Hearing Lief, the Other Mother's smile froze.
Her button eyes locked onto the boy's face.
One... two seconds.
The silence in the room became heavy.
But just as quickly as it came, it vanished and the mask of the perfect hostess returned to its place.
"Of course! I guarantee you that this will be, without a doubt, the best meal you have ever tasted in your lives."
She turned on her heels, and walked toward the head of the long dining table. She raised a bony hand and...
Clack
Instantly, the empty table came to life. Porcelain plates, platters covered with silver lids, polished knives and forks that shone under the amber light.
The crystal goblets tinkled softly as they materialized from nothing.
"Please, take a seat, my dear guests," she crooned with sweetness.
"And you, my little sweetness, Coraline... come here. Sit next to Mommy." She extended her fingers toward the girl, who shrank behind Airam, sinking her head between her shoulders.
'Don't be afraid.'
Lief's voice resonated directly in their skulls.
'Airam, don't separate from her. That witch is smarter than she looks.'
'Received,' replied Airam, tense, 'The smell she gives off... It makes me nauseous.'
Lief ignored the implicit invitation, dragged a chair and sat down with an insulting calm, taking ownership of the space. In passing, he pulled out the adjacent chair for Airam, who caught the message on the fly and guided Coraline to sit next to her.
"..."
The Other Mother noticed the maneuver and a flash of irritation crossed through the black shine of her buttons.
But she said nothing.
She maintained her sweet smile and took a seat at the head of the table.
"Then, let the feast begin!"
Without further ado, she grabbed the handle of the large silver lid in the center of the table and lifted it suddenly.
Fsssshhhh
A cloud of hot and aromatic steam was released.
A gigantic roasted turkey rested there, with golden and crispy skin, the fat bubbling softly over the meat.
The aroma of rosemary and butter hit their noses violently.
The woman continued uncovering the platters with theatrical movements.
Thick and creamy macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes raised like a snowy mountain with a lake of dark gravy on top, and goblets full of a cherry juice so red and translucent that it looked like fresh blood.
Each dish was a culinary masterpiece.
Coraline swallowed saliva, her eyes fixed on the feast.
'These things...' she asked with a trembling voice, 'can they really be eaten?'
'It's safe,' replied Lief while tearing off a turkey leg with his hands, ignoring the fine silverware, 'But it isn't just food...'
He held the steaming piece and took a considerable bite.
Crack
The crispy skin broke giving way to tender meat soaked in butter, whose flavor was simply aggressive, a direct injection of dopamine and nostalgia that tasted like perfect Sundays, like warm memories.
It was superior to anything he had materialized before with his tablecloth, but not because of culinary technique.
The secret ingredient was magic.
Designed to soften the will, to wrap the diner in a blanket of happiness...
For a normal person, two bites would have been enough to bring down their defenses.
But for him, that dose of magic was like trying to put out a forest fire by spitting on it.
It didn't even tickle him.
He chewed heartily, swallowed and wiped the grease from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand. Then, he looked directly at the hostess.
"Not bad, ma'am. My respects to you. You have a talent... terrifying."
"..."
The witch's button eyes didn't leave him.
She expected to see another reaction... dilated pupils, a goofy smile. But instead, she encountered a lucid and critical gaze.
Something didn't fit...
Her perfect smile began to tense up at the corners.
Plink Plang Plonk
A discordant sound broke the tension and came from the corner of the living room.
The three turned their heads. A thin man, with a gaunt face, glasses and a sleeping robe, was sitting in front of a piano.
His hands were moving over the keys playing a cheerful melody, but his shoulders were stiff.
He wasn't playing the music, the music was playing him, pulling his tendons as if they were puppet strings.
On his face, likewise, two black buttons were sewn.
The Other Father.
"Oh, dear! Stop banging on that," said the witch. "Come greet our guests! Don't be rude."
The piano silenced abruptly.
The man got up from the bench with robotic movements, and walked toward the table wobbling slightly.
"Hello..." he murmured, his voice sounding hollow.
His buttons passed over the outsiders without interest, but upon reaching the girl, they stopped.
There was a slight twitch in his face and a spark of recognition, or perhaps of terror.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but...
The intense gaze of the Other Mother made the room's temperature seem to drop ten degrees.
"..."
He closed his mouth immediately, dragged a chair, sat down in silence and placed his hands on his knees, remaining absolutely motionless.
'He is asking for help.' Transmitted Airam. 'His soul is barely 'alive', but something of him remains.'
'He is only an echo,' Lief replied without the slightest doubt 'The real one was devoured long ago. This is a mere toy, manufactured with a shred of soul to maintain the pretense. A sad puppet...'
The atmosphere, at this moment, became strangely silent.
The other mother seemed to get bored of her role.
She took her napkin, not to clean her mouth, but to press with disdain the nonexistent corner of her lips. Her buttons refocusing only on Coraline.
"Coraline, my girl. Have you seen it? Here you have a Dad and a Mom who adore you, there is delicious and perfect food forever, and limitless fun. You can stay here, my darling, if you want."
"The real world doesn't want you. Your real parents only work, they leave you alone. Over there it is gray and boring. Stay... stay here... and you will be loved forever."
While she spoke, she took from her apron a small, black, unadorned box.
Click
The box opened, revealing an interior lined with red velvet and inside, two ebony black buttons, a spool of thread and a long, sharp sewing needle rested.
"The only condition is simple..."
She slid the tempting box in front of Coraline, her smile now dangerously wide
"Let us sew this pair of beautiful buttons on you. That way, we will finally be a real family."
Upon seeing the buttons, Coraline let out a gasp of terror, plummeting until Airam intercepted her and held her tightly. She narrowed her gaze fixed on the witch.
'Can I kill her?'
'It is too soon....'
Lief looked at the box, he even reached out his hand and took one of the buttons, rolling it on his fingertips.
"What a generous offer."
He tossed the button gently onto the table. His gaze never left her buttons.
"But we refuse."
With those words the atmosphere of the entire room collapsed.
The fire in the fireplace went out, while the color drained from the walls with frightful speed, leaving the paintings like desolate scribbles in black and white.
Simultaneously, the food on the table rotted in a matter of seconds, releasing a nauseating stench that invaded the air.
The previously welcoming light was replaced by a cold darkness, and the Other Mother's smile vanished completely from her face.
It was then that, before Lief and Airam's eyes, her body began a frightful transformation.
The neck, until then elegantly slender, stretched and lengthened uncontrollably, becoming a skeletal stalk that raised her above the table.
As this occurred, her body became fine, thin and brittle, as if she were severely malnourished, and her arms and legs gained centimeters while they lengthened unnaturally.
To top it off, her nails sharpened instantly, transforming into long sharp needles like bone stilettos.
In that instant, it became clear that she was no longer a mother
It was the true Witch
Rising slowly, her body almost touched the ceiling, like a huge and deformed humanoid spider.
"Refuse?"
There was no longer sweetness, only a strident sharpness that hurt the ears.
"Foolish children... Thinking you can enter, eat my food and leave when you please?"
Smiling, she showed something that was no longer teeth, they were rows and rows of sewing needles, ready to pierce flesh.
"You crossed my door! Now you are mine! You will stay here, you will rot here and you will be part of my collection forever!"
With her words, the disguise of the perfect world collapsed.
The living room where they were disintegrated, becoming a huge cage made of sticky spiderwebs.
________
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