Keepers of calamity: chapter 2
Chapter 2: best fronds
"Go on, Anne. You can do it."
Anne was unsure. Sasha had always been a little… mischievous, to say the least, and this had only increased since she had been going through hard times in life, but this was downright crime. Theft of not only A valuable-looking box, but a strange amulet-like necklace with a blue crystal inside of it.
"Are you sure, Sash? This is theft we're talking about."
"Anne, this isn't funny anymore. It's your birthday, and you are going to go inside and take the present you deserve. The box is from marcy, the necklace is from me."
"But-"
"End. Of. Discussion," she growled.
Anne sighed and walked inside, spotting marcy's guilty looking face. She clearly didn't enjoy that either, but she wasn't gonna say anything about it at the same time.
"Okay, deep breath," Anne said, looking around to see if anyone was watching, before taking the necklace and box. The necklace shined like something she'd never seen before, and the box felt… ominous.
As she walked out, Sasha squealed. "That's my girl! You wanna put it on?"
"Sure," anne said, absent-mindedly, walking past her.
Even Sasha, who was usually up for this sort of thing, realised she might have gone a little far.
"Hey, Anne? Sorry if i got a little aggressive back there. How about we go to the park or something?" ————————————
Anne sat down on the bench with marcy on her side and sasha on the other.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Asked marcy. "Shouldn't we return it?"
"No, marcy! It's Anne's birthday! She should do what she wants! Right, Anne?"
Anne's eyes flashed blue for a second, and so did the necklace. "Right," she said, gritting her teeth slightly.
'Strange, isn't it? Sasha always says the most hypocritical things, doesn't she?'
Anne swore that wasn't her own voice in her head. But, it didn't matter.
She opened the box, and a flash of light came out. When the light dissapeared, they were gone.
The background moved, and Anne appeared in a sort of forest. A figure materialised, seemingly made of a black gas, with the pattern of the stone where it's face should be. It was around a chessboard.
It turned around and spoke in the stone's unnervingly soft voice. "Oh, hello Anne."
"Where are we?" Asked Anne.
"We are in my domain. You may visit any time you want, Anne. My home is your home."
Anne was disturbed by those words and she didn't know why. "What are you playing?" She asked, trying to take her mind off what was going on.
"I am simply preparing. Setting up the board," it said, placing down a pawn. "I like to keep track."
"Of what?"
"That's something you don't need to know for now. Just know that you aren't the only one to have a stone, but you are one of few to know me."
"I'm flattered," said Anne, sarcastically.
The forest around them began to crumble.
"Anne, you are waking up. You have to go now."
"B-but i have so many questions!" Anne shouted. "What are you? Why can i make glowy stuff? Why?"
But the voice was already gone.
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Anne woke up, sweating. She wanted to say it was a dream, but it felt so real.
She then noticed the frog family around her.
"Right. I forgot that happened."
"Hey Anne, are you ok?" Asked sprig.
"Careful, boy, it could be hungry," said hop-pop.
"Guys, I didn't eat you yesterday. I'm not gonna eat you now," Anne chuckled. "On the other hand, I am feeling pretty hungry."
"Well, you can have breakfast," said Hop-pop harshly. "But before that, can you tell us why your stone-thingamajig was glowing so brightly?"
"Don't ask me," said Anne, "I only got this thing like, a few days ago. I have no idea how it works."
They walked upstairs to have breakfast, polly guarding her the entire time with a rolling pin.
"So, it must be exciting to be in a whole new world, Anne!"
Anne sighed. "Yeah, but I also miss my friends and family," she looked out the window. "I had two friends who were next to me when i teleported here, I wonder if I could look for them."
"I'm sure that's a great idea, Anne!" Sprig said, walking to the door. "How about we do that no-"
Hop-pop walked up to the door and placed a padlock on it. "No leaving the house for now!" He said. "We may have accepted that you're not a monster, but the townsfolk around here can be awfully unfriendly to anyone or anything new," he growled.
"Yeah, i learnt that yesterday," mumbled Anne.
"Now, you kids go do something in the house, and i'll be in my study."
"Yes, hop-pop," the kids droned, annoyed.
As soon as hop-pop left, Anne walked up to the door. "Dude, I don't think HP knows how to use a padlock," she said. "He needs to attach it to something else, not just the door handle."
"Huh," sprig said. "Well, this doesn't scare me at all that our door is never locked!" And they both walked out of the door.
Hop-pop was in his study as he opened a book labeled 'plantar'. He opened it, moving past pages involving large insects, triangular figures, and familiar looking boxes, before stopping at a page labeled, 'The Stones'. He gasped, recognising the blue stone around Anne's neck.
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"So, Anne, where are we going?" Asked sprig.
"Well, i'm not sure," she said. "I sorta didn't think this far."
"Maybe the voice in your head can help you!"
"We need to stop calling it that, but i'll give it a try." She hadn't even finished the sentence when the voice rang in her head.
Hello again, Anne.
Anne rolled her eyes. "Look, i'm not too happy with you and you probably aren't too happy with me, but i need your help. You seem knowledgeable about this world, so tell me. Where are my friends?"
The voice paused. I can't tell you that, Anne.
"What do you mean, you can't?" Anne said, annoyed. "I need to find them!"
I mean, the voice said, I don't know where they are. I only know of this world. You and your friends are not of this world.
Anne groaned. "Of course. The one time i need answers and you don't give them."
"Any luck?" Asked sprig.
"Nope. It's being annoyingly vague-"
But I can show you something else.
Anne considered it.
"Go on then."
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"So this is the place?" Asked sprig. "I always thought this place was boring and useless."
They were standing outside the town archives. Anne read a sign saying, "this archive was once the home of the esteemed Mycroft Newtback. He left it after his death."
Incorrect, said the voice. A ruse. This place is the home of someone else.
"Who?" Asked Anne.
The previous wearer of your stone, Anne.
"Bu- but this was in a thrift store in my world!" She said.
And who do you think put it there?
Anne was silent.
She walked in, and the most eyecatching features were the myriad of bookshelves, the skylight, and least of all, the small tree in an alcove.
Walk towards the tree, Anne.
"Anne? Where are you going?" Asked sprig.
"Stay by my side, sprig. This tree is important."
She touched it, and her Amulet glowed blue. The tree moved to the side and a secret door opened.
"I'll never diss libraries again!" Mumbled Anne. Sprig laughed. "Yeah, I thought this was just a weird place where old people hung out."
They walked in, and followed a long hallway with wooden panelling for floor and homely design… until they heard a clanking. They turned around to see a beige robot with red accents, mostly around the joints.
"Oh, come on! The one we've been looking for comes and it's a kid?" He looks towards Anne. "Oh. A human. I've heard of you guys from my master."
Anne was shocked. "I thought this was a rural world. I didn't know there were robots!"
"Not many left," sighed the robot. "Name's cogsley. And my master's been looking for you for a while." He gestured towards sprig. "Both of you."
"Me too?" Questioned sprig.
They walked into a dimly lit room with one or two other strange looking robots around.
"Master Leif, your descendant has arrived," said a yellowish one with a tall thin head. "And so has your successor."
They were shocked to see a hospital bed with a small pink frog long, long past her time.
"You look like that one person on my family shrub! What was your name?" Asked sprig.
"Lily?" The old frog croaked in a hoarse voice. "That would be me, yes. But call me leif."
"But that would make you over-!"
"Over a thousand years old, yes." She sighed. "I have to admit, this has gone on longer than i'd have hoped, but my successor has finally arrived."
"You mean me?" Asked Anne.
"Yes, you, child," Leif smiled. "That stone of yours used to be mine. But i gave it up. And you seem to have found it." The amulet glowed.
"Why are we here?" Anne asked. "Are you going to teach me how to use the stone?"
"Oh, child, how i wish i could. But i'm dying. I'm 1027 years old, and my only purpose in life has been completed. I'm afraid you'll be teaching yourself. However, i wish to impart some information."
"What?"
"Beware of the one that speaks of everything you want to hear. After betrayal, he rises."
"But- I don't understand," said Anne. And she broke down. "I don't know what's going on."
"And I don't expect you to," leif said. "But you were chosen. Good luck, children."
And she lay down.
"Time to rest."
And with that, Leif plantar lived no more.
Cogsley looked down upon his former master.
"She's gone," he said. "I have served her for 560 years, and she's gone." He looked to the children. "She always insisted that I was to protect the next stonekeeper. Call upon me if you need me."
And with that, they left.
"You know, you'd think i'd be used to death by now," said sprig. "Wanna, like, go to a beach or something?"
"You know what, sure," Anne said, walking out of the archives. "We really need that."
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After a kerfuffle with a giant watersnake, and anne zapping it with her limited powers, they returned home to a very grumpy looking hop-pop.
"Kids!" He said. "What was the one rule i gave you?"
Anne sighed. "Don't leave," she said.
"Yes. And what did you do?"
"Leave."
"Darn right you did," he said, strictly. "Although I am mighty curious, how did you get out?"
"You didn't lock the door properly."
"Oh. That's… not good."
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Grime stood above a dazed Sasha, looking at the screen.
"Two others… interesting. Someone called Anne and another called Marcy."
And he looked closer. "And one has a stone of old."