Fairly Oddparents copyright Viacom

Chapter 28: Into the Mountain of Madness

Written: 17 Jan 2006-22 Jan 2006

Posted: 22 Jan 2006

Momma Cosma kicked in the door. "Was that really necessary?" Butch asked.

She didn't answer. She simply barged in. Now she was getting her quarry. But once she entered the eating establishment, she found the other one inside were a human waitress and brown-suited gnome. "Where is he?" Momma Cosma growled at the waitress.

"Where's who?"

"Timmy Turner."

The waitress shook her head. "There's nobody by that name who passed through here the past few hours, ma'am."

"Are you sure?" Butch pleaded. "We haven't any given you a description of him."

"Trust me, sir. We know the name of everyone who passes through here."

"How is that possible?"

"Why, magic of course."

Butch's face turned red and shrunk back. "Oh yes of course."

Momma Cosma frowned. She needed answers. And she needed them quickly. She closed distance between the waitress and herself. "Who did pass through here in the past few hours? And just what sort of magic do you use to find people's names?"

"We use a Name Finder spell. Doesn't everyone?"

Momma Cosma grabbed the waitress's collar. "And that would be?" She had never heard of this Name Finder spell. She really hated human magic. Humans should really stay out of the magic business. They usually made a mess out of things.

"It lets you know the name of the person who walks through that door." She pointed the one behind Momma Cosma.

"So it's cast directly on the door?'

Katherine nodded.

"Is there any way of getting the enchantment?"

"Not that I know of."

Momma Cosma shoved her way past the waitress. The front door couldn't be the only way in and out of the place. "Come on, Mr. Turner. We're checking out the kitchen."

"Why? Surely my son wouldn't leave through the kitchen."

"Wanda, the she-devil, would."

"Just who is this Wanda woman anyway?"

"Your worst nightmare."

-OOO-

Vicky growled. "What's taking them so long?"

A.J. sighed. Must she always be in such a foul mood?

"Why are you in such a hurry, Vicky?" Mrs. Turner asked.

Vicky stared off into the mountains. "Your son has to be stopped."

"Why? Why must he be stopped?"

Vicky didn't answer. She just kept staring off into the distance. A.J. didn't want to disturb her. It seemed hazardous to his health. Sally seemed to agree. At the very least, she was remaining silent.

Mrs. Turner didn't seem intimated at all. "Why, Vicky? Is he in some kind of danger?"

Vicky seemed to take a moment. "I believe so."

Mrs. Turner appeared to make a decision. "We should go on without Momma Cosma. We certainly don't need her to save my son."

"If you say, Mrs. Turner."

Vicky turned to face Mrs. Turner. "What about Mr. Turner?"

"He can take care of himself. It's Timmy I'm more worried about."

"Then we should hurry," Sally said finally. "It's getting kinda late."

"My son is in danger. Of course we're going to hurry."

-OOO-

They climbed the hills on top of their mules. Timmy was confused. They had barely enough time to get out of the diner, let alone run any chores. So where had the mules come from? He certainly didn't remember wishing for any mules. Not that he was complaining. It sure did beat walking.

The group was heading up a narrow walkway on the face of a cliff. Timmy tried not to look down, but failed. He looked nervously over the edge. It was far deeper drop than the one under the rope bridge. "Where are we going?" he asked his mother, who was riding just ahead.

She looked over her shoulder. "I don't know, dear. Fanny wouldn't say. We'll just have to see."

Timmy nodded. But if his mother thought he was satisfied with that answer, then she's very much mistaken. If only there was a way to get past mom and closer to Fanny… But there was only enough room on the ledge for the mules to walk single-file. Trying to get past would mean near-certain doom.

He most definitely didn't want to risk that. He had too much to live for.

He had fairies who granted fairies who granted whatever he wished for. Well… almost whatever he wished for, he decided on reflection. There were still Da Rules. But that was still enough for any ten-year boy.

More than enough.

Which meant he had to wait. He hated waiting. But for some reason he was forced to wait an awful lot lately.

Just where were they going?

It was getting dark. And these mountains of madness did seem to be the place to be after dark.

-OOO-

Cosmo felt that his wife, Wanda, was near, but he couldn't find her anywhere. No matter how hard he looked. He tried looking in the bushes and looking under rocks. The darkness certainly didn't help. "Where are you, Wanda?" he cried out to the empty plains.

No answer came.

He continued his search, slowly making his way toward the mountains to the west.

-OOO-

They had reached the top of the climb, and Timmy could only see more mountains to the west. Fanny pulled her mule to a stop and dismounted. "We will wait here."

Timmy blinked. "Wait? Wait for what?"

"You'll see."

He sighed before dismounting.

-OOO-

The climb was long and difficult, but they had managed to finish most of it within an hour. Well, it did help that they had got mules to ride this path clearly meant for mules. Mrs. Turner had bought them from a farmer who seemed to awfully large overabundance of mules. What would a man like that be doing out here in place like this with that many mules?

"What do you suppose your son is doing all the way here, Mrs. Turner?" A.J. asked.

"I haven't the foggiest," she sighed.

They climbed the final few feet of the mule path and looked onto the relatively flat area on top of the hill. Timmy was there. Along with three others.

It was one of those three others that drew her attention. Especially the one that was sitting with Timmy.

And the woman that kept being called Maria Turner realized that wasn't her name at all.

It was Wanda.

She also realized that the woman with Timmy the one who was Maria Turner.