It smelled like rotting pumpkin fish. If there were such things. It was cold, too. Chilled the two of them right down to the bone.
The scenery was absolutely terrifying. It was dark, no Sun or moon lighting up the Sky. The only light source they had was the flickering lights here and there. The lights were scattered across the land in odd places, barely brightening anything past three feet from the posts.
Dead trees hung low in the darkness, giving off an even creepier feel to the place. They cast shadows that stretched towards the two children, sending chills down Coraline's spine.
"Come on. This is for Norman. He needs us," Wybie whispered, looking around and keeping a firm hand clasped around her own.
"For Norman," was the only thing she could muster as she turned to face the house.
It loomed over them, the wood so nice and slick. The wind that hit against the building made it seem so sturdy.
They carefully made their way around the house to the front porch.
It was basically just a darker version of the Pink Palace.
The front of the house was mire befitting of what she had imagined. Yet, still...organized. The garden was dead, flooded with some kind of liquid. It seemed to be the source of the bad smell. The stairs leading up to where Mr. Bobinsky lived had some kind of boards stretched across it, as if to keep out unwanted visitors. The boards were nailed as tall as the porch and were also attached to the railing, stopping at the door to where the crazy cheese man lived in an alternate world. There was no door there, just a wall. At least, it looked like it. From where she stood, anyway.
The front door to the house felt like a much larger obstacle than what it was. Wybie had to open the door for her.
Coraline tiptoed onto the porch, trying to shake off the feeling of being watched. She had managed to subconsciously hold onto Wybie's hand, her other gripping onto her jacket to keep it from trembling.
The way into the house felt like walking through a giant spider web. The shadows were thick.
And it was almost completely black inside. Her eyes adjusted well, though.
It was a lot different here than back at her home. No carpets, just plain wood floors. No paintings or covered furniture.
The hallway was just wood, the occasional hole or two from old age. The stairs were rickety and gross.
As Coraline made her way to the back, a small voice came from the top of the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach seemed to churn.
"Mummy?"
************************************
Norman walked through the garden with Coraline and Agatha. He had his fists stuffed into his jacket pockets, his eyes grazing over the flowers and trees. It was so warm out today.
"Excited?" Aggie asked, beaming as she made a crown from the flowers and placed it atop his head. She slicked back his hair so that it would stay in place.
"About what?" He asked, trying to act nonchalant about the entire situation.
"About the surprise, duh," Coraline interjected, leaning against Wybie's back. She was picking the petals off of the daisies, earning a silent scowl from Aggie.
"I guess," Norman mumbled, shrugging. He had one of the books he'd found in his room in his lap. He was trying to distract himself.
"I heard it's going to be a pretty big deal."
"SAME! Right, Wybie?" Coraline asked, looking over her shoulder to her friend. He only nodded and gave her one of his gentle smiles.
"Norman!" The Beldam sang from the house. He instinctively looked up and replied.
"Yes?"
"Come inside! It's time for lunch."
Norman stood and waved goodbye to his friends.
************************************
The footsteps neared them and Coraline whipped the two of them into the closet by the stairs, carefully closing the door behind them.
She led him to the back of the room, past the water heater. They were pressed against the wall, the only thing they could hear was their own heartbeats.
It felt like forever before Coraline thought the girl must have been gone.
The door swung open just as she had started moving again.
"Are we playing hide and seek?"
The voice was by far the worst thing she had encountered here. It was a mix between different genders, ages, and accents. Some of it didn't even sound like English.
"Hey..." the thing spoke. "You're not Mummy."
************************************
Norman had just reached the front door when the Other Mother rushed back out. She was still her usual, calm self, but she seemed off.
"Your father's just finishing up. I'll send your friends off, so you go sit down."
He nodded and headed down the steps, not even glancing behind him to make sure she was still there or not. He didn't let the edge to her voice dwell as he opened the door.
He had his answer. He realized that as he closed the door and went to wait for lunch.
