Fictionarium 12. Episode 3, The Green Cone Castle

 "You found the eye? 

 And the old truck, were the wheels still asunder?  

Was the tailgate up, or down? Do your best to remember. 

 Were there snakes underneath, did you look? Were you brave? 

Was it darker than expected, like looking in a cave?  

Their soul-less slits and telltale pits guard the entire reason, 

why their faded green cone castle is so snugly rested.  

Are you so bold as to put that steel rod where these vipers are nested?" 

 The wind was strong on the roof of the Bean House cafe building, urgently trying to turn the pages of the old journal as Mel read the lines, and she handed the book back to Arlo. 

 
"I think I know where that is."

 This wasn't the response that Arlo had expected when he'd showed Mel the poem. He'd imagined it as a riddle they could solve together, searching for clues and codes in the wording, and 'putting their heads together', so to speak, to be like a brilliant team. He was going to use his Science Board training to amaze her-- he never got to show off any of his secret skills. (he still wasn't quite ready to tell her about all of the microphones that he'd planted inside her cafe) What a stupid, childish feeling now; to actually be disappointed that she had just solved the riddle without him. But there it was, showing in his now-familiar scowl.  
 

Less windy and quieter, the back room of the cafe was a good place to open the journal up for a better look, and for Mel to explain what she'd meant.

 "Remember how that old map… the middle was chewed up, missing? It made me think… and also, the first line of the riddle; "did you find the eye?" When I read it out loud, 'eye', I remembered the map." 

 Arlo did remember the map, and how she'd proposed that the mice had eaten the middle because it had been "The most delicious part." It really had been adorable, but her divination wasn't based on any reason or logic that he could fathom. Maybe she would need his help solving the riddle after all, but she continued.

 "Here, it says, "…faded green cone castle." Remember that day that Daniel and I went out in my car to find the 'center' of the map?"

 Arlo remembered, and nodded, listening numbly.

 "We found this pine tree forest, these massive trees, and all around on the ground were CONES. Pine cones. The ones that were still on the trees were green… 'green cone', right?"

 Mel was pointing to the line in the journal about the cones, but Arlo didn't look impressed, and pointed at another line in the riddle. "Did you see an old truck?" Arlo thought he would get the riddle solving back on target, instead of talking about her little picnic. He would never be able to teach her anything at this rate, but she had that look that she gets when she has concocted a new plan, and her plans had all worked so far, so using his Observer skills like a pro, he saw the look that she shot at him, and he listened. 

"No, Arlo… but it IS the things I didn't see that I noticed. On the map, there were camps listed, camp 'A' to camp 'M'… starting from Lakeland, all the way into to Hill Valley."
With her finger, Mel drew a small 'X' in the middle of the table. "The only letter, the only 'camp' that was missing from the map, was camp I… like 'eye'. There was an old road that led back over a little ridge there, we didn't stay long enough to check it out. I think we found, at least, the eye's brow. I think I know where the eyebrow is. Can we take your car?"

 Arlo was always impressed with Mel's ability to quickly solve things, and to formulate working plans in an instant. Those were skill that he liked to think he had, but just never used. She used her skills, and got things done. She might be able to teach him a thing or two, after all.

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thanks for reading Fictionarium 12 Episode 3
Fictionarium: Where ordinary life may not be the best idea.
 

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