Journey Back to Amphibia

Chapter 4: Anne's Findings

Anne was walking through the hall to get to her apartment. She paused when she got onto the second floor when she noticed that there was a pile of boxes and miscellaneous items from her neighbors' that were starting to get too close to her door. She walked over and her neighbor walked out with another box.

"Do you need help, Miss Kimberly?" Anne asked the elderly woman.

"No, I'm fine. My son will be here to help take these to the dump."

"A little spring cleaning?"

"No. I'm moving in with my son's family. Now that sister died, he wants me closer to him to make sure I'm ok," she explained.

"Oh," Anne said. "I'm going to miss you." Kimberly and her sister had been her neighbors when she first moved into the apartment a couple years back. They had always been sweet and always made her some type of pastries for big holidays. But unfortunately, the older sister died a few months prior.

"Aww, I'll miss you too, dear."

Anne took the box and set it down for her even though the woman had denied the help. She knew that Miss Kimberly would deny not feeling well even on her death bed, and she also knew that the woman didn't have the best back anymore.

"Thank you," the old woman said.

"Not a problem." Anne grinned. She noticed a newspaper on top of the box next to the one she was setting down. It was an old one, dated over a decade back, but it immediately sparked her interview. "May I look at that?" She asked.

"Yes, of course. I was throwing it out. I don't know why I kept old papers like that around for so long."

"Thanks." Anne folded it and put it in her back pocket. After she helped Kimberly with the last box, she went into her own apartment and immediately sat down at her table, opening the paper.

"The Mystery Shack Owner Makes a Portal to Another Dimension," Anne read the title aloud.

The article was a skeptical one, saying that rumors were probably just a bunch of made up stories to gain attention to the Mystery Shack. To make it more of an attraction for tourists since the Shack was known to be a bit of a rip off at times. Since portals were so outlandish, it would make sense that the writer had a difficult time believing in them.

But Anne had hope. Of course, there was always the chance that it truly was a ruse, but there was a chance it wasn't. Could it be possible? To make a portal without the calamity stones' power? Was there a chance that perhaps there was a chance to visit Amphibia again?

She gripped the paper tightly. No, how could she let her hopes up. Amphibia was a part of her, but it was also a part of her past. Anne made a promise to herself not to spend her life chasing after Amphibia. Not to spend it focused on the past. But if there was a chance, should she take it? Of course, it wouldn't hurt to spend a little time researching it, right? She knew she would regret it if she just stood by and did nothing without so much as even trying first.

Getting up, she scrambled for her laptop and began to research the Mystery Shack. There wasn't much besides a few articles on random news websites. Most were skeptical about the whole multiverse story that dated way back in 2012. But none of them gave any clear evidence against it either.

"Guess I'm going on a road trip this weekend..." Anne mumbled to herself. Should she take the girls? And if so, should she tell them why she wanted to go and risk hurting them if it turns out to be nothing? She supposed she could always tell them once she got a clear answer.

As if on cue, her phone rang. It was Marcy. She answered it. "Hey, Marbles! How's it goin?"

"Good. Needed a break from drawing and Sasha's still at work. Thought I call you. How are you doing?"

"Good. Actually, I'm kinda feeling the need to get away for the weekend, so I'm going on a road trip this weekend to a Mystery Shack in Oregon. Do you and Sasha want to come?"

"The nice thing about being a webcomic artist is that I make my own schedule, so it's very flexible. Of course I'll come with you! I'll ask Sasha for you when she gets back tonight. Perfect timing too! I was thinking Sasha needs to get away for a bit to keep her mind off things."

"Great!" Anne exclaimed. Then she paused as the last part registered. "Wait, what happened with Sasha?"

"Uh... I don't know if I'm supposed to talk about it. Sorry, I said that without thinking..."

"Was it her mom again?"

"Yeah. You know about that?"

"It never stopped, but it's gotten worse recently," Anne said. "I don't think they've seen each other in person in months. Not after what her mom did, and it's such a cruel thing that Mrs. Waybright still only calls her when she wants something from her."

"I wish we noticed this when we were younger, before Amphibia..."

"Well, we didn't know any better," Anne offered. "We wouldn't have known what to look for. What matters is that we're still here for Sasha regardless."

"Yeah, you're right."

"And frankly, I think we all could use a little time away. Although, you just got here. We can wait a week if you need time to rest."

"PSH! Nah! Anne, did you forget who you're talking to? I'm Marcy Wu, a girl literally created off of over the top energy!"

"Touche," Anne laughed.