The next morning, the Clifford household was filled with the sound of Mrs. Charlotte's terrified screams. "Honey, calm down, it's just a little bug," Mr. Gabriel tried to reassure her, attempting to coax her down from the desk where she had perched.
"It's a cockroach!" Mrs. Charlotte exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear. Mr. Gabriel chuckled and tried to rationalize with her. "I know, but it's not like it's going to bite you. Just come down from there."
However, Mrs. Charlotte was adamant. "Just take it away first," she insisted, her eyes fixed on the offending insect. Mr. Gabriel hesitated, feeling a bit ridiculous. "Why should I be the one to take it away?" he asked, trying to reason with her.
Mrs. Charlotte turned to him with a pleading expression. "You're the head of this family, the man of the house, and my husband. You should be the one protecting me from danger."
Mr. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, amused by her logic. "It's just a cockroach. Women nowadays are taking the place of men; I'm sure you're capable of protecting yourself," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.
But Mrs. Charlotte was unyielding. "It doesn't matter. Just take it away or kill it," she demanded, her voice firm.
Mr. Gabriel sighed, looking at the cockroach with a mix of reluctance and fear. "My pastor told me we shouldn't kill the innocent," he said, trying to appeal to a higher authority.
Mrs. Charlotte shot him a look. "My dear, your pastor must have meant people, not bugs," she said dryly.
Just then, their daughters burst into the room, drawn by the commotion. "Dad, what's going on here?" Ruby asked, eyeing the scene before her.
Mr. Gabriel gestured helplessly. "It's your mother. She's afraid of..." But before he could finish, he caught sight of something on his daughters' faces and let out a loud scream. "Ghost!" he shouted, before collapsing to the floor.
The family rushed to his side, concern etched on their faces. "Dad!" they cried out in unison.
An hour later, Mr. Gabriel slowly regained consciousness, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on his wife and daughters. "Ghost," he whispered, his voice trembling.
Cassandra smiled reassuringly. "Dad, it's us."
Mr. Gabriel's gaze lingered on them before he noticed the strange substance on their faces. "What is that on your face?" he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
Samantha explained, "It's a serum, Dad. It's natural and helps with skin improvement."
Mr. Gabriel looked unconvinced. "An innocent bug I can understand, but a demonic tool?"
Rose rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "By the way, Dad, what about the argument between you and Mom?"
Mr. Gabriel hesitated before explaining the situation, his daughters listening with amusement. "Well, there's a cockroach on the floor, and your mom was being stubborn, saying she wouldn't get down from the desk until I took it away," he said, looking a bit sheepish.
Cassandra chuckled. "You should have just taken it away, Dad."
Mr. Gabriel shrugged. "I wanted to, but I remembered my pastor telling me not to kill the innocent."
The girls laughed, and Ruby teased, "Daughter, you can't fool us. We know you're also scared of cockroaches."
Mr. Gabriel looked defensive for a moment before admitting, "Maybe a little."
Rose asked curiously, "Where's the cockroach?"
Mr. Gabriel pointed, and Rose walked over to investigate. After a moment, she called out, "Dad, the cockroach isn't even alive."
The family laughed, and Rose picked up the deceased insect and disposed of it, ending the drama.