Alexander Pererva - The Cup of Galfar. Alderosa's Daughter

“Or the ones she calls the Guards of the Cup,” added Lemonade.

“That’s right, and them.”

“I will go to Mean Jean and ask her to remove the spell,” said Allie decidedly. “I will give her the cylinder, or… What’s it called? – the viamulator. That thing is the cause of all this trouble.”

“You won’t help your parents and will ruin yourself,” disagreed Lu. “As soon as Corgy gets her viamulator, she will do everything to get rid of all witnesses to her dark secrets. I hope you don’t think I’m trying to talk you out of it just because I am a concerned party here too.”

“Oh,” exclaimed Allie. “I completely forgot, I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK, really. At the very least, we can save that for a last-resort option. We’ll just have to make clear to her our one condition – that we won’t give her the viamulator until your parents are back to normal. Now we’ve got nine days to try something else.”

“But what?” Allie looked at the monkey with hope and admiration.

“We will follow Corgy. Today she is supposed to check some kind of ‘transfer window’, remember? We should follow her and find out what kind of ‘window’ it is. And then we’ll see. Shall we go?”

“Let’s go!” Allie agreed.

“I’m ready,” announced Lemonade.

“Good. Then you, Lemonade, will go outside and watch her door carefully. Allie, put on some hiking clothes. It’d be best if Corgy doesn’t recognize you. But what should I do?” Lu thought hard. “I can’t be walking around just like that in broad daylight.”

“Let me carry you,” offered Allie.

“No, that wouldn’t work,” objected Lu.

Indeed, she wasn’t heavy but still quite a large toy. Allie looked around the room and noticed her brightly colored school backpack. She emptied it and opened it up for the monkey.

“Jump in.”

Lu didn’t hesitate long and a moment later was safely tucked inside the backpack with only her head sticking out.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m quite cosy in here, “she said, pleased. “I think people in Japan or China carry their babies this way.”

“Well, it’s not China here, but your name sounds rather Chinese. So there,” said Allie, rummaging through her clothes in the closet. In a little while, she put on jeans, a light but warm and waterproof jacket, and leather running shoes. She accessorized her look with a toboggan pulled low over her ears.

“Great job,” approved Lu. “One might take you for a boy.”

“Let’s hope that Mean Jean won’t recognize me,” said Allie, putting on her backpack. “You try to stay quiet in there.”

She threw one final look around her room; somehow she knew that she wouldn’t be back for a long time. Allie also said goodbye to her parents, giving each a hug.

“We’ll save you, I promise,” she whispered, fighting back her welled-up tears.

***

They made it out of the house just in time. As soon as Allie sat down on the bench next to Lemonade who was basking in the sun, Corgy emerged through her door. She had also made an effort to disguise herself, and did an excellent job. Allie would’ve never recognized her in that slender young woman dressed in an elegant light-colored coat. But Lemonade, who had already witnessed her powers of transfiguration, was impossible to fool.

The sorceress crossed the yard, turned the corner onto the sidewalk and made it to the tram stop. Allie followed her about a hundred feet behind, trying to hide behind people’s backs but keeping Corgy in her line of vision at the same time. Lemonade, on the contrary, was running to and fro, sometimes almost catching up with Corgy, and at other times lagging behind. Because of him they almost lost Corgy. Allie noticed the tram that came around the bend, and also the fact that Corgy quickened her steps. That’s when Allie set out running, too, and made it to the tram stop in time; some passengers had exited, and others were just starting to get on the tram. Corgy entered the first of the two cars, and Allie was standing in front of the second one and looking around: Lemonade was nowhere to be seen. Allie realized that the tram was about to go, and the thin line of hope for rescuing her parents would snap. She grabbed the hand rail and took a step inside. The tram started moving. Allie looked back one more time, and at that moment Lemonade flew through the closing doors straight into her arms, knocking her over.

She couldn’t help herself and pinched his ear.

“I’ll deal with you later,” she said quietly and moved up. She found a good observation spot for the whole tram as there were few passengers this time of day. That made their spying task easier.

Corgy got off the tram at the “Polar Pioneers Park” stop. Right by the stop there was a massive stone gate covered in sculptures of polar explorers and polar bears. Behind the gate stretched the park that was known simply as “Three P’s”. It was located on the edge of town and bordered with a forest. That is why, in addition to rides and other various amusements found in any park, it boasted splendind oak lanes, cheery birch groves, sunny grassy areas, and even a large and well-kempt pond. It was no wonder “Three P’s” was the townspeople’s favorite recreation spot.

That was where Corgy the sorcerer had unwittingly brought Allie and her friends. Allie felt that their destination was close, and she was right. Corgy walked along the central park lane and then turned off onto a side path. In another five minutes she was at a metal fence that closed off a pretty large area crowded with various types of amusement rides. There were swings, carousels, bumper cars, and many other rides. The chipping paint and rusty beams gave away the fact that all this equipment hadn’t been used for quite some time now. The large rusty padlock on the metal gate was the ultimate proof of that.

While Corgy fumbled with the lock, Allie hid behind a tree, took off the backpack and let the monkey out. Lemonade was right there too, he was trying to keep close to the girl. The friends huddled and briefly discussed the situation in soft whispers. Lu suggested that she and Lemonade should do the rest of the spying and that Allie should find a good hiding place and wait for their return. This would present fewer opportunities for Corgy to notice the spies, the monkey thought. Allie flatly rejected the plan and promised to be extremely careful. Everybody agreed on that.

Corgy opened the gate, entered and without hesitation made her way around the rusty metal frames. The friends followed after her, Lemonade leading the way and ready to warn Allie and Lu of any danger ahead. He was the first to notice Corgy’s destination.

“Just what I thought,” he muttered under his breath when he saw the sorceress slip into a run-down pavilion with a sign that read in faded red letters, “Cave of Horrors”.

In a few seconds Allie and Lu joined him.

“Why, but that is…” the monkey never finished the phrase, looking at the pavilion in astonishment. The cat only nodded.

“At least we know something about this place already,” Allie said. “Is Corgy in there?”

“She is,” nodded Lemonade. “I can sneak in quietly.”

“No, that is too dangerous,” disagreed Allie. “Let’s wait till she comes out, and then we’ll go see what’s inside.”

So the three of them hid behind the carousel that offered a good view of the pavilion entrance. In a few minutes there came a low hum and a metallic rattle, and a little car that was waiting first in line outside the pavilion rolled into the “cave”. It was noisy inside the pavilion for some time, and then all was quiet. Presently Corgy exited the pavilion and, checking around her, walked fast toward the amusement park gate. The friends waited until her light coat disappeared and carefully made their way into the “Cave of Horrors”.