Miss Penny was very accommodating with Georgie’s questions about Pelican town life, didn’t even pause at her asks that received odd looks from Jas and Vincent. Mr. Gunther, the man behind the library desk, had been incredibly silent wearing an extra discerning eye for Georgie and if being inside a room loaded with humans didn’t already freak her out, then the man could have done it by himself alone. As promised, they taught her about Pelican postal delivery complete with stamps and wrapping packages. She made a successful package of beets and mushrooms for the Mullner house courtesy from the farmer’s, then afterwards, they helped her forage for loads more of wild horse radishes that could fit inside a crate box. By the end of the day, the crate was near to spilling over the lid.

Close to dusk, they split up and said their goodbyes at the backwoods since it was already near the farm but what they didn’t know was that she won’t end up there.

Before she forget again, she finished her primary directive by leaving her crate box of horse radishes in the mines at exactly 87th level where shadow brutes usually pick up their delivery. She had been astonished to see the cave minecarts were functional and a dwarf monster passage had been recently opened. That wasn’t going to be her problem. Whatever.

Racing out of the cave mines, she heard flute music. Abigail must be right outside at this time of night. Georgie had to stay inside the shado—

“Georgie, is that you?” Startling diamond eyes glinting purple flashed in front of her. “He told me I’d find you here. Come out of the bushes I got something for you.”

With great hesitation, she crawled out of the bushy overgrowth and met her head-on. “Who told you?”

She smirked, crossing her arms “Watch your voice, kid. I’m here to help out yeah? The emerald witch is out on the railroad waiting for you. I’ll bring in the rain to distract her, and you’ll be crossing back home. We good?”

“Whu— uhh— I dunno..”

Rolling her eyes, she pulled a disc out of her pocket and handed it to Georgie “Here. Take this.”

“What am I supposed t—”

The disc spun on its own in her hand until it got free of gravity and floated in the air space. It made a special beam of light that reflected rainbow colors. Teacup started peeking out of her satchel and was immediately riveted by the glowing sight of brimming colors. “Sin sin?”

Abigail flicked her fingers, hitting the spinning ball of light and it spun to Teacup, an antique tableware, absorbing its strange light into her cup frame.

“W-what was that? What did you do? Lil’ Teacup are you all right?”

Abigail raised a finger, “That was Phantom Force.”

Teacup nodded to her, sagely. Strangely peaceful in whatever she has processed into her body.

Anger burned at the sides of Georgie’s face, “Explain yourself.”

“Sinistea here will be using phantom force while I go and have a conversation with the witch.”

She lifted a finger at her and scoffed, “You?! A human. Impossible. Her home is in the skies. She will never come down. Let alone talk to a human.”

The human shadow that Abigail cast behind her flashed red eyes, a laughing howl burbled out of it. She didn’t seem to mind though, instead tilted her head like she was bored. “I’m good. Do what you’re told like a good girl.”

Georgie curled lil’ Teacup into her chest and stepped back away from the purple punk girl with a sinister shadow looming behind her. “It’s gonna be your funeral!” she shouted at Abigail once she was safely tucked away at a considerable distance. Then she jogged past the house off 24 Mountain Road and climbed for the hills towards the railroad area.

As expected, the emerald witch hovered in the night sky, waiting. To her relief, she hadn’t seen her yet. But the punishing outcome was inevitable. Sooner or later, she had to face the music and meet her boss’ wrath for breaking directive. Just as she was about to step out of her corner hiding bush and into a stream of silver starlight where the witch could spot her, gathering clouds quickly rolled in bringing thunderstorm and rain. Abigail arrived marching in strides, combat boots crunching over the railroad path illuminated by starlight. Punk girl appeared prepared and ready for confrontation, wearing a glittering raincoat that sparkled with each of her movement and an umbrella as the rain poured hard and fast over them. With a furtive glance over her shoulder, she winked at Georgie. The audacious confidence presented by the punk girl jolted Georgie back to her strenuous situation.

Picking up her jaw close, she began mumbling to her friend “Teacup.. umm.. how about that phantom force?”

“Siiiin!” she hummed, a sugary vocalization.

Georgie peered back to watch the emerald witch escaping the stormy sky by descending directly on the railroad tracks with her broom. Abigail was already at the bottom waiting for her to land, smugness visibly exuding from her like a rockstar who had just finished off a successful high-octane concert.

At a distance, they seem to be talking to each other but over the loud pouring of rain and thunderstorm Georgie couldn’t hear none of them.

“Sin sin sin sin.” Teacup flailed and pushed against her cheek, grabbing her attention away to a shadow portal with circle blobs popping at the edges.

“Oh nooo…”

Teacup tilted her head at her, questions in her eyes.

“I’m not going in there. That doesn’t seem safe.”

“Sin. Sin.”

“Of course. I trust you.”

“Sin. Sin.” she began nudging Georgie’s back, her small frame revealing a surprising strength behind it.

“I just don’t trust this—” The loud crash of thunder stole away her resistance. It sounded so close that she grew paralyzed by the sound of it. Teacup immediately took advantage of her distraction and gave a powerful nudge at her back until she stumbled into the blackened portal. Hitting her knees on gray sand, and crashing down to a pile of sandy heap on the witch’s swamp. Black blobs of goop slid over her arms, leaving a trail of slime. She was about to wipe it off when a blasting wave of shadows blew up like a nuclear explosion.

When the surrounding smoke had cleared away, there was a transparent screen standing over her like a bulwark wall of glass. And then a voice cold as a starving child’s desperation in a winter’s night had come, “SIN.”

Eyes the color of flames getting so hot it turned blue, had flashed like an erupting volcano. The magnitude of Teacup’s anger burned so hot the rocks and sand off the floor lost its hold on gravity and hovered like they no longer existed in a dimension where laws of physics didn’t need apply.

“Joe! Stop it’s us, Georgie Teacup!”

Henchman Joe was enraged, blinded by a goblin’s fury.

Georgie took out void eggs from her satchel and threw them upwards, one by one, juggling them in the air. “Lookie, here.” She pushed all dozen eggs so far high up in the air she had time to twirl in place. The otherworldly tension of wild aggressive ocean simmered down as both Teacup and Joe had their attention riveted at the void eggs whipping up and up dangerously close to cracking if she slipped for less than a moment.

Then she hopped on one foot while juggling and began twirling around while she caught a void egg on the tip of her nose, keeping on juggling while balancing that void egg. Finally, she caught all of the falling eggs with her mouth and it stole their breaths away.

“Gotcha!” she said, producing a full tray of eggs from behind her back and presented it to them with a flourishing bow.

Loud audible sighs were heard from two of her rapt audience, a relieved stretched-out exhale of peace like they had been dangling on the edge for long moments and their taut cords had just been cut and they were finally free.

Teacup flew by fast as a speeding car and pushed her cheek against Georgie’s, nuzzling.

Joe jogged up to her with haste, his whole heart plastered on his face, riotous emotions crossing them. Concern. Relief. Amusement. Sad. Solemn. “The emerald witch knows.” he said. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“Joe..” her fists balled up tight on her sides, Teacup taking her place settling down at the top of her head. “Joe, you know my parents sold me to the emerald witch for a single prismatic shard. She’s all I’ve ever known for hundreds of years. I’m 755 years old. I don’t know where else to go.”

He paused then he took a sharp exhale and pulled an ornate box from his red trenchcoat, opening it he said “Take this to Calico desert and find three pillars then meditate in the middle, holding this.”

She took a step back like he was handing her a hot potato, “No. Don’t even joke about that. You’re saving that for your retireme—” then she looked up at him and really looked at him and noticed how his mouth was free of tusks. “Joe. What happened to your tusks?”

Heavy wrinkles formed between his brows, “She took it away. Wouldn’t tell her where you were.” In a single blink, a healthy blush bloomed “I told her.”

“I’m not taking your retirement token. I will never.” She pushed to him her tray of void eggs instead, “Here. Woo your future girl goblin with these when you retire. It’s yours.”

His shoulders slumped forward as if the egg tray in his hands were heavy with rocks, “How am I supposed to rest knowing that you’re out there in danger?”

Shrugging, “You’ve seen what Teacup can do. I’ll—” she gulped wishing blindly for some god to give her courage. “I will find a way. To live out there.”

“To live while being hunted down by the emerald witch. How is that living?”

“I won’t stop long enough to be found out, okay?” she held his hand and patted it reassuringly, “You know those new monsters coming out from that recent comet? Humans know about them. They’re helping them out. Things have changed out there. I don’t think they mean monsters harm anymore. Just today, I heard Stardew valley’s farmer made friends with a shadow person.”

“Impossible.”

“It’s true. I’ve seen them. I’ve talked to them.” she worried her bottom lip, “I made friends.”

He shook his head “It can’t be.”

“Those humans are helping new monsters. Helping them acclimate. Heck, I saw this punk human standing side by side with a shadow monster. They’re even worse than shadow brutes!”

“Was he chained up?”

“No they were working together.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Hey. If I could do it, they might as well can, right?”

After a long moment, he said “You take of yourself out there. Teacup will take care of you.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, “I will take care of Teacup. She’s young, she doesn’t need to get insecure about her home.”

He raised a brow at her, sizing up her height size using his palms “Look at yourself in the mirror lately? Both of you need to take care.”

“Well. All right. I get what you’re saying.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah. I need to get comfortable relying on others.”

“Well done.”

“I’m not as stupid as I look. I’m 755 years old. I know stuff.”

“Sure, Georgie. Pack your things while I open up a safe portal for you.”

“I’m staying here.”

He chuckled, “It isn’t safe for you.”

“Teacup, use phantom force.”

A slithering beast of a portal resembling shadows opened before them.

“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Joe.

“I told you I’m staying. I wanna meet more new monsters from the comet. I want to be part of the welcome party with the humans.”

“I’m guessing there’s nothing I could say or do to stop you?”

She grinned, “No.”

“Sinnn?” Teacup looked to her, a million questions racing in her lacy patterned gaze.

“Our family is gonna grow bigger, lil’ Teacup. We’re making friends, you ready?”

The shadow portal yawned across them like a promise. She wiped blobs of slime off her cheeks before waving goodbye to Joe, “Invite me to your wedding, ‘kay?”