Chapter#03

"This one extra good," Tink told him, mustard clearly leaking from her sandwich. For whatever reason, she had developed an obsession with trying mustard on all of her food; eggs, chicken, toast, it didn't matter. Licking mustard off her fingers, Mike couldn't help but smile at the cute picture before him.

"Thought you would like it." Mike bit into his own sandwich, then took a drink of his soda. "Looks like we still have some work to do out here."

"Maybe finish tomorrow," Tink informed him, peeling the crust off her sandwich and used it to scoop up the extra mustard that had covered her plate. "Then figure out goggles."

"That's right. We need to get those back." While chasing Jenny through the house last week, Mike and Tink had run across a Labyrinth and its resident minotaur. Tink had lost her magical goggles while escaping, and reminded Mike on a daily basis that they were super important to her. However, she also saw the wisdom in letting Mike heal from the wounds he had sustained from a fight with a witch and a fire elemental, so had taken to repairing the damage that Sarah had done.

"Stupid cow-fuck," Tink muttered under her breath. Her vocabulary was the result of a brain injury she had sustained decades past, but she was a genius when it came to repairing the house.

Mike gave the goblin an affectionate squeeze. "We'll find a way to make it right, I promise." They already had a basic map of the labyrinth, though giant sections of it were incomplete. Now. he needed to figure out how to convince such a beast to give her the goggles back. They finished their meal, and he took Tink inside to survey the collection of tools he had purchased. Tink was fascinated by the cordless drill, her eyes fixated on the spinning metal bit. It hadn't been plugged in long, so disappointment registered in her face when the spinning slowed to a crawl.

"Give it some time," Mike informed her, handing her the staple gun. "You can use this to reattach the trellis when it arrives. Do you want me to show you how..." Tink pushed the stapler into the table, squeezing out several small staples into the old wood beneath.

"Tink like this one," she announced, firing staples through the air. "No more squished fingers."

"You got it." Mike picked up the spare hammer he had purchased for himself. All of Tink's tools were smaller than normal due to the size of her hands, making it difficult for him to help her without developing a cramp through the back of his hand and wrist.

"We go work now!" Tink exclaimed, gathering up some of the hardware they would need in her arms. Mike followed her toward the front door, picking up all the stuff she dropped on the way. Stepping out onto the front porch, Mike nearly ran into Tink, who had come to a stop.

"Hello Mr. Radley." Her hair twisted in a braid, wearing a plain dress was Elizabeth from the Historical Preservation Society. The last time Mike had seen her, she had been in the company of her daughter Sarah. "I was wondering if I may have a word with you."

"You can talk from there." Mike told her, looking down at Tink. Elizabeth paid the goblin no attention as Tink skulked away down the porch. Mike was hoping that his guess was correct and that Elizabeth still couldn't see her.

"It appears that you had some trouble," Elizabeth said, walking along the ground. She stood next to the collapsed railing. "You do understand that there is a process for approving renovations, yes? To preserve the historical integrity of the house."

"Considering that a member of your society caused this damage, I suggest we stop playing make believe." Mike crossed his arms. "You and I both know that the value of this house has nothing to do with how old it is."

"How did you do it?" Elizabeth took a step toward the porch. "An elemental, a succubus, and a witch. Any of those things would present a challenge, but somehow you surpassed them."

"And I will continue to do so." Mike waved his hand at the house. "They aren't just monsters. They're my family. How many times have your people tried to bust in here? How many times have you failed? No matter what you send at me, I will never part with this place. No matter who you send, we will stop them," he said evenly, hoping she couldn't hear the nerves in his voice..

Elizabeth smiled. "You certainly are feeling bold, Mr. Radley. Not many men who enjoyed living would speak in such a manner to me."

Mike laughed. "What's the worst you can do? You tried to eat my soul, burn down my house, and kill me. I'm not sure how you are going to top yourself, unless you have another daughter who is better than the last one."

"We will find a way, Mr. Radley. One day, we will take something from you, something that you love, and you will give everything to get it back from us." Elizabeth's lip twitched in the corner of her mouth.

"Until that day comes," Mike said, leaning over the railing, "Get the fuck away from my house."

Elizabeth stood there in silence, the sun beating down on her face. Mike watched in astonishment as her shadow twitched beneath her, multiple limbs reaching for the home, but chased away.

"Do your best to enjoy your time on Earth," Elizabeth said cryptically. "You no longer have much of it." Spinning in place, she took three steps away from the home and then vanished.

"Fuck," Mike swore, letting out a loud breath. His hands shook as adrenaline raced through his body. He was afraid she would attack him, and had hoped that his confidence would chase her off.

"Mean lady gone," Tink announced, standing up from the bushes with her crossbow. Mike wasn't sure when she had gotten there, but he was relieved to know that the goblin had his back. "Next time, Tink shoot her in the face."

"Go for it," Mike told her. "For now, let's get this porch fixed."