Page 33 of Jacob Michaels is Not Crazy

Lucas was one step behind me as I slid across the threshold of the front door to Oma’s house. We had seen the footprints in the snow leading up to the house. The two of us had left the house through the back door to walk down to the lake, so unless Oma had left the house through the front door, only one person could have made the prints. When I burst through the front door, I nearly slipped and fell. Water spotted the floorboards beneath me, which made my head whip back and forth, looking for Oma and signs of an intruder at the same time. Lucas looked down and saw the water on the floor as well and started shouting for Oma.

“Mrs. Wagner!” Lucas bellowed from behind me.

I moved from the foyer and into the living room, frantically looking for younger me while I searched for Oma.

“Mrs. Wagner!” Lucas bellowed again.

The fireplace was still lit and keeping the living room comfy-cozy, the lights were still on, and everything seemed as we had left it before we went on our walk. My heart was racing and I was trying to catch my breath after trudging through the snow in the cold on our run back to the house.

“I’m in here!” Oma hollered from the kitchen.

Lucas and I glanced at each other, relieved to hear her. We both dashed into the kitchen like madmen.

“What are you two bellowing about?” She grumbled from her spot by the stove.

The tea kettle was on the stove and she was waiting for her water to come to a boil.

“Is someone here?” I asked quickly.

“Besides you two assholes?” She put her hands on her hips as she frowned at me. “Why?”

“Did you hear someone come in the front door?” Lucas asked quickly. “Before us, I mean.”

Oma frowned at us a moment longer, looking back and forth between the two of us before finally answering.

“Well, no.” She shrugged. “But I’ve been in here making my tea. What the hell is going on with you two idiots? Robbie, why do you look like you had a bucket of water dumped on ya’?”

“Long story,” I mumbled as I moved to the back door, checking to make sure it was locked.

Oma watched me for a moment, then turned to Lucas, searching for answers to what was wrong with the two of us.

“You two are acting like you’re drunk,” She snorted. “What’s going on with you two?”

“Rob jumped in the lake to—”

“You jumped in the lake?!” Oma bellowed. “It’s a degree shy of icing over ya’ fucking idiot!”

“Someone fell in,” I said, then gave a quick shiver, realizing I was probably going to catch pneumonia if I didn’t warm up quick.

“Well, where the hell are they?” Oma was wide-eyed.

Lucas and I looked at each other.

“Well?” Oma demanded.

“We don’t know.” Lucas sighed.

“I pulled them out of the lake and then they got up and ran into the woods.” I shivered again. “We thought they might be headed this way.”

Oma rolled her eyes.

“That has got to be the dumbest goddamn story I’ve ever heard.” She waggled her head. “If ya’ fell in the lake, ya’ fell in the lake. You ain’t gotta make up some cock-and-bull story about it.”

“I’m not—”

“Lucas,” Oma stopped me, “run upstairs and get this idiot some fresh clothes. Something warm. And get a damn blanket for him.”

“Mrs. Wagner, I—”