CHAPTER#83

Naia shook her head. "Emily became obsessed with unlocking the house's true secret in her last years. The problem, as I understand it, is that none of the pieces are obvious. It calls out to the Caretaker, almost like a gut instinct, a desire to look in a different room a little bit harder. Unfortunately, the harder you look and rationalize, the easier it is to ignore that instinct and lose track of it."

"It sounds like you know what it is."

"Even if I did, I couldn't tell you. The spell on the house erases any memory of any progress made, and the quest begins anew for each Caretaker. It could be as simple as a note written to the Caretaker, or a doorway that appears just for them." Naia stroked the clock on the ledge. "Emily was given her hint by none other than this little guy."

"Yeah, about that." Dana picked up the clock. "What the fuck is this thing?"

"I haven't seen it in a long time. You are holding a mimic. They are extremely rare. To be honest, I thought it was dead." Naia smiled. "If we all look away, it will change for us."

"Yeah, sure." Dana closed her eyes, and heard a loud splash. Opening her eyes, the clock was gone, replaced by a large floating rubber duck. Naia was playfully scratching its head, and the duck flapped a pair of mechanical wings. "It can transform into different stuff."

"Only when no one is looking." Naia said. "All magic has its limitations. Mimics are predatory lurkers. They like to disguise themselves as ordinary objects, then attack when their prey is alone. Once their prey is at least blinded, they can assume their true form and devour their victim."

"And you have one of those?!?"

Naia laughed, her breasts rippling much as water does. "This one is different. Mimics don't actually need to eat to survive. They are all instinct, no forward thinking. This one, however, is probably the smartest one in the world."

"It told me that its heart was broken."

Naia stopped laughing. "Yes. That is true. You see, this mimic was created a long time ago to act as a guardian for the house. You see, a creature that can lie in wait and watch undetected is a powerful ally to have. When Emily found it, it was a chest with a small diary inside, a diary that was meant to start Emily on the path to discovery. After years of making no headway, she demanded answers from the mimic. The mimic didn't know anything, but Emily thought it was lying. In a fit of anger, she smashed out its gears with a hammer." Naia sighed. "She held onto it, just in case it could ever be fixed. That was the beginning of the end for Emily. We all think of her fondly, but she did some terrible things in her last days. She was convinced that if she could unlock the secrets of the house, she would achieve the ability to alter the very fabric of reality itself."

"Could she? If she had found it?"

Naia shrugged. "All I know is that the secret of the house was put here by the one who built it. I want you to imagine having the power to create a multi-dimensional haven for monsters from scratch, but feeling the need to hide something there so that nobody could ever find it."

"If he didn't want anyone to find it, then why leave clues?"

"That's just it. I think the house's true secret wasn't to be found." Naia smiled. "Much like King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail. Only the worthy shall find it."

"You seem to know an awful lot about these things," Dana said. "How do you know so much?"

"This house was built around my spring. I was here when this place was created, and I will remain here until it falls apart. Or my spring gets choked off." Naia frowned. "I'm afraid that any sort of immortality comes with a heavy price. Anyone who tells you differently is lying."

"So, let's see if I have this straight." Dana watched Naia pet the large rubber duck on the head. "Something is hidden here that only Mike can find. So I won't be able to retrieve it. My only option is to find a way to make Mike let someone into the home, but he isn't even here right now."

"Sums it up."

"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do?" Dana hollered. "He killed me! I can't die, and I can't move on to be with Alex!"

"Do you really think that's even an option?" Lily asked. She had remained silent throughout Dana's tale, her arms crossed and one foot kicking water in the fountain. "Daryl may claim to be a man of his word, but I know him. There's a trick up his sleeve. He knows that the task he gave you was likely impossible, and I can't see him putting in so much effort on a limited return."

"It's kindness." Zel was examining a vial of Dana's blood. "The black witch is trying brute force, targeting our strength. The sandman tried trickery, targeting the mind. This guy sent in a girl Mike knew as a human. She's one of us now. My best guess is that he thinks Mike will try to help, and will compromise the safety of the home to do it."

"And you think Mike would actually do that for me? He barely knows me." The women, except for Lily, all looked at each other.

"He might," Cecilia said. "Think of his bond with each of us. If he knew that Dana was denied an eternity with her true love in the afterlife, he would try to help any way he could. Especially since this is because of him. Likely, interacting with Daryl is the endgame, an attempt to lure Mike out of the home to accomplish something else."