The Haunts

So much time had passed since Levy had been away, and the Haunts had barely changed. Still, the greyed-out realm was a foggy, corroded, and sooty in-between version of the earthly realm he had been born in. The thick, cold air and suspended soot were harsh reminders of how morbidly dark it was to walk around. As he shuffled around in the dimness, he felt the deep itch of his armour struggling its way through his skin. He looked at his pale grey arm as the dark roots lightly poked through, trying to spread throughout his naked flesh to protect its host from harm.

Despite that, Levy could use his armour in the Haunts but not in his own world. He started to wonder if it was still possible to make it so that he could use the influence of the three realms by using their rules to get the results he needed to defeat Cailleach Bhéarach. He would have to test his theory more to find out what he could or could not do. He held his dagger upright as a blue light emanated from it and illuminated his face and hand like a lit torch. Then he flicked his arm downward and waited.

The dagger blade didn’t change into a long sword blade as it had in the Fantasmica Realm.

That would pose a problem if he encountered Cailleach Bhéarach in the Earthly realm. If he could, he would have to see if opening a portal to both the Haunts and the Fantasmica realms during his confrontation with her would give him the ability to finally put an end to the Hag Goddess’ reign of terror.

After a few miles of slogging through the Haunts, Levy noticed that his armour had not just grown but had thickened in areas that didn’t bend. On it appeared deformed little life forms that almost mimicked rock pool flora (like the one he had curiously envisioned before in his own realm—things like barnacles, corals, and sea anemones that bloomed outward). In the Fantasmica realm, this had never occurred, but in the Haunts, it added to the weight of his armour. Even the soles of his feet threatened to slow him down by trying to root themselves into the ashen ground.

My limbs are stiffening up, and the soles of my feet are trying to take root. I have to leave this place before I’m unable to. Levy fought to remain calm as he fumbled for the dagger, and as he looked up, he spotted two figures in the distant fog.

As the strangers grew closer, Levy noticed that both of their heads were wrapped in scarves. The rest of their padded clothing was to protect them from both the dust and the biting cold. The smaller, skinny fellow wore goggles over his eyes, while the much larger fellow wore an odd circular scuba mask that protected his glasses from being covered in soot and grime. In their hands, each held up a strange alchemistic lantern that kept the smoke and fog at bay. They looked like apparitions materializing from the smoky mist.

“Who’re you?” The smaller of the two sized Levy up, took a defensive stance, withdrew his dagger, and held it up in front.

“I’m Levy Madison O’Rourke, and I’ve come through the Haunts in search of my friends.”

“Impossible!” The fatter, broader-shouldered one exclaimed, “Y-you can’t be Levy!” The two strangers exchanged looks at each other. “He’s gone from this world.”

“Prove you are who you say you are!” said the smaller fellow, “or I swear I’ll cut you!” Ready to strike at a moment’s notice, he looked at the bigger one for a single nod.

Levy looked down at the weapon, amused. “I’ve fought Hobgoblins with less tenacity and more steel than you got there, boy.”

Levy willed the armour from his face and hands to expose his pale flesh. Then, as he held up his hand, the glyph on its palm brightened like a beacon. The dust, the ash, and the fog cleared away so that they could all see the Earthly world revealed through the illumination of the light. The armour he wore instantly receded into his flesh; his long, greying hair had moved as if he were underwater.

“By the old ones, it is you!” The fat one’s voice trembled in both awe and shock. “But it’s been at least thirty years, if not a day!”

“That could be why he looks so damn old,” the shorter one commented.

“Hello Corvus,” Levy smiled at the short one. “I thought that might be you. It’s been too long, my old friend. You sound quite different in the Haunts. Funny though I remembered you being much—taller.”

“That’s because I’m not Corvus, you silly idiot!” The short one hopped on the spot and said, “I’m his youngest son!”

“One of many, I can assure you,” the fat one sighed. “Aside from the age gap and height, you can barely tell them all apart.”

Levy smiled and extended his hand. “Then, you must be my old mentor, Gundegisil.”

“Please, call me Gilbert.” He took Levy’s hand in his and shook it. He then went to remove the scarf that wrapped around his face and carefully removed his scuba mask so his glasses didn’t fall off.

“Oh, don’t do that here,” Corvus junior warned, “or you’ll get sick again.” He tsked with disgust.

“Fah,” Gilbert shrugged, “I want to see Levy with my own eyes.” He quickly cleaned and adjusted his glasses. His exposed face looked wrinkled and absent of all hair, but a spark of mischief remained in his eyes. “It’s been way too long, Levy.” He embraced his old pupil.

“I agree,” Levy said to the wheezing sound of his old friend, and he felt that they should exit the Haunts. So he took out his blade. “I think it’s time that we left this place.”

“Hold on,” Corvus Junior said, eyeing the dagger in Levy’s hand. “Father said that you lost that!”

“I did,” Levy felt a sliver of guilt, “but the Hag Goddess found it, and for me to escape her wrath, I stole it back, and then I slipped into another realm, unlike this one.”

“You were in another realm.” Gilbert had readjusted his scuba mask and scarf so he wouldn’t go into a coughing fit again. “Which realm did you escape to?”

“Were you aware of there being more than one realm aside from this one?”

“I knew of many. I just never thought of finding ways to explore them.”

“It was a sword and sorcery-type realm; the people there had called it Fantasmica. There, I learned from the best to be a true warrior, thus overcoming my fear of battle by fighting my share of monsters and evil forces.”

“So is that how you got the living armour?" Corvus junior asked as he went to touch it and then pulled his hand back as it moved. “It looks like it’s made of black bark.” He knocked on it and bent in to listen, “but it’s hard like metal.”

“When I escaped from Cailleach Bhéarach, I slipped in the middle of a field occupied by the Mighty Marwolaeth, a Hell Tree that I was forced to destroy with this weapon.”

“You used my father’s dagger to kill a tree?” Corvus Junior tilted his head like a curious bird. A gesture Levy had seen the boy’s father master.

“Apparently, in the Fantasmica Realm, I found that I could simply flick my wrist, and the dagger became a long, jagged sword.”

“So cool!” Corvus Junior flapped his arms in excitement. “Can you do it now? Here in the Haunts?”

Unfortunately, it won’t do it here.”

“But this armour of yours seems to be reacting well to the conditions in the Haunts,” Gilbert postulated.

“For real?” Levy put out his arms and showed off the life forms that had attached to or grown from his armour. “I feel like a coral reef, and if I stay here too long, I might not be able to leave this place.”

“So the Haunts allow you to produce the armour, but the life forms here—”

“Correct.”

“We need to find a way to get that dagger to become a sword. Then see how we can get both to work in this world or in any of the others.”

“I have some theories, he went on, “but I need to test them if I’m to defeat my nemesis.” Levy looked at the two carefully. “Please tell me if the Hag Goddess hasn’t been defeated yet.”

“Ha!” Corvus junior exclaimed, “It’s not like many have tried to and died—or worse, were enslaved. She’s grown even more powerful since you’ve been gone.”

“She is extremely powerful,” Gilbert added. “She destroyed my beautiful store just by crushing it like a bug between two buildings.”

“Squished!” Corvus Junior chuckled as he motioned with his fingers. “It was neat.”

“Then, I must prepare to face her,” Levy looked at the two, “or should I say—we?”

“Just like old times?” Gilbert scratched the back of his head.

“And I can help too?” Corvus Junior jumped in. “I want to see her pay!” The little metal shank was back in his hand as he slashed through the air around him.

Levy bent close to inspect Corvus Junior. “Just how old are you?”

“I’m plenty old!”

“I see.” Levy stiffly stood straight. “Well, I think it’s time to leave this realm. I’m starting to stiffen up again. I can feel my feet taking root.”

“Agreed,” Gilbert coughed, “this place is far from being healthy for me.”

Levy took his dagger and made an incision in the Earthly realm for them all to pass through. He motioned for them to go before he would follow suit. In the slit, they saw a distant winter landscape where the sun had begun to rise. The air felt cold and fresh on the exposed skin. In the distance, the buildings and homes glistened with frost and frozen snow. “Do any of you happen to have any clothes for me to wear? This armour is all I came with.”

“Leave that to me,” Corvus junior winked at him and then hurried off.

As days passed, Levy found it hard to sit still. His time in the Fantasmica Realm had prepared him for when he would return home to face the Hag Goddess, but it had not helped him find solace or develop patience. He stood in the kitchen of some woman’s suite, possibly an ex-lover of either Corvus or Gilbert. It didn’t matter to him. His heart and soul were set on defeating Cailleach Bhéarach. Gilbert was off in his makeshift alchemy lab, trying to find some way to open the portals around Levy so that he could use his armour and sword on their nemesis. To his luck, the second he came into the Earthly realm, the little creatures and crustaceans that clung to his armour disappeared. His dagger was still a blade made from a dragon’s tooth. It glowed and fascinated everyone he showed it too, but it refused to change into the long sword he was accustomed to doing battle with.

“How much longer before you have an answer for me?” Levy was at the door to Gilbert’s lab, watching the man go through his collection of books and concoctions, trying to glean a solution.

Gilbert turned with these thick goggles on and a copper triangle frame on his head. There were more stains in his faded shirt than colour swirls on it. He removed the headphones from his ears and smiled.

“Soon,” he beamed with a broad smile, “I know that I’m so close to finding a solution.”

Corvus Junior pushed Levy aside from behind, saying, “He says that a lot.”

“I do not.”

“You do.” Corvus Junior came up to the work desk and shoved aside some books so he could sit on the table.

“Hey! I was reading those!”

Corvus Junior snatched up the notebook Gilbert was working on and asked, "What are these, recipes?”

“It’s called alchemy! Don’t you have things to do?”

“Whatever, they can wait.” Corvus Junior looked bored, and his feet went back and forth as he sat on the table. “So, when do we get to kick the Hag Goddess’ ass?”

“Soon,” Levy heard Gilbert say as he turned away.

“Where are you going?” Corvus Junior asked as Levy opened the door to leave.

Levy had an old parka on and waved at the two. “I’m going for a little walk.”

“Just be careful out there, and don’t go too far!” Gilbert snatched his alchemy notebook back from Corvus Junior. “You don’t want to meet up with one of the Hag Goddess’ minions. You’re not ready yet.”

“They’re all over the place.”

“I promise to be careful.” Levy closed the door behind him.

Gilbert looked to Corvus Junior and said, “Make sure he’ll be okay out there, after all—he’s all we’ve got left.”

“Right!” Corvus Junior jumped off the table and took off after Levy.

“Just keep hidden!” Gilbert bellowed and then sighed. Gilbert removed his glasses and rubbed at his tired eyes.

Levy walked down the snow-shoveled street, wondering about his old neighbourhood. Especially the old house where he grew up. He wondered if a new home had been built in its place yet. Would the old tree still be in the backyard? How much had his neighbourhood changed?

He had so many unanswered questions, but strangely, none of them included his father. Levy had no idea whether the old man was alive or not. It wasn't like he'd go out of his way to locate any of his other relatives to have closure. He'd been missing long enough for his remaining immediate family members to assume that he was dead and gone.

All he wanted right now was revenge on the Hag Goddess. She was the only thing he lived for anymore. Everything else was to prepare him for the final confrontation. After all, he had lost so much to that witch, and there was nothing in the world that would stand in his way.

So as he walked through the streets towards his old stomping grounds, he noticed the boarded-up windows and the high-security doors. In the corner of his eye, he saw people hiding behind the window curtains, watching as he walked. It was a bright winter morning, and he had to pause and look around at the high-security homes with the bolted barbed wire fences and the closed-circuit security cameras that recorded all who passed by. Where is the laughter of children? Levy noticed right away and wondered with great concern. What the heck is going on? As people rushed by without saying a single word.

The snow-covered yards looked vacant of snowmen, like they had in his youth. There are no abandoned trikes or rusting swing sets in the yard. It was like he was walking through some kind of war zone. There were homes in disrepair that had posted signs of their missing pets and children on fences filled with dried or wilted flowers, and old stuffed toys hung around each faded picture posted. In his absence, it had become a residence without hope, and as he looked onward, he realized something most dire.

She’s been here; Levy grimaced. I can smell her foulness.

Just then, he heard the sound of a squeaky cart in the distance. He couldn’t pinpoint where the sound was coming from, but it was uncomfortably close.

A young woman with her head bundled tight and loose boots hurried past him in utter panic.

Levy’s arm shot out and grabbed her arm as she passed, and I heard her squeal out as if his touch had shocked her.

“Let me go!” She tried to pull away. “Please, I beg you. I can’t stay here!”

“What’s the matter?” He asked, “Why are you in such a panic?”

She looked up at him, and at first she was at a loss for words. Levy’s calming demeanour made her mind go blank. His narrow jaw and skinny frame made him look more like the lead singer of a band than your average Joe. But the scars he earned gave him a more badass look than when he was younger. On his face, Levy usually wore a severe scowl, but there was always something in his eyes that made you want to tell him everything.

“T-they’re coming…” The woman’s legs turned to jelly as she tried to pull her arm away. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t be here when they come, and neither should you be.”

“Who is it?” He pulled her back and bared his teeth. The glyph etched into his palm began to itch. Something vile and evil was approaching. He brought up his hand as if he had never seen it before. “Come with me now!” He started to drag her along.

“Yeah, you're going the wrong way,” the woman protested. “Don’t go that way. Come with me this way—now!”

She brought him down the back alley, and they quickly slipped behind a colossal power box that kept them hidden from sight.

As they ducked down to hide, the rickety old shopping cart turned down the alley where they were. It squeaked up next to the power box, and then it stopped. The woman Levy was with held a hand to her mouth, trying to control her breathing, for she wasn’t panting very loudly. She might’ve been a young adult, but she was no athlete. Levy sat across from her and then curiously went to sneak a little peek.

“Don’t,” the woman hissed, pulling him back down. She motioned for him to wait.

Whoever or whatever was on the opposite side of the power box sniffed the brisk winter air hungrily. Then, with a dismissive snort, they continued down the alley, turned onto the street, and ambled away.

“Why did you stop me from looking?” Levy’s hand sought the dagger on his belt. “Are you in collusion with the Hag Goddess?”

“Who? What? No…” The woman brought back her scarf and revealed a young woman barely in her twenties. “You’re referring to that thing that terrorizes all of the neighbourhoods and haunts our dreams at night.”

“So you do know of Cailleach Bhéarach.”

“When I was just a teenager babysitting my baby brother, she or one of her ugly minions came and took him away.”

“What did your parents say about his disappearance?”

“We only had Mom, but she was horrified, and still to this day, she blames me for being so careless. People in the community felt sorry for me, but they scoffed at the stories circulating that something was stealing children. But now…” She looked around apprehensively, as if expecting something horrifying to appear. “I’m not so crazy after all.”

“Is something the matter?” Levy prompted, “You can tell me.”

“It’s nothing…” She placed her head in her hands and started to weep. “I remember when you could still hear the laughter of children, but not anymore. Parents stifle and hide their children behind barred windows and secured doors in hopes of preventing their own from being snatched up. But the Hag Goddess is heartless and truly without remorse and will stop at nothing to take any child away.”

“Do you know where her lair is?”

The girl paused in thought and looked up. “I might.”

Levy stood up and peered over the power unit they were hiding behind. The glow that came from his palm had disappeared. “I want you to show me where.”

“I could, but she’s protected by day by her awful minions. But in the night she haunts the streets in search of children or pets,” she added.

“So how do the police here keep the people safe?”

“Those that know of her have either succumbed to madness or found others to blame for the missing children. Others, though, have decided to join her to save their skin, even if she were loyal to a few.”

“I see,” Levy said, loosening his jacket. “I must go and see where she hides by day. If I’m to defeat her, I must find her lair.”

“What?” She went pale. “Are you nuts? I said I'd show you, but to challenge her is a mad attempt, so I won’t take part. I have my mother to take care of.”

Levy motioned with his hands for her to calm down. “All I ask is that you show me, and then you can go wherever you like.”

“So I won’t have to get involved in this?”

“You’re no warrior.”

“So I’m a coward? Is that it?”

“Not at all.” Levy felt this conversation had taken a weird turn. “I have more experience fighting this kind of evil than before. I would rather see you safe.”

“I can’t tell if you are being romantic or just being stubborn.”

“Me Ma always thought the latter.”

“Then we should head to the park west of here. That’s where she’ll be.”

He held his hand out and said, “I may have been gone for a while, but I do believe that an introduction is in order.”

“I’m Deidra, Deidra Wilson.” She took his hand in hers and shook it.

“Well then, Deidra Wilson, I am Levy Madison O’Rourke, and I promise to protect you with my life if I must.”

“Wow, that wasn’t sexist at all.” Deidra blushed. You sound like someone out of my mom’s romance novels.”

“Did what I said offend you?”

“No, it just sounded rather hokey,” she shrugged, “many people here usually don’t say that they’ll help, and if they do...” Deidra wetted her lips. “They want something for it. You don’t come off as the type.”

“Is that bad?”

“No, it’s a good thing.” She touched his chest. “You have this sense of nobility about you. It’s like you’re not afraid of anything.”

Oh, I still get scared,” Levy admitted. “But not by the likes of that Hag or her cohorts.”

“Oh?” She drew close and intimate, asking, “So what would scare someone like you?”

Levy pulled away and started to walk down the alleyway, saying, “We should go while we still have daylight.” He looked over his shoulder at her before continuing.

Deidra smirked. Well, ain't you just the shy one?