SOCKS

DEA WATCHED THE place where the gremlins hid. It was the shadowy spot behind the sofa. It was just where the light from the living room lamp and the hallway never quite reached, a place where dust balls sometimes scurried if she opened the door quickly.

She had not yet seen the gremlins.

At least, no more than a toenail or the tip of a tail as they disappeared into the shadows. What they looked like was a puzzle. Why had they moved in behind the sofa?

Their voices snapped like crispy rice cereal with just the right amount of milk. And so many things were missing in the house.

Dreamboat, Dea’s fearless gray tabby cat, now avoided the living room.