The next morning policeman Bruce was at the door. Shaman opened the door and he freaked out.
"Officer! What are you doing here?"
Policeman Bruce then ran up to Doga.
"Doga, you're under arrest for the suspicion of abducting Garu, over." He put handcuffs on her.
Doga went along quietly. Shaman was anything but quiet.
"Wait, what are you… Doga was with me. She didn't do it. Garu was abducted? What makes you think she's a suspect?"
"She's a witch. That's why, over."
"That's not fair! Doga do something!"
Doga just walked out the door silently with her head high.
Shaman grew angry as he watched the whole thing.
Why? Doga didn't do anything. Is it easier to blame her just because she's a witch? This isn't right.
The next day, Shaman went to visit Doga. When he got to the jailhouse, he asked one of the employees where she was. She took him to Doga's cell.
Shaman noticed the extremely poor conditions of the cell. It was cramped, with only one bed.
Another inmate was taking up the bed which would mean Doga would have to sleep on the floor, the cold, dusty floor.
How could they make Doga live this way? He thought before remembering that she liked poor living conditions.
"Shaman, is that you? What are you doing here, doughnut?"
Shaman cringed. "I came to see you. How are you doing?"
"I'm just fine. I like the cell. It's not so bad here."
They talked and talked. As Shaman was walking home, it suddenly dawned on him.
She couldn't be happy there. She may like the conditions, but I bet she's lonely. Doga was just putting on a brave face for me.
He went by where Doga house used to be. As Doga said, she used her magic to make an illusion so it look as though she still had a house. The tree right next to the illusion house was filled with bats.
Maybe she had more pets than just Midnight.
He went behind the illusion barrier and into the ruins that used to be her house. He didn't know why he was searching through her house.
Maybe he could find some tangible evidence that could clear Doga's name.
He comes across broken frames on the ground.
The pictures were cracked but he could make out figures.
There was little Doga and her father. He looked through more pictures. All of them had Doga and her father. There was none of her mother and sister.
He gave up walking back to the shed in defeat.
He took one of the pictures of her dad.
Doga must want to keep a least one of the pictures of her beloved father.
I'll bring this to her. She'll be so happy.
He went back to the jail to see Doga. He gave Doga the picture, and she stared at it with wide eyes.
"That's daddy and me!"
"I know. I found in the ruins of your house."
"I thought it got destroyed. Thank you, Shaman. This makes me so happy."
She put her hand on the glass window. Shaman put his hand up to meet hers.
"I miss you, Doga."
"They say I'm going to be let out for something, 'interrogation'."
In a week or so Doga was let out like she said.
Policeman Bruce led her to the heart of Sooga village where a stage was set up. There was a humungous crowd in front of the stage. They eagerly awaited Doga's confession.
Shaman and Clown were standing in the heart of the crowd. Chief stood along with Tobe in the back of the crowd.
The crowd roared and jeered when Doga showed up.
Doga marched to the stage. Shaman wanted to join her but the crowd looked like it would tear Doga apart.
I wish I could be braver.
The crowd's anger was directly aimed at Doga. People yelled insulting things at her.
Someone threw a closed can at her. The impact echoed in Shaman's ears. He shuddered.
Doga didn't stop her stride. She pretended in didn't happen. Doga walked with her head held high, hands in handcuffs, with Policeman Bruce right behind her.
Shaman never saw Doga hold her temper like this before.
Even Shaman would lose his temper by now and search and destroy whoever threw that can.
Doga ignored all the threatening, angry shouts.
Abyo put his foot out to trip her. When Doga walked up to his foot, she kicked it really hard, making him howl in pain.
"Ow! Why are you going up there for? Don't you know, no one likes you? Maybe the Vagabonds had a hand in kidnapping Garu! Give him back!"
The townspeople heard Abyo's comment and started yelling at Clown and Shaman.
Now, they think we abducted Garu. We don't even get a fair trial.
People started to throw things at them.
Doga pretended like she didn't hear Abyo's comment.
Wait a minute, why is she going on stage. What's she going to say? Is she going to plead innocent with everyone? Will they believe her? Probably not.
Doga stepped on stage and instantly more booing erupted from the crowd.
Bruce picked up the microphone. "Settle down! Doga has something to say for herself, over!"
The crowd didn't stop the ruckus. People threw trash on the stage at Bruce and Doga.
Doga snatched the microphone from Bruce.
"Shut up! You worthless maggots!"
The crowd was dead silent. People stopped throwing thrash at the stage and the Vagabonds.
"I was the one who kidnapped Garu. The Vagabonds had nothing to do with it. I and I alone did it."
Shaman stared at her in shock.
What is she doing? She's taking the blame so Clown and I don't get blamed.
Suddenly Shaman saw smoke over the hill. The crowd saw it too and raced away from the stage to see what was happening.
Doga bit Policeman Bruce, grabbed the key, and ran away from him.
"Come back, over!"
Bruce didn't feel like running after her. It's in the middle of summer, and it was too hot to run. He decided he would catch her later.
Shaman jogged up to the shed with Clown. Their beloved home was on fire.
One of the townspeople must have set it when the blaming started.
The shed was almost completely burned to the ground. Clown felt the tears burning in his eyes.
"Our home, eh."
Shaman shook with rage and looked at the townspeople watching them.
"Who did this?"
"Doga did it!" someone answers.
"She would not do this! You stupid people need to understand, just because she's a witch, doesn't mean she's guilty."
The townspeople slowly started to walk away, leaving them behind.
Clown cried in his hands.
Doga came running up the hill towards them.
"What happened?"
"Someone burned our home down."
"It's all my fault."
"Doga, it's not your fault."
"Yes, it is. If I hadn't stayed with you all, they wouldn't have thought we teamed up to do crime."
"Nothing's your fault."
"I have to leave."
"What?"
"I should just live somewhere else. I don't belong here."
"You can't, we're a family now. Chief already left our group. You can't leave. Then it'll just be Clown and me."
'I've got to or I'll just be putting you all in danger."
Shaman hugged Doga. "Please Doga, stay with us."
She slowly shoved him off her. "I'm sorry, not this time, Doughnut."
And just like that Doga left Sooga village.