"Well, Book 1 did begin in England," John suggessted, sighing. "Could be hiding there."
"No, John - the main character, Lorenzo de Valois was from Spain," Danny protested, pointing out John's theory's flaw. "He spoke French and Spanish, and they don't speak French and Spanish in England."
"That doesn't take us anywhere!" John argued, leading Danny to his apartment, through the downtown backstreets and alleys of Armentown, the major city in which they lived.
On the way, there they saw an old, deteriorating staircase in the ruins of a destroyed apartment building. It had always been a thrill to wander down rat-infested Lobos Street when they went to John's place, but this was a new detour. This time, it would be even more fun to run around with the suspense that hung in the damp air of the search for Vincent Barrie.
A recent rainstorm had thrashed Armentown, hitting especially these old wooden stairs, but the odd thing that lingered in their minds was that this building appeared to have been burnt down. Rats scurried around the wet surrounding area, running up the stairs seemingly in an organized fashion with intentions all their own. Once all the rats had gone, the two boys followed.
Halfway up, they heard a faint voice amidst rodent squeaking - it was that of a young woman they were sure. It was becoming quieter it its song as the two listened more closely and finally it stopped. This brought Danny and John closer, the boards underneath their feet creaking and falling to ashes.
As they reached the main "room," the scratchy beginning of a record was heard from behind the wall on their right. John advanced upon the the sound, recognizing the tune as John Lennon's "Imagine," and entranced he took a final step forward before hearing a lound snap under his feet. It was a Culture Club record, and among it were such names as The Mamas and the Papas, Herman's Hermits, and the Sound of Music sountrack, all drenched in rainwater with scorch marks across the record sleeves.
"Danny..." John muttered, picking up a copy of Tom Lehrer's That Was The Year That Was. Danny came toward him curious, yet scared. "You ever listen to his music? He was a genius!"
Danny did not stop near John; he continued to the room from which "Imagine" played, and just as he had put a hand to the door jamb a scream passed his lips and rang through Lobos Street. Rats scattered and the record fell from John's hand and at the precise moment it hit the rotting floor it shattered into dust that the wind soon swept away.
John stared at the spot where he dropped the record and, in fear, dashed to Danny's side and upon the sight within the next room, he too screamed.
Out of suprise the record player was bumped, the Imagine album scratched, and the girl shyly looked up and stood to face the boys, dropping a book from her hands as she got to her feet.
As she looked upon them, they looked upon her. Behind her curly blonde hair, they saw her face; like her hair it was burnt on one side, skin charred off, her bones showing. Though no skin surrounded the one of her left, she stared at them with sad sunken blue eyes in a pale white and charcoal black face. What was left of her lips parted as if to begin to say something, she lifted her hand intact - -
A wind from the east picked up, the same wind what had blown away the shattered record, and gust into the burnt up building, swirling around the phantom girl, whisking her off just like the record, beginning from her feet. Like sand blown in the desert, she went slowly in a cloud. Trailing up, all that was left now was her face; she gave the best smile she could with such a mouth, and as soon as lightning strikes, she was gone...
(...to be continued...)
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