Fog of Shadows

Part 21

Milo waited for Flinn's reaction and was disappointed when the young captain only shook his head. "That is an interesting story, but do you have any proof?" The only comfort that Flinn could cling to was that there was no proof that the story even took place.

"Well, there is the fog and then there are the charred remains of the old shop." Milo pointed out and hoped that it was enough to convince him. "The fog could come from a combination of hot and cold air and the wind probably causes the fog to stay here. As for the remains of the shop; when the town got abandoned some youths might have thought it funny to destroy it and the Angel statue too." He knew it was a stretch, but nevertheless, it sounded logical.

"If you are so confident, then how about you go down into the basement yourself." Said Star for she believed in the old legend and was upset that an outsider was trying to downplay what she knew to be true. To her, it felt insulting.

"I cannot stay long..."

"It won't take long. All you need to do is walk down the stairs, take one step onto the basement floor, and then head back up." Star smiled at him and tried to make the challenge sound as harmless as possible even though she herself had never gone down into the basement.

"Alright, I will do it." Flinn took in a deep breath and headed to the opening in the ground. He looked down and stopped for a second; it looked like the darkness of the basement was pressing against the little light that the fog allowed; he could only see about two steps down before the darkness swallowed them. "It looks really dark and dangerous, if I do not come back soon, go, and get help; it might mean that I got trapped!" He called back to the three people that stood behind him. "Don't worry, the stairs are made out of stone so they won't break and the walls should be sound too. " Star called back at him.

His steps crunched on the sand, dust, and small rocks that riddled the old stone stairs and the light faded more and more the closer he got to the bottom. He stopped when his next step produced a splashing sound. Since the "shop" was burned to the ground and there was no door to the basement, the rain had collected over the years and turned the basement into an underground lake; covered in moss and mold and smelling of damp decay. Flinn sighed a breath of frustration and continued; he hoped that the water was not deep enough to fill his boots. Three steps further, he had finally reached the bottom and was surrounded in complete darkness; he looked up behind himself to see that the entrance to the basement was nothing more than a bright square in the darkness. He stretched out one hand and felt his way along the wall with the other to feel his way; in this darkness, he was a blind man and he was starting to regret his decision to take up the challenge. He asked himself what he was looking for anyway. He had come to this island to search for Janet, not to entertain the local youth. Finally, he reached the end of the wall opposite the stairs and smiled to himself when he ran his bare hand against the old and brittle brick. Suddenly something nudged against his boot and he jumped a little. Immediately, the images of the story flashed in his head and he feared that some of the bodies remained. With a racing heart, he reached down to touch the object that floated near him; he pulled his hand back a little when he touched something cold, round, and rough. He forced himself to touch it again, he knew it could not be a skull, but he could not put his mind to rest if he did not find out what it thing was, and ran his hand over the object's surface. The object slowly adapted to the warmth of his and he poked it a little underwater and it sunk to the bottom with a metallic clunk sound; a small bubble reached the surface. Relieved, he reached down, picked it up, and felt the thing in its entirety. It was a small rusty metal bowl. Quickly he made his way back up the stairs; the bright square becoming bigger and bigger the closer he got. "There, I did..." He stopped when he reached the outside world.

He was alone.

He swallowed his anger; he quietly made his way out of the abandoned town and back to the one that only looked abandoned. Alone again, the recent events ran through his head, and he thought about how odd the children were; he had not heard a soul when he first entered the town, yet they were suddenly there once he rounded the fountain. In the basement, he had not heard them run off, nor was there a trace of them when he emerged; it was as if he had only imagined them. On the way, he felt something stinging the back of his heel and thought it might be a stone from the basement. Finally reaching the town, he saw Lillian walking alone in the street with a full basket in her arms. "Lillian, need help?" he rushed over to her and offered to take the heavy basket from the petit young women.

"Oh Flinn, thank you very much. Have you found what you and your friends were looking for?" her milky eyes focused on him and she offered him a small smile. "Sadly I lost her. My friends and I found Janet, but she ran away. She ran to that abandoned town down the path; that is where I lost her."

"Oh I am sorry to hear that, but thank you for helping me. I rarely get help, especially from a handsome guy like you." she offered him a small giggle. Flinn did not know how to react to a woman trying to flirt with him, so he only smiled back at her. "I was raised to be a gentleman." He casually walked alongside with her; he did not know that two young women had seen this. "Why are you walking around on your own?"

"My grandmother trusts me to run a few earns; besides, I am safe during the day."

Back at the Inn, he reunited with his friends. Sadly, they were as successful as he was with their search. When he saw Alisea, who was clinging to Willow's arm like a child, his heart stopped. However, he would not show it, he was shocked to see her dirty, covered in mud, and with a cut on her face. "Is everything alright?" he held himself back in order not to scare the obviously spooked captain. "I am alright, but I lost Janet near the graveyard. I found her old home; it is completely dilapidated. I am beginning to wonder if she even wants to leave."

"I am beginning to wonder the same thing. I followed her to an abandoned town." He kept the rest: the burnt remains of the old shop, the basement challenge, and the three who had abandoned him out of the story. Hoping to defuse the frustrated situation, Lillian raised her voice. "Hey Alisea, how about I ask moma if she can make you a nice warm bath. In the meantime, I can make us all a nice soup, from the vegetables I got today." While Lillian received an agreeing nod from the others, Willow only furrowed her brows at Lillian; she knew the almost-blind girl could not see it.

Later that evening, after dinner and everyone had retired to their rooms; Flinn inspected his shoe and found a piece of a rusty needle imbedded in the heel.