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“Is that why Shadow is so…”
“Moody? Brooding? A party-pooper extraordinaire?” Misty’s shoulders slumped, until she sighed sadly. “Once, his eyes would sparkle with joy, with purpose, with life. But after Charon’s banishment, everything changed. With no way to reach lost souls, the visitors dwindled, and so too did our magic. And Shadow became just like those he sought to help… a lost soul.”
Zoe thought back to her encounter with the King of the Underworld. With such a formidable and frosty exterior, she found it hard to imagine a time when his eyes had sparkled with joy.
“So without Charon, there’s no way for lost souls to find this town?” Zoe took another sip of her coffee and shrugged. “Couldn’t you just invite him back here, and force him and Shadow to make amends?”
Zoe noticed a flash of something pass in Misty’s eyes. Fear. As a cold breeze swept through the saloon, she shuddered at the thought of what could possibly frighten a ghost.
“That wouldn’t be a good idea, trust me.” Misty gulped, before she returned to her usual sunny smile. “Now, why don’t we move on to brighter topics? We mustn’t let an old ghoul like Charon ruin a perfect day to explore the beauty of our town.”
Zoe peered through the dusty windows, where a ball of tumbleweed blew across the frozen tundra.
“No offense, but I think I’ve seen all there is to see.”
“The Underworld Motel might not look like much, but there’s a power in this town. A magic.” Misty’s eyes sparkled as she peered outside of the window, where wisps of light danced in the air. “We just need the right person to breathe life into this town. Who knows, perhaps you’re the one we’ve been waiting for.”
With a knowing smile, Misty disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Zoe alone in the saloon once more. She shook her head, knowing that the mysteries of this town were better left unsolved. Right now, she needed to focus on her work. And she couldn’t afford any distractions.
Zoe studied her maps, following every curve of the land and checking every geothermal reading for any signs of energy deposits. But the more she searched, the more futile she realized her task became. It would take more than a stroke of luck to find an energy deposit worthy of impressing Mr. Gravesend. What she needed was a miracle.
“Wheeeeeeee!”
Zoe groaned as Spooks sped past the window, with Cerberus excitedly following behind. As his cackles of excitement echoed through the empty town, Zoe put her head in her hands.
“Would you cut that out? I’m trying to work here!”
Spooks blew a raspberry towards her, before he juggled the device in the air.
“That sounds dreadfully dull, fleshie. Besides, it’s your gadget that’s making all the noise. Look at these fun wiggly lines!” Spooks laughed in delight as he pointed the device at a vast rock, until it emitted a series of shrill blasts. “It’s not too late to join me on a tour, you know. It could be fun!”
“For the last time, I don’t have time for…”
But Zoe drew a breath as she glanced at the screen of the tracker. She followed the curve of the lines, and listened to the shrill beeps that escaped the device. They were readings she knew all too well. Readings that meant one thing.
The Underworld Motel might not look like much, but there’s a power in this town. A magic.
Zoe studied the tracker in bewilderment. And she realized perhaps it was time for her to see the true power of the Underworld Motel, after all. She stuffed a Boo-Berry muffin in her satchel, and marched out of the saloon towards the poltergeist.
“Spooks, change of plan.” Zoe smiled as the specter cartwheeled through the air, before her gaze rested on the tracker. “I’d like that tour of the town after all.”
6
“All aboard the Spooks Express! This way, fleshie!”
Zoe yelped as Spooks propelled her through the gloomy motel. She braced herself as she burst through a pair of swing doors, and spluttered as she became entwined in a maze of spiderwebs.
“When you offered to show me the sights of the motel, I’d expected a more leisurely pace.” Zoe yelped as they careened around a corner, while Spooks began impersonating the chugging sounds of a runaway train. “Are you sure this is safe?”
“Of course! Why, with me as your guide, you’ll have nothing to worry about!” Spooks shot Zoe a mischievous grin that suggested quite the opposite. “Oh, look out!”
Zoe yelped as they burst into a bedroom, before the poltergeist disappeared headfirst into a wardrobe. She tumbled in after him, crashing through the doors and colliding with the solid frame, until she lay tangled in a pile of musty moth-bitten clothes.
“Must you make such a racket, fleshie?” Spooks poked his head through the wardrobe, the bells of his jester’s hat jingling gleefully. “And why have you hopped off the Spooks Express? There’s plenty more to see!”
“For the last time, Spooks, not all of us can pass through walls.”
“Oh, silly me! It must have slipped my mind again.”
