288 Certainly By Now

"I'm sure she must certainly be long dead by now."

"How long has it been, Meredith?" asked Liz.

"Oh, years. And she was pretty old back then, decrepit ol' coot."

"Remember," laughed Liz, "how she used to blame everyone else for everything?"

"Yeah," agreed Meredith. "I guess we can look back now and laugh."

"We weren't laughing then," Liz said.

"Hell, no," agreed Meredith. "Of course, we were little kids then. And she was the grown-up watching us."

"Watching us?" asked Liz. "That what you call it?"

"It was her job."

"Yeah," scoffed Liz. "Just a job. No love there, f'sure."

"And none lost," added Meredith. "The Brussels sprouts. God, I hated those. Tasted like soap."

"Maybe 'cause she washed them with soap?"

Meredeth laughed. "Right! She did that, didn't she!"

"What a horrible babysitter she was. And Mom and Dad—"

"Mom and Dad?" Meredith interrupted her sister, "Where were they when we complained about how she must have come from the Wicked Witch Babysitting Service?"

"Oh, I remember that," Liz said. "The Wicked Witch Baby-sitting Service. That was very funny."

"Thanks," said Meredith.

"You were always funny, Meredith."

"And you so serious," countered Liz.

"So," wondered Meredith, "why do you think Mom and Dad gave her a pass on how she acted?"

"Hmm..." Liz intoned, "was it really that bad? Don't all kids think babysitters are shits?"

"I suppose," answered Meredith. "But y'know, Liz, I've always found that as I make my way through this life, I have to make decisions based on the information available at the time."

"And that information, Meredith?"

"That Mom and Dad not only let her do those things, but encouraged her. We weren't easy, after all."

"Wow," Liz whispered. "Now that you mention it... And what decision did you make—on that information?"

"That horrible babysitters had to go."

"And Mom and Dad?"

"Them, too."

"Behind the masonry?" Liz asked.

"Sure. It always worked for the others."

"All those years now. I'm sure they all must be long dead by now," Liz said with a rap of her knuckles on the cement wall. "Knock on wood."

"That's not wood," Meredith pointed out. "Or they woulda been able to get out."

_____________

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

For Monday, October 14, Day 288 of the 2024 Story-a-Day Challenge

A Halloween story. 366 WORDS (without A/N)

78 DAYS TO GO! THIS CHALLENGE AGES ON, 366 MOTS A DAY.

There are currently three Vocal writers remaining in this triplicty of the 2024 Story-a-Day Challenge:

• L.C. Schäfer (Bricklayer)

• Rachel Deeming (Mason)

• Gerard DiLeo (Wall-floater)