A Wolf in the Basement

u wClf in Du bAsmunt

by Neil Stewart

 

 

  it woz A lAt fxl dA wen tU verE yuN bQz,horvE wilsun and robct smiT, wc wxkiN dqn Du strEt. horvE lCkt at Du apul trEz in mistc brqn'z sId yord. "I wiS I had an apul tU Et rIt nq." "

  robct kikt A stOn. "yU wOnt fInd an apul on A trE nq. DA hav xl bin pikt."

  DA wc just pasiN mistc brqn'z hqs wen horvE sed, "I bet yU Dat mistc brqn haz sum apulz stxrd in hiz bAsmunt. hE iz A verE nIs pcsun and wCdunt mInd us tAkiN tU."

  robct lCkt scprIzd. "Evin if hE didunt mInd, it wCd bE stEliN tU tAk Dem."

  horvE slOd dqn and rubd hiz Kin. "wel wE kCd Kek fcst, and Den if Der or sum, wE kan nok on Du frunt dxr and ask if wE kCd hav tU."

  sO Du tU bQz went dqn Du qtsId sterz tU Du bAsmunt and lCkt urqnd. DA did not nO wer Du lIt swiK woz and Der Iz wc not ujustud tU Du dork bAsmunt.

  A skerE sqnd woz hcd frum bihInd Du fcnus. "gc, gc" lIk Du sqnd uv A TretuniN anumul. yes, it SCr sqndud lIk A wClf! not Dat Du tU bQz had evc hcd A wClf bEfOr.

  "Der iz A wClf bihInd Du fcnus!" yeld horvE.

  robct panikt and ran tU Du dxr Dat DA had kum TrU. Du dxr woz klOzd and robct kCd not get it Opun bikxz hE kCd not sE Du laK in Du dim lIt. horvE woz skerd tU but woz scprIzd wen robct stortud tU pqnd on Du dxr, Den krI and Sqt tU bE let qt. horvE did not lIk wClvz, but at Du sAm tIm hE did not wont mistc brqn tU nO Dat DA wc dqn in Du bAsmunt!

  fInulE Du dxr OpUnd and mistc brqn'z sun, pxl, woz standiN Der smIliN. "wut or yU and horvE dUiN dqn hir?"

  horvE woz imberust and woz at A lxs fxr wcdz, but robct spOk up and sed, "wE wc wundciN if yU had enE apulz and kCd wE EK hav wun?"

  pxl woz Oldc Dan horvE and robct but DA xl got ulxN tugeDc. pxl riplId, "Im sorE I kant help yU qt but wE dOnt hav enE apulz." aftc KatiN A litul lxNgc Du tU bQz left and pxl wAvd Dem of.

  lAtc Dat nIt, horvE woz in bed trIiN tU mAk sens uv wut had happend Dat dA. hE nU Dat DA had got of EzE and hE wCd not trI enETiN lIk Dat ugen. xlsO, Dat kCd not hav bin A wClf in Du bAsmunt. wut woz it? woz Du nQz kumiN frum bihInd Du fcnus? nO. it sqndud lIk it woz kumiN frum insId it. That's it! mistc brqn haz hot er hEt! mistc brqn must hav sEn Dem frum Du dIniN rUm windO wiK lCks qt Ovc Du qtsId bAsmunt sterz. horvE figycd Dat mistc brqn must hav wAtud uwIl Den bent dqn and grqld intU Du hot er vent Dat woz on Du flxr in Du dIniN rUm. Du sqnd travuld TrU Du hot er dukt and dqn intU Du fcnus. mistc brqn woz nOn tU dU praNks sO hE kCd Evin had pxl gO dqn and hOld Du dxr Sut fxr A fyU sekundz. satusfId, horvE fel of tU slEp.

  ubqt A wEk lAtc, horvE woz vizutiN hiz kuzun jef. DA wc sitiN in Du liviN rUm txkiN wen horvE nOtust A hot er vent on Du flxr nir jef. hE rimembcd wut mistc brqn had dun. horvE bigan tU TiNk. if wun kCd txk intU A vent and Du vQs karEd dqn tU Du fcnus, kCdunt vQs sqnd kuntinyU bI gOiN up unuDc hot er dukt and kum qt unuDc vent?

  "hA, jef, dOnt yU hav A hot er vent in yxr bedrUm?" askt horvE.

 "yes I dU. wut ubqt it?" riplId jef.

  horvE went Ovc tU Du liviN rUm vent. "gO upsterz and pCt yxr ir tU Du vent and lisun. I am gOiN tU txk intU Dis vent and yU SCd hir mI vQs in Du wun upsterz and yU SCd bE Abul tU txk bak tU mE."

  jef went upsterz and lisund at Du vent and hcd horvE'z ekOiN vQs sAiN Ovc and Ovc, "hulO, hulO, or yU Der?"

  "yes, I hir yU horvE. yxr vQs iz klir but it haz A holO ekO sqnd tU it.

  just Den jef's muDc kxld frum hc bedrUm, "I am bizE fOldiN klODz and I fcgot tU tcn on Du tE ketul. jef, wil yU plEz gO dqn sterz and tcn it on fxr mE?"

  jef rAzd hiz hed frum Du vent and yeld, "OkA mom". hE Den txkt tU horvE TrU Du vent. "hA horvE, wCd yU plEz gO tU Du kiKun and tcn on Du tE ketul?"

  "OkA," kAm Du riplI.

  wen horvE kAm bak Du bQz Katud on. jef's muDc'z vQs sqndud mxr dimandiN, "jef! I tOld yU fIv minuts ugO tU tcn on Du ketul!"

 "but Du ketul iz on! I had horvE dU it."

  "O, I didunt nO Dat horvE woz wiD yU."

  "horvE iz not hir. hE haz bin dqn sterz."

  "I didunt hir yU yel dqn sterz!"

  "I didunt."

  "O."

  jef's muDc mumbuld tU hcself, "I am not gOiN tU ask. nO, I dOnt wont tU nO. I dOnt wont tU nO."



© Neil Stewart 2001




See the standard spelling version of "A Wolf in the Basement"



Posted March 27 2001          
Last Modified January 18 2006