Scrabble

Chapter 4

“Miss? Missy! Wake up, fair lady! Wake up, wake up, wake up! Ding dong, merry the bells! The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day! Missy? Missy! Wake up, missy!”

Megan’s eyes fluttered open, landing on a very close, very big nose.

A nose...?, Megan wondered sleepily, what on earth...

“She’s awake!”

The same voice rejoiced happily, before two tiny hands were placed on her shoulders and she was shaken lightly. “Missy?” the voice asked, “Don’t go back to sleep, Missy!”

Megan fought for concentration, narrowing her eyes down onto the little creature that was sitting on her lap. “May I help you?” she mumbled aimlessly, sitting up straighter.

“Are you feeling alright, missy?” the little creature asked, looking up at her with green eyes. Raising her eyebrows in admiration, Megan took a minute to soak in its appearance.

The creature had the build of a human, but was much shorter, and looked much more fragile. It had a round, healthy face and fair skin. It was the proud owner of green eyes, guarded by long lashes. It had long, stringy hair, pulled back in a tight ponytail which exposed a white scalp.

The most adorable part of its appearance, however, was the fact that it was wearing a cute little black and white suit, much like a butler’s.

“Who-who are you?” Megan stuttered.

“I am Calvin,” the creature introduced itself happily, “And I am a rouf.”

“A roof?” Megan asked, clearly confused. “As in the roof over a house?”

“No, no, no,” Calvin laughed, “A rouf. It’s pronounced the same, but it’s spelt with a ‘u’. You see? R – O – U – F!”

“Oh,” Megan mumbled, “A rouf. Hello, Calvin the rouf. What are you doing on my lap?”

“I was trying to wake you up, missy!” Calvin declared happily without a trace of embarrassment.

“Th-that’s nice, Calvin,” Megan managed a grateful smile, “Thank you. May I stand up now?”

“Are you feeling up to it, Missy?” Calvin questioned, concern lacing his voice.

“Y-yeah,” Megan nodded, “I’m okay. And my name is Megan. You can stop calling me missy now.”

The rouf got off of Megan’s lap lightly, standing in front of her with his hands behind his back, clearly waiting for Megan to get to her feet too.

Using the wall behind her for support, Megan stood up slowly. Once she was upright, she straightened down her blue t-shirt and scrutinized Calvin.

“What are you doing here, Calvin?” Megan asked, leaning against the wall behind her. “Or, more importantly,” she mused, “What am I doing here?”

Calvin blinked slowly, looking up at Megan with his green eyes. “Maybe,” Calvin finally squeaked, “Maybe you should just come with me.”

Megan hesitated. The last time a stranger asked her to come with him, he had left visible marks on her arm and made her unconscious. Yet her instincts told Megan that Calvin was trustable.

“Okay,” Megan managed a smile, “Lead the way.”

Nodding, the little rouf began walking off to the right, beckoning for Megan to follow him. For fifteen minutes, they walked in silence back through the corridors Megan had travelled, until they reached the other bedroom which Megan had entered.

“Hey Calvin?” Megan called, placing a palm against the white door, “Do you know whose room this is?”

Turning around slowly, Calvin’s eyes widened as he saw the room she was referring to. “Come, come,” Calvin muttered, blatantly ignoring her query. “You must come quickly.”

Megan let out a nervous chuckle, following the little rouf as he took off again. Quickening her pace, Megan caught up with Calvin in no time. The two walked side by side along the empty corridor, before they reached a huge brown door.

Knocking quickly on it, Calvin smiled up at Megan before pulling open the door and disappearing into the room.

“Come in, miss Megan!” he called from inside, “Are you hungry?”

Megan instantly knew where Calvin had been leading her. Sure enough, she stepped in to find a huge kitchen. There were about a dozen stoves and grills, and a pantry in the corner. Chunks of raw meat hung from a rod, waiting to be cooked. Fresh vegetables peeked out from baskets lined up against the wall. The walls and floor of the kitchen were a friendly shade of brown, and the smell of freshly baked bread hung in the air.