Chapter 5- Searching the streets

Flora took one sickened look at the scarlet ink running down the page in a bloody stream, before she immediately exited reality.

"T...t…tonight?" she croaked, having never felt more terrified in her life, "but…why? What does it…mean?"

"It means that we are to find some form of shelter for the evening as soon as possible!" the professor answered in a loud voice over the howling wind that whistled around the streets, "Everyone-follow me!"

The rain was now plundering down around them, drenching them in the stains of misery and dread. Lightening illuminated the drab scene and the creatures that had survived the previous weeks' events were now taking flight from their homes, petrified, sensing the evil presence of the dark becoming's that lay ahead. The girl forced herself forward, her muscles seizing up with fright. Clark and Brenda were running ahead with the professor, a look that resembled confusion imprinted on their faces. Clive gripped Luke's and Flora's hands tightly as they bolted after the professor, feeling both exhausted and frightened as the sorceress's threatening words scarred their minds. The only person who didn't seem at all affected by the troubling events was Emmy; if anything, she looked incredibly determined as she shot after the professor with little effort, sending a wave of mud and freezing water over the panting teenagers in the process.

"EMMY!" growled Clive as he wiped the dark substance off of his brand new suit with a look of deepest disgust.

Luke and Flora stopped in their tracks as the water hit them, simply standing like statues as the liquid dripped down their sodden clothes. Emmy spun around on her heel, failing to suppress a mischievous grin.

"Oh, come on, Illegal!" she called playfully as Clive stamped across the flooded pavement, "A little water won't kill anyone!"

"This suit is brand new-and it cost a lot of money!"

"Well, your problem-not mine!" she argued back cheekily, flicking her hair behind her shoulders casually.

The teenager scowled and ran even further ahead until he was directly behind Emmy, before he leapt into the deepest dirtiest puddle he could find that was considerably close to his target…

His 'said-target' had only a few seconds to take in the fact that a giant wave of water was approaching her at a very fast speed, being too taken by surprise to brace herself for the impact. He had caught her completely unawares as the water devoured her body.

"ILLEGAL!" Emmy thundered menacingly as she clutched at her now sodden dress, watching the dirty water trickle gently from the dozens of knots in her hair and form numerous dark stains on her lemon suit.

She flicked off the majority of the grime and stray parts of debris, including a long twig and several large leaves, before fixing the laughing boy with a deadly glare.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, ILLEGAL?!" she snapped loudly, "IT'S NOT FUNNY! I'M GOING TO—"

"Would both of you like to act like true gentlemen and ladies in the current diabolical situation?!" Layton yelled, turning around and shooting them a frustrated look, "people could die tonight-and all you two care about is trying to get the other as wet as humanly possible?! I would appreciate it if you could pull yourselves together just for one evening!"

Clive and Emmy instantly stopped, shocked by the tone of the professor's voice. Usually, he only spoke like that in a very serious situation, which spoke as clear as day that they were currently, or would be, in a very serious situation very soon. The woman squeezed as much water out of her dress as she could without damaging it as Clive straightened out his cap and extended a shaking arm to Luke and Flora. The two young adults bowed their heads and nodded, feeling too ashamed to look into Layton's eyes. The professor slowly advanced towards the group, wrapping a comforting arm around his daughter. She closed her eyes and sank against his chest, clinging onto him like a limpet. Brenda followed suit with Luke, rubbing his wet skin with gentle hands, as Clark sent an annoyed frown in Emmy's direction.

"S…sorry, Professor," she mumbled, twirling her hair around her finger, "I'll be more serious from now on…"

"Me too," Clive answered with a sigh, blowing on his hands to warm them up.

Layton sighed, quickly changing his stern frown to a light smile.

"That's good. Remember: clear minds get better results," he added as Clive helped Emmy to get rid of the water.

"Sorry," he murmured quietly, "You started it, though."

"You better be," she warned as she tugged his hair so that the water parted from it.

The atmosphere in the village had swiftly returned to what it had been like when they had arrived, once again appearing like a lifeless drab place of death and misery. Flora seemed to be getting used to the pitiful surroundings by now, so she didn't seem the slightest bit surprised. The streets were still deserted, which was perfectly understandable; the residents thought that devotees to this terrifying sorceress were prowling around the village in the hunt for victims for 'She-who-brings-darkness-to-the-world'. That would give anyone nightmares, but the villagers seemed the most affected by it. Despite the seriousness of the terrifying events to come, Flora couldn't help feeling relieved; the sooner the robots and the village were safe from this sorceress's powerful clutches the better. However, if the sorceress was targeting her, then that meant that she should be the one who was terrified.

"So…where are we going to stay for the night, Professor?" asked Luke timidly as he huddled even closer to his mother, "I doubt that there are any spare houses around in this situation!"

"I don't know for certain, my boy, but a roof over the head is better than none at all. However, we must first alert Bruno of the previous events. The villagers need to be warned of the oncoming danger. Do you understand?"

The group nodded silently, following the professor as he strode confidently towards the tall tower in front of them. The bricks had lost their usual bright colours, since the professor had last seen the tower. Strange types of plants and creepers were also meandering around the many gaps in the building, weaving their way up to the base of the town's clock. Even that looked rusty, with the golden shine being obscured by the mildew and other plants that Layton had no name for. To sum it up, the tower had also been greatly affected by the sorceress's unthinkable powers. It had indeed seen better times, sad to say, but at least it was still standing. For how long though, was a completely different question altogether.

The professor knocked on the door loudly, stepping back and waiting expectantly for the door to open. A few seconds later, Bruno flung open the door with an aggressive expression on his face. Upon seeing who it was, his eyes widened and his face immediately returned to its usual expression. He looked slightly dishevelled after the day's events: he was fighting hard to keep his eyelids open as he squinted into the dark, his hair was standing up at odd angles that made him look quite humorous and his hands were screwed into tight fists, showing the obvious that he was incredibly anxious. Then again, who wouldn't be at this time of events?

"Ah, Professor Layton," he greeted as he made out the familiar sight of his top hat through the rain, "What can I do for you at this time? It is terrible weather outside and I have no idea how long this storm will be in for. I'd strongly advise you to get to shelter as quickly as possible."

"We are just on our way to do that, Bruno. However, before that, I would like to confirm a few things with you, if that is okay."

Bruno studied his face for several moments before he nodded slowly and ushered the group into the tower, continuously murmuring under his breath.

There had been many alterations in the inside of the tower, since the professor and Luke had last visited it. Bruno still lacked tidiness, but it was better than it had been. Numerous sheets littered the huge desk in the corner of the room, containing scribbled notes and complex labelled diagrams of every robot and villager of St Mystere. The keys for the villagers were hung up in their original position and Bruno's huge box of tools lay nearby. Moss and mildew was starting to form on the walls and Bruno had made a habit of colouring the bricks in different colours so that a neat pattern was formed. A deep rumbling sound emitted from the room below (where the main power generator was kept) making Clive almost fall over with shock. Flora remained impassive by the sound; she had been hearing it for a whole year, so she was used to it by now.

In the corner of the room, three long objects were covered with white sheets and blankets, lying still and silent as the professor surveyed the room. Bruno closed the door with a slam and turned his full attention to the professor.

"So, Professor Layton," he said in a slightly shaky voice, "How can I be of assistance? Tell me what you would like to know and I shall be more than happy to help."

Layton raised his hat and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Bruno. We appreciate it," he answered, "However, first things first…you see—"

"The Sorceress of Darkness is coming tonight," Emmy interrupted in a serious tone, "She left us a letter with a riddle saying when she would next appear. The answer to the riddle was 'tonight'."

Bruno seemed to turn to ice.

"A…a…a…a…are you…s…s…serious?" he stuttered, his hands quivering, "T…t…t…that isn't p…possible!"

"I'm afraid the evidence says otherwise," Emmy continued, "that's why she sent that…that…repulsive…thing. It was a signal to Lady Dahlia…that she would be coming tonight…"

Bruno remained unresponsive, his eyes staring vacantly into the distance as if expecting the sorceress to come flying into the room at that very moment. It was clear that the poor man was scared out of his wits, however, in comparison to Dahlia's petrified expression, he looked as if it was his birthday and he'd just received every present that he'd ever dreamt of possessing.

"Sir?" Clive asked as politely as he could manage, "What is this…thing...that she uses to send signals of her attacks? Have you received one, per chance?"

Bruno nodded carefully, swallowing hard.

"It is incredibly hard to say exactly what or where this signal came from," he explained hoarsely, "but after careful observations, I am to believe that this is, or was, an apple."

"An…apple?" Emmy asked, unsure whether she'd heard him properly.

"An apple," he answered gravely, "However, this is no ordinary apple-oh no! This is an apple enchanted with the darkest magic. I believe it to be more than her mark, her sign of attack; I believe it to be a weapon, designed to strike fear into the hearts of her prey—"

"That is exactly what Lady Dahlia said!" Luke gasped.

"Indeed. Even she believes it. It seems that only the highest of the residents in St Mystere receive these 'gifts', as she calls them. Lady Dahlia, Rodney and myself are the only ones currently known to receive her warnings."

"Rodney? Who's—"

"The mayor-the one who you kept scowling at, Clive," Layton answered quickly as he gestured to the three carefully wrapped objects in the corner of the room, "I take it that you have taken in Simon, Agnes and Rodney for repairs?"

"I have made it my main priority. I managed to get them into my tower as soon as possible. I don't think that they're broken but I should check, just in case. 'She-who-brings-darkness-to-the-world' may have put something into their wiring to make them act like that. Nonetheless, I can't have them wandering around St Mystere and terrorising the village. I know that they're robots but…I can't stand to see my creations like this…"

"They did act in a strange manner," Brenda agreed, "I take it that they aren't usually like this?"

"Well, Rodney and Simon are hardly ever cheerful," Bruno answered, biting his lip slightly, "Agnes just likes to tell the future…so to speak. However, they would never act like this. They seemed intent on harming you, Professor Layton. I'd be more worried about myself, if I were you. She seems intent on targeting you because she knows that you'll get involved…but not as much as she'll want to target Flora…that is what I fear…"

"You do know that none of this is making the poor child feel any better, you know!" Emmy exclaimed loudly as Flora squeezed her hand even tighter.

The girl hiccoughed slightly, before she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and peered up at Bruno.

"B…Bruno," she started timidly, "Why would she be targeting the Reinholds? I mean, yes the family does assist in controlling St Mystere, but why?"

Bruno suddenly stood bolt upright, tugging at his beard sharply.

"W…well…like you said, Flora dear…they do control St Mystere...maybe it's just revenge…but I wouldn't doubt that she enjoys the suffering and pain and misery that she is causing. She seems to be getting stronger by the day and she's even calling more of her sorceress kind to release their fury on our little village. It could be because of something that happened in the past…or…simply because they just want to rule St Mystere…though I see no reason why…"

"Hmmm…" Layton murmured, placing a hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"You will warn the residents about her specified arrival tonight though, won't you?" Clark verified.

Bruno nodded, before stamping his foot and snarling menacingly. Emmy pulled Flora behind her as Bruno threw one of the large scrolls on his desk across the room, allowing it to collide with the sharp brick and fall to the cobbled floor in a crumpled heap.

"YOU STILL WANT REVENGE ON US?!" he roared, startling the professor greatly, "YOU TAKE AWAY OUR PEOPLE, BURN OUR VILLAGE TO THE GROUND AND WATCH HAPPILY AS ST MYSTERE FALLS APART AND THE WOUNDED COME TO MY DOOR FOR HELP! WAS WHAT HAPPENED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO NOT SATISFACTORY ENOUGH FOR YOU?! WHEN YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM US?!"

He resolved to kick his tool box across the floor, sending a wave of metal all over the stones. His face had rapidly changed from a snowy white to a fiery red. His eyes appeared to be blazing in fury; something must have sparked inside of him to cause him to behave in this manner. Bruno wasn't a robot, so something must have really infuriated him. What, though, was the question on the professor's mind.

Flora and Luke instinctively bent down to retrieve his tools, whilst Emmy looked at the professor questioningly, her eyebrows raised. The professor held up his hand in response. Bruno's words whirred in his mind. He had acted completely out of character and seemed to be expressing his anger at the sorceress. However, some of the words and statements were unclear: 'All those years ago'…'when you took her away from us'. The words bounced against the sides of his brain repeatedly, until he could stand the sensation no longer.

"Bruno, what do you mean? 'All those years ago-when they took her away from you'? Do you mean to say that this has happened before? Who was this 'her'?."

The colour in Bruno's cheeks returned to normal, but he began pulling at his beard more vigorously than ever, causing several of the hairs to depart from his chin.

"Huh? Oh! Oh…nothing. Don't worry about it at all. I'm just…babbling on again…as I always do…sorry. I felt like I had to…express my rage against this sorceress…sorry…I must be mistaken. Sorry…anyway, what else did you need from me?"

Before the professor could respond to Bruno's suddenly hesitant reply, a loud hissing surfaced from the corner of the room, sending Layton off of his train of thought. He narrowed his eyes before whipping his head around in the direction that the noise came from. Flora squealed and clung onto Emmy's shoulder tighter than ever as Clive followed suit. Brenda looked at Clark with a slightly startled expression. The only people who didn't appear to be startled by the noise were Luke and Bruno, although the two had completely different expressions on their faces. Luke threw down the spanner that he was currently holding and immediately started peering around the room curiously, as Bruno sighed in agitation and spun on his heel. Luke smiled slightly.

"Was that a—"

"For the last time, be quiet!" Bruno snapped as the hissing instantly ceased.

Luke's eyebrows furrowed at Bruno's tone.

"That's no way to talk to a cat!" he argued defensively, "They need to be spoken to in a calm and loving tone. Like this: Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty…"

As soon as the words left Luke's mouth, a faint meow echoed around the room as a tiny kitten with golden fur crept cautiously out of the shadows. Upon catching sight of it, it was clear that she was a girl; her sparkling amber eyes looked up curiously at the small boy in front of her as she delicately began to lick her soft fur. The thing that indicated her gender the most was her beautiful high pitched voice, which instantly captivated Luke as he offered the kitten his hand. She instantly bounded up to him and began licking his finger with her rough pink tongue. Clark smiled down at the kitten as Flora and Clive immediately followed suit, stroking the kitten as she purred contentedly. Brenda grinned along with the professor and Emmy, before Emmy looked down at Clive, smirking.

"To think that you were scared of a cat, Illegal!" she mocked, "How original. How super-duper mega scary!"

Clive shot her an annoyed look as Bruno knelt down beside Luke.

"You really shouldn't talk to them like that, you know," he scolded gently, "but what is a little kitten doing in a place like this?"

"Lady Dahlia's idea. Claudia had kittens a few months ago. Dahlia didn't want to keep all of the kittens so she gave me this little fur ball to look after. However, I don't have the faintest clue on how to look after a kitten-it is clear that you do, though."

Bruno stood up again as the kitten snuggled into the boy's arms.

"Could you take it off of my hands and look after it? Please?"

Luke's eyes lit up at Bruno's request and a huge smile enveloped his face.

"Really?! You mean it?! Oh, thank you so much, Bruno!" Luke shouted with glee, jumping up and down on the spot, "I promise to take extremely good care of her!"

The professor smiled warmly and patted Luke's shoulder; he knew just how much animals meant to the boy. Emmy tried to suppress a laugh, half expecting Luke to kiss Bruno because he was that grateful.

"Well, I suppose that we'd better give her a name," Clive answered with a smile, "What do you think, Luke?"

Luke didn't need to think; seeing her beautiful golden fur and hearing her sweet voice had already given him the perfect name to call her.

"Melina," he replied dreamily, "In honour of the Eternal Diva."

Layton and Emmy smiled at each other; the name couldn't have suited her better and it kept their memory of a special young lady fresh in their minds during the despicable situation.

"That's a sweet name," Clive and Flora said simultaneously before they smiled at each other.

Bruno coughed slightly, succeeding in getting the professor's attention away from the purring beauty.

"I've arranged a room for you at the inn," he announced, "Beatrice's real inn was devoured by the flames, but she's managed to set up another business in an abandoned inn in the north of this village with Crumm, after his café was…ruined as well…sadly…The majority of the residents are staying there during the current situation. Seeing that you can't leave, I figured that you'd need somewhere to stay, so I've let them know that you'll be staying there, if that is fine with you. It's a good walk but take every path you see north and stop when you see a sign saying 'Crummeatrice's Inn'. You can't miss it. I hope that…the service will be satisfactory enough…"

"It couldn't have been better. Thank you very much, Bruno."

Luke let out a quiet groan. There was no trouble in St Mystere the last time that they had come and he and the professor had ended up in the attic with just a bed and a rug. After finding furniture to display in their rooms it felt more like home, but only God knew what type of room they'd end up with in a time of crisis like this. The professor seemed to consider this fact too, but a true gentleman wouldn't show it. He tipped his hat and addressed Bruno.

"I suppose that I shall be seeing you tonight—"

"WHAT?!" he exclaimed, "You'll endanger yourselves! You'll—"

"How are we supposed to gather information on this sorceress if we don't witness these 'acts of vengeance'? If I am to help, then clues and evidence against this sorceress is exactly what I need."

Bruno shook his head sadly and sighed.

"If you insist, Professor Layton. If you insist. Oh and please tell me if any of the other robots start to act strangely; I fear that I shall have my hands full very soon…"

"That would be too much of a heavy burden on a man like yourself," Clark said sympathetically, "Not that I'm saying that you wouldn't manage it," he added quickly, hoping that he didn't offend the old man.

"Oh no, my good sir, I have in fact called on two acquaintances of mine. We met at college and they are good loyal friends. If I ever had a favour I needed to ask, I had to only call on them and they would be there. I told them about the events in St Mystere yesterday evening and they said that they would come as soon as possible. However, I got a call from them earlier. They're staying at a nearby inn, due to this storm, so they'll be setting out again in the morning-if the weather clears up of course. I also told them about the robots' behaviour and they told me that they'll do everything that they can to help. Soon there will be more than one man in St Mystere who can help to keep the robots under control."

The professor nodded in understanding.

"That is good; I should very much like to meet them, when they arrive of course."

"Thank you, Professor Layton. I'm sure that they'd like to meet you too."

The professor peered at the tired forms of his assistants before he straightened his hat and turned to Bruno.

"It is getting quite late now and we need some rest if we are to face this sorceress later this evening," he said gently as Clive slumped against the wall and yawned, "We shall be retiring to the inn, if you can excuse us."

"Of course, of course, Professor," Bruno replied, heaving open the door for them, "Have as much rest as you can and be careful out there. I shall see you later tonight and I shall tell the residents to stay indoors tonight, for their own safety. Farewell."

Layton ushered the group out of the tower before he bid the old man farewell and turned to his assistants. The door slammed shut as Luke peered up at the professor with wide eyes. Melina squirmed as the rain dampened her fur, so Luke quickly placed her in his satchel, where her fur would be spared from the weather.

"What did you make of that, Professor?" he asked curiously, "He seems to be very troubled by these events too."

"He seemed a bit…uneasy and suspicious if you ask me…," Flora said quietly, "It was like he was hiding something…but Bruno would never hide anything…would he?"

"That fact remains unknown, for now," the professor answered, "but at least I have picked up some information that could prove useful later on in this investigation."

"What do you think this sorceress is planning?" Emmy asked eagerly, seeming excited about the events.

"I don't know, but this is something serious. This isn't child's play in the slightest. Understand?"

The group nodded as Clive stretched.

"If we're going to face this sorceress then I'm going to need a fair bit of 'shut-eye'. Are we going to make our way to this inn, then?" he asked impatiently.

"Clive's right. Besides, if we hang around in this rain any longer we'll end up getting colds and that isn't a good thing to have when tailing a dangerous villain!" Brenda exclaimed, clearly trying to lighten the situation.

Clark smiled at her as Layton nodded.

"Of course. Everyone follow me and keep together. The last thing I need is to lose any of you. Bruno said it was a good walk but the sooner we set out, the sooner we'll get there."

Luke, Flora and Clive sighed in relief as they hurriedly followed the professor down the sodden paths, completely oblivious to the dark shadow watching them from the darkest corner of the village…


"There you are! Why, Miss Reinhold! A pleasure to see you again for the second time in one day! I do hope that you haven't been harmed by this sorceress's accomplices! They could be anywhere, you know! Anyway, where are my manners?! Welcome to the 'Crummeatrice's Inn'!"

"Um…thank you, Beatrice. I'll try and be more careful from now on," Flora answered, feeling slightly startled by the woman's loud and cheery voice, "We all will, but I suppose that…congratulations are in order for setting up this new inn so quickly."

Beatrice grinned happily, before gesturing to the room next to her, where a small figure was clattering several metal pots and utensils.

"Thank you, dearie!" she said with a beaming smile, "I couldn't have done it without Crumm's help though, believe me! The majority of the credit should go to him!"

Crumm was completely oblivious to the woman's praise as he threw the pans about, growling under his breath.

"He seems…tired…," Clive said carefully, squinting until he made out his short plump figure, "I bet everyone is just swept off of their feet with all these…things going on…"

"Too right, sir. Too right," Beatrice agreed, nodding vigorously.

"It is very resourceful and kind of you to be opening this inn for the homeless of St Mystere," Layton said kindly, "I suppose that business here is very good?"

"I've been getting people left right and centre, Professor, I really have. Luckily, I have my assistants to help me out…but I could always do with some…extra help…Flora sweetie and…um…the young gentleman in the blue suit? Could you, by any chance, help Beatrice with some little errands?"

Flora nodded immediately; if there was anything that she could do to help her friends then she would certainly do so.

"Of course, Beatrice. A true lady always helps anyone in need."

Clive looked at Luke, having not realised that Beatrice was talking to him. Emmy prodded him in the chest, gesturing to Beatrice's hopeful eyes.

"What? Oh…err…sure."

"Just like your mother, Flora dear!" Beatrice exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "Thank you so much, you two! You don't know how much this means!"

She pointed to a large pile of suitcases, each one barely managing to stay closed. Random items of clothing bulged out of the sides and each case looked like it weighed a tonne. Whoever had packed them hadn't done a good job of them.

"So, what do you want us to do exactly?" Clive asked as he peered, confused, at the suitcases.

"As you can see, my arranging talents aren't…up to scratch," she answered, blushing slightly, "so I would really appreciate it if you two could help me pack each customer's case neatly so that I can take them up to their rooms. As you look around the village you will find some more cases, as some of my clients have lost them around the village. Pack all of them correctly and I'll give you a nice surprise. Do you think you can manage that?"

Flora nodded, more than happy to help. Beatrice squealed with delight and clapped her hands loudly. Clive instantly dodged out of the way when Beatrice attempted to 'hug' him, by her way of grateful thanks. After all, she was a large woman, so he feared that he may suffocate to death if he let her anywhere near him.

"Th…thanks!" he answered quickly, putting on his best grin.

"Oh no! Thank you, dearie!" Beatrice answered, suddenly remembering the group of people waiting next to her desk, "Oh deary me! Please forgive me! Anyway, yes. Bruno told me to get some rooms ready for you. So if I can just register you in and then we can—"

"MUMMMMY!" called a high pitched voice from the top of the stairs.

Layton turned around as a light pattering echoed around the room to see a small girl running towards Beatrice, wobbling on her legs slightly. The professor and Luke studied her with interest; they were certain that they hadn't seen her before. Her chestnut hair was secured in two plaits that hung down her shoulders, standing out against her lavender floral dress and her pale skin. Her hazel eyes blinked repeatedly as she stared up at the tall strangers, her face instantly lighting up.

"Oooh! Customers!" she squealed, giggling slightly, "That's a nice top hat you have, mistah!"

"Now, now, Leia. That is not how you address a gentleman," Beatrice scolded gently as she looked apologetically at the professor, "Yes, sweetie. We do have customers and I would like you to take them to their nice room for me, okay?"

The girl smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course, Mummy! Oh! I just need to tell you that Pauly, Don, Gerard and Stachenscar…Stachen…Stachen…the Stachen moustache man aren't very happy with their rooms! They're very angry that they didn't get the rooms that they wanted!"

Beatrice shook her head, tittering.

"Honestly! Do I look like a five star hotel manager?! They're lucky that they even got a room! The last thing I need is picky customers! They get what they get and they can take it, or leave it!"

"They wrote down what they wanted for each of their rooms," Leia explained, pulling out a large sheet of paper, "I think we have those rooms but where do we put them?"

Clive's eyes lit up as he confidently stepped forwards.

"This sounds like a puzzle to me!" he explained with a smile, "Professor, Beatrice, leave this one to me!"

Beatrice looked slightly startled but soon replaced her wariness with a wide grin as she handed him the list.

"Go ahead then, sir. Can you really find a room suitable for all of them?"

"I can certainly try, Beatrice. I can certainly try…"


Puzzle 6- Room gloom (40 picarats)

Four customers of 'Crummeatrice's Inn' are unsatisfied by their rooms. As well as all vital furniture (beds, chairs, bathroom equipment etc.) the appearance of the rooms are as follows: Room 1 is yellow and contains a television, Room 2 is green and contains a bookcase, Room 3 is blue and contains a bookcase and Room 4 is red and contains a television. Here is what the men have to say about their preferred rooms.

Pauly: "GRRR! I HATE MY ROOM! I WANT A ROOM WHERE I DON'T HAVE TO SEE A PRIMARY COLOUR LINING THE WALLS!"

Gerard: "I hate to be picky, but I can't stand the noise that device makes!"

Don: "A BOOKCASE?! Do you think I'm some sort of nerd?!

Stachenscarfen: "I like the sea and anything that reminds me of it…I don't care what the contents of the room are though, as long as I get a feeling of sea…"

By making one adjustment to one of the rooms, you can make every customer happy. You have red, green, yellow and blue paint, a spare television and a book shelf at your disposal. What room must you make an adjustment to and which customer will have which room?

(This one plays with your mind a bit, so don't worry if you get it wrong! However, get this right and you will have 240 picarats)


"Aha! That's how it works!" Clive grinned triumphantly as Leia and Beatrice looked up at him with questioning eyes, "To make every customer happy, all that you have to do is paint either Room 1 or Room 4 blue. That way, Pauly will get Room 2, Gerard will get Room 3, Don will get Room 4 or Room 1 and Stachenscarfen will have the room that Don refuses. The room he refuses should be painted blue."

Beatrice clapped her hands together proudly.

"Ooooh! That's how it works! How on earth could we have overlooked that, eh poppet? You've got a smart head on your shoulders, sir!"

"Shall I go and tell the men that they can stop fighting and we'll get their rooms sorted very soon. Shall I paint splodges of blue over the walls of the room that the fat man wants?"

"Leia!" Beatrice scolded, before she smiled and tickled her under the chin.

"Thank you, dearie! There's a good girl! Come on then, you don't want to keep those men waiting much longer!"

Leia nodded obediently and scampered up the stairs as the professor looked at her with a questioning glance.

"I don't think I have seen her before," he stated, "Has Bruno recently constructed new robots?"

"Yes, he created her a few days ago. To keep me company...," she answered with a sigh, "He's really kind and considerate, our Bruno. He must be run off of his feet with everything that's going on! Yes! Yes, now where was I? Ah! Rooms! Here we are!"

She looked up from her untidy scribbles, which the professor presumed to be a signature, as she smiled at the group and handed out two keys.

"Here we are then. Don't worry, they're more accommodating than when you last came, boys!" she announced, making Layton and Luke breathe a sigh of relief, "They're quite small but I do hope that you enjoy your stay…we'll try and make it as enjoyable as possible whilst you try to solve this case for us. Okay? Good. Now, I'll leave it up to you to decide where you wish to stay, okay?"

"Thank you very much, Beatrice," Layton answered gratefully as he accepted the small keys, "We shall go and find our way to our rooms then. If there is anything that we can do or that we can help you with—"

"Just trying to solve this case is more than enough!" she answered as she waved at them, "See you later then, Professor! Have a good night!"

Bidding the woman farewell, the professor led the group up the small staircase until they reached the main floor. There were several doors lining the walls, each marked with its own number, should anyone get lost. The professor peered down at the keys, as the numbers '345' and '346' glowed softly in the light.

"It seems it will have to be four in one room and three in the other," the professor said quietly looking at the group, "I don't know, but I certainly want Flora to be with me the whole time…should anything happen…"

"Hershel?" asked Brenda, "Would you prefer it if Clark and I had the one room and the rest of you can be together in the other room?"

"It wouldn't be gentlemanly to make Luke sleep with his parents when you four have a nice long conversation about puzzles and whatnot—"

"Dad!" moaned Luke as Clark playfully ruffled his hair, "You know I don't feel that way about you and Mum!"

"Yeah right, second assistant!"

"Great! A night with Emmy!" Luke muttered under his breath when the professor wasn't looking.

Clive shot him a 'Lucky-us!' sarcastic grin as Layton turned to Brenda, smiling gratefully.

"Are you sure, Brenda? If you'll be comfortable by yourselves, then by all means. If you need anything or if you feel concerned about anything then you're more than welcome to come in…"

"Ah, Hershel, as gentlemanly as ever. Don't worry! If I get scared I have my man to protect me!" Brenda answered with a giggle, clinging onto Clark's hand tightly.

"Mum! Please!"

Brenda smiled and hugged Luke tightly before the professor handed one of the keys to Clark. After a final look, they smiled and unlocked their room before they settled down into it, their arms encircling each other. Layton smiled after them; no one could deny the bond that the two shared. Emmy grinned after them as she took the key from Layton's hand and bounced across the corridor.

"Come on then guys! Our room won't magically appear by itself!" she called as Clive and Luke ran after her with Flora.

"Wait up, Emmy!"

"Come on, Birdie! You're meant to fly through this! The last one in the room is a bad birdie!"

She ran into the room, flinging the door open and throwing herself down on the bed excitedly (even though she always told Luke or Clive off whenever they did that).

The professor trailed behind them, staring hard at Flora as she ran with Clive into their room, giggling quietly. Luke, having noticed the professor's serious look, had slowed down and now walked slowly by his side, studying his face cautiously.

"Are you okay, Professor?" he asked carefully, "I know that Flora's safety is something that is troubling you, but we'll get to the bottom of it. This sorceress is going down! Just like all of the other bad guys did!"

The professor smiled, grateful at Luke's attempt to cheer him up.

"Oh, I'm…alright, my boy. Thank you for asking…I'm just concerned about everyone's safety…and this sorceress seemed incredibly dangerous…if any of you get hurt—"

"We won't, Professor! Trust me! Now come on! If we don't hurry up Emmy may have trashed the place!"

"Luke," the professor started in a stern tone, "a gentleman never speaks badly about a lady without evidence…even though Emmy can be a bit…excitable at times…"

"Sorry, Professor," he mumbled apologetically, "Seriously, you would let us know if there was something on your mind, wouldn't you?"

Layton was silent for a moment before he sighed and turned to face his apprentice, kneeling down so that he was his height.

"I just…have a feeling...," he started, feeling more uneasy by the minute, "I can't shake the feeling that…something terrible will happen…tonight, when the Sorceress of Darkness comes…"

Luke patted his shoulder in a supportive manner.

"I'm scared too, Professor…but who wouldn't be?" he said with a smile, quickly returning to his bubbly mood, "We'd better get as much rest as we can before we face her tonight…"

"Professor! Luke! Are you two going to hang around all day, or would you care to join us sometime today?!" Emmy called impatiently, although she was joking.

"Emmy's getting impatient! We'd better not keep her waiting!" Luke replied, running into their room.

Layton closed his eyes in concentration and sighed. He was overreacting. Everything would turn out fine, but it was a habit of his to worry. It was natural to be scared and he had the right to feel the need to protect his young assistants and his adopted daughter, who he knew was in potential danger. He had the right to be afraid, although he thought it wouldn't help matters in the slightest. Taking one last look at the corridor, he entered the room and closed the door, making sure it was locking securely and properly.

Unfortunately, the professor didn't know that he was more than right to fear the events that would occur that dreaded evening…

A quicker update and shorter! How are you finding the puzzles? I'm not including as many but I will as the story progresses. Have you noticed that I've tried to insert minigames like Layton has in his trunk (The cat minigame, the suitcase minigame and I'll insert another minigame in the next chapter). They'll also meet the Sorceress of Darkness for the first time and find out what she has planned for the evening. Once again, thank you to all who have taken the time to read this. Please let me know if there is anything I can improve on in my chapters. Many thanks for your support! Until next time! Plant peace for the planet and see you around!

Abbie XD XD XD XD XD XD