Third times the charm // chapter 4!!! (final chapter)
Group 10 in the improv fic challenge!!!
Group 10: @fern-daysss @frenchtoastbuzzbuzz @kloudien
organised by @sfth-improvised-fic
Alice-Laura rushed out of the bathroom and across the hall to her little brother’s room.
There was no time to waste.
She flung the door of the bedroom open and stormed into Jimmy sitting cross legged on the floor, staring at his iPad, playing some kind of game with a bunch of bright colours involved. Upon Alice-Laura’s entrance he looked up from the screen and shouted “Alice! You can’t come into my room! I haven’t said it’s ok for you to come in!” Alice-Laura groaned and snapped “Jimmy this is REALLY serious I need to get daddy back and to do so I need a necklace that I’m pretty sure you ha-” Jimmy stood up, making the iPad clatter down onto the floor and interrupted Alice-Laura. “Lissssyyyyy!!! Get out! Or I’ll tell mummy!” he whined and stomped his foot. Alice-Laura let out a sigh of frustration and hurried out of Jimmy’s room, slamming the door behind her. It would be quicker to conform to Jimmy’s silly rules than not, and then having to waste even more time arguing with her mum.
She took a deep breath and knocked onto Jimmy’s door. A small pause. “Who?” asked Jimmy’s voice from inside the bedroom. “Your sister Alice, Jimmy. May I come in please?” replied Alice-Laura in the sweetest tone she could muster. “Okay, come in,” came Jimmy’s answer and Alice-Laura immediately swung open the door and went over to her little brother. “Hey,” she said and rested her hand on Jimmy’s shoulder as his gaze did not leave the iPad as she came in for the second time. Jimmy shoved her hand off and mumbled “what!” his eyes still glued to the screen. Sighing, Alice-Laura swiftly grabbed the iPad out of Jimmy’s grip.
There was no time to waste.
Immediately Jimmy looked up at Alice-Laura and screamed, “HEY! Give iPad back!” Raising the iPad over her head, Alice-Laura looked down at Jimmy and said sternly, “Jimmy, you will get iPad back if you can tell me where that necklace that Uncle Braen gave you is, like for your birthday last year or something? Please tell me you remember?” During this, Jimmy listened, eyes fixed on the iPad, mouth agape. As Alice-Laura finished he replied, “ummm, yeah Uncle Braen gave me neck -a- lace… uhhhh I think its… in the drawer there?” he gestured over to the drawer on the other side of the room. “Alright, thanks, that wasn’t so hard now was it?” said Alice-Laura, dropping the iPad into Jimmy’s awaiting hands, mumbling to herself that she was thankful that he was being cooperative for once. She leaped over to the drawer and yanked it open. It was a mess.
Broken crayons, scrunched up paper, sticks from outside, stones presumably from the beach, random metal trinkets? And what on earth is that? Christ on a bike Jimmy, your drawer is not a garbage bin!
After a thorough rummage, she saw something that would resemble a necklace and picked it up to look at it more closely. It was a simple piece of jewellery: a plain silver chain accompanied by a round, blood red carnelian pendant. However, after further inspection, Alice-Laura saw that there was a pentagram, and some other smaller symbols intricately carved into the gemstone. Suddenly a quiet, yet somehow booming voice entered her head.
MY PENDANT, WHERE IS IT? DID SOMEONE TAKE IT? IT’S GONE! THOSE THAT HAVE TAKEN IT MUST PAY!
Immediately Alice-Laura dropped the necklace back into the drawer in shock. After composing herself again she thought,
Well, there’s no doubting this is the right thing I’m looking for then.
Grabbing one of the scrap papers in the drawer, she carefully wrapped the necklace into it, avoiding having to touch it. This worked well.
Thank goodness no devil voices in my head if I pick it up like this.
She shoved the small package into her pocket and raced to the bathroom.
If she had to get the necklace to hell, she would have to create another portal, but she couldn’t trust Jimmy to go down to dad with the necklace, it was too risky. What if something went wrong? But then she would have to go. But then who would make the portal? Jimmy can’t of course. Then who?
I’m going to have to ask mum for help, I didn’t want to involve her, but I guess I have no choice…
Alice-Laura spun around and leaped down the stairs and into the kitchen where she could hear her mum talking. She burst in and her mum looked at her, phone at her ear. Before Alice-Laura could speak, her mum mouthed “one moment” and held up her finger. “Yes, tomorrow would be good, it’s a hazard you know? Thank you very much. Good day.” finished her mum and then turned her attention to her daughter. “Who was that?” asked Alice-Laura. “Oh, I was just calling a carpenter, you know the stairs at the front porch a slightly broken so they need to be fixed before someone like Jimmy has an accident…. Anyway, what is it dear?” Alice-Laura paused, trying to think of how she would formulate this request, then eventually exclaimed, “Ok so mum uh, I know how to get dad back, all I have to do is to give something to him in hell and he will be fine! All I ask is if you can get me and dad back out from hell once I get to him. Its easy! I’ll tell you what to do so don’t worry!” and put on the biggest smile she could and hoped her tone was reassuring. Her mum thought for a second then replied, “of course dear, explain to me exactly what I have to do?” Turning around, Alice-Laura answered, “I’ll explain in the bathroom, come!”
Maureen placed her hand on John’s shoulder. He let out a defeated sigh. “Well at least there is some chance she can get both of you back safely?” said Maureen, hoping she could lighten John’s mood. Shoving her hand off, John put his head into his hands and cried, “This is all just some big mess. What have I gotten myself into? What have I gotten her into? My daughter could die and it’s all my fucking fault,” Maureen stuffed her hands into her pockets unsure what to do and noticed Beelzebubette had been staring at them the whole time. They made eye contact. “Uhm, do you want a hell-crisp?” she asked and offered a red plastic bag full of black crips at them. John looked up and mumbled, “sure” grabbing a crisp and popped it into his mouth. It burned his tongue, but he didn’t care, it was the least of his worries. Maureen shook her head as she was offered one too and Beelzebubette retracted her arm, reclined in her chair and put her feet up on her desk.
“You did what you could John. You told her what she can do and then we can hope she follows through. All we can do now is wait and hope for the best. We will just pray that they can get the necklace down here to us.” said Maureen firmly and gripped John’s shoulder again. John sighed and agreed “yeah I guess you’re right Maure-”
“Wait - wait a moment who’s coming? I swear to Satan if it’s that little brat of yours again John I’m going to punch a hole through this desk and quit my job,” interrupted Beelzebubette, knocking over a cup as she swung her legs off the desk, her attention completely directed at John.
“No, I think it might be his daughter this time Betty,” answered Maureen, and Beelzebubette’s eyes snapped from her to John as he nodded in agreement.
“Well thank fuck for that,” said Beelzebubette and relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief, spearing a hell-crisp with one of her sharp, crimson nails, popping it into her mouth.
“Anyway John, if your daughter is coming with the necklace, we should be there to receive her, let’s go to the ferryman now because I can see he is on his way over here,” said Maureen and with that, her and John bid all their “goodbye’s” and “see you later probably’s” to Beelzebubette and walked towards the river.
“G’day, where in hell can I take you’s today?” greeted the Ferryman as Maureen and John boarded the ghostly boat. “Hello Mr. Ferryman, we actually need to go back to the ‘landing point’ for all the new souls who are being dropped off here, we are expecting someone you see,” answered Maureen and the Ferryman gave them a thumbs up. “Just give me a sec,” he said, “need to turn the boat around then,” He got up and detached the motor from the front of the boat, attaching it onto the back instead. After taking his seat, he looked back at the passengers and said, “alrighty! Off we go,”
“Yeah, so after I’ve gone in for about, let’s say twenty minutes? Then say this incantation and if everything has gone to plan, me and dad will reappear right here in the pentagram.” finished Alice-Laura, pointing at a certain passage in “the satanic rituals”. Her mum gave a small sigh and replied, “Alright honey, I trust you, just - just be safe ok,” she reached out and ruffled Alice-Laura’s hair. Smiling, she said, “Don’t worry mum, I’ll be back in a jiffy,” and went to stand in the middle of the pentagram.
John paced around his imaginary circle for what felt to be the umpteenth time and groaned.
All my fucking fault, she is going to get herself killed because of my STUPID actions. Oh Alice-Laura, what have I gotten us into?
Maureen stood by the river, talking with the ferryman.
“So, if you could, it would be lovely if you can hang around here because if things go as they should, we will need a ride back to Satan’s quarters soon,” asked Maureen and quickly glanced back at John who seemed to be mutating into a puddle of depression: she sighed. The Ferryman pulled out a sheet of paper and said, “hmm well I can probably stay here for a little longer, I’m a little ahead of schedule so I’m sure I can wait until I start my rounds again,” Thanking him, Maureen walked back over to John and hesitated before asking in a small voice, “John…um… are you… alright? Can - can I help?” John’s head snapped up to look at Maureen and he hissed, “No I’m not fucking alright, what makes YOU think ANY of this could POSSIBLY be alright. My daughter is up there, with barely any leads as to WHAT she is doing, RISKING her life for my IDIOTIC actions. All my fault… all my fucking fault…. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE OK!” He buried his head into his hands. Maureen took a step back, a little shocked by John’s sudden outburst, but surprised herself even more as she ended up approaching him again and said in an even smaller voice, “John…. please…. it’s not…it’s not your fault…. just... just have faith in your daughter…she will find the necklace,” John looked up at Maureen again, and surprised her for the third time by standing quickly up and hugged her tightly. “Sorry Maureen… I just… overwhelming... worried… I don’t know-” began John, but Maureen cut him off, “its ok - I understand,” and returned the hug.
“Ow,” said Alice-Laura as she found herself on the hard stone floor of hell. John and Maureen immediately looked over and as soon as they realized who it was, they quickly rushed to her. Maureen felt like she ran fast but John overtook her in an instant, scooping Alice-Laura up, shouting “ALICE!” and she replied with an equally ecstatic “DAD!”
After a brief reunion, John let his daughter go and started to ask, “so do, do you, you got the um-”
“Yes, I’ve got the necklace dad!” answered Alice-Laura and pulled out the package out of her pocket. John kissed her on the head, grabbed her hand and beckoned her over to the awaiting Ferryman.
Eventually, they reached Beelzebubette’s office once again, and before John even knocked onto the secretary’s door, they heard her voice saying, “Just fucking come in, John, Maureen whichever or how many you are, at this point I don’t give a damn,”
John opened the door to see Beelzebubette with her feet still propped up on the desk, the cup she had dropped earlier still on the floor, her mascara was smudged and there was a distinct smell of cigarettes in the room.
“You got the necklace I assume?” said Beelzebubette, her eyes not leaving the pen that she was twirling in one hand. It spun out of control and flew across the room. Fuck.
“Yes! We got the necklace and - um… are you good?” began John the concern growing in his tone the longer he looked at the secretary.
“I’m fine it’s just been a rough day…so much rescheduling work to do, didn’t have time for lunch and I’ve cracked one of my best nails and bla bla…,” she sighed heavily and finally looked up at them, “well give me the necklace and I’ll talk to the big man and see what I can do,”
John gave Alice-Laura a little nudge and she hesitantly shuffled over to Beelzebubette: she had never seen hell before, let alone the ones that lived there. It had always been Jimmy that went down. So she was bound to being a little nervous.
Well I guess there is a first time for everything.
She held her breathe as she dropped the packaged necklace onto Beelzebubette’s desk and almost squeaked as the secretary briefly shook her hand saying, “hello deary, you must be John’s daughter, nice to meet you,”
As the group waited for Beelzebubette to return, they all jumped as a great booming sound came suddenly from the room in which the secretary was supposedly talking to the “big man”. The great booming sound was then accompanied by a smaller higher pitch sound, which they figured was Beelzebubette talking. Another huge boom, followed by some chatter. Eventually the secretary emerged from the room and said, panting a little, “the boss man said yea! You can get home now - but he is NOT in a good mood goddamn. I could barely understand what he was saying but it was something about his distant cousin turning dead souls into parts of a train instead of directing them here to hell instead or something silly like that,” John pranced over to Beelzebubette and exclaimed, “thank you so much for all your help! Could never have done it without you.” Glancing down at her watch, Alice-Laura mentioned, “right dad, if mum is on schedule, we should be transported back into the living world in about two minutes!”
Looking at the big analog clock on the wall, Alice-Laura’s mum reread the passage of the book in her head again. There should be no way it messes up. It was almost time, just one more minute, she could do this.
Thirty seconds
Twenty seconds
Ten
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
She raised her hand and said the incantation as loudly and clearly as she could. CRACK! Alice-Laura, clutching onto her dad, looking like she was holding on for dear life, and John smiling, staring at his wife, appeared in the middle of the pentagram.
Later that evening after dinner, after most of the food had been cleared up, John looked out the window and saw the beginning of what seemed to be a beautiful sunset. He turned to his family, “I should take a walk, I need to feel the fresh air again, its like it gets worse and worse every time I get put back into that horrid place,” he said, and with a sigh, he walked out the door. “Wait DAD THE STAIR’S ARE STILL BR-” began Alice-Laura.
“And they say that third times the charm,” mused Satan, chuckling to himself and popped another hell-crisp into his mouth.
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