Written by Veluan, Sat Sep 12 11:31:27 US/Pacific 1998
Part 14
1.17
Mack opened the door of Firebrow's cottage. Firebrow sat in the livingroom and browsed through a book.
"Back so soon?" he asked.
"Yep." Mack answered as he sat down on a nearby chair.
"What's wrong?" Firebrow put the book aside.
Mack sighed, "It's the Shadowthing, I don't think that I'm ready for it."
"Sure you are, what happened?"
"Well, I went to the Asylum and got to see the woodwonderer."
"That's great isn't."
"Yeah, but the guy was real creepy, he kept on talking nonsense, about Negro gold and devils. If this is the victim then I don't want to meet the guy who did this."
"Was that all? Did he just mutter?"
Mack was silent, he let out the weirdest part. "No, when I went away he looked at me and pointed his fingers up, closed them all and put two back up. Oh, and he looked at the window."
Firebrow looked at the clock on the wall. "You've got ten hours left."
"What?"
Firebrow smiled, "the woodwonderer meant twelve o' clock." He looked at the window, "because that's the place to meet him."
Mack stood up "What? Twelve at night?"
Firebrow nodded.
"Great." Mack mumbled as he walked to the 'kitchen' to pour himself a drink.
"Go, talk to other people in the town, maybe they can give you some directions?" Firebrow suggested.
St-Francis in the woods, st-Francis bar
George and Angela greeted him as he entered the bar. Mack sat down "Cola on the rocks, please." he said
"Coming right up." was the reply.
"You stopped with that Shadowstuff have you?" Mack tried to look at his coke instead of her face.
"Well, uh."
"Oh no, that Firebrow, you must stop it, it's dangerous."
"Why do you want me to stop?" Mack tried in a suspecious- everybody-is-a-suspect-manner.
"Because you'll end up dead, that's why."
Mack took a sip of his drink. "I must."
"Why?"
"A man has got to do, what a ma..."
"Oh, don't give me that crap!"
Angela was getting angry. "You're much to kind to get killed!" the words hit like a hammer.
The words didn't want to get out, but Mack said them "I must...sorry." Angela closed her eyes.
George bent forward to Mack. "When you want to know about these woods you should talk to old Frank Coalquarter, he has a lot of books about these woods and the Shadow is an centuries old legend, the books will contain information."
Mack nodded.
"George! Not you too." Angela stood up and walked away.
"Women." George said and shook his shoulders.
"Frank lives in the green house with the white windows, you'll see it. But, one tip Frank is an old, cranky son of a...well he's just cranky. So it won't be easy. Good luck."
Mack drank his cola, "Thanks." and walked out of the pub.
Mack walked through st-Francis, George was right, it was easy to find, there only was one green house. Mack looked through the glass of the frontdoor. He saw an old man in a living room with books everywhere and Mack thought that Firebrow had a lot of books. He saw a small box on the wall, an alarmsystem. A display, nine numbers and that was it. So it required a code. Mack thought for a while smiled and went to a little shop he passed on his way to Frank.
The Yellow Whale
Mack entered the shop and was seen by a man behind a counter. Mack quickly browsed the shelves, but he couldn't see what he was looking for.
"Waddayawan?"
"Excuse me?" and he walked towards the counter.
"What do you want?" the man repeated slowly and clearly bored.
"Iwannaphosphor." smiled Mack.
"Don't get clever with me."
"But do you have it?"
The man turned around and grabbed a small can. "Here, we use it to mark trees, so you don't walk into them at night. Three dollars."
The man got his money and Mack walked out of the shop with the can in his hand.
Firebrow's cottage
Mack stood in the kitchen and was holding a bucket with water. Carefully he mixed the powder he bought. with a stick he mixed it into a perfect mixture. Then he was doing something with fishing wire and a fishhook. Firebrow was watching, but he didn't understand. Mack did. It became night and Mack walked to Frank's house with the bucket in his left-hand.
If you have any comments, you can email Veluan at gjvdmeer@tref.nl.
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