Lisa could remember when she found the Maid’s cigarettes. She had been looking for a piece of gum in her purse, and she could remember opening the marbled bakelite cigarette case, and revealing the small aluminum clip that held the cigarettes inside.
They were all of them identical, skinny cylinders of fragrant tobacco, wrapped in bleach-white paper. She could remember the Maid laughing. “Those aren’t for you. Don’t tell your father.” Lisa could remember being surprised. She’d never seen the Maid smoking.
She could remember the Maid’s familiar, a lark bunting, pecking her mercilessly when she found one she’d spirited away under her pillow. At the time, Archimicarus had threatened to eat the small bird.
Lisa awoke that morning to a frantic knock on the door.
“I’m unwell.” She lied. “Very sick.” She feigned a pitiable cough. “Archimicarus has agreed to appear in my stead.”
“No, I haven’t!” Archimicarus butted in. “She’s fine!”
“I’m barfing. Don’t come in, I’m barfing.” Said Lisa, doing her best to mimic the sound of throwing up. “Why, non-denominational God!? Why??”
The door flew open, and standing in the hallway was the maid, Columbine. She looked panicked, and she shuffled her feet compulsively.
“Ugh. You smell like cigarettes.” Said Lisa, sitting up. “Have you been smoking, Columbine?”
“Lisa, that’s not important right now.” Said Columbine, visibly steeling herself. “Your father is missing!”
Lisa snorted audibly. “He left last night.” She said. “He said it would be at least two weeks.” He was always coming and going, putting out fires. “Don’t freak out.”
“Plaedalus has been killed, Lisa.” Columbine said. “His body was found at the entrance of the mine this morning. The police are here.”
Lisa rubbed her eyes, retrieving her glasses from the bedside table. She could see the tears streaming down the maid’s face, and she knew there was no lie.
“Plaedalus?” Said Lisa, suddenly feeling very numb.
“Yes. Your father's familiar. They fear your father may have been abducted.” Columbine continued, and she wiped her eyes on her apron.
“Abducted?” Said Lisa, and everything felt like a dream.
“It means kidnapped.” Said Archimicarus.
“I know what it means!” Lisa shot back, visibly furious.
“Just clarifying.” Said Archimicarus, ducking slightly.
“You stupid, stupid bird.” Cussed Lisa.
“Lisa. Archimicarus.” Columbine took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Now is not the time. Heaven’s sake.”
There was a moment of awkward silence, and Columbine spoke again.
“The lead investigator would like to take down a statement from yourself and Archimicarus.” She sighed. “They’re all good people, and they’re trying to help us.” She sniffed hard, and Lisa could hear her sinuses gurgling.
The detective was a short woman in her mid-thirties, with dark hair and an afghan hound familiar, lying at her feet like some sort of lumpy throw blanket. It didn’t do much but yawn occasionally. She had taken up residence in the lounge, and Lisa felt numb as she watched her scratching legal documents with a blue reservoir pen. She asked her name, her age, her familiar, and the events of the night previous. As she tapped the stack of papers on the table, making them even with one another, Lisa found a moment to ask a question of her own.
“He’s been abducted, yes?” She said.
“Well, the legal term is kidnapping.” The detective quickly corrected her, and Lisa could feel Archimicarus shifting his weight slightly on her shoulder. “But as far as we know, if it was, they left no note.”
“No note?” Asked Lisa, as the detective stapled the papers together, filing them away in a yellow-brown envelope before putting it into a silver briefcase.
“No note.” Echoed the detective. “So you’re one hundred percent sure that your father never specified where he was going to?”
Lisa shook her head. “No, not once. I’m one hundred percent sure.”
“Well, Lisa.” Said the detective, and Lisa cringed internally at the casual form of address. “We’ll keep you abreast as the case develops, and we’ll notify you at once of any breaks. Do you have any direct family or close friends you can stay with in the mean time?”
“I’m staying here. Columbine has agreed to serve as my guardian, for the time being.” Said Lisa, and the afghan hound yawned hard.
“Columbine. The maid.” Said the detective, and she shut the briefcase with a click. “Please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.” She said, “But for now, I think we’re done.”
Lisa could remember the detective standing up and walking out of the room. As soon as she was out of sight, Lisa retreated back to her bedroom. She drew the blinds.
She tried to read a bit. She could not. She tried to sleep. She could not. She tried to cry, and found herself unable.
“I’m starving.” Archimicarus complained from his roost.
“How can you eat? I just want to sleep.” Lisa groaned, lying face-up on the bed.
“You haven’t eaten anything all day.” Archimicarus said, sounding concerned.
“Blah on food.” Said Lisa, turning over onto her side to face the wall. “They left no note. They left no note.”
“You need to eat something.” Archimicarus said.
“They left no note, Archimicarus.” Lisa replied. “What’s the point of eating? What’s the point of anything? If they can just take him away, without leaving a note, what’s the point?”
Dusky light filtered in through the curtains, and Archimicarus clicked his beak scoldingly. “At least change into your nightgown.” He said. “To sleep in your street clothes… It’s a mortal sin.”
Lisa groaned again, and got up, moving to her dresser and starting to get changed.
“I had a dream.” She said. “Last night. I just remembered it. You were wearing a little suit.” She pulled her nightgown down over her head, half-smiling.
Archimicarus tilted his head, looking at the ceiling.
“She’s pregnant, you know.” He said.
“Oh?” Said Lisa, smoothing her nightgown and sitting back down on the side of the bed. "How do you know?"
“How does anyone know anything? Deduction. Inference. Logic, rationality.” Said Archimicarus.
“Don’t be so pretentious, Archimicarus. This is why you don’t have any friends other than me.” Lisa rolled her eyes.
“And you shouldn’t be so naive. You might have any friends at all. Also, I caught them in the act. They were in the study playing Cluedo. Imagine my surprise when Mrs. White reached for the candlestick.” Sniffed Archimicarus.
“That hardly guarantees she’s pregnant.” She said. “I’m sure they took precautions.”
“Well, of course. But since your mother died, what’s the point?” Said Archimicarus. “She’s always been in love with him, even when she was alive.”
“Then why didn’t they just get married?” Said Lisa, and a familiar smell entered the room from the cracked window.
“You’re a human, you tell me. I don’t know how your relationships are supposed to work.”
“She’s a maid.” Said Lisa, and she looked up to the ceiling, and she closed her eyes.
Outside, Columbine exhaled, and her smoke joined the surrounding fog, illuminated by streetlights.
YOU ARE READING
Unfamiliar Familiar
Random"It's my favorite series! It's about this girl named Lisa and she's a witch! - I mean, she doesn't know she's a witch at first, and she has a familiar, which is sorta like this spirit companion that everyone in the world has. And hers is a talking f...
