Some Halloween fun from everyone's favorite family - the Addams
Title: House Call
Genre: Addams Family
Rating:-PG
Word Count: 1552
Guest Monster: The Plague Doctor
Inspiration images:
My thanks to Stacy for another fabulous Spook Me Challenge! Also my thanks to nursesparky for her beta help
Wednesday Addams was not a complicated child. Give her a reason for pain and suffering and she was happy-ish. She worked long and hard to not allow any real emotion to cross her face. It was the best way to keep your enemies off balanced and guessing. And Wednesday Addams was all about keeping people guessing.
That was probably her first hint to her parents that something was wrong. She’d come home, sullen and angry after a fight with the school debutante. Patty Fensterwald thought she could have any boy she wanted. Wednesday didn’t care, for the most part, but when Patty set her sights for Lucius, that was a different story. Yet, nothing she could say seemed to reach Lucius. He was under Patty’s spell.
She stormed in and went straight to her room. She flung herself on the bed and sniffled. She never cried. Curling up with her favorite doll, Wednesday folded in on herself.
“Wednesday, are you all right in there?” Her father’s voice, muffled by the closed door, sounded concerned and Wednesday relented enough to throw a book against the wall.
“Yes, Father,” she whined and snuggled down into her bedclothes. She held Marie Antoinette close and felt herself drifting away.
She woke in a field of beautiful flowers that nodded and danced in a gentle breeze. Wednesday lifted her face to the sun and let its warmth caress her. Then, without meaning to, she smiled and sighed happily. It was all so lovely!
She began to twirl until, dizzy, she fell to the ground. There was a noise and abruptly she was covered with a half dozen fuzzy puppies, happily yipping and licking her face. Then, without meaning to, she laughed and hugged them close.
Wednesday got to her feet and ran, something she rarely did normally. The puppies followed and bounced alongside her. Wednesday’s heart felt as if it were bursting, and not in the usual way. Then, without meaning to, she started to sing.
Something shook her shoulder and she looked back. There was no one except a bird with a brilliant red breast. It cocked its head at her.
“Hello,” she said to it.
“Wednesday, wake up,” it said back.
“But why? I am having so much fun.”
“You must.”
“I don’t want to. I want to stay here with my friends.”
“Oh, Gomez!” The bird sounded frighteningly like her mother. That was the trigger and Wednesday opened her eyes. Her family was gathered around her bed.
“Hello, Mother,” Wednesday said, a content smile on her lips. “I was having the best dream.”
“You were singing.” Grandmamma said, wringing her hands.
“Yes, I was having fun with my new friends.”
“Fr… friends?” Pugsley paled at that. “You have… friends?”
“Oh, Pugsley, you would have loved them. Puppies, all these puppies and they were so warm and furry.” Wednesday hugged herself and smiled at the memory. “And the flowers were so beautiful and the sun…” She stopped then and stroked her mother’s glossy black hair. “I should have picked some for you, Mother. You could have woven them into a necklace.”
“Gomez, I’m frightened!” She clung desperately to her husband.
“Don’t panic, quierda.” Gomez’s voice was panicked enough for them both. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“No, this is how it started for my sister, Ophelia. You remember Ophelia?”
“Remember her? I nearly married her.” Gomes shuddered at the thought. “If you hadn’t started speaking French at that moment, I would have been…
“Un canard mort?”
Gomez’s eyes glazed. “Tish, that’s French.” It was his turn to cling to his wife.
“Gomez, Wednesday first, une nuit de passion later.”
“Right!” Gomez took a deep breath. “So, what do we do?”
“Call the doctor!” Fester yelled loud enough to make everyone cringe. Wednesday used the distraction to slip from her bed and quickly leave.
“The Doctor?” Grandmamma smiled and sighed in memory. “His last regeneration was so wonderful.”
“Not him. I meant, Dr. Blackstone.”
“No!” Morticia stared at her brother-in-law in awe.
“Yes!” Fester was triumphant.
“Is he even still practicing?” Gomez retrieved a lit cigarillo from his jacket pocket.
“Guess we will find out.”
“Where’s Wednesday?”
“She’s gone!”
“She mustn’t leave the house.” They hurried from her room and split in several different directions.
Pugsley, stretching and scratching himself, stood in the open doorway of his bedroom. “What’s going on?”
“Quickly, Pugsley, we have to find Wednesday.”
“Why?” He yawned again.
“She’s not herself today.”
“That would explain it.”
“Explain what?”
“Her skipping.”
Morticia raised the back of her hand to her forehead and started to swoon, but Lurch was there to catch her. Gomez was immediately at her side, slapping her cheeks. ”Quierda, wake up.” To his brother, he said. “Make the call, Fester. We can only pray we’re not too late.”
Wednesday stood before the mirror and admired her hair. She looked so much better as a redhead than she did a blonde. She’d wanted to try a couple other colors, but her poor hair just didn’t have the stamina for it.
The green dress she’d picked out was stunning against the red hair. She smiled at her reflection, something she’d practiced for nearly an hour before she was satisfied with it. Her cheeks ached from the effort, but it was worth it. Patty Fensterwald didn’t stand a chance against her now. Lucius was as good as hers.
Gomez paced anxiously in the sitting room, which was a bit ironic if he thought about it.
“When will he get here?”
“It’s a long journey.” Morticia tried to distract herself by clipping the blooms of her vaseful of roses.
“True, but he has connections. Serious connections.”
A loud pounding on the front door interrupted him and Gomez spun, hopeful. A moment later Lurch appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Dr. Blackstone.” He reached for the man’s hat, but the figure glared at him and Lurch fell back.
The figure was engulfed in a heavy black cloak. He pushed it back from his shoulders and Lurch managed to catch it before it hit the floor. For a large man, he was very dexterous when necessary. It was then that the figure was revealed as a Plague Doctor, hidden from view by dark clothes and a mask. He carried a quiver on his back and used a ruby-tipped staff to ease his way down the stairs into the room.
“Dr. Blackstone, so glad you could make it.” The doctor stared at him from behind the bird-like mask or Gomez suspected he did. It was hard to tell honestly. “Our daughter is displaying terrible symptoms.”
“Such assss?” The voice was a muffled hiss.
“She’s… oh, the shame.” Gomez’s voice caught.
“Cheerful,” Morticia said. The price she paid was obvious. “She wants to run through fields with puppies and collect flowers.”
“To make a potion?”
“To wear.”
Even the Plague Doctor took a step back. “Where issss ssshheee?”
“The laboratory.”
“A good sign.”
“Not really…” Fester led Wednesday into the room.
“Hello, Mother! Hello, Father!” She ran to hug them each in turn, then laughed and twirled. “What do you think of the new me?”
Dr. Blackstone fell back a step and reached into his pouch. He pulled out of vial of bright green liquid, then pointed. “Leave ussss!”
He didn’t have to say it twice. Gomez and Morticia surrendered their daughter to him in a heartbeat. They retreated to the kitchen and huddled about the table with Grandmamma.
After seemingly endless cups of fetid swamp water tea, Lurch appeared. “Follow me, please.”
Morticia and Gomez embraced each other. “Remember, no matter what, she is still our little girl,” Gomez murmured.
They entered the sitting room and Wednesday was sitting in a chair, happily coloring something.
“Where’s… where’s the doctor?”
“Oh, he left.” Wednesday smiled. “He said I was a lost cause.”
“Oh, no… Gomez… what are we going to do?”
He swallowed and took a deep breath. “The best we can, quierda.”
There was a knock at the door and Wednesday looked up, beaming in anticipation. “Oh, good, there’s Lucius.”
She raced out of the room and ran up to the front door. “Hi, Lucius.”
The boy looked confused. “Um, hi, is Wednesday here?”
“I’m Wednesday, silly.” She twirled. “Do you like the new me?
“No, what happened to the old Wednesday?” He looked very dismayed.
“I thought you would have liked me like this. More like Patty Fensterwald.”
“Who? You mean that ribbons and curls thing? I want a real person. I want Wednesday.”
“Can you wait just a minute?” She darted a worried look over her shoulder. “Mother, could you come with me?”
“I’ll entertain the young gentleman, shall I?” Gomez smiled broadly. “Have you ever fenced?”
Morticia lay uncomfortably in her husband’s arms. For his part, he didn’t look very comfortable either. Racks will do that to a person.
“Are you unhappy, dear?”
“Miserable.” He kissed her neck. “At least our little Wednesday is back. I just wish Lucius had arrived before the doctor. I don’t want to think of what his bill is going to be like.”
“What matters is our family are safe and whole again, mon cher.”
“Tish, that’s French.” His eyes grew wild.
“Oui, mon petit bête noir.”
And all was once again well in the House of Addams.
Genre: Addams Family
Rating:-PG
Word Count: 1552
Guest Monster: The Plague Doctor
Inspiration images:
My thanks to Stacy for another fabulous Spook Me Challenge! Also my thanks to nursesparky for her beta help
Wednesday Addams was not a complicated child. Give her a reason for pain and suffering and she was happy-ish. She worked long and hard to not allow any real emotion to cross her face. It was the best way to keep your enemies off balanced and guessing. And Wednesday Addams was all about keeping people guessing.
That was probably her first hint to her parents that something was wrong. She’d come home, sullen and angry after a fight with the school debutante. Patty Fensterwald thought she could have any boy she wanted. Wednesday didn’t care, for the most part, but when Patty set her sights for Lucius, that was a different story. Yet, nothing she could say seemed to reach Lucius. He was under Patty’s spell.
She stormed in and went straight to her room. She flung herself on the bed and sniffled. She never cried. Curling up with her favorite doll, Wednesday folded in on herself.
“Wednesday, are you all right in there?” Her father’s voice, muffled by the closed door, sounded concerned and Wednesday relented enough to throw a book against the wall.
“Yes, Father,” she whined and snuggled down into her bedclothes. She held Marie Antoinette close and felt herself drifting away.
She woke in a field of beautiful flowers that nodded and danced in a gentle breeze. Wednesday lifted her face to the sun and let its warmth caress her. Then, without meaning to, she smiled and sighed happily. It was all so lovely!
She began to twirl until, dizzy, she fell to the ground. There was a noise and abruptly she was covered with a half dozen fuzzy puppies, happily yipping and licking her face. Then, without meaning to, she laughed and hugged them close.
Wednesday got to her feet and ran, something she rarely did normally. The puppies followed and bounced alongside her. Wednesday’s heart felt as if it were bursting, and not in the usual way. Then, without meaning to, she started to sing.
Something shook her shoulder and she looked back. There was no one except a bird with a brilliant red breast. It cocked its head at her.
“Hello,” she said to it.
“Wednesday, wake up,” it said back.
“But why? I am having so much fun.”
“You must.”
“I don’t want to. I want to stay here with my friends.”
“Oh, Gomez!” The bird sounded frighteningly like her mother. That was the trigger and Wednesday opened her eyes. Her family was gathered around her bed.
“Hello, Mother,” Wednesday said, a content smile on her lips. “I was having the best dream.”
“You were singing.” Grandmamma said, wringing her hands.
“Yes, I was having fun with my new friends.”
“Fr… friends?” Pugsley paled at that. “You have… friends?”
“Oh, Pugsley, you would have loved them. Puppies, all these puppies and they were so warm and furry.” Wednesday hugged herself and smiled at the memory. “And the flowers were so beautiful and the sun…” She stopped then and stroked her mother’s glossy black hair. “I should have picked some for you, Mother. You could have woven them into a necklace.”
“Gomez, I’m frightened!” She clung desperately to her husband.
“Don’t panic, quierda.” Gomez’s voice was panicked enough for them both. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“No, this is how it started for my sister, Ophelia. You remember Ophelia?”
“Remember her? I nearly married her.” Gomes shuddered at the thought. “If you hadn’t started speaking French at that moment, I would have been…
“Un canard mort?”
Gomez’s eyes glazed. “Tish, that’s French.” It was his turn to cling to his wife.
“Gomez, Wednesday first, une nuit de passion later.”
“Right!” Gomez took a deep breath. “So, what do we do?”
“Call the doctor!” Fester yelled loud enough to make everyone cringe. Wednesday used the distraction to slip from her bed and quickly leave.
“The Doctor?” Grandmamma smiled and sighed in memory. “His last regeneration was so wonderful.”
“Not him. I meant, Dr. Blackstone.”
“No!” Morticia stared at her brother-in-law in awe.
“Yes!” Fester was triumphant.
“Is he even still practicing?” Gomez retrieved a lit cigarillo from his jacket pocket.
“Guess we will find out.”
“Where’s Wednesday?”
“She’s gone!”
“She mustn’t leave the house.” They hurried from her room and split in several different directions.
Pugsley, stretching and scratching himself, stood in the open doorway of his bedroom. “What’s going on?”
“Quickly, Pugsley, we have to find Wednesday.”
“Why?” He yawned again.
“She’s not herself today.”
“That would explain it.”
“Explain what?”
“Her skipping.”
Morticia raised the back of her hand to her forehead and started to swoon, but Lurch was there to catch her. Gomez was immediately at her side, slapping her cheeks. ”Quierda, wake up.” To his brother, he said. “Make the call, Fester. We can only pray we’re not too late.”
Wednesday stood before the mirror and admired her hair. She looked so much better as a redhead than she did a blonde. She’d wanted to try a couple other colors, but her poor hair just didn’t have the stamina for it.
The green dress she’d picked out was stunning against the red hair. She smiled at her reflection, something she’d practiced for nearly an hour before she was satisfied with it. Her cheeks ached from the effort, but it was worth it. Patty Fensterwald didn’t stand a chance against her now. Lucius was as good as hers.
Gomez paced anxiously in the sitting room, which was a bit ironic if he thought about it.
“When will he get here?”
“It’s a long journey.” Morticia tried to distract herself by clipping the blooms of her vaseful of roses.
“True, but he has connections. Serious connections.”
A loud pounding on the front door interrupted him and Gomez spun, hopeful. A moment later Lurch appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Dr. Blackstone.” He reached for the man’s hat, but the figure glared at him and Lurch fell back.
The figure was engulfed in a heavy black cloak. He pushed it back from his shoulders and Lurch managed to catch it before it hit the floor. For a large man, he was very dexterous when necessary. It was then that the figure was revealed as a Plague Doctor, hidden from view by dark clothes and a mask. He carried a quiver on his back and used a ruby-tipped staff to ease his way down the stairs into the room.
“Dr. Blackstone, so glad you could make it.” The doctor stared at him from behind the bird-like mask or Gomez suspected he did. It was hard to tell honestly. “Our daughter is displaying terrible symptoms.”
“Such assss?” The voice was a muffled hiss.
“She’s… oh, the shame.” Gomez’s voice caught.
“Cheerful,” Morticia said. The price she paid was obvious. “She wants to run through fields with puppies and collect flowers.”
“To make a potion?”
“To wear.”
Even the Plague Doctor took a step back. “Where issss ssshheee?”
“The laboratory.”
“A good sign.”
“Not really…” Fester led Wednesday into the room.
“Hello, Mother! Hello, Father!” She ran to hug them each in turn, then laughed and twirled. “What do you think of the new me?”
Dr. Blackstone fell back a step and reached into his pouch. He pulled out of vial of bright green liquid, then pointed. “Leave ussss!”
He didn’t have to say it twice. Gomez and Morticia surrendered their daughter to him in a heartbeat. They retreated to the kitchen and huddled about the table with Grandmamma.
After seemingly endless cups of fetid swamp water tea, Lurch appeared. “Follow me, please.”
Morticia and Gomez embraced each other. “Remember, no matter what, she is still our little girl,” Gomez murmured.
They entered the sitting room and Wednesday was sitting in a chair, happily coloring something.
“Where’s… where’s the doctor?”
“Oh, he left.” Wednesday smiled. “He said I was a lost cause.”
“Oh, no… Gomez… what are we going to do?”
He swallowed and took a deep breath. “The best we can, quierda.”
There was a knock at the door and Wednesday looked up, beaming in anticipation. “Oh, good, there’s Lucius.”
She raced out of the room and ran up to the front door. “Hi, Lucius.”
The boy looked confused. “Um, hi, is Wednesday here?”
“I’m Wednesday, silly.” She twirled. “Do you like the new me?
“No, what happened to the old Wednesday?” He looked very dismayed.
“I thought you would have liked me like this. More like Patty Fensterwald.”
“Who? You mean that ribbons and curls thing? I want a real person. I want Wednesday.”
“Can you wait just a minute?” She darted a worried look over her shoulder. “Mother, could you come with me?”
“I’ll entertain the young gentleman, shall I?” Gomez smiled broadly. “Have you ever fenced?”
Morticia lay uncomfortably in her husband’s arms. For his part, he didn’t look very comfortable either. Racks will do that to a person.
“Are you unhappy, dear?”
“Miserable.” He kissed her neck. “At least our little Wednesday is back. I just wish Lucius had arrived before the doctor. I don’t want to think of what his bill is going to be like.”
“What matters is our family are safe and whole again, mon cher.”
“Tish, that’s French.” His eyes grew wild.
“Oui, mon petit bête noir.”
And all was once again well in the House of Addams.