“I don’t think so. He’d just fly over the edge and hand it to you.”
Irritated again that his game of golf had been interrupted, he scowled, dropped his club to clatter on the wooden deck, and stomped over to the opposite side of his deck to look down at Boon to see why he insisted on the stairs being lowered.
The minute Carnage’s face came into view, Boon smiled and waved. “Angelle is here, with her parents.”
Carnage smiled warmly — though a little frighteningly — at Angelle, and then waved at her parents. He disappeared from sight just as quickly as he’d appeared, then the squeaking of metal on metal could be heard.
Daniel looked up, trying to identify where the sound was coming from and realized a large ramp, folded in half was suspended from the side of the deck above them. Lowering it to the ground was a series of metal gears. “That’s unique.”
“It’s a safety measure. When they first built the house, my father still didn’t trust too many people. He wanted to be sure that no one could just walk right up and into the house when my mother might be home alone. She was the only human in Whispers, and quite the curiosity among the residents,” Boon explained. “The folding ramp is something he and my Uncle Murder came up with while building. Only those who can fly could get up here without the stairs being lowered for them.”
“It’s clever,” Daniel said.
“It does its job. No wildlife can wander in, and no one can get in unless they have wings,” Boon said.
“Like you,” Daniel pointed out.
“I do have wings. As does my father, and the other Gargoyles in the area. Of course, there are other beings that have the ability to move about freely, including up and down, but they know better than to just show up in my parents’ house without announcing themselves. Except Lore. Lore just goes wherever he wants whenever he wants. It’s kind of expected.”
As soon as the ramp was lowered, Boon led the way up to the house, unlocking the little gate that hit him about waist high, and pushing it open to give them easy access to the deck. “We put the gate in when Tempest was little to keep her from running up and down the ramp without one of us. Plus my mom used to teach all the kids of Whispers at one point or another, and thelittle ones for some reason loved to run and up and down, too. This kind of stopped it.”
“‘Manda’,” Carnage said as they walked down the side of the house toward the back of it, and came out on the largest part of the deck that opened onto the woods surrounding the home.
“Yes, Commander. We had to contain him sometimes. He usually didn’t leave the house if I was here, but occasionally something would lure him out.”
“Commander?” Angelle asked.
Boon’s face took on a soft expression. “He was my best friend. Since I was a little kid. We had some great adventures, he was always at my side.”
“Wo’f” Carnage said.
“Wolf?” Angelle asked.
“‘Es. Goood Wo’f,” Carnage said.
“He was the best. He was gray and white, kind of silvery on the tips of his hair. And huge,” Boon said. “I miss him so much.”
“I’m so sorry you lost him,” Angelle said.
“It’s okay. He lived a long, happy life. When it was his time, he just went to sleep on the foot of my bed one night and didn’t wake up the next morning.”
“You were torn up, though,” Carolena said.
“Yeah, I was. Hi, Mom!” Boon said walking over and leaning toward Carolena to embrace her.
“Hi, baby. And Angelle! Welcome. I didn’t know you were coming so soon. Lily mentioned that you might, but I had no idea it would be so quickly.”
“Hello. Thank you for welcoming us to your home. Do you remember my mother, Avaleigh, and my father, Daniel?” Angelle asked.
“Of course. I’m so happy to see you both,” Carolena said, getting up and hugging each of them. “Have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet,” Boon said. “We thought we’d surprise you for breakfast.”
“We haven’t eaten either. I’ll throw something together. I just love company.”
“Are you sure? We don’t want to be any bother,” Avaleigh said.
“Absolutely.”
