Chapter 2: Chapter 12:00 Light in the Dark
The minute hand on Theodore's watch ticks forward; 12:01.
His sister Maise's shaking him awake. "Wake up, Theo!"
She mushes his face.
"Stop it." he mutters, swatting her hand away as he sits up. The air's damp. He wipes sleep from his eyes. Surrounded by bare trees, they're in a dark forest. Haunting winds rustle the dry leaves. Shadows seem to breathe; writhing and swaying towards them.
"Why are we here?" Theo asks.
Maise shrugs— I dunno. She wiggles the bow in her hair.
A lightening bug flickers in front of her. She tries to catch it and misses. It races away and Maise bounces after it.
"How did we get here?" Theo asks. "Maise? Where'd you go?"
Maise runs until she stomps in a puddle, splashing water on her feet. She brushes herself off and sees a single blue lotus flower growing on top of the muddy water. She plucks it. The flower makes a noise, almost like an audible, "ouch."
She lifts it to her nose to smell it and lets out a little sneeze.
The wind grows, whipping violently. Fireflies swarm toward her until a cloud surrounds her, illuminating the dark forest. Her eyes wide with excitement, the cloud whirls and grows until—
"Who's there?!" a woman's voice booms.
The fireflies scatter and wisp away leaving darkness again. A torch held by a knight in steel armor atop a large white horse with red eyes looms over her.
The knight clumsily stumbles off the horse and her armor clanks as she hits the ground and trips.
"Stand still, horse! You almost made me fall again!" she shouts and smacks him.
The horse gives her a sideways glance and eats grass from his feeder.
The knight holds the torch up to Maise to get a better look. "A child? I haven't seen one of you in— I don't know how long."
"Where are we?" Theo asks as he steps forward.
"You, my boy, are in the Lupine Forest outside of Banbury Cross in the great land of Nod. What are you children doing here?"
"We're lost. We need to get home."
She notices the blue flower in Maise's hand.
"You need to be quiet, boy. What is that there?"
Maise holds up the flower and the knight's eyes grow large. "Give me that!" she shouts and snatches it from Maise. "Where did you get this?"
Maise sneezes. The horse looks up from its feeder and whinnies.
"You two are coming with me!" she shouts as she grabs rope from her knapsack to bind their wrists.
"You'll help us get home?" Theo asks.
"I'll help you to the courthouse, mister." she says as she binds their arms.
"Why?!"
"Because you're under arrest!"
"For what?"
"For... sneezing!"
"What?!"
"Give me you other arm!"
With their wrists bound, the knight climbs on her horse and drags them away.
Nearby, stuck in a briar patch is a stuffed animal trying to break free. An old bear with a crooked bowtie— losing fur and stuffing and the fuzz on his nose is rubbing off. He pushes a branch out of his face as the knight leads Theo and Maise away.
He opens his mouth to call after them but no sound comes out. Frustrated, he lets out a sigh.
Weekly Power Status
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