Back Over The Garden Wall

Chapter 3 - Bad Dreams

Wirt
when beatrice walked in, i immediately felt like i should of cleaned up. i was tinged from coal. i brushed most of it off, but now i was scrambling to get it all off. luckily, only my pants and undershirt were dirty, since id removed my cape, button-down, and hat when we scooped the coal.
greg was still all sooty, his clothes and Jason Funderburker, too. his hair was in an unruly mess. not like i cared.
beatrice looked flawless in her new clothes. she looked confident, like she was about to march into battle.
greg marveled at her, too.
"wow, you look pretty," he said.
"thanks," she giggled. she looked at me and her previous smile disappeared.
dont say anything, wirt, you have a girlfriend. i told myself. i sighed. she was so beautiful. she sat down across from greg and me in the booth.
"so whats going on?" i asked and she frowned.
"about four months ago is when it started. the trees were crumbling. the leaves were falling. and i dont mean like normal fall weather. this was weird. the animals started dropping dead. were nearly out of crops - so many failed. so i went around. i asked everyone. finally i came to someone. it was a man, i think. it was in a purple cloak with this gold mark on the very tip of the hood - like the part that covers the eyes. he said we had to find a relic in the middle or the edge of the forest. i dont remember. maybe one, maybe both, maybe neither. anyway, he said we had to place it on this podium on the east west side of the forest and the forest will come to life."
"ok, two things. one, basically, we have to look around the whole forest? that could take years!" i yelled. beatrice frowned and nodded her head. i groaned. "and what is the 'east west side of the forest?'" beatrice shrugged.
"i dont know that."
"then what do you know?" i demanded.
"i know if we dont save the forest, anything that was born in or lived in the forest will perish with it." she countered.
"oh." i mumbled. that means me. and greg. i swear, this forest made me the biggest jerk towards my brother...
the train pulled to a stop.
"come on," beatrice said. "nows a good a time to go as ever." she stood and strutted off, greg and me scampering behind her. we got off to another station, only this seemed newer. we walked down the stairs, following a pair of foxes holding hands. we walked down a clearing through the forest. beatrice occasionally leaned down and rubbed her knees.
"are you alright?" id ask.
"fine." she would reply.
finally, once she elaborated. "im fine. just still not to used to walking this much." i was silent as we walked on. greg hummed a song, which was a lot more annoying than actually singing the song.
after a while, beatrice and greg drifted ahead of me and chatted quietly. it was past dark by now, but the moon shed enough light for us to see.
after a while, we came to an inn and decided it would be good to rest for the night. we walked into the inn. the lights were off except for a small lantern burning by a bell. lanterns made me anxious, but when we rung the bell, the lights flashed on.
a tall woman walked out. she was about 6 feet, 9 inches tall. she wore a brown dress and apron with her hair in loose, natural curls.
"looking for a room?" she asked.
"two please," beatrice asked. "one for me, one for the boys."
the lady wrote something down on a notebook and handed beatrice and me each a key. "room 304 and 305. enjoy your stay. on the house for you kids."
she smiled a warm yet creepy smile and we walked up the stairs to the third floor. beatrice wished greg a goodnight with a hug and walked into her room. greg and i walked into ours.
there was a bed and a pullout sofa. there was a tiny bathroom in the corner and it was dark and damp. who would pay for this? thank goodness that lady gave it to us for free.
we set down our stuff and quickly retired into bed. greg wanted the bed, so he got it. i got the couch.
in the middle of the night, i heard a small noise coming from somewhere in the room. i sat up and realized it was greg, having a nightmare. i stood up and shook him awake. he woke screaming. i quieted him down with some struggle.
"greg, greg, its ok. it wasnt real. its ok. youre safe." i tried to give him a hug, but he burst out of bed and ran to the door. he opened it an ran out. i followed him to beatrice's room. he pounded on the door until beatrice opened it, dressed in a white nightgown with her hair all over and dark circles under her eyes.
"what? who- greg?" she asked, looking down. she looked at me. "wirt, what happened?"
i shrugged. "nightmare."
she crouched down. "greg what happened?" greg gave her a huge hug.
"i cant tell you. but im glad to know youre safe. can i stay in your room?" he said through tears.
"sure, i have a pullout couch. go ahead, get into bed. ill be right there." greg ran past her and she turned to me. she was a few inches away, but i could smell her morning breath. not that i smelled much better, i hadnt even washed off coal from earlier. "wirt, what happened?"
"i dont know. he just had a nightmare."
"i mean about what, you idiot." i shrugged. "whatever. goodnight." she closed the door and i went to bed.