Freedom raised a beer bottle to his mouth and winked at Darcy.
Stunned, she shouted, "What is happening?!?"
Freedom guzzled down the drink and tossed the bottle into the pile of beer bottles beside him. He had accumulated so many that the pile resembled a glass mountain of sorts. Darcy looked around to see if anyone else was witness to this insanity.
"It was just a, just a f-f-few drinks.. Darcy, honest-st-ly.." He slurred as beer drizzled out of his mouth and onto his fur.
Darcy's jaw dropped wide open. She tried to process this insanity. She stared at him with eyes agape from shock. He nuzzled her with his wet snout. Disgusted, she pushed him away.
"Aww, d-d-don't be like tha-at, D-Darce," Freedom moaned.
Darcy shot back, "YOU ARE A DOG! YOU'RE SPEAKING... AND YOU'RE DRINKING ALCOHOL??"
"D-Darce, I was just as s-s-surpri-ised as you."
Darcy took an enormous breath. She closed her eyes.
I must be dreaming, she thought. This will all be over once I'm awake. But wait, didn't I already wake up? My mind must be tricking me.
She opened her eyes. Freedom was lying there in a drunken heap. He had fallen asleep. Darcy shook her head in disbelief and walked away.
"Where is everybody?" She asked herself.
Darcy searched all over the house and couldn't find anyone. She decided to look outdoors. As soon as she swung the front door open, she spotted her sister Jolene. There was a crowd of kids gathered around and Jolene was standing in the center talking to them.
"As if things weren't already weird enough," sighed Darcy.
She started to make her way through the crowd, but then everyone turned and fixed their eyes on her. It was such a sudden and robotic movement that it startled her. Darcy stopped and peered back at all the eyes fixated upon her.
She yelled out, "Hey! Snap out of it! I need to talk to my sister, that's all. Jolene! Jolene!"
Jolene locked eyes with her sister. She raised her hand and the crowd made a path for Darcy. She motioned for Darcy to come see her.
"Well, okay then, thank you robots," said Darcy as she stepped along the path created by her sister's strange audience.
The emotionless eyes of the crowd stayed glued on Darcy the entire time. A sly smile crept across Jolene's lips. Darcy stopped in front of her younger sibling and began to tremble from all the weirdness.
"OMG, you're not shaking, are you?" snickered Jolene.
"Jolene, this isn't funny. What is going on? Who are all these kids?"
"Darcy, this is beyond hilarious. If you could only see the look on your face right now!"
Darcy groaned, "C'mon Jo, I don't have time for this. Where is mom?"
"Do not call me Jo! In fact, you are only to address me as 'Your Highness' from this moment forward," she demanded.
Darcy's face lit up with laughter, "Okay, now I know I'm dreaming. What a nightmare. I'm outta here."
"Stop your giggling. How dare you laugh at me!"
Darcy ignored her and turned to leave. The crowd moved to block her exit. The pathway was gone.
"What is wrong with you people??" screamed Darcy.
Jolene grabbed her arm and whipped her around.
"Ouch! That hurt, Jo!"
"Shut up and apologize to me right now. Nobody laughs at me. I am Queen Jolene! You will respect me!"
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Can I go now?"
"That is not a real apology. I would prefer it if you wrote me a letter of apology," answered Jolene.
Darcy blinked, "Say what now?"
"You will be detained until you write the letter of apology that I demand of you. Guards!"
"Guards? Wait, Jo, please tell me what's going on!" pleaded Darcy.
Jolene responded by vanishing into thin air. She disappeared right before everyone's eyes. A look of absolute horror washed over Darcy.
"Wake up, Darcy! Wake up!" She screamed out loud to herself.
Suddenly, two big soldiers decked out in medieval chainmail grasped Darcy by her arms. She tried pinching herself again and again but nothing was working. The guards carried her away. She flailed around furiously but it was to no avail. She could not escape. They only tightened their grip.
"Where are you taking me? If you think I'm writing my little sister a letter of apology, think again! This is ludicrous!"
Then they reached the silver aluminum garden shed in the backyard.
"Oh good, maybe Mom is here. Some early morning gardening?" Darcy shrugged.
"No such luck," the guard on her left blurted out, revealing the stench of onion chowder on his breath.
With that comment, Darcy's final shred of optimism disintegrated. She began to feel a growing gloom wrap around her like ivy on a brick wall. Then the guards yanked the shed doors open and threw her inside. SLAM! The doors were shut as quickly as they were opened.
Darcy rubbed her eyes as she adjusted to the darkness. She stood back up and moved her hands toward the doors. She kicked over a pail and stepped on a fallen rake in the process. She reached the doors and tried to open them. They wouldn't budge. She was locked inside. She banged on the doors with her fists.
"LET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE! IS ANYONE THERE?? LET ME OUT!!" she cried out.
"Nobody can hear you. It's no use, child," emerged an old, smoky voice from the depths of the shed.
Darcy did an about face and spied into the darkness behind her. Everything soon came into focus. A dash of delight struck her soul. She grinned at the sight of an old pal.
"So you've been captured, too?" Darcy gleefully chirped.
ns 172.69.58.119da2