12 April 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2340: the other bedroom

Image by Craig Steffan from Pixabay

“Remember when we were in the house and had the other bedroom, and we were glad to be sent there to think about what Papa had said about our behavior just so he would stop? This is like that, except their other bedroom is basically a graveyard.”

“Yeah, Cousin Harry is giving them all the Ludlow workover, just as a tenor, except, yeah, there's nowhere for them to go and nothing to do but just take it, except die!”

16-year-old Tom Stepforth worked for the Lofton County Free Voice and had come with his press pass on into the teardown those responsible for the water main's first, second, and third break that had flooded portions of the Veteran's Lodge were getting from Col. H.F. Lee. Col. Lee was a trustee for the Lofton Trust which administrated the Veteran's Lodge, and also had been a military prosecutor. Young Tom was streaming the whole thing live.

All seven Ludlow grandchildren were riveted to Eleanor's phone because Tom's cousin Vertran from next door had given them the heads up.

Ten-year-old Andrew and eleven-year-old Eleanor had made the first comments, while nine-year-old George and eight-year-old Edwina were just taking notes.

“I gotta use all these when I become a lawyer!” George said. “He's up there quoting the law from memory – paragraphs and sub-paragraphs and footnotes and –.”

“And all the smoke, the tea, the spit, the vinegar, the superhot peppers – I love it!” Edwina said. “Get 'em, Cousin Harry! Get 'em!”

“They're not safe right now,” seven-year-old Amanda said. “They're not safe at all. I feel like I need a nap, just looking at it. But then when you don't know not to leave the water running, and you have to get told three times, you're probably going to be in a little trouble.”

“They're gonna have to hire me to Lego this thing shut because nothing else is working,” six-year-old Grayson said.

“Definitely, and I'll make sure we have enough red ones,” five-year-old Lil' Robert said.

“Oh … he's quoting estimates … that's going to be a lot of money they gotta pay out,” Eleanor said.

“They're going to need to call President Trump because he's a billionaire, the way Cousin Harry is going,” Andrew said, “and they're going to need to vote for him, because Senator Biden doesn't have it like that, so if he wins, he can't help them, so they are toast.”

“I don't think they are even going to make it to November,” Eleanor said. “If it were Papa, they might not get to the end of the day without passing across the cash.”

“You're right – remember that time we were in court and it was done for the day and someone made a snide remark and Papa said he admired the wood on the table and picked up that whole table on that man like it was a piece of cardboard and then said the wood was too good to put on the man's head?” Andrew said.

“Papa don't take no mess,” Eleanor said. “Apparently, Cousin Harry doesn't either. He just lets you think he does until he's ready.”

“Like both Big Velma and our friend granddaughter Velma says, I've been telling y'all!” Andrew said. “He's the Angel of Death and we're watching him at work!”

“Yeah, they are about ghost color now,” Eleanor said.

“I love it!” Edwina said.

“Yeah, this is going to be good in court!” George said.

“I need a snuggle with Cousin Maggie and a nap,” Amanda said.

“We need to go get our Legos together,” Grayson said.

“Especially the red ones,” Lil' Robert said. “because, see, we may even need to rebuild those people!”

"Right, like that show The Bionic Man -- we can rebuild them," Grayson said, leaving Mrs. Maggie Lee to realize just how many reruns little children were watching with their grandparents!