Jonas tried his hardest to remain calm. He was cool and collected the whole time Morrigan pickpocketed a businessman on the city bus. He was laid back when they used his credit card to purchase one way tickets to Newquay Cornwall Airport and bank a $1000 cash advance. He even carelessly used a second card to pick up a few extra outfits and travel supplies so he wouldn't have to go home to avoid his parents.
He basically turned into a thief and a runaway overnight.
Morrigan was all smiles. She didn't seem to care who she left behind. She told Jonas there was no one important, but she was just as excited to visit Cornwall as he was to break his curse.
He woke up in sweats on the plane after dosing off. He'd been dreaming about his mom and dad, they were frantically searching for him, they thought he was dead, captured by a mermaid and brought to the sea.
It didn't help that when he woke up, Morrigan was no longer in the seat next to him and in her place was a woman with a shattered and bloody face.
"I need to get information to Mark Trembley at 321 Richmond Hill Rd, Stanton Island, New York. Can I count on you to deliver a message?"
Jonas leaned back as far away as possible to do in the plane's seat. He sort shook the life back into himself. He still felt groggy, but dread burrowed itself between his shoulder blades. He looked around and saw most other travelers were busy reading, sleeping, or watching the flight's movie. He whispered, "Sorry, no. I can't help right now, try someone else."
The dead women's ghost looked stricken, her face went sullen. She nodded, not bothering to give any reply until she faded away. Was that really all it took for them to leave him alone?
Morrigan then returned and plopped herself down into the seat next to Jonas. "We're in the air over the UK now, shouldn't be much longer."
She was right. The captain made an announcement a few moments later as they approached their destination. They'd be on the ground in less than thirty minutes.
Jonas wanted to call his mom and let her know he was ok. He started having doubts about leaving with the young witch. He didn't even call Billy or say goodbye to anyone. He just left. His plan could fail and he could never see his family again, and he just left.
Suddenly they hit a bit of turbulence which made Jonas' heart start to race and the walls of the plan started closing in on him in panic. He clutched both of the armrests as hard as he could and closed his eyes.
"Whoa, dude. What's with the anxiety attack?" Jonas peaked through one eyelid at Morrigan. She smiled and nudged him with her elbow. "Don't worry, we'll call your parents first thing before we catch our train to Helston. From there we can bus it to Lizard's Point. I'll find the comb and voila!"
It felt so long ago, but it was just under twelve hours ago they spent most the night studying the legend of the Mermaid's Comb at the library. They learned it was an old Celtic fairytale, retold over the generations and was simply considered legend or myth. It wasn't a long story so they took photocopies of it for safekeeping in case they needed to refer to it on their travels. And in less than three hours, they would be there, at Lizard's Point. But no matter how many different versions they'd found and read, none mentioned where the exact location the comb would be or if Lutey's family had even kept it at all. All they knew was that Yunus Lutey had buried it somewhere on his property.
Moonlight told Jonas not to worry, she knew enough about the comb to be able to locate it once they were close enough. Jonas had been so floored he found the origin of the curse so quickly, that the tiny bit of hope he had that the comb could still be in Lizard's Point was enough for him to abandon everything and everyone he held dear. He sat there thinking now as they were about to land, what if the comb's not in Lizard's Point? Would his crime spree with Moonlight continue? Would he be captured while he was so close to the sea? Would he see his parents again?
Jonas' vision blurred and darkness began engulfing his eyesight. "Jonas." Had he eaten today? "Jonas." He shook his head. "Jonas! My god, what is wrong with you?"
"What?" He started to focus on his present physical self instead of losing himself to his anxieties. "Nothing, I'm good."
"Seat belt light's on. We're there."
They soon departed the plane and caught a shuttle bus from the airport to the train station and hopped on a train to Helston. In no time at all, they arrived in Helston just as a short storm blew through and they had to suffer thirty minutes in the rain. They huddled under the overhang of a tree trying to stay dry while they waited for the bus to arrive at Lizard's Point. Their clothes still felt damp from the attempt.
Lush green fields radiated in the sun as Jonas watched them slip by through the window of the bus. Cornwall was pure countryside. Not row upon row of calculated crop fields, it seemed mostly untouched, with people nestled into their homes deep in the woods or popping out amongst the natural foliage.
The train ride had been short, fast and on time. Too fast to take in the little nuances he saw now. People worked in their yards, digging in gardens or hanging clothes on a line. Fires brewed in back yards and men fished along creeks and ponds whose banks were lined with trees. The sun shone for miles.
"You haven't said much." Morrigan probed halfway through the ride to the Point. She got no response. "It's kind of a buzz kill."
"Sorry. I just don't want to get my hopes up."
"God, Jonas. Don't be such a downer. Ok, if we can't find the comb, what do we do?" Morrigan tried to lift his spirits with a big smile.
"What can we do?"
"Jesus, Jonas! You have an arsenal at your fingertips and you have no clue what your next step might be?"
"An arsenal? What do you mean, the ghosts? Help another ghost?"
"Technically, their manifestations, but yes. A little presto mojo and we ask where the comb is Jonas. God, lighten up."
Jonas was annoyed. He hardly knew this girl and somehow she had talked him into this little adventure, all the while making it seem like it was his idea. Maybe she had used her magic on him. At this point, it wouldn't surprise him.
"What's so bad about seeing the dead anyways? Especially if they help you in return?"
"Don't forget the fact that I eventually get swallowed by the sea in who knows what kind of freak mermaid sacrificial ritual."
"True. But what if there was a way to amend the curse, and not officially break it completely?"
"And get stuck dealing with roadkill for the rest of my life? No thanks, you can take the curse if you think it's so cool."
Morrigan laughed. "See, now you're seeing things clearer. Don't hold it against me if I try, ok?" She put her hand on his knee and squeezed. Jonas jumped up in his seat and quickly moved her hand off his knee. Suddenly, he wasn't sure if he trusted her true intentions, even if she was joking around.
The bus pulled up to a corner stop in Lizard. There was no station but rather they were dropped off in front of a diner called The Witchball. The bus driver told them that they'd have to find a way to the Point on their own, he didn't drive that far in. They got off the bus and watched it pull away and stop at the gas station that they had passed. It would fill up and be back on its way to the train stop.
"This is my kind of town!" Morrigan said as she admired the diner's front window. "Come on, let's check it out!" She pulled on the door handle but it didn't budge. She tried the other one, it was locked as well. She peered inside and found it was empty.
That's when Jonas noticed the small hours sign in the window. It said they opened every day at 10 am. He looked around the town and didn't really see anyone walking about. There were plenty of shops for this and that around but they all still slept. It was only 8:45 am, they had taken an odd hours flight yesterday, and with the time change, they hadn't thought about whether or not stores would actually be open.
"There's got to be a tourist center around or a convenient store. Let's just keep moving," suggested Jonas. He was feeling anxious about being in a strange place with a strange girl for a strange reason. He wasn't even sure how to bring up their problem if they did happen to meet anyone.
Morrigan dragged her feet but she followed Jonas as they walked towards the direction of the ocean. On the silent country street, Jonas thought he could hear waves in the distance crashing up against the shore. At first, he thought his imagination was running wild, but the whooshing sound seemed to be getting louder.
They spotted another store that looked like a bait shop with the lights on, so they picked up their pace. As they approached he noticed a girl crouched down against the side of the building, drawing in the dirt with a stick. As he looked at her, trying to see her face, the sound of the waves in his head stopped. They were replaced by a soft humming from the girl, she was singing under her breath.
"Let's ask her." Jonas motioned to the girl who must have overheard because she stopped singing and stood up.
"Let's not and say we did." Morrigan looked aghast. She was instantly jealous of the golden hair beauty they stumbled upon. Though the blonde girl seemed utterly harmless, Morrigan felt heavy magic wafting from her. Perhaps she was too young to be a threat. Jonas certainly didn't take her for some vixen trying to lure him to his death. But the witches guard was up.
"Come on, what could happen if you're here?" Jonas tried to inflate her ego and get her in a more cooperative mood.
"Fine." She complied but was overtly unhappy about it.
"Hi." Jonas waved at the young girl. "I'm Jonas, this is my friend, Moonlight. We're looking for Lizard's Point, can you help us?"
The girl looked at them both for a long time, shielding her eyes from the sun. Morrigan raised her eyebrows in Jonas' direction and looped a circle with her finger around her ear when she caught his attention. Jonas dismissed her with a wave and a frown.
"Sure," the girl finally said. "I can take you there if you want." Her voice was soft and delicate.
"That'd be great! Is it far?"
"Not too far, no. Close to my home actually."
"Great! It's nice to meet a local. Have you lived here long? Do you know anything about Lizard Point's history? The tales we've read are pretty interesting." Jonas started walking towards her and it made the girl step back, almost bumping into the wall they'd found her leaning against.
"Um, maybe a little." She seemed unsure. Jonas recognized her anxiety as he'd felt it many times throughout his life. Then he realized he hadn't even asked her name.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I'm Jonas," he said again and stretched his hand out to hers. "What's your name?"
The girl laughed like a lullaby, completely enchanting Jonas. She took Jonas' hand and held it as he shook it. "I'm Liriope."