Strange Aeons [Book 1]

18. Danse Macabre [part I]

«Find a tomb, she said. How difficult could it be, she said.» grumbled Chico, as they passed the third row of graves, trying to find their bearings in the endless expanse of tombstones, statues and crosses around.

«Hey, it was your theory that Staccato used an actual place to mirror the nightmare or some shit!» Banshee replied.

«I just said that the nightmare was very vivid and that it probably meant Grasshopper was dreaming about a real place. If this is true, Staccato could have used that place to create the ritual to put that treble clef in the Oneiron, and we could find some clues. It was you who said "oh, a crowned cross, of course, I knew Fairview, let's go!"»

«It seemed easier!» she concluded, going back to the search.

«You sound like old married couple.» Vopros pointed out, sure to get some silence right after that sentence.

Fairview Cemetery was quite straightforward a place. The giant green park presented its rows and rows of tombstones in perfect order, interrupted here and there by more complex mausoleums and elegant groups of marble statues of exquisite craftsmanship. Problem was, they couldn't, for the love of all three, identify with any kind of precision where the black tomb with a coronated cross could be.

They walk in parallel to cover three rows at a time, but even so, it was a long and persnickety job. Especially when Chico was dragging along a very bloated bag filled to the brim with books and components for a spell.

It was three o'clock in the morning when they finally found it, scouring the whole cemetery up and down, avoiding the caretaker once or twice. But then, finally, they stood in front of the crowned black cross.

Therese Chandler

05.02.1978 - 06.17.2008

Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye, in every gesture dignity and love.

And over the words, there was the oval photograph of a smiling woman, with freckles and a dashing smile. And she indubitably was the one they were looking for.

«Therese Chandler. All right, we finally found a clue! And with actual investigation!» rejoiced Banshee.

«Rarely see so many flowers on tomb.» commented Vopros. And, indeed, there were. At least three bouquets of flowers, two evidently old, one still quite fresh, not much older than a week. Someone visited very often.

«We don't have so much time now. We have to do this before the sun rises. And I'll need at least one hour!» Chico said, hastily starting to lay down everything they needed for the ritual. Luckily enough, he could do it alone, so Banshee could start to look around the tomb for any clue left by Staccato and Vopros kept watch, in case the caretaker arrived. The fact that he did that with a dynamite stick in his hand had a wonderful effect on Chico's efficiency. Every now and then, a gust of wind risked blowing away some of the lighter components, so he tried to keep them closed in their containers until the very last minute.

«Is anyone coming?» asked Chico, cleaning his hands on his pants after sprinkling some special dust on the runes.

«Make quick.» answered Vopros.

Chico took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, isolating completely from the world around him. He extended his arms in front of him, keeping his hands right over two complex runes.

He followed the fluxes, looking for the ones with the same energy trace of the poor grave he was standing on, desperately. But he didn't seem to find the right ones. He constantly lost them, then tried to find them again was an agony.