Somewhere in Kent, Ohio, Stacey, Sarah and the others materialized near the bank of the Cuyahoga River. One by one, the eight friends got to their feet and began looking around.
"Everyone still in one piece?" Stacey asked, turning to the others in concern.
"It looks like everyone's present and accounted for," Sarah noted, smiling over at her other friends from the Underground, who were currently taking in their surroundings.
"So, this is your world, Sarah?" Hoggle asked. "I know we've been to your world once before, but we never saw anythin' beyond your bedroom at your old house in Upper Nyack."
"Whaddya think?" Toby grinned.
"Everything in this kingdom is so green!" Sir Didymus voiced his observations. "But what exactly is yonder garden used for? There are no flowers or plants of any sort." Sarah, Stacey and Toby looked over in the direction Sir Didymus was pointing, seeing instantly what he was talking about.
"That's a baseball field," Sarah realized. "We must be in Fred Fuller Park."
"What baseball?" Ludo asked.
"It's a game that's very popular in this world," Stacey explained. "The point is to hit a fist-sized ball with a ba… with a club, then make a lap around the field before the opposing team…um, I guess it would be easier to explain if there was an actual game going on. Maybe, when this mess with the Agnostic's over with, we can all come back here to catch one. Hey, Daedalus, remember how every July, Wayne and I would come down to watch a game here after a dinner of burgers and lemonade, after which we would go watch the fireworks together?" Daedalus responded with a high whistling cry.
"Oh, dear," Sarah sighed, looking at the owl in sympathy. "We're sorry, Daedalus. We forgot you lose your ability to speak in this world." Daedalus clicked his beak and puffed his feathers, as if to say 'don't worry about it.'
"So, what's the plan now?" Hoggle asked.
"Sarah, Momma will be wondering where we are," Toby reminded, lightly tugging on Sarah's arm.
"Oh, that's right," Sarah sighed. "We probably should start making our way home. It's a bit of a walk to the nearest bus stop from here. Our parents might send a search party for us if we're not home by five."
"Um, Sarah, first thing's first," Stacey spoke up. "I really think we should figure out what to do with the guys. Some of them probably won't blend in very easily here."
"What's the problem? We can just pass off Sir Didymus and Thesues as a pair of stuffed toys, and…oh. Ludo." Sarah grimaced as she took in the size and appearance of the yeti.
"Yeah, Ludo," Stacey nodded. "I can't see your parents being very understanding if they see him at your place. And I really don't think him coming with me is a good idea, either. Wayne's house is way too small for him."
"My playhouse!" Toby cried excitedly, looking up at Ludo. "You can stay in my playhouse outside!"
"That's a great idea!" Sarah agreed. "I've seen his playhouse; it's definitely big enough for you to fit comfortably inside."
"Hey, thanks, Toby," Stacey grinned at the young boy.
"What about Sir Hoggle?" Sir Didymus asked.
"Well, I thought it would be a good idea for him to come to Wayne's house with Daedalus and me," Stacey answered. "After all, Wayne and Hoggle are roughly the same height, so I can see Hoggle being comfortable there. That is, if you're okay with that," Hoggle?"
"Of course," Hoggle readily agreed. "I'd be fine with going with you."
"Okay, it's settled," Sarah nodded. "Ludo can stay in Toby's playhouse, Sir Didymus and Theseus will pose as stuffed toys, and Hoggle will go with you to Wayne's place. We'll meet tomorrow to discuss what to do about the Agnostic. I'll give you a phone call later so we can decide on the time and place."
"Sounds like a plan," Stacey agreed.
Toby carefully moved around the side of the Williams family's house, doing his best to avoid being seen. When he reached the front of the house, he met up with Sarah, who had been waiting behind the hedge with Sir Didymus and Theseus.
"I got Ludo into my playhouse," Toby announced proudly. "I don't think Momma and Daddy saw me."
"That's good," Sarah sighed in relief, passing Theseus over to Toby. "Okay, remember, Sir Didymus. You and Theseus need to pretend to be stuffed toys when our parents are around. That means keep still, and no talking."
"Ye can count on me, my lady," Sir Didymus insisted.
"Cu-Chu!" Theseus smiled in agreement.
Accepting their promises to not give away their true identities, Sarah and Toby made their way up to the front door. Before they opened it, however, Irene stepped out to meet them, looking very cross.
"Sarah, where were you?" she demanded. "You were supposed to be watching Toby while I was shopping."
"I was watching him," Sarah replied, forcing herself not to snap back. "We just went out for a bit. You never said anything about not leaving the house together. And I left a note up on my bed saying I'd be back as soon as possible."
"And where exactly did you go?" Irene questioned with her hands on her hips.
"A friend of mine…called me up," Sarah explained. "I needed to go and help her with something."
"What friend? The only friends you seem to have are the ones from that acting school of yours, and none of them live anywhere near here."
"Sarah's friend came here to visit, Momma," Toby spoke up. "She's only going to be around for a little while before going back home." Irene was quiet for a moment, looking between Sarah and Toby, as if expecting to see any sign that they were lying.
"And what might those be," she asked finally, glancing down at Sir Didymus and Theseus.
"Oh, well, I told my friend all about Toby at school," Sarah stated. "She liked hearing about him so much; she brought these toys for him as a present." Irene still looked skeptical, but soon decided to accept their story.
"All right then," she sighed in a long-suffering way. "Just as long as you don't go anywhere else. I'll expect both of you to be here for dinner."
A short time later, a PARTA bus stopped at one of the scheduled stops, allowing Stacey and Hoggle to get off. Daedalus, knowing it would draw unwanted attention if he'd gotten on the bus with the others, had chosen to fly to Wayne's home instead. After the bus drove off, Stacey and Hoggle walked past the houses in silence, but when they reached Wayne's place, Stacey stopped in her tracks. For a long moment, she took in the sight of the one story house. Even though it had been two years since she'd been here, it looked exactly the same as she remembered it, complete with the old white ash tree standing in the front yard. The same ash tree where Wayne had found her as a baby.
"Stacey?" Hoggle looked up at her in concern. "What's wrong?"
"I can't do this," Stacey turned away, looking extremely guilty. "I…I haven't seen Wayne in two years. And the last thing I ever said to him was…that I was spending the night at Sarah's place. I told him that I'd see him tomorrow. But that was the night Sarah and I came to the Underground.
"Wayne was the one who raised me since I was a baby. And I thanked him by completely disappearing from this world. I didn't even say goodbye. I as good as abandoned him, Hoggle. How can I…how can I look him in the eye now?"
For a long moment, Hoggle simply looked at his friend before offering his encouragement.
"Stacey, it'll be alright," he assured. "I remember everythin' you told us about Wayne. I don't think he'll be angry with you at all. If anythin', he'll just be happy to see you again." When Stacey didn't show any sign of accepting what he was saying, Hoggle reached out and took her hand, giving it a supporting squeeze.
"It'll be alright," Hoggle repeated. "I'll be right there with you." With these words, Stacey turned to Hoggle with a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Hoggle," she sighed. "What would I do without you?" Hoggle returned the smile and continued to hold her hand as they stepped up to the front door. Hesitating only a moment longer, Stacey reached out and knocked, but no one came to answer the door.
"Maybe he's not home?" Hoggle guessed as Stacey tested the door handle and found that the door was locked.
"Maybe," Stacey nodded, slightly crestfallen. Turning away, Stacey crouched down next to a flowerpot that was positioned by the door. Lifting it up, she revealed a small house key taped to the bottom of the flowerpot.
"Wayne always keeps a spare key here," Stacey explained, slipping the key into the lock. "He's been known to forget his key on the kitchen table from time to time." Very slowly, she pushed open the door and hesitantly stepped into the house, motioning for Hoggle to come in after her.
Everything in the house was exactly the same as Stacey remembered it. The framed painting of blue jays still hung over the hall table where a cache pot filled with various odds and ends was positioned, and Wayne's old black umbrella was propped up in the corner by the door, where it always was.
"Two years," Stacey muttered, taking everything in. "He hasn't changed anything in two years. It's like I never left."
"How long do you think it will take before Wayne comes back?" Hoggle asked.
"I don't know," Stacey bit her lip. "But…I wonder…"
Without another word, Stacey walked into the door that led to the fully furnished kitchen. Affixed to the Whirlpool refrigerator was a stick calendar, which Stacey took a moment to examine.
"Yeah, I thought so. Today is Saturday."
"Is that important?"
"It explains why Wayne's not home. Saturdays are when Wayne drives out to the lumber yard to purchase more wood for his latest jobs. He always makes it a full day outing, so he probably won't be back until very late tonight.
"Well, I guess that means we'll be on our own for dinner tonight," Stacey smiled down at Hoggle. "Do you have any ideas as to what you'd like to eat?"
"You know that you have a better idea of what kind of food exists in this world," Hoggle pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Stacey chuckled, opening the refrigerator door to see what was inside. "Hmmm, doesn't look like we have much of anything. Just a bunch of condiments, some milk…that expired last week, and a jar of spaghetti sauce…ugh, there's mold growing in this jar! When was the last time Wayne cleaned this thing out?"
"So there's nothing to eat here?" Hoggle glanced into the bare refrigerator.
"I guess not. The only thing that looks remotely edible is this." Reaching into the refrigerator, Stacey pulled out a Coke can, which she promptly opened and began drinking.
"Could I try some of that?" Hoggle asked, looking at the can in curiosity.
"Mmmm," Stacey pursed her lips as she glanced into the can of soda through the small opening. "Sorry, I just finished it. If you wanted some, you should have said so earlier."
"You…drank it all?" Hoggle gaped. In response, Stacey started beaming down at the dwarf.
"I'm only kidding, Hoggle," she laughed, passing the can over to him. "Did you really think I'd forget about you?" However, as Hoggle gratefully accepted the drink with a small smile on his face, Stacey grew a bit more serious. "Well, I guess there's nothing else for it. We're going to have to head out again to the store to get something for dinner. I wonder if the local Safeway is still open. Who knows how much has changed in this town since I left."
"I take it that's what you call your marketplace?"
"You could call it that," Stacey chuckled. "I just hope Wayne will forgive me for taking a few twenties out of the emergency fund box."
As Stacey spoke, she opened up the cabinet beneath the kitchen sick and moved the wastebasket aside to reach the rust covered cash box that had been stored back there. Hoggle watched in interest as she unlocked the cash box with the key that was hidden in the drawer that stored the silverware and lifted up the lid, revealing a reasonable amount of money.
"So, this is the currency you use in this world," the dwarf mused, studying the bills as Stacey pulled some out.
"Yeah, I guess using paper money does seem a bit strange compared to the coins and bartering system utilized in the Underground," Stacey acknowledged. "If you think that's something, wait until you see our version of the marketplace."
AN: Kind of a filler chapter, but the plot will pick up again very soon.