“Well, it’s taken a few days, but the basement is now setup like I want it,” I said. “And the windows let in a lot of light.”

“That’s a good thing since it will keep you from having to use lanterns or candles,” Mohe replied. “I never knew they were here.”

“That’s because none of us were stupid enough to come to this haunted house,” one of the men that had been helping move my new equipment said as he filed past Mohe bringing in two cases of jars. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“Hey! This is our home,” Lily exclaimed.

“And you’re welcome to it too,” the man said setting the jars down and walking back out. Neither Mohe nor the other men had told us their names. Lily and I hadn’t bothered to ask either.

“How did you get the windows so clean?” another man asked.

“Uh, a mixture of vinegar, cornstarch, and water,” I lied after giving it a quick thought. I couldn’t tell them about the robot. I knew that mixture did work as mom had used it often.

“Do you have any more of it?” the guy asked.

“Afraid not. Those windows were nasty. I’ll write the recipe down if you want to make your own,” I offered.

“Thanks. I’ll wait outside. This place gives me the creeps too,” he replied before walking out.

“Don’t fret Jase. They’ll see it’s just an old house eventually,” Mohe said. “Especially once you have more lights and decorations in here.”

I felt Lily perk up at the mention of decorating and ideas flowed to me. “Nope.”

“Why not?” Lily asked.

“Because this supposed to be my workspace and shop. It’s meant to be professional.”

“But different colored walls would be different.”

“How about if I let you decorate the rooms we live in upstairs instead?”

“Really?” Lily asked pouncing on the offer.

“Depending on what you come up with, but yes.”

“Hooray!”

“Just remember that I’m an adult male and whatever you come up with should bear that in mind.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lily replied before flying upstairs. I turned my attention back to Mohe since he had started to speak again.

“So, about that oil and cleaner you mentioned a few days ago.”

“I’ll go harvest some peppermint in the morning since the leaves are usually fuller of oil then. This afternoon, I’ll go see if I can find some Safflowers or Sunflowers.”

“Why do you need them?”

“Their oils are good to cook with and are a carrier oil, which is used to defuse the potency of peppermint, so it doesn’t irate the skin.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Do you need any help gathering the plants?”

“No,” I replied. It was amazing how being close to getting something the village wanted that Mohe offered to help. “Just having the equipment is enough help.”

“Alright. Well, in that case, we will leave you to it,” Mohe said. He walked to the door. “I’ll swing by in a couple of days to see how you are doing.”

“Alright. See you then,” I replied. I shut the door and slid the crossbar to lock the door. I wasn’t sure where the pixies had found it and how they installed it, but I appreciated it all the same. That made me think about the other doors. They all needed locks too.

“So, are we going after the flowers?” Lily asked.

I jumped. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“It’s not my fault you weren’t paying attention to the bond,” Lily smugly replied.

“Actually, I want to put locks on the doors before we leave.”

“Oh! That’s a good idea.”

“Are there any more of these crossbars?” I asked gesturing to the metal door.

“Maybe. I’ll have to ask the others,” Lily answered. “But we have some locks in the storage device.”

“We do?”

“Uh huh.”

“Ok. Show me,” I said. A few minutes later Lily and I had three locks on one of the tables in the basement. “Where’s the keys and keyholes?”

“These are punch code locks. They don’t need keys,” Lily advised me.

“Oh. So, I would just press the numbers that the code is to unlock the door?”

“Yep. These lock just as soon as the door is closed though.”

“That sort of sucks.”

Lily shrugged. “They were used at a commercial facility, not a home. Security mattered more than convenience.”

“Good point.”

“We need to check the batteries in them before you install the locks though.”

“How do I do that?”

“With this,” Lily replied holding up a small device with her telekinesis. “It’s a battery tester.”

I started to reach for the tester but stopped as Lily shook her head. “What?”

“This is a good chance to practice, so take advantage of it.”

“That’s another good point. Thanks for the reminder,” I replied. It took several minutes and a few tries, but I got it to me without physically touching the tester. Lily showed me how to test the batteries. I was surprised they were still good.

“Before things changed, your ancestors had made some good technology. That batteries should last for a few more years.”

“How many is a few?”

“About 100.”

“That’s insane!”

“Depends on one’s perspective,” Lily countered.

“Why did they leave the locks like this?” I asked changing the subject.

“Because it was a cheap, and well-designed lock.”

“Ah. Makes sense,” I replied. “We really don’t make things like this anymore.”

“Yeah. Maybe one day that will change.”

“I hope so,” I replied sending feelings of love to Lily. She returned them. “Let’s change the metal door lock first.”

“Ok. You do that and I’ll ask the others about the crossbars.”

“Alright.”

*

Not only did they have more of the crossbars, but the pixies also installed two of them for us while I installed the punch code locks.

“We want a lot of candy for the crossbars!” Willow informed me.

“How much candy is a lot?” I asked smiling at the pixie.

“Ummm…”

“Five pounds!” April shouted from the porch railing as the pixies watched me finish installing the lock on the backdoor.

“Jase will need access to the beehives to make that much,” Lily said.

“That’s fine!” the other pixies chorused.

“Are you sure Elder Trillium is ok with that?” I asked standing up and stretching.

“She is,” Yam answered after a moment. “And she looks forward to having more of the honey drops!”

“That’s fair,” I replied which made the pixies cheer.