The Lost Days (22 page)

Later

Ran into Schneider on my way back from the library, which was kind of convenient, since he is the only person I could think of who might be able to answer some of my current questions. I decided to lay it all out for him.

Man, who knew Schneider was so mental?—Anyhoodle, what’s important is that he also coughed up the following information:

1. He confirmed that he owes Great-Aunt Emma a favor because she gave him enough money to pay a huge bribe and get elected to City Council.
   
2. Come to find out, Schneider is also Head of the Sanitation Department, Fire Marshal, and Coordinator of Charitable Activities. (Like I said—Mental!)
   
3. As far as he knows, EVERYONE has sold their property to Attikol, including himself, excluding my dead Great-Aunt Emma, who could not be persuaded to sell, being dead.
   
4. Schneider did not want to sell, but the price kept going
   higher and higher, and then there was some mention of kneecapping, so he thought it best to agree.
   
5. He’s now staying in Hilda’s spare room upstairs from the El Dungeon.
   
6. He knows that Attikol has been looking for Great-Aunt Emma’s will. So has Schneider. Nothing so far.
   
7. It would be pretty easy for Schneider to transfer ownership of her properties to me if we act fast, before all the town officials leave for good.
   
8. He says it is common knowledge that Attikol A) prides himself on never, never losing a challenge, and B) has never, never been so smitten with a lady as he is with Raven.
   
9. Rumor has it that the Mayor accepted a pretty staggering sum of money to give Attikol permission to go ahead and push the El Dungeon to the east once everyone is gone.
   
10. Schneider hopes I have some clever ideas on preventing this, since he doesn’t think Attikol will let a little thing like ownership stand in his way.
    
11. Schneider recommends that I do like him and pack my belongings in preparation for fleeing town, since he is sure the El Dungeon will be rubble in a day or two.
    
12. Schneider is being a major Mr. Bring-Down right now.
    
13. Schneider really DOES believe I can communicate with Great-Aunt Emma. He said I should say “hi” and “sorry” for him. Wow.
    

Day 27

Have done something very, very shameful.

Was feeling super-overwhelmed after yesterday’s conversation with Schneider. No idea how I am supposed to deal with all this stuff about Emma’s will and fighting Attikol for her property. Was getting very weak-hearted with thoughts like “I’m just a kid” and “The SMART thing to do here is…to panic” and so, I’m sorry to report, I took out the folded bit of paper that I found in my pocket on Day 20, and opened it up.

Was extremely excited to see “MOM” and a phone number. Blessed Mom. Blessed emergency hotline to Mom.

I hunkered down behind the counter of the El Dungeon and dialed.

And she said goodbye.

Man, I do not want Molly here!

Especially not if she thinks she is going to solve any mystery with ME. Or that it’ll be at all “peakin’.”

Not much I can do about it, except…solve everything before she gets here.

Later

GASP! OF!! HORROR!!!!!

What was that Molly said?

“Did you give yourself another case of amnesia, or what?”

No no no please don’t tell me I did this to MYSELF?????

What am I…evil?

please please let her be wrong please let me not be that diabolical I don’t want to be the one keeping myself in total amnesia I don’t think I can take it anymore and there’s nothing I can do I’ve trapped myself here and how can I outsmart myself?

Later

Jeez. Have been sitting here considering whether I should tear out the above entry out of sheer embarrassment. Have calmed down and reconsidered the situation, which is looking more and more interesting, and…well, more and more hopeful. Really, I should have realized all this when I first read Great-Aunt Emma’s letter. OF COURSE I did this to myself, to protect myself, as instructed by Great-Aunt Emma. And this is good news. If I created the amnesia, then surely (SURELY?) I had some kind of plan to reverse it.

Broggling harmwarts, let’s hope so.

Later

Capable of making a golem. Capable of inflicting amnesia on myself, not once but twice. NOT capable of figuring out how to keep the El Dungeon from getting knocked down.

OK. At a loss. No clue what to do. No one to ask, except…

Nah. No way. Never going to happen.

Oh, what the hey.

Um, hello, Great-Aunt Emma?

You there?

I need to ask for some help.

I could really use a clue on how to get Attikol out of town.

Nothing, huh? Not much of a talker? That’s cool.

Tell you what, since I don’t have a ouija board, we can use my notebook. I’ll shake it and then open it to a random page. You just guide me to a page that has a clue for me. And I’ll try to figure it out. Sound good?

OK here we go.

OK, Day 26, yesterday. OK, let’s see what we got. HamHawk left. And I went to the library. Saw all your patent applications. Talked to Schneider about you. OK, not sure what the clue is. Let’s try that again.

OK, Day 26. Yep. Well, Schneider is looking for your will. That’s probably part of the solution, right? Let’s try again just to be safe.

Wow, Day 26 again. OK, there is definitely something there I need to figure out.

OK, Great-Aunt Emma, I’m gonna work on that. Oh, and…this is kinda embarrassing, but Schneider says hi, and he wants to be mayor of Blackrock.

Later

Strange things are afoot at the El D!! Am very grateful for Raven, Great-Aunt Emma, and the fact that golems and ghosts get along like…two preternatural things that get along really well, instead of trying to destroy each other, or at least gnaw on each other’s souls, like preternatural things normally do. Wait, do preternatural things even have souls?—Anyway.

I had been sitting around asking Raven random questions and trying to free up my mind on what my next move should be.

Later

Have been to the library and photocopied Great-Aunt Emma’s patent application for the amplitudinal sandstorm generator. Librarian was very reluctant even to unlock the doors for me, as he was busy packing his personal things so he can leave this town like everyone else. But I guess I was convincing when I told him it was a matter of Life and Death.

Not a bad idea, that sandstorm. At the very least, it might keep the construction crews from their work. Maybe. For a while.

I’m back at the El Dungeon now, wondering where I can find an oscillating vortical accelerator and an astrogendetic gyroscope. As well as an ablation shield, a guide wire lumen, and all the other assorted mechanical sundries I will need. Am thinking the junk-mail factory is not a bad place to look. Have to wait until dark to try that, though, since there are still a couple of police officers roaming the streets, scavenging the abandoned homes and stores.

In the meantime, I also need a nice, private place to build this thing. Am wondering if that lab coat I found in the secret closet is any kind of clue…Great-Aunt Emma WAS an inventor. I just bet she had some kind of laboratory down there. Most likely behind that locked door. Will just have to break in there and check it out.

Later. Much Later