Like Lava

The substance drips from the desk like lava. "I think we should do something." Olivia says, attempting to snap me out of it. "I agree." I reply, still staring at the flowing substance. Olivia shakes me. "Sorry, it's fascinating." I say. "Yeah, well it will stick to the rug soon if we don't do something." "You don't want to guide it like a stream?" I ask. " I don't think that's a good idea anymore. It might freeze to the carpet and then we'll have to smash it again." "But that part was fun." "It was, but we need a better plan." She says. "It seems to me we just need to get something that this stuff can latch on to, and then we can throw that into the secret room." "Yes, but what?"She wonders. "How about the paperweight." Olivia shakes her head. "No, I'd eventually like to get on Todd's good side." "Then what?" I ask. "I have an idea. Stand back." Olivia puts her hands out. She forms a bubble between her two palms. It is the size of a bowling ball at first, but it quickly grows to the size of her body. She places the pink ball by the desk. The yellow substance circles around the bubble before it gloms on. We watch as it slowly becomes a solid once more. "Great! Now all we have to do is roll it." Olivia announces.

While it did roll, it wasn't exactly easy to get it started. It was quite heavy, and steering it was another story. Navigating it through the aisles was a nightmare. We would always lose control. It knocked over almost every book shelf. We couldn't be happier when we made it to the trapdoor. We shouted "Adios", and watched it fall into the pit. As soon as it hit the ground, it shattered in to many, many pieces. The pieces re - liquefied. The yellow liquid took on a tempest appearance. It crashed into the walls, and leapt into the air with violent force. A foot higher and it would have hit us. Not wanting to watch the storm any longer, we slammed the door shut. "Now we just gotta board it up." I say. "Get the hammer, and anything you can find!" Olivia shouts. I spring to action while Olivia holds the door shut. Before I can get very far she shouts."Wait, come back." I run back to the trap door." "It stopped making noises." She says. We wait patiently. Indeed there is not a sound. "I think with the door shut it sealed itself in there." Olivia suggests. We both press on the door lightly. It feels like a brick to our touch. I smile at Olivia. It was a hard fought battle, but we won.

Demolition Crew

"Unbelievable! That man has no clue what's going on." Olivia expresses her outrage as we stare into the bright, yellow desk once more. I'm annoyed myself, but I also have an Ace up my sleeve. "Yeah, he's a dick." I respond. "It's more than that. He is in his own world. He's lost touch with everyone else." "I know what will make you feel better." I say. Olivia turns her head suspiciously. I take out the paperweight, and place it one the desk. "Is that Todd's paperweight?" She asks. I nod. Olivia laughs to herself. "That does make me feel better. It's like a big "screw you" "It gets better." I grasp the paperweight tightly. Without warning I slam it into the desk. The thud creates a loud echo. I lift it up. There's not a scratch on the desk. "I don't think that did anything." Olivia says. "No, it didn't. I can't give up though." I hit the desk as hard as I can. I beat it mercilessly. I don't slow down until I can feel it softening. I look at the desk once more. There is now a circular dent where I was pounding. "We're almost there! How's your hand?" Olivia asks. "Starting to cramp." "I'll try it." Olivia gives it a few good whacks. The dent caves in. There is now a hole in that area. The substance still covers the desk, but the bright yellow is fading. I decide to try the drawer again. It's sealed, that hadn't changed. This time however, it is much weaker, and I'm able to yank the drawer open. The hammer is mine. All mine. We go to town on the desk , hammering and pounding. In no time we're able to completely chip away the mysterious coating. The yellow substance then re -liquefies . It drips from the edge of the desk on to the carpet. "What do we do now?" Olivia asks. "Now we direct its flow to the secret room."

No Dice

"No, absolutely not." Todd's response to our inquiry of leaving the desk as it is. "That is your mess. You have to clean it up." He continues. "But I can assure you that as long as it doesn't break or crack it should be fine." Olivia pleads. Todd leans back in his chair. "You can assure me? That makes me feel so much better." He says, sarcastically. I attempt to stand. "Wait." Olivia says to me. She directs her attention back to Todd. "The only way it would break is if someone deliberately tried to do so." "What about that shield? That broke?" He informs. "That's because I smashed it with a hammer." I chime in. Todd squints his eyes. "Why the hell did you do that?" "That's another story for another day. The fact is that it will not break unless someone intentionally tries to." Olivia states. "I want to believe you two, but this information doesn't alleviate any concerns I have." "Why not?" I ask. "Because now I have to worry about some Bozo smashing the desk with a hammer because they wanted to see what would happen." "Why would that happen?" I ask. "I don't know, but I do know that up until recently that wasn't even a remote possibility." "You don't like us much." Olivia says. Todd takes a deep breath. "I'm just doing my job. Part of that is preventing catastrophic events from occurring. You say that there is a slight chance that someone, I don't care who it is, but that someone could break the desk. I can't have that. Get rid of whatever that thing is. I don't care how it's done, but do it." Olivia and I absorb Todd's speech. Todd walks to the door. "Now, if we're done, I have work to do." Olivia walks to the door. I stay back for a moment. I notice a heavy paperweight near the edge of his desk. I glance over my shoulder. His back is turned. The paperweight is too wide to slip into my pocket. I particularly lift my shirt and place the paperweight between my stomach and my waistband. "Hey!" Todd shouts. "Yeah?" I respond, shakily. "Are you coming?" He questions. "Yeah, of course." I try to walk normally. Todd notices my funny limp. "Looks like you haven't quite healed." "No, I have not." I say, smiling like the Chesire cat. Todd examines me. "At least you're wearing clothes this time." Todd eyes both of us. "Get this done. I know you can."

Push It

We push the desk with all our might, but it doesn't budge. It is much heavier than we had anticipated. I decided to switch things up and put my back into it. That did not prove to be any easier. "Did it move at all?" I ask. "Maybe an inch." Olivia replies. "I don't understand. We were able to lift and carry the shield." I say. "Yeah, but that was smaller." I tap my foot. "Any suggestions?" "Well, it seems to me that this started because you broke a piece off the shield." "I'm sorry." "No, I mean what if we tried to do it again?" Olivia wonders. "That could work. I think the hammer is still in the drawer." I attempt to open the drawer, but it's sealed shut. "It's locked." I say. "I don't think it locked. The element put a coating over the desk." "Ok, hammer is out of the picture. I don't want to try and punch it though." "No, you'd break your hand." Olivia warns. "What if we threw a stack of books at it?" I suggest. "I don't know. It might not work. We need a heavy, blunt object. You don't know where we could find more tools, do you?" "I haven't a clue." Olivia bites her lip. "What if we told Todd that as long as no one pierces the desk it should be fine?" "He'll never buy that, besides do you really believe it's safe?" I ask. "We're fine." I sigh. "Yeah, I guess we are. But he won't say yes." "It's worth a shot." I shake my head. "I guess it is."

Lift Me Up

Yelling constantly is a sure fire way to strain your vocal chords. I realized that I may be in the secret room for a while. So, I leaned against the wall. If I had a tennis ball I could have been like Steve McQueen a la The Great Escape. But alas, I had no tennis ball, nor similar object. All I had was my imagination. I envisioned myself throwing the ball, and catching it with my left hand. (the non dominant hand) In my mind I'm quite good at this. My game of catch ended when I could hear Olivia in the distance. She was calling my name. I tried to call back. I couldn't respond with anything louder than a whisper. I knew Olivia wouldn't be able to hear that, so I banged against the walls. I kicked and punched. I caused a tremendous amount of racket. "Is that you?" She shouts. This time she sounds much closer. "Yeah, it's me. Watch the floor. I fell down a hole." I watch the trapdoor opening till Olivia's silhouette appears. "How did you get down there?" She asks. "I pulled a book and a trapdoor opened." Olivia lays down on her stomach. "If I put out my arm do you think you'd be able to grab it?" She asks. "Yes." Olivia stretches her arm as far as she can. I give my best jump, and I clasp on to her hand. She pulls me to the surface. It's a struggle at first, but she succeeds. "Who put that there?" She asks, not expecting a response. "I did." I say, hiding my face. "Why?" "I thought it would look cool." Olivia glances at the pit. "I could see that. Like an Adam's Family thing?" "I was actually going for 60's , campy , Batman." Olivia knowingly nods. "I did get an idea while I was down there." I continue. "What was it?" "Nobody knows about that room , and we have to dispose of the substance somehow. What if we push the desk down there?" I muse. "What will Malory do for a desk?" "We get her a new one. We can tell them it was destroyed in the process." Olivia thinks for a moment. "Assuming we are able to move the desk this might work. All we'd have to do then is completely board up the room. " I spring up. "Let's get to it!"

Cold, Dark Place

Here I am in a cold, dark place of my own creation. No, that is not a metaphor. I literally created this hidden room. Well, with a little help that is. I'm not sure why I wanted it so badly, other than I thought it would look cool. If the workers were allowed to finish, it would have been cool. Instead I'm stuck with a pit that's no larger than a regular sized bathroom. The trapdoor is open, so I have some light directly overhead at least. My curiosity gets the best of me. I jump as high as I can. I stretch out my arms in hopes of grabbing the doorway. It's no use. It's still a good foot above me. My only option is to call for Olivia. I shout her name at the top of my lungs. My screams bounce off the basement walls. I try this a few more times then wait. I stand there motionless. I hear neither footsteps nor her voice. She has not heard my cries, but I must not give up.

Any ideas?

I'm not sure how to dispose of our latest problem. The bright, yellow desk poses an interesting challenge, but fortunatelty we're in a library. Information is at our finger tips. Granted I have shelved all the books,and I know all the titles. As far as I know, there was nothing on the subject of alien elements. It is possible that something slipped past me. I won't search in the non - fiction section though. I know that sounds odd, but fiction is where I must go. I recive all my best ideas from the pages of fiction. I don't recall Tom Sawyer encountering a mysterious yellow substance, but something in that area will spark my imagination. I travel through the classics section while Olivia stands guard. While she doesn't quite understand what I'm doing she lets me go ahead. A good idea is always appreciated no matter where it may come from. She also understands that our knowledge of the yellow substance at this moment is still finite. We knew that one of us had to stay behind , and better it be the one who could through up a force field. I wanted to end my journey in ailes till I found something that caught my eye. It was a hardcover, bold green book. There was no title. I didn't remember shelving it, but I had a good feeling about it. Little did I know that would become my undoing. I pulled the book from the shelf, and the floor opened beneath me. I fell straigh down to a dark, unfinished basement. I'm really regreting installing that now.

Bright Yellow Desk

The library looks like a biohazard area. There is yellow caution tape , and plastic, zip walls everywhere. You'd think we had discovered asbestos in the ceiling. To be fair, I can understand their fear. They had probably never seen anything like this before, and were uncertain what it was capable of. I have seen what it can do to first hand, but I'm still not sure the extent of what it can and can not do. Olivia and I stare at the bright yellow desk. We're a good twenty feet away from it. That's as close as we want to go at the moment. "Why did it do that?" I ask. "Beats me." "But we made the shield along time ago, why would it do this now?" Olivia shrugs. "The substance formed around my bubble. Maybe the bubble finally weekend and it had nothing to hold on to." "Yeah, I can buy into that." I say. "Plus you took a piece off of it." She adds. "What does that have to do with anything?" Olivia thinks for a moment. "Well, it was already formed around an unstable substance. With the piece missing it had nothing to hold on to." "So then it all became free, and wrapped itself around the desk?" I suggest. "That's what I'm guessing." "Do you think this stuff is hardened now and it's ok to touch?" "I want to say yes, but I honestly don't know anymore. I mean this stuff could be moving so slowly that we can't detect it with the naked eye." "I'm sorry I got us into this mess." I say. "It's ok, we'll figure it out."

Change of Clothes

Before I could begin to attempt my new challenge, I knew a change of attire was in order. I went back to the White Room in hopes of finding actually clothing. To my surprise, I saw my hood and cape, my black t - shirt, and my jeans all folded neatly on my bed. Peter appeared in the doorway after I made my discovery. "Thought you would like your costume." Peter says. "Thanks, I appreciate it. " "Everything is there except for shoes." "Yeah, they're at the bottom of the atlantic ocean." Peter glances at my bare feet. "You're about a ten, right?" "Something like that." I reply. Peter takes off his loafers and hands them to me. His generosity confuses me. "Take them." He insists. "But what will you wear?" I ask. "I have more shoes, you don't. Take them, I'll be fine." I slip the loafers on my feet. "How do they fit?" He asks. "They're comfy." "Good, you'll need comfortable shoes for what your'e doing." "I know proper foot wear is always important." I say. "It is. Especially for what you're doing." I furrow my brow. "You know, I'm not going off to war. I'm just going to the library." Peter half smiles. "Just be careful. You're still recovering." "I'm fine." "Are you?" He asks, with wide eyes. "Well, I'm a little sore, but if I keep moving I won't think about my pain." "Movement helps one to get out of one's head... sometimes." "I'll be fine." I try to assure. Peter looks at me like a worried grandfather talking to his wayward grandson. "You'll do what you have to do. Please be careful."

The Longest Walk

I lean into Olivia. I practically press my full body weight on her. I feel bad at first, but I can't walk on my own. Not yet. She asks me every now and then if I want to turn around. My response is always "Not now." Every single person that we pass stares at us with their mouth wide open. It's as if they had never seen a man limping through the corridors in hospital gown. "Shouldn't you be working?" Olivia shouts to our gawkers. "We have fans." I tell her. "We have annoyances." I personally didn't care they were staring. I can understand why Olivia would though. She had to walk with my noodle like body up many flights of stairs while the whole staff murmured amongst themselves. I could hear whispers wondering what happened to us. I could not discern any theories, but I knew by the time we got to the top floor everybody at the Wellness center knew something had happened, including Todd. Normally his office door would be closed. Today it was slightly ajar. We both took it as a sign that he was open for visitation and we proceeded to enter. We opened the door. Todd flirts with a woman in a brown business suit. The creaky door catches his attention. He looks up at us embarrassed. "Hey, this is Veronica. She's my new secretary." We wave to Veronica. Todd directs his attention back to her. "Could you excuse me for a minuet? I have some things to discuss with them" Veronica gives Todd a full smile, but she walks past us shooting daggers. "Come on in, and shut the door." He tells us. We step foot into his office, closing the door behind us. Todd appears uneasy as we take our seats. I pick up on this right away. "Something the matter?" I ask. "Yes there is. You're sitting on my furniture while you're wearing a gown." He says. "Does this offend you?" I ask. "It does because I don't want your naked ass on my chair." "Sorry, I didn't realize the back came undone." Todd grits his teeth. "If you'll excuse us. He was hurt badly." Olivia jumps in. "I know. I know all about that." "Word spreads that fast?" Olivia asks. "No, your friend Peter told me. He told me your story, and insisted that you stay in bed till you were fully healed. But seeing as how you hate following directions, here you are now." "I just thought it would be better to take care of this now." I say. "Why, so I could look at you and feel sorry for you?" Olivia and I look at each other. Todd puts his face in his hands. "Unbelievable." He says. "Can we cut to the chase? Can you tell us what we did?" Olivia asks. "For starters you didn't come when I sent for you." "We had important things to take care of." Olivia replies. "Yeah, I hope it was more important than what you did to the library." "What did we do to the library?" I ask, confused. "I don't know. Malory's desk turned yellow. It scared everyone so bad, we had to have the whole library quarantined." He explains. I half smile. "What is so funny?" "We were trying to figure out what that thing was when you called for us." I say. Todd relaxes slightly. "Any clue what it is?" "It's an extraterrestrial element, but we don't know where exactly it came from." Olivia informs. "Perfect." He says, sarcastically. "What? We'll find out more information." I tell him. "No, you're not going anywhere. You're cleaning up your mess." "But in order to do that we have to find more about it." Olivia pleads. Todd shakes his head. "No, because everywhere you go there is a path of destruction." "What else did we do wrong?" I ask. "The falcons. They won't come back." "How is that our fault? They attacked us." I say. "Only after they were provoked. " "Are you blaming the victim again?" Olivia asks. Todd takes a deep breath. "I don't want to argue. In fact I would really like to fire you. But then the library would still be in ruins. This isn't up for debate. You two will fix it. Now get out of my office."

My Visitor

I stare at the ceiling fan for hours. The slow , repetitive motion numbs my mind. It puts me in and out of dreamless sleeps. The naps are long enough to take me away from the lackluster scenery, yet short enough to leave me frustrated. They

leave me jonesing for more. That's alright though. Upon waking one of the many times, I saw Olivia's beautiful, upside down face. I couldn't believe it. I mean I knew I'd see her again, but it made my day. "Are you real?" I ask. "I am." She says , sweetly. "I would have been here sooner , but I wasn't sure where you went until Peter sent for me." She continues. "Yeah, I'm sorry I left you." I say. "No, it's not your fault. I just wish I could have protected you at the time." "It's fine. You had to help Rosie. How is she by the way?" "She's doing well, or at least as well as she can after that freight. She's been resting a lot. She's not ready to go through her boxes just yet." "I figured." "But how are you holding up? I heard you got beat up badly." She says. "I feel like a bruised peach." "That bad, huh?" "Actually, I may be doing better. Could you help me up?" I ask. Olivia carefully pulls me up. It still hurts. Olivia sees me cringe as I sit up. "Doesn't look like you're better." "I'm not." I respond while swinging my legs around to the side of the bed. "Is movement good for you right now?" She asks, worriedly. "It should be." I reply. Olivia helps me off the bed. "Where are we going? Down the hall?" She asks. "No, top floor." "What's up there?" "Todd's office." I say, casually. "Are we in trouble ?" Olivia asks. "Yes we are." "Ok, well, are you sure you want to see him right now?" "Yes, now is perfect. He'll go easier on us because he knows I'm hurt." "That may be , but don't you at least want to get dressed?" "Why?" Olivia stares at my choice of clothing. "Because you're still wearing a nightgown." "Oh good, even better. Now he'll have to believe me." I say. Olivia shakes her head. "This is insane." "Does that mean you're not in on this?" "No I'm in on it. Let's go."

White Room

I awake in a white room. Everything is white, blinding white. There are no pictures or windows. It's just a cold, sterile, white room. I attempt to sit up, but my muscles are too sore. The pain is excruciating. "Careful, you went through quite an ordeal." Peter warns. "No shit." I reply. "Hey." He snaps. "Sorry, I forgot where I was." "So, you know where you are?" He asks, slyly. I can't see him at the moment. The only thing presently in my field of vision is the ceiling fan. "No, I meant I forgot what company I was around." I respond. Peter rests at the foot of my bed. I can only see him out of the corner of my eye, but at least I know I'm not having auditory hallucinations. "Where am I anyway?" I ask. "It's a white room I created a while back. Never got to use it. Never thought I'd have to." "Is this an infirmary?" "In a sense yes. It had perfect lighting , so I can see everything, always." "Perfect lighting for when you're working on a patient?" Peter changes the subject. "Todd is not happy with you." "What else is new?" "But even more so now." I try and sit up again. The pain is still too much. "What are you doing." Peter shouts. "He's mad at me. So, I figured I'd talk to him." "Normally I would agree with you, but you are in no condition to go anywhere." "This needs to be taken care of." I insist. "It does. However, right now your main concern should be getting better. I don't want you going anywhere." I reluctantly lay down. "Can you at least do something for me?" I ask. "Depends what it is." "Can you get Olivia for me?" Peter smiles. "That I can do."

Dive

I was once told that if you were to fall from a high altitude it would be better to hit the ground than water. My young mind could not comprehend that fact. I enjoyed swimming in pools, and that never proved harmful. Yet, falling from such a height into water is an almost guaranteed death certificate. Hitting the water at that speed will shatter your bones. I couldn't see a Deus Ex Machina in sight, so I knew I only had one option. I straightened out as best I could, and pointed my toes toward the sea. Luckily I was wearing my Doc Martins. Those boots helped absorb some of the impact. It still hurt like hell, but it wasn't deadly. My boots helped with my dive, but they were a hindrance when it came time to swim. They quickly filled with water. I sunk like a stone. As much as it pained me, I knew what I had to do. I had to remove the shoes. In times of crisis, my sense of survival outweighs my sense of fashion. I took them off and swam to surface. It took me a while to catch my breath, but I was relieved to know that ordeal was over. I was even more relieved to see my Deus Ex Machina. Out of nowhere, Peter flew into view on a falcon. He offered me his hand after landing on the water. "How did you find me?" I ask. "Never mind that. Let's get you out of here."

Sky Fight

I'm pulled higher and higher into the atmosphere. I struggle so much to escape that it makes my body spin endlessly. This gives the birds much delight. They innately know I can not see much, if anything. I have trouble controlling my nausea while simultaneously flailing my arms and legs. I do the best I can though. I can't let them win. I see a blurred black streak dart across my periphery. I haphazardly throw a punch. I feel my knuckles crack a beak. Another black streak makes its presence known. I kick my right leg, and it hits the meaty part of the bird. At this point, I have tossed aside any previous reservations of harming an animal. I'm throwing punches and kicks left and right. Somehow each and every one hits its intended target. The Falcons do wise up eventually. The falcon carrying me swings its mighty talons back and forth. It causes me to swing like a human yo-yo from my cape. I'm crashing into the birds. I'm probably doing some damage to them, but I'm certain I had more bruises than they did. As soon as I could regain a shred of my equilibrium, I curled into a ball. This simple act turned me from a human yo-yo into a human bullet. I used my full body weight to crash into them. I could hear their cries and shrieks. I could feel myself losing momentum. I knew they stopped swinging me. I knew they had given up. I couldn't force myself out of the ball just yet. After all , there is a thing called the eye of the storm. They may have been warming up for round 2, but I did open my eyes. I had closed them at various intervals. It helped me with my nausea. However, once I opened my eyes, I had a whole new set of problems. I was free falling and fast approaching deep blue water.

Attack

With coffee in our veins and food in our bellies, we took off on the open road. The plan was simple. The plan was easy. We were going to kick out her lousy, good for nothing room mate and sort through her papers once and for all. Jay Bowman did incinerate his factory long before we got there. But somewhere in Rosie's home was the answer. Someone would be fuel to keep us going. We were all laughs and smiles until an animal hit the side of Rosie's car. It caused her to veer off the road. I checked to see the damage of the car. As I'm looking at a massive dent on the door, I hear a bloodcurdling screech in the sky. A mighty falcon swoops down. He would have gotten me if I hadn't crouched last minuet. "Everything alright?" Olivia asks from inside the car. Before I have a chance to answer , another falcon peeks its head into Olivia's window . Olivia quickly fires pink hearts at it. I glance at the sky. There are many more coming. "You have to put up a shield. There's more coming." I shout to her from the asphalt. "Ok, but get in here." She says. "I don't know if it's safe." "Just make a run for it." I push myself off the ground, and I throw open the backseat door. Right as I'm about to enter the station wagon I feel something grab my cape. It pulls me tightly backwards, and I ascend high into the sky.

Max's Discovery

Max rushes to Peter's post. His face is beat red. He hunches over and nearly vomits. Peter comforts Max by patting him on the back. "What the devil's the problem?" Peter asks. "It's the..." Max tries to get the words out, but he is still catching his breath. "Just take a deep breath." Peter says. Max takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly. "It's the falcons." He continues. "What about them?" Peter asks. "They're gone." Peter suddenly stops comforting Max. "What? All of them?" Max stands up straight. "Except for the small one." "Penny?" Peter asks, worriedly. Max nods. "Yeah, they some how tied her up. I untied her, but I think her wing is hurt." "No this is not good." Peter declares. "What do we do?" Max asks. "Well, we don't have many options. We have to check on Penny first. If her wing is fine enough to fly, then we have to leave now." "And if her wing isn't fine?" "Then we find another way. We can't let the falcons get to those two."

Diner

We pull into an old fashioned, 50's style diner. The inside has chrome bar stools that still shine, and all the waitresses look as if they were frozen in time or sent from central casting. Almost all of them wear thick, Buddy Holly frame glasses. The three of us pull up bar seats. Rosie and Olivia order coffee. I decline. It's a choice that surprises myself. Caffeine is my vice of choice after all. Could I be turning a new leaf? Or is my is my brain not awake enough to grasp the things that I really, truly want. I am, however the only one who purchases food. I get an apple pie a - la - mode. I figure I'm in a diner in the middle of no where, it would be a crime not to. Upon seeing my desert Rosie sings the chorus to American Pie. Soon the waitresses join in. The unusual moment puts a smile on my face. They conclude with the line "This'll be the day that I die" and everybody in diner, including the grizzled truckers applaud. I take a bite of my pie. It's not terrible, yet nothing to brag about. "How is it?" Rosie asks. "It's good." I reply. I don't want to tell her I've had better. "Yes, this place is wonderful isn't it? I've been coming here for years." A waitress who was wiping the counter at the other end looks up. "Dear, may I ask your name?" She asks. "Rosie." The waitress's face lights up. "Oh my. Do you remember me?" "What was your name?" Rosie asks. The waitress points to a name tag that reads Darla. Rosie laughs to herself. "Oh my goodness. Darla, I haven't seen you in years." She says. "No shit, where have you been?" "Times have been tough, Darla." Rosie says, in a low tone. "I'm sorry to hear that. How's your husband?" She asks. "That's part of the tough times. He passed not too long ago." Rosie replies, nearly choking up. Darla walks around the counter and hugs Rosie. "I'm sorry to hear that. So sorry. He was a good man." Rosie half smiles. "Thank you." "So, who are your friends?" Darla asks. "They're some people I got to help me tie up lose ends, and go through boxes in my house." Darla looks directly at and me and Olivia. "You're doing a good thing." She tells us. Darla hugs Rosie again. "I'll let you three discuss business, but I won't be far away if you need me." Darla walks off. Rosie clears her throat. "Now, to discuss business."

Peter Delegates

Peter is uneasy. It is out of character for him to be this way. On any other day he would be calm and collected. Not too long ago his beloved falcons spoke of revenge. He calmed their nerves with a bedtime story, or shall I say late afternoon story. They could wake up with bright eyes and open hearts, but there is still a chance they have not forgotten their devious schemes. Even the normally level headed Penny could be swayed by mob mentality. Peter does not like this one bit. He whistles as loudly as he can. A moment later Max, the bellboy shows up. "Is there a problem?" Max asks. "There may be. I need you to go to the stables." Peter says. "The stables? But why?" "I need you to check on the falcons." "Are they sick?" Max asks. "No, they are alive and well." "Then what's the problem?" "They may be unruly." Peter says. "Then we should bring in an expert such as yourself." Peter places his hands on Max's shoulders. "I have taught you all I know. You can do this." Max appears ill at at ease. "I'm sure I can, but I can also manage your post. You taught me that as well." He says. Peter nods. "That I did, but I need to stay here. You need to go." Peter insists. "Why?" "Do you remember the ones I was telling you about? The ones that refused to acknowledge their summoning?" Peter asks. "Yes." "If they come back by their own means, like I believe they will, they should see me. I know how to deal with this." Max looks down. "You can do this." Peter assures. Max takes a deep breath. "Ok, I'll do it. I'll report back any problems." Peter shakes his head. "There won't be any. You can do this."

Station Wagon

Nothing like riding in a station wagon to make one ponder about the ways in which family affects their everyday lives. Even if the family you were born into never owned one , there was still a chance you knew someone who did. Granted, it may have been a fictional character , but that still counts as family. To me the station wagon is a symbol of Americana. With this car comes the idealized version of the past. There is a famous Norman Rockwell painting entitled "Family Trip." It is split into two panels. The top half is the family driving ( in a station wagon) to their vacation destination. You can see the kids laughing and playing, and the parents are excited as well. Then you look at the bottom panel. It shows the family driving back from the trip. EVERYBODY is exhausted. They appear as if they had way too much vacation. The top half is how I feel right now. I'm sure eventually I'll be among the characters on the bottom half. At this moment though, I am filled with intrigue and wonder. A new adventure awaits us.That is exciting. We have not talked about the drawbacks to this quest yet. I suppose that is so no negative thoughts can enter our subconscious minds and halt this. Then again, if no one mentioned any of the details maybe it is because we all believe we will fail. No, I can't think like this. I must drown myself out. I reach for the radio. We're all squeezed into the front. Rosie is driving, Olivia has passenger seat window, and I , lucky me, get control of the radio. I push a button. The first thing I hear is a twangy guitar and a southern accent. "I didn't know you were a fan of country." Rosie says. "I didn't either." I say. Rosie cranks the volume. The man on the radio sings about heartbreak and drunken nights. Rosie sings along. "Come on, join in." She urges. "I can't." I say. "Sure you can." "He's shy. " Olivia says, saving me. "Shy huh? Alright, I won't pry any more." Rosie continues singing. The song concludes with the man recognizing the fact that he'll never be alone as long as he has a bottle of Jack. Can't say I agree, but it was a catchy jingle. After the song there is a block of commercials. Rosie turns down the radio. "Are you two hungry?" She asks. "I could eat." I respond. "There's a diner I like to go to on my way back. I'll take you there and we can discuss our plan."

Penny

Our falcon flies through a tiny opening in a cloud. On the other side of the cloud is Peter. He is unaware of the bird standing before him. He has his nose buried in the farmer's almanac, again. The bird caws to get his attention. Peter looks up and smiles. "Penny , you're back. I wasn't expecting you so soon." Peter leans to the side. "Where are they?" He asks. The falcon squawks. "They refused to come?" The bird nods its massive head. "Didn't they know they were summoned?" The bird caws again. "They didn't care? That sounds about right. " Peter taps his fingers. "The boss is not going to like this. I don't want to tell him though, not yet. We'll wait a while. Let them come to us. Let them do the right thing." Peter stands. "Come on, Penny. I'll walk you back to the stables."

Peter is one of the few individuals who thrive on solitude. He's not anti- social or bad with people. He's warm hearted and kind. I think he just doesn't need the interaction from humans because he treats the falcons like people. He recognizes they all have a unique personality, and that comes through when he names them. For example, Penny is named Penny because she is the smallest. She is still quite large. However, if one were to compare her with the others it is obvious she is the runt of the group. The other falcons make fun of her, but Peter reminds her she's special. Penny is undoubtedly his favorite, but he loves them all. Currently he is trying his best to calm them down. Rejecting a falcon is seen as an insult. Especially when one is summoned. They flap their wings and caw madly. Feathers are flying everywhere. They want revenge. They want to peck our eyes out and drop our bodies in the deepest waters. Peter insists violence is not the way. They don't listen to his words , so he takes out Goodnight Moon and starts to read. Eventually they calm down. They all close their eyes to rest. Hopefully they'll forget any vows of revenge. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Lone Falcon

Our gigantic, majestic falcon flies alone. It is unaccompanied by yours truly or his one and only. I am no expert on this, but I doubt it shed any tears. The falcon is merely a sentinel awaiting orders. They say dog is man's best friend. I beg to differ. Though a canine is usually loyal through and through, our falcon friend is something else. I snap my fingers and it materializes. It lives to serve. The only problem is Olivia and I are not very high on the Wellness Center totem pole. So, the falcon's loyalties don't reside with us at the moment. That's fine though. We'll win it back in due time. It might have some anger because it wasn't able to coax us into the sky. It's understandable, but I assume as it's flying through the air it'll forget about any pent up anger. How could anyone be in a foul mood while floating through thin, whispy clouds?

Troubled Waters

It was a somber walk back to the dock. Neither one of us said a word. Betraying a genuinely kind person weighs heavy on my heart. As if the crushing guilt wasn't punishment enough, things soon got worse. We discovered that our canoe had a massive hole in the side. Water was quickly pouring into it. By the time we got there it was almost completely submerged in the lake. "That puts a dent in our plans." I laugh at my own joke. Olivia sneers and then joins in, chuckling with me. "That is kinda funny." I nudge Olivia. " I guess you could say we're waterlogged." She tries not to laugh at my stupid joke this time. "This situation still sucks." She says. "I know. What do you suggest we do?" "Only thing we can do. Call the falcon." I shout up into the sky, giving a loud call to our feathery friend. Normally whenever we call to our falcon we don't have to wait, at least not very long. Today was different. We stood there for a few minuets. I could hear cicadas from miles away, but nothing in the sky. Nothing that would come by and save us. "What is going on?" I ask. "Who knows. We better start walking though." We turned around to start our journey home. At the other end of the dock was Rosie. She was still visibly upset. Her hands were in fists, and her face was flushed. "I wanted to let you go, but I'm still mad." She shouts. "I understand." I reply. "No, you don't. When you two left, when you two were arrested, there was a part of me that was relieved. I didn't have to bring up the past anymore." "We'll walk away now. You won't have to bring up the past anymore." Olivia assures. Rosie shakes her no. "No, you two coming back is my Karma. I have to deal with this even if I don't want to." "We were just snooping. No one is paying us to do this. Nobody wants us to do this." I tell her. " I want you to." She responds. Before we could say anything, we hear a loud squawking. Our falcon swoops down, and takes a seat on the deck between us and Rosie. It drops a letter from its beak. Olivia picks it up and reads it. "We're requested back at the Wellness Center." "The hell you are. You're coming with me." Rosie says. The falcon squawks at her. Rosie gives it the finger. "Fuck off, bird." Rosie pushes her way past the large falcon. "Come on, we have work to do." The falcon
squawks again. Rosie ignores it and drags us off to her cabin.

Sweet Tea

Call me a wimp, but I can not handle sweet tea. At least not southern sweet tea. I do enjoy a sweetened tea, however when it feels as if my teeth will fall out upon the first sip, I think that is a sign there is too much sugar. I do my best to avoid any grimaces while sipping this drink. When in Rome you do as the Romans do. Even if you are a million miles away from Rome. Last time I checked we were in Main, and Main is not a southern state. It's possible she is from the south, or has southern relatives, or just enjoys sweet tea. I won't try to rationalize this anymore. "What do you think?" Rosie asks. "It's very true to the name." I say. Rosie slaps her knee. "Don't I know it. I go all out. This isn't a drink for sissies." Olivia sets her tea down. "What's a matter you don't like it?" Rosie questions. "Oh no, it's not that. I want to savor it." Olivia replies. Rosie smiles with her eyes. " I hear ya." Rosie sets her drink to the side as well. "So, you two are into canoeing?" "Sort or, we kinda just picked it up." I respond without thinking. Rosie leans back in her chair. "Interesting place to learn." She says. "Why's that?" Olivia asks. "Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but neither one of you lives around here." "That's right, but we were in the area." I explain. "You were in the area?" She repeats. We both nod. "Did you come to see the closed factory? Or did you stop by because you wanted some pancakes from my work?" She questions. "In a way. We wanted to see you." I say, shyly. Rosie relaxes her tense face. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse. How did you find me though?" "Your roommate told us." I say. "He told you? He has no idea where I am. Try again." She says , firmly. "We may have found something." I say. "What did you find?" She demands. "It was the deed to your lake house." Olivia chimes in. Rosie turns beat red. "You went through my things?" "Yes, we did." I confess. Rosie points to the door. " I want you out, now." "You have to believe, we had all the best intentions." Olivia assures. "I don't care what your intentions were. I don't like being deceived and I don't like being lied to. Get out of my house, now." I had never seen Rosie so upset. Then again we didn't really know her. We only knew an aspect of her. There was one thing that was painfully clear as we exited the sun room that afternoon, we lost a potential friend.

Sun Room

It was a short distance from the dock to the lake house. Circular lavender stones guided the way to a cozy cabin in the woods. Rosie took us into a sun room. I assumed we were actually going to venture inside the cabin. Especially when moments before she was complaining about the heat. Though I will say, despite it's name the sun room felt like it was miles away from the sun. Big tree just outside the cabin gave the room a nice, cool shade. I sat back in my rocking chair, feeling lazier than ever. I was ready to take an afternoon nap. "It's nice, isn't it?" Rosie asks. "It's lovely." Olivia says. "This was always my favorite room. There were days I'd sit here for hours on end. I wouldn't budge from my rocking chair." "That sounds so peaceful." Olivia exclaims. Rosie smiles. "It was. The masquitoes were always terrible, and there were years where we could barely afford our summer home, but it was all worth it for this room." "I could stay here for hours as well." I say feeling my eyes becoming heavier. " Yes ,I am not looking forward to going back to my flat." "Why don't you sell that and live here?" Olivia asks. "I could do that, but would I really enjoy it as much if I had this year 'round?" "Plus, the winter's are probably unbearable." I add. Rosie shudders in her seat. "Don't get me started on the winters. No, I've got a couple more weeks. I'll just enjoy this while I can." "That's a good idea." Olivia replies. Rosie picks her self out of her seat. "I'm a bit peckish. Would either of you care for some sweet tea?" "Is it really sweet?" Olivia wonders. Rosie grins. "It wouldn't be sweet tea if it wasn't."

On the Dock

It took some time before the thing in question on the horizon was little more then a speck. We had to venture through a thick fog. At that point we saw a woman sitting at the edge of a dock. She was wadding her feet in the water. He head was down, and completely blocked by a large sun hat. We could not identify her, but we felt certain it must be Rosie. We docked our canoe and walked up to the side of the woman. "You think that's her?" I ask. "Who else would it be?" Olivia replies. "You're right. I don't think we should wake her though." "Why not?" Olivia asks. "Because we could scare her, and I don't want to do that." I say. "What should we do then?" I sit down beside Rosie. "We wait." Olivia reluctantly joins me. We sit in silence for a moment and then I hear a low, "I'm not sleeping." I turn to Rosie. She lifts her head. I can clearly see that it is her now. "It was kind of you to wait though." She continues. At this moment, I am so excited I can barely contain myself. I find myself hugging Rosie. "Good to see you too, but I must ask, how did you find me?" She asks. I break away from the hug. She caught me off guard and I don't know what to say. Olivia steps in and helps. "We weren't looking for you. We were just canoeing." "It is a good day for that." Rosie replies. I can tell by her eyes that she accepts our story. "Canoeing is hard at first, but after a while it's fun." I add. Rosie smiles. "You must forgive me. My place isn't exactly exactly easy to find. So, I thought you were looking for me. " It was that comment that made me wonder if she knew our purpose for being there, but I believed it was too late to back tred. So, we continued to play dumb. "No we were worried. We thought we'd never see you again. " I remark. "Fate is funny like that." She replies. Rosie stands. "It's getting too hot for me. How about we come inside?"

Canoeing

Confession time: canoes confuse the hell out of me. I think I'm paddling the right direction, and before I know it the canoe will be going backwards, or better yet in circles. It was hard getting the hang of it. I wanted to go one way, and Olivia wanted to go the other way. After quite some time of spinning in circles, we decided to paddle in the same direction. This proved effective. We weren't going anywhere very fast, but we were moving forward together. As you may have guessed, neither one of us is what one would call "outdoorsy." Granted I was in the Boy Scouts briefly. If I had stayed with them I'm sure they would have taught me many things. Such as how to properly canoe. I wasn't able to get past the stigma of a uniform though. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal. In retrospect it wasn't. Some kids relish the chance to dress up. I was not one of them. It's like the uniform itched, and I couldn't wait to take it off and put on jeans and a T - shirt. But Scouts or not, we learned how to canoe. It may not be the best way, but it's our way. I only hope that we can find the lake house before it rains. Since we got here it's gotten considerably darker. I don't feel any sprinkles though, and we've come too far to turn back now. There doesn't appear to be any houses around the lake. We've been paddling for a while, and I haven't seen a single person or creature. The lake is vacant. Not a vacant that would suggest a void, but rather a calm vacant. Olivia stands. The canoe rocks back and forth. "Careful." I shout. "Sorry, there's something out there." She says. I squint. I can't make much of anything out, but I do believe her to be right. We continue moving forward. "You think that's her?" She asks. "We'll know when we get there."

The Lake

While Rosie's lake house does appear on the Mapleville map, we thought it would be best if we avoided her front door. She is a lovely human being and she would warmly welcome us... until she figured out how we found her abode. I do believe that finding her will be vital in this case. However, our methods weren't exactly conventional, and If she were to find out it may rile her up. To circumnavigate any unpleasant encounter we rented a canoe. The only problem was that the rental place was still a bit of a distance from the lake. We had to treck through a thick forest. Our arms wanted to give out carrying the canoe, and our shoes got stuck in the mud several times. We marched on though. Our reward at the end of the arduous hike was crystal blue lake. It was a deep, clear lake that was surrounded on all sides by a dense forest. We pushed off on our canoe unsure exactly where to find Rosie in the great blue yonder.

Ice Cream Shop

Ice cream is the perfect motivator. Unfortunately it is also the perfect distraction. I think I've actually done less work here than when I was at Rosie's . It's weird, the owners of this ice cream shop are unusually welcoming. They didn't bat an eye when we brought the boxes in , and it is a mess to say the least. There are boxes and papers scattered throughout our area. You wouldn't be able to see the tiny metallic table. I have never seen this level of acceptance in a public place before. Except maybe in a coffee house. There it's almost frowned upon if you don't bring your office with you. Maybe the owners want a homely, cozy, coffee house feel. Maybe they know we are on to something and want to see us succeed even if it means staring at this colossal eye sore. Maybe they expect us to pay rent now, or maybe they just don't care. These are questions I ask myself while finishing my delicious swirl cone. "You find anything?" Olivia asks. "No, did you?" "No." I observe my surroundings. "Hey, is this where we came for New Years?" Olivia shakes her head. "No. I think that place was in another town.Sure looks similar though." "Sure does." "What was in your box?" She asks. "Not much. Mostly receipts . Stuff she thought was important at one point. Do you want to take a look?" "May I ?" I hand Olivia a small pile of papers that I have gathered in front of me. "It's all receipts for vacuums or TVs." I say. Olivia flips through the papers. "Yeah, not much here." "Should we call it quits for the night?" I ask. Olivia suddenly stops flipping. "Wait." She instructs. "What?" Olivia hands me a deed for a Mapleville Lake house. "Did you see that one?" She asks. "I somehow missed it." Olivia points to the paper. " I think that's where she is." "You really think so?" Olivia grins. "It's worth a shot. Isn't it?"

Sorting Through Boxes

"It's hopeless!" I shout while sifting through an enormous pile of papers. "Don't give up." Olivia tells me. "I won't, but I really want to. I mean do we even know what we are looking for?" "Evidence." "Evidence of what?" I ask. "You know, the strange element." I bite my lip. "Yeah, it's in here somewhere I guess." The doorbell rings. "Who could that be?" Olivia asks. "I don't know. We're all here." Rosie's roommate answers the door. He is greeted by many young, boisterous voices. "That's right, he said there was gonna be a party." I say. "Grab as much as you can." Olivia instructs. "What?" "Grab what you can. We'll do this elsewhere." "Where?" "I don't know, Dairy Queen. Any where as long as it's not here." I haphazardly throw my piles of papers into a box. I pick up the box and head for the door. "At least we can get swirl cones."

Rosie's Roommate

Even though it's been awhile, I recognize Rosie's flat right away. I see the white paint peeling off the front steps, the numbers to her address hanging on by a thread, and a rip in the screen door. Olivia point a second mailbox out to me. Both are filled. "Who do you think is living here?" She asks. "She did tell us that occasionally she will rent out the top flat to a college student." I go ahead and ring the doorbell, curious to see who her new room mate is. A moment later a tall, very sleepy man with a full beard and a flannel shirt answers the front door. "May I help you ?" He says, barely making eye contact. "Yeah, do you know Rosie?" I ask. "I do." He responds sharply. Olivia and I wait for him to explain himself further. He does not, and I have to take the lead. "May we see her?" I ask, delving deeper. "No." "Why not?" Olivia demands. "Because she's on vacation. You can come in if you want though." Olivia and I stare at each other for a second. We then decide to come in. The interior of the house appeared untouched. Boxes scattered throughout the floor. Possibly in the same exact places as we had left them. "This is going to sound like an odd question, but would you mind if we went through some of the boxes?" I ask. "Knock yourselves out." He says. "You don't mind?" He shakes his head. " I don't see why I would. It's not my stuff." "But didn't Rosie give you any instructions about what you can and can't touch?" Olivia wonders. "She might have. I probably wasn't listening though." I roll my eyes. Olivia opens a random box on the ground. The guy starts to exit the room, then comes back. "Just give you guys a heads up. I have some people coming over for a party in a few hours."

Through the Lens

"What do you see?" Olivia asks while I intensely focus on the sample of the shield. "Nothing I can discern." "Can I have a look?" I lift my head from the microscope. Olivia scoots in my place. "It looks similar to a plant cell." She says. "Yes, that is what I thought as well. I can't make anything else out though." Olivia discontinues her looking. "Nor can I." I shrug. "Well, we tried." I state. "That's it? You're just gonna give up?" She asks. "What else can we do?" Olivia thinks for a moment. "We could stop by Rosie. You remember her? I'm sure she has more valuable information." I grin, it catches Olivia off guard. "What? You don't think it's a good idea?" She asks. "I think it is a great idea, but I am surprised you are in on this now." "What can I say? You got me curious."

Hammer Time

Call me crazy, but I have an inkling I may be able to fine some tools at the reference desk. It's gotta be good for something. Even it is just to amuse myself while my librarian co worker has gives me the deer in the headlights look. Although I may not have to work too hard at that. Malory stares off into space, and she appears white as a ghost. Olivia snaps her fingers in front of Malory's face. Malory shakes herself out of it. "I finished the book." She confesses. "How was it?" I ask. "The butler did it. Why did he do it?" "I don't know. You read it." I tell her. Malory takes a breath. "He wanted to run away with the wife, but she would never leave her husband. How could people be so cruel." She asks me. "It was just a book." I remind her. "Was it?" She says, worriedly. Olivia jumps in. "As much as I'm enjoying this banter, there is a reason why we're here." "Yeah, would you by any chance have a hammer we could borrow?" I ask. "I do. One of the workers left one behind." She reaches into the drawer and pulls out a mallet. "Wait, what workers?" Olivia questions. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later." I say. I take the shield out of my backpack. I then carefully remove it from its plastic back. After that I beat the living hell out of it with a hammer. I hit it with all my might. The hammer clangs against the metallic shield causing echoes in the library. Malory is absolutely mortified, but I continue. At first it doesn't seem like I'm doing any damage. It does not make the slightest dent, and my arm only gets more tired. Just as I'm about to give up, the tiniest piece pops off. I place the hammer down and grin a satisfactory smile. I grab the little chip. "Thanks, this is all I needed."

In on the Plan?

Just as I'm about to call it quits for the day I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Olivia's warm smile. Without saying a word, I kiss her in the way that I had wanted to for quite some time now. Eventually we break apart. "How did you get past me?" I ask. "I'm magic." "I have know that for a while, but the fact remains how did you get past me? Is there another door?" "Not that I know of." "I'm wondering how I didn't see you." "It's easy when your eyes are closed." She explains. "I nodded off?" "You did." She says while taking a seat at the table. Olivia notices my backpack. "What's in here?" She asks. "I was about to get to that but-" I unzip the backpack and remove the shield and microscope. "What do those two things have in common?" "We're going to examine the shield under the microscope." I announce, excitedly. Olivia is speechless. "You don't look excited." I say. "Seems kinda pointless. I mean it baffled the doctors and scientists. What could we possibly find?" "Aren't you curious to see for yourself?" "A little " "Then let's do it!" I shout. Olivia smirks. "Yes, let's try it with a toy microscope." "You don't think it could work?" I ask, forlorn. "It's not that it's just how are we going to fit that huge thing under a microscope?" I spring up. "You're right. We only need a small chunk. Let's find some tools to chip a piece off."

Patiently Waiting

In my humble opinion a vacation can never be long enough, but I miss my girl. Hopefully she'll be back any moment. I know I didn't have to return to the library. I'm aware I could hide in a cave on the moon and she would find me. It may take some time, but she'd find me. I want to make it incredibly easy for her though. I'm sitting at a table facing the library entrance. As soon as she walks through the door she'll see my glowing face. It's been an hour of waiting, yet I remain patient. I have a newly purchased backpack that holds my shield as well as a microscope by my side. I'll tell Olivia my plans to investigate this matter more thoroughly. She'll be thrilled and delighted. I tap my fingers rhythmically on the wooden table. Any minute now. Any minute.