“Was that supposed to be funny?” asked Meghan, equally troubled and stunned by what she had witnessed.
“No, that wasn’t. He’s probably new here. The older ones are teasing him.”
“Older ones?” Meghan scrunched her face. “Just how long have they been here?”
“Hard to say. Weeks, months, years… many years.”
Meghan wanted to ask what kind of ghost town this was, and where all the ghosts came from, but Colin was eagerly holding the candy Jae had given him.
“So what are we holding?” he asked, looking over the candy.
His mouth spread into a wry grin. “Candy for the living.” He popped a piece into his mouth. The twins watched his body dissolve into a ghostly image of itself. His silvery body floated off the ground.
“It only lasts about thirty seconds,” he yelled down to the twins, floating higher and higher into the air. “But it’s like nothing else you’ve ever tried!” Meghan didn’t wait. She popped hers in and closed her eyes, hard, as if expecting something to explode. She transformed and floated past Jae, already on his way back down.
“This is so cool,” she shouted. “Colin, try it! It doesn’t hurt or anything.” Not wanting to be outdone by Meghan, he popped his in. Colin’s body tingled all over, kind of like a light zing all through him, and then just like that, his body was floating and encased by the silvery essence of a ghost. He passed his sister as she descended back to the ground. He drifted nervously to the rooftop. The movement didn’t feel natural at all and he grabbed the edge of the building. His eyes widened and he held in a startled breath.
A cloaked figure stood atop the roof. The figure held a leaf in its hand, speaking to it. A distressed female voice replied back, seemingly out of the leaf.
How? How were voices coming out of a leaf?
“We’re not ready yet. I hope it’s not too soon for them to be there.”
“I think we can use the situation to our advantage,” argued the cloaked figure; it was a man’s voice.
He was cut off by the female voice. “Behind you!” it warned.
The cloaked man turned, enraged dark eyes piercing at Colin.
He let go of the roof and started his descent. But halfway down, he began to change back into his human form and plunged toward the ground.
Meghan closed her eyes. Colin was about to fall, hard. He’d be injured for sure. Jae, thinking smartly, used magic to slow him. Colin landed on his feet with a soft thud. Meghan and Jae scurried to his side.
“Are you all right?” she asked him.
Colin rubbed his neck. “I think so.”
“That was too close,” said Jae, relieved. “If you’d gotten injured, mom’d never let us have ghost candy again. Dad already hates it.”
Colin had to tell them about the man on the roof. “Jae, is there a safe place to talk around here?” he blurted out.
“There’s a pub not many Svoda visit. Why?”
“Let’s just go there,” replied Colin.
Meghan and Jae eyed Colin questioningly, but didn’t ask more. As they entered the pub, the twins and Jae caught an adult aged ghost peeking around a corner of the building. Was he spying on them? The ghost, noticing he’d been caught, floated away.
“Huh, that’s odd.” Jae shrugged it off and scoped out a table near the back.
One lone member of the Svoda was working behind the counter, alongside a pretty ghost waitress. Jae bought three tonics and returned to the twins.
“They like it when we come here,” explained Jae. “They need living people to do work for them sometimes, for when other living people happen to travel through.”
“Other living people travel through the doorways, too?” questioned Meghan.
“On occasion,” he answered.
Meghan was about to ask where exactly all the ghosts came from when Colin interrupted.
“Is it for sure safe to talk in here?”
“What’s going on, Colin?” asked his sister. Colin waited for Jae to answer.
“As long as we’re quiet, yeah, it’s fine.”
“I saw something weird on the roof of the candy shop.”
“I knew something was up,” retorted Meghan. “Otherwise you’d have never stayed up there that long.”
Colin ignored her and continued. “There was a man in a cloak on the roof, talking into a leaf that he held in his hand.”
“What was he talking about?” asked Jae, unfazed by Colin’s news.
“All I heard was something about not being ready and hoping it’s not too soon for them to be there.”
“Them?” questioned Meghan.
“The only them being discussed at the moment is you two,” said Jae.
The twins grew distraught. Colin sent a thought to his sister.
“Are we safe here? Should we stay?”
“Where would we go?”
Jae interrupted their thoughts. “How strange, that he used a leaf. That’s definitely magical.”
“Plus, I think it was the leaf that caught me looking.”
Jae spit out his tonic. “You were caught!”
“Yes, but only for a second because I started falling.”
“What should we do, Jae?” asked Meghan, panicking.
“I have no idea. But if it was you they were talking about, and then they caught you spying…”
“But why would they even be talking about us? I realize it’s big news and all, two strangers living with you guys, but it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s almost like they expected it to happen or something.”
“How would they?” Colin asked. “I mean, no one could have known that.”
Meghan shrugged.
Jae let out a hasty breath.
Another thought dawned on Colin.
“Um, Jae. I don’t understand how it all works, but is there any way we could use a leaf to try to reach our uncle? Or anyone from our world?”
Meghan perked up, but Jae promptly smothered the idea.
“We do use leaves to send messages, but only in the same world we are in. I’ve never heard of any way to gather enough magical energy to send one to another world, never mind figure out how it would get there. Or how the message would transmit. Sorry… I don’t know of any such way.”
The twins resigned to defeat.
“So who could the guy on the roof have been talking to?” wondered Meghan.
“It would have to be someone in Grimble,” Jae told them.
Colin let out a long sigh. “But how would anyone in your group have any idea we might come to live with you?”
“I really don’t know how to answer that. It makes no sense.”
The topic ended as from the corner of her eye, Meghan noticed that the spying ghost was back, hiding in a dark corner inside the pub. She used her head to subtly point it out to the others.
“Can things get any more bizarre? I’ve never known a ghost to spy before,” said Jae, who shook his head. “Excitement sure seems to follow you two.”
“For reasons unknown…” Meghan uttered softly.
The trio decided to test the ghost. They left the pub and trekked slowly, to see if it followed.
“Where do all these ghosts come from, Jae?” asked Colin as they walked.
Finally, thought Meghan.
“Best I understand it, Grimble is a waiting room of sorts. I guess this is where the dead come if they have unfinished business to attend to before they move on. Grimble is set aside though, for those with some tie to the magical world.”
“Some of these ghosts have died recently, then?” said Meghan.
“If we died, is this where we would come?” asked Colin, catching on to Meghan’s train of thought.
“I never thought about it,” answered Jae. “I suppose it’s possible, but there are other places like Grimble. It’s not the only afterlife ghost town.” Jae finally caught on to what the twins were hoping but dashed that hope straightaway.
“I’m sure if your uncle were here, he�
�d have made himself known.”
“If there are so few magical people, how come there are so many ghosts?” asked Colin.
“I guess you’ll find out soon enough that the Svoda are not the only remaining magical clan. We’re one of the biggest, but there are many others. And some of these ghosts have been here for a long time.” Jae pointed out, “We’re definitely being followed by the way.”
He motioned for them to take a path leading into the woods. A second later, he jumped out and confronted the ghost.
“Why are you following us?”
The pale face of a man in his late twenties, early thirties, smiled at them, floating closer. The trio backed up, unsure of the ghost’s intent.
“It’s really you,” he aimed his words at the twins, although his kind gaze landed heavily on Colin. “I’ve waited such a long time, let me look at you.”
“I think you’ve mistaken us for someone else,” stammered Colin. “We’re not supposed to be here, you see.”
“Who says you’re not supposed to be here? You’re here aren’t you? I’ve been waiting a long time, so if you don’t mind, I would like to speak to the two of you, alone.”
“Why?” asked Meghan.
“The short version, I have a message for you.”
“A message for us! Is it from our uncle? Is he here? Was he here?” begged Meghan.
“Arnon? Why do you ask if he’s here?” pressed the ghost.
“How do you know his name?” Meghan questioned him.
“I am afraid we have gotten off on the wrong foot,” sighed the ghost.
“Spying didn’t help,” chided Jae.
“I am not here to harm you, and anyway, that wouldn’t be possible since the magic of ghosts doesn’t work on the magic of the living.”
“I’d forgotten that,” said Jae. He turned to the twins, “This is all a bit weird, but if he says he has a message, you should stay and talk to him. I’ll wait in town. You can find me when you’re done if you want.”
“We don’t mind if you stay Jae,” insisted Colin, unsure he wanted to be alone with this ghost.
“No, it’s okay. The message is not for me. Besides, you can always tell me later if you want.” Jae left them alone with the unfamiliar ghost.
“I must ask, what has befallen Arnon Jacoby?”
Meghan decided she wanted answers first. “What gives you the right to know?”
The ghost asked them to sit on a bench nearby. He floated down to eye level, the lower part of his body disappearing into the ground.
“My name is Eddy. Arnon is my brother.”
The twins were speechless, and for some uncontrollable reason, Meghan fought off tears. Eddy took out a piece of the ghost candy.
“I’ve been saving this for a special occasion. They say ghosts can get addicted to the feeling of being alive again. He put the candy in his mouth and there before them was their newfound uncle, alive and breathing. He scratched his unshaven face, chuckling. “Oh. How strange a feeling.”
Colin wondered why they had never seen any pictures of him, and was about to ask when Eddy interrupted.
“How about, before I change back, a quick hug from my,” before he could finish they were in his arms.
It was the best feeling either of them had felt since their whole nightmare had begun. Almost as soon as it started, their uncle’s body turned ghostly. The twins had so many questions that they were not sure where to start. Meghan began, firstly, by telling them about Uncle Arnon’s unknown fate.
“I can at least say that I have not seen Arnon here, so that at least can give us hope that he has survived. However…” The twins understood that Eddy knew no more than they did.
“Does any of this surprise you, Uncle Eddy?” Colin was happy to say the word uncle again.
“No, nothing surprises me with your story.”
“Not even the magic or the Scratchers?” asked Colin.
“Not even those,” Uncle Eddy replied. “You have a great gift, Colin. You as well, Meghan. Which leads me to why I am here.”
The twins listened eagerly.
“May I see your book, Colin? The one you’re hiding under your sweater?”
“How did you know?” He squished his eyebrows together in disbelief. At first, nervous to take it out, but obliged. He held it up for his uncle to see; being a ghost, he could not touch it.
“Pristine condition, marvelous news,” he exclaimed.
“Can you tell us what this book is, Uncle Eddy?” asked Colin.
“Yes. But not here or now.”
“When?” pleaded Meghan, happy they would see their unfamiliar relative again.
“We’ll start tomorrow. We have much to do and not much time to do it in.”
“How will we find you? I hope we’ll be allowed to come to Grimble again,” said Meghan.
“I think that with your good behavior today, they will allow you out of their sight while the other children are in school.”
“Good behavior?” croaked Colin, recalling the ghost candy incident. He retold the tale to their uncle.
“That’s an odd thing, for sure. I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s likely it had nothing at all to do with the two of you. Just coincidence.” Eddy didn’t look like he believed his own words. “My best advice is to be mindful of your actions, and do your best not to make any enemies.”
“We’ll try, but I don’t know about the Svoda,” said Meghan, rolling her eyes.
“They may not be trusting yet, but give them time, and no reason not to, and you’ll be fine.”
“Somehow, I think by us just being, we could get into trouble with the Svoda,” added Colin. Eddy made a move as to pat Colin on the shoulder but his ghostly hand sifted right through. Colin shuddered.
“Sorry.” Eddy said. “I have not interacted with living people for a few years now. I am also afraid our meeting for today must end.”
The twins groaned.
“No worries, I’m not going anywhere yet.”
“Would you like to officially meet our friend Jae? We’re staying with his family.”
“Do you trust this boy? Because I must admit, for reasons I will not currently explain, I must remain a secret from your gracious hosts.”
“Jae would never tell if we asked him not to,” answered Colin.
“Our secrets keep adding up,” noted Meghan.
“Perhaps they do, but all for good reason,” acknowledged Eddy.
Colin raced away and was back a minute later with Jae.
“This is our Uncle Eddy,” introduced Colin.
Jae broke into a bewildered smile. “You’re kidding! That’s amazing.”
Eddy did not stick around for long and bid them a hasty farewell. “Meet me here tomorrow,” he said as he vanished deeper into the woods.
The trio departed Grimble, crossing the bridge out of town. They trekked back toward the Svoda wagons and Bedgewood Harbor.
“I’ve never seen that before,” said Jae in disbelief. “All the other ghosts I’ve met have unfinished business in other places, but never have I seen one waiting for their business to arrive here.”
“Whatever the case, I can’t wait until tomorrow,” said Colin. Meghan agreed. It was one bright spot, in a seemingly not too bright future. Her mind strayed to when they would have to say goodbye and move on. Colin caught the thought.
“Why couldn’t we stay here with Uncle Eddy?” he suggested. “Why not wait here for the doorway to reopen?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. We should ask him, when the moment is right.”
Jae could not get over the twins’ uncle staying behind in the afterlife, waiting for them to arrive.
“He wants to see us as much as possible,” said Meghan.
“At least you’ll have something to do while I’m at school.”
It was exactly what the twins wanted to hear.
“I think we should keep him a secret,” suggested Meghan, hoping they were not pushing their luck.
&nbs
p; “You’re probably right,” agreed Jae. “Gets easier to break the rules once you’ve already done it, huh?” he added in a low, insinuating voice.
The twins, unfortunately, agreed.
“Still,” worried Meghan, “it’s like we are teetering on the edge of complete destruction.”
##
That evening as the twins headed for bed, each noticed a small package on their pillows. Hearing each other find a similar package they glanced out of their curtains.
“Wonder what these are?” Meghan sent to Colin, who opened his.
“It’s a notepad,” he sent back to her. Meghan’s package was the same and a horrible thought struck her.
“School! They’re gonna make us go to school,” she cried out, afraid they would have to stand up their uncle. Colin came close to agreeing until something slipped out of his notepad.
“Look. I think its money,” he guessed. Meghan’s notepad was stuffed with the same.
Jae entered the room and saw what they were holding. “Where’d that come from?”
“It was on our pillows,” replied Meghan.
“It doesn’t say who it’s from,” added Colin.
“This is Svoda money,” said Jae, counting it. “You’ve got enough here to survive a long time. Did I tell you our money is enchanted by mermaids?”
“Mermaids? They’re real?” choked out Meghan.
“Yup. They enchant the money, that way it takes on the shape of whatever currency we need, depending of course on what world we are traveling in.”
“It will change as we travel?” confirmed Colin.
“Yeah, pretty cool, huh?”
“Wicked cool,” said Meghan.
“Who would do such a thing though, give us money?” wondered Colin.
“Someone who wants to help I guess,” said Jae. “You don’t need much to survive on, but as I said, there are occasions money still comes in handy.” He hopped into bed. The twins followed. Mireya was already fast asleep.
Meghan counted her money, dreaming of a lavish shopping spree. “It may be enchanted mermaid money,” she sighed, “but it’s still the most money I’ve ever held at one time.”
Shifting (The Prophecy, The Spy, and The Ghostly Guardian) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 2) Page 5