Warped (Maurissa Guibord)

"Okay," she said with a puff of relief.
    Her father leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Night."
    "Night, Dad," mumbled Tessa. She hardly heard him walk out. She was staring at the red and white checkered dishcloth spread out on the kitchen counter.
    It was moving.
    The small towel wriggled as if it were covering a bed of snakes. As Tessa watched, the red and white threads of the cloth began to writhe and separate. They crossed, twisted and rearranged themselves with furious speed. Then they suddenly stopped and the dish towel lay flat once more. Tessa backed away with a little cry, staring at the pattern that had emerged. Stark white letters on a red background said:
    Give them back .

Chapter 16

Tessa clutched the tray of food in her trembling hands and walked upstairs. As she balanced the tray on her hip and levered the bedroom door open, she could hear Opal's voice:
    "U.S.A. The United States of America. Actually, we were part of England and then broke away in 1776. We had a war and everything. But we're cool now. You kind of missed the whole thing."
    Opal was sitting cross-legged on Tessa's bed while Will stood some feet away. They both looked up when she entered, and by their expressions, Tessa realized how she must look. Maybe as if she'd just seen the ghost of dish towels past.
    "What is it?" said Will sharply.
    Tessa only shook her head and put down the tray with a clatter. Half of the sandwich pile flopped over and a pickle rolled onto the floor. She couldn't speak but held her icy hands together, blew on them and turned to look at the tapestry. With its center of tangled black it wasn't beautiful anymore. The background was the same, with the forest and the distant castle, but the spot where the unicorn had stood seemed dark and full of secret dangers. She was afraid to look too closely at the shadowy threads but afraid to turn her back on them as well.
    "I just got a message," she said in a shaky voice. "In a dishcloth."
    Opal gaped at her. "Huh?"
    Will said nothing, but his face was watchful, wary.
    "It flopped around and remade itself right in front of me," Tessa went on. "The threads made letters. It said, 'Give them back.' Dish towels are not supposed to do that," she said, turning to Will. "Just in case you're wondering if it's some twenty-first-century thing. This is insane." She slumped onto the chair and put her face in her hands. "I'm babbling."
    "No," Opal said doubtfully. "Well, maybe a little. Babble-ish."
    "Where is this cloth?" Will asked.
    "In the kitchen. I didn't want to touch it," Tessa confessed. A shiver began low in her spine and she straightened, trying to make it stop. "I guess it's still down there."
    " 'Give them back'?" Will repeated. "What does it mean?" His glance swept to the tapestry and back to Tessa.
    The shiver started again and Tessa hugged her arms tight to her body. Why couldn't she warm up? "It means the tapestry, I guess," she answered. "And the book."
    Opal frowned. "Freaky. So you think it's a message from the witch that did the unicorn thing to Will. Right?"
    " What book?" demanded Will.
    Tessa nodded to Opal. "I guess so."
    "What book? " Will repeated, clipping off each word like an angry elocution teacher.
    "I'll show you." Tessa stood. "But you have to stay here." She hesitated at the door. Suddenly she couldn't bear the thought of going down to the kitchen again. Especially alone. "Opal, would you come with?"
    "Yeah. Right behind you," Opal said, grabbing a tennis racket that leaned against the wall.
    Tessa padded downstairs and flicked on the kitchen light. The dishcloth lay exactly where she had left it on the countertop. Except now it was normal. It was just a plain old red and white checkered towel.
    "The letters are gone," Tessa said slowly.
    Opal lowered the racket from a batter's stance and they stared at the towel for a moment.
    Opal shot Tessa a reassuring glance. "I believe you," she said.
    "Thanks," said Tessa. "I'm not sure I do." She took a deep breath, snatched up the dish towel, stepped on the pedal of the trash can and with a quick toss, threw the towel inside and let the lid slam down. She looked at Opal and both of them broke out in nervous giggles.
    "This isn't funny!" Tessa gasped.
    "I know, I know. Why are you laughing?" said Opal, and bit her lip.
    Tessa shook her head and sobered, tugging her fingers through her hair as she thought about what to do. She turned and looked at the book on the table. "C'mon," she said with a sigh.