Verna.â
âWell, just let me turn on a light, okay? Theyâre pretty cute kids, if I do say so myself.â There was a bare light-bulb hanging not quite over the center of the table. Verna fiddled with the wall switch and got a faint glow from the dusty bulb. âYou behave yourself now, Bernie,â she said through gritted teeth.
By this time Bernie was standing squarely in front of the rocker. âAre you cold?â he asked.
âIâm always cold,â the old woman snapped. âThatâs what happens to you when you get old like me. You ainât never warm. Not even in the summer.â
âOh. Then why donât you turn on your furnace?â
âBecause I ainât got one.â
âYou got a stove. Why donât you turn that on?â
âBernie,â Verna said. âDonât you go asking your great-grandma a lot of questions.â
He ignored her. âIâm hungry,â he said to the old woman.
âBernie!â Angel said.
âThatâs enough, Bernie.â Any fake cheer had left Vernaâs voice. âIâm warning you.â
âWell, I wasnât exactly expecting company,â the old woman said, sliding her eyes toward Verna. âI donât know what there is to eat around here.â
Bernie glanced back at Verna to see how close she was to him before he leaned over and said something into the old womanâs ear.
She began to laugh, a funny laugh, like her laugh box had rusted and she couldnât make it work smoothly. âPizza!â she said, almost choking on the words. âNow, where in the blazes am I going to find a pizza around here?â
âAngel. Take your brother upstairs this minute.â Then, as if realizing that she hadnât, really cleared anything with the old woman, she changed to her sweet tone of voice, âWhich room do you want the kids in, Grandma?â
âI donât guess it matters none. Either room. They ainât neither of them clean. I wasnât exactly expectingââ
âTake your brother up,â Verna ordered. âIâll be right there.â
Bernie still hung around the old womanâs chair, so there was nothing for Angel to do but go around the table and grab his hand. âCâmon, Bernie.â
âSo this is Angel.â The old woman stretched out a bony finger as though to touch her.
Angel shrank back a little. She didnât mean to, but she couldnât help it. There was a funny stale smell coming from the bundle of blankets in the rocker.
âI wonât bite you, girl.â Angel turned to look straight in the womanâs face. Was that what the witch had said to Hansel and Gretel? A black mole with a stiff wire of white hair coming out of it grew almost on the tip of the old womanâs nose. Just like a witch, except...
âYou remember me?â She peered up into Angelâs face. There was a little spit in the corner of her mouth.
Angel started to shake her head, but something stopped her. âI used toâto play with your nose,â she said.
The woman cackled her rusty laugh. âThatâs right, you did. I forgot that.â
âItâs funny looking,â Bernie said. He reached out to finger it. Angel grabbed his hand.
âDonât, Bernie. Thatâs not polite.â
The strange laugh again. âYou got mighty polite in your old age, Miss Angel.â
âI said, Take your brother upstairs,â Verna said. âGrandma and I got stuff to talk about.â
âThere ainât any sheets on the beds. I wasnât expectingââ
âGit!â
This time Verna meant business. Both children headed for the door. Angel grabbed up Grizzle and pushed Bernie ahead of her out into the hall and up the dark, narrow wooden stairs. Partway up he stumbled, but she caught him before they both fell backward.
âStop pushing, Angel.â
âIâm not