The strange kid laughed and danced around, skipping backwards. Gary stared at the silver ball in the palm of his hand. 'The true enemy is...' he turned to look at the kid. 'You.'
The silver ball rose into the air, and the kid's laughter turned to shrieks. 'You can't do that!'
With an explosion of light, the silver ball vanished, and the air filled with spirits. They moved around the group, looking, until they all coalesced around the strange kid. His scream was cut off in the burst of light, and all of it vanished.
The carousel lit up again, and for a moment, the horses were all being ridden by laughing, smiling spirits, and then there was darkness, and silence.
'They've been released,' Meghan said.
Sam hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her, still staring at the carousel.
'What happened to the Silver Sight?' Andy asked.
'Disappeared. I think when it lost its souls, it lost its power,' Gary answered. Sam stepped back, her hand still in his.
'What about him?' Quinn asked.
Gary turned to the general. He was sitting on the edge of the carousel, shaking. Gary let go of Sam to jog over to the old man. 'Are you alright?'
The General stood. 'I am now. Thank you... your grandfather would have been proud of you, Son.' He started walking away, slowly, but without looking back.
'Gary, does this mean the story's over?' Vange asked.
Gary looked at her, then glanced over at Sam, his grandmother's words echoing in his head. He smiled at Vange. 'Yeah. This story ends here.' He put his arm around her shoulder and led her back to the group. They all turned their back on the carousel, and Gary paused a moment to watch them go. End of a story. End of a meeting. He was almost always the last to leave. Only this time there was no fire to put out, no traditional words to say... he glanced back at the merry-go-round, and smiled as an echo of his grandfather waved, winked, and vanished.
One more thing to do.
Sam waited for him, smiling as he trailed behind. 'I knew you could do it,' she said as he caught up. She slipped her arm through his and leaned up to kiss his cheek.
He smiled. 'And you were right. Hey, before I... I have something for you.'
Sam frowned. 'Please tell me it's not an evil silver charm, because you're notorious for loose endings...'
'It's not an evil charm. I promise.' He took her hand and let her away from the carousel. 'It's sort of an heirloom. A gift from Grams. Something Grampa gave to her a long time ago and that I'd now like to give to you. See, the truth is, I've been thinking about this for a long time, and after tonight, I realized... I don't want to wait so long that I loose my chance, like General Candle did with Donna.'
He stopped walking and took out the little box his grandmother had pressed into his hand that evening. He opened the box, and inside, nestled in a bed of worn velvet, was his grandmother's engagement ring. Gary looked around at the quiet park. 'I know this isn't the most romantic place, but I'm hoping you'll not hold that against me.' His eyes returned to hers. She was smiling. Smiling was good, right? Her pretty eyes lifted from the ring to his. 'Well?' he asked.
'Well what?' She answered. 'I'm sensing there's a question connected to this very beautiful gift, but if there is you haven't asked it yet.'
She was right. He was messing this up so bad... he should have known he couldn't accomplish two impossible things in one night.
'Trust your instincts,' she whispered, and he opened his eyes to see she was still smiling.
Instincts. Right. What was the procedure here? Slowly, he sank down to one knee. 'Sam. Samantha. Will you marry me?'
Her smile burst wide, and she knelt, too. 'I thought you'd never ask,' she said, and kissed him. 'Yes. I can't wait.'
'Hey guys, what's -' Tucker stopped walking, staring down at them as they knelt on the ground, Gary halfway done slipping the ring over Sam's finger. Not a perfect fit, but a little resizing would take care of that. 'Oh, no way! Seriously?'
'Tucker,' Gary started, standing, and helping Sam up to her feet, too.
Tucker grinned and stepped closer. 'Congratulations,' he said, and hugged Sam. 'It's about time, too!' Then he swatted Gary. 'An amusement park? Really?' But he hugged, him, too. 'Come on. Grams is waiting.' He draped his arms around each of their shoulders and guided them towards Gary's car.
The Tale of the Silver Sight was finally finished. They'd found the end to their grandfather's greatest story. But Gary's greatest story was only just beginning...
The end.