“I been to Monroe, North Carolina before,” Zacchaeus says to the Supreme Mmoatia, Ariel, who is tall with brown skin slightly lighter than Coffey’s, but they both have the same black wings that impresses Zacchaeus. They also wear matching tunic skirts. “I played a poker tournament there, at my great uncle’s house right off the highway near that fish restaurant.”
“I know you ain’t talking about my grandaddy house,” Ariel says.
“It’s right behind them stores,” Zacchaeus continues. “It’s like the second house when you turn off the highway.”
“That is my grandaddy house. His name is Ray Doug.”
“That’s Mavis Turner’s brother’s name,” Zacchaeus says with astonishment. “Holy shit. He live in the same house in my universe and in yours?”
“Sound like it, but he don’t have a sister named Mavis Turner. But you just described his house, I guess that part is the same.”
“I guess that make us multiverse cousins,” Zacchaeus says with a laugh. “Damn, I can’t believe this. I never knew great uncle Ray Doug that well ‘cause I grew up in Mississippi, but he was always cool when I went to see him. How is Monroe these days?”
Ariel shakes her head. She munches on a fruit that looks like an apple. “It’s better now since we got Owuo out. My uncle died to lift the curse.”
“Owuo was in Monroe? How?”
“It’s a long story,” Ariel says, shaking her head. “But he cursed this old house my uncle used to live in and it was leaking evil all over the place. We took care of it, though.”
“Do you think Maxx can kill Owuo?” Zacchaeus asks Ariel sincerely.
“I saw him fight in the Arbitration, and he was apparently the strongest one there. He won the whole thing. But that was aliens and stuff, the only Fonlanders in it were the Mmoatia and the Yumboes. The Mmoatia are strong, but we ain’t Vodun. I can imagine that he gone be able to do much of anything to Owuo.”
Zacchaeus sighed and stared out at the view of the forest below the mound. They were high up in the mound, sitting in the light that shone down on the ledge of the opening in the side of the mound.
“Do you know where he is?” Ariel asks.
“No,” Zacchaeus says. “Pultine and Ahdis tried to help me find him right after he left, but Maxx is deep in his quest now. I just hope he alright.”
“How long you staying here?” Ariel asks. “You welcome to come to Earth with me, get some home cooking. Thanksgiving coming up soon, my sister and her family cooking.”
“That would be awesome,” Zacchaeus says. “We ain’t leaving no time soon.”
“What exactly is it y’all doing here?” Ariel asks. “You came here with two other people right?”
Zacchaeus nods. “I been back and forth before, and we know that time pass different here and there. When I come here, no time passes really by the time I go back. We been here for fifty years…”
“Ohh, chile, you lying. You don’t look fifty.”
“I’m almost a hundred now,” Zacchaeus says.
“Magic is crazy,” she says.
“I know. But we ain’t in no rush to get back. It’ll be the same day that we left when we go back, even if we here for another fifty years. You know what happened on Bludon, before Owuo snapped it? Something was trying to wipe out the whole planet, and it tried hard. They tell you about the Pito?”
“I think Coffey told me about it, but I don’t know.”
“They trying to destroy your universe and we can’t leave until we know it’s safe. ‘Cause if they destroy your universe, then they coming for ours next. We ain’t letting that happen.”
“Well, good,” Ariel says. “You coming home with me for Thanksgiving. Coffey coming too. It was hard to talk her into it.”
“She been through a lot. It’ll be good for her to have some good memories on Earth. Thank you Ariel, I can’t wait.”
“It’ll be a good break before we get back to the hero stuff.”
“Yeah,” Zacchaeus said. “Lord knows I can use that.”
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