Entry 26: Inside the Tree – Bank of Harrington – August 19th, 2023 – 8:55 PM
Still in the passageway, I bumped into Maisel, who had stopped moving.
What’s wrong?
Something is blocking our way. It feels like it’s made of… wood.
Real clever, Maisel.
Thank you, thank you, but seriously, how do we get out? I hate it in here.
There should be a latch of some kind—
CLICK.
Found it.
I could practically hear Maisel’s smirk.
Could you help me with this?
The two of us pushed the back of the cabinet, and it slid out of the way, revealing the inside of the vault. We stepped in, taking in our new surroundings. It couldn’t be much larger than one of our bedrooms. I always imagined the inside of a vault to be filled with fancy treasures and stacks of gold bars. This one was just… boring. The only things inside were rows of small lockers.
Where’s Murlocke?
She was right. There was no one in there.
What are we going to do? We don’t have time to search this whole tree for him. At most, we have a couple of hours—
Wait, be quiet!
She clamped her hand over my mouth. (Which I thought was a tad excessive.)
A soft wheezing came from the other side of the room. We approached, weaving our way through the lockers. There was an opening between two rows of lockers that we hadn’t noticed before. Inside was a door made with steel bars, not unlike that of a jail cell. On the other side was another row of lockers and—
There!
Maisel pointed to Murlocke. He was standing there with his chin tilted up and his eyes glazed. Frankly, he was not looking great.
Maisel yanked on the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
Pull on it!
I’m trying! Maybe you could try helping me?
I grabbed the door handle, but it was jammed, or maybe the tree had locked it. Murlocke moaned from within the room where he was being held captive.
Do you think he can still hear us?
What difference does it make? He’s in no state to do anything.
Are you sure about that? Think about it for a second. What are we doing that he isn’t?
Oh, I think, I see.
Exactly, about time you catch on.
Maisel’s frown cracked slightly into the hint of a smile before she returned to glaring at me.
Yeah, I know that. You don’t need to treat me like I’m stupid.
I’ll stop when you don’t need me to explain everything. So, how are we going to help Murlocke?
Maisel’s eyes narrowed.
I got it. I don’t need that condescending tone.
She spun to face the cell holding Murlocke. He looked like he was sleepwalking, although his mouth hung open. Maisel banged on the bars to get his attention.
Hey! You in there, Murlocke? Can you hear me? I hope so because Sasheen and I need to have a word with you.
Her tone was stiff. I could tell immediately that she was trying to imitate our stern English teacher, Mr. Lipton.
What exactly do you think you’re doing wandering around inside a supernatural monster at this time of night? You didn’t have the common sense to figure out what you were getting yourself into before crawling inside the hole in that tree?
Murlocke’s clouded eyes blinked once.
You’re always getting us into these messes. For once, would you let Maisel and me do something reckless? We’re always cleaning up after you.
Murlocke’s eyes blinked a few times in rapid succession. The dazed stare was replaced by something else behind his eyes — smouldering embers, a few seconds away from flaring to life. Good.
I… didn’t…
He struggled to get out, his words gargling up through his throat as though he hadn’t spoken in months.
Nuh-uh, don’t even try to defend your actions. Honestly, if you don’t start considering Maisel and my feelings before you act, you won’t be a part of the Neighbourhood Watch for much longer—
Enough!
Voila! Just like that, a bonfire sprang to life behind his eyes.
All I do is follow your ‘plans’ as we, time and again, get ourselves into these dangerous situations! We didn’t even need to climb into this tree in the first place! If you’d asked me what I thought before climbing inside, I would have said to just put a large rock over the hole!
Murlocke, thank goodness—
No, you’ve talked enough. Now it’s my turn. Not only do you two drag me INSIDE of a SUPERNATURAL MONSTER, but then you go around touching things without thinking of what consequences might be. First, Maisel touches that gold, and then Sasheen plays the piano. Now, I’m having trouble focusing and can’t keep my memories straight…
That’s what we’re trying to—
Wait a second. The brain fog is fading. What happened?
No, stay angry, Murlocke! That’s the way to keep the angler at bay. It doesn’t like to feed on angry thoughts.
Oh, don’t worry, I’m plenty angry. …Although this is a brilliant discovery. It proves that anglers have basic emotions. They prefer different kinds of food.
Isn’t it fascinating? It could prove that anglers have some form of intelligence. Perhaps it can even understand what we’re saying.
Hey! You two goofballs. I don’t hear a lot of frustration in your voices. We’ll have plenty of time to study the supernatural monster we’re currently inside of, once we get out!
As much as I hate that suggestion, I agree.
He’s always been a quick learner.
Let’s get out of here.
He tried the cell door, and it swung open with ease.
How did you do that?
What do you think? The angler is no longer interested in devouring my mind, so there is no need to keep me trapped in there.
It doesn’t matter why it happened. Let’s get out of here!
The three of us rushed out of the bank. We were almost free. We just needed to get back to the museum.
– Sasheen
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