The Great Cog Scare

One Job

When my eyes opened again, it was silent. I rubbed at my face and stretched, reaching for my lamp but my hand met an old, dusty chair arm. Oh, right. I was in the basement. Ghosts glided around me as I pushed the old table cloth aside. My fur was still damp, and I wrapped my arms around myself to shield out the cold. At least I could go outside now that the storm was over. 

I got to my feet and moved towards the wooden stairs, weaving through chattering toons of all shapes, sizes, and colors. When I got to the trapdoor leading to the den it didn't budge. I grunted and I pushed with all my might, but no luck. Not even a shudder. Uh, oh. I did not want to be stuck down here. 

"Not opening?" Bandit asked, appearing over my shoulder. The ghosts couldn't pick up anything heavier than a book or pot of water.

"Nope," I replied, turning to him. "Any ideas?" 

He put a glowing paw to his nose. "I bet Doctor Gadget does." 

"Did someone say my name?" A tall red pig asked, springing from the crowd. 

"Hello, Doctor," I nodded, "this hatch won't open and it's my only way out." 

"Ah! Yes, I see!" He smiled, eagerly moving between us to the door and looking at it in every angle possible, flipping upside down. "Hmm...ah yes...yes...hmm..." His head looked upwards and he disappeared through the ceiling. When he returned his smile was lopsided. 

"Oh, no," I replied, my eyes widening, "I'm not actually trapped in here am I?" 

"Oh, no, no, no! I have the...tool for the job!" He replied, pointing towards a large pile of boxes. "Last night I discovered a whole trove of interesting things! It's in the top box and is metal with bright yellow hooks on each end!" 

"Okay, if you say so," I blinked, setting off for the boxes. 

The image that formed in my head was a yellow spiral of sorts and I had no idea how it was supposed to help me with the door. I carefully started to climb, the top box well out of my reach. Broken lamps, torn umbrellas, and other things from the past surrounded me. Not the most optimistic atmosphere I'd ever seen. When I got to the top, there was a box with all kinds of old tools, hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and this odd, curved, s-shaped bar with yellow ends. I grabbed it, slid down the boxes and headed back to the door.

Doctor Gadget, Bandit, and now Grandpa Stub Paws and Matilda waited for me. "Hey, guys..." I waved, but Doctor looked nervous, Bandit and Grandpa Stub Paws wouldn't look at me. Matilda fiddled with her hands. "Are...you guys okay?" 

"Hmm? Ah, yes!" Doctor furiously nodded, "we are just fine!" 

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't convinced. 

"Do you know how to use that?" He asked with a painfully wide smile. 

I looked down at it. The curved shape was kind of like a seesaw. I took the bar and wedged one of the yellow ends in between the door and the ceiling. "Like this?" 

"Ah, yes! Now pull down on it." He agreed. I pulled but nothing happened. Frustrated, I jumped up and brought my full weight down on the bar. The door clapped open and I fell, barely moving out of the way before the odd bar fell onto the stairs next to me with a loud clang. I stood, brushed myself off and climbed up out of the door. 

The den's walls had been ripped apart. So much of it was missing, you couldn't tell where the structure originally was, save for the flooring which was covered in washed out paint. Books and containers used to try and save the floor were thrown about the space. Glass shards sparkled everywhere. The main support beam laid across the floor with the fireplace reduced to rubble beneath it. Ghosts appeared around me, but no one spoke. My rocking chair laid in a destroyed heap. I looked up, but the roof was gone. The only part of the manor still in one piece was the staircase that curled up towards the grey sky. 

The corners of my mouth sank and my eyes started to get blurry. I kneeled to the ground and started to pick up books, but they were covered in paint. Ruined. A tear fell, and the colored water curled away from it. I continued to stack the books and walked them over to the pile of splintered wood that used to be a bookshelf. 

"Spook, what are you doing?" Matilda asked quietly, floating after me. 

"Fixing it," I replied, not looking at her. 

"The entire thing?" She whispered.

"Yes!" I cried, tears falling down my face. Her eyes widened and she shrank away from me.

"That's crazy, you can't do all this on your own," Bandit replied.

"I have to!" I sniffled, turning on him. "My one job is to take care of the manor, but what happened when it needed me most? I ran! Ran and hid, and now it's in pieces so I have to fix it!"

Bandit narrowed his eyes, "Spook, there's nothing you could've done."

I turned away from him and continued picking up items, shaking off murky color droplets. When I moved towards the shelves' remains, Grandpa was in front of me. 

"Spook, please. Stop." He frowned. I complied, meeting his eyes as more tears spilled down my face. Most of the ghost-toons didn't stand a chance against my resolve, but we all knew better than to get into an argument with Grandpa Stub Paws. "I more than anyone, understand how much this place means to you. But you can't stay here." 

"What do you mean?" I sniffled.

"Hmm, yes," Doctor gadget frowned, pointing upwards, "by the look of the sky, the storm has not truly ended." I followed his gaze to more dark storm clouds churning in the distance. The wind rustled leaves, bowing them across the ruined floor. 

If the same thing that happened last night happened again, there was no point in trying. The books and containers slipped out of my hands and tumbled onto the floor. Everyone moved away from me as I bowed my head in defeat and walked back down the stairs into the musty darkness. I moved through the cold before falling into the chair and wrapping the table cloth around myself. This had to be a bad dream.