𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄 ❃ coraline au

016: ...and into the fire

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN OF TWENTY

❝ ...AND INTO THE FIRE ❞

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(NAME) DID THE ONLY THING SHE THOUGHT TO DO. She currently sat on the sofa in Miss Spink and Forcible's apartment, whilst Miss Forcible changed behind a changing screen and Miss Spink currently held one of their three Scottie dogs, Angus, in her arms, knitting him some angel wings.

She'd explained her story. She'd even called the police, reporting her husband missing. But they were useless. Apparently, there was a twenty-four-hour wait until someone could be legally declared missing. She'd phoned everyone. Eric's publisher, Sean. Mr Lovat. Wybie. Charlotte, even. She'd even asked Mr Bobinsky if he'd seen Eric. She'd even rang Eric's older sister, Naomi, who lived half an hour away by car if Eric was at her's. Nothing.

She sipped some tea anxiously, with the two other Scottie dogs, Jock and Hamish, by her sides. Leela rested on her lap, snoozing peacefully. "Don't you only make wings for the dead ones?" (Name) questioned.

Miss Spink looked up from her knitting. "Just looking ahead, dear," Miss Spink clarified, "Angus hasn't been feeling very well of late...".

Miss Forcible, attached to some pulleys and corset hooks, which aided her in putting on her corset, called over the top of the changing screen, platinum wig on her head. "April! Aren't you getting ready?" Miss Forcible questioned.

"We've lost our ride, Miriam!" Miss Spink called to her wife, "(Name) here says her husband, Eric, has vanished, quite completely!".

Miss Forcible, who was tightening her corset, hoisted to see the two women. "What?!" Miss Forcible shrieked, "We've waited months for those tickets!".

One of the corset hooks flew off, pulling off Miss Forcible's wig. She ignored it and walked over to address Miss Spink, who suggested: "I suppose we could walk!".  Miss Forcible looked at her wife like she'd gone utterly insane, "With your gamy legs?! It's nearly two miles to the theatre!" Mrs Forcible shrieked in horror.

(Name) cleared her throat, clearly frustrated. The two women looked at her, "Oh, oh. Yes. Your missing husband," Miss Spink mumbled, "We know just what you need, dear,".

Miss Forcible walked over to a trunk, lifting the lid off it to reveal the collection of their old, stuck-together taffy. Three dishes of the hard candy, with dates over the dishes. 1921. 1936. 1960. All three bowls of candy were older than (Name). Miss Forcible picked up the dish from 1921 and placed it on the table, opposite Miss Spink.

"How is almost a hundred-year-old taffy going to help-" the young woman asked.

She was cut off by Miss Spink raising her knitting needles like daggers, screaming. (Name) covered herself with her arms to defend herself, but Miss Spink attacks the candy, stabbing it. Pieces of hard candy flew all around the room. She mashed the candy to bits until it's a layer of dust, hiding something. She blew the candy dust away, revealing an ornate, jade-coloured, triangular-coloured stone with a hole in the middle.

She extracted the stone from the empty candy dish with her knitting needles, like chopsticks to sushi, and delicately placed the stone in (Name)'s open palm. (Name) frowned, examining the stone between her thumb and index finger. "Here you go, sweetie," Mrs Spink said, smiling. "What's it for?" (Name) asked, looking through the stone with one eye, glancing at the two older women through it.