Dangers - Black Magic
It has been almost a month since I posted the last scene of Chapter 6 - Dangers. I like the scenes with Lantashi in them (I'm a vain Sylvan). And scenes with both Lee and I are lots of fun.
We've written a couple more chapters beyond this, and hopefully can finish the first draft of 'Shadows' before mid-year.
This is the next scene of Chapter 6, called "Black Magic". Lee is a bit skeptical of Lantashi's friend. She reveals that not only Lee and his friends, but others, are also looking into the mysterious goings-on of the Upper Peninsula!
Black Magic
"Okay," Lee said. "So your mysterious friend is a magician, and he looked into, using your words, my ghost girlfriend. What did he find out? Does he know anything about the strange weather that hit us, or the girl? This was all a one-time thing. I don't see how he could find anything on it."
Lantashi eyes widened, radiating excitement.
"Oh, but he did. He found out all sorts of things."
"No, really? What did he find out?"
"Well, from what he wrote to me, several things. First, that fog is not natural, and you are not the only ones to find it. The fog is appearing and vanishing not because of the weather, but almost in spite of it, when the weather conditions aren't there to support it. The fog is vanishing, and then appears somewhere else. And it seems to be growing."
Lantashi seemed way too happy about this. Lee moved to one of the shelves he had built into the walls, looking at the DVDs he had on display there. Several were series of murder mysteries, including a box Ellery Queen Mysteries his father had sent him for his birthday. He wished he had that character's investigative skills.
Lee wasn't sure to believe Lantashi or not. Well, it wasn't really whether he believed Lantashi. He figured she was repeating to him what she had been told, but her mysterious colleague was another matter. Lee had no idea who he was, and no reason to trust him. It sounded like he was an untrustworthy character anyway.
He realized that Lantashi was still talking, her bangs bouncing as she animatedly moved about the room. "Several people have gotten lost in the Upper Peninsula in the last several months, especially from when they encountered this fog. A couple are still missing!"
"People getting lost up here in the wilderness isn't that unusual," Lee objected, "Especially people who leave the main trails and get too adventurous."
"You mean like you and my brother, and Sammy," Lantashi goaded.
"Well, yes, like us," Lee admitted. "I feel sorry for anyone who wasn't found though. That is really sad. It is cold outside right now, and I don't see anyone surviving out in that mess for too long."
"I see your point," Lantashi said. "But there is more."
"I can't wait," Lee smiled.
"You and Kish are not the only ones looking into the strange things up here. Other people are too! There is this think tank, or foundation, or something. It is called the Mysteries and Oddities Group, and they have a team in the Upper Peninsula right now!"
"I've never heard of the Mysteries and Oddities Group. Are you sure your friend isn't just making this up."
Lantashi rolled her yes. "I know him, and I trust him. Just listen to what he found out. Then you can judge. The MOG supposedly sent in a team, and they are already here. He wasn't able to get the name of the team yet though. That information was harder to crack open."
"Does the Mysteries and Oddities... does the MOG know about me and Samantha and Kish?"
"Probably not," Lantashi replied. "They came out independently, because of reports of missing people, the weather, stuff like that. It is the mission of the MOG to find the hidden meaning of things, the supernatural. But if my friend can find out about you, this group might be able to as well. And they aren't the only group out here."
"There's another one?"
"Yes!" Lantashi was way too excited about something that was depressing Lee. "A government agency. It is called the Agency for Unnatural Phenomena, or AUP for short."
"I've never heard of that one either," Lee said. He could definitely feel a headache coming on now.
"You aren't supposed to have heard about it. My friend said the AUP just got wind that something was going on, and they are on their way, and might be here already."
Lantashi had stopped beside the couch again. Lee walked over to her, and sat on the arm of the couch, looking at her.
"So, we have two groups of the men-in-black types looking for the fog. Do either of them have any idea what might be causing it, what might be going on?"
"Even better!" Lantashi exclaimed as she bounced in front of her friend. The effect was mesmerizing on Lee, and he had to shake his head and concentrate.
"I don't know about the AUG, but the MOG, the Mysteries and Oddities guys, well, their files even talk about the girl, and about the fog being a gateway to the supernatural."
"A gateway?" Lee asked, confused.
"Yes, well, you know. A doorway. A portal. Call it what you want! Or at least that is what they believe. They could be wrong you know!"
"You don't say?" Lee exclaimed. "I'm not trying to tease you. But all this sounds like it belongs in a movie or something. It isn't something that happens to me, or my friends."
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