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Chapter Three:
Parade of The Great Raven
The sun rose into the sky, bringing the light dawn upon the town of Trolberg. As the sun's rays covered the land, they reached the apartment building of a particular paranormal investigator.
Thomas was asleep in bed, enjoying a wonderful dream of ice cream. However, the peaceful dream was interrupted when the sun shone through the room's window. Groaning, he opened one eye. As his vision adjusted, he looked at the phone and saw it was 7:00. It was time to get up and start the day.
He quickly showered before getting dressed and walking into his living room. He grabbed his backpack and made his way to the door. Taking his hat off the coat hanger and putting it on, Thomas left his apartment.
Walking up the stairs to the next level, he approached the door and gave it a knock. "Coming!" said a voice from the room. A moment later, Johanna opened the door. "Thomas! Good morning."
"Good morning to you, too," he said, smiling. Johanna stepped aside and allowed him to step inside. "So, how's the new place treating you?"
It's been a week since the mother and Hilda moved into their new apartment. The morning after spending the night in Thomas's room, Johanna and the redhead went to the landlord to get approved to move in. At first, the mother was nervous. Having heard horror stories online from other women in her situation, Johanna feared that the man wouldn't allow a single mother with little to her name and her daughter to move in.
However, the brunette's worries were unfounded. The landlord allowed her to move into the top floor, much to Johanna's surprise and gratitude. With Thomas's help, she was able to get everything that could be saved from her grandfather's house into her family's new apartment. Using the money she's saved, Johanna bought new furniture and other items that were lost. This included kitchen wear, food, and supplies.
Johanna and Hilda set up their new home for the rest of the week. Thomas would come over whenever he had free time and help out. Johanna, always happy to see her friend, accepted his help, and the two worked together.
"Oh, it's lovely," she said, smiling. However, Johanna lost her smile as she thought about her daughter. "Though…I do wish Hilda would give the city a chance. She's been in her room for days now."
Thomas thought for a moment before smiling. "Well, let's see if we can't get her to come out," he said. While it did confuse the mother at first, Johanna followed Thomas as they both made their way to Hilda's room.
However, they heard something strange when they approached the blue-haired girl's room. At first, it sounded like rumbling. Then it sounded like rain hitting fabric and strong winds.
"Today was supposed to be sunny, right?" he asked his crush, wondering what Hilda was up to. Shrugging her shoulders, Johanna reached for the door handle. Slowly turning it, she opened the door and peeked inside.
To her and Thomas' surprise, Hilda had set up a tent in her room. Using her blanket, the girl hung up by some rope. Books were used to pin down the edges of the makeshift tent, and storm sounds came from inside.
The adults looked at one another. Together, they approached the tent. From the inside, they heard Twig's growl. "Something's coming," said Hilda. "Something dangerous. And I suspect it means to eat us—"
"OOGA BOOGA BOOGA!" Thomas shouted, throwing open the entrance of the tent. Hilda screamed in fright and tripped onto her back as Twig drove into the blankets to hide. "I'm a zombie, and I will malice you with a shoehorn!"
"'Malice her with a shoehorn'?" Johanna looked at her best friend with a raised eyebrow. Smirking at she crossed her arms.
"Something I heard from a cartoon when I was a kid," Thomas said, shrugging. Johanna giggled at his silliness, and the redhead turned back to Hilda. "Hey, blueberry. What're you up to in here?"
"Camping with Twig and Alfur," she said, smiling. The blue-haired girl gestured to her pet, who popped out from under the covers. The little elf, on the other hand, was sitting on a coffee thermos, which was sitting inside a wooden picnic basket. Inside the basket were snacks, cold cuts, cheese, and bread.
"I can see that," Johanna said, looking at her daughter with a raised eyebrow. "And how's it going?"
"It's going good. I've been helping Alfur file reports about the city back to the other elves. They don't really care about Trolberg, but they love receiving reports," Hilda explained to her mum and best friend. It was odd, even to her. However, she was happy to help either way.
The little elf nodded. "They do."
"Right. The same city that you've not even bothered to go out and explore?" Thomas asked the girl, raising an eyebrow at her. Frowning at her knowingly.
"Uh…."
"That's it! Let's get you out of this room. No little girl should have to be cooped up inside. Not when there's a city to explore," Thomas said firmly.
"But the city is so cold and dull. There's nothing to do out there," Hilda said, refusing to go outside.
"Really? You, the most adventurous girl I know, want to sit inside and do nothing," Thomas asked, not believing what he was hearing.
"He's right, Hilda," Johanna said sternly. Making her daughter pout with her cheeks puffing up. "You haven't been out of the house in days."
Hilda sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. The young girl stood up and exited the tent.
It was a lovely day in the town of Trolberg. People went about their day as normal while Thomas and Johanna walked beside one another. The redhead glanced at the mother, smiling at her beauty before turning away. Johanna noticed this and blushed, flattered.
Hilda was walking in front of them, still pouting. When a car passed by the three of them, the exhaust fumes hit her in the face. She coughed violently. "Don't be so dramatic," Johanna said, raising an eyebrow. "The truth is there are lots to do in Trolberg. In fact, there's a big parade this evening, with floats and decorations, lights and loud music. People in weird costumes."
"Really? Sounds awesome, right, Hilda?" Thomas asked the blue-haired girl.
Hilda's interest peaked when she heard about the weird costume part of the parade. "I suppose that sounds cool," she said, rubbing her right arm as her foot kicked a rock. "I've never seen a proper parade before."
"Why don't we go down and watch it together?" Johanna offered her daughter. "You might find the city more fun than you think."
"It still can't match the wilderness for interesting creatures," Hilda said, rolling her eyes.
"Please, your wilderness creatures are tame compared to Gravity Falls," Thomas said, rolling his eyes at her.
Johanna giggled at how silly they were being with each other. It was like watching a father having a banter with his daughter. When that train of thought entered her head, Johanna looked at Thomas with a blush. Though young, the man indeed acted like a father figure to Hilda. It's something Johanna's had in the back of her mind for a while.
If people were to see how they were, they would likely think they were one happy family. They would think that she and Thomas were husband and wife. Johanna blushed at that thought, even though she found Thomas quite attractive and funny.
However, she was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed something. "Well, I see some interesting creatures over there," Johanna said.
Hilda gasped and looked around. "Where?" She asked. That was until spotting what her mother was referring to. "Oh…"
Across the street, at a small playground, was a group of kids. All around Hilda's age. Three boys and one girl.
"Why not go make some new friends?" Johanna encouraged her daughter.
Thomas was about to say something to Hilda when something caught his attention.
At first, he heard rumbling. When he turned his head toward it, he gasped when the redhead caught a glimpse of lightning bolts. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" Hilda asked her friend.
Thomas turned back to where he saw the lightning. "There was some lightning. But why would there be lightning when the sky's so clear?"
"Thomas, please don't change the subject." Johanna pointed at her best friend in disapproval. She then turned back to her daughter. "You're always saying how you can make friends with elves, trolls, and giants. And there's Thomas."
"Hey!"
"Compared to that, talking to some kids should be easy," Johanna said, confident in her daughter's ability to make human friends.
Hilda looked at Thomas. The redhead, seeing her uncertainty, smiled at her and knelt beside her. "You can do it, Hilda. They might just be the friends you need in Trolberg. It can't hurt to try."
Seeing that she wasn't getting out of this, Hilda sucked in a breath and puffed out her chest. Then she crossed the street and approached the other kids.
"Hello, I'm Hilda. I just moved here. Want to be friends?" she asked the kids nervously. Afraid of getting rejected in her first attempt at making friends.
"Hi, Hilda. Nice to meet you," said one of the boys.
"Welcome to Trolberg," said the shortest boy as the friend group waved at her. This made Hilda smile, thinking that she's made new friends.
As the group started walking off, the first boy waved for the girl to follow them. "Well, come on."
Hilda turned back to her mum and Thomas and shrugged. Happy to see her making friends, they both gave her two thumbs up.
After Hilda left with her new friends, Thomas and Johanna returned to her apartment. The young mother needed some help putting together her new drafting table for her graphic design job. Jorgan destroyed the one she had before. Thomas was more than happy to help her.
For the next hour, they put together the desk. What would have taken Johanna all day, they finished in an hour and a half. Most of that time was spent talking to each other.
"You were a Sparrow Scout too?" Johanna asked, helping Thomas push the desk up against the wall. They were talking about the local scout troop that was in Trolberg when Thomas brought up his time in Gravity Falls' troop.
"Yep. Made it all the way to Falcon Scout," Thomas said, wiping his brow. It was the highest rank in the Sparrow Scouts, except for Raven Leader. Together they sat down on the couch. "I was even offered the position of Raven Leader, but once I was accepted to my dream college, I had to turn it down."
"I was only in the scouts until high school. But it was an amazing time," Johanna said. Sighing as she thought back to the old days. The friends she made and the adventures she went on. That's when a radical idea formed in her head. "What if we signed up for the scouts?"
Thomas raised an eyebrow and smirked. "'We?'"
Realizing what she'd said, Johanna blushed and looked away with embarrassment. "W-Well, I would be doing the paperwork as her mother," she said, coughing into her fist. Getting back to her idea, the brunette began to explain her reasoning. "But think about it. Hilda can make more friends and have the adventures she's been missing."
"That sounds like an awesome idea," Thomas said with a smile. However, he started to worry about Hilda. "It's been a while since she's been gone. Don't you think we should go and see if she's doing okay?"
Johanna smiled at him, finding it cute that he worried about her daughter. However, that same worry was spilled over to her. "You're right. I should go and get her," she said, standing up.
She was stopped by Thomas placing a hand on her hand. "I'll go get her," he offered with a smile.
"Thank you, Thomas." Once again, Johanna was grateful to the young man and blushed.
Thomas got up from the couch and made his way to the door. Opening the door and closing it behind him, he descended the stairs. However, he was stopped by the sound of panting and approaching feet. It didn't take long for him to discover the person coming up the stairs was the blue-haired girl he'd sent off to search for.
"Hilda?" Thomas calling her out made Hilda gasp, startled. "Easy, blueberry, I was just about to…." Thomas trailed off as he looked at what Hilda held in her arms.
Surprised, he saw that it was a raven. The bird had dark gray feathers and beak, all of which matched the physical characteristics of a raven. However, this one had smaller wings than others of his species and black, stick-like legs and feet.
Thomas stared at the raven for a moment, then glanced at Hilda. He then closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Hilda, why do you have a bird?"
"Those awful children attacked him. The same ones that you and Mum wanted me to befriend," Hilda said, upset.
"Oh…" Thomas said, rubbing the back of his head as he looked at his friend apologetically. "I-I'm sorry that things didn't go great, Hilda. But your mother won't like having a bird in the house."
"But this isn't a normal raven. He can talk!" Hilda insisted. However, she looked at the bird again. Not sure about what she'd heard. "You did talk, right?"
"I did? When?" Quoth the raven.
Thomas' eyes widened as he stared at the raven. "Okay, didn't see that coming."
"I have to get him into my room. Please help me, and don't tell Mum," Hilda said to Thomas.
"What? Hilda, you can't keep a talking raven away from your mother," Thomas said, disapproving of Hilda's wanting to keep secrets from Johanna.
"It's just so that I can make sure he's okay. Please, Thomas. I don't want the other kids to hurt him again," Hilda pleaded.
Thomas frowned at his friend, even when she and the raven gave him the infamous puppy eyes. He tried staying strong, but it was no good. He sighed in defeat. "The things I do for love…."
Back in the apartment, Johanna was washing the dishes. She hummed to herself, lost in her thoughts. That was until the door opened. Hilda was the first to come inside the apartment. Thomas was behind her, with the raven resting inside his backpack. "And here she is, Johanna. Just as I was about to leave the building," he said.
"Ooh, how did it go, Hilda?" Johanna asked her daughter, turning to the two. "It was so nice to see you making friends with some actual kids for a change. Instead of some odd creature."
"Uh, yeah, uh, it was cool," Hilda said, glancing nervously at Thomas. "Uh, Thomas. Was there something that you wanted to show me? Something about anomalies?"
Thomas played along with the blue-haired girl. "Uh, yeah. I think there's a bigfoot in the area, and I have some pictures to show you."
"Well, don't forget that we still have a parade to see," Johanna said. As she returned to cleaning the dishes, Thomas and Hilda quickly walked toward the young girl's room. A caw from the raven made Johanna look up from the plate she was cleaning.
Opening the door to her room, Hilda quickly rushed into her tent. Thomas followed her inside and set his backpack on the ground. Reaching in, he gently picked up the raven and set him on the blanket-covered floor.
"What's going on?" Alfur asked.
"We'll need some papers for this raven," Thomas said, pulling out his journal and notebook.
Aflur was silent for a moment before happily grinning. "Okay!" He said, pulling out three papers. Not at all bothered by the presence of a wild animal.
After grabbing them, Thomas set the papers on the ground, and Hilda proved the raven with ink. "Oh, uh…" She pondered momentarily, trying to figure out how the raven would sign the documents.
However, the raven stepped one foot into the ink, getting some on his claw.
"Okay, then just sign here, here, and here," Thomas said, pointing to where the raven needed to place his signature. The bird did so by stamping his footprint on the papers. "I know it's a hassle, but now you'll be able to see Alfur."
"Hello!" Alfur greeted the raven. Making the bird gasp in startled fright.
Twig then came over and sniffed the raven. "And this is my dear fox Twig," Hilda said, petting her pet.
The sight of the animal made the raven whimper. He backed away from the deer fox in fear. He turned around and looked outside the tent. His eyes widened when he laid eyes on the room. "Ooooh."
"Well, he seems to be doing all right. For now, at least," Thomas said, ready to take notes on the talking raven. Alfur climbed onto his shoulder, intending to make a report about their interaction with the bird. "Alright, Mr. Raven, we'll start off with something easy. Tell me, what's your name?"
Walking back over to the four of them, the raven placed his wing on his head. "Um…I'm not sure," he said, scared.
"Uh-huh. And how do you spend your time here in the city?" Alfur asked, not getting the hint that the raven didn't know his own name.
"I don't know." The raven whimpered as he placed a wing on his beak.
Alfur turned to Thomas. "Yeah, I hate to say this, but he's not a great interview."
"Wait, you don't know your own name?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is there anything that you remember?"
"Oh…Oh, no, I've lost my memory!" The raven exclaimed, freaking out. "This is bad. I think I'm important."
"You and me both," Thomas said. Picking up the raven, he looked over the bird and inspected him for any injuries that could have contributed to his amnesia. That's when he spotted a bump on the back of his head. "Oooh, that looks nasty."
"It was Trevor and his friends!" Hilda told her friend. "They were throwing rocks at the raven and birds and hit him."
"Yup. That'll do it." Thomas placed the raven down. "We'll just have to wait until his memories come back."
Hearing this made the raven's eyes widen. He quickly flapped his wings and jumped out of Thomas' hands. "No, I have to be somewhere! There's something I need to do! But I can't even remember who I is!" The raven said in total hopelessness.
"Who I am. Am." Alfur corrected him.
This only caused the raven more despair. "Now I've forgotten grammar! And I love grammar," he said.
"You love grammar?" Hilda asked, looking at the bird with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe?"
"Well, this is getting us nowhere," Thomas said, putting his journal down. He thought for a moment before an idea came up. "How about this? What can you remember? Think hard."
Following Thomas's instructions, the raven put his wings on his head and narrowed his eyes. He concentrated hard on what memories he still had left in his head. "Uh…I see the statue of a bald, breaded man with a cape!" He proclaimed.
"Huh, okay. That's good. And oddly specific," Thomas said.
"Anything else," Hilda asked.
The raven spread his wings and looked down at his body. Looking self-conscious about himself. "I thought I was bigger."
"I've made that mistake many times," Aflur commented.
Outside the room, Johanna approached the door to her daughter's room. However, she overheard Thomas' voice from the other side and listened to the conversation. "Alright, we've got to find that statue and see if it jogs any memories," he said. This made Johanna raise an eyebrow. Just what was going on in that room?
"In the meantime, trust no one. Me, Thomas, and Alfur are the only people you can talk to." Johanna heard her daughter say. For a moment, she wondered if that meant Hilda wouldn't tell her what was going on. "You never know if it could be someone unsavory, like those awful kids. But we're your friends. We'll stick by you."
Deciding to see what was going on, Johanna knocked on the door.
"Who's that?" Said a voice she never heard before. This was followed by Hilda shushing the person.
Johanna opened the door and said, "Hilda, Thomas, it's time for the parade."
Hilda popped her head out of the tent and smiled nervously at her mum. "Be right there!"
Now Johanna definitely knew something was going on. Intending to find out but not wanting to alarm Hilda, she pretended to act clueless by turning and walking away.
"Alright, change of plans," Thomas whispered to the raven. "We'll go out looking tomorrow. We promise." With that said, he and Hilda left the tent.
Johanna walked out of the apartment a minute later with her daughter and Thomas. However, she stopped and said, "Ugh! I forgot my wallet. Wait right here. I'll be back in a moment." Johanna turned and walked back into the apartment.
However, upon entering her apartment room, she went straight to her daughter's room. Slowly, the mother opened the door and frowned as she carefully closed the door. Then, Johanna approached the tent and threw open the entrance. Wanting to know who the hell Hilda was talking to and what she was trying to hide.
A raven was not something she was expecting.
"What on earth?!" Johanna exclaimed upon seeing the raven. Freaking out, the raven started cawing and flying erratically around the tent. Not happy that Hilda had brought a wild animal into the apartment, Johanna quickly got in and started trying to grab ahold of the bird. "Come here, come on!"
After a second, Johanna grabbed the bird and started heading for the window.
"Ma'am, wait!" Alfur shouted, riding Twig's head as he tried to stop Johanna from doing something she'd regret.
However, Johanna wasn't paying attention to him. She opened the window and placed the raven on the windowsill. "Sorry, but our home is no place for strange birds. Now shoo!" She told him as the raven coward.
Twig jumped onto the windowsill, allowing Alfur to jump off and land next to the raven. However, the little elf did not notice Johanna grabbing Twig and bringing him back inside. "Don't worry. I'm here to…."
The little elf was cut off when the mom slammed the window shut. Trapping them outside.
"...help?"
With the raven out of the house and not knowing she'd accidentally kicked Alfur out with him, Johanna walked to the door to leave. However, she had actually forgotten her wallet, so the brunette grabbed it.
Walking out of the building, she saw Thomas and Hilda together, leaning against the wall with their arms crossed. Closing the door behind her, Johanna waved her wallet. "Got my wallet. Let's go," she said. Together, the three of them made their way down the street.
As they headed down the street, they followed some people on their way to the parade. Johanna figured that because they were wearing clothes and costumes in the parade's theme, it was a safe bet that they could lead them. Thomas saw what they were wearing and raised an eyebrow when he saw that the parade's theme was of a bird.
Going down one path, they passed by food stands selling freshly picked fruits and vegetables. Some of the owners recognized the paranormal investigator and waved at him.
"You're popular." Johanna teased him.
Thomas shrugged. "What can I say? When you help people with ghosts or bizarre things, people start to know who you are," he said, hands in his pockets.
This was a perfect moment to discuss their plan with her mum, so Hilda tugged on Thomas' jacket. Getting his attention as they continued walking. "You know, maybe I should get out more. I was thinking tomorrow we could go out and explore the city. Just the two of us," she said to the paranormal investigator.
"Whoa, look out!" Thomas quickly grabbed Hilda's hand and pulled her back. Preventing her from walking into the street without looking. Just as a car hooked its horn and sped down the street. "Watch it, asshole!"
Hilda panted momentarily, trying to get her heart beating at an average pace again. "It might be better if Thomas and I showed you around a bit more first," said Johanna, grabbing Hilda's other hand. She then gestured to a walk signal on the other sidewalk, which showed the universal red hand signal to stop. "That's called a 'walk signal.'"
The signal then turned into the walking green man. Together, the three of them walked across the crosswalk.
However, as they walked down the street together, Hilda noticed her mum and Thomas were holding her hands. While it felt weird, Hilda didn't do anything to stop them. As a matter of fact, she enjoyed it. Not saying anything, Hilda smiled and went along with it.
Soon, they made it to the parade, and Hilda's eyes widened. There were so many people down and across the road. Kids ran around, playing as their parents interacted with friends, family, and the people selling food and trinkets at their stands. Everyone in attendance was wearing strange and funny outfits that had red, orange, and tan colors. And they were all dressed like birds.
"Ta-da! The famous Trolberg Bird Parade!" Johanna said, proudly showing the festival to the two with her. "It's just about to start!"
"You guys celebrate birds?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's more like we celebrate one bird, Thomas," Johanna said, smirking at him. She was about to explain more when she spotted a float and got excited. "Oooh, look! It's the Sparrow Scouts float."
Thomas looked in the direction his crush was pointing and saw the scouts inspecting their float. Among them were the two kids Hilda first met at the school.
"The uniforms have definitely changed," Thomas said.
"Let's go and meet them," Johanna said, placing her hand on Hilda's shoulder and leading her toward the float. Thomas smiled and followed behind them. "I was a Sparrow Scout myself, you know."
As Johanna told her daughter about her experience in the scouts, Thomas took notice of the float. He was thoroughly impressed with what the kids were about to make. Sitting on their float was a giant paper mache bird with light and dark tan feathers made from construction paper. The eyes were made with paper and cardboard, and a ring of flowers surrounded the bird.
Curious, Thomas tapped Johanna on the shoulder. Interrupting her while she was talking to Hilda about the Sparrow Scouts. "Johanna, what's that bird statue about?"
Johanna smiled and happily explained it to him. "That's the Great Raven. This whole festival is in his honor," she told the redhead. Thomas and Hilda listened to her as the brunette deviled deeper into the lore behind the raven. "He blesses the city by flying over the parade every year."
While it was interesting, Thomas and Hilda glanced at one another. Nervous and worried. A special raven flying over the town? That was something rather strange. But then again, Thomas comes from a town that celebrates Halloween twice a year, so who was he to judge?
No, it was the talking raven Hilda found that made them nervous. The fact that he talks and that there's a festival in honor of a raven couldn't have been a coincidence. The loss of his memories, however, is what made them anxious.
"Uh, and, um, what if he doesn't show up?" Hilda asked, timorous.
"Well, it's been a long time since that ever happened," Johanna said. Placing a finger on her chin, the mother thought for a moment. Trying to remember what she learned about in school. "But when it did, the city had an awful year."
Thomas gulped and sweated nervously. "Uh, how bad?"
"Oh, there was a drought, the harvest was ruined, that sort of thing," Johanna said. While she was smiling, not knowing what her daughter and best friend knew, Thomas and Hilda were terrified. "I want to say famine and plague…."
"Oh, crap. Oh, crap!" Thomas yelled, startling Johanna and some of the people around them. They had the Great Raven in their apartment. It had to be him! There was no other explanation for why he talked. And if they didn't get him to remember who he was before it was too late, history would repeat itself. He turned to Hilda and said urgently, "We've got to get back to the house!"
Thomas and Hilda bolted into the crowd, pushing past the people in front of them as they rushed to leave the parade.
"Thomas! Wait!" Johanna called out to her friend. She ran after the redhead and her daughter. "Hilda!"
Just as Thomas and Hilda broke out of the crowd and were about to race back home, he was stopped by a hand grabbing his. He turned around and nearly blushed, seeing that Johanna was the one grabbing him.
"Thomas, what's going on?" She asked, confused and worried.
Thomas grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes with a panicked look. "Johanna, we've got to get back to the house! The fate of the town depends on it!"
"What are you talking about," Johanna asked, once again confused.
Realizing she had lost Thomas, Hilda turned back and saw that her mum stopped him. Running back over, the girl said, "Mum, I think the Great Raven might be at our house, and he's lost his memory!"
Seeing there might be a misunderstanding and that they were panicking over nothing, Johanna placed her hands on Thomas' and gently held them after removing his grip from her shoulders. Pushing back the feeling of how nice his rough hands felt, Johanna said to him and her daughter, "Both of you, calm down. It was not the Great Raven. You just found a raven."
Hearing that, Hilda was surprised. "You knew I found a raven?"
"Yes, and I put him out."
"You WHAT?!" Thomas shouted. "Why would you throw the raven out of the house?"
"Why would you bring a random raven into the house?!" Johanna countered the ridiculous question.
"He's not random!" Hilda said, desperate. "He talks!"
At that moment, the gravity of the situation became clear to Johanna. Now she knew why the two were panicking. She knows that she might have helped doom the town. "W-Well, he didn't say anything to me."
"Alright, the way I see it, we've got until midnight to find the Great Raven," Thomas told the mother and daughter. "If we're going to save the town, we've got to tell him who he is!"
"Maybe he's still in the building. Come on!" Hilda hurriedly said and ran off. Thomas grabbed Johanna's hand, and the two ran after the blue-haired girl.
Upon entering Hilda's room, they rushed to the window. Johanna quickly opened it, and Hilda climbed onto the fire escape. She looked around the sky desperately before lowering her gaze to the alleyway below.
"He's gone!" Hilda exclaimed.
"Don't worry. We know what he's looking for." Thomas said, removing his backpack and pulling out a quadrotor drone. "The one thing he remembers was a statue of a bald, breaded man with—"
"With a cape?" Johanna finished his sentence, raising an eyebrow.
Hearing her say that, Thomas put away the quadrotor and put his backpack on. "You know what he's talking about?"
Johanna smiled and nodded. "Odin's statue. It's locally famous. Let's go!" She said, helping her daughter back inside the room.
"How do you find your way around here?" Hilda asked her best friend and mum. The three of them walked down the street toward the statue.
"I could ask the same thing about you and the forest," Thomas asked jokingly.
"I grew up in the forest," Hilda said defensively.
"Well, so did your mum and everyone that lives in Trolberg," Thomas said, gesturing to the houses. "Just like how you learned every tree and hill, people here have learned the streets."
Hilda shook her head. "But every street looks exactly alike."
Johanna chuckled. "You know, some people think that about rocks," she said.
"That's crazy! Every rock is different." Hilda told her mum.
"Well, the city is like that, too." Johanna knelt beside her daughter and pointed toward the houses across the street. "Take a look at those houses, for example. Look at the doors. That one's a nice deep red."
Seeing what she was trying to convey to Hilda, Thomas placed his hand on the young girl's head. Getting her attention, the redhead pointed to another house. "And that one's white, with a window and a knocker."
With a smile, Hilda pointed to another house's door. "And that one's rustic with a wood finish, which I quite like. I see what you mean. They're similar, but they've all got their own personality. And that's just the start." Hilda walked a bit further up the street and pointed toward the roof of some houses. "There's different chimneys and lampposts. And different cars and plants breaking out of the pavement."
"The city itself is just like a forest, Hilda. Only we replaced the trees with buildings. All you have to do is rediscover your path," Thomas said, smiling at the girl.
"Uh, don't get me wrong, Trolberg's still less interesting than a rock," Hilda said, holding up a finger. "...but, it's close enough." She continued walking ahead of the adults.
Thomas rolled his eyes and followed her, with Johanna walking beside him. The brunette mother smiled at her friend, cheeks blushing slightly. "Thank you, Thomas. You know, you're much better with kids than I thought."
"Comes from 16 years of having a sister." Thomas chuckled.
"I think we're almost to the statue. Come on!" Johanna grabbed Thomas' hand and started running, with Hilda following them.
Within a minute, they'd made it to the statue of the Norse God Odin that the raven remembered. "He's not here! He must not have been able to find it," Hilda said.
Thomas looked around, trying to think of a way to find the raven. His concentration was cut by the tolling of a bell inside one of the many bell towers around the city. "I've got an idea!"
Still holding Johanna's hand, Thomas rushed towards the tower with Hilda running behind them. When they reached the tower, Thomas opened the door and allowed the girls to enter. Following behind them, he and the girls ran up the stairs.
"To find a bird, we'll have to think like a bird," Thomas said as they reached the top.
"Ah! Good thinking," Johanna said, opening the door to the observation deck. Hilda ran over to the railing and was joined by her mother and the red-haired man. Together, they looked out at the city as the sun was starting to set over the horizon.
It was a beautiful sight to behold. The colors the setting sun gave the sky were magnificent. The light shining between the tallest building reminded Hilda of the trees and mountains of her old home. And houses and homes of Trolberg still had lights on, adding more beauty to the view.
Thomas and Johanna stood on both sides of the young daughter as Hilda stared out at the city in amazement. "Wow, from up here, the city is, well, kind of beautiful," she said.
Johanna smiled at her daughter and leaned on the metal rail. "Yes, it is," she said. "I know you miss the wilderness, Hilda, but I promise, Trolberg is a pretty cool place to grow up. I thought it was."
Hilda looked at her mom with a surprised look for a moment. Then she smiled at her. "I'm sure it is," she said, before looking down in shame. "Sorry if I've been a bit of a brat."
"And I'm sorry for putting the raven out," said Johanna, placing a hand on her chest.
"It's okay. We should have told you about it," Thomas said. "But why wouldn't you want to tell your mum about the raven, Hilda?"
Hilda looked away from the two most important adults in her life. Ashamed for not telling her mother. "I know that Mum didn't like me making friends with creatures, especially when she wanted me to make friends with other kids."
Johanna and Thomas knelt beside the young girl as the mother took her daughter's hands. "Hilda, I love that you can make friends with all manner of things. I just thought you ought to be open to befriending humans as well." Thomas cleared his throat. "Humans your age, that is."
"I am, but those kids just weren't a good fit. They threw rocks at birds, Mum," Hilda explained.
"Well, then, we're proud of you for not making friends," Thomas said, patting her head. Making her laugh and push his hand away.
The redhead stood up and took off his backpack. Reaching into it, he pulled out the quadrotor and turned it on. The mini propellers spun rapidly, emitting a buzzing sound.
"Let's see if we can't find that raven," he said, controlling the drone with his phone as it ascended into the sky.
For several minutes, the drone flew over the city streets. The small camera gave the paranormal investigator a bird's eye view of the city. Starting from the bell tower they were at, Thomas piloted the drone as Hilda and Johanna used the cone-fed binoculars positioned around the observation desk. But time was running out. As the sun disappeared, the moon climbed higher into the sky. For a moment, Thomas feared they'd never find the bird before midnight.
However, that was until he spotted someone.
It was one of the boys that Hilda tried befriending. He was carrying a cage with a raven in it.
"I think I found him!" He called over the girls. Johanna and Hilda quickly ran over to him. Thomas showed them the phone screen.
"That's Trevor! He's the one that hit the raven with the rock. He can't be trusted," Hilda said, glaring at the boy on the screen.
Johanna examined the street the boy was walking down and seemed to recognize it. "Thomas, can you zoom out a little?" Thomas did as she asked and zoomed out. Johanna then saw something on the screen. "Okay, now go down and to the left."
The drone's camera moved and showed a simple little footbridge connecting the two streets separated by a water canal.
"He's heading for the Bronstad Lane Footbridge. I know a shortcut," Johanna said. She turned and started running down the stairs of the tower. Thomas and Hilda quickly followed after her.
As the townsfolk started to panic and worry about the Great Raven's absence from the parade, Thomas followed the mother and daughter as they ran down the street together. They were running down one street when Johanna turned unexpectedly into an alleyway. Thomas and Hilda followed after her as she ran towards a wooden door. The mother opened the door and allowed her daughter and friend to pass by first.
The trio continued running down the path until a wooden fence blocked them. They would have thought the woman find another way around it. However, Johanna surprised both adventurers by climbing the fence. "This way!" She said, hopping down to the ground.
Thomas was the next to scale over the fence. However, he stopped and sat on top before lending Hilda a hand. Hilda grabbed his hand, and Thomas pulled her up. "Right behind you, mum!" Hilda said, dropping down on the other side. The Pines went down after her. They then continued out running.
"Whoa, Johanna!" Thomas exclaimed with a grin.
"Where do you think she gets her scene of adventure from?" Johanna laughed.
Running out of the alleys, they came upon Trevor as he set the cage on the edge of the bridge. Violently shaking it angrily.
"Talk, you!" He yelled at the raven. "Why wouldn't you talk?! Why did you embarrass me like that?!"
"Hey!" Hilda called out to the boy. Trevor yelped and turned around, alarmed to see Hilda and the two adults. "Let him go!"
"I'm not crazy! You heard him too, Hilda!" Trevor yelled, rattling the cage. "He talked!"
"Okay, okay, he'd talked. But you've got to give us the raven," Thomas said, slowly approaching the boy.
"Not until he talks to me!" Trevor shouted.
However, there was another person with them. Alfur, who's been with the raven on their journey to find the statue, climbed onto Trevor's shoulder. "This is pitiful. Just say something!" He told the raven.
Unfortunately, he was heard by Trevor. "Who said that?!" He turned around, accidentally hitting the cage and making it tip over. The raven screamed as he fell into the water.
"No!" Thomas, Hilda, and Johanna rushed onto the footbridge. The redhead tried to reach down and catch the cage, but his fingers were just an inch too far from it.
"Help!" The raven cried out. He flapped his wings around, but it did little to stop the cage from sinking. And sinking fast.
Seeing no other option and thinking it might help him, Hilda shouted, "You're the Great Raven!"
The raven's eyes widened he completely sank under the water.
Thomas threw off his backpack and was about the jump into the water to save the raven. However, be he could, Hilda beat him to the punch. Climbing over the wall of the footbridge, she hopped into the canal before Johanna could stop her.
"Hilda!" she screamed.
"I'll get her!" Thomas exclaimed, jumping into the water after the blue-haired girl.
Diving under the surface, Thomas looked around frantically. Trying to find his friend. Thankfully, before long, he spotted her a few feet deeper. Trying to wrestle open the cage. The redhead quickly tried swimming towards her.
However, from within the cage, the raven started to glow.
Up on the bridge, Johanna was done waiting around. Rolling up her sleeves, she was prepared to jump into the water to get her daughter and Thomas out. However, just before she could dive in, a bright light appeared from below. "What's that?" asked Trevor.
The light only grew more extensive and more intense. Then, all of a sudden, something huge came crashing out of the canal. Sending water everywhere.
The two on the bridge watched with wide eyes as a giant black bird emerged. Rocketing out of the water and flying high into the sky.
They gasped and watched as the Great Raven took flight. He turned around and dived towards them. Flying overhead as Johanna and Trevor ducked their heads.
When he passed by, Johanna saw a glimpse of the two people sitting on its back.
Thomas sat behind Hilda and held onto her as they rode on the back of the giant raven. With big grins on their faces, they held on as the raven ascended into the clouds.
"I remember EVERYTHING!" The raven shouted with such joy. Performing a loop midair, he dived back down toward the ground. Passing over the footbridge again as Johanna watched them.
"HILDA!" she screamed and ran as fast as she could to catch up with them. No matter how futile her efforts were. Alfur jumped on her coat at the last moment and hung on as the mother bolted down the street.
The Great Raven climbed into the clouds and soared through the sky. "I told you I was bigger," he said. "I only take that little form when I'm being discreet."
"I…I can't believe it! You are the Great Raven!" Thomas exclaimed.
"Well, not exactly."
This took the two humans aback. "What?" asked Hilda.
"It was all a big misunderstanding, actually," the raven said. He thought back on that day as his memories returned to him. Diving down towards the city, he circled around the statue of Odin. "A long, long time ago, I was passing over the city when I landed on that statue over there. The people thought I was the raven messenger of the god they worshipped. That year, there was a great harvest, and everyone prospered. They thought it was my doing. So the following year, they started this festival in my honor."
"Wait, then what about the bad year," Hilda asked.
"Ah, that was the year I missed the festival. I was back home in America. The bad luck had nothing to do with me, but everyone thought they'd displeased me. After that, I decided to make an effort to show myself every year," the raven explained to the humans on his back.
"Wait, America?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you're not the Great Raven, what are you?"
The raven said, "I'm a thunderbird."
This revelation made Thomas' eyes widen. "What?!" He exclaimed. "You mean like from Native American legends? Yes! I knew you guys were real!"
"What's a thunderbird?" asked Hilda.
"Eh, just a bird for the most part. But I can do this!"
The raven flapped his wings and shot himself high into the clouds. With the clouds surrounding him, the Great Raven spread out his wings. His body formed a sphere of energy that shot lightning bolts in all directions. The skies around him rumbled with thunderous booms and powerful crackles. Thomas and Hilda watched the lightning with wide eyes and giant grins. Amazed and astonished by the spectacular display of the thunderbird's powers.
"They seem to like that," the raven said as he gave off another blast of electricity.
Down on the streets below, everyone saw the thunderbird and his lightning. Signaling to them that he was here. They all began cheering for their Great Raven, and soon the parade started. Floats were turned on, and giant parade balloons were lifted off the ground as they glowed from the lights inside them.
Thomas and Hilda held on tightly as the raven drove down and flew over the streets. Giving them a fantastic view of the parade. As she looked down with a smile, Hilda spotted someone searching for her in the crowd. "I just saw my mum down there. You think you could drop us off?"
The raven turned back towards the mother and started flying lower.
"Johanna!" Thomas called out to the woman.
Johanna turned around and saw Thomas standing on the back of the raven with Hilda on his back.
Just as the raven's talons were mere inches away from the heads of the gathered crowd, the Pines man made a jump for the ground. He landed on his feet, but the force of the landing and the speed of the raven forced his legs to run forward. Thomas tried to slow himself down, but luckily, Johanna was there to stop him.
The two adults collided with one another as their arms wrapped around each other. Thomas sighed in relief as he and Johanna smiled and hugged each other tightly. "Thomas, you're all right," she said, relieved. However, when they pulled away and grinned joyfully at one another, they realized how close they were. Both adults quickly pulled away. Johanna then took Hilda from Thomas' back and hugged her daughter tightly. "Both of you are safe."
"Thank you for everything, Homas and Tilda!" The Great Raven shouted back at the two of them as he climbed into the sky and disappeared. Mixing the first letters of their names.
Alfur, who was riding in Johanna's purse, tried correcting him. "It's Thomas and Hilda—" he groaned in annoyance. "Ugh, what's the point?"
"So thunderbirds are bad with names. I'll have to write that one down," Thomas said, chuckling.
"Later. Come on!" Johanna placed her daughter down on her feet and grabbed Thomas' hand. She took him down an alleyway as Hilda followed. "I've got someplace special."
After a few seconds of walking through the alleyways, Johanna brought Thomas and Hilda to a pile of rocks leaning against a small wall. The mother climbed up the rocks and stopped the help her daughter up. Thomas was the last to start climbing, standing behind Hilda to watch her in case the young girl fell.
Eventually, the three of them reached the top of the wall. With their legs hanging off the edge, they sat down, watching with smiles as the parade made its way down the street. On the wall, they had a great view over everyone else's heads.
Popping out of Johanna's bag, Alfur watched the parade with the family. "What a lovely view!" He gasped.
Hearing him, Johanna turned him and said, "Aflur! Glad you could join us."
"Where've you been," Thomas asked the elf.
"That's a very interesting story," Alfur said, returning his attention to the parade.
Hilda did have to agree with the little elf. "It is a great spot, though. How did you know about this," she asked Johanna.
Johanna placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder and pulled her closer. "This is where I would come to watch the parade when I was your age," she explained. The mom then looked away, sad. "I know it might not match your view up there."
Hilda looked at her mum with a saddened expression. Sorry that she couldn't see what she and Thomas got to. But Hilda smiled and placed her hand on Johanna's. "Actually, it's much better. Because we're all here. Together," Hilda said, pulling on Thomas' arm to bring him closer.
For a moment, Thomas looked at Johanna. The young mother smiled and reached out to place her hand on his. Making the paranormal investigator blush. "Together," she said.
This earned her a grateful smile from Thomas, who felt so happy hearing Johanna say that. Thomas scooted over and placed his arm around Hilda and Johanna. The brunette did the same with her arm. Together, the three turned back towards the parade and watched it continue.
However, while no one was looking, Thomas glanced down at Hilda and Johanna. As he looked at them, the redhead felt his lips make a smile that reminded him of his father, Patrick, and how he'd smile. Whenever Patrick smiled like that, he said it was because he could make his son, daughter, Stacy, and wife, Wendy, happy or laugh. He explained to Thomas and Stacy that he smiled the way he did because of them—the family he was given and that he was alive and well to see them be so cheerful and happy.
And this was the feeling that Thomas was having at that moment. As strange as it was, he felt like he was with his own family. Of course, Thomas wouldn't say it out loud, but Hilda was like a daughter to him. There's no getting around that. He loved the girl like a father would his own daughter.
As for Johanna? Thomas knew his feelings for her and would want nothing more than to ask her on a date. The thought of being rejected by the older woman held him back, along with not wanting to ruin their friendship if things didn't go smoothly. But, perhaps there was a chance for Thomas and Johanna to have a relationship.
For now, though, he'll enjoy the time he's having right now.
AN: And that's the third chapter of the story! Once again, Thomas is becoming the father figure Hilda never knew she wanted and winning Johanna's heart. It's honestly so much fun to write about the three of them being a family together.
Next up is "The Sparrow Scouts," and after that is "The Troll Rock." Afterward, I'll be able to do some original chapters, as by that point, most of the essential people in Hilda's life would have been introduced in the story.
Until next time, farewell.