The house at the centre of the multiverse

Chapter 4

It had been an hour since his parents and the lawyer Mrs Pinkerton had left and Ben found himself sat on the steps to the front porch with his pink suitcase waiting for his friend Jack to show up. There was no way in hell he was waiting inside on his own. Not a chance. The place could be haunted, plus there was a weird dog in there. Ben had shut the dog in the house; it was currently occupying itself by lovingly staring at Ben through the bay window. He could feel its eyes on him, he was sure it was plotting his death; every time he glanced at it it would stick its tongue out.

The sky was starting to turn a deep grey with strokes of orange as the sun was getting ready to set. Ben was losing all hope, he knew at some point he would have to actually go in the house now that it was getting towards night time, he was just hoping his friend would turn up before then.

"So you live here now?" The voice made him jump.

"Um, for the moment." Just outside the gate at the end of the path was the dog walker who had stared at him when he had first arrived, she was a small wrinkled old woman, who had an uncanny resemblance to her dog. She wore a velour purple running suit and a suspicious glare, and so did the dog.

"Then why aren't you inside?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Who?" God she was nosey.

"Someone."

"I think you're just too frightened to go in."

"No I'm not." He said rather tight lipped. She had struck a nerve, plus he couldn't believe he was been ragged on by an old lady.

"Not that I can blame you, I've heard things about that place..." She had peaked his interest.

"Like what?"

"Oh, just stuff." She said rather cryptically. Ben had to bite his lip; she was his elder, deserved respect but god damn she was frustrating! Why be cryptic?

"Like what?" he pressed.

"Well, like how the garden is always perfectly manicured, yet no one has ever seen anyone tend to it." Ben heaved a sigh of relief, that wasn't too bad. "I even asked my gardener, he's Mexican you see, they know who's working whose garden. God bless them, there amazing gardeners, not good at much else, but give them a lawnmower and they work miracles." Bens face froze in a semi smile as he realised she might be a little racist. "I had a petunia bush that just wouldn't grow, so I sacked my gardener and got a Mexican and now its flourishing! Which is strange, you wouldn't expect them to be good with plants considering they come from a country that's mostly sand." He was sure she had only seen clips of Mexico on TV.

"I don't think it's mostly sand, they have jungles and stuff."

"Nonsense!" she shouted like the idea was offensive.

"Besides, perfect lawns don't seem too frightening." Ghost furniture on the other hand...

"Well there are other things I've seen and heard as I've walked past! Things you shouldn't see or hear coming from a house in a good neighbourhood like this."

"Like?"

"Oh, nothing, it doesn't matter, I wouldn't want to frighten you." He wasn't sure but she might be smiling, like she was getting off on trying to frighten him.

Ben was about to tell her to stuff it but luckily a car pulled up, its horn honking loudly making her almost jump of her velour running suit.

"LETS GET READY TO PARTY!" Jack shouted as he practically exploded out the car. Ben heard the old woman mumble something about the neighbourhood going to hell before she and her squat bulldog quickly wandered off. Jack was busy pulling what looked like a large hiking backpack out of the back seat of his parents car as he was quickly saying goodbye to them.