(Author's notes: This takes place sometime after the events of The Curious Village, and sometime before the events of Unwound Future. This will be my first story on here with more than two chapters, I've planned on five. Heads-up: OOC behavior at first, but it's part of the plot.)

-Chapter One: Peculiar Happenings-

The funny thing about people you're very close with is that you think you know everything about them, when really you don't. You can't, it's impossible to know completely EVERYTHING about a person. As such, when they do or say something totally unexpected, it can make no sense to you, even if it makes perfect sense to them because of something that happened to them you don't know about.

Luke was sure he knew almost everything about the Professor. But then the Professor started behaving oddly. Quite oddly.

Luke peered through the doorway at Professor Layton. Layton was reclining back in his chair, shoveling a package of crisps into his mouth. He never ate crisps, and he certainly would never eat them in such a rude, slobby manner. It was very ungentlemanly.

Luke watched as the Professor finished his crisps and threw the package on the floor. Getting up and starting to walk away, he called out "Hey, kid! Clean this up!"

"Yes, Professor," said Luke, going to get the broom. As the Professor left the study, Luke entered to pick up the crisp package and start sweeping up the crumbs. The work of a 13-year-old apprentice to a genius archaeologist was never done.

That was another way the Professor was acting odd, he never talked to Luke that way and never made messes like this. Luke was there to help out the professor and tidy up when necessary, but never because the Professor simply threw things around when he was done with them.

"I'm going out," the Professor called as he walked out the front door. Luke swept up the crisp crumbs. A few minutes later, he heard the front door open again. "Hello? Anyone here?" called a young, female voice. It was Flora, the Professor's adopted daughter.

"I'm in here. The Professor's gone out." Flora came in and found him, carrying a bag. "I thought I'd bring you and the Professor some lunch today," she said, handing the bag to Luke.

Luke looked inside. It contained a few things that looked rather like sausages coated in jelly with raisins on top. Luke gulped. Flora was the sweetest young lady you could find, but not the best chef.

He looked up at her beaming face and put on a fake smile. "Thanks, Flora." She nodded, then her grin disappeared. "Um, Luke, have you noticed the Professor acting… odd, lately?"

Luke put away the broom. "Yeah. You have too?"

"Well, he doesn't talk to me as much as he used to at home. And when he does, it's usually to tell me to do something for him. I think… I think he even walks funny now. Once or twice he's looked… off-balance, or something like that, like he's having trouble balancing on his legs."

Luke frowned. He hadn't noticed that.

"I think it might have all started one night last week. I was helping Rosa tidy up- you remember Rosa the maid, right? -and all of a sudden we heard him run up to his study and lock himself in. When I knocked, he said to go away, and he sounded funny… as if he was scared or something. He was in there all evening and night, and he's been acting strange ever since."

Flora leaned in close. "But the strangest thing is… the other night I saw him in his study, working on one of his puzzles, and suddenly he shouted 'This puzzle is too darn hard!' and threw it against the wall!"

Luke's eyes widened. "Wow! Really?" Flora nodded. "I was just as shocked as you! I wonder whatever's the matter with him?"

Luke thought. "Maybe he was working so hard on a puzzle, he broke his brain?"

"I doubt it. Hmm… maybe something about his job is bothering him?"

"But he's an archaeologist, and a professor at the university, and he loves being both! What could be bothering him?"

Flora tucked a loose curl back behind her ear. "I don't know. I feel like if something is bothering him, we should've known… we're the people he's closest to, aren't we?"

Luke said "I guess so…" when there suddenly came loud screeches and crashes from outside. "What was that?!" Luke cried.

Flora paled. "That was something else I noticed, I think he isn't driving as well as he used to…"

The front door swung open, and the Professor strutted in. He called out behind him "OH, YEAH? WELL, IT TAKES A PUBLIC MENACE TO KNOW ONE!"

He slammed the door and marched by Luke and Flora. "I changed my mind. I'm not going out right now."

Flora followed him and said "I… I brought you some lunch, Professor." The Professor looked back at her. "Huh." He took the package from her. "Thanks, Fauna."

"Er… you mean Flora?"

"Yeah, Dora."

The professor bit into the lunch.

He chewed a few seconds.

Then he spectacularly spat out the bite he'd taken onto the floor. "Ugh! What IS that!?" Flora looked at her feet. "I'm sorry you don't like it," she said in a small voice.

The Professor said "Clean that up!" turned, and stormed away. He muttered something about "worse than my mother's…"

Flora's eyes teared up as she got a rag and started to wipe up the spewed lunch. Luke came over and helped her. "He…he didn't mean it, Flora."

Flora wiped her eyes. "Of course he couldn't have. I just… wish we knew what was bothering him."

They stood up, and Luke hugged her for a moment. "We'll find out. I promise."

Hobbes, curled up beneath the window, looked over at his buddy Calvin. It was rather unusual for a tiger and a six-year-old-boy to be buddies, but they were both unusual themselves.

Hobbes yawned and arched his back. He glanced over at Calvin again. Calvin's nose was buried in a book. That was weird, even for Calvin. The kid never liked to be in a twenty-foot-radius of a book. Beside him was a big pile of other books, about things like the human mind, hallucinations, out-of-body experiences and reincarnation.

Calvin seemed scared of Hobbes these days, too, even when Hobbes wasn't sneaking up to pounce on him. Hobbes thought back. He thought Calvin's strange behavior might have started a few days ago, when Calvin had woken up screaming and yelling and demanding to know where he was, and had to be dragged downstairs and forcibly sent to school by his mother.

At the time, Hobbes had just chalked it up to one of Calvin's tricks to get out of going to school, and had gone back to sleep. But now, he wasn't so sure.

He stood up and flexed his paws. Calvin glanced over at him, looking nervous. Hobbes smiled. "Relax, you know I don't bite, except when I do." He chuckled.

Calvin apparently didn't see the humor, and went back to his book.

(Whatever is up? Tune in next time to find out! Reviews will be extremely appreciated.)