Katherine Johnson had learned many things in her long life, but the one that prevailed over all was this: kindness is key. And everyone who met her agreed, Katherine was the kindest person they knew. She waved hello to everyone on the street and always smiled through even the worst situations. On days when anyone else would give up, Katherine persevered and used the struggles of the day as lessons for a better tomorrow. Her mother, rest her soul, always used to say “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Well, Katherine was still alive, and she was all the stronger for it. 

Though there are many moments in Mrs. Johnson’s incredible life that we could recount here, from taking part in the March on Washington, to running her very own successful bakery in a neighborhood where people thought a black-owned business would never succeed, we will instead join her one cold winter’s night as she trudged home through a blizzard. The worst one in a century, if the man on the evening news program she let play while she was baking bread was to be believed. She stepped out for only a moment to purchase some necessities at the corner store, but by that time, the snow had picked up and was falling down in torrents from above, blanketing the world in white. She used a gloved hand to shield her eyes as she walked the city block back to her home, a small unassuming apartment building known as Darkmoon Drive. 

Gusts of wind barraged her from all directions. The snow nipped at her cheeks, turning them a rosy red. But despite all this and the howling storm, she could just make out the most peculiar noise. A soft mewing, like that of a kitten calling for its mother. She turned her head, trying to locate the source of the noise. Her knitted scarf scratched at her cheeks and nose. Nearby, she spotted a narrow alleyway filled with discarded two metal trash bins. She placed her grocery bag on the ground and squeezed her way into the alley. She waited a beat, listening for the sound, unsure where to search first.

The mewing cried out again. Closer this time and less distorted by the wind. “Where are you?” asked Katherine, not really expecting a direct answer, but hoping that perhaps her voice would cause the kitten to keep making noise. She heard another mew. She moved deeper into the alleyway and started pulling up the boxes, looking inside them one by one and setting them aside. 

“Keep talking little one,” she said.

In response, there was another mew and this time it was definitely closer. She reached down to pick up the last piece of cardboard to find a tiny black and grey striped kitten, looking up at her with big eyes and shivering in the cold. It meowed loudly at her, its small mouth taking up most of its face. 

“Come now, let’s get you inside. You’ll catch your death out here,” she said, scooping the kitten up in a single hand. She cupped her other hand over it, to help shield it from the snow and cold, and then left the alley and made for the apartment building with the kitten and groceries in hand.  

Back in her apartment, she quickly wrapped the kitten tightly in a blanket and placed the bundle close to the heater. She then heated a small pan of milk on the stove top. She found a saucer amidst her boxes of old and forgotten things and placed the milk in the saucer before placing it in front of the kitten who happily slurped up the milk. The kitten was so small and had no collar or any sign of ever being cared for. She felt it was safe to assume that it had been born a stray. 

“You can stay here as long as you like,” she said to the kitten. Before long, she fell asleep in her rocking chair with the bundled kitten nestled safely in her arms. 

By the following morning, the kitten was happily following her all around the house and snuggling with her every chance he got. It became quickly apparent that the kitten would be living with her for the foreseeable future. 

“Well if you’re going to live here, you’ll need a name,” said Katherine. “Everyone’s got to have a name.” She placed the kitten on her lap and eyed him up and down. “Now let’s see.” She recalled her very first cat as a young girl. Her father was against having any animals in the house, but she placed the cat in his lap and less than five minutes later, he fell in love. It too was a dark gray color, but without the stripes like this one. At her age, this was most likely to be the last cat she’d ever live with, and it seemed an appropriate bookend for them to share a name. 

“Yes, I think it suits you quite nicely,” she said. “What do you think about Milo?” 

The kitten meowed at her and purred loudly. 

Katherine smiled. “That sounds like a yes to me.”

And so Katherine and Milo lived happily for the next three years together. But over time Katherine’s health began to decline. She grew sick and wasn’t getting better. As every day became harder, and she felt her life coming to an end, Katherine looked back on her life and had very few regrets. There was one; however, that stood out: that she never had any children. Her husband died many years earlier, but they tried for so long. Even when the doctors told them it might not be possible. They considered adoption, but over time, they found that what they wanted most was just to love each other with everything they had to give. And the thought of looking to adopt was pushed back more and more until it simply seemed too late. And then Freddie was diagnosed with cancer. He lived longer than anyone thought he would, but in the end, it took him all the same, leaving Katherine alone.

Even so, she made the best of her life. Her bakery, though she’d passed it to her most promising apprentice many years earlier, was still thriving to this day. She traveled. She walked in multiple civil rights marches of various causes, spanning generations. The work of equality for all, it seemed, was never done. She wrote a small collection of spicy romance mystery novels that a few local bookshops still carried. She read books, so many books that she couldn’t even remember them all. Katherine Johnson lived a great life. 

As she lay in bed, struggling to take each and every breath, she looked out her bedroom window and saw a single star twinkling in the night sky. Katherine didn’t believe in magic. She’d seen enough of the world to know that real magic was just living a happy healthy life, but just this once, she decided to indulge her inner child. 

“Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight,” she took another deep breath. “I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.” She looked down at the full grown cat sleeping in her bed and purring loudly. He was sporting a handsome new collar with a white star pendant on it which was given to Katherine by the apartment building’s owner, Arthur Cole. He was a sweet old man that always sought to make everyone happy and empowered them to spread their wings and embrace their own gifts and talents. He offered make something special for her, but she declined and instead insisted that he make something for Milo, who would be alive much longer to enjoy it. She also made him promise that he would look after Milo when she was gone. Which of course he agreed to. 

As she stared at him, petting his soft fur, she made her wish. The next morning, Katherine Johnson passed from this world, and Milo awoke in a new body. With the exception of his furry ears and fluffy tail, Milo had become a human. 

*   *    *

Now, years later, Milo sat on a rooftop, eying the home of Alexis Perdue, a young heiress who had asked for his particular set of talents to assist in recovering a priceless painting that she was sure her brother was keeping in his home even though he swore against it. This was how Milo survived. He took odd jobs around the city that involved hunting down missing items for people with far too much money on their hands. He was quite good at it too. He had a knack for tracking a lead almost like a bloodhound. And sure, sometimes things got rough, but he was strong. Katherine raised him and cared for him so that he could have this life, and he was determined to live it. But living a life involved surviving in it. This work wasn’t for everyone, but it kept food on the table and allowed Milo to stretch his legs each night. 

Now, with his pendant finally leveling up again, he felt his strength returning to him. With every level, Milo was able to jump higher, run faster and evade attacks like they were coming at him in slow motion. But he couldn’t get too comfortable. At any moment, Charlie could decide it was all too much and leave and then they’d be right back where they’d started. 

Milo would just have to keep training and hope that it was enough. Every job he took was a chance to hone his skills, to build his strength. And given enough time and hard work, perhaps one day he wouldn’t need to rely on the pendant to take on the world around him. He wouldn’t need to depend on Arthurs and Katherines who left too soon or Charlies who could up and leave at any moment. He wouldn’t have to depend on anyone but himself. And that was the way he wanted it. 

He shook off the barrage of thoughts and jumped down to the window banister. He gave a light knock on the window and waited for Ms. Perdue to answer. It was going to be a long night. 

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER NINETEEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

I know a few of you had asked for Milo’s backstory and, I’m sorry to say, it’s a bit tragic. Even so, I hope it helps to understand his character a bit better!

Just a quick reminder, no new chapter this Thursday as I will be out of town the next several days and won’t have a way of uploading!

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER NINETEEN

The stairs seemed to descend forever, never curving or breaking off into separate pathways. Just one steady direction, down into darkness. Finally, Milo spoke in a hushed whisper.

“I think I hear something,” he said. “We must be getting close.” 

He was right. Several minutes later, the stairs finally ended and they arrived in a massive chamber. It looked like a subway station in many ways, but one that had been warped by time. It was incredibly dark, lit only by red fluorescent lights that hung sparsely from the ceiling. The walls were covered in layers of graffiti and black vines of sludge which Charlie swore he could see slithering and pulsating as if they were alive. The room extended far past where the flashlight could reach, and in the center of it all was a derelict old subway car that looked like it had been sitting there since the early 1900’s.

“Well this is the most terrifying place I’ve ever been in my entire life,” said Charlie.

“Agreed,” said Juno. 

“What is that?” asked Milo, pointing off to the side of the room. They all looked over to see an exposed wall panel. Rust colored copper tubing ran along the wall and seemed to give off a faint glow. They approached, and Charlie leaned in to inspect it. He couldn’t help but think that the glowing was the tubing’s way of getting his attention.  

“I wanna try something,” he said, pulling the backpack off his back. He reached in and pulled out the pickaxe, returning the backpack to his shoulder.

“Since when do you have a pickaxe?” asked Milo. 

“I made it to break the boulders on the roof.” He lifted the pickaxe and brought it down onto the tubing. Light burst from the point of impact. When the light receded, he could see thin cracks running along the tubing, just like the boulders he broke on the roof. He hit them two more times before they broke off from the wall and fell, clattering to the flooring in several smaller pieces. Charlie reached down, took one of the tubes, and placed it in his backpack.

Inventory Update: 
+ 1 Copper Units

“It’s copper,” he announced. “Did they really use copper to build these old subway stations?”

“I’m pretty sure this place stopped being a subway station a long time ago,” said Milo, panning his eyes around the room. “It’s something else now.” 

Suddenly a new notification popped up on the screen of the backpack. 

New Creation Upgrades Unlocked!

Copper Pickaxe – Upgrades a Basic Pickaxe
Copper Axe – Upgrades a Basic Axe
Copper Scythe – Upgrades a Basic Scythe
Copper Water Can – Upgrades a Basic Watering Can
Copper Hoe – Upgrades a Basic Hoe
Copper Sword – Upgrades a Basic Sword

Charle tapped into a couple of the new recipes to find that each one required the basic version of the tool in addition to several pieces of copper, in order to make an ostensibly better version of the tool. 

“It looks like I can use the copper to make my tools stronger,” he said. 

“Great, I’m so glad we’re risking our lives down here so you can build a better watering can,” said Milo. 

“We haven’t risked our lives yet,” said Juno. “It’s just dark and creepy.” 

As if on cue, a roar echoed from somewhere far off. They all looked into the darkness ahead of them, freezing in place. 

“What the hell was that?” asked Charlie in a whisper. Bear whimpered beside him.

Charlie stood slowly, pointing the flashlight into the distance in order to see if he could spy what had made the sound. 

“It sounded pretty far away,” said Juno. 

“It also sounded big,” said Milo. 

“What should we do?” asked Charlie. 

“Maybe we head back up for today?” asked Juno.

“We just got here,” said Milo. “How bad could it be? I bet we could take it.” 

“Are you kidding me?” asked Charlie. “That sounded like a Tyrannosaurus rex!” 

“It also sounded far away,” said Milo. “We knew we were going to run into some nonsense down here. Are we seriously gonna turn around and walk back up ten miles of stairs after the first sign of trouble?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t seriously consider the possibility of getting eaten before we came down here!” snapped Charlie. “But now that I have considered it, I’ve decided it doesn’t sound that great!” 

“I should have known you would give up on us at the first sign of trouble,” growled Milo.

“I’m not giving up, I just—” started Charlie, but he was cut off as a glob of green sludge, about the same size as Bear, fell from somewhere above and landed with a loud flop on the ground in front of them. 

“What the—” said Milo. 

Bear started barking at the green slime ball as it began to pulse and undulate on the ground in front of them. 

Without warning, the slime lunged from the ground towards Bear, wrapping itself around him and began to drag him away into the darkened room. 

“Bear!” yelled Charlie.

Milo whipped his umbrella off his back and took off towards the slime. “Don’t let it get away!” he yelled. Juno ran after him, pulling her ukeytar into her hands. Charlie reached into his backpack and pulled out a sword. It had a smooth wooden handle and a sharp metal blade. He took a deep breath, securing the backpack on his back and sped off after the others. 

Milo lunged into the air and came down on the slime, stabbing it with the umbrella. The umbrella pierced the gelatinous creature, but the slime quickly reformed and kept moving. Bear barked, flailing in the slime, attempting to get free. 

“It’s immune to physical attacks!” yelled Milo. “We could use some firepower, Juno.”

“I can’t light it up with Bear in there,” she yelled. “I’ll set them both on fire!” 

“You can light things on fire?” asked Charlie, catching up with them. 

“Get the dog free. Ask questions later!” yelled Milo. “Help me pin it down, Charlie.”

Together, they ran after the slime, moving on either side of it, doing their best to block it every time it tried to run off in a different direction. “On three, stab the thing, and we’ll get sir barks-a-lot free!” 

“Got it!” yelled Charlie. 

“One, two … three!” Charlie and Milo lunged at the slime and stabbed into it, then immediately pulled in opposite directions. Bear squirmed and clawed at the ground. Suddenly, the slime broke apart, setting Bear free but jumping as two separate slime balls towards both Milo and Charlie. The slimes slammed into them, throwing them backwards. Bear ran towards Juno as fast as his paws and wheels could go and hid behind her legs. 

Her fingers flew across the strings as both Milo and Charlie slammed into the ground.

Now playing Salsa Playlist.

After a few quick notes, two fireballs sprung out of the ukeytar and hurtled towards the slimes, colliding with them, before they could launch another attack. The slimes screamed in pain as they melted into the floor. 

“And to think,” said Juno. “You two didn’t even want to bring me, and here I am, saving your asses.”

“Hey, we were fine! It’s not our fault the first monster we saw couldn’t be stabbed!” snarled Milo. 

Charlie pulled himself up from the floor and ran over to Bear, checking to make sure he wasn’t hurt. “You okay, buddy?”

Bear barked and licked Charlie’s hand. 

“Uh oh,” said Milo. 

Charlie looked up from Bear to see another slime drop near them. Then another and another. Within seconds, they were surrounded by slimes. Charlie stood as he and Bear pulled back into a tight circle with Milo and Juno. 

“Juno, I’m sorry I said you shouldn’t come with us,” said Milo. “Please kill the scary slimes so they don’t eat us.” 

Juno rolled her eyes. “Step aside.” She lifted her hand, ready to strum down on the strings, but before she could, another much louder, much closer roar echoed behind them. The slimes froze in place and then quickly slid off into the darkness, terrified of whatever much worse thing was the source of the roar. 

“Well that’s not a good sign,” said Charlie. Slowly, they turned to look back into the darkness, waiting to see what was so terrifying that it had scared off an entire family of slimes. There was a loud thump on the ground and then another. Charlie realized, much to his dismay, that it was the sound of footsteps approaching them. Very loud, very large footsteps. Shakily, Charlie held up the flashlight and aimed it into the darkness. 

They saw its face first. It was the face of a rat, but it was massive, hovering high above them. Boom. The rat creature took another step towards them, revealing a large body. It was walking on its hind legs. Its fur was black and missing in some areas where the creature was covered in the same black slime that covered the walls. Boom. It looked as though the skin on its face and body were rotting. One of its eyes was missing, and its paws were home to long dagger-like claws. Boom. The giant rat dropped its front legs to the ground and opened its large toothy mouth, roaring so loudly that it shook the ground around them. 

“On the upside,” said Milo, pulling his hands from his cat ears. “This one looks much more stab-able.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” asked Charlie. “It’s a giant mutant rat monster! It’s gonna eat us!” 

“Don’t be a wuss, Charlie. We can take him!” growled Milo.

“That thing is three times the size of us!” Snapped Charlie. “We can’t fight something that big! I’ve never even swung a sword before today! You expect us to take down a friggin bear rat!?” 

“I’ll keep you healed,” said Juno.

“You can’t heal us if we get cut in half by its teeth or its claws … or its teeth!” Charlie was spiraling. 

“On my count, we jump it,” said Milo, ignoring Charlie’s hysteria. 

“No!” snapped Charlie. “We are not doing this! No counting. No jumping. We need to run!” 

“One!” started Milo.

“Just stop and listen to me for a second!” Yelled Charlie.

“Two.” 

“Milo, I am begging you to—”

“Three!” 

Bear took off ahead of all of them at a sprint and lunged off the ground and slammed, head first, into the rat’s skull. There was a loud crack as the rat toppled, howling in pain as it clawed at its head. 

Charlie’s jaw dropped open.

“I take back everything bad I said about that dog,” said Milo. “He’s a badass.” 

“Quick, before the rat recovers!” yelled Juno. 

Milo lunged forward, umbrella at the ready.  The rat lashed out with its claws, flailing in every direction possible. Milo dodged the blows with his cat-like reflexes. He passed by the claws and ran up the side of the reeling rat to clobber it atop the head. Bear rolled around and took off again at full speed, bashing the rat across the side of its face. 

The rat spun and whacked Milo with its leathery tail, throwing him into a wall. Juno was already playing.

Now playing Lo-fi Hip Hop Playlist.

She strummed a soft jazzy tune as a pink flower which looked as though it had been pulled off the screen of a children’s animated movie, caught Milo, and wrapped him up in a hug, healing the wounds in seconds. He shook off the hit and jumped back into the fray. 

“Okay Charlie, you have to help them out,” said Charlie to himself. “You can’t just sit back here and do nothing. That’s what you’ve done your entire life and look where that got you.” 

Bear ran in for another attack but the rat batted him away with one of his massive paws. Milo also attempted to attack and was slapped across his midsection with its tail, sending him back again. With the two fighters pushed back, the rat roared and charged towards Juno. 

“Shit,” she said.  There was a sudden jingling from her ukeytar and she looked down to see golden letters scrawl across the wood. 

Level 3 Unlocked!

New Playlists Unlocked!

Piano Rock
Prelude – 2 Bars
Shields the user in a protective bubble

Flamenco
Prelude – 1 Bar
Summons two gloved hands which are able to assist in an assortment of ways. Hands are, after all, quite handy.

Actions which grant experience towards Level 4

– Continue playing shows to lift hearts and minds
– Heal wounds
– Shield yourself 
– Use Flamenco at least once, even if it’s only to clap for a job well done

Her fingers flew across the strings and keys.

Now Playing Piano Rock Playlist.

A huge golden bubble popped into existence around her. The rat chomped down on the bubble with its whole jaw, its teeth embedding themselves in the bubble’s surface. It bit down again, and again. And though Juno continued to play, the rat was slowly cracking through her defenses as its teeth chipped away at the bubble’s surface. Milo worked to steady himself, but the blow had caused the breath to leave his body and he was having a hard time standing up straight. Bear was attempting to shake off the attack, flopping his head from side to side and sneezing. 

“I can’t hold him much longer!” yelled Juno as the cracks in the bubble grew with every bite the rat took out of it. The bubble began to splinter, pieces falling from it as the rat clawed away at the weak points it created. The rat pulled back, preparing to take the final bite that would shatter the shield, a long wooden ladder shot straight into its neck, throwing the huge beast backwards across the room. It slammed into the derelict subway car in an explosion of steel and dust. 

Juno turned to see Charlie holding the backpack in his hands like a Gatling gun. 

“Aimed creations,” said Charlie. “Something new I got.” 

“I love it,” said Juno. 

The rat shook violently, pulling itself free of the massive dent it had left in the side of the train car. 

“Distract it while I get the other two back in the fight?” asked Juno. 

“Sure,” said Charlie, who was anything but sure at this point. “But if you hear screaming, I’m probably being eaten.”

Charlie ran towards the rat, his sword in one hand and the backpack fixed under the opposite arm. The rat shook its head and roared at him. Charlie swung the sword, with terrible form since he had absolutely no practice with it, and managed to slice across the rat’s face. The rat swung out at him with a claw, which he dodged. He aimed the backpack and shot out the first thing that came to mind. A wooden chair crashed into the rat and shattered on impact. 

Juno ran to the others, playing a soft lo-fi song to heal their wounds and get them back on their feet. 

“Thanks Juju!” Milo yelled, running past her, preparing his umbrella for another attack. 

“No problem Kitcat!” she yelled back.

“I told you never to call me that!” he growled.

She laughed, turning to Bear, but , but was cut short as she was bewildered by what she was witnessing: Bear’s wheelchair was reconfiguring itself right before here eyes. It was like watching a car turn into a robot, like a transformer, but on a much smaller scale. The wheels became thicker, reinforced by shimmering metal. But that wasn’t all. Something new was starting to form on the back of the wheelchair, near Bear’s small fluff of a tail. 

Juno grinned. “Looks like someone’s relic just leveled up.” 

Milo jumped in front of Charlie guarding against the rat from taking a bite out of him with the umbrella, pushing the rat back and whacking it across the face.

Charlie cut into the rat’s side and then shot a pickaxe into its stomach. The rat lashed out, pushing the two of them back with chomping jaws. Its eyes were wild like it had gone into a killer frenzy. 

“I think we pissed it off,” said Milo.

“You think?!” Charlie asked as he shot a fence that bounced off the rat’s thick fur. 

There was a sudden sound like a race car revving up behind them. 

“Get down!” yelled Juno. 

Charlie and Milo ducked as Bear rocketed over them.  Two small jet engines somehow had appeared on the rear of his wheelchair. Bear slammed once more into the rat’s head, this time with far more force. The crack of the rat’s skull echoed through the station. 

The rat reeled with a deafening screech. Milo saw an opening, ran up and lunged into the air, coming down on the rat’s chest with his umbrella. The umbrella found its mark and buried itself deep. Blood spurted out of the rat like something out of an anime that Charlie used to watch late at night when his ex wouldn’t be able to judge him for watching them. 

The rat let out another scream and crumpled to the ground. Black smoke began to roll up from the body. Its fur, claws and carcass disintegrated into thin air, leaving behind several small canvas bags tied at the top with little crude drawings of rats on them. 

They all stood frozen, watching as this strange transformation occurred. 

Finally, Milo spoke. “I’m just gonna say it. What in the actual fuck?” 

Charlie approached one of the bags, picked it up and then placed it in his backpack. He checked the screen for the details.

Inventory Update: 

+ 5 Monster Parts

“Well that’s disgusting,” he said, worried that he might actually vomit.

“What does it say?” asked Milo.

“It says they’re monster parts,” said Charlie, swallowing the bile in his throat.

“Gross,” said Juno. 

“Awesome,” said Milo. “Do you think we can cook it?” 

“GUH!” exclaimed Charlie and Juno simultaneously. Bear growled disapprovingly. 

“Hey, rats are delicious!” said Milo defensively. “It stands to reason that giant rats are delicious…er.” 

“Not a word,” said Juno.

“Maybe I can use them for a creation?” asked Charlie. 

“Hey, we all fought the rat beast,” said Milo. “We should split the Beast Bits.” 

“I am actually good on … beast bits,” said Juno who looked as if she was turning a bit green in the face. “You two can have at it.” 

“Us three,” said Milo. “The dog gets a share. I mean, did you see that head butt?” 

Bear backed up, practically shaking his head as if to say that he too, was all set when it came to beast bits.

“Fine, Chuck and I will take the beast bits,” said Milo. “He can make a monster reinforced shovel or something, and I can make rat stew.” 

“Yep, I’m gonna be sick,” said Juno, turning away from them and holding a hand over her mouth. 

They agreed to place all the monster part bags into Charlie’s backpack for the time being just to make carrying them easier and quickly collected them all. Milo opened the umbrella and spun it several times to whip off the black blood from the rat’s heart. 

“Now that we cleared out that monster, what say we see how far this room goes?” asked Milo.

Charlie and Juno agreed. Together, the four of them worked their way down the length of the station. A few times they came upon more exposed copper tubing, that Charlie mined to add to his bag. They met a couple more slimes, but Juno made short work of them with a fireball or two. Eventually they made their way to the other end of the station. From there, they could see the train tracks move into a narrow tunnel and disappear into the darkness. 

“Looks like after this room we’ll be heading into the tunnels,” said Milo.

“It’s getting late though,” said Juno. “I say we stop here for the night and head back upstairs so that we can regroup and get some rest.” 

“I agree,” said Charlie. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s fine,” said Milo. “I’ve got some work to handle tonight anyway.” 

“You work?” asked Charlie, and then realized what a rude question it was. “Nights?” He added quickly. “You work nights?” 

“Yeah,” said Milo. “In my line of work, the shadows come in handy.” 

“What line of work is that?” asked Charlie. “Are you Batman?” 

“Bats are assholes,” said Milo. And that was the end of the conversation. 

The four of them turned around, making their way back across the station and started the long walk up the stairs to the apartment building. Each of them had a few more bruises than when the night began. Bear had a new pair of jet thrusters that could retract and protract from his wheelchair at will. Juno had two new playlists. They also had a bag full of monster parts and copper. More importantly, they each gained a new-found resolve and connection with one another. 

They had braved the catacombs, fought several monsters, and won. It occurred to Charlie, as they worked their way back up the stairs, that together, they just might be able to hold back whatever it was his grandfather had been so concerned about down in those tunnels. Perhaps together, they could fulfill whatever crazy dream his grandfather had set out to achieve so many years ago. And with this thought, Charlie felt just a bit closer to the old man he never got the chance to know. 

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

This is such an action packed chapter! We get to see how each of them battles and we get to see the first transformation of Bear’s relic! There’s much more to come for the catacombs below Darkmoon Drive but I hope you enjoyed this first outing!

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

She awoke in her small bed with a start, her hands reaching up to clutch her head, which pulsed with searing pain. She rolled over and tumbled off the bed, crashing onto the hardwood floor. She coughed, blood spewing from her mouth onto the wood. She clawed at the floor, her nails digging into the wood and causing her nails to break and bleed. Finally the headache ebbed and she sat back on her feet, opening her eyes only slightly to take in her surroundings.

Her room was simple, furnished with only a small dresser for her meager clothes and an even smaller vanity. She moved to a nearby trashcan and vomited bile into it. When she was done, she stood, using the bed to help steady herself. No sooner was she standing, did she feel a creature’s sharp claws on her shoulders. It was made of wispy black and red smoke like a fiery shadow ghost. It’s touch was light, but she felt it all the same. It’s face was like that of a lion with a curly mane, sharp, cruel teeth and horns, and hollow eyes. He whispered words from a long dead language in her ear, but she understood them perfectly. The Nian, he was called. A demon from the mountains which had chosen her as its host.

How lucky she was. How cursed she felt.

She pulled at the thick jade bracelet that fit snugly around her forearm and wrist, unconsciously, like many times before. To others who saw it, it was beautiful. But to her, it was a reminder of the jail in which she was shackled everywhere she went.

The room was dark, lit only by the light of a single candle that was nearly burnt out. As she moved through the room, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Thin, so thin. Her features were bony. Her hair, which hung to her shoulders in a tight ponytail, was as black as oil. Her mother would have chided her.

“Eat more,” she would have said in Mandarin. “So thin.”  Then she would have shoved a bowl of porridge, and a plate full of steamed buns in front of her. But her mother was gone. Everyone who might have ever cared for her was gone. And only she remained. She and the Nian. 

She walked to the door, pulling it open with all her strength, and left the room. She worked her way down the hall, though her stomach continued to turn in on itself. Every now and then she stopped to grasp it, leaning against the wall as she took deep heaving breaths. The hall was nearly pitch black. The walls were covered with old paintings of men and women who had died in service to the Onyx Sun. 

Once, they were many. Now they were few. Her master being one of the few. She came upon his study at the end of the hall and knocked. 

“I’m busy,” came the gravelly voice of the man inside. 

She pushed open the door anyway. The old man sat in a leather chair, pouring over documents, yellowed by age, and piled across his desk as well as the surrounding floor like mountains of parchment. 

“I said I’m busy, Daiyu!” he snapped, looking up at her. 

She glared at him. “The Nian has spoken,” she said in a weak voice. “He’s heard the call of his kin.” 

The man sat up, pulling his spectacles from his face and placing them on the table. “You mean…”

“The door is open,” she said. 

And the man smiled. 

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Okay I know this is as SUPER short chapter, BUT hopefully it wets your appetite for the mystery to come! Up until now, Charlie’s worst enemy has been himself, and of course Milo. But perhaps he’s got bigger things to worry about!

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Milo led Charlie and Bear to the elevator and hit the button for the first floor. They stood silently as the elevator descended, shaking precariously the whole way down until they arrived on the ground floor. The door slid open to reveal Juno, waiting for the elevator. 

“Hey guys,” she said, clearly surprised to see them together. She wore a jean jacket over a light blue shirt with blue jeans. Her Ukeytar was strapped to her back. She looked them over and then smiled broadly as she noticed Bear standing between them. “And who is this?” She knelt down and offered her hand to Bear who, surprisingly, trotted up to her and started licking her fingers. 

“This is Bear,” said Charlie. “I found him on the roof.”

“What was he doing up there?”

“I have no idea.”

“And you got him a little wheelchair!” she said, petting Bear’s head. 

“Actually I pulled it out of the backpack. It’s a, er, a relic.” Charlie stumbled.

Juno looked up at him in surprise. “You made a relic? Already? How?”

“I, um, I don’t know,” said Charlie sheepishly.

“Believe it or not, that’s not even the craziest thing he’s told me,” said Milo.

Juno stood up, worry in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Milo glanced at Charlie, waiting for him to be the one to break the news. 

“The backpack keeps saying that fighting monsters is one way to help level it up,” said Charlie, starting to feel a rising sense of concern.

Juno’s eyes shifted from Charlie to Milo. “Is that what this is? Is that why you brought him down here?” she asked.

“Juno–” Milo started.

“He told us not to go down there,” said Juno harshly. “He told us to keep that door shut, Milo.” 

“I know,” bit back Milo. “But the backpack is telling him to do it and Arthur owned the backpack. He left it to Charlie. I just think…” Milo paused. “I know what Arthur said, but he’s not here now. And sure, when he was alive, there was no reason for us to go down there, because he was going down there. He had it under control. But now…we’re on our own, Juno.” 

“So far we’ve been fine, though,” she said, but her voice wavered.

“Sure, but for how long?” asked Milo. “The backpack is telling Charlie to go fight monsters. Why would it do that? What if, someone has to fight them to keep them under control? I know I would much rather go to them than wait for them to come up here and find us with our paws in the kitty litter.”

“Is that a cat idiom?” asked Charlie apprehensively.

Juno thought this over, chewing on her bottom lip. She shook her head, but then sighed as resolve filled her eyes. “I’m coming with you.” 

“Absolutely not,” said Milo. 

“Wait, why not?” asked Charlie.

“Because she’s gonna get herself killed,” said Milo.

Bear barked.

“I’m not the one who shows up at all hours with stab wounds!” snapped Juno.

“You got stabbed?” asked Charlie, turning to Milo. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” snapped Milo.

“You need me,” said Juno. “I’m guessing Charlie’s never fought anything before and you,” she motioned at Milo, “have the unique ability to get hurt … a lot. You two can be the muscle, but you need someone with support skills. Plus you need a healer. And I am both of those things.”

“I can make fences, so I don’t know if that is technically considered muscle,” said Charlie, sounding more and more unsure of himself. “Also I’ve never even thrown a punch. I can almost guarantee I’m useless in a fight.”

“You,” she pointed at Charlie, “can pull things out of a backpack. You’re basically a wizard. You,” she pointed at Milo next, “have your sword-like umbrella that Jericka made you. Plus you can take a hit. You’re the tank.”

“Tank?” asked Milo.

“Oh my God, I know you used to be a cat, but can you get with the picture and play a video game for once in your life?” Juno stomped her foot.

“That sounds boring,” said Milo, who was already losing interest in the conversation. 

“You’re like the warrior of the group,” she clarified. “We’ve got a mascot,” she pointed to Bear. “An adorable one, I might add.”

Bear barked in approval as she petted his head.

“And I’m your healer. I can also cast an offensive spell. Not to mention that my powers are way stronger than either of yours. The point is, you need me or you guys will be out after a few hits.” She crossed her arms, clearly proud of the point she’d made. 

“To be fair, I’ll probably be out after no hits,” said Charlie, who was not at all looking forward to being hit by anything ever. 

“Fine!” growled Milo. “You can come, but don’t die. If you die, I’ll be pissed.” 

“Fair enough,” said Juno. 

“I would also like to not die,” said Charlie. 

“You’ll be fine,” said Juno. “Just don’t get your head cut off. That’s kind of hard to heal.”

Charlie’s stomach dropped. “Is that something we’re concerned about happening?”

“No idea,” said Milo. “We’ve never been down there.” 

“Okay, now that we’re all going, can one of you tell me where we’re going?” asked Charlie. 

Milo and Juno looked at each other, as if expecting the other to speak. After a beat, Juno sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell him.” The four of them moved into the lobby together. It was as if by taking those few steps, they were committing to their mission. “Have you ever heard of the abandoned subway stations beneath the city?”

“Sure, I guess,” said Charlie. It was a well known fact that several stations and tunnels had been abandoned throughout the city’s subway system throughout history, due either to disuse or simply the fact that some stations had not been built to harbor the larger trains that eventually became the heart of the system itself. “I even toured one back when I was in high school.” 

“Right,” said Juno. “Well there are some stations and tunnels that you can tour and learn history about stuff.” She paused for effect. “But there are others that run deeper. Stations and tunnels that people have forgotten about, and for good reason.” 

“What kind of good reason?” asked Charlie. He felt as though he was about to learn something he really didn’t want to know. 

“Because these stations weren’t abandoned by choice. They were … taken.” Juno bit her bottom lip.

“Taken?” asked Charlie. “By what?” But somehow he already knew the answer. “Or … who?”

“The monsters your backpack wants you to fight,” said Milo.

Charlie eyed them both and then smiled, waiting for one of them to break and start laughing and tell him they were just playing with him. “Come on. This is New York. There aren’t monsters hiding under the city. That’s like some crazy story we tell tourists.” 

“Oh they’re real,” said Juno. “Arthur would go down to fight them, to keep them at bay. That’s why he forbade us from ever going down there.” 

“Okay but why did he even have to fight them at all?” asked Charlie. “If there are monsters deep underground, couldn’t we just, I don’t know, leave them to their monstering?” 

“If only it were that simple,” said Milo.

“There’s a door in this building that leads down to the tunnels, the catacombs he called them.” Juno took a deep breath. “It’s the only door that leads down there. The only door anywhere.” 

Charlie looked at Juno and then at Milo, then back at Juno. Bear whimpered from the floor. “What does that mean?” 

“It means,” said Juno, “that this building, along with being a home to a bunch of really amazing people with really amazing gifts, is also the one and only gateway to a dark underground lair of monsters. Or to put it another way, this building is the last defense against a very old evil and your grandfather was the man keeping it at bay so it didn’t rise up and consume the city.” 

“Oh,” said Charlie, feeling his pulse quicken. His head suddenly felt very light. “I see.” His eyes rolled back into his head as he toppled backwards, and everything went dark.

* *     *

Charlie awoke to Bear licking his face. “Argh!” he said, pushing Bear away. “Stop it!” 

He blinked his eyes open and looked up to see Milo and Juno standing over him.

“Are you okay?” asked Juno.

“Are you done being dramatic?” asked Milo. 

“I had the worst dream,” rasped Charlie. “I dreamt you two were going to take me through a portal to hell underneath the apartment building.” 

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” said Milo. 

“Dammit,” said Charlie. “I guess I just hoped it was a dream.” He used his arms to push himself up to a sitting position. Milo and Juno backed up to give him room. “So what? We just go down there and get eaten by the orcs of Mordor?” 

“What’s an orc?” Asked Milo.

“It’s from the Lord of the Rings,” said Juno. 

“Movies are boring,” replied Milo.

“I once saw you watch four hours of a pre-recorded aquarium on TV,” she snapped back. 

“In my defense, I thought it was the Food Network your mom is always talking about,” said Milo.

Juno rolled her eyes. 

“What kind of monsters are we dealing with exactly?” asked Charle, was currently very concerned about what they were getting into, and not really in the mood for cat humor at the moment. 

Juno and Milo exchanged a look. “We don’t really know,” said Juno. “Arthur never let us go down there, remember?” 

“So we’re gonna go down there with no clue about what we’re up against, and just hope not to die?” asked Charlie.

“We’ll be fine,” said Milo. “I once beat up a Great Dane. And that was before I was a human. I could probably take on a rhinoceros now.” 

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, just yet,” said Juno. “I think for this first time, we just open the door, go in and check it out. Then we can come back and discuss next steps. Arthur used to say that the catacombs had multiple levels and passageways. I also happen to know he used a lot of materials he found down there to make things with the backpack. So let’s just take a look, then come back and make a plan once we have more information. And if we’re lucky, Charlie will find something useful along the way.” 

Milo and Charlie nodded. Bear barked in approval.  

“Fine,” said Charlie. “Which way is the Hellmouth?” 

They lifted Charlie off the floor and walked to a door labeled “Basement Access.” Through this door, they descended a small flight of cement steps to a small room filled with things like water heaters and electrical paneling that, presumably, kept power and water running to the building. They crossed the room to find a simple door boarded up with several wooden planks. The area around the door was scorched black as if something had burned it, and a large sign hung on the central plank reading “Keep Out.” 

“Well that’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen,” said Charlie, feeling as though he might pass out again. 

“Think you can take care of those boards?” asked Juno. 

Against Charlie’s better judgment, he sighed and pulled his axe from the backpack.  He approached the door and lifted the axe above his head before bringing it down on the first plank. One by one he removed the planks. When the last one was chopped away, the door opened. A gush of air escaped into the room, like it was taking a breath of fresh air.  All four of them jumped back. Bear proceeded to bark angrily at the door. 

Charlie put the axe back in the backpack and used his once-a-day ability to pull out a flashlight. He turned to find that Milo had removed his beanie, revealing two large furry cat ears. He’d also unzipped a pocket on the back center of his pants, from which a furry tail now protruded. 

“Oh,” said Charlie, surprised to see the actual cat parts of Milo for the first time. 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” snarled Milo.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” said Charlie quickly. “I just hadn’t seen–”

“My ears help me hear better, and I’m more agile with my tail,” said Milo. “I keep these parts of myself hidden so regular people like you don’t look at me like a freak. But if it means staying alive, I’ll just have to make due.”

“I don’t think you’re a freak,” said Charlie. “Honestly, the ears and tail are kind of cool.”

“Sure,” said Milo, who clearly didn’t believe him. Even so, Charlie thought he saw the faint hint of a blush on Milo’s cheeks.

“Alright, who’s going first?” asked Juno. Charlie, Milo and Bear all stared at her.

“I vote for the guy with the flashlight,” said Milo. “Or the dog. Dog’s are basically cannon fodder anyway.” 

“Milo!” snapped Juno. Bear growled angrily. 

Milo held up his hands defensively. 

“I agree with him about the flashlight part though,” said Juno.

Charlie rolled his eyes. “I hate all of you.” He moved to the door and pulled it the rest of the way open, revealing a completely dark room beyond. He pointed the light down a long set of stairs and was surprised to find that even though the light seemed to be very strong, he still couldn’t see the bottom of the stairs. “This is the point of every horror movie where I would be yelling at the characters to turn around and walk away.” With that, he started down the stairs with Juno, Milo and Bear close behind him. 

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER SIXTEEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

What good is a Stardew Valley-like story without a fun dungeon to explore? Well I don’t know if fun is the right word but I’m excited to start showing off the catacombs! Like many elements of this story, the catacombs are way more than the initially seem. They’ve got lots of fun secrets to explore. In any case, I love this chapter because we finally get the main four cast together for the first time!

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It’s important to note that when one is standing on a rooftop forest and the sun hits a small furry animal just right, one might assume said animal is not a harmless corgi, but in fact a terrifying—

“BEAR!” cried Charlie, backing away in a flurry of swinging arms and stumbling feet. It was unfortunate that only moments ago he’d built a fence, because as he stumbled, he backed into it and toppled head over heels, legs flying up over the rest of his body as he landed in a heap between two sprouting lettuce leaves. He reached out his arms and stood back up, jumping back over the fence. Charlie, however, was not very athletic, so he fell a second time, his foot getting caught on the top of the fence and betraying him at the last moment. He scrambled to his feet and made for the elevator. 

He jabbed the call button manically, summoning the elevator up to the roof. “Come on,” he cried. “Come one, come on, come on!” But the elevator seemed to not be responding. Behind him, he heard heard a steady scraping noise like something being dragged across dirt. Perhaps the bear was also capable of wielding a giant axe or club which was now being dragged along behind it, ready to crush his bones to make bread. That was something giant monster creatures did, right? Then came the sound of panting, the repetitive huffing of air which got ever closer by the second.

He pressed the button again and again but to no avail. He pounded on the elevator gate, praying for it to open. He saw no other option. He would have to face his attacker. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and turned around slowly. In his mind, he was preparing to face an eight foot tall grizzly in thick battle armor, wielding a giant axe that it used to obliterate its victims.

But as he turned to face his demise, to his relief, there was nothing in front of him at all. That was, until he looked down to find the deep blue eyes of a small corgi. The dog was darker than most corgis he knew, with speckled black and gray fur along its back. It was also longer and had a more pointed face and even pointier ears. It was definitely a puppy, but he figured it wasn’t too far from being full size. After all, corgis were never going to be the largest dogs in the world. The most peculiar thing about the dog was that it was dragging its two back legs behind it. The dog looked up at him expectantly.

“Uh, hi,” said Charlie. He gave the dog a little wave. “How did you get up here?”

The dog began to pant and stare up at him. He knelt down and looked the dog in its kind eyes, then lifted a hand for it to smell. He heard somewhere that this was a good way to approach new dogs so they could get used to you. The corgi extended its short neck and gave his hand a few sniffs, before pulling back with slight uncertainty in its eyes.

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” said Charlie, raising his hand, palm down, over the dog’s head. He let it hang there for a moment, keeping his gentle gaze fixed on the corgi’s blue eyes, before gently placing his hand atop the dog’s head. The corgi’s whole body seemed to relax as it nudged its head gently up into Charlie’s hand.

Charlie smiled and proceeded to pet the dog. “Hey there buddy,” he said. The corgi moved in closer for the optimal petting position, and Charlie obliged by petting the dog with both his hands. The dog had no collar which Charlie assumed meant that it was a stray. 

Behind him, the elevator finally arrived and the door slid open. “It’s gonna get cold out here, you wanna come inside with me?”

The corgi quirked its head to the side, then looked around the interior of the elevator. After a moment’s hesitation, it slowly started to make its way into the elevator, dragging its back legs behind it. 

Charlie reached down and scooped the puppy into his arms and walked them both into the elevator. “Mind if I give you a lift?” The corgi licked his jaw and he laughed as he pulled the elevator gate shut and hit the button for the third floor. Looking down at the corgi, held in his arms like a baby, he realized that the dog was male. 

They returned to Charlie’s room where he used his backpack to create a couple of chairs, one of his newly acquired creations. He sat in one and placed the dog on the table. They sized each other up. 

“So, do you have a name?” Charlie asked the dog. The corgi’s tongue hung out of his mouth as it panted, content to be in a warm place after so long in the cold. 

“Hmm,” said Charlie pensively. “Well I’ve got to call you something. Let’s see.” He bit his lip as he thought. “I don’t know if you realize this, but I thought you were a bear at first. Like a big scary bear.” Charlie smiled at this. “So how about I call you Bear? With a name like that, anyone will definitely think twice before messing with you.” He wasn’t sure who ‘anyone’ was, but he figured this little dog, helpless as he seemed, could use a big strong name. 

The dog gave a small yip.

Charlie laughed. “Happy to hear you approve.” He gave the dog a pet on the head.  “Sorry about your legs,” said Charlie. “That must have made getting around the garden pretty tricky.” Bear simply snuggled into his hands. “Maybe we could get you something to make getting around a little easier? I’ve seen doggy wheelchairs before. I don’t know where to get one, but I’m sure I could swing by a pet store. Someone there should know, right?” 

Bear’s stomach growled and then Charlie’s followed suit. “Oh right, you must be hungry. I know I am.” He stood to go to the fridge where he had leftover food from earlier in the day. Before reaching the fridge, Bear barked, and he looked back.  A soft golden glow emanated and pulsed from the opening at the top of the backpack that he hadn’t quite closed completely.  It was the first time he’d seen the glow since he first opened it the previous morning. Bear’s blue eyes sparkled in the light. 

Charlie wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was certain that there was something important waiting for the two of them inside the backpack. Carefully, he unzipped it the rest of the way, letting the light wash over them. He carefully reached inside and felt around until his fingers wrapped around something solid. He pulled his hand back out, along with a strange contraption. At first glance, it appeared to be a collection of smooth cerulean metal discs and straps, gray tubes, and two wheels, each a little under 12 inches in diameter. 

“Is this … a wheelchair for dogs?” asked Charlie, eyeing it suspiciously. If it was, it was the fanciest one he’d ever seen. It looked like the kind of doggie wheelchair that Apple or Nasa might design. Even more strange was that he knew for a fact he didn’t have any creations capable of making something like it. “Wanna try it on?” he asked Bear.

Bear barked and wagged his small tail. 

Charlie fastened the harness portion around Bear’s chest and midsection. Two flat blue circular discs sat on his shoulders while two more larger, rectangular pieces of thickk metal curved around his sides. Charlie wasn’t sure what these were for, but they seemed somewhat like armor. But why would a doggie wheelchair need armor? He made sure the wheels were in place and that nothing was pinching any of Bear’s long hair. Then he lifted Bear up off the table and placed him on the floor. 

“Go on,” said Charlie. “Give it a test drive.” Bear took a few steps, adjusting to the shift in weight, and then took off, running around the apartment like a little race car. Charlie laughed as he watched Bear run into different rooms, circle and then run out only to find a new room to explore. It was as if he had been trapped all his life and was finally set free. Not only was he free, he was a regular speedster! Perhaps the Flash or Speedy would have been a better name, but Charlie didn’t have the heart to change it now. 

Bear finally scampered up to Charlie, tired out from his little race.

“I suppose I’ll need to take it off so you can sit down and rest after all that,” said Charlie. But at that moment, the wheels retracted into themselves, almost like some sort of miniature transformer and Bear plopped down on the ground. “Woah,” said Charlie, who was possibly more surprised by this than he was just seeing the wheelchair. He shook the surprise away and cleared his throat. “Well then, I think it’s finally time we had something to eat.” He went to the fridge and pulled out one of the loaves of bread he’d been given by Demitri. 

He broke off a piece and sat it on the floor for Bear while he bit into the remaining loaf. This one was flavored like all-you-can-eat sushi. They happily ate together in silence.

Once again, Charlie found himself feeling very pleased with how his life was going. If someone asked him to explain what had changed or why his perspective was so positive for the first time in forever, he probably wouldn’t have been able to put words to it. He was just happy to feel at peace for once. It was a strange yet welcome feeling to know that he was actually excited about going to sleep and waking up to a new day. 

As they finished eating, Charlie went to put the rest of the loaf into his bag. This way, if he needed food on the go, he’d have it right there. He noticed that a notification had popped up on the screen of the backpack. He tapped on it and saw a few words which sent his mind spinning.

Congratulations! 
You have created your first Relic!

Charlie jumped out of his chair, dropping the backpack on the floor. “A … relic? But how?” He looked at Bear who had no answers to provide other than to tilt his head curiously. As if he weren’t already surprised enough, there was a sudden frantic knocking at his window. He looked up and fell backwards in surprise at a man sitting at the windowsill, knocking at it with the handle of an umbrella. Bear barked wildly at the window lurker.

“Get up and let me in!” yelled the man. As Charlie looked up at the window, he realized it wasn’t just any man, it was Milo. He was wearing a long dark coat and a maroon beanie atop his head. He scowled angrily at Charlie, which seemed completely unfair since the only person who had any right to be angry just then was Charlie, the person currently being encroached upon. 

“What are you doing out there?” asked Charlie, standing back up. 

“Keeping an eye on you!” yelled Milo, as if this was a completely justifiable reason to be at his window. 

Charlie went to the window and pulled it open. Milo squeezed into the room as Bear continued to bark angrily.

Milo glared at Bear and then hissed at him like a cat. Bear’s ears flopped down as the wheels re-emerged on his chair. He took off at a run, speeding into another room. 

“If you were going to get a pet, couldn’t you have found one less noisy?” asked Milo, shaking off his coat and throwing it onto one of the chairs. Charlie couldn’t help but notice that Milo was often quite fashionably dressed. He reminded Charlie of the people photographers captured in their lenses as they walked around New York City. These photos would end up online and tagged as ‘Street Fashion.’ 

“It’s not like I picked him out. I found him on the roof,” said Charlie defensively. 

“The roof?” asked Milo. “What was he doing up there?” 

“How should I know?” Charlie snapped. “I just got here! I don’t know what kind of wild animals you’ve got hiding up there!” 

“I don’t have any wild animals hiding anywhere!” growled Milo. 

“Well neither do I!”

“Fine!” 

“Fine!” 

They both crossed their arms and stared angrily at each other. There was a long beat where neither of them said anything.

“Have you been watching me this whole time?” asked Charlie, his voice noticeably quieter.

“Not the whole time,” said Milo, letting his arms fall to his sides. “I have a life, ya know?” 

“What do you think I’m gonna do? Burn the building down?” Charlie motioned to the room. “I know you don’t know me, but this is about the only thing I’ve got going for me right now.”

“This place is not your feel-better project!” snapped Milo. 

“I know that,” said Charlie. “I just … I’ve liked the way this place has made me feel, okay? I’ve liked the way the people who live here have made me feel.” He eyed Milo nervously. “Well, most of the people.”

Milo rolled his eyes.

“And I know I didn’t really do anything to deserve it, but everyone seems really happy that I helped bring their relics back to life.” 

“Of course they’re happy,” said Milo. “Our relics take what we are and make it better, stronger, faster and brighter. But that is exactly why you being here scares the hell out of me.” He sighed. “Look, before you waltzed in here yesterday, we were fine. We’d all adjusted to this new way of life. And that’s saying something because it took all of us a lot of time to deal with your grandfather’s death. It took us even longer to get used to the fact that without him, our relic’s were useless. My relic…” Milo subconsciously touched the star pendant hanging from his neck. “When everyone lost their powers, I … I thought I’d turn back. If my collar no longer had any power then there was no reason for me to stay human.”

Charlie nodded in understanding. “That must have been hard.” 

“You have no idea. Everyday, I woke up sure it would all be over. I would keep my eyes closed, thinking I could keep feeling human for just a little longer. And then I’d open them, and I’d still be me. After a while, I even started thinking that maybe it would all be okay. Maybe my relic had just enough magic in it to keep me going.” He sighed, his eyes narrowing. “But now you’re here, and if you leave, which you very well may do, because you don’t owe any of us anything, I don’t know if the magic in my relic will survive being turned off a second time. And what’s worse, I don’t know if the people who live here will be able to survive losing their powers again. See, you don’t realize this, but when you opened that backpack yesterday, you gave them something incredibly dangerous. You gave them hope.”

Charlie let Milo’s words wash over him. “Look, I don’t want to disappoint any of you.” 

“But?”

“I just … a couple of days ago, I was ready to end my life.”

This was not what Milo had been expecting to hear. “What do you mean?” he asked, settling into one of the chairs. Charlie sat down opposite of him. 

“I mean, I was standing on the Brooklyn Bridge, ready to jump, when I got the text about my grandpa. I thought he’d died that night. And for some reason, that was the thing that made me get off the bridge and live another day. And now I’m here. I don’t want to disappoint any of you, but I don’t even know how to not disappoint myself right now. I am a disappointing person. I’m a failure.” He wiped the wetness from his eyes that was beginning to form there. “I am someone who felt … feels … felt, I don’t know, that the world would be better without me in it. So, when I met everyone this morning and they all told me how my being here is such a good thing, such a miracle, I didn’t know how to process that.” Charlie fiddled his fingers anxiously on the table’s surface. “Nothing about me has ever been considered a miracle. Nothing about me has even been considered good, or enough. I guess, what I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to fail all of you, but I’m not entirely sure I know how to not be a failure.”

They sat in silence for what could have been minutes or hours.

“You’re depressing,” said Milo bluntly. And for some reason this was all it took to break the tension in the air. Charlie let out a loud laugh, then quickly covered his mouth with one hand.

He smiled, sniffled, then wiped his eyes again. “Yeah, I guess I am.” He waved at the backpack. “I don’t understand any of this, okay? I’m just taking it one day at a time. This backpack wants me to build a farm and make things out of other things. It wants me to cut down trees, break rocks and build fences. And now it turns out, I can even make relics. I mean, I made one. I don’t know how I did that, but it happened. I’m so high strung, I freaked out when I saw Bear on the roof. Meanwhile, this backpack is telling me that if I want to level up, I have to fight monsters. I’m terrified of my own shadow. How the hell am I supposed to fight monsters?”

Milo’s cat ears perked up. “Monsters?”

“Yeah,” said Charlie. “Monsters.”

“The backpack told you to fight them?” Milo leaned forward on the table.

“Yeah. It said I could fight monsters to help me level up.” Charlie paused. “Wait, do you know something about monsters?”

“I…” Milo stopped to think, his eyes darting around the room. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Which part doesn’t make sense?”

Milo leaned forward even more and then whispered to Charlie, as if worried someone might hear. “I know where the monsters are, but…”

“But?”

“But Arthur told us never to go down there.” 

“Down where?” asked Charlie, certain he didn’t want to know the answer.

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER FIFTEEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Oh wow, so much is happening in this chapter and yet it feels fairly quiet compared to others. We have a new relic for Bear, Milo creeping at the window, and a new destination for our heroes! I love having Charlie and Milo talk to each other in this scene because I really think it brings out so much about the two of them. They are both, clearly, people with baggage which is why they both can’t stand, but also need each other. I am so excited for you to see what’s waiting below and also to see what Bear’s relic can do. Any guesses??

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Marybeth Springfield was a born and bred New Yorker, thank you very much. At least that’s what she told anyone who asked. Of course, if they really thought about it, this wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense since she had a very prominent Southern drawl that could be heard in each and every word she spoke. In truth, she was born and raised in Arkansas as Marybeth Hawkins and married young to a Mr. Holland Springfield. 

They met on a sunny afternoon in June. He was one of four judges at the Ms. Pottsville Beauty Pageant. She caught his eye during her talent showcase, where she played “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on a trombone while simultaneously shearing a sheep. She winked at him when she came out in a two-piece lilac colored swimsuit, and by the time she emerged from backstage in her green chiffon evening gown, they were madly in love with each other. She won the pageant, not by the merits of her talents or beauty, but by threat of Holland pulling out of future investments in the pageant if she didn’t.

That night they made love under the stars in the back of Holland’s Ford F-150 behind the town’s most prominent establishment: Dean and Billy’s Hot Dog and Gas Emporium. The air smelled of suntan lotion, freshly mowed grass, ethanol and mustard, but they didn’t care. They only had eyes, and noses, for each other.

Holland Springfield was a self made man. He invested in Netflix, Amazon and the Roomba early and now possessed the kind of money that other men of his stature used to fund phallic shaped-spaceships. But Holland was a simple man. All he really needed was good bourbon, a  membership to a nice, but exclusive, country club where he could golf on the weekends, and a happy wife. Luckily for him, after they moved to the big apple, Marybeth discovered a hobby, which she put her whole heart into, and it kept her quite content. Holland was happy to oblige her by signing checks every now and then if it meant keeping a smile on her beautiful face. Happy wife, happy life.

Marybeth had discovered the age-old art of breeding show dogs. And not just any show dogs, the royalty of show dogs. The breed so fine, it was fit for a Queen. Marybeth bred corgis, specifically Cardigan Welsh corgis, which were stockier, more pointed and darker in color than their Pembroke counterparts. In other words, they were the more refined of the two, at least she thought so. 

As with all great hobbies, this obsession started simply, with just one dog. Reginald was her first corgi. He had a speckled gray and black marble coloring along his back and he was the most proper gentleman she’d ever known, including Holland. She loved him with all her heart. In her lavish mink fur coat, she pushed him around New York City in a baby carriage. She would order meat pies for Reginald at the bakery. She’d buy him a ticket for a seat at the movies with her, and when the attendants argued she couldn’t bring a dog into the theater, she’d slip each of them a twenty dollar bill and they would look the other way. 

One time, when denied, she convinced Holland to buy the theater and then promptly fired the employees who dared to say ‘no’ to her. She commissioned a professional painting of Reginald to hang above the mantelpiece in their home. There were more photos of Reginald on their walls than of Holland, Marybeth or either of their extended families combined. 

But as time went on, Marybeth began to worry that Reginald was lonely. He often looked at her with a sad expression on his face, his eyes drooping and watering as if he might actually start to cry. He no longer ate his dinner, freshly cooked by an in-home chef, with nearly as much excitement as he once had. She’d read online that breeds like corgis actually did better in pairs. Thus, she went to a breeder and paid an exorbitant amount of money for Lucinda, her second corgi. 

Lucinda had a fiery spirit, and she sparked new life into Reginald, which sparked new life into Marybeth. Holland was incredibly happy about this because it meant she was making love to him again, at least twice a week, and sometimes even with the lights on. 

Now, Marybeth was taking two corgis on long walks around the neighborhood each and every day. People who saw them were absolutely awestruck at how incredibly beautiful her children were. Of course, people didn’t refer to them as her children, but she did. They’d stop to pet them, take pictures, dote upon, and compliment them. Marybeth was only too happy to oblige. One day, a woman in a blazer said “They’re both so dashing! Do you ever show them?” 

Marybeth was taken aback. Never once had she thought of putting her perfect, precious babies into a dog show, of all things. “I certainly have not,” she said. She might have clutched her pearls had she been wearing them. As it were, she clutched the diamond encrusted gold necklace around her neck instead.

“That’s a shame,” said the blazer woman. “I bet they’d bring home all the medals!” And then the woman went on her way. This one brief interaction changed Marybeth at her very core. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. She had never considered that she’d enter her dogs into shows. After all, she’d basically been a show dog herself, forced to compete in pageants by her mother and her mother’s frequently drunk boyfriend Todd. Until Holland came along anyway. But being the proud parent of a couple of winners? That she could get behind.  Marybeth loved winning, and she never lost.  

And so it was that Marybeth went to work researching exactly what she would need to get Reginald and Lucinda into their first show. She’d just do it once, just one show to prove to the world they were winners and then she could move on to some other obsession. She found a corgi show in New Jersey where she entered Reginald, and another one in Upstate New York where she entered Lucinda. The dogs won both of their respective shows. 

And why wouldn’t they? 

The problem with winning is that it’s never quite enough.  In fact, it often has one wanting more. Winning is addictive. This is why places like Las Vegas are so successful. From their first win onwards, Reginald and Lucinda were in back to back shows, bringing home ribbons, trophies and plaques of various sizes and colors. While Marybeth was concerned that all these awards would clash with the decor of their home, it mattered not, as they shared one thing in common: they all said “1st Place.”

Yet Marybeth wanted more. She wanted her children to leave a paw print on this earth that no one could deny. And that was when it hit her. Like a bolt of lightning, she was inspired. Legacy. That’s what she really wanted Reginald and Lucinda to have. A legacy. And nothing created a stronger legacy than children. 

Holland and Marybeth had tried having children of course, but it was not to be. Holland had a low sperm count and Marybeth’s womb was hostile to her own eggs. So it was in these two dogs that their legacy would be bequeathed. Marybeth’s at least. Holland’s legacy came in the form of a baseball stadium that he’d purchased and slapped his name on. 

It turned out that Marybeth did not have to wait long because without her knowledge, Reginald and Lucinda had taken a liking to each other and made sweet puppy love on top of one of Reginald’s Gucci shoes. 

Not long after, Lucinda gave birth to six beautiful puppies. Marybeth adored watching them both day and night, suckling on their mother and snuggling with her as they slept. As they grew, one of them seemed to lag behind the others. He was always the last to his mother when it was feeding time, and he seemed to be impossibly slow at learning to walk. As time went on, she realized that the runt was simply not using his back legs at all. In fact, she had the sneaking suspicion that he was unable to make them move at all, and this caused her much concern. A winner needed to use all four of his or her legs. Marybeth scheduled an appointment with the most expensive and sought after vet in the city to get to the bottom of the problem. After several months of being waitlisted, they were finally seen.

“The little guy seems to have a fibrocartilaginous embolism,” said the doctor.

“What does that mean?” asked Marybeth who didn’t know the meaning of most words with more than three syllables, let alone scientific terms.

“It’s an acute death of part of the spinal cord,” replied the doctor, giving the dog a pat on his head. The dog, who was now nearing adulthood, let his tongue hang out and panted happily. His ears were beginning to grow large, but his face still had the adorable proportions of a puppy. “In short, he most likely won’t ever walk normally.” 

“But this is absurd,” said Marybeth. “He’s the child of two world class show dogs! He is a pedigree among pedigrees. He simply must walk.” 

“I’m sorry, Ms. Springfield, but there’s simply nothing I can do to make that happen. We can of course make him comfortable and with proper care, he’ll live a fairly normal, happy and long life.” 

“Normal?” gasped Marybeth. “Normal!? Who on earth would ever want to be normal?” 

Marybeth left with the puppy in a small carrier, her hopes dashed. This was an incredible setback. The puppy was imperfect, a scar on the legacy of her beautiful Reginald and Lucinda. As she walked, the sun set and a light drizzling rain began to fall. While she had an umbrella, she was in such deep thought, the rain did not even cause her a flinch. She came to a vacant street corner. Normally she would’ve just taken a taxi, but in her foul mood, she decided to walk off her emotions while she thought of a solution. 

Upon arriving at a crosswalk, where she was barely present enough to acknowledge the pedestrian signal to stop, it came to her. It was so simple. A large green trash can sat just off to the side of the walkway. It was the kind where the top is mostly closed off and only a small round hole allows for refuse to be deposited and deters prying eyes and wandering hands. 

She walked slowly up to the trash can, like someone approaching the edge of a cliff, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. She pulled the puppy from its carrier and held him up to her face. He gently liked her nose, and she held her arms out so that he could no longer reach her.

“Sorry little one, but we’ve got a legacy to uphold and we simply can’t slow down just because one little pup decides he can’t keep up.” 

The puppy tried to lick her nose again, but she held him out further. “I’m so sorry. But perhaps you’ll find peace in the great doggy beyond. Just think of how you’ll be rewarded for making this sacrifice so that your mommy and daddy and all your brothers and sisters can go on to be the stars they were meant to be. I promise you, it’ll be worth it.” 

She dropped him into the trash can, and he vanished from her sight. Marybeth wiped a tear from her eye, turned, and marched off. There simply was no room for weakness in her family. Not now. Not ever.

Were this a normal trash can, this would most likely be where our little story ended. But there are many mysteries in New York City to consider. Strange abandoned subway systems. Drips of water that fall seemingly from nowhere. Strange symbols painted on walls in dark alleys. And this precise trash can, that just so happened to be an inter-dimensional portal that transported anything placed inside it directly to the top of a Brooklyn apartment building known as Darkmoon Drive. 

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER FOURTEEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

If you’ve seen any of the promotional materials for this series, you’ve known a corgi was coming for a while. It was, too my great concern, that everyone was the most excited for him when I first announced this series! This was concerning because I knew, and now you do as well, that he would be the last of the main cast (At least for this part of our tale) to be introduced. So I’ve waited and hoped that everyone who was excited for him would be patient. Well now the time is finally here and we have our corgi! I can’t wait for you to see what we have in store for this incredible little pup!

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER FOURTEEN

As Charlie stepped out of the elevator into the garden, he immediately noticed little green sprouts had popped up atop each of the mounds where he planted the seeds. The fact that seeds were producing sprouts was not all that surprising on its own. However he was almost certain that seeds did not grow this fast in a single day. 

When he was younger he watched his mother plant a few tomato plants in little green pots she kept on the fire escape landing. Eventually, these plants produced small yet succulent red tomatoes. He recalled vividly checking every day for weeks on end waiting for the seeds to finally break the surface, constantly asking his mother why they were taking so long. She tried to use this as an opportunity to teach her son about patience. Yet in the end, the person who learned the most patience from it was her, for having to deal with his constant nagging.

So to see these seeds already springing healthily out of the ground just one night after being planted seemed incredibly fast to Charlie.

He approached the plots and knelt down. Sure enough, each of the plots had sprouted small leafy greens. The tomatoes had sprouted a small stem with little leaves, while the lettuce had sprouted little bunches of tiny flat leaves. Charlie noticed, however, that the plots were now completely dry. Either the soil was magical or the water was and he wanted to make sure the little plants got whatever they needed to keep growing. He decided the best thing to do was to keep watering them. He’d left the watering can and hoe off to the side of the plants so he walked over to them and picked up the watering can.

He marched into the forest and collected more of the spring water before walking back and watering each of the plots individually just like the day before. This didn’t take much time so he decided to pull up the menu on his backpack to see what else he could potentially do to earn more experience and level up the relic again. The watering can and hoe had served him well, which only made him more curious of how much more he could accomplish with the other tools on his list of creations. Perhaps by making these tools he would be able to gather new materials for the backpack and thus create even more elaborate items.

Creations

Level 1 Creations:
Wooden Plank – Useful for creating other wooden Creations

Rope – Starting length: 25 ft. May be made longer by multiplying required materials.

Cardboard Box – A box made of cardboard.
 
Cup – Good for drinking out of. Beverage not included.

Pillow – Makes sleeping more comfortable

Level 2 Creations:

Basic Axe – Useful for chopping wood

Basic Hoe – Useful for tilling, weeding and planting

Basic Watering Can – Holds 1 Gallon of water

Basic Pickaxe – Useful for mining resources, breaking down rocks

Basic Scythe – Better at cutting grass than your hands

Basic Sword – Low level weapon

Ladder – Stands 6 ft. tall

His eyes traced over the list. The sword definitely sounded the most appealing but so far he hadn’t seen any need for one, save for whatever was lurking in the woods. A scythe, on the other hand, seemed like it would be good for helping to cut the long grass to make more room for new plots. His hands would definitely be grateful since they were covered in sore, red cuts from ripping up grass the previous day. An axe also seemed useful. He’d never cut down a tree before but the trees on the rooftop didn’t have very thick trunks, and really, how hard could chopping down a tree be? You just swung and hit until it fell, right? He decided to make these two items the priority. He clicked on each one

Basic Scythe – Better at cutting grass than your hands
Materials Required
– Wood Units x 4
– Rock Units x 6

Basic Axe – Useful for chopping wood
Materials Required
– Wood Units x 4
– Rock Units x 4

Seeing how much rock was required for both, he remembered that the pickaxe would be useful for harvesting rocks.

Basic Pickaxe – Useful for mining resources, breaking down rocks
Materials Required
– Wood Units x 4
– Rock Units x 6

Charlie let out a sigh. The sword would definitely have to wait.

The pickaxe would be first, he rationalized. There were plenty of fallen tree branches around to help build up his wood supply, but rocks that he could easily pick up and put in the backpack were in short supply. He would have to break down several boulders to make all the tools he needed.

He started into the forest and began collecting fallen branches and loose rocks when he could find them. The sound of rustling behind him stopped him in his tracks.  He held his breath as he slowly pivoted around, but whatever was there was gone. This did nothing to deter him from collecting the materials he needed, but it became very apparent after several more instances of rustling that he was being followed.  But, so far, that was all.  His stalker only rustled and watched.  And that, he was grateful for.  

Before long, he had enough materials to make the pickaxe. He selected the creation and watched the green bar fill up. There was something about watching the progress that was very satisfying. Upon completion, he reached into his pack.  It had a long smooth wooden handle, topped with a sharp tooth-shaped stone. As he lifted it out of the bag, the weight shifted into his hand and the pickaxe dragged him downward. The large tool slammed into the ground with a heavy thud.

“Why are you so heavy?” he asked the pickaxe. He put the backpack on his back and attempted to lift the pickaxe with both hands. It was unwieldy and unbalanced: the handle did not seem to be able to bear the weight of the pickaxe’s head. Still, after shifting his hands along the handle, spreading them further apart in order to get more leverage, he finally felt like he was able to lift it effectively. 

He slowly spun around in place, looking out for a large rock to test his new pickaxe on.  He hobbled over to one nearby and squared  his feet in front of it. After all, he didn’t want whatever was watching him to see him miss such a large target. The creature might deem him weak enough to attack and eat. Or worse, laugh at him, if it even could laugh.  He lifted the pickaxe high over his head, feeling the weight of it as it passed over him nearly tipping him over, but he stayed strong and held his ground. Then, with all the strength in his arms, he pulled the pickaxe forward and let gravity pull it straight down into the rock. 

There was a loud ‘CRACK!’ that echoed through the forest. Charlie jumped in surprise and dropped the pickaxe onto the ground. He quickly steadied himself and looked to see if perhaps the watcher was giggling maniacally at him, but the beast was nowhere to be found. He turned to look back at the rock which, while not broken, now had thin cracks running down its side. It appeared that the rock was going to take more than one clobbering with a pickaxe to break. He picked up the pickaxe again, this time far more confident than before, lifted it over his head, and swung down. Another loud crack rang out, but this, time he managed to hold onto the pickaxe.  He eyed the boulder and saw that the cracks were running all the way down to its base now.

“One more time ought to do it,” he said. He lifted and brought the pickaxe down again and the boulder exploded into several much smaller pieces. “Yes!” Charlie exclaimed. He sat the pickaxe on the ground and quickly collected all the rocks into the backpack. This brought his inventory of rock up to 10. Exactly what he needed to make the basic axe and the basic scythe. 

He picked up the pickaxe and brought it over to sit beside the watering can and the hoe next to his little garden, then went back to the forest to gather a few more wood. 

Next up, he made the basic axe. He thought this was a solid move since being able to cut down trees would make it easier to make the scythe and anything else requiring wood in the near future. He recalled he also had a recipe for a ladder. He didn’t exactly need to climb anything, but you never knew. When it came to Darkmoon Drive, one could never be sure what they were going to need and when. 

The axe was heavy in his hands, but nowhere near as heavy as the pickaxe. The sensation of lifting something weightless out of the backpack and feeling the weight fill into it was very startling, but this time at least Charlie was prepared. With the axe in hand, he walked up to a nearby tree, one that seemed somewhat smaller than the rest. This time, instead of raising the tool above this head, he held the axe to one side and then, with as much force as he could muster, swung the axe into the side of the tree. He felt the hit reverberate through his bones and was surprised to see that the blade didn’t sink nearly as deep into the wood as he’d been hoping. Even worse, he had a very hard time removing the blade from the trunk. He ended up having to put one foot on the tree for leverage and pulled with everything he had to get it free.

Much like with the pickaxe, on the second swing, he made sure to have a much better grip. He planted his feet and squared his shoulders. This helped with the reverberations, but it didn’t do anything for his aim. He cut into the tree several inches above the original. 

“Crap,” he said, under his breath. With the pickaxe, it had been easy enough to stand in place, lift and drop. But this required precision, and Charlie was a very imprecise person. Still, he wasn’t about to give up after just two swings. He pulled back the axe and tried again. 

And again. 

And again. 

Eventually he managed to start grouping his cuts together slowly but surely. After what felt like his twentieth swing, he heard the tree begin to creak and crack softly. He looked up to see the tree swaying and bending before suddenly falling. Falling directly over him! He threw the axe to the side and lunged out of the way, rolling across the dirt just as the tree crashed down atop a cluster of bushes. 

Charlie stood and dusted himself off. “Note to self,” he said. “Trees can fall on you.” He approached the fallen tree and walked its length and around, trying to decide how to best get it into the backpack. He supposed chopping it into much smaller pieces would be the best course of action but he couldn’t help thinking about the immense amount of time and energy that would take. He’d have to start with all the branches and then eventually work his way down the trunk. But then point, it was almost more time efficient to just gather the fallen wood on the ground around the forest. 

He imagined clearly, Mary Poppins pulling impossibly long, over-sized objects out of her bag, one after the other, while the children looked on in disbelief and awe. Her bag was, in many ways, been similar to his backpack. Of course, she hadn’t had to go chopping down trees in order to make things come out of her bag, but the idea of a bottomless bag was still very similar. And if she could pull incredibly long objects out of her bag, perhaps he could stuff them into his.

He walked to the very top of the fallen tree and pulled the backpack from his back. He unzipped it and placed it so that he could insert the treetop right into the backpack.

“Here goes nothing.” He pulled the backpack over the leafy treetop, fully expecting the bottom or width of the backpack to stop it, but not only did the backpack not prevent the tree from going in, it started to pull at the tree, like some sort of possessed vacuum. Slowly at first, then much faster, the tree was pulled lengthwise into the gaping maw of the backpack, which seemed to shift and reshape as needed to accommodate the odd angles of the trees branches.  Charlie didn’t have to do anything at all besides maintain a firm grip on the backpack, which was actually quite challenging since it shook from side to side, practically biting at the tree like a starved animal. Within seconds, the trunk of the tree disappeared into the backpack. Charlie expected the backpack to give a cartoonish burp after its very large meal, but it remained silent. 

He held up the bag, noticing a new notification on the screen. 

Inventory Update: 
+ 40 Wood Units

Forty wood? That was massive! He hoped he wouldn’t need to cut down more trees any time soon, though there were still plenty so that wouldn’t be a problem if it became necessary. Not to mention that now that he could easily add them to the backpack, he wouldn’t have to waste time chopping them to bits, making it much faster than collecting single wood units off the ground. 

He crafted the basic scythe. It had a short wooden handle and a sharp curved blade for hacking away at tall grass. He didn’t need grass at the moment so he decided to wait to use it. Now that he could see all his tools in a large pile by his garden plots, it occurred to him that he hadn’t considered where he’d store all of it.

Now Charlie was not an overly organized person but even he had to admit that looking at all the thrown together tools just laying out there was an eyesore. He’d considered throwing them all in the backpack, but would they be broken down into their material units, much like the chair back in his apartment? He didn’t want to think about it at the moment. It was much more fun to make new things.  He grabbed the backpack to see what to make next.  On the top of the screen, a notification with a small exclamation point appeared. He tapped on it.

Congratulations!
Level 3 Unlocked!

Well this was a nice surprise indeed! This constant sense of progress was becoming quite the addictive feeling. He swiped down the screen to see more information. 

New Creations Unlocked!

Wooden Chair – Nicer for sitting on than the ground.

Small Wooden Table – A nice spot to sit things.

Fabric – Soft cloth material needed for some creations.

Paper – Can be written on. Also useful material needed for some Creations.

Basic Fishing Pole – Allows user to catch fish.

Below this, there was a new ability followed by a second list with a different heading.

New Ability Acquired!

Aimed Creations – Unlike normal Creations, Aimed Creations require the backpack to be aimed at their desired location. Aimed Creations will also automatically stick to where they are placed and can be placed in a continuous line, causing them to connect to each other. Pathways and fencing are common Aimed Creations! 
To use, simply select the Creation from the menu, then aim the opening of the Backpack where you would like the Creation placed. 

Note: Any Creation can be aimed, but Aimed Creations can ONLY be crafted through aiming. 

Note: Only Aimed Creations will adhere to surfaces. An Aimed Fence will automatically be plotted into the ground. Standard creations that are “aimed,” such as a ladder, will be projected at the speed required to reach desired target location within 30 ft. (max. 30 ft)

New Aimed Creations Unlocked!

Wooden Walkway – A path made of wood for walking on.

Wooden Fence – A simple fence made of wood.

Wooden Sign – May be customized using paint.

Charlie went over the description a few more times.  (It was quite technical.)  He would have to try it to fully grasp how it all worked.  The screen indicated that there were more notifications so he moved on to them.

New Passive Ability Unlocked

Stasis Storage: You can now place crafted Creations, and other items, in your bag for storage without them breaking down into materials. Doing this requires user intention. Items placed in the backpack with the intention of being materials will be broken down. Items placed in the backpack for storage will be stored indefinitely in Backpack Inventory.

Note: There is no Storage Limit

Actions which grant experience towards Level 4

Craft even more Creations
Craft Aimed Creations
Farming
Fighting Monsters
Cultivating Livestock

Charlie’s head cocked to the side like a dog who has just heard a high pitched noise. ‘Cultivating livestock.’ Was he supposed to raise animals? He was already concerned that he was going to kill the small vegetables he planted. Now he also had to worry about potentially killing animals also? And there was still the matter of monsters, of which he had yet to see, with the exception of whatever was lurking in the forest.

However, one good thing had come of this new level. He was now able to store things which meant he could throw his many tools, not to mention his collection of rope, into the backpack and not have it cluttering up his little garden. 

He walked over to the rope and added it all to the backpack, then did the same with the tools, which were sucked in the same way as the tree. The sun was starting to set and already the forest was growing darker, but before he left for the night, he wanted to give one of the aimed creations a try. He pulled up the aimed creation menu and was happy to find that each one only took five wood units. He walked over to his garden, thinking it would be nice to put a little fence around it. Perhaps this would stop whatever was in the woods from disturbing his seeds. Though he highly doubted that monsters were put off by simple wooden fences. 

He selected the Wooden Fence Aimed Creation, then held the backpack in front of him, pointing it just off to the side of the garden. Nothing happened at first, but then he imagined the fence there and, like magic, a single unit of fence, consisting of two wooden poles and two flat wooden planks between them, shot out of the backpack and planted itself into the ground, like it had been hammered in. 

“Woah,” exclaimed Charlie, who was quite surprised at the speed with which the fence shot out. It occurred to him that if ANY creation could be aimed, this, or any creation for that matter, might prove useful against these so-called monsters. After all, what fearsome beast could defend against a pickaxe thrown directly at its face at high velocity?  He moved a little to the left and shot a second fence next to the first one. Not only did this one place itself into the ground like the first, it also connected. The horizontal wooden planks of each fence combined together into longer planks. Even the grain of the wood lined up perfectly. 

Charlie continued around the first group of plots until he made a full square, leaving one side open so that he could still get in and water the plants. Then he did the same to the second group buried seeds. This way, his tomatoes and lettuce had their own dedicated fenced-in areas. He stood back and admired his work with his back to the forest, and he had to admit, he felt quite proud of himself. Never in his life had he imagined building fences, chopping down trees, breaking rocks or growing vegetables. But here he was doing all of them!

For most of Charlie’s adult life, the little voice in the back of his head told him that he was useless, or at the very least, less useful than others. And why wouldn’t he feel that way? He made a habit out of constantly comparing himself to everyone around him. In his worst depressive states, he would scroll social media and slowly slip into a world of watching people who seemingly had better lives than him, and then he’d become jealous of them. He wondered why his life wasn’t more like theirs and then proceeded to do nothing to make his life one that he wanted to live in. There was always something in the way, but more often than not, that thing was himself. But here he was, doing something. And maybe it wasn’t instagram worthy. Maybe it wasn’t luxurious. But he felt in his bones that he was doing something good. Making something special. Something all his own. And that was a feeling he couldn’t ever recall having in his adult life. 

To his great surprise, Charlie noticed that he was smiling. What an odd feeling. His usual expression was a scowl, or at least a subdued frown, but he was practically beaming. He felt good about himself! 

He took in a deep breath of air, filled with the scents of trees, dirt and plants. He spun in place and looked up at the treetops, the waning sun and the clouds which were just barely visible above. He felt alive. 

His gaze slowly fell to the wonders of the forest’s various bushes and greenery. Never did he recall ever appreciating the beauty of nature and all its eyes.  EYES!?  From out of the bushes, two large blue eyes stared back at him.  

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER THIRTEEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

Wow there is a lot going on in this chapter! We get to see some new abilities of the backpack, lot’s of crafting and farming, some hints of what’s to come in the garden aspect of this story AND we even get a cliffhanger! In the next chapter we’re finally going to find out what’s been stalking Charlie in the woods! I can’t wait!!!

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Charlie slept surprisingly well despite the hard wood floor which provided absolutely no comfort whatsoever.  After the initial confusion of waking up in a strange place and trying to piece together how he’d ended up there, he got up and made his way to the living room. He took in the barren apartment, which seemed even more empty in the early morning light. If he was going to keep living here, he was eventually going to need to figure out some basic furniture. He supposed that might involve an Ikea trip, but he was incredibly broke, so he decided that he would keep an eye out for discarded furniture left out with the trash for the time being. It wasn’t the best way to furnish a home but he knew from experience that as long as he avoided anything with fabric and stuck to woods and plastics, a good cleaning would make them as good as new. 

Then, once he found a way to earn some cash, he could always upgrade later. If he grew a few vegetables, perhaps he could sell them. Was that how grocery stores acquired their local produce? Random sellers who carted in fruits, vegetables and herbs from their community gardens? He’d never really thought about it. If that didn’t work out, perhaps he could find a place that would purchase his huge excess of rope. He realized this was very wishful thinking.

In any case he was going to need to find some solutions to his financial problems sooner rather than later.

There was a knock at the door. He smoothed his hands over his shirt, tossed his hands through his hair, attempting to straighten it, then answered the door. He found Juno standing in a cool-toned dress and cute black denim jacket with two paper cups filled with steaming hot coffee in her hands. 

“Oh wow,” said Charlie, taking one of the cups as she handed it to him. “I didn’t realize there was a coffee place around here.”

“There’s not,” she said. “I got them from Arjun in 604. His relic is this fancy coffee maker that can brew any bean from around the world, in any way you might want it brewed I might add, without actually needing the beans at all. Though, since the reset he only has three options, but he was still very excited to have any at all. Thanks to you!”

“I didn’t actually do anything worth being thanked for,” Charlie reminded her. “I just opened up this backpack.” He pointed to the backpack which was currently sitting back on the table where he’d found it the previous day.

“And you stayed. That’s important too.”

“You really think that if I leave, you’ll all lose your powers again?” he asked, taking a sip of the coffee. It was hot yet soft on the tongue with warm notes of nuttiness and a hint of bittersweet chocolate flavoring. He felt as though it was warming his soul from the inside out.

“Possibly,” she said. “My working theory is that in order for our relics to work, someone has to be actively using the backpack.”

“So why didn’t one of you try? To use it, I mean.”

“Oh we did,” she remarked. “Milo actually tried several times, but it wouldn’t even open for him. I think it’s sort of like that sword in the stone story where Arthur pulled the sword out and became King Arthur. It needs the right person.” 

“You’re just saying that because my grandfather’s name was Arthur,” joked Charlie. 

“I wasn’t,” said Juno thoughtfully. “But it is oddly fitting. Then again, maybe it’s simply because he left it to you. Maybe it’s got something to do with bloodlines or inheritors.” 

“Maybe,” he said. 

“Anyway, are you about ready to head out, or do you need a few minutes still?” she asked, eyeing his rumpled clothes and messy hair.

“So listen,” said Charlie, who had been trying to think of a way to subvert Juno’s expectations for today. “I know you said we should meet the building’s tenants, but I was thinking maybe we should hold off for a bit, you know? I should probably spend some time up in the garden anyway, and I don’t want to be a bother.” 

“You won’t be a bother,” she said quickly. “Everyone knows everyone. I imagine a lot of them are excited to meet you as soon as possible, now that word about you is starting to spread.” 

“Word is spreading? About me?” 

“Harriet has a big mouth.”

“It’s just…” he twiddled his thumbs trying to put the words together. “I’m not so great at meeting new people. I have a lot of anxiety about it actually. Like, what if I say the wrong thing? What if they introduce themselves and then I instantly forget their names? What if they go for the hug and I go for the handshake and then I just end up punching them? What if … what if all these meetings end up being repeats of yesterday with Milo?” 

Juno sat her cup down on the lone table and moved towards him, placing a hand on his arm. “I hear you Charlie. And I understand that you’re nervous. But yesterday you moved in, learned that magic is basically real, and then proceeded to start a small garden on a roof that’s essentially an altered plane of reality.” 

Charlie waited for more, but it never came. “And…” 

“My point is that I think you’re capable of a lot more than you think you are.” She patted his shoulders. “Now go get dressed, fix whatever the hell is going on with your hair, and stop being a big baby.” 

“Ugh,” grumbled Charlie. “Fine! But if I panic and throw up, you have to clean it up.” 

“Deal,” she said, laughing at him. 

Charlie went to the bathroom where he quickly washed his hair and brushed his teeth. He then went to the appointed bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt from the pile of clothes Juno had brought him. He threw on a pair of socks, his sneakers and his jacket, then met Juno back in the living room where she was gently plucking at the strings on her ukeytar. When he emerged, she nodded in approval and put her instrument away. He only just remembered to throw the backpack over his shoulders before she practically shoved him out the door and into the elevator.

No one lived on the first floor. It was used primarily for mailboxes and entry to the building. So, they started the tour on the second floor. Thankfully, 201 was occupied by Fen, the old man that Charlie had met upon his arrival the previous morning.

“Good to see you’re getting along,” said Fen. He arrived at the door, cane in hand, to greet them. “And Ms. De La Cruz, what a treat this is!” he exclaimed, embracing her in a hug. 

“Good to see you too, Fen,” she replied. 

“What brings you two young folk to my home?” asked the old man. 

“I’m taking Charlie around so he can meet everyone,” said Juno. “We needed a little help from Harriet yesterday, and I expect we’ll need others’ aid sooner or later so I figured it would be good to start building some bridges.” 

“Aw, well if you ever need something inanimate to come to life, just come see old Fen,” said the man. He waved his cane in front of them. Charlie was sure he saw the moose atop it wink at him. 

“Wait,” said Charlie sheepishly, “so when you were talking to that gate yesterday, you actually were telling it what to do?”

“Let me guess. You thought I was just a crazy old man?” asked Fen.

“Well,” started Charlie.

“Fen’s relic is his cane,” interrupted Juno. “He’s able to use it to command inanimate objects to do as he says.”

“That’s how you got the gate to stay,” said Charlie.

“I don’t know if that was me per se,” said Fen. “Could be the gate was just in a good mood for once. After all, the juice didn’t start flowing through our Relics again until a bit later on in the morning. But then, I suppose you had something to do with that.” 

“All I did was open a backpack,” said Charlie.

“Just because something seems simple, doesn’t always mean that it is,” said Fen. “Don’t discount the small successes in your life.”

“I’ll, uh, try to remember that,” replied Charlie. 

“Well, we won’t take up too much of your time, Fen,” said Juno. “Lots of folks to meet.”

“Yes, yes,” said the old man, waving them off. “Young people always on the go. I know how it is.” 

They said farewell and continued down the hall. Each floor was made up of five apartments. Two that were adjacent to either side of the elevator, and three on the opposite side of the hall. Juno lived down and across from Fen in Apartment 204, so they stopped there next. Here, Charlie met her mother, a kind older woman with a thick Puerto Rican accent. Mrs. De La Cruz hugged Charlie so tightly he thought his bones might break, and invited them in for mofongo, which was currently being baked by her relic, or perhaps relics was the more appropriate term.

Mrs. De La Cruz had a magical set of 28 dominoes. Each had thin black arms and legs like those of a stick figure. Because of this, the dominoes were able to do all manner of household chores. If need be, they could also settle down for an actual game of El Domino, which Juno promised to teach Charlie when they had more time. 

Mofongo, which Charlie had never tried in his life, turned out to be a dish made mainly of fried plantains which were mashed together with various herbs and spices—Charlie noted a garlicky flavor—stuffed with pork cracklings and cooked in a delicious broth. Not realizing how hungry he was, Charlie scarfed it down along with several other dishes which were dropped onto the table in front of him by the dominoes. 

“Mami, this is too much food!” chided Juno.

“He’s a growing boy!” said Mrs. De La Cruz, gesturing towards Charlie whose mouth was currently stuffed with fried eggs. “He needs to eat!”

“He’s 27!” yelled Juno. “The only thing that’s going to grow is his gut after he eats all this.” 

The two continued squabbling as Charlie continued to stuff himself. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, breathing heavily as he realized that he’d definitely eaten far too much. 

“I think maybe I should just take a nap,” he said.

“Oh no you don’t!” scolded Juno. “We still have plenty of people to meet!” She pulled him out of the chair, kissed her mother on the cheek and shoved Charlie out of the apartment. Mrs. De La Cruz promised to send some more food up to him later. Charlie was grateful, even though the very thought of more food made him feel like he might burst.

After Fen and Mrs. De La Cruz, the tenants  started to blend together. They met Angeline, a writer whose relic was a magical typewriter. Anything she typed would make the person reading it actually experience the story as if they were living in it, like a hyper realistic hallucination. They met a married couple, two husbands named Ryan and Demitri, who shared a magical oven (Ryan’s relic) which could bake cakes, cupcakes and other goods in record time. Not only this, but the sweets emerged from the oven already beautifully decorated. Demitri’s relic was a yeast starter that was actually alive and liked to shout various curse words as it walked around the kitchen slamming a wooden spoon loudly against the underside of a pot like a one-man-drunken-sailor parade.

Demitri offered Charlie several loaves of bread which were flavored like entire meals, an ability which was possible when using yeast from the belligerent starter. One was made to taste like an entire Thanksgiving feast. While another was flavored like an entire meal of dim sum. 

“Make sure to take one of these as well. It’s Sunday brunch flavored” said Dimitri as he grabbed for another loaf, ducking past the yeast starter who was trying to explain, in graphic detail, just where Demitri could shove said loaf.

On the fourth floor, they entered an apartment that looked like an old world shop on the inside. Bags full of bits and bobs lined the floors along with boxes full of all manner of shiny antique things. Even the ceiling was cluttered with drying meats and fruits hanging from hooks as well as decorative ornaments covered in jewels and beads.  This was the home of Magda, a husky, brown-skinned woman with a bold voice and a deep laugh. She wore hooped earrings and gold bracelets and her hair was tied back in a fluffy bun held together by several bronze metal rings. 

“I’m who you’ll be seeing when it’s time to make a buck off all those creations of yours,” she said, getting right down to business. “And don’t go selling to anyone else! Your grandfather sold me his extra goods, and I’ll be expecting you to do the same!” 

Magda was a woman who enjoyed the art of the deal and, what she called, the lost magic of haggling and shop ownership. She quickly began reeling off numbers and insights on profit margins and supply chains. Charlie quietly nodded along, pretending he knew what any of it meant.

She led them to a large cash register which looked as though it had been pulled straight out of the 1600’s. It was a glimmering gold color with ornate patterns running all along its surface, and a large rectangular base which protruded out gaudily from the contraption. The upper part of the register was made up of a full set of alpha-numerical black buttoned keys, and a golden cylinder with a small slit for producing a receipt. On its side was a large lever with a spherical knob on the end, which protruded up from the register’s base.

“This here is Delilah,” said Magda. “You put the goods on Delilah and she’ll give you what they’re worth. Not a penny less, not a penny more.” 

“So your relic is a magical cash register?” asked Charlie.

Magda looked offended. “Delilah is a refined lady with refined taste!” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

Juno, luckily, came to his rescue. “Do you have any of that rope from yesterday?”

“No, but I can make some.” Charlie hadn’t stored any of the rope in the backpack, for fear of the backpack pulling it back apart into grass again. Instead, he’d left a large pile of rope back on the rooftop. He pulled his backpack in front of him, selected the rope on the creation menu, reached in, and pulled out a brand new coil of rope. 

“Aw, perfect!” exclaimed Magda who practically had dollar signs glistening in her eyes. “Now sit that right on ol’ Delilah!” She gave the register a hearty pat. 

Charlie placed the rope on the flat base which protruded out from the button keys. It reminded him of the scale in self checkout lines which was used to weigh produce. Within seconds, the cash register burst open, and there, sitting in the tray, were two crisp dollar bills. 

Charlie eyed them suspiciously.

“Well don’t be shy!” snapped Magda. “Take it! They’re yours, ain’t they?” 

“Are they?” asked Charlie, still unsure. 

“You made the rope! You sold the rope! You get the money for the rope!” She waved her hands in the air as she spoke, using her motions to add emphasis to her words.

“Okay, okay,” said Charlie. He reached down and picked up the money. “So how does this work? I just bring you things and sell them to you?”

“That’s right,” said Magda.

“But what kind of things are you buying?” he asked, sure that there must be a catch.

“Anything you’re selling,” she said proudly. 

“Anything?” asked Charlie again.

“Anything,” she parroted.

“And what do you do with all that … stuff?” he asked.

“Well now darling, that is for me, and only me, to know.” She gave him a wink.

Charlie had the sudden suspicion that this was some sort of pyramid scheme. But Magda was a big woman, and he assumed she could snap him like a twig if she wanted, so he didn’t press the issue. In any case, he made a mental note to come back and see her with the rest of his rope and anything else he might find himself in excess of. It also occurred to him that perhaps this might solve some of his money concerns. 

They left Magda and continued meeting people, though surprisingly most of the tenants weren’t home. On the sixth floor, Juno was especially sad that one couple wasn’t home as she said they had quite the menagerie in their apartment, whatever that meant. 

They knocked on another door, only to hear a loud explosion, followed by the sound of coughing from the other side, which Juno took as a signal to come back another time. They also met Arjun, the coffee brewer, who was a kind, middle-aged Indian man with a neatly trimmed beard and glasses. He offered them several cups of coffee and espresso to try so that, by the time they left, Charlie felt as though his heart might explode out of his chest. 

On the seventh floor, Juno merely motioned towards Milo’s room, letting Charlie know where it was, but making no effort to knock or enter. This was probably for the best. Charlie was in no mood to be told how awful he was today. 

With at least a few introductions done, it was already past noon. Juno decided that it was time for Charlie to go check in on his little garden and continue working on finding new ways to level up the backpack. Charlie and Juno said their goodbyes to each other with Juno promising to check in on him later. Charlie headed back to his apartment to drop off the food the tenants gave him. With these safely in his fridge for later, he went back up to the garden.  He wasn’t exactly sure what he planned to do there, but given that he was fully fed and caffeinated, he at least felt far more ready to face any new challenges than he had the previous day. 

Just so long as that challenge didn’t involve getting eaten by a roof bear.

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER TWELVE

***

AUTHOR’S NOTES

This is my absolute favorite chapter so far! I love getting to finally introduce so many of the characters of Darkmoon Drive and start showing all of you their relic powers! Obviously there are MANY more to show off in the coming story, but I hope you enjoyed getting a taste of all these tenants!!

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER TWELVE

Back in the garden on the roof, Charlie spent the rest of the day planting the seeds that Harriet had gifted him. This turned out to be a fairly complex process. First of all, he didn’t have any of the necessary tools. He decided he would first need a hoe, which Juno told him was something used for tilling the soil as well as cutting away weeds and creating a hole in the ground for the seeds. Charlie thought that planting seeds involved simply shoving the seed into the dirt and waiting for it to pop up in the form of a plant, but this was apparently not the case. 

Using the screen on the backpack, he opened the Basic Hoe creation.

Basic Hoe – Useful for tilling, weeding and planting
Materials Required
– Wood Units x 5
– Rock Units x 2

 The wood was much easier to come by now that he was in the garden. There were practically endless fallen branches, sticks and twigs that Charlie could quickly pick up and add to the backpack. The rocks were a bit harder as he did not have a way to break down larger boulders which were set firmly into the ground. This meant that he had to tediously grab small stones from the ground, which were much harder to come by and add them to the backpack. He made a mental note that perhaps making that pickaxe wouldn’t be such a bad idea. At some point, Juno got bored watching him pick up rocks and wood and told him she was going to go downstairs and do some chores around her apartment but to come get her if he needed her. She told him her apartment number and retreated down the elevator. 

After collecting enough materials, he selected the Basic Hoe from the menu, created it, pulled it from the backpack, and went to work tilling the dirt where he pulled up grass earlier to make rope. He turned the soil over, haphazardly at first, as he worked to build small mounds where he could plant the seeds. 

He decided to keep things organized by creating two five by five grids that were separated by a small path of untouched earth. In one of these, he planted 25 tomato seeds, and in the other he planted 25 lettuce seeds. He used the hoe to turn the soil over, burying the seeds. This was all quite challenging work considering he’d never done anything like it before. The afternoon sun beamed down through the treetops, causing him to sweat profusely.  Sweat dripped down his face and his clothes clung to his body. He discarded his jacket first, then only a few minutes later, did away with his shirt as well, tying it around his waste. He used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, then went back to burying seeds.

Looking down at his sweat covered torso, he realized just how out of shape he was. He was thin, with absolutely no muscle tone. His pale skin was soft and squishy. His body was that of someone who had never physically worked for anything in his life, and the way his arms ached as he maneuvered the hoe just accentuated this point. 

With his seeds finally buried, he looked out over the little mounds he’d created, noticing almost immediately that the dirt looked especially dry. Even without Juno’s help, he was aware that plants needed water to survive, so he decided that the next thing to be made on his list of creations was a watering can. 

Basic Watering Can – Holds 1 Gallon of water
Materials Required – Wood Units x 4

He collected a few more branches and created the basic watering can, but realized immediately that it was empty. Obviously, this posed a new problem. He could probably go down to the apartment and get water from the faucet but this seemed like it would quickly get exhausting, dragging water back and forth to the roof. It occurred to him that perhaps there was an easier way. He was surrounded by a forest, a magical roof forest, but a forest nonetheless. And forests typically had some sort of water source such as a river, a lake or a pond. Perhaps, if he looked a littler further in, he could find such a source.

Summoning what little courage he had, he left the safety of his little seed plots and started into the dark underbrush, following what seemed to be an overgrown path. He continuously had to remind himself that this was actually a rooftop in New York City and not a national park or jungle. The woods around him seemed to spread out forever, which was only made worse by the fact that the tree canopy blocked out much of the sun, making it difficult to see in any given direction. He walked far enough that, were this a normal roof, he would have reached the opposite side, but still the trees and bushes gave no sign of ending. Birds squawked above him. Insects chirped and whistled around him. Something slithered somewhere beneath his feet, making him jump and let out a small scream. When he left home this morning, he never could have guessed that he would find himself going on a nature expedition in the middle of Brooklyn later in the day.

He stepped over a large mossy log, using a nearby tree to steady himself, but as his foot came down, it splashed and sunk into a small murky pond. He immediately jerked his foot back but his shoe was already completely drenched. 

“Ugh,” he grumbled. Aggravated with the wet shoe though he was, it was still a relief to have found a small source of water. The pond was connected to a thin trickling stream which fed into it further in. He was curious to know where it originated. But that mystery could wait. He had newly planted seeds to water. He laid the wooden watering can into the pond and let it fill up with murky brown water. Once the can was full, he stood and made his way back to his little garden.  

One by one, he proceeded to water his seeds, pouring water over each one with care.

By the time the mounds of earth were adequately soaked, his back was aching and every muscle in his arms and legs cried out in agony that he’d ignored them for his full twenty-seven years. They didn’t understand why he only now decided it might be fun to actually use them all at once. The sun was starting to lower and the air was starting to chill. It was time to head inside for the night. He looked over his little watered garden and felt a small sense of pride. He had done this. He had planted these seeds. He had taken care of them. He didn’t know what the end goal was here, but just being able to look out over a task he’d completed made him feel good. And ‘good’ was not a feeling he often had. 

He collected his shirt and jacket and went to stand in front of the elevator, pressing the call button. Once it arrived, he entered, turned and pressed the third floor button. As he pulled the gate shut, he thought he saw the pair of round eyes peering out at him from the forest, but as soon as he looked into them, they vanished. He would have been unsettled, but he found that he was simply too tired to be worried about what hid beyond the trees. 

The elevator carried him down to the third floor.  He made his way back to his room and used the red key to open it. Inside, he found the same dreary, empty apartment. He was filthy, covered in sweat and dirt, so he decided the first order of business was to get cleaned up. He went to the bathroom and fiddled with the shower until the water ran hot. Then he undressed and took what was easily the best and most satisfying shower of his entire life. 

He realized too late after leaving the shower that he did not have a towel or anything for drying himself off so he turned on the bathroom vent fan and sat on the toilet with the seat down, letting the air slowly dry him as he quietly contemplated the day. At some point, he might need to go home and tell his mother everything that had happened. Then he might be able to pick up some extra clothes and even a towel or two. But for tonight, he had no intention of making the long trek home. Besides, part of him worried that if he left this place, it might vanish into thin air. He worried that leaving would mean waking up from this dream. 

Despite Juno’s desire for him to prove Milo wrong, he still wasn’t sure if Darkmoon Drive was where he was supposed to be. After all, what was he really doing? Planting seeds on a magical rooftop? Making fallen tree branches and rocks into tools? Was this really a step up from what he’d been doing with his life?

But then he remembered that what he’d been doing with his life had led to him standing on the Brooklyn Bridge, ready to end it all. So perhaps this was at least an improvement.

There was a knock on the door. Charlie quickly ran to the bag he’d packed and threw on the one extra pair of underwear, pants, and t-shirt he’d brought. He went to answer the door. To his relief, it was Juno. She stood with a small pile of mixed fabrics balanced in her hands.

“Hey” she said casually. “I went to the garden but you were already gone. Looks like you made good progress though.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Got the seeds planted, and I found a little pond to get water from, which is a super weird thing for a Brooklyn apartment to have on the roof, but I guess you already know that.”

“Yeah. Things are a little different here.” She held up the pile of fabrics. “Good thing we don’t advertise. ‘Spacious Apartment. Affordable rent. Rooftop pond surrounded by jungle. Washer and Dryer not included.’” 

Charlie gave a small chuckle at this.

“I brought you a towel, a couple blankets and a few of my brother’s spare clothes. They might be a tiny bit big on you but they should do.” 

Charlie reached out and took the bundle. 

“You’re brother won’t mind?” he asked.

“Oh,” she said, her eyes darting off to the side. “He’s … not with us anymore.” 

“Oh…” started Charlie, suddenly afraid that he had offended this person who’d been so kind and helpful to him all day. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay. It’s been a long time and … he’d be happy to share his things if it meant making someone’s life a little better. He was always very generous.” 

“Well … thank you,” said Charlie hugging the bundle tight to his chest and taking in their clean smell. 

“I didn’t bring you a pillow though. You can make that on your own and get some practice with your relic.” She pointed at him like a parent reminding their child to do their homework. 

Charlie laughed. “Yeah, yeah.” He bit his bottom lip. “I just want to say thank you for today. I really appreciate … everything.” 

“Don’t mention it,” she said. “I know you didn’t really know Arty, but he did a lot for all of us. Being able to help you, it sort of feels like repaying his kindness in some small way.” 

“I just hope I don’t end up disappointing all of you.” Charlie sighed. “Historically speaking, I am very good at disappointing people.” 

“I bet you’re not as bad as you think you are,” she said. 

“Tell that to all of my exes.” 

“Pro tip,” she said, leaning in conspiratorially. “If they aren’t around anymore, their opinion no longer counts.” She backed away. “Now go get some rest. You had a long day, and I’m willing to bet you’ll have another long one tomorrow.”

“Why?” asked Charlie. “What’s tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow, I’m going to introduce you to all of your neighbors. Or, at least the ones that are home when we stop by.” 

“Oh I don’t know if that’s—” Charlie started. As an introvert, the thought of meeting even one new person was enough to send him spiraling, but to meet a whole apartment complex’s worth? That was enough to cause him to have a full on panic attack. 

“We’ll take it one at a time,” said Juno. “Besides, I’m willing to bet you’re going to need their expertise before long, just like you needed Harriet’s help today.” 

He paused. “So they really all have a relic?” he asked.

“Every single one.”

“Do any of them have one that makes this all make more sense?” he asked half jokingly.

“Silly Charlie,” she said, speaking to him like a child again. “Your relic is the one that makes it all make sense.” 

“I was afraid you might say that.”

“Get some sleep,” she said again, before blowing him a kiss and waving farewell. 

He closed the door behind her and quickly went to the table and sat down the bundle. He separated out the clothes, towel and blanket into their own piles.

He chose one of the adjacent rooms as a bedroom and laid the two blankets on the floor, one on top of the other. He then selected the pillow creation on the backpack’s screen.

Pillow – Makes sleeping more comfortable
Materials Required – Grass Units x 20

“Twenty!?” he exclaimed, flabbergasted by the large number. Luckily, he had some left over from his rope making adventures. He was very concerned that the pillow was going to be a ball of grass, but was pleasantly surprised when it came out fluffy and soft, albeit green. He laid it on the ground at the top of his makeshift bed, then crawled between the blankets, laying his head on the pillow.

It wasn’t particularly comfortable at all, but after the day he’d had, it wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep. 

He completely missed the figure perched outside his window, studying his every move.

Milo watched as Charlie wrapped himself in the blanket, turned over a couple of times and then finally settled into sleep. His breathing grew slower and deeper until he began to snore softly. 

“One day down…” said Milo to himself. He leapt from the window ledge and landed on the roof of an adjacent building. He took one look back before taking off at a run, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as he journeyed into the night.

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER ELEVEN

***

AUTHOR’S NOTES

I LOVE FARMING SIM GAMES! If you haven’t figured that out yet, I don’t know what to tell you! In creating this chapter and many things that will happen on the roof, I’m always playing farming games and thinking, how could this be incorporated? I also researched a bit of gardening for this but I feel like I always end up wanting to go the more gamey route, which I think makes sense for this story.

Okay, but seriously, what is lurking in the forest???

***

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER ELEVEN

Charlie and Juno traveled to the fifth floor where Juno knocked on apartment 502. The moment she did so, a cacophony of sounds erupted behind the door. Pans crashed to the floor, birds squawked maniacally and something glass or ceramic shattered. Charlie eyed Juno, but she simply watched the door as if this was all very normal. Moments later, the door flew open to reveal a middle aged woman. 

“Good afternoon, Harriet,” said Juno with a broad smile.

The woman looked like a wreck. Her chestnut hair was tied up in a crazy mixture of braids, pony tails, buns and top knots. Multiple strands simply stuck out in odd directions of their own free will. She had on a long forest green floral dress with patches sewn onto it of various colors and materials, a rust-colored knit sweater, and a pair of much-to-large-for-her-face, round spectacles. Her fingers were dusted with brown soil, and her feet were covered only in thick woolen socks. She also wore several beaded necklaces which all flopped haphazardly around her neck and across her chest. 

“Oh hello dear,” she said to Juno with a faint British accent. Then, suddenly noticing Charlie, she added “And handsome young man?”

“Charlie,” he said, holding his hand out to shake hers despite not wanting to get his own hands covered in soil.

She held up her grubby hands and wiggled her fingers. “Sorry dear, just pulled me ‘ands out of a pot. Wouldn’t want to get you filthy.” 

“Uh, thank you,” said Charlie,  glad for her consideration. 

“Did you two need somethin’? I’m just a bit busy replanting the hydrangeas. Then I’ve got to feed the birds and fix that vase.” She looked back at a shattered white and blue ceramic vase strewn across the floor amidst the wreckage of soil, water and flowers which lived inside it only moments ago.  “Threw it at my knitting when I missed a stitch.” She turned back to them and whispered conspiratorially. “Don’t worry, loves. I am working on my anger…” Her face grew sour. “Progress not perfection, an’ all that.” 

Charlie nodded along, becoming increasingly afraid that she might take out this anger on them if they said the wrong thing.

“We actually came to see you about acquiring some seeds,” said Juno. 

“Oh dear,” said Harriet, her expression growing dreary. “You’ll have to go down to the corner shop. You know my drawers haven’t worked since Arty passed, Apollo protect him.” 

“You might want to check on those drawers,” said Juno with a sly grin. “This,” she pointed at Charlie, “is Arty’s grandson, and ever since he showed up this morning, the relics have all started working again.”

“Arty’s grandson?” She looked him up and down with new interest. “Well I’ll be. I knew you looked like someone I’d snogged.” 

“What does snogged mean?” asked Charlie, fairly certain he didn’t want to know.

Juno threw a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh. 

“Oh you know, dear. We danced the waltz of the moon fairies. We shagged in the garden under the full moon. Oh what do you kiddos call it?” She thought for a moment. “Oh yes, we did the Netflix and then we chilled … in the nude.” 

“Oh my God,” choked Charlie. “You banged my grandpa?”

“No dear, of course not,” she said with a smile. 

“Oh … well that’s a relief,” sighed Charlie.

“He banged me,” she corrected.

Juno finally burst into laughter.

“It’s not funny,” said Charlie, who looked as though he might be sick.

“It is though,” she said through her fit of giggling.

“Well come on in then,” announced Harriet who was completely unaffected by Juno’s laughter and Charlie’s discomfort. “Let’s ‘ave a look at the old cabinet.”

She waved them inside and closed the door behind them. 

“Thanks again for bringing me to my Grandfather’s fling’s house,” said Charlie so that only Juno could hear as they proceeded into the apartment.

“I swear I didn’t know that,” she said, trying to regain her composure.

“This way, this way,” said Harriet, waving them into an adjoining room. The apartment was covered from top to bottom in potted plants of all shapes and varieties.  From small one’s just starting to grow to large, thick-leaved ones.  There was even a massive, human-sized Venus fly trap waiting with its jaws wide open in the corner of the room. Several birds in wooden cages screeched at the newcomers as they walked through. At several points, Charlie had to use his hands to push long hanging vines out of the way. The apartment was hot and muggy as if every room were part of an elaborate greenhouse. 

As they walked, Harriet introduced them to each of her birds as if they were real people living with her. “That’s Wallace and Bugsby.  They’re homosexuals and just recently got engaged. But Bugsby is cheating on Wallace with Rutheford—he’s the blue one with the long beak in the corner. And that one there is Penelope. She’s a feisty flirt so watch out for her. Over here we have Clementine. She likes to shit on everything that moves, so I’d say clear if I were you, loves.” 

“Seems like your birds could star in their own soap opera,” said Charlie.

“Well funny you should mention that because Donatella, the yellow one with the fancy plumage, did have a small role in the Young and the Restless. She played a surgeon.”

“The bird played a surgeon?” asked Charlie, trying to keep up.

“But then she bit one of the actors who was supposed to be her patient and they had to write ‘er off the show. Her character, Dr. Candice Featherton, died ‘orribly if you ask me. Crashed her car into a cow, which was inside a gas station, which was inside a tornado.  It was very upsetting for all three of ‘er fans. They writer ‘er letters and everything.”

“I bet,” said Charlie, who no longer understood any part of the story that was being told.

At the back of the adjoining room, they approached a large apothecary cabinet made of dark wood. It had dozens of small drawers with little ornate copper handles and little cream colored name plates to specify what each was holding. However all of these plates were left blank, implying that there wasn’t actually anything in the cabinet.

“See?” said Harriet sadly. “Same as it’s been for months. Nothing but blank slates. I’m sorry to say but…” she stopped mid-sentence as something caught her eye. “Well I’ll be.” She moved out of the way so that they could see what she saw and pointed to the wooden frame at the top of the cabinet where glowing words spiraled to life. 

Relic Reset Complete
Level 1 Unlocked!

New Seeds Unlocked!

Drawer 1 – Lettuce Seeds
Planting Season: April – November

Drawer 2 – Tomato Seeds 
Planting Season: May – October

Actions which grant experience towards Level 2
Seeds from the Apothecary Cabinet must be planted and grown.
Note: This planting and growing may be done by anyone.

Two drawers on the upper left corner of the apothecary cabinet suddenly glowed to life. When the glow receded, new information appeared on their placards. Charlie leaned in to find that the two placards each had a single word and a picture on them. One said ‘Lettuce,’ with a drawing of a leafy green lettuce plant, while the other said ‘Tomatoes’ with a bright red tomato beneath the word. 

“Ceres be praised! You’ve brought her back to life!” exclaimed Harriet, who seemed as though she might cry from joy. “But how?”

“I … don’t really know,” admitted Charlie. 

“Well no matter, you’ve done it all the same. Though it looks like she’s taken a few steps backwards.”

“It seems like all of the relics reset and started back at level one when Charlie opened Arthur’s backpack for the first time,” said Juno. 

“Well then I suppose we’ll just have to get her back into shape,” said Harriet. A single tear rolled down her cheek now as she stroked a hand across the top of the cabinet. “I remember when Arty made me this. ‘So you’ll never want for seeds again,’ he said. That man couldn’t stand to see someone go without something precious to them.” She turned back to them and smiled a toothy grin. “Seeing her wake up from her long slumber … it’s a real miracle, it is.”

Without warning, she wrapped her bony arms around Charlie, giving him a big, strong hug. She then did the same to Juno. Juno held one of Harriet’s hands. “We were actually wondering if we might use some seeds? Charlie wants to plant some of them in the Garden.”

Charlie wasn’t sure this was something he wanted to do, but he didn’t have a reason to be disagreeable.

“Why of course,” said Harriet. “Elphaba here can produce as many seeds as you want of any crop, root or flower you might need.” She paused. “Well she’ll be able to eventually that is. For now it looks like you’ll be sticking with lettuce and tomatoes. But that’s all you really need for a nice side salad, innit?” 

She quickly went to the side of the cabinet and opened a small secret drawer. From it, she procured two brown paper pouches. She then moved back to the front of the cabinet and opened the drawer marked ‘Lettuce,’ which emitted a soft golden glow from within. She scooped several seeds into the pouch and then folded over and sealed the top. Then she did the same with the drawer marked ‘Tomatoes.’ Finally, she turned and held the pouches out to Charlie who took them carefully, as if they were precious gems. 

“Thank you for this,” he said.

“No, my boy,” she said, placing a hand on his cheek. “Thank you.” 

They said their farewells, Harriet giving each of them another hug. As they left the apartment, the monstrous Venus fly trap tried to take a bite out of Charlie, but Juno pulled him out of the way just in time to avoid the loud chomp. The plant grumbled in displeasure. Only when they were back in the hallway with Harriet’s door closed behind them did Charlie realize he had no idea how to actually plant, care for, or raise the seeds he now held in his hands. 

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER TEN

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AUTHOR’S NOTES

Another short chapter but I love getting to introduce you all to this crazy cast of characters who live within Darkmoon Drive. The best part is that it is my hope that I will constantly have new characters to introduce to you as time goes on and Charlie’s needs expand! Harriet would definitely be played by Helena Bonham Carter in the movie, in case that wasn’t incredibly clear!

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CONTINUE TO CHAPTER TEN