Checking in.....Again

[Madeline Cauthon]

Madeline had fallen asleep on Swifty's back half way back to the inn. He gave a grunting sound when they were in front of the inn. Maddie woke up and saw the front doors. She looked all around and grinned. She gave the horse a pat on the neck and a hug. "Thank you Horsey, I like where you live." Madeline hopped down and walked inside. The lobby gave off an odd since of familiarity, but she didn't understand why.

She made her way to the front desk and on her tippy toes rang the bell one time. While she waited, she pulled out her coin sock and started counting gold coins she had swiped from Schala's purse a few weeks ago.

[Epiphany]

The ringing of the bell was soon answered by a pair of eyes peeking over the desk at the kid on the other side. It was literally a pair of eyes, like the kind a person would see at a joke shop. They were as large as tennis balls, a lavender eye color with dark brown lids and long eyelashes. These eyes were attached to a thin, nearly transparent stick and the blinked. There was someone controlling the eyes on the other end, but they were hidden well under the desk. Who's to say that they were there at all?

These large eyes widened and blinked at the little girl. They moved along the length of the desk, looking to see if there was anyone else there besides this girl. But no other person was seen and so the eyes went to looking at her and leaned forward. Blinking with those long lashes.

[Madeline Cauthon]

Madeline wasn't expecting eyes on a stick to be checking her in, but the one thing she had learned living with her dad and meeting his friends was that there were all types. Madeline couldn't help but laugh. She then stopped and cleared her throat. She wanted to sound as grown up as she could. She knew a lot of places didn't allow kids to check in."Um hello there. My name is Madeline Cauthon, and I would like a room please."

[Epiphany]

Madeline..Cauthon? Those eyes took on a puzzled look with the right one opened wide and the left one half closed, it stayed like this as the eyes moved up and then sank all the way down to nearly touching the desk. They were sizing up the little girl. A hard blink and the eyes returned to 'normal'.

Soon the eyes were joined with a pair of lips. Full, deep red lips rose up from behind the desk in much the same way that the eyes had and the affixed themselves in a proper position under the eyes - leaving room for the invisible nose of course. Then these lips started to move - nothing but empty space seen behind them yet words came forth. "Where are your parents? Do you have parents?" the voice sounded hallow, very fitting. The eyes and mouth leaned forward again.

"Or are you really an old being who just happens to be in the body of a child?"

[Madeline Cauthon]

Madeline looked puzzled. "Umm as far as I know, I don't have a big person living in me."

Maddie then began to pout a little at the parent question. She definitely didn't want them calling Schala, and she didn't know where Gawain was. "I don't have a mom, and I don't know where my dad is."

It was at that moment a light bulb went off in her head. "Hey I know, you can help me find him Mr...or Mrs. Eyeballs"

[Epiphany]

"I see," said the mouth, though it couldn't see at all - that was the Eyeball's job.

The eyes moved parallel to the mouth and the two objects turned to regard the other, perhaps they were involved in some secret silent body part communication that was unknown to anyone but the strange mind who would have eyes talk to lips but soon their 'talk' was over as the mouth said, "There is no Mister or Misses Eyeballs renting a room here at the moment." She had said that maybe they could help find Eyeballs. Even if the body parts did know what she really meant those two were being silly and had chosen to take it literally.

"But Hand says he can help!"

And a hand sprung up from behind the desk and plopped the ledger down. It was one of those white gloved, four fingered hands and, like the Eyes and Mouth, it too was on a nearly transparent stick. It couldn't talk (it wasn't Mouth) but it pointed to the young girl and then tapped down on the book. Opening it the Hand flipped the pages until it found the first Cauthon signature in the book: Gawain Cauthon. Amazing.. the Hand couldn't talk but it could read? Maybe it was having a silent conversation with Eyes as that was watching.

The page found the ledger was turned and lifted for the child to see.

[Madeline Cauthon]

Madeline giggled, who or whatever this was helping her sure was funny. Madeline nodded as the hand sprung up, and showed her the book Madeline's eyes grew big and began to sparkle. She squealed seeing Gawain's name. She took Hands hand and began to shake it. "Oh thank you, thank you hands, eyes and mouth. I'm going to go see him right now."

Maddie put the sock full of gold coins back in her backpack, and ran up the stairs to Gawain's room.

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