"I don't remember that rotten garage being there before," said David, peering at a dilapidated old stone-and-mortar garage that sat on a hill in the distance.
"It's the Mandela Effect," said Dane without looking up. He was otherwise engaged with repairing his harpoon gun.
"No, I mean it wasn't there a few minutes ago and now it's there. I don't know if that qualifies as the Mandela Effect. And for the record, Nelson Mandela died in 2013, not the 80's."
Dane locked a harpoon into the muzzle of his cannon and fired it into the trunk of a maple tree behind David.
"That's what they want you to think." he said.
David rolled his eyes. "How long has Dylan been gone?" he asked.
"Coupla hours."
David snapped his fingers, summoning his grimoire. The eldritch tome appeared suddenly, floating in front of him. It opened and the pages started to turn themselves rapidly before stopping on an entry entitled Spectral Garages. He read aloud:
"Spectral garages and other menacingly out-of-place buildings are a rare occurrence in the Shift. Though most spectral garages are perfectly benign, one should always proceed with caution as they are occasionally portals to pocket dimensions or storage facilities for unsavory characters. Usually, if you wait long enough they disappear."
Dane sucked his teeth. "You love that book."
The book closed and vanished instantly.
The bushes rustled and Dylan emerged, covered in purple slime. Dane, who a millisecond earlier had been pointing his two sidearms at those same bushes lowered his weapons and laughed uncontrollably.
Dylan's eyes narrowed. He always did this when he felt some kind of way. This earned him the nickname Squintin Tarantino.
"What happened? What is that?" asked David.
Dane continued to laugh.
"Stepped on a caco-fairy nest on my way back. Apparently they explode when electrocuted." Dylan said, squinting at Dane who was now on the ground cackling.
"Looks like Barney bukakke to me," said Dane, grinning madly as he got to his feet, dusting himself off.
David raised his hand, his eyes clouding over, "Purifico!" A small flash, and the slime was gone.
"Thanks, bro." said Dylan.
"Did you find it?" asked David.
Dylan reached into his pack and pulled out something wrapped in rags and handed it to him.
"Wasn't cheap. She wanted twice what we were offering."
David carefully unwrapped the item while Dane and Dylan looked on. Inside the tattered rags was a small wooden sphere. It was a rich mahogany color and covered in etched arcane symbols. This was what they had been looking for.
"How did you get it? I sent you with everything we had."
Dylan seemed distracted by something in the distance. "Uh, guys?"
David and Dane turned around. The spectral garage was gone. In it's place was an inexplicable creature the size of a school bus. It appeared to be composed almost completely of tentacles and a massive solitary eye. It let out a shrill shriek that reverberated through the forest, shaking the leaves above them. Though it had no mouth to speak of, it almost certainly meant to devour them.
(To be continued...)
