(lxx.)

"Not now, Bobby, the adults are talking--"
"But Daddy, look!"

Midge looked down the street. It was dark.

"I don't see anything. It's dark. And there's some shadows. Look, it's probably just a tree or something. Just the shadow of--"
"Noooo! Loooooook!"

The father squinted, then turned to his son and said, "look, there's nothing there. See? There's nothing there at all."

"There's a monster! Can't you see it? It's all leaning to one side, and kinda disfigured, and dripping blood! Don't you see it?!"
"No, Bobby, there's no monster. Now stop it."

Midge squinted, and suddenly saw the bleeding, disfigured monster.

"Holy crap!" she yelled, "It's--"
"It's the bogey man!"
"It's Lorelei!"

Lorelei walked, slowly and gingerly, toward the bench. Her shirt was totally soaked in blood, and she was leaning in towards her shoulder.

"Lorelei, what happened?"

She chuckled, silently, to herself.

"Chet."


[chapter lxxi.]