Quest for the Golden Puffle 3 (1): All That Glitters

Please Note: This story is the continuation of the storyline started in "Quest For the Golden Puffle 2" and continued in "All Hands On Deck."  If you don't read those two stories before this one, you will be extremely confused.

There was a man walking through the snow in town.  He was a light blue penguin with a hairy mustache, a brown detective coat, and a gray hat.  He looked just like anyone else on that street, but he actually carried a heavy burden.

He remembered what had led him into this mess.

It had been around afternoon when the call had come in.  Yukon was with the missing camera man in the forest, along with other unknown victims of the same crime.  A sinister plot had been uncovered and, while the problem had been solved, Alaska was missing, presumably stranded or hurt.

He, Regulus Sir, had packed up the supplies quickly.  He and his team of doctors, recovery experts, and field examiners had boarded several jeeps and sped towards the signal of the call.  When they got there, they found Yukon and the other penguins safe, and, after some searching, his team found Alaska tied up in a mess of vines hanging over a cliff.

While his medics busied themselves with caring for the hungry, confused victims and his other officers began the process of getting the girl down from her mess, Regulus, having heard the full story from Yukon, ventured into the forest to find "the caster," as the boy called her.

Regulus searched for sometime, but found no trace of the woman in the dense forest.  He was about to turn back and give up when a voice spoke to him.

"Why hello there," it said, somewhat bitterly.

Sir scanned the area but did not find the source of the voice.  "Who are you?!  What do you want?!" he yelled.

A blob of mist made itself known in front of him.  It moved towards him slowly.  "That is not of your concern at the moment," the woman answered.  "What you should be concerned with is your safety.  You help make the laws of this place, don't you?  I know it to be true from that shiny badge you have.  But, let's not waste time here.  You are going to take me back to your little city, you are going to let me stay in your home, and you will listen to all of my demands and perform them.  Understand?"

Regulus Sir was stunned.  He tried to keep his ground, though.  "And, why would I ever do that?"

There was a pause and then an evil chuckle from the Caster.  Then, with no warning, Sir was lifted into the air at a great speed, flailing for the ground as he rose higher and higher.

Sir heard only a whisper next: "Because I'm pretty sure you don't want to get on my bad side."

Sir dropped to the ground at a fast rate, though not quickly enough to cause any damage to his body when he finally landed.  The Caster continued, "Now, how did you get here?"

Regulus knew there was nothing to do but listen to the woman.  He led her back to his private vehicle and returned to the main part of the island without the rest of the still working crew, telling them that he suddenly felt quite ill.

And he did.

His stomach floating with nervousness, he listened to the Caster's first demands as he drove back to the island.  He was to fire Alaska and Yukon and tell them that she no longer existed; that was essential, the Caster claimed.  Regulus did not argue, but merely kept nodding, barely able to pay attention to the road.  When they got to the city, he quietly got her into his igloo, and, soon enough, did what she had asked.

From there the demands got far less exciting, but no less stressful on Sir.  Such plots were so boring, they aren't worth writing in detail.  Sir being a high-ranking officer on the board of officials, the Caster knew she could use him to bend the rules.  Because of this, she told him to "suggest" passing bills that would reduce the number of security cameras on the island, the number of guards around important buildings, and the level of moderation over celebrities.  All of this was presented as an effort to "cut costs and redistribute individuals to jobs that had more pressing needs" by Sir, but he didn't believe a single word of the script the woman had given him; the Caster was pulling all the strings, and she knew exactly what to say to manipulate people.

Sir was not a bad person, and he didn't particularly enjoy seeing people in bad situations.  Sure, he could be a bit cold, but, still, he had morals, and he knew what he was doing for the Caster was wrong.  However, there was nothing he could do to get rid of her.  It had been months since she had moved in, and he felt like he made no decisions for himself anymore; the woman controlled his life.

On this day, the bills had finally been passed after months of arguments and the Caster was victorious.  Sir was on his way home to tell the Caster of the news, but he worried what she would make him do next.

The Caster wasted no time when he got there.  The second he stepped through the door, she began to speak.

"Is it all done?" she asked.

"Yes," was all Sir could manage.

The Caster gave a satisfied laugh.  "And has everyone been moved to their new postions?  Have the cameras come down already?"

Sir nodded.

"Thank you, deary," the Caster said.  "It appears that I'm done with you.  Enjoy your previous, boring life....or what's left of what it was!" she cackled and turned invisible, breaking a window as she left the house for the first time in months.

Sir slumped against the door, thinking.  What had he done?

To Be Continued