"Soon," Roam replied."Uma, Honey—can you help me gather those toilet paper streamers?Look for anything unusual—anything that seems out of place."
The townspeople scattered to the edges of the square to wait for the ‘all clear’ to gather their decorations, chattering among themselves about the morning's discovery.The mood remained light but underneath ran an undercurrent of unease that no one was quite willing to acknowledge.
Uma worked methodically through the toilet paper streamers near the ancient ginkgo trees, following Roam's instructions.As she reached for a particularly stubborn piece tangled in the roots, her fingers encountered something unexpected—a small patch of what felt like crystallized residue, slightly warm to the touch and faintly luminescent.The substance felt weird.She hovered her hand over it examining the substance with the practiced eye of someone who'd been analyzing magical compounds since childhood.
She looked around quickly.Roam was across the square helping Dr.Wimpleton untangle a mess of toilet paper from a lamppost.On impulse, Uma removed a vial from her apothecary collection and carefully scraped the strange substance into a small container.
She wasn't entirely sure why she didn't immediately call out to Roam about her discovery.Maybe it was the warmth the substance has emminated.Maybe it was because she found herself wanting to share this finding with Sean and not her brother.Maybe she didn’t want to share it at all until she knew what it was.
"Uma!"Honey's voice called from across the square."Can you help me with these corn stalks?They're heavier than they look!"
"Coming!"Uma replied, slipping the container into her jacket pocket and trying to ignore the way her pulse had quickened at the thought of it and Sean.
An hour later, as the investigation of each area was winding down and the square was beginning to look normal again, Murphy's voice boomed from the direction of the cemetery.
"Roam!I need ye at the cemetery—now!"
His usual jovial demeanor had been replaced by genuine concern, the kind of worry that suggested their morning's discovery was only the beginning of a much larger problem.
"What's wrong, Da?"Roam called back.
"Aye, just come on, now," Murphy replied, his voice carrying an edge that made several townspeople look up from their work.
Uma felt the container in her pocket seem to grow warmer as she watched her brother head toward the cemetery.Whatever was happening in Cauldron Falls, she had a feeling they were only just beginning to understand the scope of it.
Around them, the town continued returning to normal, decorations magically floating back to their original homes while toilet paper streamers were gathered into neat bundles.In the distance, the sacred grove bustled with the activities of the ghost convention, while somewhere between the worlds of living and dead, magical forces were beginning to align in ways no one could have predicted.
Chapter 11
How Many Men Does It Take?
Butcher's gravelly voice had carried across the cemetery with unusual urgency, and now six of Cauldron Falls' most capable men stood in a circle around the great stone Devil Tree, staring down at a peculiar mark branded into the earth near its base.
The mark was roughly circular, about three feet in diameter, with strange crystalline residue scattered around its edges.The grass within the circle was completely gone, leaving behind what looked like frozen water.
The precision of the damage was unsettling.This wasn't the random destruction of natural forces or the chaotic aftermath of magical combat.Something had created this mark with deliberate intent, though its purpose remained maddeningly unclear.
"Well," Murphy said finally, stroking his beard, "what do ye think it is?"
His question hung in the air, met by the kind of thoughtful silence that indicated everyone was hoping someone else would have an answer.
"Beats me," Roam replied, crouching down for a closer look without actually touching anything.He was picking up traces of energy that didn't quite fit any category he was familiar with.The scent was all wrong.
"Never seen anything like it," Dr.Wimpleton added, adjusting his glasses as he studied the phenomenon with academic interest.
Miles Montgomery circled the mark slowly, his hand inches above it, "The vegetation's completely gone.Not burned exactly, more like...vaporized."
The plant matter at the base of the stone sculpture hadn't been consumed by fire or withered by disease.It had simply ceased to exist within the circle's boundaries, leaving behind only the glassy residue that caught the morning light with prismatic reflections.
"Could be enchanted residue," Colin Scott suggested, though his tone indicated he was just guessing.
“Thanks, Sherlock.But from what?"Murphy asked, looking around the group hopefully.
They all shrugged in unison—a coordinated gesture of collective bafflement.
Butcher, who had discovered the mark during his morning rounds, stood with his arms crossed, looking as stumped as the rest of them."Found it when I was checking the headstones," he rumbled."Wasn't there yesterday."
"Definitely wasn't," Dr.Wimpleton agreed."We would have noticed something this...distinctive."
