Phantom Town

Part 6

After catching their breath, and allowing Harrison to absorb the shock of seeing his father as a canine, the four of them grabbed what few belongings they had thrown together, plus some food, water, and money. They placed it swiftly in Moira's wagon and began to crash through the dark forest until they found the dead end that started the road. It looked as if someone had started clearing a nature trail and then stopped in the middle of it for some reason. There was silence, and Harrison looked around. Moira looked timid and exhausted, dog-Carl was whimpering, and Charlotte was staring at him like she had when he'd first seen her, emerald-green eyes burning into him like a flame. "Well, what are we going to do now? My father is a dog, it's dark and we have no shelter, we have no way of getting the car..." He trailed off, not sure what else to list.

"Don't worry, I went to Tucker's earlier today and got these." Moira said, producing a tiny, soft bag from her pocket. Inside, there were about seven or eight polished stones that appeared purple in the moonlight. "Oh, good thinking, Moira!" Charlotte exclaimed. "What are they?" Harrison asked. "These are Night Stones." Charlotte clarified. "Each one can be used to summon a single object." "We can summon something in an emergency, and we can get your dad's car when we find the highway." Moira chimed in.

They all hurried down the trail until they found a spot to stop for the night. Charlotte took out a wooden cube with a house shape carved into it. "I almost forgot I brought this. I got it for my birthday one year and never thought I would need it." She tossed it into the nearby clearing where it tumbled, landed, and transformed into a little wooden shelter. It looked like a cabin at a summer camp, but just big enough for three or four people to fit inside. Harrison raised his eyebrows. "Wow... I thought we would have to sleep on the ground." He said with surprise.

The tiny house wasn't terribly comfortable, but it worked perfectly for their needs. They slept on the floor, using their extra clothes as pillows. In the morning, they sat in a circle to plan their next move. "What are we going to do about my dad? Is there any way to change him back?" Harrison began. The scruffy dog woofed softly, as if he'd been waiting for someone to bring that up. "There's only one way to reverse a transformation. We have to find Hugo Pond." Charlotte replied. "You see, Hugo Pond is supposed to be somewhere near here. If your dad swims in it, he'll transform back into a man." "Nobody knows where it is, though." Moira added. "Nobody's escaped from Fantome alive, either." Harrison remarked. "He's got a point. I guess we'll see where this trail takes us." Charlotte replied.

She stood up. "I'm going to get some firewood. We'll need it later on." She said. "I'll go with you." Harrison piped up. "I'll guard the... fort." Moira offered. Carl barked as if to make himself known as Harrison and Charlotte exited. They walked just outside the clearing to the tune of a wild bird symphony. A black and yellow butterfly flitted past Harrison's head and landed in Charlotte's long, dark hair. "Don't move!" He whispered. Charlotte's eyes widened in alarm before she spotted the butterfly and began to giggle. "You made it sound like there was a bear behind me or something!" She exclaimed as the butterfly left. Harrison began to laugh as well. "Hey, can I ask you something?" Charlotte asked. "Go ahead." Harrison replied. "Where were you and your dad going, anyway?" Her question caught him off guard.

"Well, nowhere really. We sort-of just needed to get away." Harrison replied after awhile. "Oh... did something bad happen?" Charlotte inquired cautiously. Harrison looked up at her, at the genuine concern in her face. He thought again of how she'd confided so much in him simply because she deemed him trustworthy. He shrugged. "Well, there was this huge earthquake where we lived. We lost my mom, some of our family and friends... our home got beaten up pretty bad but it stayed standing. We did all we could to help out over there, but after awhile we just had to get away for at least a little while."

All was silent except for the sounds of the forest. "That's... terrible." Charlotte finally said. "This trip has been helping... it's sort of cleared our heads, I guess." He added. Charlotte stepped closer. "Your dad's a good guy, you know that?" She remarked. "Yeah, he's alright." Harrison answered, managing a smile. Just then, he noticed the pain in Charlotte's eyes. "I think we'll find your mom out here, too." He added. She looked up at him and gave a hopeful smile.

"Can I ask you something?" Harrison asked. "Sure thing," Charlotte replied. "How exactly did you know to trust me at first?" He inquired. Charlotte grinned. "I already told you, my dreams tell me some interesting information, and I also have a way of knowing things." She explained slyly. There was a pause, and in the next moment Harrison questioned his sanity more than when he'd first discovered that Charlotte was a witch, because he found himself moving in to kiss her.

He might have done it, there in the woods, had the growling not started from behind them. It was a canine sort of growl, and it made them freeze where they stood. Before they could question it, the thing leapt from the trees. It wasn't a dog, but it was a bit too small to be a wolf. A coyote. Before Harrison could wonder where it came from, it knocked Charlotte to the ground and she grasped its snout to try and pry it off of herself. Harrison kicked it swiftly in the ribs, just hard enough to disorient it and get it off of Charlotte. She hopped up before he could help her, and they ran full-speed into the clearing. "What's wrong?" Moira called. "GET IN THE HOUSE!" They both yelled in reply. The three of them, along with Carl the Dog, ran inside as the coyote entered the clearing.

"I'm going to try and scare it off." Harrison said. He ran out of the tiny house, yelling and waving his arms. However, the unimpressed beast pounced on his face and bounded off of him and into the cabin, knocking him over and chasing the girls outside. Suddenly, Harrison saw a flash of orange fur come tearing into the clearing and attack the coyote - a fox. Where the fox came from, Harrison wasn't sure, but Carl the Dog soon arrived to back it up. The fox snapped at the coyote's neck, Carl clawed at it's legs, and a few other things took place before the dead coyote was flung to the side. As it hit the ground, it glowed for a second, and when the light died away Charlotte gasped, Moira let out a small shriek, and Harrison jumped. The dead coyote had transformed into the body of Jones.