Chapter 2 #4
“I haven’t heard of anything like that around here, but I’ll do some digging,” Liam offered. “There are some things that don’t add up.”
“Like?”
Liam shrugged. “Where would the creatures have come from? Where have they been that no one’s seen them? Why did they show up now? It almost seems…convenient.”
“Convenient?” Justin asked.
“It makes a great distraction,” Liam replied. “But distraction from what? Who would benefit? And that still doesn’t explain the creatures themselves.”
“That’s spooky.” Justin decided to float a theory that had occurred to him on his drive into town. “I hear they’re opening up that mine in Plattsburgh again. Do you think there could be creatures living in there who got out? Or people who let them out?”
Liam didn’t hide his surprise. “Huh. That wouldn’t have been my first guess, but it’s worth considering.
There have always been stories about strange things that live in the deepest places.
But Plattsburgh was an iron mine, and iron is protective against supernatural danger.
Which doesn’t match with the stories of ghosts and creatures. Let me see what I can find.”
Liam followed Justin as he went to refuel the plane. “I hear you and that writer guy had dinner and are going up for another flight. He seems like a nice guy.”
Sometimes it felt to Justin that the entire town was invested in helping him find his special someone, despite not being of advanced bachelor age. He didn’t mind. He figured it was his friends’ way of showing that they cared.
“There’re are definitely a lot of common interests,” Justin replied. “We both like gaming. He’s a Scorpio, and I’m a Taurus, so that’s supposed to be a good fit.” He sighed. “Except that I’m not a shifter.”
Liam gave him a look usually reserved for people caught talking in the library. “If it’s right, that won’t matter. Plus, you’ve got abilities of your own, even if you don’t turn furry.”
Justin pretended to concentrate on topping off the plane’s gas tank. “Can we still be fated mates if I can’t shift? When we touch hands, I swear I feel a ‘zing.’”
Liam grinned. “Absolutely! That’s great! Yes, that spark is one of the first tip-offs. Congratulations.”
“I don’t know if he felt it too. I haven’t said anything yet because I want to give us a chance to find each other without feeling obligated by a bond beyond our control,” Justin confessed, knowing Liam would keep the confidence.
“You’ve read too many romance books,” Liam joked. “In real life, at least for Russ and me, it wasn’t like a jail sentence. More like knowing in your bones that this was the right person for you. And if Scott’s a shifter, his other half should be able to tell.”
“I was hoping that was how it worked for real,” Justin said. “But I didn’t know if it would be different since I can’t shift.”
Liam frowned, thinking. “I think it’s a little different for every couple. Russ and I don’t shift into the same kind of animal. Maybe that feels a little different than if we matched, but it’s enough.”
“Good,” Justin said.
“Trust your psychic mojo. You’ll know, deep down, if it’s right. And sorry for stating the obvious, but you could just ask him.” Liam patted him on the shoulder and gave him a pitying look.
Friends can be so irritating, Justin thought fondly as he watched Liam walk away. Their conversation stayed in his mind until it was time for Scott’s appointment mid-afternoon. He greeted Scott with a big smile and got a grin and a wave in response.
“How was your morning?” Scott asked as he climbed into the plane.
Justin wasn’t quite up to explaining about the fire department callout until he had time to process what had happened, so he just shrugged.
“I showed some tourists around the area and talked with Liam for a while. He glanced over to Scott as he did his pre-flight check. “How about you?”
“I slept hard, after that amazing meal we had last night,” Scott confessed.
“The hotel does a nice breakfast, but I was still too stuffed to eat much. Then I did some writing on my next article, checked sources online, and made sure I had everything on today’s list that I need.
” He paused. “And I made an appointment to talk to someone at the Fox Institute tomorrow before our next flight.”
“That’s great,” Justin replied. “I bet they can help a lot with your research.”
Justin felt pleased that today Scott didn’t hold on for dear life when they took off, taking that as a sign of growing trust.
“What do you want to do first? Abandoned ski resorts or defunct amusement parks?” Justin asked.
“We did some of the ski areas yesterday,” Scott replied. “I’m really curious about the old amusement parks.”
“Your wish is my command.” Justin adjusted course. “I only got to one of them as a kid. Most were gone before my time, but there’s a lot of nostalgia.”
“That’s what prompted the article,” Scott admitted.
“Some of the parks just vanished,” Justin told him. “Others got torn down and repurposed into something completely different. A few got folded into other parks.”
“I have a soft spot for amusement parks. My family went every summer, and those were great memories.” Scott sighed. “I know times and tastes change. Though it’s hard to beat a good roller coaster.”
“Look down there,” Justin said. “There’s not much left, but that’s where Frontier City used to be. It was a Wild West theme, with rodeos and people in costume. There was even a bank heist every day at noon.”
“Must have had the worst sheriff in the world,” Scott joked.
“As a kid, it was very exciting. I’ve seen old home movies on YouTube, and it was pretty low-budget Hollywood,” Justin said.
Scott snapped photos, and Justin circled the area for him to get a good look.
When Scott had the information he needed, Justin turned north.
“Victorian Village was one of the oddest parks,” Justin said.
“Like something out of Mary Poppins, with carriage rides and theater shows and the 1890s as they probably never were.”
“I can’t quite imagine kids pestering to go to something like that.” Scott laughed.
“Which might explain why it didn’t last,” Justin agreed. “Now it’s a public park.”
“It’s a nice greenspace,” Scott agreed after they circled, “but no trace of the village.”
“Let’s go to where Time Travel Today used to be.” Justin steered off again. “This one’s long gone.”
“Time travel?”
Justin nodded. “It was right after Star Wars, and anything spacey was hot. Cool idea, but it didn’t make it.”
The site below was now a large neighborhood. Scott got photos anyway. “It seems out in the middle of nowhere for a space park,” he mused. “I’d think it would have worked better close to a NASA site.”
“I heard there was a big telescope, and out here you can get really nice views of the night sky without light pollution, but that wasn’t enough.”
“What’s next?” Scott asked.
“Would you believe dinosaurs?”
“I’ve got to hand it to the park creators; they had a lot of big ideas,” Scott laughed. “I can see kids being more excited about seeing a T-Rex than a Victorian song and dance routine, and if you squint, I guess this could be the forest primeval.”
“The original park got lucky and sold to a larger developer, so it still exists inside the bigger park,” Justin told him. “Not exactly like it was, but pretty close.”
The amusement park sprawled over the hills with rides and buildings below them. They were too high to see the animatronic dinosaurs, but it wasn’t hard to imagine them surprising visitors along the forest trails.
“Mother Goose Land also got folded into a bigger park, and so did the Mystery Forest,” Justin narrated.
“Like with the dinos, the new park kept pieces and added some other things. Those are mostly for families with little kids.” Once again, they circled over the park as Scott scribbled notes and took photos.
“Last one for today,” Justin said. “Water World had a long run, but the swimming season is shorter up here, and I guess there were just too many days people didn’t feel like getting wet.
The last I heard, most of the waterslides and pools were still there, abandoned.
There’s talk that a neighborhood might go in, but nothing’s happened yet. ”
“Oh, that looks really good,” Scott said when the defunct park came into sight. “They really did just leave everything where it was, didn’t they?” He snapped photos, practically glued to the plane’s side window.
“I’m sure there are bootleg photos online,” Justin said. “Not that you could use them, but it could be interesting to see how things look now from up close.”
“We need to set up times to see the other sites you wanted to check, as well as the mine,” Justin reminded him. “And dinner, if you’re up for it.”
“I’m always up for good food and good company,” Scott replied with a warmth that Justin read as interest. “I’ve got my Fox Institute appointment tomorrow morning, so how about after lunch for a flight up to the mine?”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces about that mine, but never really checked into it,” Justin replied. “I’m looking forward to seeing what’s left.”
“I appreciate that,” Scott replied. “I talked to Liam, and he’s set me up with local folks who want to reminisce about the old places that aren’t here anymore, so I should have fresh recollections for the articles.”
“Liam’s a good guy, and he knows everyone. He’ll take care of you.” Justin hesitated and then took the plunge. “If you don’t have plans, we could also do dinner again on the other nights, whether we have a flight or not. You’ve got to eat, and I know all the best places.”
Justin held his breath, and Scott gave him a broad smile. “I’d like that.”
“Great,” Justin replied. “But you might want to be careful who you tell about the mine project. I mentioned it to one of the guys in the airport, and he told me the place was bad luck.”