The light lowered, allowing Desi to see a huge shadow, making her wish she'd kept up those kickboxing classes.just in case. 'Who's there?' A distinctly deep and masculine voice came from the vicinity of the light. She lurched forward, swatting at the night for nonexistent support and letting fly a few choice words.Ī bright light blinded her just as she stopped teetering and regained her balance. But not before tripping on a brick along the walkway. Sneezing with gusto, she dropped the key and got on her hands and knees to search for it, grateful there was a full moon.Ī few seconds later, with key in hand, she emerged out of the thick overgrowth between two houses, heading for the huge wraparound porch belonging to her maternal grandmother. Just as she retrieved the box and opened it, the assaulting aroma of night-blooming jasmine tickled her nose. As she'd been told, she searched along the bottom for the small stick-on box holding the house key, hoping there weren't any nighttime creepy crawlers around. Success! A brightly patterned rock nestled against the wooden gate stood out under the moonlight like fluorescent paint under black light. Determined not to wake up Grandma Gerda, she tramped through the overgrown grass and shrubbery along the side of the house, searching for the mark.

Her grandmother, a woman Desi had met only a few times in her twenty-eight years, had earlier instructed over the phone where the extra house key was hidden. Where did Gerda say that painted rock is?

'Ouch!' She immediately regretted her outburst since it was almost midnight. A thorn from an equally old and gnarly bush snagged her T-shirt, puncturing her skin. Desi wished she had a flashlight as she crept around the side of the ancient house in the dark.

A Doctor for Keeps by Lynne Marshall