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Chapter Nine
The Trap
Abigail opened her eyes.
She was back inside the snow globe again, sitting on her father’s battered, old armchair in front of the fireplace. She immediately sat up and looked around.
The interior of the house had now been fully refurbished. Every item of furniture from her parents’ home had been carefully reconstructed – the sofa, the chairs, the bookcases, the mahogany cabinets and sideboards. Even the framed pictures hanging on the walls had been perfectly duplicated, and every ornament had put in its correct place.
Henry was standing by the window, twisting his fingers agitatedly and shuffling his feet. “I tried to warn you, Abigail,” he said. “I told you not to come back here. I told you to stay away. Didn’t you hear me shouting from the window?”
But Abigail wasn’t listening. “I found your house, Henry,” she burbled excitedly. “Number Four Clover Leaf Road. I rang the doorbell and a boy – a boy who looks just like you - answered the door. But it wasn’t you, Henry. He was somebody else. An imposter. A doppelgänger, I think.”
Henry’s face went white with shock. “You mean to say there’s another me - a copy - wandering about inside my house, and my parents haven’t even noticed?” he said.
Abigail nodded her head. “No, I don’t think they realise,” she replied. “It’s very lifelike.”
Henry sighed and shook his head sadly. “I think I know what’s happening here,” he said, looking round at the newly decorated room. “You’ve been away for such a very long time, Abigail, I’ve finally remembered everything. I’ve figured it out. And you’re not going to like it. Not one bit.”
He moved away from the window and made himself comfortable on the sofa opposite Abigail. She noticed that he was looking pale and withdrawn, and there were cadaverous black circles around his eyes.
“A while ago – I don’t know exactly when – my parents bought me a snow globe,” Henry explained. “It was quite a surprise at the time because I didn’t think my parents liked me very much. We were always arguing and fighting and I was often getting into trouble at school.” He shook his head again and sighed. “I think my parents were very disappointed with me.”
Abigail was startled by the familiarity of Henry’s story. “Go on,” she encouraged.
“I took the snow globe upstairs to my bedroom,” Henry continued. “Much to my amazement, I noticed there was a model of my parents’ house inside.”
Abigail put a hand up to cover her mouth. “You mean the house at Number Four Clover Leaf Road?” she asked.
Henry nodded his head. “After giving the snow globe a shake, I fell asleep and then found myself wandering about inside,” he continued. “The house inside the globe was cold and dark and empty. I was very frightened at first, but also thrilled. I’d always wanted a secret hiding-place, somewhere I could escape to when my parents were being angry with me.” There was a pause filled by the crackles and snaps of the fire, then Henry continued. “Like you, when the snowstorm eventually stopped, I fell asleep again and found myself back in my bedroom at home. Later that day, when I entered the snow globe a second time, I noticed that the house was beginning to repair itself. Patches of wallpaper had appeared on the walls and items of furniture had suddenly popped into existence.” He looked around the room and lowered his voice to a ghostly whisper. “You see, Abigail, I think that’s how the house in the snow globe works. Each time you enter, it creeps into your head and then steals your memories, downloads them like information on a computer. That’s why I couldn’t remember anything the very first time I met you.”
Feeling puzzled, Abigail looked around the room again. “But this isn’t your house, Henry, it’s a copy of mine,” she said, scratching the top of her head.
“The house began to change again just before you arrived,” Henry explained. “Before you appeared, it looked just like my parents’ house on Clover Leaf Road. I think the house changes its appearance to match the person it’s about to trap.”
Abigail’s heart was pumping harder and faster than ever. “I see,” she nervously said. “So what happened when you entered the snow globe for the third time?”
Henry sighed and twisted his fingers again. He looked nervous and afraid. “Unfortunately, the third time you enter the snow globe is your last,” he replied. “I think it’s how the magic works. Once the house has stolen all your memories and then replicated your body, it traps you here forever.”
Abigail was horror-struck. She was remembering the replica she had met on Henry’s doorstep, recalling its smooth, doll-like features and its hideous, plastic hands.
“You mean to say that right now there is another me – a duplicate - wandering about inside my house?” she asked.
Reluctantly, Henry nodded his head. “It looks as if we’ve been replaced, Abigail,” he said despairingly. “We’ve been swapped for something else and I don’t think our parents realise.” His eyes were full of tears now and they were sliding like silverfish down his face. “We’re trapped, Abigail,” he wailed. “Trapped forever. There’s no way out. And and nobody will ever notice we are missing!”
To be continued...
