Tales of Gloomsdale #1: The Hidden Attic

Chapter Six

"How was school, Matt?" Mrs. Wilson asked at dinner.

"Great," Matt muttered sarcastically, picking at his food.

"How about you, Willow?" Mr. Davis asked. "I'm sure you enjoyed it. You kept going on about how excited you were."

"Yeah. It was great," Willow agreed, keeping her head lowered while picking at her own food.

Their parents frowned, recognizing they didn't want to talk about it. Matt's mother quickly changed the subject. "How's your job coming along, Gary?"

"It's fine," Mr. Davis replied. "Actually, it's going pretty well. I've even made friends with a few of the other workers."

"That's nice. I've made friends with some of the people in town, too," Mrs. Wilson said.

"Good for you two," Matt muttered. "I haven't."

His mother heard and frowned at him. "Are you sure about that, Matt? You must have made some friends."

"Well, I did make a few," Matt admitted, remembering Kyle. They had played video games together in the town's arcade.

"See?" Mrs. Wilson smiled. "I'm sure you have as well, Willow."

"Yeah. Sure," Willow muttered, keeping her head lowered. Matt felt slightly guilty, but he was also still slightly annoyed with her. They hadn't spoken once since arriving home.

"Come on, cheer up, you two. Did you notice the carvings I put up?" Mr. Davis asked, gesturing to the window. Matt glanced over to see a few small, detailed carvings of birds on display. His stepfather was skilled at sculpting. "I made them myself."

"You're very good, Gary," Mrs. Wilson praised.

"I'm not," Willow admitted. "I'm terrible at it, just like with sewing."

"Oh, come on. You weren't that bad, Willow," Mrs. Wilson assured.

"It really livens up the place, don't you think?" Mr. Davis asked.

"It did at our old house," Mrs. Wilson admitted. "But here, it looks... a little out of place."

"Not that out of place," Matt spoke up, to Mr. Davis's surprise. "I didn't even notice them."

"I thought they were real birds," Willow added. "I wish I could sculpt like you."

"I guess they can stay up, if they make the children happy," Mrs. Wilson agreed. "I suppose they are charming, in a way."

"There's something else I wanted to tell you," Mr. Davis announced. "One of the other workers suggested coming over for dinner one of these days. You know, to get to know us better. Like a welcome to town dinner party."

"Really?" Mrs. Wilson asked in excitement. "That would be wonderful. I could invite some of my friends over, too. This table is certainly large enough. If anything, there's too many seats."

Matt groaned. "Are you serious? It's hard enough having dinner as it is."

"Matt," Mrs. Wilson scolded.

"You kids should be more excited," Mr. Davis insisted. "She said she'd bring her children over for dinner as well. Her son is around your age."

"Really?" Willow glanced up in excitement while Matt groaned.

"Some of my friends have kids, too," Mrs. Wilson added. "I might think about asking some of them over. It'll be a great opportunity for you to make new friends. Who knows, they could even be some of your friends from school.

"Maybe I can even carve something for them." Mr. Davis groaned, lowering his head. "Wait, I just remembered, I can't. My carving knife broke."

"Really?" Willow asked.