first or swallowed her whole. Unaware of any of it, teeth clenched for courage, Lilith hiked straight into the dinner hall, causing an abrupt silence.

It took several seconds for Gabby and Daniel to register their daughter's presence, and another minute for the rest of the guests. They didn't recognize Lilith at first. Her beret was missing, her tutu torn, and a fine layer of dust covered both her and Panther, who didn't look much better.

A collective gasp was quickly replaced by excited voices, moving chairs, and running feet. Lilith wisely closed her eyes, ready to endure the scrutiny.

First came her mother. "Lilith! Where on earth have you been?" She methodically examined her daughter, turning her around to check if anything was broken. "Open your eyes!"

Lilith squinted harder.

"Look at me! How did you get out of your room? Your face is scratched. Who did this to you? What good are you, not leading her home sooner?" This was directed at Panther.

He growled something that conspicuously sounded like, "Watch it."

"Daniel, she's not talking to me!"

Daniel moved Gabby aside and hugged his daughter. "Hey, pup, we're so happy you're back. You scared us. We thought...we didn't know what to think. Your grandfather..."

His voice drowned in the chatter. People pressed in, eager to touch the girl who returned from the dead, to give her their version of how she must have felt when she got lost, how she got lost, what she should do to prevent this from happening in the future, what her parents should do to prevent this in the future, how they should raise her, how child rearing in America was not at its best, how child rearing in Germany was superior, and a slew of similar observations.

"Daphne said you found graves in ze garden. Did zey invite you over for dinner, ze corpses?" Gwen squeezed in closer.

"You got it wrong," said Daphne. "Zey wanted to have her for dinner."

"Zat iz what I said."

"No it wazn't."

"It waz too."

They switched to German, then to slapping, then to crying. Lilith couldn't help it and peeked out of the corner of her eye.

Irma intervened to try to pull her daughters apart. It could've easily been a hippo caught in the middle of two giant piglets gone berserk.

The crowd pressed on.

"Petra, let go of her tutu, it's dirty!" said Sabrina.

"...was looking forward to a peaceful night," muttered Trude Brandt. "Alfred, I request you move her to another room. This is not a hotel, this is a private residence. At my age, I require—"

"I'm sorry, but can you please let us through?" Daniel patiently waited for people to part.

"Oh, this is ridiculous. Leave my daughter alone," Gabby hissed, elbowing her way through. "She's had enough excitement for today."

Talking hushed. The soft steps of Alfred entered.

A sickly fragrance enveloped Lilith. She opened her eyes.