The Calamity House

Chapter 7~Sprig

Sprig Plantar sat in the back of his family's wagon (or as his family called it, the "Fwagon") with his little sister Polly. Driving the Fwagon was their Hop Pop, who had the reigns to the Demon pulling the Fwagon; Bessie. They were heading to the market in their hometown of Boneswood, located in the Forearm Forest just beside Bonesborough. It was smaller than most towns on the Boiling Isles, but it was their home. 

'Alright kids, I'm gonna do a little shoppin'. You watch the cart.' Hop Pop said as he got out of the cart and walked towards the market. Sprig nodded. 'You got it Hop Pop!' he said to his grandfather, 'I'll protect this cart with my LIFE!' he finished with a shout. 

Hop Pop stared at Sprig incredulously for a moment. 'No, no, Sprig, I was talking to Polly.' he said to his grandson. Sprig returned the look of confusion. 'Polly's just a baby!' he retorted. Polly looked angrily at Sprig. 'You act like a baby!' she said. Hop Pop nodded his head in agreement. 'Polly's got more responsibility in her baby Demon body than you've got in your child one.'

Sprig rolled his eyes. 'But that's ridiculous! What possibly makes you believe I'm irresponsible?' Hop Pop gave Sprig a stern look. 'Gee, let me think...' the old man said sarcastically. 'The time you put some tiny Demon in my stew and made it explode...the time you made a massive hole in my bedroom wall...and the time you left the windows and doors open and terrifying monsters got into the house!' he finished angrily. 

Sprig flinched. 'Well...yesterday was just a bad day!' he said meekly, not able to come up with a great retort. It was Hop Pop's turn to roll his eyes. 'Right. Polly, just please make sure he stays in the Fwagon, I can't deal with anymore madness..' the older demon then entered the market. 

Sprig sighed and slumped down. 'I wish there was a way to prove to Hop Pop I'm not such a goof-up.' he said sadly. Polly looked at him unsympathetically. 

Just then, Wally, another Demon in the town came running out of the forest. 'Monster! Monster in the forest! I saw it! It tried to attack me!' he cried in a panicked frenzy, alarming the people nearby. 

The mayor of Boneswood, Mayor Titanstool (who hailed from a prestigious Demon family and was appointed by the Emperor's Coven to lead the town) approached. 'Simmer down now, Wally, simmer down. Tell us what you saw.'

Wally shuddered as he gathered his breath. 'Oh, it was horrifying! It wasn't like most Witches or Demons! It had these...things sticking out of its head, like no other Demon does! I was lucky to escape!'

Mayor Titanstool nodded in understanding. 'We'd better stop this creature before it hurts somebody...or worse. And that's because, for Mayor Titanstool, your safety comes first!' the mayor said to applause from the citizens. 'It's the responsible thing to do!' Wally cried. 

The last sentence spoken by Wally hit Sprig hard...Could this be his chance to prove to Hop Pop he didn't mess everything up? A smile forming on his face, he turned to his little sister. 'Polly, I just had a brilliant idea!' Polly stared at him, and said 'That's never a good sign.' Sprig ignored her and continued on.

'I'll capture the beast and save the town! Hop Pop will be so proud of me then!' Polly shook her head disapprovingly. 'Hop Pop said we have to stay in the cart. So, we'll stay in the cart. No exceptions!' 

Sprig grunts in frustration, but is struck with another idea. In his opinion, he was on a roll. 'Hey, Polly, take this.' Sprig pulled out a packet of Hex-Mix from his pocket and handed it to pocket. Sure, it would mean sacrificing a snack he loved, but it would be all worth it after this! He could get much more Hex-Mix packets if he did this right.

Polly gasped and opened the packet, eating them ravenously. 'Bribe accepted!' she said heartily. Sprig looked at her in triumph. 'Let the monster hunt begin!' he declared. As he ran off, Polly called after him. 'Don't die!' 

Some time later, Sprig is in the middle of the Forearm Forest, searching for any trace of the monster. 'So, the beast probably roams these parts, since they're the most wild..' he sees a piece of robe and walks towards it. 'What is this? Did someone try to trap it?' before the young Demon could get an answer, he had stepped to close to the rope-trap and was caught in it. 'Uh oh.' Sprig said to himself. 

Out came a human girl with bushy brown hair. 'Gotcha! Thought you could get the best of ol' Anne, eh? Well, you didn't!' she said to the Demon. Sprig stared back the her in shock. 

She was panting and holding a large stick. 'But..you're..human!' he cried out. Anne shushed him. 'Stop...following..me.' she said breathlessly. 

'You're meant to be a beast!' Sprig continued on. 'But you're just human...Wally said you were a beast!' Anne stared at him. 'I tried to ask "Wally" for directions, but he just ran off screaming.' she said finally.

Sprig pondered this for a moment. 'That really does sound like Wally..' he said thoughtfully. A loud roar is heard in the distance. Anne's panting intensified. 'Oh no..It's coming back again!' she cried. 

'What's coming back again?' Sprig asked. Anne only groaned and ran off into the forest. 'Where are you going?' Sprig asked in a panicked voice. The roar is heard again, and it seems closer this time. As a result, Sprig begins screaming and trying to bite through the ropes. He heard Anne groan and she rushed over to him and tears the rope, setting him free.

'Follow me.' she said to him, and she then scooped him up, not giving him much of a choice. The real monster - a large, flying creature passes by. Once it's gone, Anne places Sprig down. 

Sprig stared at Anne in admiration and shock. 'You saved me! You're not a beast! You're just a human!'

Anne nodded. 'And I don't think I'd want to eat you, of all things. No offence, but none of the things I've come across here look particularly..tasty.' she said to Sprig. He laughed. 'Hey, that's fair. Well, do you have a name, stranger?' 

Anne hesitated. 'My name's Anne. Anne Boonchuy.' she eventually said. 'And I'm Sprig! Sprig Plantar!' he said, extending his hand. 'Put 'er here!' 

Once again, Anne looked hesitant. 'Uh...Okay.' she shook his hand. After that, a short grumble is heard coming from Anne's stomach. The girl sighed. 'Alright, "Sprig", you got anything to eat?' she asked the Demon. Sprig nods. 'Sure do!' he turns over a log which a variety of bugs of different shapes and sizes were crawling on.

Anne gave it a quick revolted look. 'Anything that aren't bugs...?' she asked again. Sprig looked up, thinking. 'No bugs or worms, huh? Well, we'll need to go to Demonswood. My home town,' he added after seeing Anne's confused face. 'alright, follow me!' he continued. 

'Wait, how do I know I can trust you?' she asked him cautiously. 'What?' he asks, confused, but then puts on an adorable face. 'Does this look like a face that can deceive you?' he asks in a playful voice. 

Anne chuckled. 'I guess not.' she then began following the little Demon. 

Hop Pop hummed as he left the market and headed towards the Fwagon, but his attention wandered when he heard loud shouts from villagers with pitchforks. 'Hmm?' he turns around and sees Mayor Titanstool heading a group of angry villagers. 'Now, when I say "kill", you say "it".' he explained to them. 'Kill!' he shouted out. 'It!' the villagers replied. 'Kill!' he continued. 'It!' they shouted once more. This went on a few times.

Hop Pop chuckled slightly. 'Another day, another mob.' he looks behind him at the Fwagon and sees a stuffed Polly beside a Hex-Mix packet, and most noticeably, alone. 'Huh? What happened here?!' he asked in a surprised tone. Polly looks up at him, and she immediately seemed offended. 'What?! I don't have a candy problem, you do!' she said aggressively. 

Hop Pop brushed this aside - there were bigger problems. 'Polly, where's Sprig?' Polly looked up at him again with a bored look on her face. 'Uh...Something-something monster, something-something woods.' 

Hop Pop's worst fears confirmed, he looked towards the forest. He realized Wally had overheard this. 'Oh, if your boy has gone into the forest, he's as good as dead - that beast will devour everything in it's path!' the Demon said to the other. 

Hop Pop immediately picked up Polly. 'Not on my watch! Hang in there, Sprig, Hop Pop's a comin'!' he exclaimed, racing off into the woods, Wally staring in dismay.