The Tale of Amaretto

Twenty-First Grain

In Which The Box is Found, and Tempus is Called...

Amaretto continued to watch the cabbie as he dug into the ground. The shovel went in with rhythmic strokes and dirt went flying when needed. It was like there was nothing left at all for him to do in this world. It seemed as if pleasing her Aunt Katherine was the only thing that was on his mind. Johanna and Alice both finally stopped arguing and came over to stand next to Amaretto. Alice leaned in slightly to the girl and then said, "What is he doing?"

Amaretto tried to sound bored when she answered, "He's digging for my aunt to find the Stone."

Johanna tilted her head and then said, "The spot that I buried it under is actually on the other side of the bushes. It is not that deep of a hole either. You didn't need him to dig for it."

Katherine twirled her parasol behind her and shrugged. "He didn't know what to do with himself. So I gave him a task."

Alice cocked an eyebrow and then turned around and looked to Johanna. "So then is it there still?" Johanna simply stared back and shook her head no.

"I have not checked for it."

Katherine smiled and then pointed at the other side of the bushes and said, "If you would be so kind good sir? Without the shovel please."

The cabbie looked up and nodded at Katherine. He put the shovel down on the ground and then slowly ambled to the other side of the bushes. Amaretto watched as he rounded the bushes and she looked at the cinders that might have been red roses once and felt a little sad. The cabbie settled on his knees in the dirt and began to dig with his hands in the spot that Johanna had initially pointed at. Within a few moments, he had dug a shallow hole next to the ruined rosebush and he revealed a small box. Katherine smiled and walked over to the cabbie and then placed a hand on his shoulder as she took the box. "Why thank you god sir. I'll just take that from you, you just go rest now. You've done an amazing job."

The cabbie moved away and walked back to the cab and stood there as if in a daze. As he stood there, Katherine held the box to Alice and then smiled. "I believe you were looking for this?"

Alice narrowed her eyes and looked at Katherine. "How did you do that?"

Katherine smiled. "While you two were arguing, I used my feminine wiles to make sure the cabbie wanted to please me." At this Amaretto snorted and then covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

Johanna turned to Amaretto, but she didn't say anything. Alice shrugged her shoulders and looked at the box. It was rather non-descript, and had a rather easy clasp lock. Alice looked at it and then flipped it open. She stared at the inside of the box and then said, "There's nothing in here." All the other women looked at her with a small bit of confusion, except of course for Johanna.

"I do not understand," said Johanna. "I remember putting it in the box before we left. There can be only one way for it not to be in the box, and that is not possible." Johanna reached for the box and Alice shoved it into her hands with in impertinent sigh.

"Well I looked right into it, and the box is empty."

Amaretto looked over Johanna's shoulder as the tall woman opened the box. The inside was cushioned with velvet and the inside, and though a beautiful shade of purple, was indeed empty. As she looked inside the box, she thought she saw something in the corner. "What's that?" She pointed to the corner of the box and hoped that everyone else could also see what it was that she was point in at.

Johanna looked at the side and actually furrowed her brow. "There is nothing there."

Amaretto blinked and rubbed her eyes and looked again. What she was in the corner of the box looked like a small spark of energy, almost like a miniature pulsating star of electric energy, much like the lines that appeared in those really bad mad scientist movies, only this one was about the size of a pea.

"Its right there," She said in a huff. "It's really bright too. How can you not see it?"

Alice came over and looked in the box and shook her head. "I see nothing there at all. There is nothing there."

Katherine slowly came over and narrowed her eyes and then frowned. "I see nothing there," she said and then looked at Amaretto. "Amaret darling, if you could come over here please? I have some questions for you."

Amaretto looked peeved but moved forward to walk with her aunt to a partially secluded place along the side of the charred property. As soon as they were out of earshot of the other two Katherine looked Amaretto dead in the eyes and said, "I saw it."

Amaretto blinked. "Wait, you saw it? Why didn't you say so?" Amaretto's expression turned peeved.

Katherine pursed her lips. "Don't be surprised. Remember, I'm a fairy godmother. I can do all sorts of things." Amaretto snorted at this. Once again her aunt brought up magic. Katherine frowned and then spoke. "Don't be impertinent. Do you still have the ring?"

Amaretto looked at the pearl ring that was on her finger. "It's right here. I don't think it's going anywhere." She looked at it with an almost dismalness in her eyes.

"Call Tempus." Katherine looked at Amaretto with a certainty in her eyes that made Amaretto shudder.

"Call Tempus? Why on earth would I do that?" The words came out of Amaretto's mouth like a ragged whisper. "How in the hell would he be able to help us?"

Katherine's eyes widened a little. "Language young lady! Just because we are traveling though dimensions and your mother isn't around does not mean that I will allow all of your morals to go flying into the aether! I still have to uphold your mother's teachings."

Amaretto rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine, I will watch my language."

"And in the meantime, you will call Tempus and ask him what we should do."

Amaretto looked at the ring on her finger and then said, "How was this supposed to work again?"

Katherine frowned. "Were you not paying attention to him then?"

Amaretto looked at her aunt and stared in unbiased shock. "He has a giant grandfather clock that he needs to make pieces for in order to keep time; he has other people that he is supposedly watching out for to make sure that no one messes up the timeline of events; and he's obsessed with tea!" Amaretto made a funny face at the last quip. "How am I supposed to take him seriously, much less listen to him! He was in it with you to make this test run thing work?"

Katherine turned herself and hissed at Amaretto, "He's not obsessed, he's British!"

Amaretto stomped her foot. "Really; of all the things that I mentioned you took offense to the tea bit?"

"I just happen to like it when he puts out the spread for tea..."

"You mean you like it when you get to pour your flask into something to drink it." Amaretto snorted.

Katherine's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't poke the bear Amaretto... don't poke the bear..."

"Fine whatever, just tell me how to make this ring work."

Katherine sighed. "I believe you just twist it a quarter turn."

Amaretto shook her head once and then said, "A quarter turn it is." She then gave the ring a vicious turn to the right on her finger. There was a slight chime in the air that seemed to hug low to the ground. Amaretto looked around as silence followed after the chime.

"Nothing happened," Amaretto said huffily, "Wasn't something supposed to happen?"

Katherine quickly looked around and then shrugged her shoulders. "Something was supposed to happen."