Page 25 of The Dinner Party

Avery disappears down the hall to the dining room. You’re about to follow her directions to your own destination when the doorbell rings, echoing through the entire house.

You freeze, waiting for Carson to materialize and answer the door. He’s the butler, so presumably, he should be the one doing any door-answering. But he is nowhere in sight.

You’re not sure what to do. Nobody listed answering the door as one of your responsibilities, and you don’t want to overstep. But if you’re standing right here and the doorbell is ringing, it seems ridiculous not to answer it. You don’t want to be reprimanded for not doing a good job tonight. What if they dock your pay?

Then again, that’s what the butler is for. You don’t want to get in trouble for not greeting a guest properly. Ugh, what are you supposed to do?

To answer the door, turn to Chapter 43 (page 104)

To continue to the kitchen, turn to Chapter 46 (page 111)

43

You decide you’d better open the door. It’s just good manners, after all. Especially since it’s cold out, and you don’t want to leave a visitor waiting at the doorstep.

You notice, however, that there is a chain lock on the door. That means you can unlock it and see who is out there without opening it all the way. You suppose that with a large mansion like this, you can’t be too careful, although the gate around the estate seemed like a fortress.

You unlock the door, and when you peek out through the crack, you are stunned. Standing before you is the hitchhiker that you passed way back on the road. You recognize his big bushy beard and unkempt hair.

“Oh, thank God,” he cries. “I’ve been wandering this mountain for the last hour. It’s so cold out there. I thought I was going to freeze to death!”

“That sounds awful,” you say.

The hitchhiker hugs his chest for warmth, bouncing on his heels. “Could you let me in? Just for a minute? I won’t bother you. I just need to call a friend to pick me up.”

It’s a reasonable request. The man wants shelter on a cold night, just for the length of a phone call. Except…

“Um,” you say, “I’m not sure if I should. This isn’t my house…”

“I understand,” he says, “but I’m not looking for a place to stay. Just the use of your phone. Please.”

You start to reach into your pocket to give him your cell phone, but then you remember there’s no service out here. The only way he’ll be able to use the phone is to come inside and use the landline.

“Please.” His teeth chatter against each other. “It’s so cold out here. I just need to call my friend.”

“Uh…”

His eyes widen. “Please. If you don’t let me inside, I’m going to die out here.”

Obviously, you don’t want this man to die. But you also don’t know if it’s a good idea to let someone you know into the house. That’s Stranger Danger 101.

What should you do?

To let the hitchhiker inside, turn to Chapter 44 (page 106)

To send the hitchhiker away, turn to Chapter 45 (page 110)

44

You can’t let this man freeze to death outside. As a compassionate fellow human, you have to let him in to use the phone.

“Of course,” you tell him. “Just let me undo this chain.”

“Oh, bless you!” the hitchhiker cries. “You won’t regret this.”

You close the door, undo the chain, and then throw the door back open. As the door swings open wide, the hitchhiker has a huge smile on his face, which makes you really glad you decided to help him.

“Thank you so much,” he says.