Crimson

Chapter 38: Maurice Speaks

With a gasp of fresh air, you found to your surprise that no water had entered your lungs. Instead, everything around you was a kaleidoscope of the dizzying plaza; the dark sky mixing with different coloured paints until suddenly the landscape changed completely. Something forcefully pulled you out of the water. Out of the... koi pond?

"Sorry about that," Maurice said, hovering close. His smile was the loudest part of his supposed apology. And neither of you were wet.

"What- how," you stammered, "where are we?!"

Spinning you around from your shoulders was his vague answer. But it was one that caught itself in your throat.

Standing gleefully tall was a short cottage of fairytale envy. A witch's dream home and an architect's nightmare. It was clearly a house because of the oddly shaped windows and utterly crooked chimney. But shrugging Maurice off and taking a step closer led you to the crickets' source of accompaniment in the otherwise silent night. A water mill croaked as it did its job carrying the water you swore moments ago Maurice was trying to drown you in.

It was the type of place you wouldn't hesitate to enter if you got lost in the forest. It radiated a sense of happiness, even in the dark.

"It's not Jack O Lantern's but I figured this was probably better anyway," Maurice said.

"Who lives here?" You asked as Maurice beckoned you to follow him up the steps.

"An old friend of mine."

The boy paused briefly, sighed, then started knocking what felt like an entire song on the hard wood door. High, low, to, fro, here, there, and then suddenly- the door opened on its own accord, the light from inside pouring onto the porch. Together you stepped in.

The first thing you noticed while Maurice took off his coat as if he'd lived here a dozen times over was that the cottage was bigger than it looked on the outside. Noticeably so.

But the clutter on every surface shrunk the space considerably. Whoever lived here was an animal. Suddenly Simone didn't seem that bad.

"I know you have patrol tonight but I think it's better we sit down and talk, maybe have some tea," Maurice said carefully. "Make some things more clear to you."

"How did we get here?" You asked, feeling a bit childish.

"Oh," he said. "Arcadia fountain, it's a dual location portal."
The off-brand replica of Eleanor gestured to the cozy dining table, motioning you to sit.

"I don't understand anything," you said, both of you sitting down. "I don't know why you're here or why I'm here, let alone how we're here. Are you some kind of... some kind of- warlock?"

Maurice pushed up his dark frames, shaking his head.

"Are you?" He asked deliberately.

The very thought was giddily amusing.

"No!" You answered. "Why do you say that? And how do you know so much about... everything..."

"Well, for starters, you were able to enter Jack O' Lantern's. Pretty effortlessly, I might add," Maurice said watchfully. "But to be sure you were human, I gave you a snow plum. Now either you didn't eat it, or you found your way around it somehow."