CASTLE IN THE SKY

CASTLE IN THE SKY

The castle in the sky,
Oh my, oh my, oh my.
I so want to be there
And let down my long hair.
Water flowing by my feet.
Such a miraculous feat.
A violin waiting at my feet.
But I only want to go to sleep.
I must go on for now.
I just do not know how.
The waves look too strong,
But I could be wrong.
The water is parting for me.
I will walk through the raging sea.
The castle in the sky.
Oh my, oh my.

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 125

     

The party at Diane's house was underway. Linda was in awe of the glass ball of a house with its sparkling glass interior. The whole evening felt unreal, as if she was having a dream.

     Couples were swirling around the immense dance floor. They were actually dancing in a large studio between Diane’s life-sized statues. Each sculpture was carved from clear glass: each one revealing a full-sized person. Linda found them to be too lifelike. She stood next to one and stared into it frozen face. She was startled by a fleeting expression of horror that seemed to cross over its features—as if a real person was trapped inside, staring out at her from within his glass tomb. Then the look was gone and the statue appeared lifeless once again.

     Her morbid thoughts made her shiver, prompting Todd to grasp her even tighter against his body. She smiled up at him and wondered how she could have been afraid of him. She was slowly brought back to reality by the quick tapping of someone’s high heels, approaching them.

     A beautiful blonde woman with huge green eyes, wearing a diaphanous white dress, came over to greet them. “Hi! Welcome to my party! I am Diane, your hostess,” she said as she glided over to greet them.

     Linda admired the tall blonde’s ageless beauty, while Todd made the introductions. Diane responded that she was thrilled that they’d come to her party, and then floated off to welcome other people who were arriving.

     Linda gazed around the exquisite room, immediately recognizing two familiar faces: Minnie and Frank, who appeared to be almost floating across the dance floor. Frank was formal in his tuxedo, while Minnie was cute and perky in her short white baby-doll dress. As soon as they spotted Linda’s group, they danced over. Over the loud music, Minnie explained that they’d gotten a babysitter for this evening.

     All of a sudden Minnie lost her happy glow, appearing both nervous and unhappy. She mouthed to Linda that they’d never missed one of Diane’s parties—no matter what. Frank, who was monitoring their hushed conversation, abruptly took Minnie’s arm and led her back to the dance floor.

     Linda knew that there had to be some hidden meaning behind Minnie’s whispered words. She was beginning to believe that everyone in town had their own little secrets. She wasn’t so sure anymore whether she wanted to unbury all of them: Who knew what would come up when these unearthed secrets were finally brought to light?

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 123

 Linda and her friend were on their way to the party at Diane's house. They didn't know what to expect. They didn't expect the armed security and the lit up property.

     The drive up the hill was slow: they had to follow a long line of cars and limousines making their way up the narrow country road. At the tall metal gates encircling Diane’s property, each car had to be checked by the guards on duty. Linda caught a glimpse of Diane’s glass house in the distance. It was lit up with bright lights sparkling throughout her property. The lights extended far into the distance, weaving through the many trees and bushes.

     At the front gate, uniformed men were inspecting everyone’s invitations. At Todd’s car, Shirley handed the officer her invitation.

     “It says here that the invitation is for only one person. Who are these other people?” asked the officer, looking into the carload of people.

     “These are my guests. Diane told me that I could bring guests,” Shirley replied.

    “I must verify this with the gate house. Please wait here,” ordered the officer before returning to the large gate house.

      All the officers were huge and muscular and looked to be very professional. The security seemed more appropriate for an important political event than for a plain dinner party. Linda didn’t like the look of things, and they hadn’t even entered the property yet.

      Todd jumped out of his car to speak with the officers on duty at the gate house. After some hushed conversation he returned to the car, informing them that they were cleared to enter. The huge gates swung open for them and he drove up the gravel road between the two lines of tall trees with glistening lights hanging from their low branches.

     “Why did they stop us? Why are they checking everyone?” Linda asked.

      “The sheriff just wants to make sure that everyone is safe at the party,” said Todd.

      “These are not the sheriff’s men, but private officers,” said Mike.

     “I know,” responded Todd.

     The four of them in the back seat glanced at each other

with worried looks, but they all remained silent.