Missing Daughter
The next day, Lina awoke to yelling outside her window. She ran downstairs and threw open the door, hoping to Fireball whoever woke her up. But she couldn't see anyone at the door. When Lina turned to go back inside, a voice called, "Hey, don't ignore me."
The sorceress looked down, where she saw Duelle standing there. "About time you saw me," he complained, "We're having a problem, and need your help."
"What's the problem this time?" inquired Lina, sounding exasperated.
Duelle lowered his head. "You see, Rachel - - the daughter of the shop owner in Domina - - went missing the other day. It appears from her note that she went to Geo. I know you go there to get magic sometimes, and I was wondering if you'd look for her?"
Lina replied, "Sure I'll look for her. I was planning to go there and get some more magic sometime soon, so I might as well."
"Thank you," Duelle said, "I'm in your debt." Then he left for home, as Lina went to wake Gourry up for their trip to the city of magic.
* * *
In Geo, Lina again looked at something she could wear for her wedding. This time, she managed to get lucky. The last of a dress that had a cut just below the neck was found on the rack at the store. Lina tried it on, and it fit her perfectly. So she brought the dress, and headed to the Academy to find some magic items and look for Rachel.
When they arrived in the library, a bright flash lit up the sky. Thesenis told the young sorceress that they had been performing an experiment. She had been waiting to complete it, without Nunuzac interfering in the process.
"Have you seen this girl?" asked Lina. She held up a picture of Rachel.
Thesenis got a closer look at it. "Oh, her. She just went to Domina to return to her parents' house. You just missed her."
Lina told Gourry, "Let's get going then and make sure she arrives home alright."
* * *
Back in the home of the shopowner - - Mark - - Lina found the father and daughter having a good time together in the bedroom. Rachel - - who everyone knew as a quiet, shy, and depressed girl - - was laughing along with her father's jokes. A smile crossed her lips.
'Amazing,' Lina thought, 'Maybe there's hope for Zel yet in the laughing department. I wonder if he's had any luck while we were gone. Maybe the gang should have a reunion when Gourry and I return to our own world.'
Downstairs, Teapo motioned to the duo. "You know, Rachel's been actin' strange since she got back. In the ol' days, she wanted to kill her dad fer some reason. Now, she's havin' a bloomin' good time with 'im. Perhaps she's tryin' to catch 'im off guard an' do the deed."
Lina and Gourry sweatdropped. The little they knew about Teapo was that she had a big imagination, and always told stories. But that didn't mean that Lina wasn't suspicious of Rachel's new behavior. Something was amiss here.
Hoping for answers, they went to find Mark's wife Jennifer. They found her in the market gossiping with Mei Mei about the things going on in the world. Apparently, her husband was getting on her nerves with some strange story about seeing a blue jiggly in a dream that called itself Rachel, and said that the girl in their house was something called a green wiggly. Then she wondered why she'd ever married that man.
"Jennifer, what do you think about your daughter's changes since her little trip to Geo lately? Isn't she acting a bit strange?" asked Mei Mei.
Jenifer answered, "I don't really know. I'm just happy to see her being more active lately. But, you're right, it is strange. Maybe I should talk to her.
* * *
Lina and Gourry arrived at the house first. When they got upstairs, they saw Mark and Rachel talking. Mark asked the girl if she was really Rachel.
"You gave me that name, didn't you?" asked Rachel, "As long as you call me by that name, I will always be Rachel."
Just then Jennifer arrived. "What do you mean by that?" she inquired.
Rachel replied, "You see, we traded bodies at the Academy of Magic in Geo. Rachel is going to stay there and study, while I live here with you and keep you company."
Just then, Mark began to talk to himself, as if he was having a vision of some sort. Apparently, one of the things Rachel had learned at the academy was telepathy. With that, she could appear to someone by projecting a certain image - - in her case, a blue jiggly - - into his or her mind. Then, she could converse with the person as if they were next to her.
Suddenly, Teapo came running up the stairs crying about Rachel making her into a bomb. "I'm sorry Mark, I'll let it blow meself up so it doesn't hurt you or destroy the house." She dropped some cylinders of rocket powder to the ground and covered them.
"Wait!" exclaimed Jennifer, "This isn't for a bomb. The powder here is for a rocket. You remember telling Rachel how you wanted to go into space when she was younger? Apparently, she's remembered this, and wants to help."
"Rachel loves me. I should have realized it before. All I do is make her miserable with my actions," he whispered.
Lina had no time to listen to his lamenting. It wasn't even an interesting one. She and Gourry decided to go home, and - - as usual - - eat up a storm.
- - - -
Well, mystery solved: Check. Finished the story: I'll get on it.
The next day, Lina awoke to yelling outside her window. She ran downstairs and threw open the door, hoping to Fireball whoever woke her up. But she couldn't see anyone at the door. When Lina turned to go back inside, a voice called, "Hey, don't ignore me."
The sorceress looked down, where she saw Duelle standing there. "About time you saw me," he complained, "We're having a problem, and need your help."
"What's the problem this time?" inquired Lina, sounding exasperated.
Duelle lowered his head. "You see, Rachel - - the daughter of the shop owner in Domina - - went missing the other day. It appears from her note that she went to Geo. I know you go there to get magic sometimes, and I was wondering if you'd look for her?"
Lina replied, "Sure I'll look for her. I was planning to go there and get some more magic sometime soon, so I might as well."
"Thank you," Duelle said, "I'm in your debt." Then he left for home, as Lina went to wake Gourry up for their trip to the city of magic.
* * *
In Geo, Lina again looked at something she could wear for her wedding. This time, she managed to get lucky. The last of a dress that had a cut just below the neck was found on the rack at the store. Lina tried it on, and it fit her perfectly. So she brought the dress, and headed to the Academy to find some magic items and look for Rachel.
When they arrived in the library, a bright flash lit up the sky. Thesenis told the young sorceress that they had been performing an experiment. She had been waiting to complete it, without Nunuzac interfering in the process.
"Have you seen this girl?" asked Lina. She held up a picture of Rachel.
Thesenis got a closer look at it. "Oh, her. She just went to Domina to return to her parents' house. You just missed her."
Lina told Gourry, "Let's get going then and make sure she arrives home alright."
* * *
Back in the home of the shopowner - - Mark - - Lina found the father and daughter having a good time together in the bedroom. Rachel - - who everyone knew as a quiet, shy, and depressed girl - - was laughing along with her father's jokes. A smile crossed her lips.
'Amazing,' Lina thought, 'Maybe there's hope for Zel yet in the laughing department. I wonder if he's had any luck while we were gone. Maybe the gang should have a reunion when Gourry and I return to our own world.'
Downstairs, Teapo motioned to the duo. "You know, Rachel's been actin' strange since she got back. In the ol' days, she wanted to kill her dad fer some reason. Now, she's havin' a bloomin' good time with 'im. Perhaps she's tryin' to catch 'im off guard an' do the deed."
Lina and Gourry sweatdropped. The little they knew about Teapo was that she had a big imagination, and always told stories. But that didn't mean that Lina wasn't suspicious of Rachel's new behavior. Something was amiss here.
Hoping for answers, they went to find Mark's wife Jennifer. They found her in the market gossiping with Mei Mei about the things going on in the world. Apparently, her husband was getting on her nerves with some strange story about seeing a blue jiggly in a dream that called itself Rachel, and said that the girl in their house was something called a green wiggly. Then she wondered why she'd ever married that man.
"Jennifer, what do you think about your daughter's changes since her little trip to Geo lately? Isn't she acting a bit strange?" asked Mei Mei.
Jenifer answered, "I don't really know. I'm just happy to see her being more active lately. But, you're right, it is strange. Maybe I should talk to her.
* * *
Lina and Gourry arrived at the house first. When they got upstairs, they saw Mark and Rachel talking. Mark asked the girl if she was really Rachel.
"You gave me that name, didn't you?" asked Rachel, "As long as you call me by that name, I will always be Rachel."
Just then Jennifer arrived. "What do you mean by that?" she inquired.
Rachel replied, "You see, we traded bodies at the Academy of Magic in Geo. Rachel is going to stay there and study, while I live here with you and keep you company."
Just then, Mark began to talk to himself, as if he was having a vision of some sort. Apparently, one of the things Rachel had learned at the academy was telepathy. With that, she could appear to someone by projecting a certain image - - in her case, a blue jiggly - - into his or her mind. Then, she could converse with the person as if they were next to her.
Suddenly, Teapo came running up the stairs crying about Rachel making her into a bomb. "I'm sorry Mark, I'll let it blow meself up so it doesn't hurt you or destroy the house." She dropped some cylinders of rocket powder to the ground and covered them.
"Wait!" exclaimed Jennifer, "This isn't for a bomb. The powder here is for a rocket. You remember telling Rachel how you wanted to go into space when she was younger? Apparently, she's remembered this, and wants to help."
"Rachel loves me. I should have realized it before. All I do is make her miserable with my actions," he whispered.
Lina had no time to listen to his lamenting. It wasn't even an interesting one. She and Gourry decided to go home, and - - as usual - - eat up a storm.
- - - -
Well, mystery solved: Check. Finished the story: I'll get on it.