Part 3
Hamlet, Horatio and Kilroy rode out in their all-terrain vehicles to gather the Memory Soup ingredients. The first place they went was a forest so dense with trees that they had to park in a clearing and walk. Horatio spotted some dragon's tongue plants. The bright red and yellow stalks stuck out amongst thick green foliage. Carefully, he used his pocketknife to cut several plants. Then, he put them into his backpack. Suddenly, a haunting voice broke the silence, eerily singing in a language that no one recognized.
"What's that?" Kilroy asked.
"That's the Silver Siren," Hamlet replied. "She mostly stays in the deep part of the words. Whatever you do, don't try to find her. Rumor has it that she's neither human nor native, but an alien of some sort, and she'll kill anyone who gets too close. Certainly, no one has seen her and lived to tell about it that I know of."
"Interesting," he said. "Are there any other local legends that I should know about?"
"Well, there's Mabel," Hamlet responded.
"Who's she?" Kilroy asked.
"She isn't a who, but a what. I have a theory that she's related to the legendary Lochness creature back on Earth."
"I've seen Nessie's skeleton in the museum," Kilroy said. "Do you think they're really the same species?"
"Perhaps they're not identical, but they may be genetically related. It's just a theory. I've only seen Mabel a couple of times, and very briefly. She lives in the swamp, which is where we have to go next. Come on."
The swamp was incredibly murky, dank, and smelly. The fog that surrounded it was so thick at times that Kilroy could barely breathe. He wondered how Hamlet and Horatio managed. They were probably used to it. He had the sensation of actually pushing the fog back while he moved through it. It was that dense. Finally, they came to a stop. Kilroy felt like he was against a wall, but there was nothing in front of him. Could it be a force field?
"This is the thickest part of the fog," Hamlet remarked, "what we call ethereal mist." He took a jar out of his backpack, unscrewed the cover, and held it up.
Kilroy watched the fog seep into the container. He'd never seen anything like it before. "What makes it so thick?"
"It's just the combination of chemicals naturally produced in the swamp," Hamlet answered. "But you probably won't find anything like it anywhere else in the galaxy." As he put the cover back on, there was a low rumbling sound, almost like that of an earthquake.
"Do you often have tremors here?" Kilroy asked.
"Nope. That's Mabel." As Horatio spoke, a dark form rose. They could all see it in the fog like an immense shadow, towering over them. The creature growled, then vanished with a splash. "She doesn't usually cause any trouble. She's just grumpy when she's woken up."
"How do you know it's a she?"
Horatio shrugged and looked at his twin.
"Someone once found some eggs in this swamp. They were petrified, though," Hamlet answered.
"Then there's another creature like Mabel?"
"There was, once. We pulled his skeleton out. At least, the scientists are pretty sure it was a male specimen."
"Oh," was all Kilroy could think of to say. "What's next on the list?"
"We can find spiceweed and greenberries at the marketplace. Blackroot grows wild all over. Starflowers and spiderblossoms are a bit harder, they grow on the opposite edge of the forest. It'll take a couple of hours to ride that far."
"Let's split up," Horatio said. "That way, we'll have plenty of time to avoid the storm headed our way."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Hamlet replied. "Kilroy, would you rather go to the marketplace or back into the forest?"
The latter sounded more interesting, so that's what he decided. "The forest."
"Okay. Hop in, then."
They took off.
* * * * *
