Author's note: This was one big marathon but here we are at last. Puff! Let's see how the story follows, because this is where it gets hairy!
6. Blue is One Blue Mood
The night moves out slowly, almost refusing to leave and perhaps for a good reason. When the sun rises, Florence wakes up in the chair next to Zebedee. The magician is soundly asleep, but seems to be resting more easily than the day before. With a smile, she walks to the window and moves the curtains. What Florence sees through it steals her breath. Her beautiful garden is almost gone! All that is left are the strange blue flowers and cactus. The poor girl is horrified.
"Florence? You ok?" Dougal climbs the stairs and looks at her face. "What? What happened?" the dog looks through the window, immediately understanding. "Oh, sugar"
"Where are my petunias? My daisies? I don't understand" Florence is about to cry. The dog rubs against her as they see Ermintrude coming their way, also looking distressed.
"I think we are about to find out" they walk down the stairs.
"Oh! Thank goodness you're both ok! When I woke up this morning I feared the worst! All my grass is gone! The colors are gone, Florence! Dylan's patch is gone! Even Bryan's collection!" cries the cow.
"It's a really shame, especially the last one" jokes the dog.
"Dougal" the girl knows it's a harmless prank to cheer them both.
"How's Zebedee?" Ermintrude asks.
"He's still asleep" Florence takes a deep breath. "I don't understand how could this happen, but we can't just stand here and do nothing. Zebedee's mustache must be around here somewhere, we have to find it!"
"Hear, hear!" the cow agrees. "I'll go tell the others. Together we can find it in no time"
"I'll go see if Zeb's awake" the girl smiles. "Dougal, you…"
"I'll start looking around town, Florence. Fear not. I'll even go see if Chess can give us a hand" the dog nods before running towards the village, unaware that the black cat is actually watching everything from the roof.
"I must go tell the others to start looking. Meet me in the Roundabout, dearie!" Ermintrude decides to make her move too. The girl nods and walks upstairs to see how the magician is doing. Once in the bedroom, Florence is taken aback when she notices that Zebedee is trashing and turning harder than before, until he wakes up all startled. "Zeb? You ok?" the girl checks his temperature.
"I'm fine, dear. Did I overslept? Where's Dougal?" the magician touches his forehead and is reminded of his missing piece, making him sigh.
"He's in town, gathering everybody so we can find your mustache" Florence smiles gently. "I'm sure it's around somewhere"
"I really appreciate your help in this matter, my dear, but I don't want you to be in danger because of me" Zeb can see outside the window and the desolation is heart-breaking. "This is out of hand, just as I feared. Perhaps is best if you wait here, Florence"
"I'm not just going to sit and wait for it to fix itself. I have to do something about this mess" declares the girl making the magician smile, much to Chess' delight.
"That's my girl" Zeb nods softly. "But we can't just waltz into town, no. Not like this"
"What do you mean, Zebedee?" Florence blinks.
"Something's up. I can feel it where my mustache was. I dunno what it is, but it can't be good" the magician goes thoughtful. "Whatever caught me by surprise won't be happy with just my facial hair"
"What should we do?"
"We have to think this carefully" Zeb goes deep into his thoughts. Florence sighs. Who or what are they fighting against? And how can they beat it without Zeb's magic? It's impossible!
"It looks like you ran afoul into something with wicked claws" a gentle voice interrupts her and Chess' head appears before the girl. "Or should I say 'icy claws"? Dear me, what a dilemma!" the cat snickers.
"Chess! Dougal is looking for you, you know?" Florence lets out a giggle.
"He can live without me for five more minutes, luv. You are in need of me more, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, I beg of you" the cat shows his best grin.
"You are not wrong, Chess. We really need your help. You saw what happened to my flowers and Zeb's mustache, right?" the girl looks at the feline.
"I did. I'm a cactus fan, but this is becoming a little too thorny for my taste. All your troubles come from the factory, dear, but it's not a good idea to just walk in there. And believe me, even Zebedee agrees with me" the cat opens his amber eyes and uses his ears and tail as punctuation. "Your best hand is to find out the truth behind the magic thief and I know where to start looking. Only thing is I might need that walking rug called Dougal for the task"
"Think you can find him while I help Zebedee?" asks Florence.
"Do I? Does a cat need reasons to pester dogs? Anything you need, you tell, luv. I'll be at your six" Chess disappears in the air and the girl feels somehow relieved. Not everything is lost.
And finally! Took me long but here it is and more will follow.
Thanks for waiting!