“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 ge
t 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.
“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.”
THE TWINS WORRIED THEY would not be allowed to go into Grimble on their own; however, it had not been questioned. They were anxious to depart, but decided to wait for Jae and Mireya to leave for school.
Ivan had not come home the night before. Everyone assumed he was still at work, which was apparently something he did often. Irving Mochrie, feeling recuperated enough, had left early to try to catch up on his own work. He was a banker.
“Jae,” Sheila hollered. “I need you to go down to the basement and grab a jar of blueberry preserves for breakfast...” He groaned and scowled. “Don’t give me that look! Your father would never accept that behavior.”
“I’ll come with you,” offered Colin, following Jae to a small closet. On the floor of the closet was a wooden door, which opened to a ladder leading down to a musty, dank and dark cellar. He wished he had not offered to go.
Jae climbed down. Colin held his breath and followed. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The basement held boxes of canned foods, most covered in dust.
As Jae searched for the right preserves, a strange noise distracted Colin. It came from behind and reminded him of feet, shuffling across gritty sandpaper.
“Jae, did you hear that?” he whispered.
“I forgot to warn you!” gasped Jae. “I can’t believe it. Colin, meet Corny.”
“Corny is a person?” asked Colin, his nerves relaxing.
“Yeah, old guy, lives in the basement.” Colin turned around and came face to face with a toothless grizzled man. A wad of chewing tobacco punched out his cheek and the smell of the tobacco turned Colin’s stomach sour.
Jae went back to searching for the preserves.
“Corny, nice to, um, meet you,” gulped Colin.
“You can talk all you want, he won’t talk back. He’s a little crazy.”
“Really?” replied Colin not surprised by this fact. Corny gaped and grinned as tobacco juice dripped down his chin. He might not talk, but he reached out and poked his finger into Colin’s chest, and nodded. Strange sounds came out of Corny’s mouth. Not words or anything coherent. It was almost like he was trying to say something though. Colin’s best guess was that Corny was pleased about something. He turned, shaking a finger at no one, shaking his head, and mumbling under his breath as he shuffled back to his dark corner.
Colin hurriedly climbed up the ladder deciding to wait for Jae at the top. “Who is Corny?” he asked when Jae’s head popped up into the house.
“His real name is Cornell Tibbit. From what I heard, he went crazy after his family died. Some by illness, some by old age, one even by the Scratchers. He is the last in his family line. Poor guy, I guess he couldn’t handle it. They found him unconscious in his house one night and even though he woke up, he just never got better. His mind’s all messed up.”
“Why does he live in your basement?” asked Colin, thinking no matter how crazy he was, that could not be a pleasant place to live.
“He chose to. We tried to get him to live upstairs, but he would disappear for hours. We always found him in the basement. Eventually, we couldn’t get him to stay anywhere else. He prefers the dark.”
“How odd,” said Colin.
“Yeah, he’s a mess. Never talks. Grunts now and then. I’m shocked he came out of his corner, he usually doesn’t do that.”
“Leave it to me to attract the weirdoes,” joked Colin, in a mocking high-pitched voice.
“Weirdo now, but from what my mom and dad told me, he was once a Magic Tracker and considered the best.”
“Magic Tracker?”
“Yeah, someone that can sense magic. Trace it and follow it. Apparently, he was a popular guy before he lost his mind. I think he was the one that traced and found Juliska Blackwell.”
“Oh, right, I remember hearing something about that,” Colin said.
“Yeah, she came to live with the Svoda when she was eleven. She had no memories of her life before then, sad really. But Cornell Tibbit traced her magical blood and brought her to the island. Good thing for us,” said Jae, respectful of their current leader.
“Yeah, good thing,” replied Colin trying not to sound sarcastic.
“Jae Mochrie, stop lollygagging and get those preserves in here,” his mother’s voice ordered from the kitchen. The conversation ended and they hurried to eat.
As breakfast ended, the announcement came that the twins dreaded to hear.
“So you’re aware, there are plans in the works for your education. I’m not sure exactly when, we need to figure out what you’re normally taught. Billie Sadorus thinks she has a book about it somewhere.”
The twins instantly thought of sneaking into Billie’s cottage and stealing the book.
Sheila Mochrie sent them off, handing them each a bag lunch as they departed.
“Do your best and make your father proud,” she said to Jae and Mireya, kissing their foreheads. She waved to the twins; they were already opening the gate, eager to depart. Mireya’s frame dissolved into a small group of girls walking ahead of them.
“Do you have any idea what you’re going to do with your uncle?” asked Jae, once the trio was alone.
“Not yet,” answered Meghan, grateful that at least for the time being, she didn’t have to lie since she didn’t actually know.
“How about you, Jae? How behind are you?” asked Colin.
“I can catch up. I have to catch up. Getting behind doesn’t go over well �
��round here. Besides, I had a lot of chances to practice when I was on my own, best training I’ve ever had,” he said confidently.
“You know I think you’re great!” said Colin enthusiastically. Jae laughed, brushing off Colin’s comment, but his face gave away how thankful he was to hear it.
“See ya after school,” Jae yelled. He mouthed, “Good luck,” as he disappeared from view, leaving the twins alone. The twins waved back, noticing other students gawking at them.
“Do these people ever stop staring?” asked Meghan under her breath.
“Does not appear so,” Colin thought back to her.
Up the road from the school, the twins slowed. Two unfriendly female voices rounded the corner. The twins moved to the side of the road hoping to let whoever it was, pass by.
“Hurry up, Dulcy. You’re making us late again,” the first voice admonished impatiently.
“I’m trying, Darcy. Wait up,” the second girl answered in a whiny voice.
As the one named Darcy spotted the twins, her eyes brightened with an ugly smirk. She blocked the road. “I was hoping I would come face to face with you two.”
Meghan’s guard went up, and she went into defensive mode.
Colin shut down, unable to speak.
“So what about it?” confronted Meghan.
The girl named Dulcy caught up to Darcy. They seemed an odd pairing. Dulcy twirled her shoulder length brown hair, her mouth never quite closing. Her eyes were unkind, but not sharp. Sort of dull and blank in a way.
Darcy, on the other hand, had her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her penetrating brown eyes bulged with too many sentiments, the main one being, I don’t like you, and I’m in charge around here.
She strode closer. “Lucky for you, my time is short.”
“What do you suppose this is all about?” Meghan sent to her brother.
Colin didn’t answer.
Meghan glanced at him sideways. His face was blood red.
“Okay, you’re not going to be any help.” She lifted her chin in defiance. “I’m still waiting... you had something to tell us, right?”
Fury flared in Darcy’s eyes. “Deliver the message,” she hissed to Dulcy.
“You two better watch yourselves,” Dulcy warned, still twisting her hair.
Fated Fantasy Adventure Page 22