Page 18 of Positively, Penelope

To: Penelope Edgewood, Luke Edgewood

Date: September5

Subject: ARE YOU OKAY????

If I don’t hear back from you within two hours, I’m sending Brodie to The Darling House ASAP! I might even call the local police.

What happened to you?

One minute we’re having a nice video chat and you’re showing me the stairway that leads down into some creepy old basement in the theater, then the next minute all connection drops! In fact, things were made much worse by the fact that you’d just said something like “Oh, it’s all vast and dark down here, like the Phantom’s catacombs. What’s that noise?” And then... nothing!

I’m all for imaginations and stories, but I’d rather things like this remain purely fiction, so tone down the drama and text me or email me back.

Izzy

Text from Luke to Izzy:You do realize that Penelope always bounces back from things, right? She’s probably entered some fantasy realm in the basement of the theater. And made friends with the natives. Likely birds have started sewing her wedding dress at this point. I wouldn’t worry too much. She’ll bring souvenirs back with her.

Izzy:You’re not worried at all, are you?

Luke:How many times has Penelope “disappeared” unexpectedly within relatively safe places?

Izzy:Point taken.

From: Luke Edgewood

To: Penelope Edgewood, Izzy Edgewood

Date: September5

Subject: Re: ARE YOU OKAY????

Sorry I missed the video call, but some people prefer sleep.

If you find one of those half masks down there, I’ll take one. I could wear it for Izzy’s Book Parade and not have to worry about face painting.

PS: Of course Grumpy Gray was laughing. What a show! And you’re not even onstage.

Text from Penelope to Izzy:I just got upstairs to take a late lunch and saw your five voice mails and ten text messages. I love your sweetness for checking on me. Seems that cell reception is nil in the storage rooms beneath the theater, but don’t worry, I’ll fill you in on everything via email when I get back to my computer. Soooo interesting!

From: Penelope Edgewood

To: Izzy Edgewood, Luke Edgewood

Date: September5

Subject: Babysitting and basements!

I don’t have long to talk because I get to babysit IRIS tomorrow night!! Can you believe it? I think Matt must have been desperate to find someone because I heard him ask three other people before he got to me. I just happened to be standing near the reception desk trying to think of ways to brighten up and reorganize the area to make it more appealing. Rehearsals for the community theater group’s first fall production start next week, but I think the folks in the community theater are people from all over Fiacla and maybe even the island of Ansling too! (I’m going to be working on the website a little over the weekend.)

Anyway, my phone reception cut off just as I made it to the bottom of the stairs and, to be honest, it was a little frightening. The light at the stairs didn’t provide much illumination for such a vast space, so as I stepped forward and things got darker, I used my phone flashlight, but even it wasn’t enough at times. I even tried to whistle a happy tune, but my mouth was so dry I couldn’t get any sound to come out.

Then I saw silhouettes of people in the distance, standing there as if they were zombies in the dark—there was even a silhouette of a horse and something that looked suspiciously like the shape of a ghost—so I turned my silent whistling into singing. I must admit, my voice was too shaky to stay on pitch, but I had no problem being loud.

All of a sudden, I heard breathing nearby—a puff of it. Or a few puffs, and all I could see in my head was a giant Venus flytrap waiting to devour me. (I am never going to watchLittle Shop of Horrorsagain!) Then I turned around and there were two figures moving closer to me from the stairway. Clearly, I was trapped, with the ghost behind me and the mysterious people in front, so I reached into my bag and pulled out my Swiss Army knife, a little teary-eyed at the thought that I was going to die in the cellar of an old theater in a country no one has heard of without ever having played Maria von Trapp or kissed a man in the rain! Can you believe it?! Then the light switched on, and before me stood Matt Gray and a young woman with the same stormy eyes and quizzical brow. But she smiled, which meant I automatically liked her. And she had a beautifully delicate appearance like Grace Kelly. Which meant I liked her even more.

There are so MANY things to discover down there. I only spent a few hours today attempting to orient myself, but in all honesty, there really was no organization about it. However, Matt’s sister, Gwynn, told me that there were some old posters and letters from adoring patrons hidden somewhere, so I’m determined to find them... starting on Monday.

I took a late lunch with Gwynn and just adored her all the more. I think we’re bound to be very good friends. She speaks in musicals too. Okay, I’ve gotta run. There’s a staff meetingand I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of my berry pecan muffins!

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