[Or] Jageheti

Alice screamed as she fell. Ginger grabbed her hand, falling flat on her stomach as she struggled to pull Alice up. Alvin grabbed Alice's other hand. Ginger and Alvin were on what seemed to be an island, or, at the very least, a slab of concrete that was surrounded on all sides by a great abyss, into which Alice had nearly fallen. The two of them struggled to pull Alice up, but the shaking earth made this more and more difficult- it as if some strong force was determined to knock them into the black pit. The abyss spread, loud cracks and crashes sounding out as the concrete bordering the abyss broke and fell, widening the gap between their slab and the safe ground beyond. The fence began to fall, as did trees that lost their support, and vehicles that were parked in the street.

Strangely, there was nobody around. The screams and shouts of the three teenagers went unheard, perhaps drowned in the noise of the chaos around them, but nobody seemed to hear that either.

A very severe quake caused Alvin and Ginger to lose their grip on Alice; with a scream, she fell into the abyss. They called her name frantically, unable to tear their eyes away from her, until another quake destroyed the slab of concrete they were lying on, sending them into the abyss as well.

They fell for several minutes as the darkness engulfed them. Then they lost consciousness.

The rustle of grass… the tweet of birds… the neighs of horses… the scratch of dry grass… the glare of the sun…

Alvin squinted as he rolled over onto his stomach, shielding his eyes from the sun. Rubbing his face, he looked around, confusion filling him. Where was he? Where were Alice and Ginger? What had happened?

These questions and more ran in his head as he got to his feet. His clothes… he was wearing a pair of ragged overalls, with a filthy shirt underneath. His hands and bare feet were covered in dirt- he could only imagine what the rest of him looked like. Looking around, he could see that he was in a field. Horses grazed nearby. The field stretched out for miles; he could see what appeared to be a city in one direction, far away; what appeared to be a farmhouse was in another direction, and much closer.

But what about Alice and Ginger?

“Alice!! Ginger!!!” he called, putting his hands around his mouth. The shout caused the horses to rear and move about a bit until they got resettled. There was no answer from either of the girls, though. Biting his lip, Alvin glanced back at the farmhouse. Maybe they had already gone there.

Deciding there was nothing better to do, he headed towards the farmhouse. He cursed and groaned in pain whenever he stepped on rocks or stones, and he had to keep a close eye on the ground to make sure he didn’t step in anything really disgusting. The sun was much higher in the sky when he finally arrived at the farmhouse, weary and dying of thirst.

Panting, Alvin walked up the porch and knocked on the door. After about a minute, it was opened by a middle-aged woman. She gave a small cry when she saw him.

“Good heavens! What have ye been rolling in?” she asked, looking at him.

“I don’t rightly know, ma’am,” Alvin said. Wait… why had he said it like that? And… ma’am? “I was hoping ye could give me a bite to eat, and direct me to the nearest town. I’ll work in return for a good meal.”

The woman shook her head. “Get yeself cleaned up first!” she said. “Water barrel’s in the back. Don’t come back until ye good and clean!”

Alvin nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Thank ye.”

The woman shooed him off, and he went around the back of the house to the barrel full of water. He spent about fifteen minutes soaking himself, and scrubbing the filth off as best he could. When he felt he looked much better now, he went back to the front door and knocked again. The woman answered it again.

“Ah, much better! Well, come in, come in!”

Alvin thanked her, and walked into the house. There wasn’t much furniture, but clearly a lot of work had gone into making the place feel cozy. The woman guided him to the table, where three sets of dishes were laid out. She placed a fourth set of dishes in place for him.

“Me husband will be here soon,” she said. “He’s picking up our little girl from school. She’s about your age, I reckon.”

“I’m sure she’s as pretty as spring blossoms,” Alvin said, smiling. Okay, where did that come from? Why did it feel like there was some sort of guiding hand directing him on what to say?

The woman chuckled. “Ah, young men. Ye are all the same. Haven’t even seen her and ye say that.”

Alvin shrugged sheepishly and the woman went into the kitchen to finish cooking the meal. Alvin sat at the table in silence, waiting, and still trying to figure out what to do next. After a short time, there was the sound of a horse-and-cart coming up to the house, and the sound of a man speaking to the horses as they stopped. After a moment, the door opened, and the farmer’s daughter walked in. Alvin stood up in respect and turned to look at her; he froze at the same time she froze upon looking at him.

It was Ginger.

She was dressed in a light blue petticoat, with a ribbon or two here and there. A white bonnet was on her head. The two of them stared at each other for a while. Alvin felt flabbergasted. Ginger wasn’t the daughter of this couple! Why on earth did they think she was?

“Is that ye, Amelia?” the woman called from the kitchen. “Stop gawking at the guest and help in the kitchen!”

Ginger shook her head and pulled the bonnet off; Alvin saw her black hair had been done up in a bun of sorts. “Yes, Mother!” she said. “I’ll be right there!”

She walked over to Alvin. “What’s going on?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” Alvin whispered back. “Hurry and get in there before she calls again.”

Ginger nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Alvin sat down, more confused than ever. It was Ginger, no doubt about that- it wasn’t just a physical similarity. He closed his eyes in concentration as he listened to the woman and Ginger chat gaily, as if they were indeed mother and daughter. It didn’t make sense. None of it did. The cracks in the earth… they had fallen… how had he ended up in a field? How had she ended up becoming a farmer’s daughter? And… what had become of Alice?

Had the abyss been a portal? If so, where had it taken them? It seemed like they were in the past or something… or maybe it was just one of those countries that weren’t as modern as other, wealthier countries. Or, maybe this was just the countryside, and they’d find a lot more modern day stuff in the city. Maybe even a map.

But that didn’t explain Ginger. If they had been transported to a different land, why had she apparently taken the place of… what was the name? Amelia. She’d taken Amelia’s place, and the parents didn’t seem to notice that. Unless Amelia looked exactly like Ginger, which was doubtful.

The door opened, bringing Alvin out of his thoughts as the farmer walked in. Alvin stood up and nodded his head in respect as the farmer looked him over with annoyance. “Sarah, why is there a boy in my house?” he called.

The woman, Sarah, called back. “He needed a meal. He promised to work in return. Welcome home, dear.”

The farmer grunted.

The farmer grunted. “Vagabonds shouldn’t be allowed to enter people’s homes. It ain’t right.”

“You can trust me, sir,” Alvin said. “I’ll be out of your hair after repay you for dinner.”

“Oh no, no!” Sarah called. “Ye ain’t gonna sleep out in the fields tonight! Ye can sleep in the guest room, and go on your way tomorrow.”

“Thank ye, ma’am,” Alvin said. The farmer just grunted in disapproval and took his place at the table. Alvin sat down as well.

A few minutes later, Sarah and Ginger carried dinner to the table; Alvin and the farmer stood up as they approached. Dinner was potatoes, chicken, and rolls, with gravy to spread over everything. Though Alvin was really hungry, and eager to dig in, some instinct- the same guiding force that was affecting his speech- caused him to clasp his hands together and bow his head with the others as the farmer led the small gathering in prayer. After the prayer was finished, the farmer served the meal to everyone, and they began eating.

The food was delicious, and Alvin enjoyed every bite. He made one or two glances at Ginger- he didn’t want to appear as if he was eyeing the farmer’s daughter, even if he knew she wasn’t really their daughter. Ginger seemed to feel a similar feeling, and didn’t seem to look at him at all, instead focusing on her food. The meal was finished in silence- there was no idle chatter.

As Ginger and Sarah returned to the kitchen to clean the dishes, Alvin followed the farmer out to the barn to make sure the animals were secure and ready for the night. The farmer didn’t say much at all, except to tell Alvin what to do. Alvin complied without complaining; he didn’t want trouble, especially in this situation.

After all the chores were done, Alvin got himself cleaned up again, and Sarah showed him to the guest room. He thanked her, and climbed into bed. He listened as Sarah went to Ginger’s bedroom and kissed her good night, as the farmer locked all the doors and windows. Then everything went quiet; the only sounds were those of the crickets outside. Try as he could to fall asleep, he couldn’t. The bizarreness of the situation kept him awake, his puzzlement, the lack of answers…

The door opened. Alvin sat up as Ginger tiptoed in, quietly closing the door behind her. He smiled at her as she walked to the bed and sat on the mattress. “Hi,” he whispered, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Hi,” she whispered. “What the hell is going on?”

Alvin shook his head. “I don’t know. I remember us falling into that abyss, and then I woke up in the field quite a ways from the farm. I walked over here, hoping to find you or Alice.”

“You haven’t seen Alice either?” Ginger asked. Alvin shook his head. “I don’t get it. We all fell together… well, okay, she fell a few seconds before we did, but still, you and I went at the same time. How did we end up in different spots? How did we end up here at all?”

“What happened with you?” Alvin asked.

Ginger shook her head. “I came to my senses in a classroom. An old-fashioned classroom- you know, the ones we read about in books? From the 1800s and such? A girl sitting beside me thought it was funny that I had momentarily dozed off. I guess I look exactly like this Amelia or something.”

Alvin shrugged. “I guess so, since nobody seems to have noticed you aren’t her. It’s like you took her place or something.”

“Don’t say that,” Ginger said. “You make it sound like I killed her or something.”

“You know I meant nothing of the sort,” Alvin reassured her. “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Ginger said. “We need to find Alice, first of all. Then we need to find out how we got here.”

“Oh, where are we?” Alvin asked. “Do you know?”

Ginger didn’t answer for a minute. “I saw some pamphlets in town,” she said. “The town is Jameston. That city in the distant is London… but we’re not in England as far as I can tell…”

“Weird… what about the year? It feels like we went back in time.”

“The year is 1865,” Ginger said. Alvin’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I know. I better get in bed before… my parents catch me.” She kissed Alvin on the forehead. “There’s going to be an execution in London tomorrow. We’re going to see it. You should come- we might find Alice there.”

“An execution? Yikes. Good night.”

“Good night.” Ginger quietly left the room, gently closing the door behind her. Alvin lay back in bed and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts turning to Alice, and wondering what she was doing right now…

It had started with that book. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. Alice was an avid reader, and she had picked up a book containing four different stories. One of the stories had engrossed her completely- her nose had been buried in it for days. He and Ginger had made fun of her about it, and had asked what it was about, but Alice seemed unwilling to put it down for anything. Alice and Alvin’s parents had not been happy with her about it, though they let it slide since most kids her age would have been playing video games instead.

She had finally finished it last night, and had started crying. Despite all his questions, and even an attempt from Ginger over the phone to get it out of her, she wouldn’t talk, and just kept on sobbing. She eventually cried herself to sleep… the next morning, she acted cheerful, as if nothing had happened, but it was clearly forced. As they had approached the school gates, she had become apprehensive, and had even stopped. She hadn’t wanted to go through the gates. Alvin and Ginger, feeling worried but thinking she might have been playing games, showed her that it was okay. Chuckling slightly and making some comment about how ridiculous she was being, she had walked forward and crossed the gate.

And that’s when the cracks formed in the earth, and everything went nuts.

The sun rose, and the rooster’s crow woke Alvin up. He lay there for a minute, wondering why on earth there was a rooster on his neighbor’s house until he remembered what had happened. Groaning from the early hour, he got out of bed and left the room. He met Ginger in the hall; she smiled at him, he smiled at her, and they went downstairs.

As Sarah got everything ready for a day in London, Alvin and Ginger helped the farmer make sure the farm was taken care of. Ginger fed the chickens and the pigs, doing so with a talent Alvin knew she didn’t possess, while Alvin and the farmer cleaned up the stable and laid the fodder out for the cows and horses. Ginger then milked the cows and gathered the eggs, while Alvin watered the crops and the farmer spread fertilizer on some saplings. After all the chores were done, they got cleaned up and ate breakfast. After breakfast, the farmer hitched the horses to the cart, and, with the teenagers in the back and the adults sitting in the front, they set off for London.

“How long will this ride be?” Alvin asked quietly, so the adults wouldn’t hear.

Ginger shrugged. “I don’t know… though something’s telling me four hours. The execution is at 3:00… so, we’ll get there around 11:00, and that will give us four hours to look around for Alice.”

Alvin nodded. “Okay. What sort of execution is it?”

“Burning at the stake, I think.”

Alvin cringed. “They were still doing that in the 1800s?”

Ginger shrugged again. “I don’t know. I guess so.”

“I noticed you fed the animals and got the produce like a pro.”

Ginger laughed. “Yeah. I feel like there’s some sort of… I don’t know. There’s something inside me that is guiding me along.”

Alvin nodded. “Same here. I’ve felt the same way. It’s weird.”

The ride went on for some time. Ginger and Alvin talked a bit longer, before going silent. After a bit, Alvin managed to fall asleep.

Ginger shook him awake some time later, and Alvin found that they had entered the streets of London. Horses, carts, and people were all over the place, yelling over each other, trying to be heard. The farmer stopped the cart, and Sarah climbed down. Ginger and Alvin climbed out as well.

“We’ll see ye at the square,” Sarah said. The farmer nodded in response.

The three of them made their way through the crowd, Sarah eagerly looking at shops and staring at the items displayed in the windows. Ginger and Alvin looked around frantically, hoping against hope that they’d see Alice somewhere, but they had no luck in this endeavor. Ginger asked if they could go to the square; Sarah nodded, making her promise that she’d stay there.

Thus liberated, Ginger and Alvin ran all over the place, calling Alice’s name. They got a few responses from some girls and women who were named Alice, but none of them were the Alice they were looking for. Towards the north end of the city was a castle, but they weren’t allowed to go any further. At around 2:00, they entered the square, where a stage had been built in the center of the area. In the center of the stage was a tall pole.

“This is ridiculous!” Alvin ranted. “Where could she have gone?!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” Ginger said, though she didn’t sound convinced. “She has to be around here somewhere.”

They spent another hour looking at the people in the square, but there was no sign of Alice. They found the farmer and his wife, and joined them, as the king’s guard started clearing a path for the royal family. A loud fanfare rang out across the square as the king and queen entered the square. Everyone kneeled before them, and the royal couple took their place on a balcony. Behind them, a middle-aged man- he appeared to be an advisor- and the princess also took their places on the balcony. Once they were seated, everyone stood up, and the criminal was led forward.

A scribe stood on stage and read a list of the crimes this man had committed- murder and robbery were the main ones. The man showed little remorse, and glared at everyone gathered there. Then, with a shout, there was a flash, an explosion, and he was engulfed in smoke.

There were screams and shouts from several of the bystanders as the stage was engulfed in the plume of black smoke. There was a loud crack, as that of wood, and the stake flew out of the cloud in crashed into a building, causing more screams. Ginger and Alvin joined everyone else in backing away from the cloud of smoke as best they could. The knights didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea of going forward, either.

Then, a strange voice began chanting, and the smoke began to be sucked into something, like a vacuum, revealing a man standing alone on the stage. It was a different man- not the criminal, not the scribe, not a knight… a new arrival. He was dressed casually, his face was full of wrinkles, and he held a crystal ball. Everybody cried out upon seeing him; Alvin felt shivers run down his spine, and Ginger gripped his hand tightly.

One of the knights, apparently a leader-type fellow, stepped forward. “Foul wizard!” he shouted. “What brings ye here?”

“Wizard?” Alvin whispered.

The man on the stage smiled. “Why, I’ve come for what’s mine,” he said. “The king and queen surely know of which I speak.” He turned to look at them, up in the balcony.

The king stood up, a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Lucifer, ye depraved wizard who takes the name of Satan for his own! Ye have no business here! Be gone, at once!”

Lucifer laughed. “Oh, surely ye wouldn’t cheat an old man like me out of what he’s earned? I have protected this land from many a hardships, and ye believe ye can just cast me aside?”

[word count for the day: 1,018]

This is a vastly engaging story, Ricky! The first installment is perhaps the most in media res beginning I have yet encountered in a story, as everything happens within the space of a snap: three characters, disastrous circumstances, a mystery, a cliffhanger. I anticipated then, and anticipate now, learning more about Alvin, Ginger, and the vanished Alice. The third installment, with its arresting conclusion ("And that’s when the cracks formed in the earth, and everything went nuts.") has really piqued my interest to watch the advancement of this tale. Your style of writing is neat and clear, and the overall mystery exciting. I also find the title very interesting—I do wonder what inspired it, and what is its significance is in regards to the story. I look forward to another update. Cheers!

I hope you don't mind my reviewing. ^^

(I have absolutely no problems with you [or anyone else] reviewing. ^_^ Positive feedback makes me happy, constructive criticism helps me get better, so it's all good! )

The queen stood up now. “Ye have asked for the kingdom! Ye are not fit to rule!” The crowd gasped and murmured at this revelation regarding Lucifer’s demands.

“I have protected the kingdom! Surely, it is I who is fit to rule the people!” Lucifer proclaimed.

The king’s advisor stepped forward, and looked at Lucifer sternly. “It feels me with sorrow to see this day pass,” he said. “Lucifer, ye can have anything ye want… just not the throne.”

Lucifer growled. “Then I shall take the princess instead.”

Ginger groaned quietly as the crowd went into an uproar. “Ugh. This is like one of those horrible movies that nobody wants to watch.”

Alvin nodded. “Next thing you know, the princess will give herself up for the good of the kingdom.”

Everyone went quiet as the princess stood up and went to the front of the balcony. Ginger cursed under her breath, but gasped a second later when she got a good look at the princess. Alvin’s mouth dropped open.

It was Alice.

She was dressed in a royal white gown, with gloves that extended past her elbow; her golden-brown hair seemed to flow down her back. She looked sickly, and absolutely miserable, but it was definitely Alice. She looked at Lucifer with foreboding.

“I will not allow ye to do as ye please,” she said in a clear voice. The crowd cheered. Ginger grinned.

Lucifer’s face went dark, and the crystal ball in his hand filled with purple smoke. The crowd backed away as he began chanting something, and, with a crack, the smoke poured out of the ball and floated up to the balcony, engulfing Alice.

“Hey! Let my sister go!” Alvin shouted, running forward. Ginger followed close behind, ignoring the cries of the farmer and his wife. Lucifer turned in annoyance as they climbed onto the stage.

“Hmph! What have we here? A couple of whelps?”

“Let her go!” Ginger demanded. “She’s done nothing to you!”

Lucifer smiled as the smoke evaporated. Everyone present cried out when they saw that Alice was no longer on the balcony. The wizard held up his crystal ball, which was once again filled with the smoke… however, they could see glimpses of Alice held within.

The queen screamed; the king roared in anger and drew his sword. The knights charged forward. Ginger and Alvin leapt for the crystal, hoping to save Alice. Lucifer swung his free arm, casting a spell that sent the teenagers flying backwards. He then repeated the gesture, this time sending the knights backwards. Ginger, who had fallen on Alvin, got up quicker and leapt at Lucifer again, this time grabbing his arm and twisting it. He let out a roar and threw her off, casting a spell as he did so that enveloped the girl in a cloud of black smoke as she hit the floor. When the smoke cleared, a black cat could be seen, sitting there, dazed.

Alvin, rubbing his head, got up and charged again, but he was intercepted by the king, who swung his sword at Lucifer’s neck, intending to behead him. Lucifer laughed and held up a finger; the blade shattered into pieces. The cat leapt at Lucifer with a shriek, and dug her claws into his arm. He cried out in pain and flung the cat into Alvin. Then he did a quick spin, and, in an explosion of smoke, disappeared.

The noise of the crowd as they reacted to the kidnapping of the princess filled the square, but Alvin didn’t really hear any of it. He sat on the stage, the cat in his arms. The cat mewed sadly, and buried her face in his shirt, as if she was crying. Alvin hugged her, being careful not to squeeze too hard.

He wasn’t sure how he knew… but he knew. He could see it in the cat’s face… somehow… he could see Ginger. She couldn’t speak, she was no longer human… but he knew.

They sat there for some time as the knights got the crowd to disperse, as the king and queen consoled each other and gave orders to the captain. Nobody paid any attention to Alvin and Ginger; even the farmer and his wife had disappeared. Alvin tried very hard to keep his composure, despite the fact that his sister was gone, and Ginger was cursed… he swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat.

After several minutes, the king’s advisor walked up to the boy and the cat. He smiled sadly at them. “I’m sorry about the lass. ’Tis a terrible thing.”

Alvin looked up at him. “Is there any way to change her back?” Ginger mewed hopefully.

“Yes, but I’m afraid it is not in my power.” The man held out a hand; Alvin took it, and the man helped him up. “My name is Abraham. I am the king’s advisor. It is a pleasure to meet you, Alvin and Ginger.”

Alvin was startled. “How do you know our names?”

Abraham smiled sadly again. “Come with me.”

The man walked away, heading towards the castle. Alvin hesitated a moment, unsure if the man was trustworthy or not, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he followed. Ginger climbed out of his arms and sat on his shoulder, already becoming quite adept at being a cat.

They followed Abraham through the city, across the drawbridge, and into the castle. The castle looked like a castle out of a history book- made of stone bricks, decorated with tapestries, rugs, gold, and thousands of candles to light the halls. Abraham led them up a long flight of stairs to a room, which he opened carefully. “Please be cautious, my work is very sensitive to disturbances.”

Alvin nodded, and entered the room. It was a mess. Scrolls were piled on top of scrolls, devices were scattered all over the place, bottles of potions covered the shelves that lined the walls. There was barely anywhere to sit. Abraham closed the door and sighed.

“Well then, please, have a seat.”

Alvin carefully made his way to a chair, and sat on the edge of it to avoid knocking over the pile of papers that was already there. Ginger jumped to the back of the chair and sat there. Abraham paid no attention to the mess, and moved around fluidly- it was almost like watching a dance as he stepped across piles of stuff until he finally reached his own chair. Then he sat down, and faced Alvin and Ginger.

“Now, I’m sure ye have lots of questions, so please, begin.”

Alvin hesitated a moment, deciding on what question to ask first. “Where are we?”

“Ye are in the land of Arcadia. The year is 1803.”

“Arcadia?” Alvin made a puzzled expression. “I don’t think our history books talk about an Arcadia existing during the 1800s.”

Abraham nodded. “I see. It’s just as I feared. Thanks to the efforts of Lucifer, our kingdom will be lost to the sands of time. Regrettable, regrettable indeed.”

“How did we get here?”

“I summoned ye.”

Alvin’s eyes widened, and Ginger hissed in shock. Abraham smiled. “Yes, I summoned ye. Heh, all the books I went through to find that spell. I lost quite a few years of my life doing that, I feel.”

Alvin jumped up. “You summoned us here?! Why?! It’s because of you that my sister is gone, and my girlfriend is a cat! Why did you bring us here?!”

Abraham stopped smiling, and looked at Alvin with an expression of morbid seriousness. “Because ye are the only ones who can save this land from the wrath of Lucifer.”

“What? You saw what happened out there, right?! We tried to stop him from taking Alice, and that’s how Ginger got hit! We can’t save the land from him!” Ginger hissed in agreement.

“Yes, ye can,” Abraham said. “Ye have the knowledge. Ye read the book, correct? The book that details what is to happen over the next several days. That book was the key to the spell being activated.”

Alvin swallowed. “Actually… Alice was the one who read the book. Ginger and I didn’t.”

Abraham’s face darkened. “And Alice is the one who took the princess’ place, is she not?” Alvin nodded. The wizard sighed. “That’s… unfortunate.”

The room was silent for a while. Alvin sat back down, and then asked another question. “Why did Alice take the princess’ place? Why did Ginger take the farmer’s daughter’s place?”

“The spell summoned your spirits, not your bodies. Ye needed hosts… shells, so to speak, to exist in this time. Alvin, ye took the body of a young homeless wretch; Ginger took the body of Amelia Wilkings, and Alice took the body of Princess Salatea. The spirits that once inhabited these bodies have been safely secured within a pentacle I’ve created. When ye return to ye own world, the spirits will return to their proper places.”

Alvin felt shivers run down his spine at the thought of inhabiting another person’s body. “But how do I see Ginger instead of Amelia? How does she see me instead of that… wretch?”

“It’s all in ye mind. Ye see Ginger as Ginger, for she is Ginger. Ye can probably see her right now, even though her body is the form of a cat.”

Alvin glanced at Ginger, and nodded. Ginger rubbed her head against his cheek. Abraham stood up and rummaged through stacks of paper, looking for something.

“I summoned ye to save Arcadia with the knowledge ye would have of the future. In a cruel twist of fate, ye sister is the only one with that knowledge, and that vile Lucifer has her. Regardless, ye must travel to Lucifer’s home, save ye sister, and destroy him. It is the only way ye can return home.”

“You can’t just return us home now?” Alvin asked.

“I could, but ye sister would remain here… and Ginger may take her new form with her…”

Ginger yelped. Alvin groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding. Wait… if you wrote the book, don’t you know what happens?”

Abraham gave a small cheer and pulled a scroll out from a pile. “I’m afraid not. I cast a spell on the scroll to write itself as the events played out, and for it to make its way to ye.”

“Great.”

“It is not great. Now, I believe the best course of action for ye to take is to visit the witch in the Forest of Idle Fantasies. She should be able to revoke the curse Lucifer put on Ginger. After that, ye should rescue Alice; ye may have to escape with her and leave Lucifer alive, but that is fine, ye can go back later and finish the quest.”

“Thrilling.”

“Ye should spend the rest of the day here, in the castle. We’ll outfit ye with armor, weapons, and supplies for the journey. Do ye know any magic?”

Alvin shrugged. “A little, but I don’t think it works in this place.”

Abraham raised his eyebrows. “Ah, magic hasn’t died out yet in your time?”

“Not yet… it’s kinda close, though.”

“I see. Hmm, very interesting. But I digress. Come! We must act swiftly; Lucifer is trained in similar arts as I- he may see through Princess Salatea and see ye sister’s spirit within her, and thus realize he has been tricked. The faster ye leave, the better.”

Alvin stood up and lifted Ginger into his arms. “Wait, wouldn’t that make him come here to find the princess’ spirit?”

Abraham paused. “Aye, wise observation. Could my pentagon withstand his power…?” He stood there for a moment, deep in thought. “I’ll have to come up with another protection.” He shook his head and scribbled something on a spare scroll, and handed it to Alvin. “Go to the armory. Show this scroll to anyone who asks about ye- it explains that ye are with me.”

Alvin bowed his head. “Thank you.”

“May the gods permit ye a safe journey.”

Alvin left the room, Ginger in his arms and the scroll in his hand. He walked down the stairs, his mind going over the things they had learned. “I have to say, this is all quite surreal,” he said to Ginger. “And very sudden, too… the way he talked, I don’t think we have much time… he knows more than he’s letting on.”

Ginger nodded her head in agreement. Alvin sighed. “How about you? Are you okay? Wait, dumb question.”

[word count for the day: 1,072]

Ginger nodded her head in agreement. Alvin sighed. “How about you? Are you okay? Wait, dumb question. Does anything hurt?”

Ginger shook her head. Alvin nodded. “Good. Don’t worry, okay? We’re going to see this witch, and get you changed back.”

Ginger mewed and rubbed her head against his chest. Alvin smiled and stroked her fur. She purred. “Heh, you like that?” Alvin asked. Ginger nodded.

Alvin made his way down the stairs, showing the scroll to guards and maids he met, and got directions to the armory. When the guards let him in, he and Ginger stared in awe at the vast array of weapons and armor that were laid out on tables and hanging on the walls. A man was standing at one of the tables, polishing a sword.

“Excuse me,” Alvin said. “Could you help me select some armor and a weapon?”

The man turned to look at him. “What is a kid like ye doing here? This is a man’s area! Come back when ye are older!”

Alvin made a face and showed the man Abraham’s message. The man raised his eyebrows. “That old man is senile! Sending a boy like ye out to the forest! Madness! But I see I have no choice. The king trusts Abraham explicity, and it is not my place to oppose. Very well, let’s get ye fitted up.”

Alvin put Ginger down on the table, and went through the process of finding a suit of armor that fit him. Ginger sounded like she was laughing as he walked around the room, testing out one of the lighter suits available, which had a vest, leggings, and a helmet, all made of metal. Alvin’s progress around the room was slow, though.

“Man, this thing is heavy!” Alvin complained as he returned to the man.

The man rolled his eyes. “Of course it is! It’s designed to protect ye from attack! Would ye prefer a paper suit?”

Alvin shook his head. “No, no, it’s fine, thanks.”

The man grunted and picked up a sword from the table. “Have ye ever used a sword before?”

Alvin swallowed. “No.”

“Bow and arrow?”

“No.”

The man gave him a look. “Knife?”

Like a kitchen knife, right? “Yes,” Alvin said.

“Good.” The man picked up a sheathed dagger and tossed it to Alvin. “There ye are.”

“Thanks.” Alvin stuck the sheath through his belt, and picking Ginger up, left the room. He made his way to the front of the castle, his heart thumping as he crossed the moat. On the other side of the bridge, Abraham was waiting for him, with a horse.

“Ah, excellent!” the wizard said, smiling. “Ye look ready for the journey!”

“I guess you could say that,” Alvin said. He climbed onto the horse, doing so as if he had done it a hundred times before. Ginger sat in his lap. “Is there anything else, sir?”

Abraham nodded, and handed him a bag. “The lass will need equipment when she becomes herself again. This bag contains some stuff she can use. Also…” he patted the sacks attached to the saddle, “there’s some supplies in here. And, finally, I want ye to have this dagger.” He gave Alvin a sheathed dagger, and took the one Alvin already had. “I feel it will suit ye better. Whatever ye do, do not lose it, understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Alvin said. “Thank ye!”

“Farewell!” Abraham slapped the horse, and it took off with a neigh. Alvin hung on to the reins, making sure not to let go, as they made their way through the city and into the fields.

[word count for the weekend: 585 words. Man, that sucked. I'll have to make up for it.]

The sun was high in the sky, and the road was clear as they rode through the countryside, heading east- something inside Alvin knew the Forest of Idle Fantasies lay in that direction.

They made decent progress that day, and, as the sun set, they set up camp on the side of the road, had a small meal, and slept under the stars. The next morning, they resumed their journey, and entered the forest around noon.

The forest was dense, and dim. Very little sunlight got in because of the vast canopy the trees created. Wild animals could be heard all over the place… growls, chirps, barks, howls… Alvin shivered and held tight to the reins, whispering to his steed to keep it calm. Ginger curled up in Alvin’s lap, scared, since her current form made her a prime target for some carnivore’s meal.

Deeper into the forest they went, and still there was no sign of the witch’s cottage. “I don’t like this,” Alvin said to Ginger. “I feel like we’re too vulnerable…”

“Who ya talking to?”

Ginger screeched, the horse reared, and Alvin did all he could to control it. Once the horse was steady, Alvin, heart pounding, drew his dagger. “Who’s there?!”

The male voice laughed hysterically. “Who’s there?” It laughed again, and changed to a falsetto tone. “Oh, help me! The scary voice is frightening me! Listening in as I talk to myself… the nerve!”

“Cut that out!” Alvin yelled. “Show yourself!”

The voice returned to normal. “Show myself? Why would I do that? You’d stab me on the spot.”

Alvin breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down. There was no telling who this person was… he didn’t think it was Lucifer- it didn’t sound like him. Sounded younger, and more immature. The witch? No, Abraham had made it seem like the witch was female. “If I put the dagger away, will you come out peacefully?” he asked.

“Let me think, let me think… um… nope! It’s much more fun like this! Why ruin it by letting you see me?”

Alvin gritted his teeth. This was going nowhere. “All right, nevermind. Listen, we’re not here to hurt you…”

“I only see you! What is this ‘we’ you speak of? An imaginary friend?” the voice broke out into laughter again.

Alvin sheathed his dagger and glanced down at Ginger. Something suddenly occurred to him. “Hey, can you see him?”

Ginger looked around, and shook her head. Alvin sighed. “Sir, could you please tell me where I can find the witch?”

“Which witch? Ha ha! Get it? Which witch!” The voice laughed again. Alvin grimaced and waited. “Oh, my, my! Such fun! Well, the witch is straight ahead. Just keep going straight. Yes, straight, straight it is.”

“Straight forward?” Alvin asked suspiciously.

“Yes, that’s what I said! Do you need me to say it a dozen more times?”

“No, no,” Alvin said. “I’m just wondering if there’s a trap or something straight ahead.”

“If there was, would I admit it?”

Alvin groaned. “Oh, nevermind. Good day, sir.” Alvin nudged the horse with his feet, and it started walking. They turned to the right, Alvin refusing to risk falling into whatever trap that joker had prepared.

They moved on in silence for a while, until Alvin stopped the horse and dismounted. Ginger sat on his shoulder. “Any ideas?” Alvin asked.

“Nope, no ideas, none at all!”

Alvin closed his eyes and groaned. The joker had followed them. Ginger hissed. “What do you want?” Alvin demanded, glancing in the direction the voice had come from.

“I’m bored. Oh, so very bored!” the voice said, now coming from behind Alvin. “You are the first visitors to this forest in many a day!”

Alvin turned around. “Do you wish to harm us?”

“No, no, not at all! Well, unless it’s fun! So, who’s the cat?”

Alvin ignored that question. He didn’t want to inform this stranger of anything. “Do you know where the witch lives?”

The voice laughed again. “I told you, straight ahead! Of course, now you have to go left, and back a little ways, but you ignored me! Ignorant little fool! Hee hee hee!”

Alvin sighed. They were sure to be past any trap the joker had set up. “Okay, fine. Thank you.” He began walking to the left, leading the horse behind. Ginger, still sitting on his shoulder, looked around, trying to spot the one with the voice, but had no luck.

After a couple moments of walking, the voice rang out again. “Okay, now here’s where you backtrack! Go left!”

“I don’t like this,” Alvin whispered to Ginger. Ginger nodded. However, they were lost, and these were the only directions they were getting, so they did as the voice told them, and started walking left, back towards where they had first heard the voice.

They hadn’t walked very far until there was a snap, and all of a sudden Alvin and Ginger found themselves caught in a net. Ginger screeched, Alvin yelled, and the horse reared in fright and began to bolt until a figure ran up to it and calmed it down. The voice, still coming from the treetops, laughed uproariously.

“Ha ha ha! You fell for it! You fell for it!”

“Be silent, Weaver!” This voice, female, came from the figure at the horse. “Take them to the house.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the voice said respectfully. The woman walked away, leading the horse behind her. Alvin called out to her, but to no avail. A couple seconds later, the net was released from the tree; Alvin hit the ground with a thud, and groaned in pain. Ginger, who landed on top of him, mewed quietly. Then Weaver began dragging the net across the ground with them in it.

Try as he might, Alvin couldn’t get himself free of the net, nor could he get a really good look at Weaver. “What are you going to do to us?” he demanded.

“You’ll be supper, and the cat will be a welcome mat!” Weaver said, laughing his head off.

Alvin’s stomach felt hollow, and Ginger flattened herself against him; he hugged her in response. After several minutes of this dragging, they finally arrived at a cottage hidden amongst the trees. Weaver dragged them through the door, and dumped them unceremoniously in the middle of the room.

The room was well-lit by lamps hanging from the ceiling, allowing Alvin and Ginger to see the shelves of books, the cozy fireplace, the rug on the floor, and the table in one corner. It was all very neat and organized.

From behind them, Weaver laughed. “Enjoy your stay! You won’t be here long!”

The witch- for it was the witch- walked into the room. Rather than wear the standard witch garb, she was wearing a simple dress with an apron. “Stop that, Weaver,” she said harshly. “You know I don’t like human flesh.”

“Apologies, ma’am,” Weaver said, stepping over Alvin and Ginger and walking over to her. Alvin stared at him in shock. Weaver was a… large, oversized, walking-on-two-legs raccoon, with a large bushy tail and a filthy black tunic. Weaver turned around and saw him staring. “What? Are your eyes too big for their sockets?”

The witch rolled her eyes and clicked her fingers. The net vanished, leaving Alvin and Ginger sprawled on the floor. She looked at Ginger in interest. “Ah, a cat transformation, I see. Who’s work is this? Delia’s? Lucifer’s?”

“Um… Lucifer’s,” Alvin said, standing up. “Abraham said you could reverse the spell.”

“Ah, is that why you’re here?” the witch asked. She gestured with her finger; Ginger lifted off the ground and floated over to her. The witch studied her. “Hmm… powerful curse, this one. Abraham told ye I could reverse it?” Alvin nodded hopefully. “Well… I’m afraid I can’t.”

Alvin’s heart sank. Ginger mewed sadly and lowered her head. Weaver opened his mouth, but the witch flicked her fingers and no sound came out of his mouth, much to his alarm.

“Yes… Lucifer uses a much darker magic than I. My magic is powerless against it. That fool, Abraham… he hasn’t visited me in years! How would he know what I can or can’t do? But… while I can’t reverse her form, I can make use of it…” The witch began chanting under her breath, moving her hands around Ginger. Alvin watched, both entranced and concerned, until she stopped chanting, and backed away. Ginger floated to the ground. “There now. How do you feel, girl?”

“Fine,” Ginger said. She gasped.

Alvin’s mouth dropped open. “You spoke!”

The witch smiled. “Yes. It’s the same spell I used on corn thief over here to give him the power to use our language. You and your friend can now speak to each other, though I’m afraid she’ll remain in that form until you can convince Lucifer to break the spell.”

“Like that’ll happen!” Weaver laughed, his voice back. “He’s a toad, that one!”

“He’s evil,” Ginger said. “He kidnapped A- the princess.”

“Yes, I heard stories about that from the leaves traveling on the wind,” the witch said. “Of course, killing him will also break the curse.”

Alvin flinched. “To be honest, we’re going after him anyway. We have to save the princess.”

The witch looked at him in surprise. “Oh? Why aren’t the knights doing it?”

“Something about it being our destiny,” Alvin said.

The witch laughed. “Well then! I wish ye luck! You’ll need it! To help ye out, I’ll send Weaver with ye. He can get ye out of pinches.”

“What?!” Weaver exclaimed. “You’re kidding, right?! Why should I go with them?!”

“Well, for one, I’d like some peace and quiet for once,” the witch said. “For two, if ye don’t, I’ll reverse my spells and make ye an ordinary beast again.”

Weaver pouted, then glared at Alvin.

[word count for the day: 1,643. Ah, much better! Still have some catching up to do, though.]

Weaver pouted, then glared at Alvin. “This is all your fault!” he yelled.

“My fault?” Alvin asked incredulously. He turned to the witch. “Must he come? What’s going to stop him from playing pranks on us or trapping us somewhere?”

“If he does that, I’ll hear of it,” the witch replied. “Weaver will be extremely helpful to ye once he puts his mind to it. Now shoo! I have housework to do.”

“Thank you for giving my voice back,” Ginger says, jumping into Alvin’s arms.

The witch smiled, and saw them to the door. Weaver whined the whole time as they mounted the horse; Ginger sat in Alvin’s lap, and Weaver sat behind Alvin. Alvin nudged the horse, and it walked forward.

“Lucifer’s abode is north of here, on the edge of Hampshire. Good luck,” the witch said as they rode off.

“Thank you!” Ginger called back.

They rode through the forest, not stopping until they finally left the last row of trees and returned to the field. Weaver cheered up immensely at the sight of the sun.

“Look at that! Fields, as far as the eye can see! Hee hee, I’m free, free!!”

“How exactly are you supposed to help us?” Alvin asked. “I didn’t really understand it.”

“The mistress just wanted me out of the house for her cleaning,” Weaver grumbled. “Says I do nothing but make messes. I suppose I’m going to help you if you’re in danger or something. But who cares?! This is a major improvement over that stuffy forest!!”

Ginger sighed. “So, we have to face Lucifer?”

Alvin shook his head. “No way. He’ll kill us. We need to think of some way to get the upperhand.”

“It looked like his power came from that crystal ball of his. Maybe if we can steal it…?” Ginger mused.

“Steal! Plunder! Rob! Pillage! Such are the acts of the bandits of Westwood!” Weaver exclaimed in Alvin’s ear, making the boy cringe.

They rode on for most of the day until they reached the small town of York. Weaver covered himself in a large cloak, to prevent people from noticing his form. They looked around a bit until they found an inn; Alvin paid for a night’s stay, and they settled in their room.

That night, Alvin awoke with a start to the sounds of shouts and screams. Getting his bearings, he tumbled out of bed; Ginger jumped onto his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Alvin asked.

“I don’t know,” Ginger whispered. “It sounds like some sort of attack.”

Weaver, who was sleeping on the floor, mumbled something in his sleep. Alvin kicked him awake. “Ow!”

“Get up. There’s a problem.”

Weaver got to his feet. “Problem? Where’s the problem?” There was a scream outside- the three of them rushed to the window.

In the street, there was a gang of thieves; several of them were on horseback. Some houses were on fire, the civilians running down the street away from the thieves. Some men were hauling sacks around- a few of the sacks looked full of loot. The thieves were shouting orders, the men were fighting them without much success… the rampage was quite nasty.

“What do we do?” Ginger asked.

“We have to get out of here,” Alvin said. “This is the last thing we need right now.”

“Then why are you standing there?” Weaver asked. “Let’s go before they decide to roast a cat! Hee hee hee!”

“Don’t make those jokes!” Ginger hissed, swiping at him with her claws extended.

“Ooh, sore spot,” Weaver grinned.

Alvin flung on his armor and ran downstairs, Ginger on his shoulder and Weaver close behind. They made their way out of the empty inn, and were running around to the stable when three of the thieves jumped in their path.

“Ooh, look at the suit this boy’s wearing!” one of them laughed. “Give that here, boy. Ye have no need for it anymore.”

Alvin drew his dagger. Ginger hissed. “Back off, else I be forced to cut ye throats,” Alvin threatened.

The thieves laughed. “A boy like ye? Taking on all three of us? Ye got spirit, that’s for sure! What are ye and the old man behind ye gonna do? Nick us?”

Puzzled by the ‘old man’ remark, Alvin glanced back, but there was only Weaver behind him, covered in the cloak and hood. There was a shout from Ginger, which caused him to face forward again, but it was too late- the thieves were already upon them. There was a quick scuffle as Alvin struggled; Ginger did her best to help, while Weaver stayed back, unwilling to help. After a few moments, Alvin was knocked down, and the armor and dagger were taken away; the thieves ran off, laughing. Alvin groaned, his body aching; Ginger rubbed her head against him.

“You okay?” she asked.

Alvin cringed. “No. Weaver!” he turned on the raccoon. “Why didn’t you do anything?”

Weaver looked quite affronted. “What are you talking about?! What was I supposed to do? Get myself killed?”

Alvin glared daggers at him, and got to his feet, groaning from the pain. “Didn’t Abraham tell us not to lose the dagger?” Ginger asked worriedly.

Alvin nodded. “Yeah… but it’s just a dagger…”

Ginger shook her head. “I know, but he specifically gave it to us, and took the one you had gotten from the armory. There must have been a reason for that…”

Alvin closed his eyes and moaned. “You have a point… great… so we have to get the stuff back…”

“Whoopee,” Weaver said sarcastically. “Why don’t we ask them for some money while we’re at it?”

“You’re the trickster here,” Alvin pointed out. “Why don’t you swipe it from them?”

Weaver hesitated. “All right, all right, fine… but they’re getting away! How am I supposed to get your stuff back if the thieves are nowhere in sight?”

Alvin cursed in frustration, and they ran to the horse, who was thankfully still in the stable. Alvin mounted the steed; Ginger sat in front, Weaver sat behind, as usual, and they galloped down the roads, looking for the three men who had attacked them.

[word count for the day: 1,019.]

They had little luck in the mayhem, however, and were forced to hide behind some barrels when some more thieves tried to steal their horse. They stayed there the rest of the night, until the gang of thieves finished their rampage and galloped away, laughing uproariously with their ill-gotten goods. When the coast was clear, the villagers emerged from hiding, some of them crying, others cursing, and they set to work putting out the fires. Alvin, Ginger, and Weaver crept out of hiding as well.

“Well, this is just great,” Ginger said. “Any idea where they went?”

Alvin shook his head. “They went north, but who knows if they went straight north or not…”

“There’s a swamp to the north,” Weaver informed them. “It sounds like a good spot to hide if you don’t want people following you.”

Alvin nodded. “Okay, then. Should we go after them now, or wait until morning?”

“They’ll just get further away if we sleep now,” Ginger said. “Let’s go after them now, and camp out when we can’t go any further.”

Alvin agreed to this plan, though Weaver put up a fuss about going out at night. They wandered around until they found their horse; after mounting it, they set off north. They ride for some time, the night wind whipping at Alvin’s face. Ginger and Weaver both have fur to keep them warm, but they still shiver somewhat. When they can’t take it anymore, and Alvin is barely keeping his eyes open, they stop and camp for the night.

When dawn broke, they set out again, and arrived at the swamp around mid-morning. The muck extended for miles in every direction ahead of them; ugly trees clustered together in groups. The whole place looked very foreboding, and there was a stench in the air of what could only be dead creatures who lost their way and fell, never to rise again.

The three travelers stared at the swamp. “Well… do you really think the thieves are hiding out here?” Alvin asked Weaver.

Weaver looked at the swamp, then at Alvin. “Not sure anymore, nope! Hee hee! But if I was a thief, I’d definitely hide here!”

Alvin sighed. “Well, we don’t have any better ideas, so I guess we should get this over with.”

He nudges the horse forward; the steed steps into the swamp with some trepidation. The smell seems even worse now that they are enveloped by it, and the whole place is just plain dismal and devoid of life. Ginger looks around and sighs. “I don’t like this place… how could anyone live here?”

“Sometimes you get used to it if you must,” Weaver said. “Especially if you’re crazy!!”

“I see you’ve regained your sense of annoyance,” Alvin muttered.

They continue on for a long time, looking for any sign of life, any sign that a group of horsemen had passed through during the night, but the muck quickly eliminated any prints, thus making it impossible to tell. The day dragged on. As the sun began to set, fear began to fill them… they did not want to spend the night in this swamp, but they were in the middle of nowhere- the swamp stretched on for miles around them. As the sun got lower and lower, they managed to find a small patch of dry ground protected by a clump of dead trees. Alvin, who had taken to leading the horse along, trudged through the muck and climbed over the bare roots to the patch of earth, pulling the horse’s reins to bring it up as well.

Once everyone was on dry ground, Alvin divided up a portion of their rations to quell their grumbling stomachs. They ate the meager meal in silence. Even Weaver didn’t seem willing to say anything. After they were done, they settled down to sleep, and, after some time, they drifted off. Ginger slept on Alvin’s stomach; Weaver climbed into a tree.

When Alvin awoke, he noticed a couple things were wrong. For one thing, he wasn’t outside anymore. He was on a bed. For another, he was bound hand and foot, and gagged as well. More furious at himself for being caught than afraid over the fact that he had been caught, he struggled to break free, and ended up rolling off the bed and hit the ground with a thud.

“Hey! Stay still, runt!” a voice commanded. Alvin glared at the man who walked over to him. It was one of the thieves. Weaver had actually been right… but where was he now? And where was Ginger? “Ye have spunk,” the man said. “Following us out here like that. Can’t think of anyone else with the spine to do it. So, what got into ye? That armor shirt special or something? The dagger?”

Alvin continued to glare at him, determined not to betray anything. The man laughed, and, grabbing Alvin by the collar, lifted him up. Alvin struggled even more, trying to break the man’s grip, but to no avail. The man dragged him across the room, flung him into a chair, and then secured Alvin to the chair. Once Alvin was tied, the man took the gag off of him. “Now, then, tell me, did anyone follow ye?”

Alvin didn’t respond, or even look at the man. He stared at the wall. The man chuckled slightly. “Well, I doubt it. Ye were alone when we found ye. Well, except for that cat. Had to throw it into the swamp- damn thing wouldn’t let go of ye.”

Ginger… Alvin’s heart sank, and his face went pale. The man didn’t seem to take much notice. “That old man who was with ye back in town wasn’t there, of course. Nice horse, though. We’ve been needing a new one- one of our steeds went lame. As for ye, well, we’ll be heading for the sea in a few days. Setting sail to the mainland. We’ll sell you when we get there.”

The words hit Alvin like a sack of bricks, and he sat there, rigid. Ginger was gone… probably swallowed by the swamp. He was going to be shipped out of this land, taken to another… sold into slavery… Alice would never be freed from Lucifier’s prison… He tried really hard not to lose his composure in front of this thief.

The thief watched him for a bit until he got bored and left. Alvin was alone, and he tried as hard as he could to break free of his bonds, but the ropes were just too tight. At a loss, and his mind full of sorrow, Alvin slumped in his chair, tears filling his eyes.

How long he sat there, he wasn’t sure. A man, different from the first one, came in and put some food on the table; he untied Alvin’s arms from the chair, but made sure that the ropes that still bound Alvin were tight, secure, and the knots were out of reach. Alvin ate slowly, finding it hard to swallow as memories of Ginger and Alice flooded his mind. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago, they’d been home, everything normal… After he finished eating, he laid his head on the table, and stayed in that position for hours. The thieves paid no mind to their prisoner- they went about their business, planning their next raid, grooming the horses, admiring their loot…

The sun set, and the room Alvin was in became pitch dark. He was tired, but he couldn’t sleep… his thoughts wouldn’t permit it. He listened to the thieves shout and sing as they ate and had a few drinks… as they collapsed in their rooms… and finally, all was quiet… except for the sound of light footsteps on the roof.

Alvin glanced up, wondering why one of the thieves was sleeping on the roof. He listened as the footsteps made their way to the front of the building. He strained to hear as a door was opened with a light squeak. There was a loud, drunken grunt, followed by the sound of something hitting somebody’s skull, and the grunt cut off quite suddenly.

Alvin’s heart beat violently as he listened to the footsteps wander the house, opening doors… he swore he could hear two voices whispering to each other, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying, though one of them sounded familiar… Finally, the door to his room was opened, and a figure peeked in.

“There he is!”

Alvin’s mouth dropped open. “Ginger?!”

The cat jumped onto the table in front of him. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly. “Hush!” Ginger whispered. “We’re getting you out of here… no, Weaver, the ropes are lower… lower… there you go.”

“Weaver’s here?” Alvin asked, craning his head back to see, without much luck.

“Hey, the witch said I had to help you,” Weaver said. “If I don’t, she’ll make sure I regret it.”

Weaver, using his claws and teeth, made quick work of the ropes, and Alvin stood up, his legs shaking a bit after being tied down all day. “What happened last night?” he asked.

“We’ll tell you when we get out of here,” Ginger said, jumping onto his shoulder. “Now, follow my instructions very carefully, understand? We need to find your stuff, and get out of here.”

[word count for the day: 1,558.]

“How are you able to see?” Alvin asked as he made his way to the door.

Ginger chuckled. “I’m a cat, remember? Cats see in the dark.”

Alvin smiled. “Heh. That’s a nice benefit.”

“Yeah… watch out- you’re about to walk into the wall.”

Alvin stopped short, and, following Ginger’s directions, turned and went through the door. Weaver followed behind. They made their way down a hall and into a room; Ginger pointed out a lamp, which Alvin lighted, allowing him to see.

The room was full of bags of treasure. Jewelry, money, gold, and various pieces of armor and weapons were piled all over the place. Alvin stared at it all for a bit. “Wow… that’s a lot of stuff…” he murmured.

“We’re only here to find your stuff,” Ginger said. “If we take anything else, we’ll be no better than these thieves.”

“But look at all the money!” Weaver protested. “We could travel in style!”

Alvin and Ginger glared at him. The raccoon scowled, but went silent. “How are we going to find the dagger?” Alvin asked.

Ginger jumped off his shoulder and walked to a bag; she ripped it open, and a whole bunch of gold and daggers poured out. Alvin and Weaver cringed at the racket. “Weaver, stand guard,” Alvin said. Weaver nodded and left the room, while Alvin and Ginger began examining the daggers, looking for the one Abraham had given them. The search went long into the night, and they became more and more frustrated as time went on. A large pile of daggers had formed in the center of the room as they looked, and the racket was enough to wake the thieves had they not drunken themselves into a stupor.

Finally, Alvin gave a cheer, holding up the dagger. “Yes!” Ginger exclaimed. “Now, grab some armor and lets get out of here!”

Alvin rummaged for some armor that could fit him; once he suited up, he and Ginger left the room. Weaver joined them in the hall, and they crept towards the front door.

“Hey! What the hell is going on here?!” one of the men shouted, stumbling out of his room. “Get back here, ye rats!”

Alvin and Weaver broke into a run, Ginger sitting on Alvin’s shoulder. They dashed out of the house; using the light of the lantern, Alvin could see that they were standing on a small piece of dry land in the middle of the swamp; there was a catwalk that extended over the muck. The three of them ran around the side of the house, where they found the horses tethered to a pole. Alvin quickly spotted theirs, and untied the rope as Weaver and Ginger climbed on. Alvin mounted as well, and nudged the horse into a brisk trot, leading it down the catwalk.

Behind them, the men bellowed and cursed as they scrambled to grab weapons while fighting off their hangovers. They mounted their horses, and took off after the travelers. Having more experience with the catwalk, they quickly closed in. “What do we do?” Alvin asked, his heart pounding. “We can’t go any faster without risking falling in!”

“Not to worry! The heroic raccoon is going to fight the bandits single-handedly and save the day!” Weaver proclaimed. Then, before Alvin or Ginger could react, he jumped off the horse and disappeared into the night.

“Weaver!” Ginger called. “Come back! You can’t-”

A loud crack, like that of wood, sounded out through the night. It was followed shortly by another crack, and another. This continued for a moment, until the cracks were drowned out by the shouts and curses of the thieves and the protests of their steeds. Alvin and Ginger kept going, listening as the din got further and further away.

“What, they stopped?” Alvin wondered.

“Yeah… what did Weaver do?”

Alvin slowed their horse down to a walk, and they went on in silence, listening closely for any sign of Weaver, or of the thieves catching up. The only sounds were those of the horse’s hooves hitting the wooden planks of the catwalk. The sky got lighter as the dawn approached, and still they went on, unable to sleep, and determined to get out of the swamp no matter what. When things became light enough for them to make out the catwalk ahead, Alvin put out the lamp.

The silence was finally broken by the sound of loud singing, coming from behind them. Alvin and Ginger looked back, trying to see who it was, but the lone figure was too far back for them to really make out. The voice, however…

“How did he handle them all by himself?” Alvin asked.

“I have no idea,” Ginger said. “Stop the horse.”

Alvin nodded, and pulled on the reins, causing their steed to come to a stop. They waited several moments as Weaver, and the singing got closer, until Weaver finally caught up to them. He stopped singing and grinned. “So! Did the hero save the day or what?”

“How did you do it?” Ginger asked.

Weaver did a little jig before climbing up onto the horse. “I tore up a large section of the catwalk. Into the muck they fell! Bwah ha ha ha! It’s not easy to force your steeds to run through this swamp, apparently. You learn something new every day!”

Alvin smiled. “Great job, Weaver.”

“However, I haven’t eaten anything in over a day, and I’m getting quite tired of this place, so how about getting out of here and finding some breakfast?” Weaver suggested.

“Oh man, same here,” Ginger said. “Let’s go!”

Alvin flicked the reins, and the horse continued on. “By the way, what happened? I mean, how did you find me and everything?”

“Well, the thieves found us last night. Don’t know how… I guess one of them was foraging or something,” Ginger said. “They grabbed you, and woke me up. How on earth did you sleep through that, anyway? I scratched them up a bit, but they flung me into the swamp. I couldn’t really fight the muck, but Weaver had been watching from the tree, and he grabbed me. We saw which direction the thieves went with you, and followed. We found the hut kinda late yesterday.

[word count for the day: 1,042 words]

Weaver got us up onto the roof, and we rested up there, listening to the thieves. When it sounded like they were asleep, we crept in. And, you know the rest.”

Alvin smiled. “Thanks, both of you.”

They left the swamp a short time later, breathing a sigh of relief as they came upon the healthy fields, full of life. The birds twittered, the insects buzzed, the animals pranced around… it was all very uplifting after being in the dismal swamp, and, feeling very cheerful, the three of them continued on until they came to a town. After getting something to eat, they wandered around, discussing what to do next.

“We can’t fight Lucifer as we are,” Alvin said. “We need to rescue Alice… somehow.”

“Maybe she’s not in the crystal ball anymore,” Ginger suggested. “Abraham said we could rescue Alice and leave Lucifer alive… and go back to finish the job later.”

Alvin nodded. “Yeah… so, I guess we should go to Lucifer’s place.”

“Yes, into the lair of the demon we go!” Weaver said. “Our skeletons will be found eventually, I’m sure. Are you crazy?!”

“We don’t have a choice,” Alvin said. “That demon has my sister.”

“I thought she was your sister,” Weaver said, pointing to Ginger.

“I’m his girlfriend,” Ginger said.

Weaver looked at them for a moment, then burst into laughter. Alvin and Ginger looked at each other, then rolled their eyes and walked back to the horse. Weaver, still laughing, followed them, and the three of them set off north for Hampshire.

The trip was uneventful, and took a few days, but the closer they got, the more nervous they became. The air itself seemed oppressful… it felt like the land was urging them to turn back… But still they pressed on. At noon on the fourth day, they arrived at the city of Hartwood, located on the edge of Hampshire.

“If the witch was telling the truth, Lucifer’s abode is close…” Alvin said as they made their way down the main street, avoiding running into people. The people of the city walked in silence, paying no attention to the visitors or anyone else. There was a feeling of depression that permeated the city.

“I don’t like this place,” Ginger said softly.

Alvin nodded. “Me neither.” He stopped the horse, and called out to a passerby. “Excuse me! Can you tell me where the wizard Lucifer lives?”

Everyone stopped short and stared at him. Alvin shrank back a little, Weaver pulled his cloak closer, and Ginger hunched down in Alvin’s lap. One man stepped forward. “Why do ye want to see him?”

“We have business with him,” Alvin replied, trying to appear calm and collected. “Would you please direct us to his abode?”

The citizens backed away nervously, not one of them answering. “It is death to go there!” one of them called. “Ye will never return!”

“Please, people! Just directions, that’s all we need,” Alvin pleaded.

A woman stepped forward. “If it is ye will, then so be it,” she said. “The wizard lives in a mansion near the city’s main square. It is surrounded by magic of the darkest kind. Ye life will be in danger every second ye are within the bounds of his power.”

Alvin swallowed. “Thank you very much, ma’am,” he said. He nudged the horse forward, and they went on; the crowd quickly parted to let them pass, watching them in silence, as if they would never see them again. Alvin felt more and more queasy as they continued to stare. “I wish they’d stop that,” he whispered.

“Yeah,” Ginger murmured. “They act as if we’re going to our death.”

Alvin nodded. They pressed on, soon arriving at the town square. The square itself was well-kept, as were the houses surrounding it. One of them, however, was clearly Lucifer’s- the gargoyle statue on the front lawn seemed to act as both a label and a deterent to trespassers. The square was empty; even the trees are devoid of birds. Alvin and Weaver dismount; Ginger climbed onto Alvin’s shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Alvin walked forward, and stepped on the first stone of the walk.

“What are ye doing?!” Alvin nearly jumped a foot in the air as the gargoyle statue turned its head and glared menacingly at them. “This is the home of Lucifer, England’s greatest wizard! Ye should not be here!”

“Please, sir, we wish to speak to the wizard,” Alvin said, his mouth dry from fright.

“Ye wish to speak to the wizard?” the gargoyle repeated. “Oh, I’m sorry, did ye think I was a fairy?”

“No, not at all, sir,” Alvin said, his heart pounding.

“Well, then, why don’t ye find a nice little fairy to grant ye wish?” the gargoyle replied, grinning hideously.

“Do all things given the power of speech through magic develop bad senses of humor?” Ginger muttered in Alvin’s ear. Alvin would have chuckled, but he was afraid he’d offend the gargoyle, and so suppressed it.

The gargoyle yawned, and stretched his marble wings. “Well, since ye seem to be dull-headed, allow me to spell this out for ye. Nobody is allowed to visit the great wizard. Doesn’t matter who ye are, or where ye come from. Now, bugger off before I’m forced to jump off this here perch. I don’t want to, of course- it’s a frightful chore getting back on. Marble is not the lightest body one could have, ye see. So, if ye force me to jump off, I’ll be frightfully angry, and ye will not like it. Oh, no, ye will not like it.”

Alvin backed up quickly, nearly colliding into Weaver as he stepped off the front walk. The gargoyle grinned, revealing his shimmering teeth. “That’s better. See ye in some other life, eh?” With that, the gargoyle lowered it’s head, and, for all appearances, seemed to fall asleep.

Alvin walked to the other end of the square, as far away from the gargoyle he could get. He sat down under a tree; Weaver joined him. “Okay, so what’s the bright idea now?” the raccoon asked. “Walking up to the front door won’t work.”

Ginger sighed. “No, it won’t…”

Alvin waited a moment, letting himself regain his composure. Ginger rubbed her head against his face, trying to comfort him. After several minutes, Alvin sighed. “Okay. Now what?”

Weaver rolled his eyes. “Well, while you were sitting there, frightened out of your trousers by a talking statue, I decided that we should sneak into the back of the property through the house next door.”

“But that’s trespassing,” Ginger protested. “I want out of this form more than anything, but I don’t want to be thrown in prison… or the stocks, whatever they have here.”

“We don’t have much of a choice, though,” Alvin said. “I don’t think we can fight that gargoyle.”

“Really?” Ginger asked. “It’s three… well, two against one. Plus, the thing complained about how heavy it is. What if its bark is worse than its bite?”

“What if it’s not?” Alvin asked. “He’d rip me to pieces.”

“I don’t think he will,” Ginger insisted. “Trust me. He’d probably break a leg off jumping from the perch.”

Alvin stared at the gargoyle, thinking. Finally, he got to his feet. “Okay, let’s try it. Maybe it’s just a scare tactic… and if it’s not, I just hope I run faster than it.”

“Well, it is the one thing you’re good at,” Weaver smirked.

Alvin gave him a look, and, taking a deep breath, walked across the square back to Lucifer’s mansion. As he approached the front walk, he tightened his fists, and broke into a run, stepping on the second stone. “Hey!!” the gargoyle shouted. “Ye have gone and done it now!”

Alvin didn’t bother to look back as there was an audible thump from the marble body hitting the grass. He just ran up the walk, jumped the stairs, and shoved himself into the door. This proved to be a bad idea, as the door didn’t budge an inch, and he backed away from it, clutching his shoulder. Weaver, who had stopped at the top of the stairs, stood and laughed at the gargoyle, who was slowly trudging towards them, shouting its head off.

“Ye will not get away with this!” it threatened. “When I catch ye, they’ll find your limbs in all four corners of the lawn! Ye brains will be used as fertilizer for the grass!”

“What’d I tell you?” Ginger said, really pleased with herself. “All bark and no bite.”

“Yeah,” Alvin said. “Now we just need to get this door open before he gets here.”

“Leave that to me,” Weaver said, showing his claws. He begin scratching the door, apparently trying to saw it away, but this went nowhere. Alvin and Ginger watched as he began cursing, and as the gargoyle came closer.

“It’s not working,” Alvin said. “You’re just screwing up the paint job! Get it open!”

“I’m trying!” Weaver said. “I can’t get a grip on the latch…”

“Ye heart will be used as a knocker! Ye intestines will be strewn about the windows!” the gargoyle threatened as it made its way up the first step. Alvin backed away from it, his back to the door.

“I’ve got another idea!” Ginger exclaimed.

“What is it?” Alvin asked desperately. The gargoyle climbed up the second step.

“Just stand here.”

“What?!” Alvin shouted. “That’s your idea?! He’s going to knock my head off!”

“Not if you duck,” Ginger retorted. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “With any luck, his hand will go through the door, and Weaver can get it unlatched from there.”

“Oh…” Alvin tensed as the gargoyle climbed the third step and stood on the porch, just three feet away from him.

“Ye are going to die now!” the statue cackled, moving a step towards him.

[word count for the weekend: 1,648]

It lifted its fist, seeming to exert a lot of effort into supporting the weight, and swung at Alvin. Alvin ducked, shielding his face with his hands; the gargoyle’s fist went right through the door with a loud crack. It stood there for a moment, stunned, just staring at what he had done. Then his face became even more sinister. “Ye are going to pay for that!” it yelled, withdrawing its hand and slamming his arms towards Alvin.

Alvin quickly rolled out of the way, and the gargoyle ended up busting a chunk out of the concrete they were standing on. Ginger jumped through the hole in the door; Weaver reached his hand in and felt around until he found the latch, and lifted it, opening the door. He and Alvin quickly ran in, and slammed the door behind them; Alvin replaced the latch.

“Get out of there!” the gargoyle shouted. There was a loud crack, and the statue’s fist came through the door again. Alvin and Weaver backed away from the door quickly, not wanting to get. They joined Ginger at the edge of the foyer, looking at the room in front of them.

The room was baren. The floorboards were cracked and unkept, the wallpaper was ripped all over the place and missing in several spots. Cobwebs decorated every corner of the room.There was no furniture to speak of… the room looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years. Alvin, Weaver, and Ginger stared at it in mute shock.

“This is where he lives, right?” Ginger asked quietly.

“He must… the woman said so… and the gargoyle said so…” Alvin murmured. There was another crash as the gargoyle slammed another fist through the door.

“That monster is tearing the door down, in case you didn’t notice,” Weaver said. “I say we stop standing here and get moving!”

At that moment, the gargoyle, furious and determined to get them, slammed his shoulder into the door, breaking the latch and knocking the door off one of it’s hinges. The door swung open, and he stood in the doorway, snarling.

Alvin wasted no time- he grabbed Ginger, and ran. He didn’t get very far, though… the instant he stepped on one of the barren floorboards, the entire room seemed to shatter around them, and they fell- boy, cat, raccoon, and gargoyle- into a dark abyss, yelling and screaming all the way.

They fell for a short time before landing in what seemed to be a lake. Alvin and Ginger began swimming for shore; Weaver, however, splashed wildly about, while the gargoyle sank like a stone. Alvin went back to help Weaver, and pulled him to shore. They climbed out of the lake, and lay there, panting. Ginger looked quite miserable.

“Well, that was fun,” Alvin said sarcastically. “Let’s go again.”

“No thanks,” Weaver muttered, shaking himself, trying to get some of the water out of his fur. Ginger did the same.

“Stupid magic,” Ginger muttered. “He must have a spell that makes sure people can’t enter uninvited. What happened to our friend?”

“The gargoyle? He sank,” Alvin said. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about him anymore… though I have to wonder why he didn’t know about this.”

“Lucifer probably felt it wasn’t needed,” Weaver said. He got up and walked away. “Come on, I think I see a tunnel over there.”

“Yeah, I see it, too,” Ginger said. “Maybe it leads out of here.”

“We can hope,” Alvin said, getting to his feet. He picked Ginger up and followed Weaver to the tunnel. It was crude, dug into the earth. It looked ready to collapse any second. Steeling themselves against their fears, the three entered the tunnel, and, using Ginger as their eyes, made their way deep into it. The tunnel was pitch dark- there was no sunlight, there were no lanterns or candles… Alvin and Weaver relied solely on Ginger’s eyesight as they went deeper and deeper into the tunnel.

“This thing doesn’t end…” Alvin groaned after a while.

“Just keep going,” Ginger said. “We’ll get to the end of this thing eventually.”

“Why did I have to come on this addle-headed adventure?” Weaver grumbled. “I could be safe and snug in my forest, but nooooo! I have to be here, in the dark, miles underground some wizard’s lair!”

“Quiet!” Alvin and Ginger both commanded together. Weaver scowled, but went quiet.

They continued on, for what felt like miles. At some point, the terrain began to slope up, making the trek even harder than before. Finally, they saw a glint of light ahead, and quickened their pace. They arrived at a wooden door, with a single candle mounted on the wall nearby. Alvin shivered. “Man, it’s cold up here…”

“Yeah,” Ginger agreed. “It feels… I don’t think we’re out of danger yet…”

Alvin sighed and nodded slightly, then opened the door. It creaked open loudly on its unoiled hinges, as if purposefully announcing their arrival. The room before them was barren, like the front room had been, except this time the room was made of glimmering stones. Blocks of stone, piled one on the other, glittering from the light of some candles. It was quite nice to look at. The stones seemed to emit a cold air, which made Alvin’s teeth chatter as they walked into the room. Weaver shut the door; the creaks of the hinges echoed in the room.

“Ye have trespassed where none are allowed,” a voice rang out, startling them. “For this, ye must be killed.”

Alvin drew his dagger while Weaver and Ginger readied their claws as several of the stones in the floor sank down into the dirt and disappeared. From the hole, a creature crawled out of the earth, and hissed at them. It appeared to be a snake… just a normal snake… until, before their eyes, it morphed and mutated, growing two arms, two legs, and growing in size until it towered over Alvin. Alvin’s face went pale.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he whispered.

“The stones will be stained with ye blood this night!” the creature hissed.

It lunged at them; Alvin and Weaver jumped to opposite sides of the room, Ginger clinging to Alvin’s shoulder. Alvin breathed heavily, his heart pounding. Despite having spent six days traveling this country, he had never once engaged in a fight or a battle. He had never used the dagger. He didn’t know how to fight in these conditions. The monster lunged at him again; he rolled out of the room. Ginger jumped off his shoulder and latched herself to the creature’s neck, scratching and biting.

“Ginger!” Alvin cried, clutching his dagger and dashing at the beast. The monster, preoccupied with Ginger, did not move to stop him, and so Alvin drove the blade into its exposed belly. The monster roared in pain, and, leaving Ginger alone for the moment, swung at Alvin. The blow connected, and Alvin was sent sprawling across the room, where he lay, gasping from the pain.

“Alvin!” Ginger called. Weaver jumped onto the creature’s back, digging his claws into the skin. The monster roared in pain and reached back to get him off, but to no avail- his arms were too short to reach the raccoon. Ginger climbed off and ran over to Alvin. “Alvin! Are you okay? Say something!”

Alvin looked at her, his head bloody from where the monster had hit him. “I’m… fine.”

“No, you aren’t!” Ginger protested. “That looks bad…”

“Not helping,” Alvin muttered, getting up.

“No, stay down!” Ginger demanded. “Weaver and I can finish this guy off! Give me your dagger- I’ll take it Weaver!”

Alvin put a hand to his head, and fell to his knees. “Damn, he hit me hard…” he groaned. “Just… be careful, okay? I dropped the dagger- I think it’s over there.” He pointed towards one end of the room. Looking over, Ginger could see the blade.

“Okay, got it! You stay put, all right? Don’t die on me now,” Ginger said, trying to hide the gut-wrenching concern that Alvin’s condition was causing.

“I won’t,” Alvin said, forcing a smile. “Take him out.”

“A little help here?!” Weaver shouted as the monster pranced around, trying to throw him off.

“I’m coming!” Ginger called. She ran over to the dagger, picked it up by the hilt with her teeth, as that was the only part not covered in blood, and ran over to Weaver. She dropped it on the ground. “Weaver! Get off of him, and grab this dagger! I’ll distract him so you can finish it!”

Weaver leapt off the beast, and ran for the dagger. The monster lunged for him; Ginger jumped onto its back and, digging her nails into its skin, climbed up to his neck. The creature roared, and tried to grab her, without success. Weaver, meanwhile, grabbed the dagger, and, with a shout, leapt at the monster’s back, driving the dagger in as far as he could. The monster gave an ear-piercing roar as it fell face-first to the ground. It lay there, writhing in convulsions, until it finally went still. Panting, Weaver and Ginger walked over to Alvin, who sat against the wall, his eyes closed.

“Alvin?” Ginger asked.

Alvin opened his eyes slightly. “You… okay?” he asked.

Ginger swallowed. Alvin looked really bad. “Yeah, we’re okay. Come on, we need to get you out of here.”

Alvin didn’t respond. Ginger climbed into his lap and rubbed her face against his cheek. “Come on, Alvin. Don’t die on me now, please?”

“I… just need some… rest,” Alvin whispered. “Everything hurts…”

“Pain is good!” Weaver said. “It lets you know you’re alive!”

[word count for the day: 1,612 words]

[ugh, I didn't touch this all day. Thank god for a case of insomnia that kept me up past midnight. >_>]

Alvin gave a weak chuckle. “Yeah, I guess it does.” He closed his eyes and slumped down, falling unconscious.

“Weaver, what do we do?” Ginger asked, feeling close to tears. “We can’t leave him here- it’s too cold for him, and he’s soaked. He could catch hypothermia, and he’s already in really bad shape…”

“Hypo-what?” Weaver asked.

“Nothing! We just need to get him somewhere warmer… are there any doors out of here?” Ginger glanced around.

Weaver did the same. “Don’t see any… maybe there’s a hidden switch. I’ll go look.”

“Thank you,” Ginger said. Weaver walked off, pressing a hand to the stones, trying to find a switch. Ginger curled up in Alvin’s lap, trying to keep him warm with her own bodyheat. She watched Weaver go along the walls, her stomach in knots, hoping he’d find something. The body of the monster lay in the middle of the floor; the hole from which it had crawled lay nearby. A stench from the creature’s dead body began to fill the room.

Weaver pushed one stone after another, with no success in finding a switch. After going around the room three times, he cursed and ranted in frustration. Ginger shut her eyes in despair. When she opened them a few minutes later, Weaver was glaring into the hole in the middle of the floor. “What is it?” she asked.

“I think I can see a tunnel at the bottom of this thing,” he said. “It’s too dark, though, so I can’t be sure.”

Ginger was at his side in a flash, peering down. “Yeah, it’s a tunnel. Looks like a five foot drop at most. It’s our only shot. Can you get Alvin?”

“You’re making me lug him around?” Weaver asked in dismay. Ginger gave him a look. He sighed and, grumbling, hoisted Alvin up over his shoulder, complaining about how heavy Alvin was.

“You have the dagger, right?” Ginger asked. Weaver gestured to where it was stuck in his belt. “Good,” Ginger muttered. “Let’s go.” She jumped into the hole, and landed neatly on her feet in the tunnel. Looking around, she could see that it was ill-kept as the previous tunnel, and there was only one way to go. She moved to the side as Weaver jumped in, hitting the ground with a loud thud and a curse. “Quiet!” Ginger hissed. “Come on. Follow my voice.”

“All right, all right,” Weaver groaned. “You can carry him on the way back.”

“Deal,” Ginger said, hoping she’d be human on the way back.

They began the tedious process of making their way down the dark tunnel. For Ginger and her cat eyes, it was no trouble, but for Weaver, who was in complete darkness and had to rely on his hearing her voice, as well as carry Alvin, it was extremely difficult, and he frequently cursed when he hit the wall or stumbled. Eventually, though, the dirt floor changed to a paved floor, with candles lighting the tunnel ahead. Feeling uneasy about what was lying ahead, Weaver and Ginger continued on until they came to a door. Since Ginger couldn’t reach the doorknob, Weaver put Alvin down for a moment and opened it, then picked the boy up again, and they went through the door into another room.

This room was a lot cozier than the previous room. There was a fireplace on one wall, in which a fire was burning fiercely. There were some easy chairs nearby, and a few tables pushed against the walls; one of the tables had a bowl of fruit. At Ginger’s instruction, Weaver placed Alvin in front of the fire. Ginger went over to Alvin to check on him, her blood turning cold when she saw how pale his face was. Weaver, who was starving, helped himself to the fruit, tossing her some just in case. She wasn’t feeling very hungry, though, and so only took a few nibbles before pushing it aside. She and Weaver didn’t say much at all… there wasn’t much to say. Weaver curled up in one of the easy chairs and fell asleep. Ginger curled up near Alvin’s head, and also fell asleep.

Several hours later, Alvin opened his eyes. He stared at the fire for a moment, wondering where on earth it had come from, before looking around a bit. His head ached, and his body didn’t feel much better. He saw Ginger sleeping near him; Weaver was sleeping in a chair. There was a piece of fruit near Ginger; his stomach growling, Alvin noticed the fruit bowl, and, groaning, got to his feet. He unsteadily made his way to the bowl, and, taking an apple, bit into it hungrily. Then he walked back to Ginger, and began stroking her. She shifted her position a bit, and purred, before opening her eyes and looking up at him.

“Alvin!” she exclaimed, jumping into his lap. “You’re awake!”

“Yeah…” Alvin said. “What happened? How did we get here?”

“Found a tunnel,” Ginger explained. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”

“My body hurts,” Alvin told her. “And I’m starving, but otherwise, I’m okay… are you okay?”

“You had me worried sick,” Ginger said, rubbing her face against his stomach. “But yeah, I’m okay. Weaver carried you all the way down the tunnel.”

“Wow.”

“Yes, wow indeed,” Weaver said, their conversation having woken him up. “I deserve a medal for that.”

Alvin chuckled. “Thanks. Where are we?”

“Don’t know. Looks like some living quarters,” Ginger said. “There’s a door over there- I hadn’t noticed it before…”

Alvin finished his apple and tossed the core into the fire. “After we eat, we’ll go,” she said, eating her pear ravenously. “I want to get out of here.”

“No kidding,” Alvin agreed.

They finished off the fruit, and Alvin, feeling better now, went to the door. Ginger sat on his shoulder, and Weaver followed behind; the dagger was back in Alvin’s sheath. Behind the door, they found a set of stairs; without a word, they trudged up them.

[word count for the day: 1,004]

There weren’t many stairs, thankfully, and they soon came upon another door. Going through it, they found themselves in a room.

The room was devoid of furniture, but there were markings all over the walls and floor. Ancient languages, shapes, symbols, all grouped together in clumps. The room felt oppressive, somehow, as they walked forward. There was a door on the other side- Alvin walked over to it, but stopped short when Ginger shrieked and fell backwards off his shoulder. He spun around, and found Ginger on her back, writhing.

“Ginger! Are you okay?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

“Agh….. I don’t know!” Ginger cried, still writhing. She gasped several times; Alvin and Weaver watched helplessly as clouds of smoke seemed to billow out of her, obscuring her from their vision.

“Ginger!” Alvin cried.

“Ugh!” Ginger started coughing, and breathing heavily. “I’m fine… I think… ugh… that I’m okay.” The smoke cleared; Alvin and Weaver jumped back in shock. Ginger looked at them in concern. “What? What is it?” she glanced down at herself, and cried out.

She was human again.

Ginger shakily got to her feet, her knees trembling as she looked at herself all over. She was wearing the dress she’d gotten from the farmer’s wife, though it was absolutely filthy and almost unrecognizable. Her face was clean, though her hair was caked with dried mud. Tears filled her eyes, and she flung her arms around Alvin. “I’m normal again!” she cried joyfully. “I’m human again!”

Alvin hugged her tightly. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he murmured, squeezing her.

“Me too,” Ginger said.

“Hate to break this up,” Weaver interrupted, “but we should get going.”

Alvin and Ginger separated from each other, and nodded to Weaver. “Weaver, you’ve never seen Ginger’s real form, have you?” Alvin asked.

Weaver shook his head. “Nope. Frankly, I think she looks better as a cat.”

Ginger rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.” She smiled and walked to the door. Alvin and Weaver followed her. “Though, I wonder why it happened all of a sudden like that…” she said.

“Maybe it has a time limit?” Alvin suggested as they entered a long hallway.

“Maybe,” Ginger said thoughtfully. “I’m thinking it might have been all that writing in that room. Maybe it did something…”

“Why, yes it did,” a voice behind them said. They whirled around with a start. There, standing in the doorway of the room they had just left, was Lucifer. “This room absorbs all magic spells- the writing is every conceivable counterspell known to man. It’s taken me many years to write it out. Somehow, not only did ye three manage to get past all of my defenses, but that raccoon of yours is clearly under a spell I don’t have a counter for… yet.” He smiled sinisterly. “So, why are ye here?”

Alvin swallowed, unsure of how to respond. Did Lucifer know that Alice wasn’t the princess or not? Ginger didn’t seem willing to answer, either. Weaver, for once, kept his mouth shut.

Lucifer sighed. “Why waste time?” He pulled the crystal orb from his coat, and held it up in one hand. With his other hand, he made some motions with his fingers. Alvin found himself suddenly flying backwards into the wall; he fell to the floor, pressing a hand to his back, groaning.

“Alvin!” Ginger shouted. She turned on the wizard. “You let the princess go!”

Lucifer laughed. “Ah, so that is why ye are here? To save the princess? Except… no, ye know she isn’t the princess. On the outside, yes, it is Princess Salatea. On the inside… it is not. Ye wouldn’t happen to know whose spirit dwells within the princess’ body, would ye?”

Ginger swallowed. Okay, so Lucifer knew that Alice’s spirit was in the princess’ body, but he didn’t seem to know who she was. “No, we don’t.”

Lucifer shook his head. “And yet, ye don’t seem all that surprised by the news. I’d think one of Salatea’s subjects would be most shocked to learn her body has been possessed by a spirit…”

Alvin pulled his dagger out of the sheath and walked towards the wizard. “You let the princess go, now.”

“Or ye will drive me through with that dagger?” Lucifer asked. He shook his head again, and flicked his fingers. Alvin was sent flying again. “Now, I’m afraid I’ll have to punish all three of ye for trespassing into my home, causing damage to my statue, getting blood all over my meditation chamber, and taking fruit from my library. Any suggestions for a worthy punishment, or shall I think them up on my own?” Ginger and Alvin didn’t answer. Weaver had somehow managed to disappear. Lucifer sighed. “Very well, then… the girl would make a lovely statue- in fact, I think I’ll have ye replace the statue ye destroyed.” Ginger’s face went pale as her blood went cold. Lucifer smiled. “Don’t worry, ye will stay alive and aware the entire time. As for ye,” he looked at Alvin, “I believe… why, yes! My latest experiments need food. Ye will be a pleasant treat.”

Alvin dashed at the wizard. There was nothing for it- whether he tried or not, the man was going to kill him and Ginger, so he might as well try. There was a flash of fur, and suddenly, Lucifer didn’t have the crystal ball anymore- Weaver had it, and he was running towards Alvin and Ginger. “Run!” he shouted.

Ginger needed no second bidding, and Alvin was already running, just in the wrong direction- he quickly turned around and ran after his companions. Lucifer snarled, and, shouting curses, summoned a trio of bloodhounds to chase after them.

Ginger opened a door, and the three of them ran inside. They found themselves in a large library, with shelves all covered in books, but they wasted no time looking at the intricate designs of the shelves- they ran straight for the opposite door. The hounds, barking and snarling, went after them.

[word count for the day: 1,007]

“Hurry!” Ginger called to Alvin, who was lagging behind, his body still aching from Lucifer’s attacks.

“I am!” Alvin responded. They ran through another door; Ginger and Alvin slammed it shut, and pushed their bodies against it as the hounds howled on the other side. Weaver stood nearby, holding the crystal ball.

“We need an idea!” Ginger said. “Those things will tear us to pieces, and Lucifer might have more traps!”

“We have no time!” Alvin said. “We have to get out of here! Weaver, grab that chair!”

Weaver grabbed the chair, and, at Alvin’s bidding, stuck it under the door handle, thus jamming the door. Taking advantage of this temporary blockage, the three of them ran as fast as they could down the hall and down the stairs. They found themselves in a large room- most likely used for parties. There were paintings on the wall, a large foreign rug lay on the floor, and beautiful vases and busts sat on polished tables. Alvin and Ginger paid little attention to everything, though Weaver felt a strong urge to nab some of the stuff as they passed by. The sound of the doors above breaking open, and the hounds’ cries becoming quite loud, spurred them on as they ran through another set of doors, down a hall, and came upon the front door, which still had the holes created by the gargoyle statue from the day before. Alvin removed the latch, and they burst through the doors, running down the walk and into the square.

“Foolish children!” Lucifer shouted, jumping down from a balcony right behind them. “Return that crystal to me!”

“Never!” Alvin shouted back as Ginger climbed onto the horse. He climbed on right behind her; Weaver go on right behind him. Lucifer prepared to cast a spell, though he was noticeably slower about it, as Alvin spurred the horse into a gallop. The hounds leapt through the front door and chased after them for several yards; however, as Lucifer’s power became strained, they started to combust, and dissolved into dust after a few seconds. The horse galloped on, quickly leaving the city and gaining the freedom of the open fields.

“Is he following us?” Ginger asked, her arms wrapped around the horse’s neck.

Weaver glanced back. “No, it doesn’t look like it. That was a thrill, wasn’t it?”

“In a sick sort of way, yes,” Alvin muttered. “Do you still have the crystal ball?”

“Yep!” Weaver said, holding it up with one hand.

“Careful with it!” Ginger exclaimed. “We don’t want to break it!”

“We don’t?” Alvin asked, puzzled.

“Well…” Ginger hesitated. “I don’t know. I mean, what if breaking it causes all the power within it to flood the land. Like a Pandora’s Box of sorts. We just want to get Alice out of there.”

“If she’s still in there,” Weaver said lightly. Alvin and Ginger didn’t respond, not wanting to even consider the implications if that was the case.

They galloped on for a while, until they felt they were a far enough distance away from Lucifer. Alvin brought the horse to a stop, and they dismounted. Ginger took the crystal from Weaver, and the three of them looked at it intently. “What do you think?” Alvin asked.

“We should take it back to Abraham,” Ginger suggested. “He might know how to release Alice.”

“Good idea,” Alvin said. He smiled at her. “It’s good to see you back to normal, Ginger.”

Ginger grinned. “Yeah, no kidding. I can get some weapons while we’re there, too.”

“Wait, what for?” Weaver asked. “If Alice is in there, then our quest is over, isn’t it?”

Alvin shook his head. “In order to go home, we have to kill Lucifer.”

“What?!” Weaver shouted. “That’s suicide!”

“Abraham said that’s the only way we can go home,” Ginger said.

“He also said my mistress could change you back, did he not?” Weaver pointed out.

Alvin and Ginger glanced at each other. “Ha! Got you there!” Weaver cried triumphiantly.

“Look, we’ll talk about this later,” Alvin said. “Right now, we need to get to Abraham and see if Alice is inside this thing. Let’s go.”

It took them three days of riding, but they finally arrived in London, and made their way to the castle. They announced themselves to the guard, who reported them to Abraham; he let them in quickly, and excitedly led them to his room at the top of the tower.

“So, so! How did it go?” he asked, once they were inside.

“Well, the witch in the forest wasn’t able to change Ginger back,” Alvin said. “A room in Lucifer’s place did that- it apparently canceled the spell or something.”

“Ah, I see,” Abraham said. He smiled at Ginger. “Might I say what a pleasure it is to see ye in human form. Very beautiful.”

Ginger blushed. “Thanks… though I’m covered in filth… Lucifer nearly caught us, but Weaver managed to grab this…” She handed the crystal to Abraham.

His face lit up in surprise. “Ye got it! Astounding!”

“Is Alice still inside it?” Alvin asked.

Abraham peered into the crystal, and stared for a few moments before answering. “Yes, she is.”

Alvin, Ginger, and Weaver breathed sighs of relief. “Can you get her out?” Ginger asked.

Abraham nodded, and began chanting under his breath. The crystal glowed, and purple smoke began billowing from it, filling the room completely. There was a crash as Abraham tripped over some things to get the window open; the smoke began flowing out the window, and the room cleared up. As things became viewable again, Alvin and Ginger cheered. “Alice!”

Alice was standing in the middle of the room. Her face was pale, and she looked weak and hungry, as if she hadn’t been fed in days. She smiled wanely at them. “Hi…”

Abraham clapped his hands. “Heavens above! This is indeed a joyous occasion!”

Alvin hugged his twin sister tightly. “We missed you, Alice. You wouldn’t believe the things we went through, trying to get you back.”

Alice chuckled a little. “Heh. I think I know exactly what you went through.”

[word count for the day: 1,020]

Could you get me something to eat? I’m starving.”

“Sure thing!” Alvin said. He turned to Abraham. “It’s okay if we eat here at the castle, right?”

“Well, we have to, actually,” Alice said. “I’m the princess, remember? The king and queen must be informed that I’m here, and that you rescued me. You’ll be knighted, and then we’ll have a feast.”

“We’ll be what?” Ginger asked.

“Knighted,” Alice said. “Well, actually, Alvin will… you…” she paused. “I don’t get it. In the story, you were still a cat.”

Alvin and Ginger looked at her in surprise. “Wait, how do you know I was a…” Ginger trailed off.

“I told ye before,” Abraham said. “I summoned ye, expecting ye to have read the book. Ye said that ye sister here did. Obviously, she knows what happened to ye during the last week, and what will happen.”

Alice looked dismally at the floor. “All that can wait, though,” Abraham said. “Ye sister is right- the king and queen must be informed! If Lucifer comes here hunting for ye, we must be prepared!”

Abraham led the way down the tower, and they headed to the throne room. “But we’re filthy!” Ginger protested. “We can’t be in their presence like this!”

“It does not matter,” Abraham reassured her. “They will be more focused on their daughter… by the way, ye still have the dagger I gave you, correct?”

Alvin held it up. Abraham smiled. “Excellent.”

They entered the throne room. A massive room, they could see stained glass windows depicting queens and scenes of war. There were portraits of kings and queens alongside the windows. The floor was covered in what appeared to be a Persian rug that covered the entire floor. Guards lined up against the wall, holding spears high, ready to protect the king and queen at all cost. The royal couple sat in their thrones, talking to a young man, who appeared to be a messenger. Everyone looked towards the door as Abraham and the travelers walked in; the moment they saw Alice, pandemonium broke out as the king and queen rushed to reunite with their daughter. Alvin, Ginger, and Weaver stood by, watching the joyful occasion.

“This must be so weird for Alice,” Alvin whispered.

“Yeah,” Ginger whispered, watching as Alice hugged the queen tightly. “It felt weird for me, too, when the farmer and his wife were treating me like their daughter…”

Alvin nodded. “Mother, Father, these three people saved me,” she said, motioning to Alvin, Ginger, and Weaver.

The king and queen smiled and nodded to them. “Thank ye so much for bringing our daughter back from the clutches of that vile wizard,” the queen said. “Please, feel free to stay in our castle as long as ye wish.”

“Thank ye,” Ginger said, bowing. Alvin and Weaver followed suit.

“How strange,” the king murmured, looking at Weaver. “A human-like raccoon.”

“Hello,” Weaver said. “I talk, too.”

“Amazing,” the king replied.

“Could we please get some food and clean clothes for our heroes?” Alice asked. “They look very tired and weary.”

“Yes, of course,” the queen said. She clapped her hands twice and a few attendants stepped forward. “Please see to our guests every need,” she said. The attendants nodded and bowed to Alvin, Ginger, and Weaver before leading them out of the throne room. Alice and Abraham stayed behind with the king and queen.

“Now this is more like it!” Weaver said as they walked down the halls.

“Heh, no kidding,” Ginger said.

A few hours later, Alvin, Ginger, and Weaver wandered around the castle, cleaned, fed, and dressed in better clothes. Alvin wore a grey tunic with black pants; Ginger wore a sky-blue dress; Weaver wore a dark brown tunic and black pants. Ginger, who felt better than she had in days, was enjoying herself immensely; her mood was infectious to Alvin, who joined her in chattering about everything they saw. Weaver kept to himself, mostly, thinking about what he could steal and get away with. As they made their downstairs to the main hall, they saw Alice walking up the stairs towards them. She was wearing a white gown, with a tiara on her head. She smiled at them. “Hi.”

“Hi, Alice,” Ginger said. “Nice outfit!”

Alice chuckled nervously and shrugged. “Thanks… I don’t really like it. I’m not the princess.”

“What happens next?” Alvin asked. “You said I would be knighted.”

“Yes,” Alice said. “And then, if I remember correctly, during the feast, Lucifer will attack.”

“What?!” Ginger exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, the knights will be ready,” Alice reassured them. “I claimed to have a prophetic vision, and they’re getting things ready now. Of course, that didn’t happen in the story, so I really have no idea what happens during or after the battle.”

“Oh…” Ginger murmured. “That sucks. It sounded like we were going to have an easy time of things, knowing exactly what would happen and how to do it.”

Alvin nodded. “Yeah. Alice, Abraham said we have to kill Lucifer in order to go home. Is that true?”

Alice thought for a moment. “I don’t think so… I think we could go home now if we wanted. It’s just we were summoned for the express purpose of killing Lucifer. We have to fulfill that.”

“Sounds like fun,” Weaver said. “Fortunately for me, I don’t have that problem.”

Alice looked at him. “Well, no, but you do have the problem of Witch Hazel watching you right now.”

Weaver scowled. “Yeah, yeah, what of it? How do you know about that anyway?”

Alice shook her head. “You don’t pay attention at all, do you? Anyway, Alvin, you already have your weapons and armor. Ginger and I need to go get suited up for tonight’s battle.”

“Awesome!” Ginger cheered.

“What about the feast and the knighting?” Alvin asked. “Not that I’m looking forward to being knighted… but the feast sounds appealing.”

“Heh. We’ll probably have the feast after the battle or something. To be honest, I’m really lost now… there are too many differences from what’s happening now compared to the story I read… maybe things will…” Alice drifted off, not finishing her sentence. “Come on, Ginger.”

“All right!” Ginger followed Alice off down the hall, clearly excited, leaving Alvin and Weaver alone near a bust of a king with a great beard. Alvin glanced at the raccoon awkwardly, who paid no heed as he examined the tapestry hanging on the wall.

“So, you guys were summoned here?” Weaver asked.

“Um… yeah, I guess so,” Alvin said.

Weaver looked deep in thought, but didn’t pursue the matter as he followed Alvin to the courtyard, where they saw the knights discussing battle tactics and getting themselves into position on the ramparts. “You know, how are these guys supposed to face Lucifer if he comes here?” Weaver asked. “He uses magic. Chances are, he’d change the whole lot of them to beetles before they come within ten yards of them.”

“Well, hopefully, since he doesn’t have that crystal ball anymore, he can’t,” Alvin said.

“Okay, then he’ll summon a mammoth or ten thousand hellhounds instead.”

Alvin grimaced, and didn’t respond.

[word count for the last four days: 1,193. Okay, I really need to step it up now.]

He and Weaver wandered the castle for a little longer before heading for the armory. There, they found Ginger and Alice. Ginger was wearing an armor vest, and brandished a bow. Alice had a more regal outfit, similar to Ginger’s but with some gems inserted, and she held a four-foot-long sword. The man in charge of the weapons looked at Alvin in surprise.

“Ye survived?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah, we did,” Alvin responded.

“What do you think?” Ginger asked, smiling.

“You look pretty cool,” Alvin said. “How does it feel?”

“It feels kinda heavy, but I’m too excited to care, really,” Ginger said.

Alice laughed as they left the armory. “That’s good. I can’t help but feel kinda silly, though.”

“I felt the same way,” Alvin said. “By the way, why are you dressed up for war? Doesn’t the princess get led away to a safe place or something?”

“I know. This is just in case,” Alice answered. “I’m going to be up in the tower with Abraham. You guys should come with us. Things are going to be very… well, dangerous down here when Lucifer strikes.”

“Good idea,” Weaver said. “Don’t want to be caught in the line of fire!”

There was a shout down the hall. “The wizard is coming!” Suddenly, the castle came alive as the knights and soldiers ran to their positions, willing to defend the castle with their lives. Alice and her friends ran up the stairs of the tower to Abraham’s room. Abraham let them in quickly, and barricaded the door. Alvin, Ginger, and Alice crowded around the window to see what was going to happen.

There was a loud baying of hounds; beyond the castle’s outer walls, they could see a swarm of the bloodhounds pouring through the city- the citizens, who had been warned beforehand, were fortunately locked up in their houses. The men on the ramparts cocked their arrows and let them fly, killing dozens of the hounds, but still more came, jumping into the moat, hitting the walls. Soon, the castle was surrounded by them, and, as quickly as the archers killed them, more took their place.

“Abraham, can’t you do something? You know, wipe out the hounds in one fantastic blast?” Alvin asked.

“My magic is not that powerful,” Abraham said.

“But you have the crystal ball now!” Ginger pointed out. “Maybe you can use Lucifer’s power against him!”

Abraham pondered for a moment. “Hmm… a wise idea, lass,” he said. “The crystal is used to capture living entities… maybe I could use it to capture all of these hounds. Stay here, and barracade the door behind me.”

Abraham grabbed the crystal ball, and went downstairs. Alvin barricaded the door, and returned to the window. “Any sign of Lucifer?” he asked.

“No,” Alice said.

They watched as Abraham walked onto the ramparts, and, holding the crystal ball high, uttered a command that they could not hear. Clouds of purple smoke billowed from the crystal, and engulfed the hounds in front of the castle. The howls of the beasts became even louder as the clouds spread to cover the entire army of hounds. Then, another command from Abraham, and the clouds receded back into the crystal ball; as they disappeared, it was revealed that the hounds were gone.

“Awesome, it worked,” Ginger said. “And it looks like no injuries on our side.”

There was a flash, and a man appeared in the courtyard. Alvin and Ginger shrank back from the window.

It was Lucifer, and he looked furious. Which was to be expected, all things considered. “Where is the princess?!” he roared, his voice echoing off the courtyard walls and down the halls of the castle.

“What do we do, what do we do?” Alice asked frantically, backing away from the window as fast as she could.

“I don’t know!” Ginger said. “Our last encounter with him didn’t go very well!”

“If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have been able to escape at all!” Weaver pointed out.

“Yeah, we know, thanks, Weaver,” Alvin said. “Except that doesn’t help us now. We should probably get out of here.”

“Yeah, good idea. Let’s go!” Alice said, running for the door. She removed the barricades, and disappeared down the stairs. Ginger, Alvin, and Weaver went after her. They made their way down the stairs, and ran down the halls, anxious to get to the stables and take off before Lucifer came upon them.

However, this was not to be.

“Halt!” the wizard shouted, suddenly appearing in the hall behind them. The teenagers wasted no time- they ran faster than they ever had before, fear propelling them forward. As they ran outside towards the stable, Abraham intercepted Lucifer, blocking his path.

“Ye shall not touch them!” he stated.

“Oh, really?” Lucifer snarled. “What are ye going to do, Abraham? Ye cannot begin to comprehend the powers my research has given me!”

“My research has not been in vain,” Abraham said. “I may not be adept in the same fields as ye, Lucifer, but my magic is still as potent as yours!”

So saying, Abraham cast a spell, and the earth rose around Lucifer, encasing him in solid rock. Not wasting any time, Abraham disappeared from the spot, and not a moment too soon; a dreadful explosion rocked the area as the rock burst into pieces. Lucifer stepped forth from the rumble, cursing under his breath. “Very well, Abraham. Let us see which one has the stronger magic.”

Casting a spell, Lucifer teleported from the spot, and appeared again right in front of Abraham. He sneered and fired a blast of magic at the good wizard; thinking quickly, Abraham held up the crystal ball, which absorbed the magic. “Thief!” Lucifer cried.

“Ye kidnapped the princess, and have returned to kidnap her yet again, and ye accuse me of thievery?” Abraham asked, casting a spell. The earth under him rose, propelling him into the air. From this vantage point, he could see the teenagers galloping off into the distance. Breathing a sigh of relief that they had escaped, he allowed the column of earth to shatter, causing debris to rain down on Lucifer. Abraham hit the ground lightly, and, casting another spell, disappeared into the soil. Lucifer, who had summoned a griffon to shield him from the debris, growled, and prepared another spell for when Abraham showed himself again.

It didn’t take long. Abraham resurfaced a few minutes later; Lucifer unleashed his blast right into the good wizard, knocking him back several feet. The crystal ball fell from Abraham’s hands, and rolled away. Abraham groaned as he got to his feet. Lucifer made a dash for the crystal; Abraham cast a spell, creating a wall of earth that Lucifer slammed into. Holding his head, the dark wizard glared daggers at Abraham, and blasted the wall to pieces. However, Abraham had gotten close enough, and, casting another spell, hit both Lucifer and the crystal with an explosion of earth. The crystal flew across the ground, while Lucifer flew in a different direction. Abraham, breathing heavily, ran after the crystal.

“All I want is the princess’ soul!” Lucifer shouted, getting to his feet. “I don’t want the castle, I don’t want your life. I just want the princess! I know ye took her soul and placed it somewhere. I know the soul within her body is not Salatea!”

“Ye cannot have her!” the king proclaimed, coming up behind Lucifer and swinging at him with a mighty axe. Lucifer teleported out of the way, and flicked his fingers at the king. The man turned to stone on the spot.

“Fool,” the wizard muttered. Abraham picked up the crystal, and looked forlornly at the king.

“Ye have committed treachery!” he shouted at Lucifer.

“He betrayed me,” Lucifer growled, summoning a flock of crows who swooped down at Abraham. Abraham created a shield of earth that surrounded him like a bubble, unpenetrable by the crows’ beaks. However, there was a blast, and chunks of earth slammed into Abraham, knocking him backwards through the other side of the shield. He hit the ground, coughing; the crystal ball rolled away. Lucifer went after it, leaving his crows to attack Abraham. He gave a shout of triumph as he grabbed it.

“Well, I must say, ye magic isn’t bad,” Lucifer said, brushing the crystal ball off. “But it’s not good enough!”

He held the ball up; clouds of smoke billowed from it, enveloping Abraham and the crows. After a minute, the clouds returned to the ball; the wizard and crows were nowhere in sight. Smiling devilishly, Lucifer sighed and gingerly touched a few of his injuries to see how bad they were. Cursing under his breath when he saw his fingertips covered in blood, he contemplated what to do next. Salatea’s soul would be worthless without the body, so he summoned a griffon. A mighty beast with the body of a lion and wings that were twice its size, it gave a mighty roar as Lucifer mounted it, and they took off into the air to hunt down the princess’ possessed body and her friends.

Alice and Ginger rode one horse; Weaver and Alvin rode another. They galloped as fast as they could, trying to get as far from the castle, and Lucifer, as possible. Alvin’s heart pounded against his chest. “Alice! What happens next?” he asked, hoping she knew.

“Lucifer comes after us,” Alice said. “But that’s all I know for sure! Ginger was still a cat at this point!”

“But what happened in the story?” Ginger asked.

Alice hesitated. “In the story, we were sucked into the crystal ball,” she said.

Alvin shivered. “Why is he after us, anyway? He knows you aren’t the princess!”

“I have her body,” Alice said. “And you have her soul.”

“I what?!” Alvin exclaimed.

“In that dagger!” Alice said. “Abraham stuck Salatea’s soul into your dagger. That’s why he told you to hold onto it at all costs. He wanted to divert Lucifer from attacking the castle.”

Alvin and Ginger were both astounded by this news. “That moron!” Ginger said. “We did lose the dagger for a short time! And he knew we were going straight to Lucifer’s place! Why on earth would he have done that? He must be senile or something!”

There was a flash right in front of them; the horses reared in fright. The teenagers held on to the reins tightly and tried to calm their steeds down, despite their fright at seeing Lucifer step towards them. He smiled. “Well, well, a few runaways I see. Oh, and two of the thieves who stole my crystal ball from me the other day.” He glared at them before revealing the crysal ball in his hand. Alvin glanced back to see that Weaver had disappeared. He grimaced and cursed the raccoon under his breath.

“What did you do to Abraham?” Ginger asked.

“That blundering fool of a wizard is now trapped inside this crystal ball,” Lucifer said. “And ye three will suffer the same fate!”

He held his crystal ball out; clouds of smoke billowed from it. Alice, Ginger, and Alvin wasted no time; they spurred their horses into a gallop, and raced away. The clouds of smoke went after them.

“What do we do?” Alvin shouted over the rush of the wind. “Alice! How did we get out of the crystal?”

“The inside of the crystal is like a pocket dimension of some kind,” Alice said. “We’ll find Abraham in there, as well as all the hounds. He’ll help us escape once the hounds are taken care of.”

“Oh… so why are we avoiding it?” Ginger asked. “It sounds like everything turns out all right.”

“You die!” Alice said, her voice choking. “The hounds rip you apart.”

Ginger’s face lost all of its color. “But… that’s because I was a cat, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” Alice said. “That’s why I don’t want to go in there. I’m not sure what will happen differently, if things happen differently at all!”

There was another flash in front of them, causing the horses to rear again; this time, Alvin, Alice, and Ginger were flung off, and they hit the ground, hard, as the horses took off running. Lucifer laughed as they got back to their feet, rubbing their backs and arms. Alice pulled her sword from its sheath, Ginger readied her bow, and Alvin unsheathed his dagger. Lucifer stopped short as he stared at the dagger. The teenagers exchanged looks.

“Unbelievable,” Lucifer whispered. “That senile old fool hid Salatea’s soul within ye dagger!”

“Ye can’t have her!” Alvin protested. “We won’t let ye hurt her!”

Lucifer laughed. “Such arrogance. Ye are not old enough to understand such matters.”

Alice charged at him, brandishing her sword. “Ye will die today!” she cried.

Alvin joined the charge; Ginger stayed in the back, notching an arrow to her bow. Lucifer sighed, and cast spells that sent Alvin and Alice flying backwards. As they hit the ground, Ginger let her arrow flying. Lucifer held up his crystal ball; the smokes billowed out, absorbing the arrow. Ginger cursed and notched another arrow as Alice got back to her feet and made another charge. Alvin followed suit seconds later. Lucifer sighed and, shaking his head, held up the crystal ball. “No!” Ginger shrieked as the smoke consumed her friends.

“It’s too late!” Lucifer said gleefully as the smoke faded away. “All that’s left is ye!”

Alice’s words echoing in her ears, Ginger did the only thing she could think of. She ran. She ran as fast as she could, away from the wizard and his crystal ball. She hated herself for running, for abandoning her boyfriend and best friend, but her fear drove her on. Further she ran, until she collapsed, exhausted. She lay on the ground, breathing hard, waiting for the blow that would kill her… Footsteps approached, and she shut her eyes tight.

“Heh, you ran away, too?”

Ginger looked up, startled. In front of her stood Weaver, who looked at her in mild amusement. She lowered her gaze, ashamed. “Yeah, I did… Alice said that, if I was caught in the crystal, the bloodhounds would kill me…”

Weaver looked puzzled. “And how does she know that?”

“She read a story about this,” Ginger said, trying to keep herself from crying. “Even though things have happened differently than they did in the story, most of it has been the same… I don’t want to die… and I just abandoned them!”

Weaver sat down in front of her. “Well, it’s not like you would have done them any good dead, right?”

Ginger thought about that for a moment. “No, I guess not… I just want to go back home…”

“But you can’t do that until you kill Lucifer.”

Ginger nodded. They sat there for a while, Weaver watching Ginger as she composed herself. After a few deep breaths, Ginger, her resolve strengthened, stood up. “Okay, I’m not going to let them down again. I’m going to get them out of that crystal.”

“And how do you intend to do that?” Weaver asked. “You don’t know any magic, and you don’t even know where you are.”

Ginger looked around. “Well, the castle’s over there,” she said, pointing to where she could see London far in the distance on the edge of the plains. “So… Hampshire is over there…”

“So, I guess we go to the castle to get another horse?” Weaver asked.

Ginger looked at him in surprise. “We? You’re coming?”

Weaver shrugged. “I don’t have a choice, after all. The witch sent me a reminder when I ditched you gusys…”

Ginger chuckled. “Oh, so that’s why you came back.” She looked at the castle again. “Well, we better get going. It’s a long walk back.”

----

Alvin rubbed his head, and sat up. He looked around and groaned. He was sitting on a small piece of land, three square feet big at most, which seemed to be floating in a void. Nearby, Alice was lying on another piece of land. She was still unconscious. “Hey, Alice!” Alvin called.

Alice groaned, and rolled over to look at him. “Hey…”

“Are you okay?” Alvin asked, glancing around for Ginger.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Did Lucifer take the dagger?”

Alvin checked. “No, I still have it. I guess he’s waiting until he’s home or something before he lets us out and takes it… Weird… do you see Ginger?”

Alice looked around. “Um… nope. I see all the hounds… and a lot of crows flying around… oh, geez, there’s Abraham.”

Alvin craned his neck to look past Alice. “Yeah, I see him. Wow, Ginger actually managed to escape getting caught. That’s a relief.”

Alice was silent for a moment. “Yeah, that is a relief,” she finally said. “It means the hounds won’t kill her… but in the book, this was one large landmass, not a bunch of small ones. Come on, we need to find a way to get to Abraham. If we keep him protected from the hounds and crows, he’ll be able to concentrate on the spell that gets us out of here.”

Alvin pondered for a few minutes. “Well… we seem to be floating… there doesn’t seem to be much gravity here. Maybe we could float over to him?”

Alice gave him a look. “Are you willing to try it yourself?”

Alvin couldn’t but laugh a little. “Okay, fine.” He inched towards the edge of his platform, and leaned over into the void. Making sure he was hanging on to the edge tightly, he let his body fall… or it would have fallen, if gravity had been working. Instead, he found himself floating next to the platform. “Awesome!” he said, letting go and free-floating. “Come on!”

Alice nodded, and left her platform. They floated there for a moment before figuring out how to propel themselves forward by “swimming” through the void, and made their way to where Abraham was fending off the crows. He was breathing hard, and bleeding in several places from being pecked everywhere.

“Hey, Abraham!” Alvin called.

The wizard looked at them in surprise. “What are ye doing here?!”

“Lucifer caught us,” Alice admitted. She propelled herself upward and sliced her sword at the crows, cutting several of them in half. “He figured out that you put Salatea’s soul in Alvin’s dagger.”

“Why’d you do that, anyway?!” Alvin asked, killing a few crows with the dagger. “You knew we were heading for Lucifer.”

“Yes, but I figured it’d be the last place he looked,” Abraham said. “Where is ye girlfriend?”

“She escaped, somehow,” Alvin said. “At least, it looks like that. You don’t see her anywhere, do you?”

Abraham looked around. “Nay, I can’t. All right, ye keep those crows busy. I’ll work on the spell to get us out of here!”

“Roger!” Alice said, cutting even more crows down. The birds angrily started pecking at her and Alvin, causing several cuts, but they continued to be cut down by the teenagers, and their carcasses floated around aimlessly.

Abraham, using some of the crows’ blood, being drawing a pentacle on the ground he was standing on.

[word count for the day: 3,198. Wow. Still behind, but that's a major improvement!]

He breathed heavily, concentrating on getting it right with the morbid material. Alice and Alvin did their best to fend off the crows, and many of the birds fell to their blades, but the battle was wearing them down, and the crows just kept coming. “Hurry!” Alice called to Abraham. “We can’t handle them much longer!”

“All right,” Abraham said. “When ye see this pentacle glowing, fly into it as fast as ye can!”

“Okay!” Alvin said, panting as he cut off another crow’s head.

Abraham sighed heavily as he applied the finishing touches to the pentacle. Then he stood up, placed himself in the middle of the circle, and, clasping his blood-soaked hands together, began chanting a spell. As he chanted, the pentacle began to shimmer. Alice and Alvin watched as they fought the crows, waiting for the spell to activate. Finally, rays of light spread from the pentagle, horizontally at first, but they bent and lifted until they pointed straight up, forming a pillar of light. Alice and Alvin took this as the cue, and, moving as quickly as they could, they flew into the pillar. The light was blinding, and they shut their eyes tightly, listening to Abraham’s chanting echo around them. The light seemed to penetrate their vision despite their efforts, though, and they cried out as everything went silent, and dark.

The dripping of water was the first thing Alvin heard as he came to his senses. Rubbing his head, he sat up and looked around.

He was sitting in a room made of stones, damp and dark. There was no sign of Alice and Abraham. Water dripped from a crack in the ceiling near one corner. A lantern hung from a hook, its weak flame letting off a pale light. There was a door; Alvin unsteadily got to his feet and walked over to it. He checked his sheath to see if he was armed; to his dismay, the dagger was gone. Groaning, he tried the doorknob; thankfully, it opened, and he entered a dank hallway, with absolutely no light. Sighing, he went back and grabbed the lantern off the wall, and, using its light, he made his way down the hall.

“Alice?” he called, his voice echoing off the stones.

There was no answer. His stomach clenching from fear, Alvin quickened his pace. He came upon a set of stairs, and went up them as fast as he could. When he reached the top of the stairs, he was surprised to find himself in the castle.

“What the heck?” he wondered. “Why are we here? Why didn’t Lucifer take us to his mansion? Did Abraham warp us here? But… if he did, why did he and Alice take off?”

Confused, Alvin headed up for Abraham’s room. As he ran down the hall, he saw a maid standing in one of the doorways. “Hey!” he called. “Have you seen- what the heck?!”

As Alvin got closer to her, he saw that the maid was stone. She had been turned into solid stone, her expression of surprise frozen on her face. Shivers running down his spine, Alvin took off running, passing squires, maids, even a knight or two- all stone. “What in the world happened here?” he muttered, running up the stairs through the tower to Abraham’s room. He burst through the door, only to find the room empty. Cursing, he ran back downstairs, and shouted his sister’s name. His voice echoed through the castle, reaching the ears of two people standing near the stables, staring at the statue of the king. It also reached the ears of the wizard, sitting on the throne.

“Alvin!” Alice’s voice echoed down the halls, bringing him to a stop. “Help me!”

“Where are you?” Alvin called.

“I’m here!” Alice said, suddenly materializing in front of him.

Alvin jumped back in shock. Alice looked at him sadly. “Alice… what happened to you?” Alvin asked in a whisper.

“Lucifer pulled me out of the princess’ body,” she said. “At least, that’s what I think happened. I don’t have a body anymore, that much I know. Everyone’s been turned to stone… and I don’t know where Abraham or Lucifer are.”

“He got my dagger, too,” Alvin said. “Are you feeling okay?”

Alice grimaced. “Not really. I feel like I’m not really here… it’s like a dream or something… and I feel like I’m not supposed to be here…”

Alvin cringed. “We need to get you into something,” he said, looking around. “I think that’s why Abraham had to contain the souls in pentacles and bodies and daggers- they’ll pass on to the spirit world or something if they don’t have something to hold them in this world.”

Alice nodded, looking sick to her stomach. “Yeah… we need to go home, now. Please… Alvin…”

Alvin’s stomach clenched, and he nodded. “I’ll do it, Alice. I promise. I’ll get us home… Just hang in there, okay? Come on, we need to find Lucifer.”

Alice smiled sadly at him as they walked off. “I’m sorry about all of this,” she whispered.

“This isn’t your fault,” Alvin said, reaching for her hand. His hand passed through hers like water. He swallowed. “It’s not. We’ll get out of here, okay?”

“But… I read the book…”

“So? We’ve done just fine, haven’t we?”

“I guess… I mean, if you ignore me, and the fact that Ginger is lost somewhere,” Alice muttered. “I think Lucifer’s in the throne room.”

Alvin nodded as he opened the door to the armory. Alice watched as he suited up in an iron vest, leggings, and helmet. He grabbed a few daggers from one of the tables, and, without saying a word, left the room. Alice followed, her spirit fading a bit more with each step. They soon arrived at the doors to the throne room. Alvin took a deep breath as he looked at Alice. “Well, here goes nothing…”

“Don’t die, Alvin, please…”

Alvin nodded, and shoved the doors open. The room, which had been full of life when they had entered the first time, was quiet, and his footsteps echoed as he entered. The guards, like everyone else, had been turned to stone, frozen in postions of attack. The queen stood near the thrones; she’d been turned to stone as well. To Alvin’s dismay, Abraham stood nearby in the same condition. At the foot of the thrones, Princess Salatea lay, unconscious.

For the first time, Alvin could see exactly what Salatea looked like… and he was shocked to see how much she resembled Alice. Her face was paler, though, and she looked as if she’d been sickly all her life. A laugh directed Alvin’s attention to the man sitting in the throne. The wizard, who smiled condescendingly at him, while holding his crystal ball up for Alvin to see.

“So, I see ye have awoken, and yet ye senses have failed ye,” Lucifer said, shaking his head. “The other lass and ye talking animal friend had more brains than ye!”

Alvin drew one of his daggers. “I must kill you. It is the only way my sister, my girlfriend, and I can go home.”

Lucifer chuckled, and stood up. “Is that so? Have ye seen ye sister? Her existence in this world will not last much longer. And the lass ye love… where is she? Hiding somewhere, is she not? Gah!”

Lucifer cried out as an arrow flew through Alice, who didn’t even react, and into his shoulder. Alvin and Alice turned around to see Ginger standing in the doorway, notching another arrow to her bow. “Ginger!” Alice cried. “You’re here!”

“I’m not abandoning you this time,” Ginger said, walking towards them. “I’m sorry that I did earlier…”

“Don’t be,” Alvin said, giving her a quick kiss.

Lucifer ripped the arrow from his shoulder and flung it aside, blood dripping from the head. He snarled at them. “Ye have interfered for the last time! Have ye not seen what happens to those who do so?!” he gestured madly at Abraham and the guards. “Ye are mad to defy me!”

“We want to go home!” Ginger responded, letting another arrow fly. Lucifer’s crystal absorbed this one, now that he saw it coming. Ginger growled and, flinging her weapon aside, grabbed one of Alvin’s daggers. “And you are not going to stop us!”

So saying, Ginger and Alvin charged at Lucifer, blades raised. Alice, her spirit fading quicker with each passing second, ran towards Salatea. “I’m sorry about this, but I need you a little longer,” she whispered, flinging herself into the princess’ body.

Lucifer roared in anger and cast a spell; Ginger managed to dodge it, but Alvin was knocked backwards. Immediately, though, he was back on his feet and running at the wizard again, flinging his dagger and drawing his third and final blade. Lucifer leapt out of the way of the dagger, and it slammed into the throne, its blade becoming embedded in the wood. Ginger, having reached Lucifer, slashed at him, creating a gash in his cloak- he responded by grabbing her by the throat and flinging her across the room, casting a spell as he did so. Ginger landed on her feet, cursed to herself when she found she’d been turned into a cat again, and bolted for Lucifer’s legs as Alvin took a swing at him.

Behind them, Alice, having taken over Salatea’s body, yanked Alvin’s first dagger from the throne and jumped at Lucifer from behind. Lucifer, his attention focused on throwing Alvin across the room, almost didn’t see her, and ducked just in time to let her sail over him and hit the floor. As Alvin and Alice got back to their feet, Ginger leapt at Lucifer’s legs, digging her claws in as deep as she could. The wizard roared in pain, and grabbed at her; Ginger, using her agility, crawled all over him, making sure to push her claws in as hard as she could. Alice and Alvin charged at him again; Lucifer succeeded in grabbing Ginger, and, flinging her in their direction, cast a spell that sent all three of them flying far across the room. They hit the wall with a sickening crunch, and collapsed in a pile, groaning.

Lucifer panted heavily, his fury clearly portrayed in his voice. “How dare ye!!!” he roared at the top of his lungs, causing the stained glass windows to rattle. “Prepare to die!!”

With a shout, Weaver jumped from behind a statue, and leapt at Lucifer. The wizard whirled around to counter him; Weaver responded by landing on another statue and quickly backflipping up and over Lucifer’s head, grabbing the crystal as he did so. Lucifer made a mad grab for the item, but Weaver grinned maliciously as he landed on the back of another statue, and, without wasting a moment, slammed the crystal onto the statue’s head, shattering it into a dozen pieces.

The result was immediate. There was a flash, and a great explosion, as the magic contained within the orb was set loose. The windows shattered, Lucifer and Weaver were blown in opposite directions, the walls seemed to disintegrate into nothingness… Alvin and Alice looked on in shock as the void they’d seen within the crystal absorbed everything around them. The floor cracked, but didn’t crumble, though several pieces came loose and drifted away.

Weaver got to his feet, and looked around, confused. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

Lucifer laughed. “Ye foolish animal!” he cried. “Ye have unleashed a millennia of magic upon us! Ye have given me more power than I could ever have asked for!!”

“Damn it!” Ginger cursed. She got to her feet, panting, then glanced down at herself. She’d become human again. “What the heck? Not this again!”

Alice and Alvin stood up. “What do we do now?” Alvin asked.

“Kill him,” Alice said. “Killing him will cancel the effects of the spells he cast- including the stone spell. Once Abraham is restored, he’ll be able to do something about this!”

“Is that what the book said?” Ginger asked.

“The book was worthless!” Lucifer sneered. “Abraham believed he could manipulate the fabric of time and space! Preposterous! Ye foolish children don’t understand- this dispute between the kingdom and I has been going on for thirty years! He spent all those decades researching that ridiculous spell! Jageheti! Pah!”

“Jageheti?” Alice asked. “That was the name of the story…”

“Was it now?” Lucifer asked. Weaver grabbed Ginger’s dagger and ran over to them. “Every magician and wizard worth his spells knows about that one. A legendary spell, said to place the flow of time at ye fingertips! He brought ye here using that spell because he believed that the children of the future would be able to do what the entire kingdom could not! Of course, he had to bring children. Adults would never have agreed to go through everything ye did! Played ye like fiddles, he did!” Lucifer spat at them. “But I must admit, I never believed ye’d make it this far!”

“How would ye know that?” Alvin asked. “How do ye know how far we would get, or how we got here, or that adults wouldn’t buy into this?!”

Lucifer laughed. “Because Abraham tried to play god. Thanks to his meddling, this land has been caught in a loop! Again, and again, and again! That is the curse of the spell! That is why nobody has ever cast it! Once ye cast Jageheti, ye must fulfill the terms of the spell!”

“But you said it’s been thirty years!” Alvin protested.

“It took Abraham thirty years to find the spell,” Lucifer said. “And, while the rest of the world resets, Abraham and I don’t. We are both fully aware that we are replaying the same events again and again and again, as he makes repeated attempts to find the right pattern! We’ve been playing this game for over a year now, and believe me, it’s been a neverending struggle.”

“What are the terms?” Ginger asked. “Surely, ye could just cancel the spell if ye fulfill them!”

“The spell requires that, when ye create the portal through time, ye must mend the fabric of time before ye can set things right again,” Lucifer explained. “Abraham ripped the fabric of time, and the threads won’t combine, for they are attached.”

“To us,” Alice whispered.

“Precisely,” Lucifer said, nodding. “And Abraham, in his stubbornness, will not allow ye to return to ye own time, and thus mend the fabric, until I am struck down.” He pointed at them with unbridled fury. “I have slain each of ye time and time again, for that is the other way to mend the fabric- to cut the threads loose! But each time, I fail to cut all three of ye down, for he interferes, and thus it starts all over again, for I must cut all the threads at once! Oh… I have laughed at ye corpses so many times, but it’s never enough!”

“But if you have faced and killed us so many times, why don’t we remember any of that?!” Ginger demanded.

“Because it’s the way the loop works!” Lucifer cried. “Abraham summons ye and sends ye after me. After it’s all said and done, and one or two of ye are dead, as the case usually turns out, he writes the story, and sends it through the rip in time! Once it falls into ye hands,” he pointed vindictively at Alice, “time resets itself in our little mess, and it starts over again! Ye have no memory of it because Abraham keeps manipulating the rip to affect the future, thus ensuring that ye do not recall anything!”

“This sounds ludicrous,” Alvin muttered. “How could one spell and one man do that with time?”

“Does it matter?” Alice asked. “All that matters is, we’re here. Right now.”

Lucifer smiled. “Yes… and this time, now that Abraham cannot interfere,” he pointed to the statue, “I will strike all three of ye down, and thus mend the fabrics of time, and finally escape this god-forsaken loop! May ye blood spill this day! Die!!”

Lucifer gave a roar and charged at them, his hands charging with magic. Alice, Ginger, and Alvin gave cries, and charged forward at him, their blades glimmering as the magic in the air enfused with them. Weaver leapt behind a statue, not willing to be part of this mess anymore. The two forces clashed in a great explosion of power, the collective might of the teenagers against the trained might of the wizard. The ground they stood on shook and cracked even more as Lucifer gave a roar and, summoning even more strength, sent Alice, Ginger, and Alvin flying away from him. Alvin and Alice hit the ground, and rolled out of the way to dodge Lucifer’s follow-up spell, but Ginger was not so lucky, and she screamed in pain as the blast struck her.

“Ginger!!” Alvin screamed, jumping to his feet as Ginger’s body hit the ground and disintegrated into ash.

“No!!” Alice cried.

“Yes!!” Lucifer yelled. “One down!”

The void shook violently as the ground lurched. Alice ran over to Ginger’s remains as Alvin turned on Lucifer, tears filling his eyes. Lucifer smiled viciously. “Do ye feel that? The first thread has been cut loose!”

Alvin glanced back at Alice and what remained of Ginger. He stifled a sob as he saw Ginger’s spirit rise from her ashes. She looked at him in sorrow as Alice approached her and said something, but he couldn’t hear over the rumblings of the void. Ginger suddenly screamed. “Watch out!!”

Alvin jumped to the side, just in time to dodge a blast from Lucifer. He rolled dangerously close to the edge of the floor, and, grabbing a statue for leverage, got to his feet. Glancing back at Ginger and Alice, he saw Alice… but Ginger was gone. Letting out a sob, he gripped his dagger and charged at Lucifer. “I’ll kill you!” he shouted.

[word count for the day: 3,003 words. Awesome! I'm caught up now!]