Chapter 10: Another Problem

I limped painfully down the stairs, walked down the hall and in to the kitchen. Annie was still at the table. She looked up from the pink magazine she was reading "Whats happened to you?" She asked eyeing the ice-pack I had pressed against my thigh.
"Oh I slipped in the bathroom, sprained my ankle and hurt my thigh."
"Are you alright? Hey! I know what will cheer you up!"
"What?"
"The present I got you from France!" She then ran up the stairs and after a couple of minutes she came rushing back down clutching a little pink present bag.
"What's in there?" I asked nervously.
"It's a surprise silly!" She answered handing the bag to me.
I opened it and took out the little snow globe that was in side. I smiled.
"Oh thank you so much Annie! You know I just adore snow globes." I ran over and gave her a big hug.
"I knew you'd love it look there's a mini Ifle-tower in the middle! Shake it!"
I did and it began to snow but the only problem was the snow was pink. I laughed.
"What's so funny?" Annie asked me.
"Oh nothing it's just that the snow is pink"
"So?"
"Oh it's just pink is so you, purple is me! Even if I'm not so crazy about it as you are with pink." I replied laughing some more.
"But pink is such a lovely colour!" She retorted stamping her foot
"Annie I love it." I said to calm her down a bit and I gave her another hug for good measure.

I knew I had to get changed but that meant having to go upstairs again. Oh well at least it gives me some time to check out that note. I sighed and limped back up the stairs and in to the guest room. I flopped on to the bed and took out everything in my pocket; the solidified tear, my mothers note, the paper and string from the rock, the paper from John and the anonymous note from the monkey. "Wow" I thought "thats a lot of paper."
I read each piece of paper and noticed that they all had something in common: They were all confusing! I sighed and got dressed.
By the time I got back down the storm had flared up again and this time worse then ever.
I sat down beside Annie on the sofa. She was watching the news on t.v and when the adds came up she muttered something under her breath.
"Sorry?" I asked her.
"Excuse me?" She asked me as if she had just woken up from a world of her own.
"You said something, just there while you were watching the news. So what did you say?"
"Oh nothing really, all I said was: another one?"
"Another one what?"
"Another hurricane of course!"
I stared at her with a puzzled look on my face "When did we ever have a hurricane in Ireland?"
"This week, last week, all month, all year! Where have you been? You know I was the one on holidays not you"
"What?!" I looked at her appalled.
I noticed she was starring at me and she wasn't moving, or blinking for that matter. I thought she was joking with me so I played along for a while until me eyes grew watery and I just had to blink.
"Um Annie are you alright?" I asked her. She didn't reply so I tried to push her over but she wouldn't budge. It was like she was stuck to that one place. I ran out to the kitchen were I found Annie's two twin brothers on the floor, not moving, bent over a jigsaw. I went back to the sitting room where Annie was still as still as a statue and that's exactly what she was; a statue.