Free Ladle Rat Rotten Hut by Cameron Jace Page A

character.
    “Where there is a fork, there is a devil.” I mused,
intentionally turning my Auburn eyes into black.
    “You don’t scare me, Peter. Try that with the kids you
kidnap every night.”
    Her words made me look over her shoulder in the direction
of another chamber in my castle, next to the one where I locked Count Dracula.
It was where I kept the kids locked in a cage. In a couple of days, these
homeless kids will be sent to Neverland. If the real world was tough on them,
it was time they enjoyed the other wonderful realms in Dreamworld. “I have a
Neverland to build,” I winked at her. “It needs a lot of kids.”
    “Whateva,” The Queen waved her hands in the air, showing
expensive bracelets and jewelry wrapped around her wrist. “So you seriously
think the fork belongs to a devil?”
    “Or a devil’s son,” I raised a single eyebrow. “Or
daughter, or even his cook will do. How the hell should I know? Did you ever
meet a devil in a fairy tale?"
    “It depends on what fairy tale you are talking about. The
true ones or the false?”
    “In that case, I can’t help. You will have to dig deeper in
the matter. And what is that?” I picked up one of the seven items: a plate.
    “This one is most confusing,” She said. “I don’t remember
the significance of a plate in any of the tales. Do you have a clue?”
    “Of course,” I said as I took out the gum from my mouth and
glued it to the plate. I had no idea why I did that, but it seemed like a cool
thing to do. Gums, if not in your mouth, belonged on plates or the  wood of
your desk at school. “NOT!”
    “Don’t vandalize the plate,” The Queen looked irritated.
“These items are worth millions. If I can’t find the Lost Seven, I can bargain
with higher demons in the Dreamworld with these items.”
    I jumped off my desk and stretched out, neglecting her
obsession with controlling everything. I put my hand behind my neck and
stretched out my body, showing off the beauty of my lean and slender curves,
wanting to get her attention. She really made me want to grow up. But then, I
had to resist growing up. Growing up sucks. That’s why I never liked our
meetings. She messed with my head.
    To clear my head, I had to occupy myself with something, as
she kept asking questions. I clapped my hands twice, and the dim lit hall of
the castle shone brighter with magical fireflies, tons of them. The queen
squinted at the sudden brightness in the hall.
    “Hunchy,” I summoned. “Basketball, please.” I demanded.
    “What? You have a basketball court in the Dracula mansion?”
She looked insulted, reminding me of parents always being mad at their children
for just being children.
    A rainbow-colored basketball came dribbling out of the dark
towards me. Hunchy couldn’t help but add some creepy and scary atmosphere.
    “Continue, my Queen. I am all ears.” I said, dribbling the
ball. It was a magic basketball. It made no sound.
    The Queen sighed impatiently, but she knew that I didn’t
care. If I got bored, I had to find something to play with. “All right. What
about this piece of wood I found along with the items in the cottage. It looks
like it’s part of a chair.”
    “Where there is wood, there is a woodpecker.” I said.
    The Queen looked puzzled.
    “I am just joking,” I swooshed the ball in. “Frankly. I
don’t know. However, this piece of wood doesn’t look like it belongs to a chair
to me. It looks like someone’s nose.” I winked at her.
    “What? No way. Pinocchio is not even a fairy tale
character.”
    “He is not even human if you ask me,” I flew high up the
ceiling and landed down with another swoosh. I tried not to show off with my
flying abilities too much. It made two-legged human uncomfortable. “I got you
again, my Queen.” I winked at her.
    “This isn’t funny, Peter,” She gritted her teeth. “I need
to have at least one clue to start from. What about this mug? And don’t say
it’s the holy grail.”
    I stopped