The next few days passed, and I used them as a time to relax. I didn’t even bother leaving the property. With Bristol under control, there was no urgency to any of the current red stones at the moment. We spent our days cooking at home, teaching Anabel about our world, and didn’t really discuss the well very much. It was early Spring, so I would go on property walks with Anabel and Higgins would work in his garden.
But on the third night, after dinner, I brought my father’s journal to Higgins in the Study.
Anabel had already gone to bed. I brought a certain note I read to his attention.
“Higgins, what can you tell me about Murk?”
“Hmm, what is it you need to know?” he replied, peering over his reading glasses.
“Anything. It’s the most sparse of the notes in my father’s journal. There’s extensive notes on Bristol, Callist, and a few of the other worlds. But he just says that he was never able to locate a Devil King in Murk and that he didn’t make any meaningful connections. He also wrote that I’d just have to go there myself to see how confusing it really was.”
“Yes. Murk. I never visited there myself. I spent most of my time adventuring with your father in what you would call a ‘Steampunk Fantasy Realm’ in addition to Bristol and Callist. A few of the worlds I have never set foot in. We found it best to pick two or three worlds at most and deal with the most imminent threats. We’d use knowledge gained in one world to help us in another. Much like I’m sure you’ll use your horseback riding and swashbuckling skills in the future.”
At this point I had learned to listen to Higgins rather than run off without his help. So, I just let him think for a moment.
“I do remember that Murk was one of the worlds Lord Cornelius had vanquished during my time under his employ. When a Devil King is defeated, it takes a generation for a new one to be born and make himself known. I believe the stone was still green when your father arrived here and didn’t turn red until just a few years before his illness set in. I seem to remember him visiting once for a few weeks. Maybe a second time. But all he said was that it was too difficult to locate the Devil of that world and that it didn’t appear he was gaining ground as quickly as some of the others had.”
“I see. Well, I’m thinking of making it my next destination.”
“Oh?,” he questioned, “why is that?”
“Well, Bristol wasn’t the easiest place to visit, but I know it definitely isn’t the most difficult. So I figured that until I get better at this sort of thing, I should try a less hostile world. My father said it was difficult to find the Devil there, but it doesn’t appear that he ran into much trouble.”
“I agree with your assessment,” he added, “when do you plan on leaving?”
“I think I’ll go tomorrow!”
* * *
The following day I psyched myself up and got ready to go back down the well. This time to the enigmatic world of Murk. Anabel seemed sad I was going off so soon. But I explained how I was just going for a while to scope things out and that I wouldn’t do anything too risky too soon.
“Goodluck Eric!” she cried out just before I descended into the well, stone in hand.
“Take good care of Anabel Higgins.”
“I will Master Noble. I’ll teach her as much about our world as I can in your stead. Take care of yourself!”
I lowered myself into the water and looked at the stone. This one emitted its color at a slower pace than the one from Bristol had. That was an indication that the threat in this world was not nearly as dire. After a moment, the stone got brighter, and the light began to envelope my body. I got the light as a feather sensation again and then vanished.
“Higgins,” motioned Anabel.
“Yes, Miss Townsend?”
“I want you to teach me everything there is to know about being a caretaker in this modern world. My goal is to become a good housewife to Master Noble.”
Higgins jolted, “Housewife?!”
“That’s right. You cannot take care of him forever and even though he claims to be betrothed to another, I wish to be the one who fills his heart and mind.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Umm, very well, Miss Townsend. I’ll do what I can. Perhaps we should start with the laundry?”
* * *
After my body had vanished from my world, I found myself not treading water as I did last time but standing in a cylindrical place with water only as deep as the soles of my shoes. There appeared to be a drain at the bottom, and I could see this world's version of the red stone. I wasn’t in a stone well, though the shape was similar. It was metal!
Water was lightly running down the sides. And I noticed an iron ladder built into the side, not unlike the wooden rope ladder I found in Bristol’s well. I grabbed hold, careful not to slip, and made my up.
It was extremely dark, but above I saw what seemed like moonlight. At the top, I climbed out and discovered I was in a large concrete and steel corridor. Then it dawned on me where I was. I was in a sewer! Yuck!
Thankfully only my shoes and hands had gotten disgusting while down here. I looked around for the exit and found another ladder leading to the manhole. Metal grates above were the source of the moonlight’s entry. I climbed up the second ladder and cautiously let myself out.
Swiftly, I closed the manhole cover back up before taking a really good look around.
Now that I was out, I moved over to the sidewalk to try and conceal any suspicion.
Looking around, I was clearly in a city. The moon was visible but there were clouds in the sky and it was misty out. It clearly had been lightly raining earlier, hence the sewer draining. There weren’t many people on the street where I was. I wasn’t downtown but it wasn’t the suburbs either. It didn’t look too dangerous, but it was a tad eerie. The world looked normal enough and quite modern. There were cars turning down the street and a few passersby on the opposite sidewalk from me. I made my way down the street a little ways and I passed the window of a deli. Nothing was really standing out. Before I got too far, I took note of the sewers location so I could get back. It was the intersection of 14th and Orchid Street.
After five or so minutes I got a little more comfortable walking around and probably didn’t look too much like an outsider actually. I strolled down the street with my hands in my pockets and passed a few people. They didn’t stand out to me, and I didn’t stand out to them. Up above was a lit billboard advertising margaritas at some Mexican restaurant. I was stumped. Maybe this is what my dad was talking about. The world must’ve been so similar to our own that it was difficult to find an obvious Devil.
I decided to walk a bit further. Still hadn’t really encountered too many people. The few I did encounter seemed fine and none really acknowledged me. Up ahead I saw someone toss a newspaper into a trashcan. I figured that might be a good indicator of what the place was like, so I jogged over to retrieve it. The rain was starting to pick up again so after I grabbed the paper I scuttled over to an awning of a closed shop. When I opened the paper to the front page, fear gripped completely over me…
The headline read:
Police Repel Zombie Infestation Downtown!
The accompanying photograph was of a rabid mob of people climbing over top of cars and breaking windows. All I could think was…what the fuck?!
I dropped the paper and stammered backwards in disbelief. I accidentally bumped into a man walking by with a tan trench coat and matching fedora on. He grabbed me by the shoulders and stopped me from tripping in my state of disbelief.
“Whoa there buddy,” he said, “everything okay?”
I stood wide eyed for a second and said, “Yeah, thanks. But I have a question…”
I scurried to the ground to pick up the paper and showed him the front page. I showed it to him and asked, “Is this some kind of satirical paper?”
He looked at the cover and said, “not usually, but you should see what they write about the Mayor.”
He was about to walk off when I stopped him and asked, “how about this headline? Is this for real?”
He gave it another look and replied, “yeah, heard about that. Looks like they got them back in their crypts though. Vicious bastards, anything else?”
In my state of shock, I slowly shook my head and let him go. I think I was fully starting to realize why my father had such a hard time here. Because if something like this is commonplace, then a Devil may not stand out easily.
Before the man got too far I stopped him once more, “Wait! Sorry to bother you again.
But there is something else I’d like to ask.”
The rain was picking up even more, but the guy was nice enough to stop and see what I needed, “Shoot,” he offered.
“I’m not from around here and I was wondering if you knew of anyone who specializes in…eh, finding information.”
“Information? Like what? A visitor’s center,” he asked.
“No. I mean like…finding a person.”
“You want to find a person who specializes in finding a person?” “Sorry. I’m just a little rattled this evening,” I tried to cover for myself.
“I think I know what you’re trying to get at,” he said.
“You do?” No way he could possibly know I was hunting the Devil of this world.
“Yes, I do. You’re wanting someone who specializes in finding missing persons. Is that right? You’re rattled because you’re from out of town and you’re looking for someone special to you and not sure where to start.”
Well, that wasn’t entirely untrue.
“What you’re looking for is a P.I.”
“Huh? A private investigator?” That's a start, I guess.
“I know just the person. Detective Grimwood. You can find their office two blocks over and down the street that way. Can’t miss it.”
“Hey, thanks mister. You’ve been a real help to me.”
“Don’t mention it. This city could use a little more kindness. What with all the ghouls on the council these days.”
I really didn’t like the sound of that. But I thanked him and let him go for real this time. I needed to decide my next move. Should I go back home and come back another time to speak with Grimwood or hangout by his office and lay low until he opened. No way anyone would be there at this time of night. I could at least go find the place that way I knew where it was. Might even be able to get a little more feel of this world while I’m out.