Chapter 6

Chunks of half-solid ice crunched under Stan's boots as he tried to catch up with his brother, who he could see was now pressed up against the base of the enormous cliff above them, the waterfall just up ahead. Even in the dreary weather, it was an impressive sight to behold. The multi-coloured cliff face was covered in hundreds of refracted rainbows from the light bouncing off the falls and from the patches of ice at the base.

"Since when… did you get… so fast?" Stan panted, his hand finally pressing against the cliff wall in relief as he caught his breath. Ford hushed Stan for a moment as he slipped on the goggles and headset to scout for any sign of the Huldufolk, but everything looked normal.

"This isn't adding up…" Ford murmured, taking in the weirdometer's readings again. "This seems to be indicating a large amount of weirdness energy right around here, but I can't hear or see anything irregular…" Stan peered over his brother's shoulder, when he noticed something on the ground.

"Uh, that right there looks pretty irregular to me," he said, pointing to a small footprint lowered into the stone like wet cement.

"Stanley, that's it!" Ford exclaimed hushedly, kneeling down to take a better look. "It's an elf-sized footprint! It must trigger some kind of alarm system for a hidden entranceway!" Ford stood up and carefully pressed the toe of his boot into the tiny footprint, and the stone sunk under his weight. Both brothers grinned in success, waiting for something to happen… only to be disappointed when nothing did.

"Huh…" Ford said to himself, looking around through the googles. Everything was still normal. He powered down the headset, not wanting to waste the battery. Stan seemed perturbed by something.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, turning his head a bit. Ford stopped and listened too.

"I don't hear anything," Ford answered, but Stan still looked insistent, turning towards Ford.

"Exactly - I don't hear anything either. Shouldn't we be hearing the rush of water or something? You know, from the waterfall?" Stan questioned. Ford looked out towards the falls and realized immediately that his twin was right.

"Stanley, look! The waterfall, it's receding!" They both watched in awe as the water slowly but surely stopped flowing, revealing something behind it that looked almost like a tunnel. Ford could barely contain himself as it all became clear - they'd been behind the falls the whole time!Genius!

"Well, I think you can take it from here, poindexter," Stan said as he patted his brother on the shoulder and slipped off the knapsack, dropping it at Ford's feet. "I'm gonna go get those 'water samples' from one of the hot springs I've heard so much about - Helga said there's a real nice, quiet one behind the cliffs." Ford chuckled as he pulled his brother in for a hug.

"Sounds good. I'll send you a message on the walkie talkie when I'm about done and, if you've dried off by then, you can come in and meet the elves yourself!" Ford said, passing him one of the walkies from the bag. Stan stuck the communicator in his jacket pocket, looking awkwardly to his brother.

"You think you could put in a word for me? Ya know, about my head and all? I was thinking, since they're so spiritual and everything… they might be able to tell if you-know-who is really gone," he asked quietly. Ford nodded.

"Sure, Stan… but honestly, I don't think either of us have anything to worry about on that front," Ford assured him, smiling. Stan shot him back a matching one, his mind quiet and back to its regular state of occasional swear words and dreams of pirate glory. And now he had a nice, quiet hot-spring to look forward to, and maybe even some weird little elves to meet afterwards. Things were looking up.

As Stan made his way across the ice towards the hot-spring, he mouthed 'good luck' to his brother. Ford waved back, slipping the bag onto his shoulder as he watched his brother disappear around the bend. Ford eagerly rubbed his hands together - time to get to work! On that note, he turned on both parts of the headset again. Now he'd be able to see and hear whatever wa...

"FREEZE! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" a loud, deep voice exclaimed. Ford jumped at the sudden noise, and looked down to see several elves of varying sizes already surrounding him and pointing appropriately-sized pitchforks at his legs. Had they been there the whole time? A few more were pointing little spears in Stanley's direction, at the ready to fire if necessary. The elf who's voice he'd heard was standing just behind the soldiers. He had a short mustache, and was wearing what looked to be a general's uniform. He might have appeared more threatening if he didn't look like an adorable eight year old. "Drop the device! Hands in the air!" Ford did as the general elf said, cringing a bit as the weirdometer tumbled to the ground, and raised his hands. One of the taller, lankier soldiers warily confiscated the device, slipping it into a burlap sack evidence bag. Hopefully they'd let him take it home when Ford left. "State your name and purpose!" Ford cleared his throat a bit, his hands still in the air.

"My name is Stanford Pines, and I'm a paranormal researcher who's come to learn about your people and your culture, if you'll have me," he stated, his headpiece instantly translating his speech into a frequency they would understand. He was thankful he'd spent so much time on the translation feature - it worked brilliantly on both ends. Perhaps he could even sell a patent for it to fund their next trip… The general narrowed his eyes, looking to the soldiers and scoping out the situation.

"Follow me," the general stated, and the soldier elves held their pitchforks a little higher as they prompted Ford to follow after the general. The small group watching Stan decided he was far enough away to not be deemed a threat, and fell in line with the rest of them, moving in swift formation towards where the waterfall had once been. After a few minutes of tense marching, they arrived at the mouth of the tunnel. Ford looked around at the stone walls of the tunnel in amazement - it looked like it had been naturally formed this way… incredible. As he looked back towards the entrance, the water suddenly resumed its regular flow, falling back like a curtain to conceal the elves' home from prying eyes. Ford wondered to himself how many other humans had stumbled across this before, and had decided to keep it to themselves. He realized it must be something worth protecting...

He was quickly proven right in his thinking - the colony was much larger than he could've imagined, and he broke into a wild grin. It was practically a small town contained in the deepest cave he'd ever seen, all lit by glowing crystals covering the ceiling. The goggles revealed hundreds of elves, all wearing what looked to be eighteenth century clothing. Some elves stood at less than a foot tall, while others, to Ford's surprise, loomed at nearly eight feet tall like beautiful giants. Children, some as short as only a couple of inches, laughed and played, while farmers tended their crops and herded sheep. Some of the elves simply stood and watched, cautious, as the human entered their town. Ford quickly noticed there were markings on the walls of the cave as well - words that, in Icelandic, would roughly translate to 'groceries,' 'clothes,' and even 'worship.' It was just as people said - the Huldufolk made their homes and business and even temples inside pieces of stone! Absolutely fascinating!

The elves suddenly stopped marching, settling in the center of what looked to be the town's square, which was marked by a small staircase leading to a raised platform. A large crowd had formed around the square, all staring up at Ford anxiously as someone ascended the steps. Ford assumed it was to be the elves' leader. As she settled onto the platform, Ford realized why the platform was raised so high - she stood at less than four feet tall, and looked similar to the general - an ethereal child of immense authority that directly clashed with her young appearance. She had wide, bright green eyes, and long chestnut coloured hair tied back in an intricate braid marked with wildflowers. On the platform, she came to about the same height as Ford. She looked to him, and then to the soldiers.

"At ease," she instructed calmly. The soldiers and the general stamped in place, lowering their pitchforks. The leader looked to Ford with an easy smile. "My name is Gardenia - I am the chief representative of this colony. I assume that strange apparatus on your head allows you to see and hear us?" Ford nodded in response, brimming with questions. "Curious… we've never seen this technology before. It must work quite well, for you of all people." Ford raised one eyebrow owlishly.

"Uhh... yes, I suppose it does," Ford answered carefully, trying hard not to take that the wrong way.

"Oh, please know that I don't mean to offend!" she clarified, waving her hands in protest. "The Huldufolk are very in-tune with the spirituality of others. We can sense their auras, and feel good or evil presence. You seem like a smart man, and a sensitive man, but not one of inept perception of the spirit." Ford couldn't argue with that - at least they'd called him smart. "The general has informed me that you seek understanding of our culture. You are free to wander our town and meet our citizens to gather knowledge for your records. However, you must solemnly agree not to disclose this location in your reports, for the safety of the colony." Ford nodded eagerly.

"Of course not! I certainly know how important privacy can be - I won't write a word about the location," Ford swore.

"There is also the matter of the person who accompanied you here. I assume he's your brother…" Gardenia stated, trailing off a bit.

"He's my twin," Ford answered eagerly. "He's gone off for a while to collect water samples from the spring nearby, but I was hoping that, with your permission of course, he'd be able to meet some of you before we leave. He's very excited about it," he said. Gardenia looked towards the general, who was scowling.

"Unfortunately, we cannot let him in here - only you, Stanford Pines," she spoke, her tone suddenly quite serious. Ford frowned.

"If it's a matter of security, I can assure you that he'd be no threat to your people, and it would mean a lot to him to…"

"My answer is final. You may document your findings, talk with as many of the Huldufolk as you wish, but you may not bring your brother into our dwelling," she concluded, turning away from the podium, but not before Ford had something to say.

"What is it to you if one moreperson, a kind and trustworthy person that is, that only wishes to improve human relations with your kind, comes in here for just a few minutes?" he demanded, at a loss for words. Gardenia sighed. "Look, I know he's pretty much the opposite of spiritual, but…"

"Human, stop your prattering," she said, her eyes squinted shut as she rubbed her temples. "I'll strike a deal with you like we've always struck with humans. I will trade you the knowledge you seek, in exchange for a product of your own knowledge. Let our scientists keep the device we seized from you outside the gate, and I will explain everything." He considered the offer - it's not like he couldn't build another one, though it would take a couple days…

"Fine," he agreed, and the leader nodded, looking to her general as he passed her a long, wooden staff. Ford watched curiously as she circled it through the air, wisps of smoke gathering and eventually forming into a large, sparkling cloud above the entire square. An image was becoming clear within the cloud, like some kind of window into the beyond. As the picture became clearer, Ford was speechless as he realized it was his brother, shirtless and happily soaking in the hot spring. The elves lining the square screamed at the sight of him. Ford rolled his eyes as he turned around to face them.

"Oh come on! Everyone takes their clothes off to soak in the hot springs! And he's not that out of shape, we're not exactly spring chickens you know!" he protested, motioning to his brother, who stretched his arms above his head, the hair in his armpits longer than the hair on his head. Even Ford cringed a bit at that. Gardenia shook her head, though, glaring intently at Ford.

"It's not his body that they're afraid of, Stanford Pines. It is his spirit," she explained, and with another wave of her staff, dark purple waves began radiating from his brother's form. Ford furrowed his brow as he stared at the omninous haze, none of this looking like anything he'd ever seen before. The towns-elves were still hissing and cowering from the image.

"I don't understand, my brother is a good man!" Ford shouted over the crowd. Gardenia looked sympathetic, clutching her hands.

"I don't doubt you, but as you can clearly see, his aura is clouded by something…" she trailed off, looking fearfully into Ford's eyes, "...inherently evil."

No… no, it couldn't still be…

Ford's eyes were wide as he stared at the image in disbelief. All this time… all this time Cipher had still been in there. Watching them… listening to every conversation…

This was all just a game to him, and Stan was his hostage… nothing more than a pawn.

And then it dawned on Ford that Stan was all alone.

Stanley sunk deeper into the warm water, curling and uncurling his toes as he breathed deeply, more relaxed than he'd felt in ages. There were no worries - the sun was setting, his brother was off documenting weird, invisible people, delicious chocolate liquorice was sitting comfortably in his stomach, and it seemed like Bill was finally out of the picture, for good.

The walkie talkie had been quiet so far. It figured - Ford was probably gonna be in there for a while. But Stan didn't mind so much, sinking comfortably onto the stone base of the natural hot tub. His mind drifted numbly as he let his eyes close. One more day and the two of them would be flying home to Oregon, seeing the kids, and Soos, and Wendy, and Waddles… he'd have to remember not to make anything for the holidays with ham in it.

The world faded away as Stan verged on the edge of sleep. Ford would be alright, and it'd be nice to get a quick nap in now before his brother radioed him on the walkies and woke him up. Birds chirped and the spring bubbled… all was well with the world as Stanley Pines finally fell asleep.

"...What is he doing? What is he doing?!" Ford suddenly exclaimed as he watched his brother's eyes droop shut. "No, no, no!He… he plannedthis! He planned this all along!"

"What is it? Who planned what?" Gardenia asked, trying to stay calm while Ford's anxiety skyrocketed. The elves began to back away from him, sensing how alarmed and frightened Ford had become as he rifled through his bag, searching for the walkie talkie. He finally grabbed a hold of it, pressing down the call button frantically as he yelled into it.

"STANLEY! STAN, IT'S ME, WAKE UP!" he shouted into the device, but it simply crackled in response. It seemed like there was some kind of interference coming from the cave. He looked up to the shimmering cloud-screen over the square, hoping that somehow the message would get through, but nothing happened on Stanley's end of the line.

"What's happening? What's happening with you brother?" Gardenia questioned, confusion and sympathy overriding cold authority as she turned to Stanford as a friend. Ford breathed deeply, trying not to panic.

"The 'evil' energy coming off my brother… I believe it may be indicating a dream demon that's been haunting my brother's mind for some time, and he may be trying to hurt or even possessmy brother, but I don't know how or why… He's been waiting until Stan was vulnerable and we were separated and…" Ford stopped his rambling thoughts in their tracks as an idea suddenly struck him, the idea illuminating like a super-charged light bulb. It was a long shot, but perhaps there was a chance. Ford turned to face Gardenia, a strange, determined calm coming over him as he said, "I've read that the Huldufolk are able to enter people's dreams. Is this true?" Gardenia looked uncomfortable with the question.

"Ye-es… but only as a means of sending warnings, like for that of a natural disaster, or to thank humans for gifts they've left to help our kind," Gardenia explained cautiously. "We project our spirits into the mind of the human we wish to communicate with." She looked sternly to Ford, suddenly realizing what he was asking of her. "But I will not endanger myself or my people by throwing our spirits into the path of a demon!"

"Of course, I would never ask you or your people to risk their lives. I also know you that don't owe me anything more, but… would you be willing to help me project my spirit into my brother's mind, so I can try to stop the demon before something terrible happens?" he asked, practically begging her. Gardenia looked unsure. "Please… it may be the only way." The elf looked to the human, biting her lip as she considered, the crowd and Ford all holding their breath as they hung on her every word.

"This has never been attempted by a human… but…your devotion to your brother reminds me of the fierce protection we Huldufolk share for one another. We will help you save your brother," she answered with a small smile, her people cheering at the response as Ford stuck out his hand to shake her small one.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I won't forget this," Ford said gratefully, looking back over to the cloud-screen. His brother looked strangely still as he slept. Sleep paralysis had already taken hold. He had to hurry.

"Bring forward the sacred items!" the leader proclaimed. Ford watched as the soldiers passed along a heavy chest from elf to elf. The general received it last and removed whatever was inside, ascending the steps to pass it to their leader. She held the objects gingerly, looking to Ford as she passed the first one to him.

"Take this, and hold it to your heart," Gardenia instructed, passing him a heavy, iridescent stone a bit larger than his palm. It didn't look like any stone or mineral he'd ever seen, shimmering like water under the crystals on the ceiling. He clutched it with both hands, doing as she said and holding it firmly to his fast-beating heart. Lastly, she place a crown of pale yellow wildflowers onto his head. Something felt different suddenly, like he'd been connected to some great, unseen power. "Close your eyes, and concentrate on your brother's face. I will speak the words, and you repeat them." Ford nodded, his hands shaking around the stone as Gardenia began to recite the words. This had to work. It had to...

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay getting this chapter up, but it was worth it because it's gonna be a DOUBLE UPDATE! As in, the last chapter of Part 1 is going up on Sunday! After that, I'm going to need a few weeks to compose the next story arc... big things are coming. See you on Sunday...