Jenny Isn't Home

Bobby was probably the luckiest guy in the world. At least, that's how he felt. It was March of 1963, and Jenny Boudreaux - AKA the hottest girl at Lafayette High - had just agreed to go with him to the Spring Formal. She'd already turned down a half a dozen guys who'd asked her before Bobby, one of whom was the captain of the baseball team. All those jocks had their jaws on the floor, though, when Jenny had said yes to Bobby... probably wondering how a nearsighted, ninety-pound asthmatic like him had managed to do the impossible.

As pretty and popular as Jenny was, she'd never gone out with anyone before. Not for lack of trying on any of the guys' part, of course. She always said her mother wouldn't allow her to date until she turned sixteen. Mrs. Boudreaux was somewhat of an enigma to the townspeople of Lafayette, Louisiana, rarely leaving the house herself. She didn't have a job as far as anyone knew, never went to church, and always had her groceries delivered. Mr. Boudreaux had apparently been out of the picture for some time, and she was raising her four daughters on her own. Although, with no apparent source of income, many people wondered how she got by with so many mouths to feed. Still, her children all had shoes on their feet, sported new clothes every school year, and always seemed to be well fed.

The few folks who had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Boudreaux said she was a lovely woman, but very strict with her children. She wouldn't let Jenny or any of her younger sisters stay out past six p.m., nor would she let them stay overnight at a friend's house. None of the Boudreaux children were allowed to bring friends over to their house either, not that many other kids wanted to. The Boudreauxs lived in a huge old plantation house on the edge of a swamp, which many townsfolk believed to be haunted. Some nights, people swore they heard strange noises coming from it, but no one had ever been brave enough to investigate for themselves.

Bobby knew all the rumors about Jenny and her oddball family, but he didn't care about them a lick. The Formal was set to take place the night after Jenny's sixteenth birthday, which was part of the reason why she'd said yes. She also said she'd "felt safe" with Bobby, although he wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. He took it as one anyway, as he floated on a cloud every day until the night of the dance.

When the big night finally came, Bobby dusted off and pressed his best Sunday suit. On his way to Jenny's house, he stopped by the local flower shop to buy her a corsage, which he'd saved up for three whole weeks to get. With his bright pink carnation in hand, he pedaled his bicycle joyously to the Boudreaux homestead. When he finally got there, however, his courage faltered just a hair.

The old mansion was bigger and spookier than he thought it would be, all peeling paint and crooked shutters. Just standing on the front lawn made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up like straight pins. Still, he knew Jenny was waiting for him, and the last thing he wanted was to disappoint her. With a nervous gulp, Bobby tugged on his bowtie to loosen it and strode up onto the porch. He raised his fist to knock, but before his knuckles made contact with the peeling wood, the door swung open on its own with a piercing squeak.

A moment later, a woman Bobby had never seen before stepped out to greet him. She was older - maybe in her mid to late forties - but she was absolutely stunning. One look at her long golden curls, bronze skin, and emerald green eyes told him exactly who she was, because she was the spitting image of her daughter.

"Good evening," she drawled. "How may I help you, Sugar?"

Bobby shivered at the low, melodic tone of her voice, as it poured over him like warm honey. "I-I'm here to pick up Jenny," he explained, his voice coming out as a thin, nervous squeak. "Is she ready?"

Mrs. Boudreaux leaned on the doorframe, eyeing Bobby from tip to tail. Her gaze made him a little uncomfortable, like he was a roast sitting in the butcher shop's window. "I'm terribly sorry," she purred. "...but Jenny's not home right now. She should be back soon, though. Please, come in. I'll fix you somethin' to eat while you wait."

Bobby was confused and honestly a little hurt to hear that Jenny was out. She seemed so excited about the Spring Formal; surely she wouldn't have forgotten their date so easily? The dance was all anyone at school was talking about for the last week, so it seemed unlikely. Maybe she'd changed her mind about going with him. Everyone in their grade teased Bobby for being a square, especially after the news spread about him going to the dance with Jenny. It was possible she was starting to get teased as well for choosing him, and had decided to back out to save face.

Whatever the reason, it seemed impolite to turn down Mrs. Boudreaux's offer. Reluctantly, Bobby nodded and followed her inside. As run-down, old, and creepy as the place looked on the outside, the interior of the house was a lot nicer than he expected. The front room was smartly and tastefully decorated with all the modern touches. The Boudreauxs even had a color television set, probably the only family in Lafayette who did. The focal point of the room was a large, curved couch sunken into the floor, covered with colorful throw pillows with a coffee table in the middle.

Bobby followed Mrs. Boudreaux to the sunken seating area, but he stopped when he saw three large mixed breed dogs already lounging on it. His hostess shooed them off the couch quickly, waving the four-legged trio into the kitchen. The mutts obeyed their mistress without hesitation, but one looked back at Bobby before disappearing through the doggy door. The way it looked at him was strange to say the least, not like a normal dog would. There was almost a human intelligence behind its eyes, which made Bobby's skin crawl a little.

Bobby forgot about the dogs almost as soon as he saw them, as Mrs. Boudreaux urged him to have a seat. He waited there barely five minutes before she returned from the kitchen with a pitcher of lemonade and a platter overflowing with sandwiches, cold fried chicken, and slices of chocolate layer cake. "Please, help yourself," she insisted. "A growin' boy like you needs to keep up his strength."

It didn't seem like good manners to say "no", and Bobby was nothing if not well-mannered. Although, he wondered how she'd prepared everything so quickly. Like she was expecting him or something. Maybe Jenny hadn't forgotten about their date after all, and she'd asked her mother to entertain him until she got home. With that hopeful thought in mind, Bobby gobbled up as much as he could hold, while trying not to make a pig of himself. Mrs. Boudreaux was certainly a fine cook, he thought, as everything he sampled was lip-smacking and finger-licking good.

"My, you've got quite an appetite," Mrs. Boudreaux chuckled, licking her thumb to wipe a bit of frosting off Bobby's cheek. "I love a man who knows how to enjoy a good meal. Makes me feel appreciated, y'know?"

Bobby leaned away from the older woman, honestly a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, I-I guess so," he muttered, scrubbing his cheek with a napkin. He glanced up at the clock on the mantle, then, shocked to see what the time was. He'd gotten to Jenny's at six p.m. sharp, and it was already after nine. The strangest thing was he could've sworn he'd only been with Mrs. Boudreaux for half an hour at most. "Is Jenny gonna be much longer?" he asked nervously. "At this rate, the dance will be over by the time we get there."

Mrs. Boudreaux looked at the clock for a moment, pursing her lips in thought. "Oh, it won't be long now," she said. "Jenny should be gettin' hungry soon. You just relax here with me 'til then." With a smile, she plucked a copy of TV Guide magazine off the coffee table and dropped it in Bobby's lap. "Would you like to watch a program while we wait?"

Bobby stifled a yawn and nodded. In retrospect, he should've known better to indulge in such a big meal. As he thumbed through the magazine, he was already feeling sleepy. After a few minutes, he settled on a re-run of "Gunsmoke" he hadn't seen yet. Not two minutes into the show, however, Bobby found he had trouble keeping his eyes open. The last thing he remembered was watching a commercial for washing powder before dropping off to sleep.

He jolted awake again at the sound of the clock striking midnight. To Bobby's alarm, the house was dark and dead quiet around him. There was no sign of Mrs. Boudreaux or the dogs anywhere. The light of the full moon shone brightly through the bay windows behind him, silhouetting a tall, dark figure in the open doorway.

Bobby jumped to his feet at the sight, allowing his corsage to drop to the floor. The creature he saw looked vaguely human, as far as it having a head, two arms, and two legs. Thick hair covered almost every inch of it, glinting with a golden sheen in the moonlight. The only parts that weren't covered were its face - which had fangs and an elongated canine snout - and the front of its torso. To Bobby's confusion, the only covering the creature's upper half had was a frilly pink dress with flowers on it, torn to ribbons and splattered with mud.

The creature's eyes glowed a bright yellow-green at Bobby, as a low, ravenous snarl bubbled up from deep in its throat. A second later, it lunged at Bobby without warning. With a frightened bleat, Bobby dove out of its path, upsetting the coffee table in his haste. It snapped and snarled at him again as he crawled out of the conversation pit on all fours and ran like hell for the door. The next thing Bobby knew, he was on his bicycle, pedaling home like his life depended on it.

Bobby's parents were waiting up for him when he got there, but neither of them could get any sense from the poor boy. He was in such a state, they called Doc Higgins from down the street to give him a shot of morphine, then put him to bed. The next morning, Bobby convinced himself it had all been a bad dream. It just seemed easier, as nothing he'd seen that night could have been real anyway.

When he came to school the following Monday morning, Bobby was surprised to hear that the Boudreauxs had up and moved seemingly overnight. Nobody knew where they'd moved to, and frankly nobody seemed to care. That afternoon, Bobby found a letter addressed to him in the mailbox when he got home.

"Dear Bobby,

Thank you so much for the lovely evening last Friday. I'm ever so sorry I was late. Mama said you were a perfect gentleman while you waited, and I had a wonderful time, even though our meeting was short. It's a shame you had to leave when you did, but I sincerely hope I'll get the opportunity to see you again soon.

Love, Jenny

P.S., thank you for the corsage. Carnations are my favorite."