Welcome

Ron and Linda drove home but took a detour by the doctor’s house. They passed a couple of men walking down the road wearing dark goggles. He even joked about them making Linda laugh. When they arrived at the former doctor’s house, they were surprised to see the lot empty and amazed to see even trees growing. Some almost as large as the one by their house. The whole lot was peppered with stones about the size of his hand. And to him, they looked out of place. That puzzled Ron, and he asked someone walking their dog if they knew what happened to the house. He was surprised at the response.

“There wasn’t a house there. That lot’s been vacant for years.” The woman told him, looking at him strangely. She even picked up her dog and started to back away. Ron watched as she hurried along. He then turned to the lot and the trees. He was about to step off the sidewalk when the wooden ring he wore fluttered. Ron’s foot hovered near one of the stones as he stopped in his tracks before placing his hand on the ring he wore around his neck.

Seeing his actions, Linda became concerned, “you alright?”

Ron tapped the chain holding the wooden ring. “I moved when I was about to step on the ground.”

Linda moved forward, and her ring reacted the same. “Mine did that when I held that bottle.” Then, she stepped back, “I think there’s magic here.”

Ron nodded. He looked around before looking down, “you still have that card for the guy who came in the shop?”

Linda nodded.

“Good, If there’s magic here, this whole thing may be restarting.” Ron gave a huff, “and I think we might have to do something about it.”

Linda spoke up, “why us?”

Ron smiled, “It’s not like we can call anyone on this, is there?”

Linda felt the heaviness of worry now filling her. “No, no one I know of.”

Ron looked back to their car, “something is going on here. I’m sure that’s magic. How else do you erase something this big?”

Linda agreed with him, and something was definitely wrong here.

Ron looked to her, “you said the guy knew there was a house here?”

Linda nodded.

“Then he might know something.” Ron huffed. “I mean, no one else seems to remember a house here, except for us.”

Linda thought for a moment, “why doesn’t anyone else?”

Ron nodded, “that’s what we’ll have to find out.” He looked to the car, knowing they couldn’t do anything tonight. There also didn’t seem to be an immediate danger, so Ron said, “but, that can wait. It’s getting late. We should head home.”

Linda agreed and smiled at him; it was Ron’s turn to cook tonight, and she looked forward to when he did. He had a creative way with recipes. They headed back to the car, and as they walked away, a symbol appeared on the stone Ron was nearest. The character faded before turning to one of a line-drawn raven.

* * *

Talbert huffed, lifting the heavy box back onto the shelf. He had to bring in all of his merchandise for the night. The older man was retired, and his wife was happy he had found something to do since he was retired from his steel sales position he had done for almost thirty years. She never liked when he was away for such long periods and had always hoped to spend more time with him.

“Tal, you coming in for dinner?” A woman’s voice rolled through the house into the garage.

“Be in, in a minute, Betsy,” Talbert yelled back. He then looked around before opening a drawer to remove a small box. He opened the lid to find two jewels and three gold coins. He held one of the coins and reached out to the door, his hand on the handle. He held his breath as he turned the knob. As the door opened, a vista with small shops and including a snow-covered mountain behind them, appeared. The old man giggled, his mouth muttering, “can’t wait to find out how this thing works.” He turned to look at the box on the bench top, “I’d be nice to take the missus for a trip.”

He returned to the box and picked up one of the gems, “still don’t know what these do. He then pulled the three he had from his pocket and placed them in the small box. But, when he counted them. Tal became confused. In the box were only four of the shiny gems.

“What happened to the other one?” Talbert muttered as she searched his pocket.

The old man had found the gems in the box when he opened it in the doctor’s house. It had a note on it not to open. Nevertheless, he was curious, so Talbert did just that, only to discover the coins and gems. His memory was still sharp as he remembered the basement and the shiny things those people left behind. But this was different. It seemed to call to him. What was racking in his mind was how that one door led outside again when he opened it.

Somehow the door was below ground level, and the basement was below the surface, or at least he thought it was. But when he opened the door, it led outside to the shed, where he had found the spade shovel he had thought was still in his inventory at the stand he sold from.

Talbert closed the box, placing it in the drawer before locking it. He smiled, smelling the delicious aroma of his wife’s cooking coming from the house. He only looked back to say, “eventually, I’ll figure that thing does. “