The Gift 9

Have you ever lost a love? A feathered love with webbed feet and frizzy yellow feathers?



Then you'd probably want to check in with the Rubber Chicken, who continued to search for the fowl of his dreams yesterday.

And if you want to see what happens when the Blond Duck goes out in the sun, go here.

The Babies say thank you for all the fond birthday wishes.

And now, for the Gift.

You read the previous one, right?

Of course you did.

You may proceed.

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Rouge smiled over a tray of the most luscious desserts Ashley had ever seen.

"Oh my God!" she cried, grabbing for a plate of mini-cheesecakes all the time. "If you serve these every night, I'm going to be as big as a house!"

"It's just for Ladies' Night," Rouge replied with a grin. "I know how girls like their sweets." He picked up a chocolate brownie drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce. "Where's Samantha?" he asked, looking up and down the bar. "I got this just for her."

"I don't know," Ashley said, her forehead wrinkling. "She was right here."

"I didn't see her leave," Cleo said, her eyes wide. "She always tells us if she goes somewhere."

A bitter cackle burst from the other end of the bar. Jeremy swung around on his stood, swaying as he sipped from a thick glass mug. "She disappeared," he cried, leering at the girls. "Into thin air! Poof!" Ashley and Cleo stared at him as he roared with laughter.

"She must have gone to the bathroom," Rouge said, setting the brownie down at her place at the bar.

"Oh no," Jeremy called, shaking his head. "She vanished. Poof! All gone!" He giggled, then slurped down more beer.

"Cut him off," Rouge muttered to the bartender. The bartender nodded and tried to jerk the mug from Jeremy's hand. Jeremy howled and clutched it to his chest.

"What do you mean, she disappeared?" Ashley asked.

Snarling at the bartender trying to swipe his beer, Jeremy pushed off the bar. Teetering on one left of the stool, he smiled triumphantly and took a drink.

"One of the waiters gave her a bright blue drink," he informed Ashley with all the condensation a drunk can. "She took one sip and poof! Gone in a flash!"

"What waiter?" Rouge demanded.

"The one with black hair in all black," Jeremy replied. "He's gone too."

Rouge shook his head. "My waiters don't wear all black. And none of them have black hair like that. Plus, we don't have electric blue drinks. It's an Irish pub, not a dance club."

"Poof!" Jeremy laughed, unaware that the leg of of the bar stool was creaking alarmingly.

"Oh my God!" Ashley cried, grabbing Cleo's arm. "The necklace! How could we have been so stupid?"

"What necklace?" Rouge asked.

"Do you have it?" Cleo asked Ashley.

"No," Ashley growled. "Samantha has it in her purse."

"What necklace?" Rouge repeated.

"The necklace of love," Jeremy howled, flinging his arm out dramatically. The stool slammed into the ground and Jeremy fell on his back, the beer splashing out onto his chest and pooling around his neck. He leaned his head to the side and tried to lap it up as the beer dripped onto the bar floor.



Ashley grabbed a bar napkin and sketched out the design. "It looked like this," she said, shoving it towards Rouge. "But it was made out of diamonds and blue topaz stones." She told Rouge the story of the mysterious box with the note that said "Love, Me."

"And every note said, "Until Sunset," she said. "That's why we thought it was you. When we saw that the charm was Celtic and you had opened up the pub, we were sure it was you."

Rouge shook his head, his face grim. "This isn't good," he said. "Was she wearing the necklace?"

"I don't think so," Ashley replied. "Why?"

"If she wears it, she'll be bound to whoever gave her the gift," Rouge replied darkly. He leaned forward over the bar. On Samantha's seat was a tiny blue topaz pendant of a flower, much like the flower she had been given before.

And from across the bar, Jeremy began to laugh. His bitter laughter washed over them, sending shivers down their spine.



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Samantha stirred. Her skin was damp and cold and her hair felt heavy against her face. Pulling herself up, she grimaced and brushed mossy twigs and leaves from her arms and hands. After she had picked dirt and leaves from her hair, she climbed to her feet.

Wrapping her arms around her body, she cursed. Of course. The one time she got drugged and dumped in the woods, it'd have to be in a short sweater dress that barely covered her butt and stiletto boots. She was going to kill Ashley.


"Hello?" she called. Glancing around, she shivered. She had never seen woods like this before. The trees stretched toward the sky with thick trunks covered in a bark that was so lush it looked like fur. Snarled greenery covered every inch of the ground that wasn't covered in dense green moss. A fine white mist rolled across her feet, the bitter cold making her skin prick.

She spotted a grey walk and stepped carefully over to it, avoiding small stones and small creatures under those stones. She knew enough about nature that she didn't want to run into anything with teeth or scales.

Placed on the rock was a small box wrapped in brown paper. Picking it up, Samantha read the note attached.

"I am pleased you have taken the trouble to join me, love. Are you wearing the necklace to think of me? But no path is easy, and yours is certainly difficult. I hope this makes things easier. Until sunset. Love, Me."

"As soon as I meet "Me," I'm going to throttle him," Samantha snarled. She sighed. Looking around at her empty surroundings, she sighed.

Then she opened the package.

To be continued....

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have the introduction of a new addition to the Pond and Wednesday, a new Twirl! Then we have a treasured family recipe and more adventures with the Rubber Duck and Fuzzy Chicken! Stay tuned!