The Red Bird

Chapter 3-The Red Bird Finds Something Under the Stairs

I'm still sitting on the couch, pondering my existence, when all of a sudden, we hear a knock at the door.

I jump up to get it when all of a sudden Gladys starts making lots of awful sounding noises and her screen goes completely black.

"Gladys?!" I ask, even though I'm 99% sure she can't hear me.

"What's wrong with her?!" Heather asks, walking over to her cautiously.

"I'm not sure... I don't think that it's because she forgot to charge herself... She'd never be caught like that..."

Her screen suddenly flickers to life with the Queen's symbol and the reboot screen.

When she comes to, she doesn't seem like herself.

"Maybe this was the thing she was talking about when someone comes over..." Heather whispers.

"I think it is..." I look right into Gladys' sensor and say, "Hey, Gladys! What's up?"

"I don't understand what you're asking. Please rephrase that. And who is Gladys?" she responds in a more robot voice than usual.

"Well, she's very boring now..." Heather says.

We turn to the door. Whoever is out there is knocking even louder and quicker.

I go to the door and plaster on my best fake smile and get ready to be sickeningly polite.

Heather tries to do the same, while Gladys starts dusting various things around the house.

I open the door. "Hello!" I chirp. "How can I help you?"

The person on the other side is wearing a trench coat and a bowler hat. His head is down, so I can't see their face.

"May I come in?" he asks in a low tone that sends shivers down my spine and immediately sends away my nice attitude. I'm more afraid now than anything.

"Um... What are you here for?"

"I used to live here and I just thought I'd stop by and see how everything is going..."

"I, uh..." I look over my shoulder at Heather, who looks just as confused as I am. "Excuse me for a moment..."

"Please hurry... I have to get back to my job soon," he replies.

I close the door and bolt it and then go over to Heather.

"What do you think?"

She simply shrugs.

"Do you think he's trustworthy?"

She shrugs again.

"Great load of help you are..." I reply.

She glares this time.

"Fine. If he turns out to be a murderer, I'm blaming you."

She shrugs once again and sits on the couch, staring at the door.

I go back over and open the door, making a grand sweeping gesture to let him in.

He nods and steps inside.

He takes off his hat and coat, revealing his lab coat like the ones that the Queen's scientists wear.

My eyes widen and I instinctively look over at Gladys. Does he know?

He walks over to Gladys, who turns to look at him.

She then does something that I never would have expected from her.

She decides that it would be a great idea to dust off his face.

The poor guy sneezes multiple times and his eyes water.