"Are you sure there is a greenhouse out here in the swamp?" Cassie's voice trembled as she spoke. Reminding Susan of a little white mouse she'd seen this morning in the corner of her bedroom just before she smashed it with her broom.

"I'm tellin' you, Cassie," Susan sighed, trying to keep her voice calm. She dipped one of her oars into the non-reflecting water surrounding their boat.The water barely moved as she pushed it forward. " they have 'the' potion for love."

Cassie dipped her own oar into the water and shoved it forward watching as the boat moved ahead in water that didn't appear to be moving. Several huge trees with roots as big as an oversized turtle's back passed by them.

"If I wasn't so sure he was a vampire," Susan rolled her eyes, "I'd not be lookin' into love potions," Cassie assured Susan. "But vampire's..."

Susan rolled her eyes again and glanced downward into the water just beside her. This allowed her to cut off Cassie without saying a word. Ignoring her was easier to do.

Vampires didn't exist. Cassie was retarded, in the real sense of the word. So, it wasn't all that amazing to hear her say Harry was a vampire. To her anyone who only came out at night was a vampire.

Heck, Harry worked at night; so it was simply natural for him to sleep during the day. Anyone with any since knew that. But her retardation allowed her to get all kinds of stupid ideas about things.

"You don't really believe that Harry is a vampire do you?" Susan asked cutting off Cassie in one of her famous lectures about how great vampires really were. Everyone at school made fun of her. So, this was just gonna be a wonderful funny joke to play on her.

"Of course, I do," answered Cassie as their boat took a turn in the river around yet another tree so oval and tall it kinda looked like a giant. Cassie swallowed hard but said nothing moar.

the boat continued on in its path in the fading moonlight.In the distance a tree appeared in the shadows caused by the fading light. It, quite effectively, resembled a ghost with wings flapping in the wind. On one of the lower branches an owl, with grayish feathers sat stiffly in the blowing wind. Every so quietly it sang out into the night as if it were trying to direct a lost loved back to its side.

"Day would have been a better time to make this trip," Cassie whispered quietly."It's a swamp you know, Susan."

"I was told that the greenhouse wasn't open during the day," answered Susan.

"How far is it...now?" Cassie whispered.

Susan noticed how her voice trembled with fear. She was counting on Cassie screaming in fear once the other kids popped out from the fake greenhouse they'd set-up not too far away now.

"I have no idea," answered Susan. "I was told it would just appear." She dipped her oar back into the water and gave another powerful tug with it making the boat sail forward a bit faster.

"I see," remarked Cassie,totally not seeing anything at all.

They sailed on for a while neither of them speaking. They just kept the boat twisting and turning around trees and other over-sized growth in the swampland.

"What's that?" Cassie called out to Susan.

"I don't know," Answered Susan, feeling kinda surprised. The fake greenhouse wasn't supposed to show-up just yet.

In the distance a light, not generated by the moon, came into focus from between a cloud of foamy fog.

"That's it!" Cried out Cassie as she began to row faster with her oar.

Susan didn't follow suit. "That can't be it. She exclaimed as calmly as she could. "It doesn't look like a greenhouse," she pointed out.

"Who says a greenhouse has to look like a greenhouse?" Cassie asked as she continued to work faster pushing her oar in and out of the water at an alarming rate.

The closer they got to the greenhouse the more startled Susan felt. She'd been going into this swamp, at night, for most of her life. She knew what was where, and there wasn't a greenhouse in the swamp, let alone one that looked like a green tree house.

The closer they got the clearer the green tree house appeared. There appeared to be a simple little dirt path leading from the water up to the open part of the tree. Inside there was a light glowing softly. It felt inviting for both girls; however, Susan hung back when the boat hit land and let Cassie fly ahead like a Chinese bat breaking out of hell. She knew something wasn't right.

She waited outside for what felt like ten minutes before she stepped forward and tried to peek inside. The idea of just boating away had occurred to her a bunch of times, but; she knew how much trouble she'd be in if she came home alone.

Inside she saw Carrie sitting on a stool facing what appeared to be a genuine old lady, with white stringy hair and an old battered dress that had seen better days years ago, bathed in fading orange candle light. They appeared to be discussing vampires.

The old lady's words floated out of the tree like music and landed in Susan's ears with a smack. "a vampire you say..."

Susan almost broke out laughing. But she managed to hold it back.

"I know he can love me," Carrie's voice floated out after the old lady's voice. It sounded like a puff on the wind of stupid Susan decided.

"Well, sweetheart," the old lady remarked. "And who brought you here looking for a love potion for vampires?"

"My friend... Susan," Carrie answered while turning towards the door where no Susan stood.

"Oh, I see," she uttered ever so nicely. "Is she too scared to come in?" The old lady inquired of the air between herself and the opening of the tree house.

Susan moved away from the door and tried to slip back into the boat. "Maybe I should have just left like I first figured." Susan assured herself. She stepped into the rocking boat only to find herself standing in a bird cage in the rafters of the old ladies green tree house.

Below, she could hear the old lady and Carrie talking.

"Now dearies," her voice sounded so sweet and humble. "You just take this here bottle of love potion home and you feed it to that young man you are so wild about in a drink or some food, and I can assure you he will come knocking at your door after that..." her voice faded for a few moments, then she added..."Forever more."

"Thank you," cried out Carrie as she sailed out the door as if she had wings on her feet. Then she stopped walking and looked around. "Where's Susan?"

"I'm up here!" Called out Susan to what seemed to be blank air.
No one noticed her.

"Not to worry, sweet-tums." She patted Carrie's hand and smiled. "John here will take you home." From a corner of the tree, for which she'd never noticed, came a small little man wearing a sailor's hat and coat.

"John here," she pointed at him, "knows these waters like the back of his hand and he will get you home in no time."

"Thank you," sang out Carrie turns towards the door again. "But what about Susan?"

"My deary lets not worry over Susan. You might say she offered to help me start a new plant...of the human variety you might say."

"Okay," Replied Carrie. "What do I owe you?"
"Nothing my dear," the old lady smiled at her. "You're paid in full."

In the rafters of the tree house Susan saw more cages hanging from what she assumed was the ceiling. In these cages were the remains of her friends. Each one of them seemed to be changing from human to some kinda plant!

"My God!" Screamed Susan. "That retard, traded us for her love potion!" Little twigs begin to sprout from her fingers and holes broke out in her pants and shirt.

"NOOOOOO....!"She screamed as she continued to change. Blood oozed out of her open arms and dripped down onto the floor below just missing Carrie's head as she spoke.

Below Carrie floated outside with John on her merry way to vampire love... forever.

The old woman just smiled another day another dollar...or so to speak anyway.