The next day, Caroline really felt awful about disappointing the powerful couple living at Cindersap forest and she mustered up the courage to go after them, send an apology and try to fix their friendship. Since her turkey finished baking and the afternoon was fast closing, she enlisted Pierre’s help to carry their friendly offering to the wizard’s. Her husband was a man of business, he didn’t even question why they were befriending the strange couple at the forest. Only that they should have done it sooner because it looked bad that they waited so long.

Night fell as they made their trek for the tower. They had no difficulty finding it since the tower was basically sitting on top of a hill. There were stone stairs going up to it and by the time they arrived at the bottom of the hill, Esmeralda was already waiting at the top with an amused smile tugging at her glossy pink lips. “What have we here? Too scared to go here alone?” she said while using her broom to skip their flight of stairs, meeting Caroline at the bottom.

Pierre gave a hearty laugh that boomed, “We’re new in town. We thought to introduce ourselves.” His cheeks heated as he scratched the back of his neck. “Is it too much?”

“It is just as well. But we ate already so there’s no need for that.” She turned away and walked back to the tower, broom in hand.

“Please?” Said Caroline. She and Pierre followed Esmeralda up their stairs to the front of the tower where Rasmodius waited. “We came all this way.”

Dark clouds rolled in so suddenly without warning, bringing thunderstorm and rain. “We can’t turn them away.” the wizard said “It’s going to rain hard soon.”

Esmeralda hissed under her breath, whispering “Then do something about it and let them be on their way.”

“I can’t. Both of us spent our powers yesterday. Calling off a weather like this takes huge reserves.”

Folding her arms, “Then why don’t you ask her to pull it off?”

“You know it takes magic to get underground. Magic I don’t have.”

“Well I’m not going under that musty old basement. No way now how.”

Caroline cleared her throat, stepping closer to them. “That sounds like a disagreement. Maybe I can help?”

After a terse moment, Rasmodius broke the ice and said “Do you have lights, human?”

She smiled awkwardly, “You know my name. And here I got flashlights for two.”

Pierre said, “Hey maybe I should go instead.”

Suddenly, Esmeralda’s aura changed. Her skin glowed extra, her lips went moist almost looking bigger and her eyes sparkled with tears. “On second thought, that turkey smells amazing. What’s your name again?”

Pride filled his chest, “Pierre. You must be Esmeralda. I’m very pleased to meet you.”

“Pierre” said she, almost purring his name. “You must be getting tired carrying that 13-pound turkey. Why don’t you come inside and put that down?”

He nodded dutifully “Lead the way, ma’am.”

Once they were safely tucked in the foyer with their shoes and boots taken off, Rasmodius announced “Caroline will assist me to turning the power back on.”

“Really?” Pierre glanced at the scope of their home tower, adorned with eccentricities and multi-cultural furniture complete with chandeliers and functioning lamp lights. “Your home looks mighty lovely and your power seems fine.”

“We need more.” muttered the wizard, going inside. Caroline following closely behind him. “Sweeping away a storm like this needs more power.” He passed through an open arched doorway that led to descending stairs that disappeared into darkness. “Flashlight?”

Caroline fumbled for two of her flashlights and passed it over to him.

“You hold them. I need my hands free where we’re going.”

Esmeralda pulled at Pierre, “Why don’t we fix the table while they fix the thunderstorm?”

“Haven’t you ate already?”

“We got more friends. You can meet some of them over dinner.”

“Pan pan? Pan poo jin.” A gaggle of carved smiling pumpkins with stubby legs marched to the dining room.

A proud Esmeralda giggled, “They recently evolved to Gourgeist yesterday. I think they would love to eat extra food.”

Caroline could hear the dimmed spirit in Pierre’s voice, “I-is that so?”

“Come along, Caroline,” said the Wizard from inside their basement, his eyes shifty. He hasn’t met her gaze head-on ever since they had arrived. “Help me.” He said, almost a whisper barely heard but it reached her nonetheless.