The Terra-Belle Demon, Chapter 3

“You two look terrible!” a woman who bore a tremendous resemblance to how most individuals would picture a witch bluntly commented to Phoebe and me as we entered into the cafeteria.

“Thanks, Hazel! It’s been so peaceful in our neighborhood with all of the construction going on- we’ve gotten so much rest!” I dryly responded. Hazel had never been particularly pleasant, but she seemed especially bitter tonight! In an attempt to buoy her hardened spirit, I handed her a purple gift bag with a frilly bow and let her know, “This is for you!”

Hazel’s demeanor didn’t shift in the slightest. “Great. You can put it in the pile with everyone else’s!” She pointed to a table behind her full of various gifts and envelopes.

I was tempted to remark on her hostility, but I felt too weary to prolong this drama, so Phoebe and I scurried to the spot at the table furthest from her. I softly queried Phoebe, “Do you think she’s enjoying her retirement party?”

“Oh, yeah! I’m so glad we came!” Phoebe quietly kidded.

“Connor Fenmore! It’s a delight to see you again!” a man who had the appearance of an aged football player well past his prime pompously greeted me as he sauntered over to the gift table.

I tried to hide my dismay at his presence because I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing that he got under my skin, but it was extremely difficult with this obnoxious egotist! Sure, his constant endeavors to cast me in a negative light always backfired on him, but it was irritating to deal with this smarmy jerk during an already arduous ordeal, so the memory of our previous transactions filled me with tension! I did confront him about his behavior before we went on summer break, but based on the arrogant smirk on his face, I sincerely doubted that he adhered to his commitment to change his ways! “Hello, Casper! You’re certainly in a good mood! At least someone here is!”

Following that assertion, I glanced over to Hazel, who was telling the hall monitor, “No, don’t worry! There aren’t any balloons here! Heaven forbid this hole to appear at all festive!”

“There’s gonna be some changes this year!” Casper proclaimed.

“Oh, really?” I folded my arms and listened with an amused disbelief at his claim.

Casper very animatedly went into detail, “Yes! Your reign as the most beloved teacher on campus is over! I figured out who’s more admired than the one who pulls off a couple of heroic stunts, and that’s the person who’s always giving to others! I’ll surpass you by raising the most in fundraisers, donating the most to charity, and handing out the greatest presents! Can you guess which one here is mine? I’ll give you a hint: mine’s the biggest!”

A sharp retort brewed in my mind, but Phoebe beat me to the punch of voicing it out loud, “It must be nice for you to finally be able to say that about something, huh?”

Casper briefly grimaced at the salacious implication of her retort, but he chose to ignore it and went on, “There’s gonna be a new king this year!”

“Wonderful. Well, we’re gonna go worship you from afar! See you later, sire!” I grabbed Phoebe’s hand and walked away from him right as he opened his mouth to speak. If I had more energy at that juncture, I would’ve articulated how much I didn’t want the notoriety that he coveted! It was nice to get recognition for my efforts, but I didn’t defeat Damon and save our students simply for the acclaim- I only wanted to do the morally correct choice and save our community from eternal doom! Besides, I got what I desired most when Phoebe agreed to be mine and when Terra Belle returned to a peaceful state- though I wasn’t convinced that last part would endure for very long…

“Let’s get some punch,” Phoebe suggested.

An older lady who wore her gray mane in a tight, little bun and small glasses that rested halfway down her nose warned us, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you! Manuel mixed together a bunch of flavors, and it tastes like a weird… What?”

It was hard for me to not stare at her incredulously! She possessed the image of a vintage grandmother, and it continually flabbergasted me that she was the one who broke Damon’s heart and gave birth to his vengeful crusade against Rosemary King High School! And the entire region for that matter! She had no idea what she set off, and in order to keep that hidden from her and avoid giving her another heart attack (which Damon caused, not me!), I apologized, “Sorry! Go on!”

“Alright, folks!” a guy with a fatherly smile, round spectacles like a cartoon owl, and a checkered sweater-vest went onto the small stage at the far side of the room and addressed the crowd. I gazed at Martha guiltily since she wouldn’t get a chance to finish her sentence, and she stomped away indignantly. Even though I rarely chatted with her, I never got a contemptuous vibe from her until this instance! I wondered whether or not this had been another sign of her former lover’s possible return while the ceremony commenced. “I’m Principal Manuel Palillo, and if you don’t know that already, you’re in the wrong building!” He paused for laughs, but no one did, so he cleared his throat and continued, “I hope you’re all having fun tonight!”

“Are we getting paid for this meeting?” Fletcher hollered.

Manuel nervously tugged at his collar. “This isn’t a meeting- it’s a party… A party for our dear friend, Hazel Cromwell, who gave Rosemary King High School thirty-two years of dedicated service!” The staff wanted to applaud that accolade, but Hazel’s animosity perplexed everyone on how to act. “Alright, who’d like to share their fond memories of our esteemed secretary?” Nobody moved a single muscle in willing participation, so Manuel called on the person closest to him, “Mary, how about you?”

Mary, who clearly hadn’t mentally prepared herself for this circumstance, hesitantly expressed, “Uh… I supposed I’ll miss how Hazel would come into the kitchen and hover over my shoulder while I cooked. Now that she won’t be barging in to supervise me for whatever reason, it’ll be so… lonely?”

“How about you, Balam?” Manuel handed the microphone to the guy standing next to Mary.

“So… um… Me and Hazel had our fun…” Balam lied. “She constantly called me Barry, which was totally welcomed! And whenever she’d see me cleaning, she’d provide a list of all the stuff I missed, so I gave her the option to do it herself. She’d decline, and we’d laugh and laugh…”

I peered over at Hazel. I would’ve been shocked if she became enamored by either of those tributes, but I crossed my fingers that her demeanor lightened up a tiny bit. She let out an exasperated exhale, and a twinge of shame shot through me. She may not have been the most amicable coworker… What am I saying might for? She definitely wasn’t an amicable coworker, but she did lend us a hand with Damon a couple of times! Granted, her motivation stemmed from a hatred of a pupil so deep that even I found it disturbing, but still! She contributed to his downfall, so I would’ve berated myself for letting her leave without showing some gratitude. I put my arm up and volunteered, “I’m next!”

Manuel breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness! The floor is yours, Connor!”

“Hey, I got a question for you all… What kind of candy do senior citizens love the most? … It’s a retire-mint!” I chuckled at my own slice of humor, but only Aleck and a couple of other faculty members tittered. Eh, at least I got a better reception than Manuel! “Anyways, I haven’t been working here for long, but during my short stretch in this place, I gathered that this position isn’t easy during a normal semester, and obviously, we haven’t had any of those in ages!” Finally, I got some giggles! “But as tough as my new career became, I got through it by constantly getting assistance from my colleagues, including Hazel. I doubt that I could’ve survived without her, so I just wanted to verbalize my appreciation for her instrumental pragmatics! Happy retirement, Hazel!”

“My turn!” Casper stole the microphone from me as the crowd heartily applauded my oration. I sort of hankered to hit him in the back of his head for that violently rude gesture, but I had an inkling that whatever claptrap that would spew from his mouth would bestow far more pain on him than I could muster, so I allowed him to carry on. “You came here to say goodbye to us, and that’s too sad to think about! I’d prefer au revoir. It’s French for see you again! I met with the staff to ask what the next secretary could do to serve as well as you because, with many years of devotion and dedication, we-.”

Hazel interrupted him, “That’s a ripoff of Nixon’s farewell speech! And not even a good ripoff! Aren’ you the government teacher?”

Casper indignantly reacted to her criticism, “Government for Honors and AP classes! Some of us have earned this credit.” He glanced over to me, and I merely rolled my eyes at his attempt to rile me up.

“Okay… Hazel, why don’t you take the floor?” Manuel rushed over to her as if he expected Casper to persist in his antics and cause a meltdown of some sort.

“Fine!” She snatched the microphone from Manuel, and she dispassionately discoursed, “Thirty-two years ago, I quit my front desk job at a dental office ‘cause I wanted something less stressful, and that’s not what I got! I only stayed here since I liked the healthcare plan! It stopped being worth it recently though! After a school year full of dragons and demon children, I asked myself if I wanted to go through another year of that just to get complete vision coverage, and I answered myself no! I wouldn’t have agreed to do this retirement party at all if I wasn’t promised a swanky celebration at the Arioch, but apparently, some film production has taken over those premises! I’d like to end this evening before anything freaky happens! Good luck surviving another school year! May God have mercy on your souls!”

The quiet that followed her soapbox made the air feel heavy! Evidently, everyone had convinced themselves that the unearthly invasions had concluded, and her prediction of more of these chaotic conundrums ravaging our territory unnerved people. Manuel slowly took the microphone back, and once her grim foresight fully sank in for him, he swiftly changed his tune! He galloped onto the stage and then reassured us, “Don’t worry, folks! I’ve been in my office all summer, and-. Well, not all summer! I did take the wife and kids on a vacation! Let me tell you, you don’t wanna drive through an area with no cellphone signal when you have a preteen in the car! And then Junior threw up in… Anyways, everything is good! Moving on, I’d like to introduce the newest addition to our flock! Meet Hazel’s successor- Mrithan Ravana!”

A skinny and fairly young dude with amber skin, neatly parted hair, and business casual clothes climbed the staircase, but he tripped halfway through! I didn’t realize that it was even possible to stumble going up a set of steps! He recovered instantly, but when Manuel handed him the microphone, he lost his grip on it as if it suddenly got slippery. It dropped into the audience, and his sable irises darted around furiously in a bid to find it. Ellie handed it to him, and he meekly conveyed to her, “Thank you!” He swallowed a large gulp of air, and then he stammered, “I’m Secretary the new school Mrithan… No, I’m Mrithan the old… Anyways, I’m happy to be a part of the team! I never really cared for the pressure of working in a call center, so I can’t wait todo something more relaxing!”

“Ha!” Hazel disdainfully balked at his projection.

“Yeah, so… bye!” Mrithan plopped the microphone onto the platform’s ground and raced offstage.

Ginger sardonically stated, “Wow! This semester is off to a fantastic start already!”

Manuel seemingly chose to ignore her tone and commended her, “That’s the spirit!” He scanned over the collective’s visages, and he decided he couldn’t overlook our grave concerns any longer. “Listen, I concede that we’ve suffered some setbacks recently, but that’s over! No one has seen or heard anything odd during our break unless you count someone cleaning the classrooms in their underwear odd…”

“It was hot! The AC was broken!” Balam defended himself.

“Right… So, it was bad, but nothing bad lasts forever! It’s gonna be a magical school year, I promise!” Not one individual seemed to have bought that concept! I sincerely wished I could have, but I was already seeing eerie omens that begged to differ! Moreover, his use of the word magic didn’t comfort me at all- spells and potions wreaked havoc on us previously, and I hardly wanted enchantments to play a role here going forward…

The Terra-Belle Demon, Chapter 2

Aleck smacked himself on the forehead. “Oh, yeah! Duh! You guys are having a garage sale!”

Some of the neighbors who watched the implosion came to our driveway and browsed, so I told Phoebe, “See! Didn’t I say that people would start showing up once that hovel was gone?”

“Mostly. It’s still kinda there…” Ellie commented as she stared at the workers sifting through the debris and shuddered.

“Oh my gosh, this is so pretty!” Ginger admired a floral, stained-glass vase. “How much is it?”

Phoebe let Ginger know, “It’s forty bucks.”

Ginger’s face soured upon hearing that information. “Forty bucks? I thought we were friends!”

“We are! Did you see the price tag?” Phoebe pointed to the label on the bottom of the vase, and Ginger’s expression became even more bewildered.

“What does this picture frame cost?” a lady from down the street asked me.

I answered, “Seventy-five dollars.” She didn’t seem pleased by that revelation, so I added, “That’s pure silver there!”

A middle-school boy glanced at the amount marked on a small, plush dog and gasped, “A hundred? Really?”

“It’s a collectible!” Phoebe briefed him.

“Listen, everyone…!” I addressed an increasingly disappointed crowd. “I know it’s expensive, but we’re trying to raise enough money to pay for our wedding! We’re teachers, and we don’t earn a whole lot! Plus, every time we think we’ve saved up a bit of cash, we gotta fork out more for home repairs! We were-.”

A bird landed on our porch railing, and the entire set came crashing down! A black cat ran out from beneath it hissing, and Phoebe sighed, “Well, at least we don’t gotta pay for a vet bill!”

The attendees gazed at us more pleasantly, and Ginger offered, “In that case, how about I give you fifty for this?”

“I’ll take these earrings for my wife,” Aleck notified us. “Maybe this’ll make up for what I did last night!”

“What did you do?” I curiously inquired.

Aleck replied, “It’s more like what I didn’t do… You see, we were in bed, and-.”

I interrupted him, “Never mind! I don’t wanna know!”

“I’ll buy these TV guides.” Ellie indicated to a box of magazines from the eighties. “Victor will get a kick out of them! You have a VenPal account, right?”

“As for me, I’ll fix your stoop free of charge, but I can’t give you any dough,” Fletcher asserted as he grabbed some planks and tools out of his truck bed. “I’m a little on the poor side too ‘cause I gotta fund my girls’ drunk dance parties!” A few bypassers ogled at him judgmentally, so he clarified, “My twins went to college, and based on their ClassBook pictures, that’s all it seems like they’re doing! I assume they forgot their parents are on their page!”

As Fletcher began his repairs, Rowan remarked, “Roux and I got married in our backyard. It didn’t cost much at all! All we had to pay for was a few decorations and the food. You two could do something like that.”

A teen with dark, gothic clothing, jet black hair, and very pale skin brought up, “No offense, but fixing up their backyard doesn’t look like it’d be cheap either though!”

“Hey! We’ve done a lot of renovations to-!” I started to object to her characterization, but then I espied the numerous holes that still existed there, and I conceded, “Corvina’s correct- I forgot about the damn gophers!”

“Wow! I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve heard you swear, Mister Fenmore!” Corvina somewhat disconcertedly expressed. I shrugged, so she turned her attention to the flyer in her hand. “Anyways, my band is having a concert in a couple of weeks. You all should go! We’re trying to fill as many seats as possible!”

A young lady with platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, and red everything else literally jumped into the conversation, “I’ll do it! I’ll go to your show!”

Corvina crumpled the paper behind her back and fibbed, “Sorry, Roxy! It’s been canceled!” She scurried off prior to Roxy getting to press the subject any further.

“Roxy! You have a new favorite color, huh?” I chuckled even though I truly didn’t deem my quip as humorous. Actually, her strange presence was fairly disturbing considering she donned an odd frock! Not to mention her ceaseless devotion to that fiend who constantly wreaked havoc on this town! I convinced myself that Damon had no chance of returning regardless of her numerous efforts (I presumed), but I couldn’t pretend that the fact she had been trying hard to do that didn’t make me a tad nervous!

“Mom says red attracts love and power,” Roxy elucidated. “I hoped that if I wore enough of it, I could summon my beloved Damon back to me, but it didn’t work! The portal is gone, and so is my glorious dream!”

With as much pity as I could feign, I sympathized with her, “Awwwwww! I’m sorry!”

Roxy’s nose crinkled into a snarl, and she seethed, “No, you’re not! You’ve never liked him! You always got in the way of everything he did! I don’t see how you could hold so much hatred towards one of your brightest students!”

“Hold on! I never hated him as a student! In class, he behaved! And he surprisingly got very high marks!” If a dozen people from my block weren’t within earshot, I would’ve thrown in that because he was over a century old, it would’ve been striking if he hadn’t possessed enough knowledge to excel in courses designed for juveniles! Instead, I queried, “So… Is there something I can assist you with, or…?”

“Is it alright if I sit on your lawn and say goodbye to my darling ‘til Mom comes to get me?” Roxy entreated me.

Honestly, I wanted to tell her no. I mean, she had just accused me of having a malicious attitude- why would I feel warmly towards her? A part of me itched to send her down the road in case she had something devious up her sleeves, but gazing into her dull but heartbroken eyes, I lost the urge to turn her down! I previously got accused of having too big of a heart, and this decision appeared to prove that argument as valid! “Go ahead!”

As Roxy sat criss-cross by our mailbox, Phoebe whispered, “Are you positive that’s a good idea?”

“Not at all! But as long as she doesn’t attempt any more spells, we should be alright!” I eyeballed the construction crew sorting through the remains of that old shack, I got a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach! Perhaps it was the hypothesis that, somehow, his spirit still lingered there and that a manner in which he could reappear had not vanished with the dwelling! Or perhaps it was those burritos I had for lunch! Whatever the cause may have been, I felt completely unsettled!

“Woah! Only seventy-five dollars for a silver frame?” a high-schooler with immaculate yellow hair and wildly expensive designer clothes surveyed over our ware in sheer delight. “And a collectible for a hundred? That’s amazing! Dad was spot on- garage sales are a complete treasure trove!”

Ginger gregariously greeted him, “Hello, Peter! How’s your summer going?”

Peter forlornly reported, “Awful! My dad made me get a job! And not even a cushy desk job! I had to do hard work at a warehouse! I thought it’d be cool ‘cause they were storing these movie props there, but it was so difficult! I had to endure endless exercising, lifting boxes, running across the place with heavy stuff, and their catering didn’t even take requests!”

“Gosh, you poor baby!’ Ellie stated without an ounce of sincerity.

“I know, right?” Peter obliviously concurred. “Thank the heavens school starts on Wednesday!”

Aleck questioned, “Oh, what movie’s getting filmed here?”

Peter blankly threw his hands up. “No clue!”

“You worked there all summer and you didn’t learn anything about the project you were helping with?” Fletcher exclaimed as he continued mending my stoop.

“I was too wiped out! I’m exhausted even  thinking about it!” Peter plopped onto a nearby rocking chair, and preceding any of us giving him a snappy reaction to his pathetic stunt, Peter blurted, “Holy smokes! This is comfy! I’ll take it!” He reached into his wallet and handed me a wad of bills, and then he laid an extra twenty on top of that. “That’s if you carry it to my car for me. I would, but I’m not about to do extra work during my time off!”

I kind of wanted to roll my eyes at his torpidness, but that extra money would inevitably come in handy for us, so I figured I may as well consent. As I lugged it to his vehicle, I noticed that Roxy was watching the deconstruction of the torn-down abode as though she were viewing an engrossing drama on television! I didn’t see anything over there that could muster up so much intrigue unless she found one or more of those crewmen attractive! I dearly wanted that to be the circumstance since it would keep her mind off of that villainous paramour, but somehow, I didn’t imagine that scenario as very likely. As I maneuvered that chair into Peter’s trunk, I prayed that she didn’t see something that the rest of us couldn’t detect!

Later on, Phoebe sat our small, circular dining room table that rested between the kitchen bar and the banister that ran alongside the slightly lower elevation of the living room while I pored over my teaching agenda. I played some classic rock during my final touches to the class schedule, and I could see Phoebe bobbing her head along to the beat. That had always been an enamoring trait of hers- she shared my passion for this righteous genre! I nearly commentated on her excellent taste for the umpteenth instance, but then her phone rang. “Hello? Oh hey, Mara! Hang on!” She put it on speaker and instructed me, “Say hi, Connor!”

“Hi, Connor!” I kidded.

“Every freakin’ time!” a voice very similar to Phoebe’s jocularly groaned. “Do you have a couple of minutes?”

That same black cat from earlier roosted herself on my book, so I shouted, “No! Get off!” I could distinguish an inflection of startlement on the other line, so I assured Mara, “I was talking to Jett! You two go on!”

Phoebe gabbed, “I’m counting what we earned from our garage sale. It looks like we have enough for a decent wedding dress!”

“Eh! I’m pretty certain I’d be better off with a tux!” I grinned as I gave up on trying to move the kitty and took a seat next to Phoebe. Phoebe rolled her eyes, and I couldn’t behold Mara, but I was convinced that she did too.

“Ooh! We should do the fitting while I’m in Terra Belle!” Mara urged her.

Phoebe responded, “You’re in my area? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Mara affirmed, “I’m telling you now! I’m a part of a movie that’s getting filmed at the Arioch!”

“Nice! That hotel’s fancy! What’s the movie about?” Phoebe wondered.

“I can’t really spill any secrets, but I wouldn’t recommend it- the main actors are terrible!” Mara opined.

Phoebe asked her, “Who stars in it?”

Mara answered, “Me! I’m awful! But the director picked me ‘cause I’m willing to do the things no one else is.”

“That’s great! I’m so glad you got something meaningful to keep you busy after you split with Andras!” Mara fell silent, so Phoebe apologized, “Sorry! Is it too soon to discuss it?”

“No! They want me back on set! Gotta go! Bye!” Mara speedily hung up.

I opened the front door and reached into the small, white-tiled mudroom. “I didn’t know that your sister was an actress!”

Phoebe filled me in, “She used to do modeling gigs when we were younger, but then she studied graphic design and became a freelance artist. She must have gotten low on funds to do a project like that!”

“Maybe she can get you a part too!” As I filled a cat bowl with food, I portrayed that suggestion as comical, but I was fairly serious! She was definitely beautiful enough to grace a stage, and we did need the supplemental financing…

“Pass!” Phoebe swiftly declined. “I wouldn’t wanna do a normal film, and this one sounds like a total mess! Besides, knowing our luck, I’d get myself involved in a commitment like that, and then that bastard Damon will manifest himself and make us fight him again!”

I glimpsed at the site where that portal to the Netherworld once stood. The locale was empty, but it still felt like something sinister still lurked there! “Do you think that’s possible?” I canvassed Phoebe, and she bit her lip in uncertainty.

The Terra-Belle Demon, Chapter 1

Hey, you! I got a question… What does a demon do to stay fit? Did you say they exorcise daily? Well, that’s wrong! An exorcism involves expelling demons from their earthly targets, so why would they voluntarily do that each day? It wouldn’t involve much exertion on their part after they’ve been cast out of a body, although the holy figure involved in that ceremony may get a decent workout from their participation in that ordeal! The honest answer is that they’re dead, so they don’t have to worry about their physical form changing! Yes, I realize that gag involved a play on words, but with my experience in that realm, demons are no joke! I just wanted to break the ice with you, dear reader, but in all seriousness, demons aren’t a laughing matter! Well, maybe a little, but only because the one that plagued me wasn’t the brightest piece of brimstone burning in Hell! Let me tell you my story…

My name is Connor Fenmore, and I’m a forty-year-old teacher from the southern suburb of Philadelphia known as Terra Belle. I know, not exactly the profile of someone you’d expect to endeavor in a demon-slaying role, right? I certainly wouldn’t have predicted this fate when I was a boy! Actually, up until last year, I wouldn’t have guessed that I’d get divorced, move from Philly, and fight monsters after school, but that’s what happened! Last year, my wife of twelve years cheated on me and left because I spent more time at my prestigious marketing firm than with her, and in an effort to win her back, I gave up my entire life to become a teacher for her. I thought doing a position with that sort of schedule would allow me to accommodate hers so that I could be with her more often, but I wound up liking that job way more than I liked her! Fiends and all! I gained friends, purpose, a bit of weight, and independence! And something else that made my frequent, otherworldly chaos totally worthwhile…

Phoebe! She’s a plus-sized goddess that I met while subbing at Rosemary King High School! From the moment I saw her, I knew that she was the one! Well, technically, I couldn’t move, speak, or think as she walked towards me, but I knew that she was special! She ad golden-brown eyes that sparkled with extraordinary gentleness and a desire to get slightly rough! Her chestnut hair perfectly sculpted her beautiful face, and her soft-beige skin was a work of art! Her thick but curvy features were so… I don’t know how to make that poetic! She was hot! But she was also funny, sweet, and smart, and she made me feel like a million bucks, which is as close to a millionaire as I’ll get at the rate of our salary! She stuck by me through everything, even the vampires and ghosts!

About that… I moved across the street from a house that was rumored to be haunted, but it wasn’t. In reality, it merely contained a secret portal to the Netherworld where a nefarious entity cast out evil beings to spread mayhem throughout the region- big difference! Their main agent was Damon Karro, a vampire who wanted revenge against a woman who dumped him! She was the faculty member I was subbing for, so I got roped into his drama! I would’ve backed out from that nonsense completely if it wasn’t for the fact that innocent kids were disappearing! He was eventually vanquished, but he returned five months later as a ghost! He got defeated again, but he still harbored a penchant for vengeance. We all hoped that he would remain in his eternal punishment forever, but we later discovered that he may have found a way to do that! But more about that later…

I can’t take sole credit for his repeated downfalls- the people who aided me in that undertaking wouldn’t let me forget the vital role they played! Ellie conducted extensive research on our adversary’s background, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy the extra studying, her lore of history came in handy more than once. Aleck, the biology teacher, had scientific knowledge that, uh… Well, it didn’t help directly, but his deductive mindset assisted in tough jams quite often. Ginger, the math teacher, definitely possessed some useful logic and reasoning skills, but her toughness and determination prevailed for us very regularly. Fletcher may be the most unathletic P.E. teacher I’ve ever met, but he brought us a lot of advantageous tools. And I can’t forget Phoebe! She’s a very creative English teacher, not to mention sexy… Anyways, all five of them teamed up with me to take down the inept but persistent foe of the city, and I couldn’t have done it without them! Literally, I faced a vampire while suffering from a fear of blood- I would’ve died of fright in the beginning if it weren’t for them!

This summer was pretty suspenseful, and by that I mean we were in suspense nearly the entire duration! We defeated Damon in the Netherworld, and the Hellians brought Damon to Hell where he belongs, which would have been satisfying if their foreman, Kaaron, hadn’t referenced Damon potentially making a good demon! Why is that significant? We had no idea, but that’s what scared us! We had no clue if him reaching demon status meant he could terrorize us once more or not, so every strange occurrence made us suspicious! During an online summer school session, it was hard to tell if the kids’ screens were glitching or if something had been trying to take over them. The sky would suddenly get cloudy, and we were certain this was a sign that he was approaching! At every instance our pets would jump into our space unexpectedly, we readied ourselves for a supernatural attack! Ultimately, when nothing too spooky transpired, we felt foolish for our paranoia. However, despite all logical conclusions, we all possessed an inkling that he may resurface someday…

I stood in front of my asymmetrical home staring at the other side of the road in awe. My place had a garage larger than the house, a half-triangle roof on both sides, a rickety and old fence, and moss all along the surface, and yet it was far from the worst-looking joint in the neighborhood! First of all, most of the abodes in this area got built with this unique architecture, and secondly, the dwelling opposite from me was the greatest eyesore in the world! Seriously, if you glanced at the definition of an eyesore, you’d see its picture! Its wooden panels seemed as  though they were flimsy before they caught on fire, and the roof had giant holes from both flames and neglect! The paint chipped and faded into a sickly yellow hue, the driveway was covered in so many pine needles that passersby couldn’t see it, and the mailbox had gotten stuffed with a bunch of rotted newspapers! Yup, this was the location I referred to earlier where all of the mayhem was unleashed! There were a lot of domiciles on this cul-du-sac, but when citizens of this hamlet referred to “that house on Dusk Lily Lane,” this is what they meant. So many individuals feared this site, but so few knew the truth of its wickedness! And it appeared as if they never would find out…

A middle-aged man with a messy, strawberry blond mane, slightly reddened skin from healed sunburns, and an obtuse pot belly positioned himself next to me and commented, “So, the old codger finally did it, huh?”

“No, Fletcher, a bunch of construction workers are willing to get fired for this act of rebellion,” a tall female with a tawny complexion, curly hair tied into a neat ponytail, and clothes so girly that a Barbie doll would get jealous sarcastically responded to him as she joined the queue.

“Nice one, Ginger!” a man at least five inches shorter than her complimented her quip. He ran his fingers through his thin, tweed locks, rested his palm on his loose, messy clothing, and then went on, “It seemed like only yesterday we were in there to-.”

A lady who was old enough to be his mother ceased rubbing lotion onto her umber flesh, put her hands onto her large and colorfully-clad torso, and scolded him, “Aleck, shush! What are you trying to do? Put more gray hairs onto my scalp?” Aleck considered making a retort, but when he espied her soured expression, he clammed up.

Phoebe pleasantly regarded her, “Oh, come on, Ellie! No one is paying attention to us! They’re getting a final view of this monstrosity! Ooh, we should get a picture of it before it goes down!”

“With us in it?” I dashed to the luxury car I salvaged for myself in the divorce and glimpsed at my reflection in the glass. My clean-cut, black ‘do was messy, my green eyes were slightly bloodshot, and my outfit didn’t flatter me as I previously thought! I had forgotten how rarely I got to the gym recently, and I usually hid this status with garments that concealed my softened belly, but this set of duds was too tight to accomplish that task! I hurried to gussy up prior to that photo- I couldn’t get commemorated like this!

“It’s a casual picture, babe! Not a wedding photo!” Phoebe reminded me as she pulled me away from my poring over my image.

As we set ourselves up, I differed with her, “It’s a historic moment! It’s not like a selfie in a coffee shop… which I’ve never done! I want to savor this memory when I reminisce about it!”

Fletcher put in, “Don’t overthink it! Besides, it’s not like it’ll be our last dealing with this dump!” He mulled over that sentence, and then he amended it, “Wait, yes it is! Why did I just say that?”

“Don’t even put that energy into the universe!” Ginger warned him. “This closes that chapter, and we’ll never have to deal with a misadventure like that again! It’s over!” Her words hovered above us like a dark cloud. None of us voiced an argument to her statement, but inwardly, we all kind of wanted to! It made no factual sense because the edifice was set to get torn down, but in all sincerity, nobody subscribed to the notion that we were done with our paranormal problems!

“Richard!” Ellie caught the attention of a very old man with knobby fingers. With the clear tone of desperately wanting to change the subject, Ellie petitioned him, “Would you mind taking our picture?”

Richard obliged, “Not at all!” He held Phoebe’s cellphone as we posed, and after a minute or so of staring, he wondered, “How do you use this? I don’t see any rewind crank!”

A man with a medium-sized bun and tall, slender limbs held out his hand and offered, “Do you want me to do it?”

“No, Rowan! I wanna stand here lookin’ like a blockhead!” Richard huffed in a humorous fashion.

“Say vegan cheese!” Rowan instructed us. 

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Vegan cheese?” He snapped a photo at that precise juncture, so I grumped, “Oh, lovely!” I darted over to him, examined the result, and griped some more, “Yes! This is exactly how I wanted to remember this occasion!”

Rowan suggested, “I can take another one.”

“Are you ready, folks?” a construction worker passed quizzed us as he passed out M-95 masks to everyone.

“Sorry! I guess I can’t!” Roan apologized to me.

I sighed, and Phoebe put a supportive grip on my shoulder as she comforted me, “It’s okay! The important thing is that this shack is gonna be gone in a second, right?”

Her touch felt so soothingly warm! I placed mine on hers, and I agreed, “Yes, it-.” I got distracted by those gorgeous eyes! … And a couple of other gorgeous aspects of her body about a foot from there! I couldn’t resist getting distracted by her form-fitting blouse!

“Focus! You’re gonna miss it!” Ellie moved my head back to the main event. I shook myself out of my reverie as the crew lined up for the detonation.

“Three, two, one!” the crowd chanted. Nothing happened! For a brief instance, I worried that the same magic that created that portal interfered with this technology so that it could never get decimated…

The worker with the control pushed a button furiously, but it had no effect on the structure. A coworker grabbed it from him, and he pushed a different button. Finally, the shanty began to tremble! It shook more and more until… poof! The few sections of the framework that were still standing toppled over like a deck of cards! There wasn’t much dust or noise; the remains artlessly piled on top of each other, and no other indicators of action manifested in the aftermath. Everyone who had gathered gawked in silence as they absorbed this terse incident, and after a while, Fletcher broke this spell by gruffly reacting, “That’s it? Did you really need to do an implosion for that?”

A crewman shrugged. “Nope! But we were under strict orders from the head of FGA Realty, so what are you gonna do?”

“Yeah, what are we gonna do?” Aleck pondered.

“Seriously? Did you already forget the rest of our plans for today?” I shot back. Aleck ogled at me questioningly, so I apprised him, “Turn around!” He did just that, and his eyes widened…

The Emerald Angel of Vegoz, Chapter 15

“Oh, really?” Heathrow questioned in a level of skepticism unusual for his nature. “How in the world are you gonna change the straw in my head into a brain without magic?”

As Oswald printed something from his laptop, he chuckled, “My dear boy, you already have a brain! You couldn’t function without one! Even the tiniest of bugs have brains! What you have is low self-esteem; you don’t think very highly of yourself, do you?”

Heathrow admitted, “I guess not! But I’m just a dumb drifter, so I-!”

“That’s where you’re wrong!” Oswald interrupted him while opening up the other curtain and digging through some old crates. “Your kindness helpd a lost person find direction, and your bubbly spirit never got tarnished regardless of what negativity came your way! That alone sets you apart from the average citizen, but when it was important, you set your mind to the task and persevered!”

“That’s true!” Nick concurred. “He was the one who came up with the plan to rescue Daphne! The rest of us were clueless!”

Heathrow smiled gratefully, but he didn’t seem convinced. “Goh, that’s awfully nice of ya! But that wouldn’t help me figure out how to get out of poverty and stuff!”

Oswald put the paper he printed into an ornate frame, and he asserted, “What you need is a jolt of confidence! That’s why, due to your quick wits under extraordinary pressure, I am bestowing upon you an honorary degree in thinkology!”

“Is that a real-?” Lionel began to enquire. Daphne elbowed his side, and he clammed up.

“Wow! I have a degree!” Heathrow rejoiced. “Now, I can find myself a wonderful job!”

Oswald assured him, “You always could! You just needed to believe it!” Heathrow grinned, and then Oswald turned his attention to Nick. “Now, you wanted to gain some evidence to put Whitney behind bars, but I believe you’ve already accomplished that.”

Nick nonverbally acknowledged the truth behind that, and when he saw Oswald rummaging through his belongings, he warned him, “Don’t you dare to drum up some kind of a heart for me! I don’t care what you heard- I don’t need emotions!”

“You’ve already got emotions!” Oswald disputed. “You’ve proven that in bits and pieces during your journey!” Heathrow and Lionel nodded vigorously in agreement, and Nick pouted from getting proven incorrect. Oswald went on, “Young man, you’re not an unfeeling robot- you’re depressed. You’ve numbed your feelings in order to protect yourself, but if you’re trying to be productive, that’s not the route to take! If you didn’t possess a strong desire tosave Daphne, you wouldn’t have had the nerve to break into Pumperdink Gulch! You didn’t fare well the first time you faced the Ochre Angel, but you sure bested her with the right motivation guiding you!”

“That’s true,” Nick thoughtfully conceded.

With a twinkle in his eyes, Oswald added, “Besides, I don’t need to give you a heart, you need to give your heart to that beautiful lady behind you!” Nick whipped his neck around and gazed at Daphne. Daphne began to furiously blush, and he followed suit. Oswald handed him a watch and instructed, “If you ever feel guilty for your emotional state, simply read the inscription.”

Nick read out loud, “It’s okay to not be okay! That’s… accurate!” He wiped a tear off of his cheek.

“I doubt you’ve got anything back there to make me into less of a coward!” Lionel morosely expressed.

“You’re under the false impression that having a lot of fear makes you unable to be brave, but it’s quite the opposite!” Oswald resumed sifting through his property once more. “Having no misgivings aout participating in dangerous activities doesn’t make you courageous, it makes you dumb! It’s only human to feel a certain level of apprehension in those situations, and your courage is born when you do the thing that scares you despite your fright! You suffer from anxiety since you’ve been through more horror than most people, but you push past more terror than anyone else! Why, you’re  the bravest guy I know!” Lionel beamed with pride, and Oswald went on, “In case you need a reminder of this, I’m presenting you with a championship belt in honor of the heroic feats you pulled off in your quest!”

Lionel put on the ornate belt with glee. “Wow! This outta get the respect of all the other boxers at Suntop!” As he admired his newly acquired gift, he spotted Daphne out of the corner of his eye, and he asked Oswald, “Hey! What about Daphne?”

Daphne bashfully responded, “Oh, it’s okay! I don’t even know what I want!”

“She wants a purpose and the feeling of truly being at home,” Oswald answered Lionel.

“Huh! That is what I want! How did you know that and I didn’t?” Daphne questioned.

Oswald laughed, “I wasn’t lying when I said I know everything!” Proceeding his moment of mirth, he more seriously explained, “You spent many years trying to survive, but you never really considered how you might thrive! You strove to appease society’s standards, but you never truly looked inward and acted on a path that woul please yourself! Clearly, you are passionate about solving mysteries, so why not choose a career in that realm?”

Daphne animatedly chattered, “Jeez, that’s always been a secret dream of mine! But, I never thought I could do it! I don’t have the stamina to pass the police academy, so I couldn’t become a detective!”

“Actually, there are multiple methods of assisting with investigations!” Nick interjected. “You could get certified as a private eye and get hired to work on personal matters, but if you have your heart seriously set on murder cases, there are always crime scene investigators and federal analysts. I’m not positive on what their certification process is like, but based on some of my colleagues’ behavior, they wouldn’t have passed any sort of physical!”

“That makes a lot of sense! I’d love to go that avenue, but I can’t afford the schooling it’d take…” Daphne gave Oswald a wry look. “Hold on, were you planning on offering me some sort of scholarship?”

Oswald’s expression grew pleasantly prideful. “Great deduction! See, you’ll be fantastic in this vocation!”

Daphne cried out, “Yay!” 

She did a merry jig, and when Heathrow joined in, she danced with him. Lionel and Nick mimicked that move, and Oswald fondly tittered at their celebratory antics. Once their fervor ebbed slightly genially stated, “I’ll have Henry sned over the necessary forms. I would recommend an online course so you can continue your studies while you return to Vegoz for a visit.”

“Visit? Oh, right! I’ve got to go home! But Aunt Mae’s home blew here! Where are we gonna go? And my friends- Jack, Ray, and Bert! I gotta see if they’re alright! What if we’ve all lost our home?” Daphne fretted.

“Darling, home isn’t a place- it’s a feeling!” Oswald sagely articulated. “As long as you’ve got your loved ones around, you’re home! Whether you choose to reside in Kansas, California or you wind up roosting here, you’ll be surrounded by love and support, and you’ll be home!” Everyone appreciatively drank in his words, and then Oswald offered, “If you’d like to leave, I’ll take you back myself! I’ve been meaning to return Morgan’s balloon anyhow!”

Heathrow puzzled, “If you can’t do real spells, how did you get a balloon to last so long?”

Lionel relayed to him, “I’m assuming he means a hot-air balloon.” He paused and then wondered, “Don’t you?”

Oswald confirmed, “Indeed! That’s where the inspiration for the Emerald Angel stemmed from- everyone was amazed that I flew in!” They all guffawed at that, and Tater let out a happy meow. “What is your wish? A yummy fish?” He opened up a mini fridge and tossed the cat a piece of salmon. As Tater devoured that morsel, Oswald remarked, “And all is well! Nothing else shall go wrong!”

In the courtyard of  Emerald City’s Center, Daphne held Tater inside of a basket below a large, green, inflated structure. She stood beside Oswald, who spoke to all of his employees whom had gathered, “Don’t worry yourselves too much! I shall return one day soon! During my absence, I decree that these three will rule in my stead: Heathrow for his superior brain, Lionel for his outstanding bravery, and Nick for his extensive legal background.” Some of the staff politely clapped, but many began to murmur in confusion. The three named men awkwardly stood before them, and Oswald, seemingly oblivious to all of this, carried on, “Treat them as you would myself! Now, I bid you adieu!”

Tater espied another cricket, so he hopped out of Daphne’s grasp and pursued the insect. “Tater, no!” Daphne hopped out of the basket and swiftly retrieved her animal. When she turned back to the balloon, she was horrified to see it ascending into the air! “Come back! Come back!” Daphne beseeched him.

“I can’t! I don’t know how it works!” Oswald shouted.

“What? Then how on Earth were you gonna get me home?” Daphne challenged him. He merely shrugged ash he drifted away, and Daphne commented, “Wow! I’m really glad I missed that opportunity! Oh, but how will I get home now? I don’t have the money to take a plane!”

Nick proposed, “I’ll get you back to California! … Eventually! Apparently, I’m partially in charge of this joint going forward! How’s that gonna work? I gotta go back to my job tomorrow…”

Henry inquired, “How are you three gonna fulfill the Emerald Angel’s duties? You don’t even have any powers!”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna be an issue…” Lionel replied.

“How’s that possible?” Henry shot back.

Lionel didn’t know what to say, but luckily for him, he didn’t have to create any sort of excuse! Heathrow pointed to a speck in the sky, and he announced, “Look! There’s someone who can help us!”

The blue speck gently floated down to the ground, and Sapphire appeared! Charlie gasped, “Lawksamercy me! Is that the Blue Angel?”

“Yes! And she’s the only Angel of Vegoz right now!” Daphne conveyed to him.

“For a short period, I am. I’ve seen plenty of angels come and go from here- trust me, I won’t be alone for long!” Sapphire addressed the crowd. “Anyways, Oswald may be gone, in every sense of the term, for a lengthy stretch, so I’m gonna take over this operation. Unless you fellas would rather do it…?” Nick, Heathrow, and Lionel all vehemently shook their heads. “Sweet! I can finally stay in Summerland without all that hassle! Okay, so what’s the first order of business?”

Nick requested, “Can you get me some transportation so I can take her home?”

Sapphire declined, “I don’t need to. She has the means to travel right there!” She indicated to the Carmine Clogs on Daphne’s feet.

“WHAT?” Daphne roared. “You mean this whole time I could have magicked myself out of here?”

“Technically. But if you had done that, you would’ve missed out on all you’ve gained this city,” Sapphire countered.

Daphne mulld that notion over, and she concluded, “Yeah, I suppose so! I wouldn’t have met my new best friends, and I wouldn’t have found my found my true purpose! I could’ve done without the whole getting kidnapped thing though!”

Nick reckoned, “I guess this is goodbye then!”

“Only for now! I’ll be back! And I can take down your number to…” She pulled out her busted cellphone and instantly changed her tune, “I’ll get a not-broken one in Kansas, and…”

“Here’s my number.” Nick handed her a business card. “Call me as soon as you can!” After Daphne stowed away his info, they gave each other a kiss.

Heathrow let her know, “We’ll miss ya, Daphne!”

Lionel concurred, “We will! Thanks for everything!”

“I love you guys!” She embraced them all, and once they parted, she notified Sapphire, “I’m ready!”

“Tap the Carmine Clogs together three times and say, ‘There’s no place like home!’” Sapphire instructed.

Daphne heeded her advice, and sooner than she anticipated, she and Tater were drifting through a swirling vortex. Flashes of her stint in this town played back to her, and suddenly, it all disappeared!

Quite alleviated, Aunt Mae proclaimed, “She’s awake!”

“How did the house get back from Vegoz?” Daphne pondered. “Did your insurance have it towed?”

“Boy! You can hardly tell you got hit in the skull!” Aunt Mae kidded. Daphne still seemed addled, so she clarified, “You were dreaming, kiddo!”

Daphne disagreed, “It wasn’t a dream! I got captured by pigeons and battled a fallen angel! … I can see what you were saying! Maybe I was dreaming!”

Jack canvassed her, “Was I in your dream?”

Ray echoed, “How about me?”

“Or me?” Bert tacked onto that chain.

“No…” Daphne glanced behind her, and Professor Frank poked his head in. “You were there though!”

Professor Frank blinked in surprise. “I was where? Sorry, I just came to see if you were alright after walking home in that storm!”

Daphne reported, “I’m fine! I had this really strange vision though! Your cousin was gonna take me home in a green balloon!”

“Oh no! He better not have! That’s how he wound up getting lost!” Professor Frank darted off.

“Wait, was that really a hallucination then…?” Daphne pensively glimpsed at the ceiling.

Aunt Mae comfortingly pat her purple footwear. “Get some rest! You’ve been through a lot!” The maintenance men vacated the room, and Aunt Mae paused prior to her departure. “Ooh! Where did you get those new shoes?”

Daphne sat up and was shocked to discover, sitting in her closet, the Carmine Clogs! With a wide smirk, Daphne affirmed, “Over the rainbow…”

The End