The Stars Will Come

Chapter 5 - Uncle?

        I threw open the front door, yelling at the top of my lungs. "UNNNNNCLLLLLLLE!!!! UNCLE!?"

        "Maybe he's not home right now." Eden said stepping into the house.

        "No, he's always home at this time of day. In fact, he only leaves the house to go to work, which is from 10 pm to 5 am." I searched frantically throughout the rooms.

        "Who works hours like that?" Grift asked behind me.

        "He does. I don't know who he works for, but when they call him in, there's no saying no to them." I was searching upstairs now, thinking he might have gone to sleep. I walked down the stairs, than sank onto the last step and put my head in my hands.

        "Face it May, he's not here." Eden said, patting me awkwardly on the shoulder.Tears threatened my eyes.

        "Where could he have gone?" I looked up. Eden and Grift thought about it for a second.

        "Maybe you guys ran out of milk?" Grift asked, shrugging his shoulders.

        "Never, we have enough of everything in our fridge. We'd never run out of anything in a week." I stood up. "I have to feed Ryan." Eden and Grift gave me questioning looks.

        I went into the kitchen and opened one of the bottom cupboards. I pulled out a giant bag of cat food and hefted it into me arms.

        As I walked up the stairs, I could hear scratching.

        "Coming, Ryan!" I shouted and the scratching stopped. Eden and Grift had followed me up the stairs so I asked Eden to do me a favor.

        "When I say so, open the door really fast, then close it again behind me. When I say you can enter, you can come in." Eden nodded her understanding. "Ok, NOW!"

        Eden threw open the door and I bolted in. I heard the door slam shut behind me. In front of me, Ryan roared.

        "What was that?! May, are you all right in there?!" Eden shouted at the door.

        "Yea, yea, I'm fine. Hang on one more moment." I ripped open the bag of cat food and pushed it towards Ryan.

        "Ok, you can come in now." I called at the door. Eden and Grift walked in and looked at me.

        "Well...? What do you think of him?" I asked.

        "Of who, May? There's nobody in here, besides us three. Did you have a sound track playing or something? Just to scare us?" Grift asked. I gaped at them.

        "You mean that you don't see him?!" I questioned.

        "May! There's no other male in her, other than Grift!" Eden looked at me like I was crazy. I sighed.

        "Come here," I motioned Grift and Eden over to where I was standing. They walked towards me slowly, as if the didn't know if they should trust me. When they reached me, I put my hands out.

        "Give me your hands." They didn't reacted, so I reached down and grabbed one of their hands. Before they could pull their hands away, I put their hands up on what seemed to be open air.

        "Feel that?" I asked. Eden and Grift had the mouths hanging open, shocked. Eden was the first one to recover.

        "What is it?"

        "Not a what, a who. It's my pet lion, Ryan." I announced, proud.

        "Oh! I remember now! Mr. Kirnly mentioned something about a lion."