Quaraun and Unicorn were discussing what to do about finding ZooLock, when they noticed a strangely dressed wizard along the side of the road. He was sitting on a boulder, with a touchscreen tablet on his lap, attempting to get the internet to function here in the 1400s when internet and satellites did not exist. He was dressed head to toe in florescent neon orange that looked as though it probably glowed in the dark. It had a reflective quality to the cloth that shimmered and was almost horologic. A glittering fluffy pink sheep sat beside him, looking over his shoulder, staring at the blank tablet screen and bleating.

The thing that bothered Quaraun was that, it looked like GhoulSpawn, but it wasn't GhoulSpawn. It even had sheep like GhoulSpawn. But this half-Elf was too old. GhoulSpawn was a young half-Elf, barely more then an Elfling. This was a half Elf too, but he was old. Very old. Ancient. The half-Elf sitting before them couldn't be less then a thousand years old. But he was a Sun Elf, like GhoulSpawn, with phosphorescent glowing yellow hair and gleaming gold eyes, again, like GhoulSpawn. But he was old. He was very old. By the expression on his face, he also looked lost.

"Can we help you?" Quaraun asked the old half Elf.

The orange robed wizard jumped startled by the interruption. Clearly he had thought he was alone. He looked up, saw Quaraun and immediately the colour drained from his face.

"You're alive," he whispered to himself.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing."

"You look lost."

"No."

"What's that?" Quaraun pointed to the tablet.

"It's a computer. You wouldn't understand. Magic from the future. But it doesn't work here. Been trying to contact the Kats. Their ship's out of range."

The old Elf's hand wandered aimlessly to the sheep, scratching it's head.

"You still have sheep."

"I always have sheep."

"You sure?"

"I'm not lost. I know where I am. Just trying to figure out what year it is. I'm in the right place. But I'm not sure if it's the right time."

"Then you are lost."

"Something like that."

"Time traveller?"

"Yes. You know of such things?"

"I know a time traveller. Ain't seen him in a few years. Till yesterday. He just fell out of the sky. He looked a lot like you. A lot younger."

"He's always happy to see you."

"Do I know you?"

"No. I don't think so."

"You're Glintar."

"Am I that far back?"

"You are Glinter."

"No. I'm The Gremlin."

"Gremlin?"

"Hum-huh."

"Like that ... thing?"

"1974 AMC Gremlin, 2 door, 4 cylinder hatchback. Most gas efficient car of it's time. A car so small it fits in my pockets. Of course, everything fits in my pockets. I still have it. It doesn't run any more. I find the strangest things in my pockets. Do you know I found an entire barn full of sheep in my pockets once. Three hundred sheep. And an entire barn. GhoulSpawn's been dead for centuries, and I still haven't gotten to the bottom of his pockets."

"What year are you from?"

"1987. No. 2525. Yes. I'm not sure. I don't know what time I belong in any more. What year is it now?"

Quaraun shrugged.

"I don't know. I can't count."

The Gremlin looked pasted Quaraun to Unicorn.

"It should be 1458 if I got my co-ordinances correct. How long have you two been together? How long ago did BoomFuzzy die?"

"Three hundred years. I think. We've not been together long."

The Gremlin looked to Unicorn again.

"Can you do math any better them him? Do you know how long ago BoomFuzzy died?"

"It been three hundred-ish years since I die. Him been with me now, as Unicorn, about ten years."

The Gremlin looked around, slowly turning to look at every tree and examine the road, then stared intently in the direction of the ocean.

"Don't go that way," he said pointing to the East.

"Why not?"

"Bad things happen if you do. This is the right place. I just don't know if it's the right year. Oh dear. I have a headache. You don't have calendars or clocks yet. I could be two years ahead or three years behind. All I can do is continually come back to this spot over and over again and every time I met you here, tell you not to go there until at last I 'm here in the correct year and tell the right one of you not to go that way."

"You don't look like you've travelled far," Quaraun said noticing how clean and un-dusty Gremlin's vivid orange satin robes were. "Is there a village around here?"

"There is. Just over that way," the ancient half-Elf answered while pointing in the same direction he'd just told them not to go. "I live on the Old Orchard Beach in the Town of Old Orchard Beach, in Maine. We have 3,000 year round residents, 12,000 property owners, and get 2 million tourists every summer mostly because Stephen King filmed Thinner in our town, and based Thinner, Christine, and Chinga off of our town. The town is pretty isolated, surrounded by a vast salt marsh , a nature preserve, on one side and a huge old growth pine forest (with some of the biggest trees in the state, including some 500 year old giants that rival California's Redwoods.) We are, right here, in the middle of Saco Bay, basically a town built on a below sea level sand bar shaped like a horseshoe and it's not an island but it's residents often referred to as island folk due to their/our extreme isolation from the maineland folk.

"There are a couple of island off shore of us and ferries do run for the locals. Most islanders own cars "off island" stored in 5 to 7 story tall parking garages in Portland and either have a second car on the island, or use bikes or just walk on the island. (The ferry also docks in Portland). Ferries are 3 times a day most of the year 10AM the first, 7PM the latest. (Portland btw has a 5PM curfew - all businesses shut down at 5PM and people are off the streets by 9PM) Ferries are hourly May to September when the tourists are here. They shut down for Hurricanes, Blizzards, and Squalls and some large electrical storms. A Vincent Price/Betty Davis movie (Whales of August) was filmed on one of the islands, so that's the "hot spot" that most tourists go to by ferry. Also tobacco is illegal in Portland but Marijuana is legal.

"Also many towns in Maine have bans on tobacco (you can be arrested if caught owning it) and some have bans on alcohol.

"One beach front town has a ban on: tobacco, alcohol, and religions of debatable faiths you can be arrested for any of those "crimes". I once tried to buy a house in Ocean Park (in 2006) and was told by the Ocean Park Real Estate (the ONLY real estate agency approved by the Ocean Park Community to sell houses) that I was not allowed to buy property in Ocean Park because I was #1 not Human and #2 not Christian "our town has standards you know" they said. Ocean Park is a town that thinks it's a gated community..."

"Most residents of Old Orchard, Ocean Park, and Pine Point (the 3 sister towns that share the same beach) could be described as "red necks"...

"Houses are TINY. The average 4 room house is 20feet by 20feet, and the 4 room are 1 bedroom (that sleeps up to 8) and a kitchenette/dinette combo and a bathroom (water closet) and a"living room" that is too small to fit a sofa in so has lawn chairs in it instead...

"One room 12x12 "beach cabins" with no kitchen, no plumbing, and a port-a-potty on the lawn for a bathroom, are very common. A few hundred families have that set up here in OOB...."

The half-Elf suddenly stopped talking and looked very troubled.

"That is most definitely GhoulSpawn," Unicorn said to Quaraun. "Him be reading one of them cyclops oPiedias in his head again."

"No," he said shaking his head. "Forget everything I just said. It didn't happen yet. Not for you. Oh dear. I'm in the right place, but I'm in the wrong time. I don't know when I am. You died a long time ago. I forgot."

"I died?"

"Centuries ago."

"Are you sure you know who I am?"

Gremlin stared at Quaraun. Then stared at Unicorn. Then back to Quaraun.

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"You're the Grand High Emperor of the Triple Planets."

"I suppose."

"And he's a unicorn. Though he doesn't look like one right now."

"Do you know our names?"

"Names?"

"Yes. We do have names."

"Names."

"People in the future still use names don't they?"

"I'm sorry. I forgot your name."

"Really? How'd you do that?"

"You died four hundred years ago. I've forgotten a lot of things."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"They did something to my head."

"Who did?"

"Checka."

"Checka?"

"He used to be ZooLock. He changed bodies. He's not a squid any more. No Thullid is now. Don't trust ZooLock. Never trust ZooLLock. He's not your friend."

"We seem to have lost him. AGAIN. He keeps running away."

"Is ZooLock with you?"

"He was. Highwaymen attacked us and he escaped."

"Escaped. I remember. You had him in chains. In the old cathedral."

"What old cathedral?"

"It hasn't happened yet."

"I guess not."

"That's good. That means there's still time. I'm not too late."

"Too late for what?"

"You're hurt. Your leg. The Hell Hounds bit you."

"Yes they did."

"How long ago did that happen?"

"A few hours ago."

"I'm in the right time. And the right place. This is where I should be. I didn't miss it."

"What are you trying to not miss?"

"Let ZooLock go and take GhoulSpawn instead."

"Why?"

"So they don't kill him. Please. Let him live. He's so scared. He needs your help, but he won't ask for it. He scared of everything. He's scared of you. He's especially scared of the Phooka. But he trusts HellBorne and he shouldn't. He needs to trust you instead."

"I don't understand."

"There isn't time to explain. There's a hurricane coming. It'll be here soon. Here..."

The old half-Elf handed Quaraun a small box.

"What's this?"

"Candy. You like candy. Sugar cubes. Pink. All these years, I never knew what happened. Strange I had them with me just now. Didn't plan to. You'll like those. I like those. You'll love those. We never did figure out what happened to you. You'll find the cathedral soon. These will be gone by then, but you can get more from GhoulSpawn. I always have them with me. More now then I used to. I stole the Gremlin from hippies. Found a lot of strange things in that car."

"You know you don't make a lot of sense when you talk, right?"

"That would be the sugar cubes."

"Do you... Need help... Or something? You... You seem out of sorts."

"They put a needle in my eye. Sliced up my brain. Parts of my memories are gone. I have to pretend I don't remember you. They'll do another lobotomy if I mention you. They cut pieces out of my brain. Pink penguins help me forget what they do to me. I'm so confused now. They locked me up in a padded cell, for decades and wouldn't let me out. Alone. Solitary confinement. I'm crazy you know. That's what they tell every one. If I mention the Pink Necromancer, they say 'He wasn't real; He never existed; Just a figment of your imagination.' I was alone for decades. In a room smaller then a box. White room. In White Rock. Padded walls. And a straight jacket. That's what they did with me after they killed you. I'm free now. But they shut down the portals. Sealed every thing off. I've had to start all over. I've only been able to find a few. I try to remember where all the portals were. But they cut pieces out of my brain. I don't have the intelligence I used to have. My head hurts all the time now."

"Are you okay?"

"No. I'm barely surviving these days."

"I can always find Black Tower. It exists in every space of every time of every dimension, on every planet, in every galaxy. I don't know how. Or why. It's like that volcano, your Lich used to live in. It exists everywhere and no where at the same time."

"What's Black Tower?"

"You'll see it soon. Don't go there. Just take GhoulSpawn away from HellBorne. Don't let them kill him. It's good to see you again. I miss you. I miss both of you."

"Are you GhoulSpawn?"

"GhoulSpawn's dead. I just live in his body. I'm not GhoulSpawn. I'm The Gremlin who lives in his body."

"Are you a Thullid?"

"Have we met yet?"

"I'm sorry?"

"No. I'm sorry. It's been four hundred years since I saw you last. I've forgotten your name. I'm old. I've forgotten a lot of things. They cut out pieces of my brain. Forgetting your name... they erased you from history. No one remembers your name. They did something to my head. To make me forget you. But I didn't forget. But I did forget your name. I'm sorry. I wish I could remember your name."

"Quaraun."

"Quaraun," Gremlin whispered slowly to himself. "Quaraun Swanzen, father of King Vielder. And Melaca..."

"I am father to no king."

"You haven't built the Twighlight Manor yet?'

"The what?"

"Ongadada hasn't happened yet, has it?"

"What?"

"What year is it?"

"I don't know. I can't count. I don't know numbers."

"You look young."

"Do I?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm 400 hundred. At least."

"You are young. You're too young. I'm in the wrong time. It's hard to control the portals. I can get to the right places, but not the right times."

"Are you okay? You sound confused."

"Have we met yet?"

"You already asked that."

"You didn't answer. What's my name?"

"You said Glinter the first time we meet and GhoulSpawn the second time."

"Glinter? Have you recently met Glinter?"

"Uhm... Why are you talking about yourself like you are not yourself?"

"Time travel. Though I probably shouldn't have said that. Oh dear. You're not supposed to know that. I so am so differently in the wrong place. Have you recently met Glinter? Are the Sun Elves still alive?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. Are the Sun Elves dead?"

"Oh, I'm very in the wrong time. You haven't seen Black Tow..." Gremlin stopped, stood up and turned around scanning the horizon, trying to gain his bearings of where exactly he was.

"Have you met The Eel Kat yet?"

"The what?"

"A black Kat. Raises eels."

"I think I'd remember that."

"Oh you would. You don't forget a talking Kat. She's not from this time. This place. This planet. This galaxy. She's here to stop Ongadada. Their planet was destroyed in the battle. When you meet her. Do whatever she says."

"Uhm. Okay?"

"You haven't meet HellBorne yet."

"HellBorne? You keep saying that name. I don't HellBorne."

"You don't know HellBorne yet. That's good."

"Is it?"

"There's still time to stop you."

"Stop me?"

"You can't do what you are going to do."

"What am I going to do?"

"You're gonna meet an evil wizard and you're gonna kill him, which is a good thing, it's gonna save a lot of lives, but... you can't do it."

"Why not?"

"You have to stop him from killing GhoulSpawn instead. It's going to set in motion the events which cause Ongadada to happen."

"What's Ongadada?"

"Every one dies. The whole planet. The whole solar system. Billions of people. Dead in the blink of an eye. It's how King Vielder's reign of terror got started. We have to stop Ongadada. Please. Go back. Don't keep following this road. Just go the other way."

"Why?"

"I can't... I've told you too much already. It's not good to know your future. I can't tell you more. Just find a different road. Please. I have to go."

"Who are you?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what year it is." Gremlin sounded confused. "Have you been to White Rock yet?"

"White Rock?" Unicorn asked. "What that?"

"It's a hospital full of trapped souls," Gremlin said glumly. "Don't ever go there."

"But what is the hospital full of trapped souls for?"

"It's a place run by Faeries. The decided enough was enough and gathered up every last magical being they could find to... to... sort of sterilize them. Neutralize their magical abilities and prevent them from reproducing more magical beings. And... kill the ones they can't subdue. They've nearly eradicated the Thullids and Elves are all but extinct. There are exactly five Phookas left on the planet, Gnomes and Dwarves have been gone for centuries. Humans have spread like a plague. There are eight billion Humans on the planet now. And Vincent van Gogh's impressionistic strokes, replicated in the right place, can change the shape of Faerie's real Starry Night."

"Vincent Van Gogh? Who him?"

"No one you'd have heard of yet. I think I've gone too far back in time. Forget you saw me."

"Are we friends?" Quaraun asked. "In the future."

"We were."

"But not any more?"

Gremlin shook his head and looked away.

"You forgot my name. That means you haven't seen me in a long time. You said I died. What happened?"

"You died. You died a long time ago. I'm sorry."

"Was it your fault I died?"

"No. But I think I could have saved you and I didn't. I was scared. I could have saved you. I chose not to and I regret it. I was too scared of Harrier. He did what no one else could do. I didn't think he would kill you. I didn't think he could. I didn't know any one could. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what he was gonna do."

"What did he do?"

"He killed his grandfather."

Gremlin's eyes gazed to Unicorn.

"Permanently. So he couldn't come back. He knew how to kill Liches."

He looked back to Quaraun.

"The Phookas are viscous. In the future they'll have technology... science ... magic... magic you can't even begin to comprehend. A Phooka worse then King Gwallmaiic is going to rise up. Blackbird. Esmerald Blackbird. And a second Phooka, the brother of the first, Harrier, is going to rise up against him. If you ever cross paths them them: Blackbird won't hurt you, not once he knows who you are, you tell him who you are, and he won't hurt you. He loves his grandfather. Idolizes him. Wants to be him, but Harrier will kill you. He'll kill both of you. Don't trust Harrier. He's lived with the Humans too long. He blends in with Human society. Cool, calm, and collected. Every one thinks he's good, but he's not. He's gonna kill the Lich and then he's gonna kill you. And then he's gonna trap me in some sort of weird time loop that I can't get out of. It keeps sending me all over the place. Different times. Various points of your life. But I can't get back to the day you died. I could stop it if I could get back there. I never know what year it is. I think, that for you... this may be the first time we've met. I'm not Glinter anymore. Nor GhoulSpawn. I'm not an Elf anymore either..."

"Not an Elf anymore? Are you Thullid now?"

"He was your friend. I'm sorry. I did not want to kill him. GhoulSpawn's dead. I just live in his body."

"So you are a Thullid."

"Yes. A Jelly Fish like you. I could have left this body, years ago. But he was your friend and were devastated when he died. I continued to live in his body, rather then change bodies like I should have. Now I'm trapped in this body forever and I'll die when it finally grows too old, which it will do soon. The bones grow stiff and the muscles week. If I could leave into another body, I would live on for many more centuries as we Thullid should, but this body has grown old and is reaching the natural end that your friend would have had, had I not killed him and taken his body. I'm sorry. I didn't chose this body. Don't let him go back to HellBorne. Take him away from this place. If the Thullids don't implant him, he won't die, and I'll never exist, and none of this will have happened."

"Who's HellBorne?"

"They killed him. HellBorne's gonna kill him. He's innocent. GhoulSpawn doesn't know what HellBorne is doing. He's not involved in what they're doing. He doesn't know what they're planning. Please, get him away from HellBorne. He won't leave on his own. Don't trust ZooLock. Keep him away from GhoulSpawn. I'm The Gremlin. GhoulSpawn died centuries ago for me, but I think for you, it's about to happen. The Kats think I'm trying to help them stop Ongadada to save the galaxy. I'm not so noble. I loved you very much. I still do. I never stopped loving you. If I can stop Ongadada, Harrier won't have reason to come after you and you won't die... or at least not how you did."

"You watched me die. I can see it your eyes."

Gremlin's eyes glazed over, staring off into the distince as the horrors of Quaraun's death played over again in his mind. He closed his eyes trying to block out the image.

"I'm not trying to save the world. I just want to change the events of the past, so you don't have to die. You shouldn't have died. Not like that. I will lay a thousand years of legacy and tradition at your feet, if your heart will beat but once more."

Gremlin's voice cracked as he fought back tears.

"I have to go. Don't follow this road. Please."

Before Quaraun could say anything, the strange orange robed wizard vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

"What were that?" Unicorn asked Quaraun.

"I'm not sure."

"Him look very old."

"He did."

"Was that GhoulSpawn?"

"I think so."

"Him must be nigh on a thousand years old."

"I noticed."

"He still has sheep."

"I noticed that too."

"Him were so very young last time we saw him."

"He was."

"That were only a day ago."

"It was."

"Him really is time traveller, yes?"

"I think he is."

"T'ink what him says be true?"

"I don't know. But I think," Quaraun turned around. "I'm not gona tempt fate and we'll go this way instead, in case he was telling the truth. Glinter helped us before and so did GhoulSpawn. No reason to think he isn't helping us again now, no matter who he calls himself. Let's go."

Quaraun went back in the direction they had come from. Unicorn followed him.

"We need to find ZooLock," Quaraun said while he absent minded eat the sugar cubes The Gremlin had given him.

"Should ya be eating those?"

"Hmm?" Quaraun looked down at the pick crystals in his hand. "Why not?"

"Candy from strangers."

"Candy from GhoulSpawn."

"Strangest stranger we ever meet."