Lost and Forgotten

Midnight

I spent the whole afternoon stressing. I kept waiting for Grunkle Ford to come up to my room and catch me out for stealing his stuff. The day seemed to drag on forever as I waited for it to end. Finally, after what seemed like years. Grunkle Ford stood up from the couch where he was reading and stretched. "Alright. I think I'm going to have an early night tonight. Mabel, I think it's time for you to go to bed as well. I'll tuck you in."

I was a little too old to be tucked in. But I nodded anyways. "Sure Grunkle Ford!" I got up off the carpet where Stan and I had been watching My Mummy's a Werewolf 2: This Again.

I brushed my teeth and got into bed, making sure everything was safely stowed out of sight. "Grunkle Ford! Grunkle Stan! I'm ready for bed!" I called.

A few moments later I heard their feet thudding up the stairs, and Ford walked in, followed by Stan.

"Goodnight Mabel. Sleep well." Grunkle Ford hugged me and ruffled my hair. He leant down and picked Waddles off of the floor, plopping him next to me where he curled up and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

"See you in the morning!" I smiled. Waving him off as he left the room.

Stan sat down heavily on the side of my bed. "Goodnight Sweetie." He smiled and ruffled my hair. He looked across my room at his bed, still littered with my theory sheets and scrap paper. He chuckled softly. "You know..." He said with a sad smile, still looking at my brother's side of the room, "for a little while, I actually thought he was back, that everything could go back to the way it was before."

I frowned. "You mean... When Alcor was pretending to be him?"

Stan's facial expression didn't change. But it seemed to become stiff. "Yeah. When Alcor..." He sighed. And looked at me. "I'm sorry Mabel, I really, really am." He hugged me tight. I was a bit taken aback. Grunkle Stan almost never hugged.

I hugged my Grunkle back. "Don't be sorry, Grunkle Stan. I ... I know it must be hard for you guys. I mean, you remember it all."

Stan pulled away from me. "Goodnight Mabel." He said emotionlessly. He stood up and walked fro the door.

"Goodnight Grunkle Stan." I said.

He hesitated at the door. But then turned around and closed it. I didn't see his face, but I knew he must be sad.

That was it. That was the thing that made me make up my mind. I would get Alcor. If not for the pain he caused me. Then for the pain he caused everyone around me.

But I had to wait. Just to be sure. I went to the bathroom three times to check that the lights were off in their rooms. And then, at half past eleven, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater over my pajamas and dragged the Demon Killer, Prison Cube and Binder out and stuffed it into a backpack. Slinging it over my shoulders and shooting my Grappling hook through the window and sliding down onto the yard outside the house.

"Perfect." I whispered to myself. Then took off into the woods.

I wanted to be as far away from the shack as possible. So that if anything like a big explosion happened or either of my Grunkles went looking for me I'd be far enough away.

I ran for ten minutes before collapsing to the ground. Exhausted. I needed to exercise more. Or drink more Mabel juice. Either one would do.

I had a breather for about five minutes and began running again. It went on like that for a while until I realized I was almost lost. That was when I decided to stop.

I found a big-ish clearing to do the ritual thingy in. I sat down for a while and looked up at the stars. The moon was big and bright above me. Not a cloud in the sky. Wow. Maybe that was a sign of good fortune.

I began pulling out my stuff, flipping through the pages of the binder until I found instructions for summoning.

As a premonition I had packed candles, matches, and a red marker.

But when I read through the instructions I realized I'd forgotten a picture of someone I hated.

I cursed myself. A picture of someone I hated? Was there even someone like that? I mean, the closest thing to an arch-enemy I had ever had was Pacifica, and she was my friend now.

A few loose pages fell out of the binder and I picked them up. And found a picture of Bill. Not a drawing or a diagram. A picture. It was old and sepia, and burnt slightly around the edges, but you could see the triangle perfectly.

Perfect.

I crossed Bill's eye out with the red marker and set to work, setting up eight candles in a circle around the picture. And then pulled out the incantation.

I got the Demon Killer armed and set on the highest setting. Which would knock the demon out instantly. I held it in my right hand with the incantation in my left, and slowed my breathing. I began reading.

"Triangulum entangulum. Metaphorus dominus mentium! Metaphorus finetis omnium!"

I suddenly felt like my heart was being squeezed. I kneeled over, and the pain disappeared, I had to carry on reciting the spell. But when I opened my eyes all I could see was a blue light. But the words seemed to form in my mouth independently.

"Kizemstro hetch Kizemstro hetch Kizemstro hetch Kizemstro hetch Kizemstro hetch Kizemstro hetch Kizemstro hetch Kizemstro hetch!"

My vision faded to normal, but now everything was black and white. I blinked as a bright blue light formed above the picture of Bill. It was working! It was working!

The light died and a black humanoid shape formed. The black seemed to fade as the thing gained colour. Brown and blond hair and black clothes and a black and yellow hat...

"M-Mabel?"