Marigold Mysteries: Part One, Ashes To Ashes

Chapter 4: A Familiar Feeling

I wake up to the sensation of the sun on my back. It's nice, so I keep my eyes closed, savoring the warmth. I must have fallen asleep in the office again. There's movement near me. "Ivan...?" I mutter, cracking open my eyes. There's a face right in front of me!

I stumble back on four legs, struggling to gain purchase on the fabric beneath me. Wait. I look at my surroundings. A sunny forest. And the person in front of me. Ashley. It all rushes back to me. The festival. Owen. My pin.

Looking down at my hands, I instead see scaly claws. I thought Ashley looked taller. Speaking of Ashley, she's staring at me with that all too familiar shocked expression. To be fair, I too would be shocked if I just saw a detective turn into a lizard. I decide to not beat around the bush. I'm going to have to explain this later aren't I?

"Have you seen my pin?" I ask.

She flinches. "Juniper?" she asks.

"Yes, it's me," I sigh, "I'll explain, but I need to know where my pin is."

"It-" she stutters, "O-Owen took it." She looks guilty, squatting down next to where I'm sitting on my coat and clothes.

I sigh, letting my now scaly head hit the ground in defeat. "That's what I was worried about. I know you have a lot of questions, but can they wait until we get back to the office?" She nods.

"And can you pick up my stuff? I don't exactly have... hands." I scramble off of my clothes and as she picks them up, and take the chance to look at our surroundings. We're back in the clearing with the fairy circle, and I know from experience it won't work for us in a while.

Ashley's picked up my clothes, and she shrugs on my coat. Its comically large on her, the end comes close to touching the grass, and she has to roll up the sleeves almost halfway. I notice she's clutching her newly received bottle close to her chest. I'm prepared to lead the way out of the forest, but the towering brush at the end of the clearing reminds me that I'm only about 4 inches tall at the moment. I turn back to her. "Can I get some help?"

"Oh! Sure." She bends down and reaches out an open palm. She's taking this pretty well actually. I'd definitely expected more shock, but maybe she's just immune to it by now. I'd be too, if I'd been through what she has just in a few hours. I gently step into her palm, careful not to claw her, then, once I reach the end of the coat, I use it as purchase to climb up to her shoulder.

Once I'm settled, I ask, "Do you remember the way we came?" She shakes her head, unintentionally hitting me with her long hair. I move it out of my field of view.

"That's fine, I'll give you directions." And that's what we do. Ashley backtracks through the forest, trying not to get my coat or her dress caught on the brush. Eventually, we reach the forest's end, and she doesn't need me to give directions. She walks in silence for a while, and I stretch out as much as I can to at least enjoy the afternoon sun.

After a couple minutes, Ashley, still looking at the sidewalk in front of use, mumbles something. I look at the side of her head with lidded eyes. The familiar sensation of riding someone's shoulder must have almost lulled me to sleep. "What was that?"

"I said I'm sorry." That, at least, wakes me up.

"Sorry? For what?" I say, making my confusion as evident as I can, despite my face not being very expressive right now.

"It's my fault you ended up like this. I don't know how, but that hairpin of yours was keeping you human right?" She looks at me, and I nod. "It's because you helped me that you lost it." She's gripping the bottle so tightly that her knuckles are turning white. "It's unfair."