Quirks in the Misty Murks

by James Livingood

  Francis began to walk down the church aisle casually. He smiled warmly and made eye contact with both of them. Jace and the fruit vendor got up to greet Francis, but then Francis passed them and began running out the church. Gasps of surprise came from the church audience.

  “Catch him!” the fruit vendor yelled out. Both Jace and the fruit vendor began to run after him. Francis was first to the front door but stopped cold at the opening. When they joined him and looked outside, they saw the church lawn was already occupied. Dozens of officer birds shifted their necks towards the church door.

  Francis asked Jace an odd question, “Do you know what they call a grouping of crows? A murder.” Neither man took their eyes off all the officer birds.

  Jace didn't know why they were there but did want a resolution to his question. "Why do you keep telling people you can help with passports? Are you just a con man? Is this some kind of training?"

  Francis looked over at Jace, "Yes, I con, but I am not a con man. I am nowhere near the professional rankings on that; perhaps after I pass the next test? Either way, I already gave you a passport."

  Jace shook his head, "No, you didn't. You gave me a shopping list." Jace produced the piece of paper from a pocket and showed him the list of ingredients.

  Francis rolled his eyes and Jace then remembered what Francis had said about disguises. He flipped the paper around, and the front looked to be a certificate of some sort. On the top, in big gold letters, were the words ‘Passport between Lands'.

  The fruit vendor grabbed the paper out of Jace’s hands and started running away. Jace and Francis chased after her. The bird officers started flapping after all of them and kept watch in the sky. All of them ran towards the fog at the edge of town. Jace didn't remember when the mist had arrived, but it was there now. Perhaps because it was later in the day and the sun was starting to set?

  As they ran, they saw a large deer also walking towards the fog on two legs. As the being got closer, it started to shrink more and more. Jace wondered if he didn’t grab that paper in time, would he be lost in these woods? How did a passport even work? He put on a burst of speed and pulled ahead of Francis. The deer that was also walking towards the fog looked towards them and shook its head. It continued to the fog and then went down on all four feet.

  The fruit vendor tripped and tumbled down, letting go of the paper. Jace grabbed the piece of paper and ran past the fruit vendor. The group went deeper and deeper into the fog. Jace could no longer see the officer birds in the air or pursuing from the ground. The deer continued to shrink until it was a standard size. It shrugged off a vest and continued to run. Jace did his best to keep up the pace and follow. He needed to get away and figure out how to use this passport.

  Soon, he could no longer see Francis or the fruit vendor. All he could see was the fog and the deer. He continued running, and the deer shot off in another direction. Jace then began to recognize the landmarks. He realized that he knew that lake. He knew that tree that had fallen. He knew the trail near the lake. He was back home.

  Jace stopped and sat on a fallen log. He listened up but couldn’t hear anything. It was peaceful and quiet. He stared at the paper in his hands. It was a method to go between worlds. Jace sucked in a giant breath and let it out. He was glad to be home and wasn’t sure if he would ever visit that creature town again. Still, he folded the paper and put it in his pocket. After all, some documents are rarer than others, even if they are used as a grocery list on the other side.