That morning, Garret went about his day at school without incident and was soon back home. Today was a Friday, and there was no school on the weekend, meaning he had the whole weekend to himself.

"Man, it's been a rough few days," Garret spoke to himself. "But now, I can take a much-needed break. I certainly need it."

Then, as he came up the stairs and was about to enter his room, Lucy happened to come out of hers.

"Hey, Bro. Watcha been up to?"

"Well, uh, nothing much," replied Garret. "What's up?"

"Oh, same thing here," replied Lucy. "Except I happened to notice something very unusual this morning."

"Really? What was that?" wondered Garret.

Lucy then flashed a mischievous smile. "Well, I saw someone up in the attic this morning, but I'm not sure why he would be up there."

Garret froze. "Wh-What?" was all he could say.

"I think you heard me," Lucy said as she stared at him. "So, mind telling me what you were doing up there, Bro?"

"Ah, well," said Garret. "The other day, Dad showed me something, and I got so caught up that I left it behind. Then, when I woke up this morning, I remembered, so I went up to get it."

"I see," said Lucy. "What did you happen to leave?"

"It's not any of your business," replied Garret. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired from school and would like to have some time to myself."

He then curtly walked into his room, shutting the door behind him. No sooner than that, Garret groaned as he mentally cursed at himself.

"Crap! Lucy saw me! She must have been awake when I returned this morning, and now she's probably suspicious of me!"

He then took a minute to think while he calmed down.

"Well, I don't think she knows or suspects anything. Besides, I made a good excuse, so I think I'll be fine. However, I need to be more careful."

He stretched as he took a look around his room. Then, he took off his shoes and socks and went to his computer, turning on some music. As it began to play, he went over to his desk, grabbed a book, laid down, and started reading, letting his mind wander as he vibed to the tune.

But as he managed to finish a chapter, he paid attention to the music playing. The melody was an upbeat tune from Soft Rock with a piano solo combined with the repeated quick tapping of the drums, the humming sounds of a keyboard, and the warbling song of a bass guitar as a male sang the verses, the lyrics going something like this.

Said hey, little boy, you can't go where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey, old man, how can you stand to think that way?
And did you really think about it before you made the rules?
He said, son

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Ah, but don't you believe them, yeah

As the song continued to play, Garret couldn't help but look up at his computer.

"I always love listening to that song," he said aloud. "It's one of those songs that's both catchy and nostalgic."

Garret then started tapping his foot to the beat of the drums as his eyes returned to his book, letting the music carry him away into the world of his imagination.

He continued reading for a few more songs before hearing a slight knock on the door, followed by the sound of his sister.

"Hey, Weirdo. Dad wants you in the garage!"

After pausing his computer, Garret went downstairs and into the garage. He then saw someone carrying a stack of boxes in his hands and appeared to be having trouble.

"Um, Dad?" said Garret.

Tom peeked out from the side of the boxes. "Oh, perfect timing, son," he grunted. "Would you mind giving me a hand with loading these boxes to the car? They're a bit cumbersome for one person to handle."

"Sure thing, Dad," responded Garret.

He then picked up two boxes from the stack and carried them to the car, placing them in the trunk. Tom soon followed suit by putting the rest on top.

"So what's in these boxes, Dad?" asked Garret. "They feel pretty heavy."

"Oh, just some old clothes and shoes," replied Tom. "Most of them are too old, out of style, and don't fit me anymore. So, I was planning to donate them to the thrift store this weekend."

"Well, that's a good idea," said Garret. "At least it's better than throwing them away."

Then, his eyes fell upon a pair of somethings sticking out of a box to his left. The somethings turned out to be a tall pair of black boots. Upon closer inspection, Garret felt like they were the tallest boots he had ever seen.

"Where did those things come from?" he wondered.

"Oh, those? Your grandpa gave me those back when I was young," replied Tom. "I used to wear those all the time whenever we went fishing. They did a good job of keeping my feet dry, but I hated how tall those things were. I would sometimes call them weapons."

"Weapons?" repeated Garret. "Why would you call them that?"

Tom then grabbed one of the boots, held it like a handgun, and pretended to shoot.

"I would always pretend that these were guns whenever I played pretend," he explained with a smile. "My dad would always get annoyed whenever I did that, but I had fun."

"Well, I'll say this much, they sure do look like weapons," said Garret.

Tom then placed the boots back into the box. "I've had some great times with these old things," he sighed. "But I suppose it's time to let them go. By the way, how's your investigation going?"

"Oh, that," remembered Garret. "Well, I didn't find out anything, and I went as far as to question everyone."

"Should've guessed it wouldn't be that easy," hummed Tom. "Well, take it with a pinch of salt, son. You wouldn't be the first to have trouble finding a ghost."

"I know. I wish I knew who it was," said Garret. "Not to mention that I had trouble with Lucy this morning. I think she might have seen me this morning when I returned."

Tom then gasped. "What?!" But then, he quickly went quiet as he looked around, ensuring no one was around. "Did she you come out of the mirror?"

Garret shook his head. "No, but she might have seen me come down from the attic," he replied. "I made an excuse, but I'm worried she'll start snooping around."

Tom hummed in thought, furrowing his brow. "Well, I don't think she would," he said doubtfully. "Besides, even if she does, it's not like she'll be able to use the mirror anyway. At least, I don't think."

"You mean you're not sure?" asked Garret.

"Well, as I said, this mirror belonged to my great-grandmother," said Tom. "She would always tell me that only those who possessed the mirror could pass through it and those chosen to keep the secret. Not only that, but it seems to have a mind of its own, almost as if it's alive."

"Somehow, I believe that," said Garret. "Whenever I try to return to Atlantica, I would always end up in a crazy location. And whenever I try to go back, I'd always have to find a mirror."

Tom nodded in exasperation. "I know. I remember all too well how much pain it was," he groaned. "Not to mention, I've always had trouble keeping track of the time compared to there and here in the real world."

"Oh, man. I didn't even think about that," said Garret. "Although I've always wondered how time works over there compared to here."

"Anyway, you better be careful not to attract any attention the next time you decide to go back," warned Tom. "Otherwise, if Lucy or your mother were to find out, it'll be all sorts of bad news."

"I will," responded Garret.

"And also, make sure you're keeping up with your grades as well," added Tom. "Don't want your GPA to start slipping."

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll be fine," said Garret. "It's going to take a lot more than visiting another world to cause my grades to slip."

He then started to walk away, but Tom went on talking to him.

"One more thing. How are things over there? Are you having a good time over there?"

Garret stopped and looked back before averting his eyes.

"Well, things are okay, I guess. And - I suppose I don't hate being over there if that's what you mean."

Tom then smiled. "That's good. Glad to hear it."

Garret said nothing more as he left the garage while Tom chuckled silently to himself.

"He's starting to look a bit happier now. Although, he could be a little more honest with his feelings. Then again, I can think of someone who was the same way once."


In the world of Atlantica, in a volcanic region, two mermen were swimming around. They were both pretty old but significantly younger than King Triton. Each one carried a small bag around their back as they looked carefully around.

Then, one of the mermen saw something glittering down below on the ground. He quickly swam over, and his eyes widened in interest, for the glittering object was a large diamond.

"Hey, check this out!" the merman called out. "I found another one!" He picked it up and inspected it. "This might sell for a good buck in the marketplace!" He then put it into his bag.

"Make sure you're being careful," warned the second merman. "The volcano nearby here may be dormant, but it could erupt when we least expect it."

"I know, don't worry," soothed the first. "The last thing I want is to end up as fish fry. If I did, my wife would kill me."

"Well, you'd already be dead if that were to happen," chuckled the second merman. "So, how could she kill you?"

The first merman then surveyed the area looking around. "You know, I'm surprised you'd even agreed to help gather diamonds in this place," he said. "Any other person would flat-out refuse."

"Well, if I were to guess the reason why," said the second. "It's a safe bet that it's because of the legend about this area."

He looked towards the distance and gazed at a volcano that was the tallest out of all the others as the first continued to search for diamonds.

"They saw that many years ago, way before even King Triton ruled, a terrible creature wreaked havoc on Atlantica," he went on. "It was said that this creature was so devastating that the kingdom almost fell to ruin."

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of that story," said the first. "And to save it, the ancient merpeople sealed it away inside of the volcano. That was one my mom would tell me when I was a boy. Although, despite it being an old urban myth, sometimes I can't help but wonder if that story is true."

"Well, if it's one thing I've learned," spoke the second. "When it comes to Atlantica, anything is possible. But personally, I rather not think about it."

The first one, now having a bag packed with diamonds, straightened up. "Well, this should do it for now," he said. "I'm sure we'll make a lot of sand dollars with these babies."

"Yup. We can make all sorts of jewelry which I'm sure will be popular with the girls," said the second. "Now, let's get out of here. I don't want to be here longer than I have to."

The two then swam away, eventually leaving the area. However, they couldn't have known that at the very top of the tallest volcano, there was a small opening at its top and inside of it, a pair of sinister gleaming yellow eyes shone in the darkness.