Chapter 7
The first thing Tyrone did the following day was make breakfast. Yes, life was kinda boring, but it was a start. The snow did indeed stop, but the clouds were very white. This meant it might snow again later this afternoon. As he started to fry up some eggs, he heard two loud footsteps coming from the porch. Tyrone instantly recognized the sound and went over to answer.
The Mothman stood at the door, looking very weak and tired. Tyrone quickly helped him inside. There were obvious burn marks on his thick black hair and his red eyes were blinking on and off as if they were lights from the street.
"What happened to you?" said Tyrone softly to the Mothman.
"I'll explain. But first… water." said the Mothman weakly. Tyrone ran over to get a glass while Matt went downstairs.
"Your highness!" cried Matt, remembering the Mothman was like royalty in the hidden world.
"Give him this." said Tyrone, handing the glass to Matt who then gave it to the injured Mothman.
"Are you two boys alright?" asked the Mothman.
"Y-yes! We are." replied Tyrone.
"Nothing new as of now?" asked the Mothman.
"No. We've been here the whole time." said Matt.
"Good. However, it is no longer safe anywhere." said the Mothman as he sat back.
"My bones. How they ache." he said softly with a groan.
"What happened to you? And where's Mom and Dad?" asked Matt.
"They are fine. They are still back in the safety of the village. I however had to come and check on you both. I sensed something was going on and I had to return. When I did, the snow appeared. It burned through my body and I was losing strength." said the Mothman.
"The snow did this to you?" asked Tyrone.
"Yes. This is not normal snow. This snow is enchanted. It is fused with Dark Impulse." said the Mothman.
"Dark Impulse? Why, Matt! That was him!" cried Tyrone.
"The Dark Master? Is this his doing?" asked Matt.
The Mothman nodded slightly. "Yes. It may have been him."
"Wait a sec. If the snow hurt you, then it could have hurt others from the hidden world?" asked Tyrone.
"Yes. This Dark Impulse snow is like acid to anyone from the forest. As of now, as we speak, those who live among mortals have hidden away. And the forest is blocked from the human territories. Whoever controlled this poison snow has the ability to control the weather and the ability of the Dark Impulse." said the Mothman.
"Who could it be? Do you know?" asked Matt.
"Indeed I do. This could be the work of Lady Violet. She is known by the title of the North Wind. She is a Dark Impulse priestess who has the power to control the weather. Like the Dark Master, she was locked away for crimes against the peace of the forest. It is possible she escaped with some aid from the Dark Master himself; in hopes of creating chaos." said the Mothman.
"Another Dark Impulse user?" asked Tyrone worriedly.
"Could she have something to do with the missing kids?" asked Matt.
The Mothman stood up slowly. "I doubt it. She only cares for destruction and nothing more. Kidnapping children is not in her character." said the Mothman.
"Then this means we have another lunatic out there. With the lady, this makes three practically. The Dark Master, this woman, and the hooded figure." said Tyrone.
"What is this? A Dungeons and Dragons game!?" cried Matt.
"I wish it were so little one! But sadly, I'm afraid our enemies are growing in numbers." said the Mothman.
"Then who is the cloaked figure taking children?" asked Tyrone.
The Mothman didn't answer right away. He folded his arms and started to think. It was incredible to see such a huge bug like creature act like a human being.
"I do not know who this could be. But there was an incident that happened many years ago, during the formation of Rood Bridge Park. It is quite a long story." said the Mothman.
"Go on. We got all day pretty much. It's going to snow too. Might as well make yourself comfortable." said Tyrone.
The Mothman sat down and began his tale. "I won't go much into details, but you all know Rood Bridge Park was created to protect the good people and animals from the evils of the world and the Dark Impulse as a whole. There was a man who once lived in the forest who had a magic flute. He would use his flute to call upon mice, rats and even insects to follow him. He was like an exterminator of sorts. Well, in a village that was newly formed, there was an infestation of rats…." the Mothman was saying.
"Oh! I know this story! My teacher put that cartoon for us in the first grade!" said Matt, interrupting.
Tyrone shot him a look and Matt sat down and apologized. "Sorry," he said.
"Yes, well…. Where was I? Oh, the rats came and killed off everything. So, the village leaders called upon this man to use his flute and call upon the rats to get them far from the village. Eventually, he led them all to a river so they could drown. A crime in Rood Bridge Park. The killing of rats. When the first Queen found out, she demanded to have the man brought in for questioning. When he admitted to killing the rats, the Queen had no choice but to banish the man away from the forest. But not before doing the unthinkable. The man used his magic flute and called upon the children of each village. He was about to lead them to death, until he was killed off by a Mothman from that time. The man with the flute died and the children went back home."
The Mothman drank from his water and Tyrone and Matt both looked at eachother confused. It was Tryone who had to speak.
"Mothman; your highness; are you sure this happened in the forest? This story sounds a lot like the fairy tale; the Pied Piper." said Tyrone.
"A horror story that happened to be true. You see young ones, each generation has their own version of a Pied Piper. The one from the fairy tale was actually the first one. After he died, a new person took his place and so on." said the Mothman.
"In other words, we are dealing with another inheritance cycle. Like Dad being the Bogey Man." said Tyrone.
"In a way, yes." replied the Mothman.
"But this is weird. There was no music when the shadow was nearby." said Matt.
The Mothman nodded. "Allow me to explain. Fairy Tales were inspired by events that happened in real life. Snow White for example was based on a young nun who was poisoned to death by her cruel Mother. Her own flesh and blood. Hansel and Gretel were based on children that were actually eaten by wicked people who worshipped the Dark Impulse. No matter what part of the world you are from, people take the fairy tales, destroy the innocence and lessons from them and wrap them into terrifying things. It is possible that this hooded figure was inspired by the Pied Piper fairy tale." said the Mothman.
"Like the weather lady you mentioned. She's like the snow queen." said Tyrone.
"Yes and no." said the Mothman.
"You are confusing us, your majesty!" said Matt.
"Matt, behave," said Tyrone.
"You two are still too young to grasp the true nature of the hidden world of Rood Bridge Park. Perhaps someday, you two will understand it. But for now, we must stop this eternal winter from becoming eternal." said the Mothman.
"How do we stop it?" asked Tyrone.
"You will go to Mt. Hood. There is a creature there who can help you with this weather phenomenon. She is called the Groke. She controls the snow and she is immune to the Dark Impulse. Find her and bring her here; back to Garibaldi." said the Mothman.
"Mt. Hood. That's pretty far." said Tyrone.
"We can get there! All we need is a car." said Matt.
The Mothman chuckled. "Actually, there is no need for a car. Not without an aid from a friend."
He stood up and out from under the wings of the Mothman was a small hermit crab.
"Bubbles!?" cried Matt.
"Bubbles was with you?! Why didn't you use him to get here on time?" asked Tyrone.
"Bubbles was resting in my wings for the time being until he healed. He is now ready to give you all a lift to Mt. Hood." said the Mothman.
"That's great!" cried Tyrone.
"When Bubbles needs a rest, you will give him rest and take shelter in a motel. It is crucial you are safe as well Tyrone." said the Mothman.
"Sounds like a plan." said Tyrone.
"Wait. This means that you're going alone? I have to go with you." said Matt.
Tyrone shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Besides, this Pied Piper wannabe is out there. You want to be next?" asked Tyrone.
"The Mothman is telling us both to find the Groke! Whoever that is. Trust me! I'll be of great help!" cried Matt.
"No. You're too little for this sort of thing." said Tyrone.
"Little? I'm not a little boy! I'm a full grown man!" cried Matt proudly.
"Matt, please. It's for your own good." said Tyrone.
Matt stomped his foot on the ground and turned around. He then immediately went upstairs.
"Great. Now he's showing his rebellious side." said Tyrone.
"Tyrone, I know I'm the first to say that Matt should stay, but it is also very good if he goes with you." said the Mothman.
"What?" asked Tyrone.
"It's not good for you to go alone. You will need someone to be with you and guide you to positivity. If you go alone, the Dark Impulse will attack. Even if you're on top of Bubbles, you will still get hurt." said the Mothman.
"Matt can get hurt." said Tyrone.
"You have epilepsy. If you have a seizure during this journey, who would help you out?" asked the Mothman.
Tyrone shook his head. "No. I don't want him to go through this. He lost his family and if something were to happen to me, he'd be lost. No, I won't put him in danger." said Tyrone. He turned around and went to the kitchen to cool off. The Mothman gave out a sigh and sat down.
"Teenagers and little kids. What we adults have to go through." said the Mothman to Bubbles, who was resting on his palm.
"Gannon and Garret are like that. They would often get mad at eachother for stupid reasons, until they cool their jets, then they come together as a group." said Bubbles, speaking in his tongue to the Mothman.
"If we don't move soon, we are giving our enemies more time to respawn." said the Mothman.
"You speak as if they were larva. Your excellency, do not panic. The boys will do their part in saving the forest. I have faith in them. Tyrone and Matt are good boys. Plus, there is another in the town that I believe could be a great asset to the forest." said Bubbles.
"You mean the girl." said the Mothman.
"She is much closer to discovering the hidden world than any other human before her. A door has been opened and all that's left is for her to know the truth. I have a plan. This young woman will not only help secure the future of our forest, but she too will heal broken hearts." said Bubbles.
"I'm listening." whispered the Mothman as he leaned closer.
