Crimson Rose: The Crooked Man and the Crooked Cat

Chapter 30: Mother Goose, Reformed

When the Rose Sword's power dispersed, Annette saw the black-clad figure approach her. She shivered at the figure's ghastly appearance.

The figure pointed a bony finger at Annette. "You had ruined everything! I have been planning this for so long! You may have won this fight, Rose Guardian, but your doom is just beginning! Now you will suffer my wrath!" said the creature in a ghostly voice.

He lunged towards Annette. Annette tried to run, but the creature grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the ground. Annette looked up at the creature in fear. "Who...who are you?" she asked in a strangled whisper. "You shall call me the Sharpen." said the figure.

His eyes glowed an ominous red. "I can sense the Rose Crystal in your body. Once I take it together with the Rose Sword, I shall be the strongest being in the world. I shall rule both your world and this world!"

"The...Rose Crystal?" asked Annette fearfully. The Sharpen then reached his hand towards Annette's chest. But just before he can touch her, a black form struck his hand.

The Sharpen screeched in pain and backed away. He looked and saw a black cat with golden eyes wearing a cat bell standing between him and Annette. Annette smiled when she saw the black cat. "Noir!" she cried joyfully.

Noir hissed at the Sharpen. "You troublesome cat!" the Sharpen snarled. He tried to reach for Annette, but Noir bore his claws and swiped at the Sharpen's hands.

The Sharpen growled. Then he floated up into the sky. "Until we meet again, Rose Guardian! Your doom is inevitable!" he howled. Then he disappeared.

Noir shifted into his humanoid form and turned to Annette. He reached out his hand towards her. Annette shyly took his hand as he helped her on her feet.

Annette's knees were trembling, but this time, she didn't force them to stop. Her head felt light and she was so tired. She felt like she would faint any second. She was about to fall to the ground when Noir caught her.

"Oh, careful there!" exclaimed Noir. Annette sighed contently. "Are you all right, mistress?" asked Noir.

"I'm okay. Just a bit tired." said Annette. She looked up at Noir. Then she remembered. "Noir, how are you feeling?" asked Annette. "Never better." said Noir, smiling. "But, Noir, what about your injuries? How are you? Still hurt?" asked Annette worriedly. "The night blossoms did their work. I'm completely healed."

Annette sighed. "Oh, thank goodness!"

Annette and Noir stood in silence by the chateau as they watched the sun rose into the sky. Everything was happening so fast, that questions then started to tumble in Annette's mind.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. Then she said: "Noir, why did you bring me to the location of the Rose Sword?"

"Hmm? What?" asked Noir. "What made you think I'm worthy of being the Rose Guardian?" asked Annette curiously.

"The reason I led you to the sword was because you displayed enough courage to save me from that truck. I honestly thought that everyone would care less if they saw a black cat being killed. But you went ahead and saved me."

"Oh, I see." said Annette, nodding.

"I was really thankful of you saving my life. The Rose Sword symbolizes the red flower of love. The red rose is an extraordinarily beautiful flower that symbolizes great meanings. Love, beauty, passion and courage." said Noir.

The way he said it made Annette blush. His voice was so smooth and warm; she could listen to it every day and never get tired of it. Then, Noir turned to Annette and patted her shoulders.

"You've displayed tremendous courage, unconditional love and great respect for others, especially me. And I thank you for that."

Annette blushed. "No problem." she said shyly. Suddenly, they heard a groan behind them. They turned and saw Mother Goose waking up. She put her hand on her head.

"Oh...my head....." Mother Goose groaned. She looked around. "What...am I doing here?" she asked, confused. Then, she saw Annette and Noir.

Annette and Noir braced themselves for another possible attack. But Mother Goose seemed really confused. "Who...who are you two?" she asked unexpectedly. "Huh?" asked Annette, raising an eyebrow. Mother Goose stood up and looked around with a puzzled look on her face.

Annette and Noir looked at each other, stunned. They definitely didn't see that coming. "Uh, my name's Annette." said Annette, a bit awkwardly. "And I'm Noir." Noir added. "Would you two mind explaining how on Earth did I get here?" asked Mother Goose.

Annette tried her best not to gawk. "You mean, you don't remember anything at all?" asked Annette, incredulously. Mother Goose shook her head. "No...My memory's...a little rusty. But, it's...it's so strange. I felt like I have woken from a horrible nightmare." she said, rubbing her head.

Noir was also confused. "How on Earth could she not remember anything?" he thought. "Is this the same witch who cursed my master and tried to harm my mistress?"

As he looked at Mother Goose, it became clear that she wasn't the evil witch as he previously thought. She was much nicer and harmless than she was after Annette transformed her.

"Oh, Zander! Where's Zander?" asked Mother Goose, looking around worriedly. "Zander? Who's he?" asked Annette. "My pet goose, dearie. Can you help me find him?" asked Mother Goose.

"Do you remember where you last saw him?" asked Annette. Mother Goose rubbed her wrinkly head. "I...think so." she said. She then pointed to the Crooked Woods. "I believe that is where I last saw him."

A few hours later, they searched through the forest. They walked slowly so that Mother Goose would catch up to them. She was a little wobbly when she walked. She kept rubbing her head as if she was woozy.

"You all right, Mother Goose?" asked Annette, concerned. "Yes, dearie. I'm just a bit tired. That's all." replied Mother Goose. "How about we rest for a bit?" asked Annette and she stopped. "Oh, yes. That sounds good." said Mother Goose as she sat down on a stone.

Then, in the corner of Annette's eye, she saw something shining in the nearby shrubs. She reached down and pulled it out. It turned out to be a locket in the shape of a goose wearing a pink bonnet.

She held out the locked towards Mother Goose. "Is this your locket?" she asked. When Mother Goose saw the locket in Annette's hand, she gasped and nodded.

She took the locket from Annette and opened it. A bright blue light shone from inside. Then, a gigantic white goose emerged from the locket, flapping its wings.

"Wow! I thought I was gonna be stuck in that metal box forever!" the goose squawked. "Zander, thank goodness you're all right!" said Mother Goose, hugging the white goose. "Mother Goose! Are you all right?" asked Zander.

"Oh, never better, dearie!" said Mother Goose. "I'm fit as a fiddle...." her voice suddenly trailed off. "Don't worry...about..." She collapsed to the ground in a swoon. As quick as a wink, Noir caught Mother Goose before her head hit the ground.

"Mother Goose! Oh, dear!" squawked Zander in alarm. "Quick! Let's get her to Rose Manor." said Annette.

Noir and Annette helped Zander carry Mother Goose. As Zander flew across the sky, Noir took one last look at the chateau before heading off to Hoots Manor.