Dead Wolf by Tim O'Rourke

champagne. I got the feeling that Pen didn’t choose him because he was the best costume, but because he was probably the best looking. The winner looked to be very drunk, as he smooched away on the dance floor with Pen to ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ , while the entire bar cheered and roared with good-natured laughter. I watched as Pen pulled the guy close and I felt a sudden stab of jealousy in my guts. Pen looked at me over the guy’s shoulder and smiled at me.
    Chloe and I hung around until the last of the drinkers had staggered out into the night and Pen had locked the door behind them.
    Pen turned to me, and beaming, she said, “Jim, I’ve done it. I’ve actually done it! I’ve escaped my past life and have a whole new world.” With a mischievous glint in her sparkling eyes, Pen laughed and said, “I’m the Wizard of Ooze!”
    I couldn’t remember seeing her happier.

Chapter Twelve
    Murphy
     
    I didn’t see Pen after that night for a whole year. This wasn’t because I hadn’t wanted to; it was more of a matter of circumstance. I had been very busy that year at work and Chloe had decided to become a paramedic. What, with us both working alternate shift patterns, I was often climbing out of bed as she was getting in. Any free time we had became quite precious, so we usually spent this together, enjoying one another’s company.
    Pen had been very consumed throughout the year trying to make ‘The Ooze bar’ a success.
    I think even she had been surprised at how much work was involved in running your own business.
    Even though we hadn’t managed to get together, we still spoke a couple of times a week on the phone and we still enjoyed writing each other the occasional letter.
    It was in one of these letters, Pen told me that she was living with a guy. In the same letter, she also invited Chloe and me to stay with her over Christmas.
    The weather, as usual for that time of year, had been awful, and our progress to Pen’s that Christmas Eve had been slow-going. Huge waves of snow had cut across the roads, hampering our view ahead. Chloe had brought with her a collection of Christmas songs on CD
    and we wiled away the hours, keeping ourselves full of festive spirit by singing along to them.
    We finally arrived at Pen’s just past 2
    a.m. on Christmas morning. Pen was waiting up for us with two large mugs of hot chocolate at the ready. Once we had dragged our bags into the hallway, we sat in the lounge and talked in the glow of the Christmas tree lights that winked on and off.
    “What do you think to the Christmas tree?” she asked as Chloe and I warmed ourselves.
    “It’s huge,” I replied. Looking at its long branches and being reminded of the fir trees that had surrounded the great lake and its dark red waters.
    “I had to cut the top off, just to get it into the house,” Pen laughed to herself.
    “You’ve certainly done the house up wonderfully,” Chloe said, glancing around the room at the mass of decorations that hung from the ceiling.
    “Marc helped me,” Pen said.
    To hear of the guy’s name made my stomach ache with jealously again – or was it regret that it wasn’t me?
    “Sorry he didn’t wait up to meet you, but he’s gone to bed,” Pen added.
    “So, he’s living here with you?” I asked, trying to sound casual and matter-of-fact.
    “Yeah, he moved in almost right away,”
    Pen explained, but wouldn’t make eye contact with me.
    “Must be love,” Chloe smiled, then glanced at me.
    “He is kinda cute. We hit it off almost straight away,” Pen told us.
    “So how did you meet?” Chloe asked.
    “He just strolled into the bar one day looking for a job. I had just lost a barman and Marc said he had done bar work before – so I hired him there and then. He seemed to know what he was doing and got on well with the customers. He began to suggest a few ideas of how the café could run better.”
    “Like what?” I was curious to know as it appeared to me that Pen’s