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I set off for shopping a second time, but not before I had a conversation with Sebastian.
“All right,” I said, as I stood in the front doorway. “In or out? I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for, so you might be stuck either way.”
He mewed and jumped out the door and down the front porch steps.
“Okay, but don’t go too far from the house,” I told him. “I don’t want to have to go into the woods and start calling for you—promise you’ll stay close.”
“Mmmrow,” Sebastian declared, looking up at me with solemn eyes.
“All right—have fun then.” I stroked him several times, making him purr, and then set off on my mini adventure.
I had no idea of all the crazy things I would see in my new home town of Hidden Hollow.
CHAPTER TEN
The walk to town was a pleasant one. Once I crossed the bridge and took a right, I found my way quickly to a narrow-paved road shaded by tall trees, all of them bursting with Fall foliage.
The air smelled like Autumn—the spicy scent of dried leaves, a hint of smoke, a whisper of snow on the wind that wouldn’t come for a while yet. I breathed it in—filling my lungs with delight.
The sky was a pure, deep blue without any clouds but the weather was cool enough to make the golden sunshine a blessing rather than a hot, miserable curse like it was in Central Florida on a sunny day. There was hardly any humidity either—I was blessedly free of under-boob sweat, which is the bane of my existence.
All in all, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so happy to be outside. Living in Florida for so long, I was used to scurrying from one air-conditioned structure to another. Being caught out in the open meant feeling like I was slowly boiling in a pot of humidity soup. It wasn’t like that here in Hidden Hollow. Here, the weather was just perfect.
I hummed happily to myself as I walked along the deserted road. I didn’t see a single car, which was nice. I was just beginning to wonder if maybe I could get a bike—that would be a good, cheap way to get around—when the road curved and the town came abruptly into sight.
At first glance, Hidden Hollow seemed to be the quintessential picturesque New England small town. The Main Street was lined with shops and businesses and shoppers and residents were going about their daily lives and chores.
Then I took a closer look at some of the shoppers. Was that a centaur trotting down Main Street? And had I just seen a fairy flitting into one of the shops? Also, across the street I saw a Minotaur raking leaves.
But none of that was possible…right?
“Oh my God!” I murmured, feeling my eyes get wider and wider as I stared. I supposed I shouldn’t be so surprised. After my encounter with the Orc, why did seeing other monsters out in the open shock me?
Maybe it was the casual way they were acting. They weren’t rampaging or growling or chasing down the humans (yes, there were a few of those too.) Instead, they were going about their business, running errands and getting things done—just like regular people.
I walked down the street, trying not to stare as I entered the town. Nobody gave me a second glance…until an older woman came outside from a rambling, Victorian style structure and saw me.
“Well, as I live and breathe!” she exclaimed, cocking her head and looking at me over the thin golden rims of her reading spectacles. “If it isn’t Elvira’s granddaughter!”
She startled me so much I jumped. I wanted to ask her how in the world she knew who I was, but as usual, my words got stuck in my throat. I must have looked distressed, because she came down her front porch steps and put a hand on my arm.
“Oh, honey—are you okay?”
I nodded and then put a hand to my throat and shook my head. Sometimes it worked best if people just thought I was mute.
“You can’t speak?” she asked.
I shook my head and tapped my throat again.
“Hmmm…”
The woman put a hand on my forehead and stared into my face intently for a moment which gave me a chance to study her. She had curly gray hair and sharp green eyes behind her glasses. She was also wearing a colorful pink and green muumuu and fuzzy pink slippers to match.
“Of course you can’t speak,” she said at last, shaking her head. “Why, you’re bound so tightly it’s a wonder you can communicate with anyone at all!”
I shook my head in confusion. What did she mean I was “bound?”
“Oh, I see you have questions. Come on with me—I’ll do what I can to answer them.”
