(21 Abundance)

Two lumps on the parlour floor indicated Eddie and Monty herded under continental quilts. An abundance of biscuit boxes and candy wrappers littered the area. The coffee table held a bag of fruit, and a bowl nearby where rinds and seeds had been placed. Fiona rolled her eyes.

'Men are disgusting.'

She crawled over their fluffy forms, grabbing the telly remote. A suitable programme roused Monty, and Eddie minutes later. For hours, reruns of Cash in the Attic played. They ate biscuits, drank gallons of soda, laughed and talked.

It was a good day.

Then Rudy knocked on the door.

*X*

(22 Hustle)

Eddie sniffed the collar of his shirt, trying to decide if he should change it. But Rudy, nose raised, defined the odour. He leaned into Eddie, then into Pippin. 'You both stink. Hurry up, change, we need to go.'

'I don't like you bossing us about.'

'And what you gonna do about it, Eddie?' Rudy found one suitable shirt in the closet, and tossed Pippin another.

'That's mine!' Eddie shouted to Monty. 'You shouldn't be wearing my clothes!'

'They'd be my clothes if you'd let me bring things over.'

Rudy, faintly amused, clapped his hands. 'Hustle, you two, come on!'

*X*

(23 anathema; 24 redemption [I]; 25 piety)

Russell the Pig had switched sties. The new place was far more upscale than what he was used to, but he wanted piety to accessorise the Bentley. On the street, Eddie saw the same blue vehicle remembered when it had been his.

'It's not really you we want to see,' Eddie told the Pig as soon as they were escorted inside.

'Is that so, Detective? How very interesting.' The Pig, befitting his name in width and roundness, sans swirled tail, sipped tea from a dainty rosebud teacup, pinkie extended. 'I suppose you're here to see Khan.'

'Khan knows what it's all about,' said Sunglasses, always ready to cheerfully echo Russell.

'If you're not here for Khan entirely,' Pig's smooth voice continued, 'then you're dragging your mind through the muck left by redemptive Peter Hawskins. I advised you, a millennia ago, Detective, not to involve yourself so deeply in their affairs.'

Eddie, armed by the presence of Pippin and Rudy, had a sense that Russell knew more than supposed. 'I just want to know where he is.'

'You know the answer to that question. But what you really want to know, Detective, is whether or not he's as happy elsewhere as he was miserable here.'

'Do you have that answer?'

The Pig chose not to reply. Sunglasses, lounged in the sunny garden with his hat brim pulled low, snorted fecklessly.

'That isn't so much to know.'

Eddie tried formidability. 'Where's Khan?'

He had a sinking feeling the answer would not be appreciated. Again, Sunglasses cackled. The Pig set aside tea.

'Khan's on holiday. You've just missed him. Let this go, Eddie,' Russell excused professionalism on account of sincerity, 'it will only end in trouble for you. Peter Hawskins is an anathema, well-cursed. And you will be, too, if you're not careful.'

*X*

(26 discordance; 27 restless; 28 crash)

No discordance came after they left, like Rudy had anticipated. All the same, assured that Eddie was sick of looking at him, he hid at the Sticky Wicket's bar while Eddie plastered himself in front of the map. Johnny Red didn't seem to mind having Rudy on his side of the bar. The two sides were delineated by one row of stark American flags next to Saltires. They stretched the extent of the pub. Rudy picked at the one closest to him, and once Johnny Red's hand smacked Rudy's away.

'Leave it,' warned the brogue, 'or I'll be sending ya to the other side.'

Funny choice of words. He'd been so sure about Khan, too, from the story Carol had told. She'd all but declared that Khan had been touched by the magic of the O.Z. Rudy patted himself at the chest, remembering that the same lurked within.

If Carol would just be more helpful… He was beginning to like her, too, and thought…

At a fine perfume on a soft wind, Rudy looked over to the figure suddenly on the stool beside him.

'I'm not doing this for you,' Carol said, prim shoulders squared, face expressionless. 'I'm doing it because Detective Arlette ought to know.'

Confused but delighted, Rudy twirled the glass upon the bar, restless energy expelled. 'Do you know how he'll get there?'

'Don't you?' she countered, and slid from the seat to speak with Eddie. It would take a lot of explaining. Rudy grabbed his drink, ordered another from Bill, it was his side of the bar now, and met the mystified duo of Pippin and Eddie in front of the map.

Carol pointed to a small town in the south-east corner. 'Faith's Harbour,' she said the name affectionately. 'That's where I'm from.'

Eddie's world crashed.

*X*

(29 delirious)

Early in the morning, Eddie snapped awake from delirious nightmares. The air smelled of outdoor London, bedroom curtains fluttering, streaked and shadowed by streetlamps and dawn.

Nouns flashed brilliantly through his troubled mind. The O.Z. Carol, the magician. Rudy, the instigator. Pippin, beguiled by all.

From the chair in the corner rose Monty's voice. 'You up?'

'I dreamed about scarecrows.'

'I dreamed about poppies. So much for porn.' Monty left the blanket at the foot of Eddie's bed. 'Want to risk it and head over to my place? If we're going, Rudy said no to our everyday wardrobe.'

'We're going.'

*X*

(30 dilapidated)

Audry was home, excited to see Monty. They kissed each other's cheeks, but she was quick to notice a change in Eddie. She stopped short of calling him dilapidated.

'Came here for clothes,' Eddie said, sounding hollow. Her concern deepened. 'Not mine, Monty's.' He did the wise thing, tackling the staircase.

'Damn,' uttered Audry. 'Monty, sweetheart, is Eddie dying?'

'We're off for adventure, love.' Monty chose to ignore the remark. 'I'll leave you a cheque for this month's rent.'

'Just how long are you going to be gone?'

'No idea!'

But since he said it so carefree, Audry didn't worry.

*X*

(31 impression; 32 smirk)

The call with Fiona ended, adversity fading towards the end. He'd forgotten to leave her money for rent, despite Monty's reminder. She was hostile, and agreed to hold Pete hostage until he paid.

'Oh,' she said, 'someone named the Pig called for you. Do I even have to ask?'

'What'd he want?'

'I'm not your answering service. Have a good time, Eddie.'

But there was Carol to face. She leaned against the front of her desk, the office in the lull of after-hours.

'So you're a magical witch.' He had a way of stating it. 'Explains a lot.'

'Undoubtedly your impressions of me have fallen into place. As soon as Rudy and Monty have returned from the restroom, I'll send you on your way.'

'To the O.Z.' He plucked up the wilting Bulgar Novi. 'Is that where this is from?'

'The Papay tend the Novi orchards around Enscommon.'

He smirked. 'God, you know, I just can't believe this, these fairy stories coming to life.' He tapped the branch against his palm, soaking in the presence of the lovely woman beside him. 'I suppose it's just the beginning.'

'This world is small, rather narrow, compared to the Outer Zone. You'll see.'

*X*

(33 plunge)

An excited Rudy, ecstatic that Eddie and Monty would soon be plunged into a world he'd known all his life, prattled on about travel storms, tornadoes, and other means of arrival. Carol Ross, however, had a simpler device planned.

'The lift?' Monty stared into metallic lift doors. He'd ridden in that prosaic device a dozen times a day. He never supposed it'd carry him to another world, at least in the meaning of science-fiction.

Eddie played along. 'And once we get to the O.Z., where will we be?'

'Exactly where you're supposed to be.'

That was good enough for him.

*X*

(34 Readiness)

Carol had them repeat the instructions five times. Inside the elevator, Eddie had the honour of hitting the button for the top floor, then the button for the basement. The lift rose swiftly. Eddie's palm fell victim to Rudy's fingers, and Eddie couldn't shake the affection off. Rudy reached for Pippin's, too, so that they were three in a line.

The chime sounded as the reached the top floor. The doors did not open. In the waiting silence, Eddie heard his heart thump—and perhaps Pippin's and Rudy's. Eddie closed his eyes. In this state of readiness, the lift descended.

White light bloomed behind his lids.

The chime again.

*X*

(35 Snowflakes)

Unsure what to expect, aside from dancing mice or frolicking snowflakes, images straight out of The Nutcracker, Eddie's hand was dropped as he unlatched his lids.

It was an office, not unlike the one they had just left, full of desks and workers. Animated chatter carried, along with rustling papers, footsteps, ringing telephones, the clicks of typewriters, the buzzing of overhead lights.

'Rudy?'

'Yeah, Eddie?'

'Where are we?'

'Station Eleven, possibly.'

'Huh?'

'Tin Man Station Number Eleven.' He looked at Eddie, he looked at Pippin, he looked into the hallway ahead. 'Central City. We made it to the Outer Zone.'

*X*

(36 Rattled)

'Are you getting out of the lift or not?' cried a antagonistic gentleman in front of them. 'Some of us have places to be, you know.'

Embarrassed, Eddie rushed forward. The curly-haired man wore a footman's uniform rather than a sergeant's. Despite being rattled so, Eddie tried to fit in, and that included asking unusual questions of unusual strangers.

'Know a Peter Hawskins by chance?' Eddie, a bit dizzy from the trip—inter-dimensional travel certainly zapped vigour—was thankful to have Pippin take over questioning.

'Say, um, who's in charge here?'

The stranger's chin lifted at the name. 'Wyatt Cain.'

*X*

(37 Upstage; 38 Predatory; 39 Flight)

The stranger introduced himself as Ambrose, a friend of Wyatt Cain's. Eddie was in the process of processing—as fast as he could—what had happened, where he was. For sufficient guidance, he looked at Pippin, who left a pat of support at Eddie's elbow. By then, Rudy and Ambrose were fast friends, speaking animatedly of Outer Zone news.

They hadn't swung through the majority of desks before Eddie's arrival was significantly upstaged. A suspect in for questioning broke from officer restraints and ran for freedom. By instinct, Eddie gave him chase.

'Hey! Wait!' echoed through the halls, and caught the attention of all loitering Tin Men. What they saw was a stranger pursuing a stranger through their station—and the two strangers chased by a clump of predatory uniforms. A handful of bored officers linked to the running mass.

In the background, Pippin put his face in his hands, at once flinging one out to stop Rudy's cackling.

'Eddie makes quite an entrance,' Rudy said.

'This is exactly why I don't take him anywhere, ever,' answered Pippin, the two of them thinking they'd better dash after Eddie and save him from himself.

Eddie pursued the in-flight suspect all the way to the street.

The reward was a dozen Tin Men pointing revolvers at him. With raised hands, he stared. Through the officers, Ambrose tugged a formidable man, said something inaudible, and winked Eddie's direction. The newcomer was clearly Wyatt Cain, and he made show of telling the others to put their weapons down, then gestured to two men to capture the runaway suspect. Cain bobbed his head at the stranger.

'Name's Wyatt Cain. You can put your hands down now.'

Eddie felt both ridiculed and ridiculous. He smiled boldly. 'Hi, I'm Eddie. So, how d'you like me so far?'