Fredric Brown - The Geezenstacks

One of the strange things about it was that Aubrey Walters wasnt at all a strange little girl. She was quite as ordinary as her father and mother, who lived in an apartment on Otis Street, and who played bridge one night a week, went out somewhere another night, and spent the other evenings quietly at home.

Aubrey was nine, and had rather stringy hair and freckles, but at nine one never worries about such things. She got along quite well in the not-too-expensive private school to which her parents sent her, she made friends easily and readily with other children, and she took lessons on a three-quarter-size violin and played it abominably.

Her greatest fault, possibly, was her predeliction for staying up late of nights, and that was the fault of her parents, really, for letting her stay up and dressed until she felt sleepy and wanted to go to bed. Even at five and six, she seldom went to bed before ten oclock in the evening. And if, during a period of maternal concern, she was put to bed earlier, she never went to sleep anyway. So why not let the child stay up?

Now, at nine years, she stayed up quite as late as her parents did, which was about eleven oclock of ordinary nights and later when they had company for bridge, or went out for the evening. Then it was later, for they usually took her along. Aubrey enjoyed it, whatever it was. Shed sit still as a mouse in a seat at the theater, or regard them with little-girl seriousness over the rim of a glass of ginger ale while they had a cocktail or two at a night club. She took the noise and the music and the dancing with big-eyed wonder and enjoyed every minute of it.

Sometimes Uncle Richard, her mothers brother, went along with them. She and Uncle Richard were good friends. It was Uncle Richard who gave her the dolls.

Funny thing happened today, hed said. Im walking down Rodgers Place, past the Mariner Buildingyou know, Edith; its where Doc Howard used to have his officeand something thudded on the sidewalk right behind me. And I turned around, and there was this package.

This package was a white box a little larger than a shoe box, and it was rather strangely tied with gray ribbon. Sam Walters, Aubreys father, looked at it curiously.

Doesnt look dented, he said. Couldnt have fallen out of a very high window. Was it tied up like that?

Just like that. I put the ribbon back on after I opened it and looked in. Oh, I dont mean I opened it then or there. I just stopped and looked up to see whod dropped itthinking Id see somebody looking out of a window. But nobody was, and I picked up the box. It had something in it, not very heavy, and the box and the ribbon looked likewell, not like something somebodyd throw away on purpose. So I stood looking up, and nothing happened, so I shook the box a little and

All right, all right, said Sam Walters. Spare us the blow-by-blow. You didnt find out who dropped it?

Right. And I went up as high as the fourth floor, asking the people whose windows were over the place where I picked it up. They were all home, as it happened, and none of them had ever seen it. I thought it might have fallen off a window ledge. But

Whats in it, Dick? Edith asked.

Dolls. Four of them. I brought them over this evening for Aubrey. If she wants them.

He untied the package, and Aubrey said, Oooo, Uncle Richard. Theyretheyre lovely.

Sam said, Hm. Those look almost more like manikins than dolls, Dick. The way theyre dressed, I mean. Must have cost several dollars apiece. Are you sure the owner wont turn up?

Richard shrugged. Dont see how he can. As I told you, I went up four floors, asking. Thought from the look of the box and the sound of the thud, it couldnt have come from even that high. And after I opened it, welllook He picked up one of the dolls and held it out for Sam Walters inspection.

Wax. The heads and hands, I mean. And not one of them cracked. It couldnt have fallen from higher than the second story. Even then, I dont see how He shrugged again.

Theyre the Geezenstacks, said Aubrey.

Huh? Sam asked.

Im going to call them the Geezenstacks, Aubrey said. Look, this one is Papa Geezenstack and this one is Mama Geezenstack, and the little girl onethatsthats Aubrey Geezenstack. And the other man one, well call him Uncle Geezenstack. The little girls uncle.

Sam chuckled. Like us, eh? But if UncleuhGeezenstack is Mama Geezenstacks brother, like Uncle Richard is Mamas brother, then his name wouldnt be Geezenstack.

Just the same, it is, Aubrey said. Theyre all Geezenstacks. Papa, will you buy me a house for them?

A doll house? Why Hed started to say, Why, sure, but caught his wifes eye and remembered. Aubreys birthday was only a week off and theyd been wondering what to get her. He changed it hastily to Why, I dont know. Ill think about it.

It was a beautiful doll house. Only one-story high, but quite elaborate, and with a roof that lifted off so one could rearrange the furniture and move the dolls from room to room. It scaled well with the manikins Uncle Richard had brought.

Aubrey was rapturous. All her other playthings went into eclipse and the doings of the Geezenstacks occupied most of her waking thoughts.

It wasnt for quite a while that Sam Walters began to notice, and to think about, the strange aspect of the doings of the Geezenstacks. At first, with a quiet chuckle at the coincidences that followed one another.

And then, with a puzzled look in his eyes.

It wasnt until quite a while later that he got Richard off into a corner. The four of them had just returned from a play. He said, UhDick.

Yeah, Sam?

These dolls, Dick. Where did you get them?

Richards eyes stared at him blankly. What do you mean, Sam? I told you where I got them.

Yes, butyou werent kidding, or anything? I mean, maybe you bought them for Aubrey, and thought wed object if you gave her such an expensive present, so youuh

No, honest, I didnt.

But dammit, Dick, they couldnt have fallen out of a window, or dropped out, and not broken. Theyre wax. Couldnt someone walking behind youor going by in an auto or something?

There wasnt anyone around, Sam. Nobody at all. Ive wondered about it myself. But if I was lying, I wouldnt make up a screwy story like that, would I? Id just say I found them on a park bench or a seat in a movie. But why are you curious?

IuhI just got to wondering.

Sam Walters kept on wondering, too.

They were little things, most of them. Like the time Aubrey had said, Papa Geezenstack didnt go to work this morning. Hes in bed, sick.

So? Sam had asked. And what is wrong with the gentleman?

Something he ate, I guess.

And the next morning, at breakfast, And how is Mr. Geezenstack, Aubrey?

A little better, but he isnt going to work today yet, the doctor said. Tomorrow, maybe.

And the next day, Mr. Geezenstack went back to work. That, as it happened, was the day Sam Walters came home feeling quite ill, as a result of something hed eaten for lunch. Yes, hed missed two days from work. The first time hed missed work on account of illness in several years.

And some things were quicker than that, and some slower. You couldnt put your finger on it and say, Well, if this happens to the Geezenstacks, it will happen to us in twenty-four hours. Sometimes it was less than an hour. Sometimes as long as a week.

Mama and Papa Geezenstack had a quarrel today.

And Sam had tried to avoid that quarrel with Edith, but it seemed he just couldnt. Hed been quite late getting home, through no fault of his own. It had happened often, but this time Edith took exception. Soft answers failed to turn away wrath, and at last hed lost his own temper.

Uncle Geezenstack is going away for a visit. Richard hadnt been out of town for years, but the next week he took a sudden notion to run down to New York. Pete and Amy, you know. Got a letter from them asking me