16. Chapter 16
The sun hung low in the sky, catching the branches of the frost-covered trees, until they gleamed like jewels. The ice-covered landscape might once have seemed barren, but in the golden hour of sunlight, it looked as though it had been coated in diamond dust. Zoe adjusted her position as she studied the sight in wonder, until the click of her camera shutter broke the peaceful silence. She smiled as a buzz filled her ears, until the will-ó-wisp perched on her shoulder.
“Well, what do you think?” Together, they studied the photograph on the camera’s display, before the will-ó-wisp buzzed in approval. “I think that might just be our best one yet. Now come on, we’ve got some work to do.”
Together, they returned to the motel, and took a seat at the bar of Misty’s saloon. Zoe uploaded the photos to her laptop, admiring each of the shots of the landscape as they flashed before her. A photo of the frozen valleys of the Underworld, glittering in the sunlight. A photo of the Bubbling Bog as a geyser erupted into the air. A photo of the luxurious emerald furnishings of Misty’s saloon bar. Each image was a snapshot in time, capturing a fragment of the magic of the Underworld.
“Hiya, fleshie!”
Zoe yelped as Spooks’ head burst from her laptop screen. “Spooks, we’ve been over this! Must you try to give me a heart attack every five minutes?”
“I just thought you’d like to see my new invention. I call it the Snowball Slingshot!” Spooks grinned as he plucked a contraption from thin air. “You just place a handful of snow in these cups here, then yank it back like a slingshot...”
Zoe’s eyes widened as she studied the snow-filled contraption. “Is that... my bra?”
“What? So, then these snowball holders are meant for your...“ Spooks spluttered in shock as he looked from the cups of his newfound contraption, to Zoe’s cleavage. “But why would your bra be slung from my chandelier?”
Heat rose to Zoe’s cheeks as she recalled her night with Shadow. “Err, well...”
“Huh, what do we have here?” Zoe exhaled with relief as Spooks peered at her laptop screen, grateful for the poltergeist’s short attention span. “And why are you snooping around all the sights?”
“It’s a secret. Isn’t that right, little guy?” Zoe smiled as the will-ó-wisp buzzed in agreement, before she fixed Spooks with a parental glare. “Now quit poking around on my laptop. This isn’t one of your inventions to play with...”
“Oh, how much chaos could a meddling poltergeist like me cause?” Spooks yelped as a series of shrill buzzes blasted from the laptop, until dozens of windows flashed haphazardly across the screen. “On second thoughts, perhaps this fleshie technology is a little more advanced than I’m used to...”
Zoe groaned as the poltergeist fled from her laptop, only to freeze as a commanding voice echoed from the speakers. She peered at the screen in surprise as a familiar figure came into view.
“Mr. Gravesend?”
“Zoe, it’s about time!” Mr. Gravesend squinted through his spectacles, and arced an eyebrow. “I trust this call means you bring good news?”
Zoe shot Spooks a scowl as he perched on his candelabra, whistling innocently as he swung back and forth.
“Actually, there’s been a change of plan...” Zoe’s stomach churned as she drew her next breath. “I’m afraid there’s been a mistake.”
”A mistake?“ Mr. Gravesend inhaled deeply, before his eyes narrowed into tiny beads. “What kind of mistake?”
Zoe’s insides turned watery under the intensity of Mr. Gravesend’s stare. Her mind flashed with the dreams she had once held. The promotion. The new office. Wiping the irritating sneer from Swindleton’s sniveling face. But no matter how much her mind begged for her to reconsider, a greater power stirred within her heart. She glanced at the will-ó-wisp, who gave her a reassuring buzz, before she returned her gaze to her laptop.
“I was wrong about this town.” Zoe’s chest tightened as she spoke her well-rehearsed lie. “There’s no power here that Chthonic Power Solutions can harness.”
Mr. Gravesend’s eyes widened in shock. “But the readings!”
“The readings I discovered were nothing more than a fluke. The tracker must have gotten damaged in the crash.”
Mr. Gravesend sucked in a breath, like some nightmarish pufferfish ready to explode. His skeletal hands wrapped around a fountain pen, the power of his fury snapping it in half. For a brief moment, a violent and terrible darkness flashed within his eyes, until Zoe shrank back from her laptop screen in fear. But the formidable CEO drew a calming breath, until the dark fury within his eyes receded.
“Well... that is an unexpected turn of events.“ His mouth twisted, as if he tasted something deeply unpleasant. “Needless to say, the board will expect you to find an alternative site imminently. I expect you back in the office by the first thing tomorrow!”
“Actually, about that…” Zoe drew a breath, and tried to summon what remained of her courage. “I’ve decided to take a vacation.”
Mr. Gravesend’s eyes might have burned with a formidable fury before, but now they bulged with incomprehension.
“A... what?“ He spat out his words, as if he’d ingested a mouthful of poison. “Why on earth would you need a vacation?”
At this, Zoe smiled warmly.
“To live. To step away from my work, and experience the magic in the world again. Although, I’m beginning to realize that might be something you don’t understand.“ Despite her hammering heartbeat, Zoe forced herself to meet the formidable businessman’s gaze. “I’ll see you next week, Mr. Gravesend.”
Without another word, Zoe ended the call. She wiped her sweaty palms, and drew a deep breath to calm her racing heart. All her life, she’d never questioned a single order from Mr. Gravesend, and she’d certainly never taken a vacation. She’d just committed career suicide, and put the final nail in the coffin of her promotion. And yet, as a rush of exhilaration and relief flooded through her, she realized she’d never felt so alive. She looked at her work belongings, before she turned to Spooks, who merrily sped through the motel like a steam train.
“Spooks, would you be interested in making a delivery on the Spooks Express?” As a joyful toot from the poltergeist suggested an affirmative, Zoe pulled her report of the Underworld from her satchel, and handed it to him. “Then take these files, and throw them into the depths of Tartarus. Express delivery.”
Zoe watched as the poltergeist raced away in a trail of blue smoke, before she gazed at the sparkling snow-covered landscape beyond. A landscape where magic slumbered beneath the frost and ice, waiting to be re-awakened. All it would take was for one lost soul to rediscover it.
“Well, here goes nothing.” Zoe rolled up her sleeves and flexed her fingers, before placing them on her keyboard. “This could take a while...”
With a glug of coffee, Zoe began to type, her fingers moving in rhythm with drifts of snow that tapped lightly on the windowpane. Her thoughts of Chthonic Power Solutions and Mr. Gravesend faded, as her mind traveled to the sights of the Underworld. She thought of the vibrant geysers of the Bubbling Bog, the quaint cactus fields, and the spell-binding panorama from the Throne of the Underworld. Hours slipped away, until daylight turned to dusk. But Zoe was far away, journeying through her memories of the Underworld, sharing them with the world, one keystroke at a time.
With a final click, Zoe raised her hands from the keyboard. She rubbed sleep from her eyes, and glanced at the will-ó-wisp to see it dozing on the corner of her screen. But as she studied the creation before her, she realized, finally, it was ready. And she’d never had a more enjoyable day’s work in her life.
A mug of freshly brewed coffee aroused her senses, until Misty appeared in a cloud of green smoke.
“Working yourself to the bone again, sugar?”
“Actually, I’ve been working on something different. A side project.” Despite the fatigue in Zoe’s wrists, she smiled. “Summon everyone from the motel. I have something to show you.”
The saloon soon filled with the busy chatter of specters and spirits. Zoe glanced at the makeshift crowd, as Spooks merrily chased Cerberus around the bar stools, while the Phantom Fiestadores arrived in a clatter and twang of their instruments. As Shadow swept into the saloon in a swirl of darkness, she drew a breath and readied herself.
“This better be important, fleshie.” Spooks swung from the chandelier, merrily catapulting cobwebs at the crowd gathered below. “This is prime poltergeisting hour. It takes a lot of time and effort to leave a trail of chaos everywhere I go, you know...”
“Well, I have an announcement to make...” Zoe fumbled with her hands nervously, before she gazed at the crowd before her. “Do you remember when I first arrived here? When I said that I would help spread the word about the Underworld?”
“Of course!” Spooks somersaulted across the floor, before breaking into a headstand. “You were going to be the Ferrywoman of the Underworld. Our travel blogger extraordinaire!”
Zoe’s stomach churned with guilt. She glanced at the will-ó-wisp perched beside her, and drew a breath, knowing she had to make things right.
“I summoned you here, because I wanted to tell you the truth. I haven’t written a travel blog about the Underworld.”
Spooks tumbled from his headstand, sprawling onto the floor, until he peered up at Zoe in surprise.
“Then what have you been doing all this time? You were glued to that fleshie typewriter machine all day!”
“I’ve been working on something different.” Zoe drew a breath, before she turned her laptop to face the room. “This.”
All grew still as every spirit and ghost peered closer to the laptop screen in wonder. Silence blanketed the crowd, until Spooks cocked his head in confusion.
“What is it?”
“Can’t you see?” The trumpeter from the Phantom Fiestadores released a toot of excitement. “It’s an enchanted mirror, bewitched to show the sights of these lands!”
“Actually, it’s a website. Specifically, your website.“ Zoe clicked on the windows, stifling a chuckle as the ghosts shrieked with excitement. “These pages show each of the guest rooms. And here’s a map with directions for lost souls to find you. And over here, people can book their stay.”
“What kind of wonderful witchcraft is this?” Misty yelped with excitement as a photograph appeared on the website. “My saloon! And look at what it says. Visit Misty’s Saloon, for ghoulishly delightful cakes and out of this Underworld coffee - guaranteed to raise your spirits!”
“And look here!” Spooks appeared before the screen, his eyes filled with wonder. “Prepare yourself for a performance like no other, with our in-house entertainer, Spooks. Goosebumps guaranteed! Plus, we’re pet-friendly too. Oh, look, it’s a photo of you, Cerberus!”
Cerberus barked with excitement, his tail wagging like an over-excited windshield wiper, while the Phantom Fiestadores cheered with delight as their songs played in the background of the website. But despite the excitement, all grew silent as a lone figure approached the laptop. Shadow’s eyes narrowed as he studied the website, until he read the words aloud.
“Experience the magic of the Underworld Motel, open to all lost souls. The must-visit pit-stop on your journey to the beyond! This is...“ Shadow drew a breath, while his eyes gleamed with light. “This is perfect.”
Zoe breathed out in relief. “Do you really think so?”
Shadow drew himself closer, and held Zoe’s gaze. “You might be a mortal, Zoe. But you’ve worked real magic here.”
With a smile, Shadow pressed his lips to hers. Zoe’s cheeks colored as Misty hooted in delight at the sight, while the Phantom Fiestadores let loose a lively medley from their instruments. The kiss was as light as air, nothing more than the touch of a cool breeze. And yet, as Shadow’s eyes gleamed, she knew it was a kiss of magic. A kiss of hope.
“Well then...” Zoe drew a breath as their lips parted, and turned to the will-ó-wisp beside her. “Would you mind doing the honors?”
The will-ó-wisp fluttered to the laptop screen, before its wings fluttered in anticipation. Its body flickered with a kaleidoscope of light, infusing the laptop with an otherworldly aura as it worked its magic. Zoe watched in awe as the screen flashed with a glorious golden light, until the tiny creature let out a triumphant buzz, it’s magic done.
Zoe turned to the assembled crowd and broke into a smile.
“Well, I guess the Underworld Motel is officially open for business!”