CrimeNet in LazyTown - Chapter 6

The sunlight peering through the window of the apartment woke Sean. He hadn’t remembered falling asleep; he remembered laying on the window sill, watching Glanni sleep, concerned for his well-being.

He sat up, turning his attention to the Fae. Glanni was pale and drenched in sweat, breathing shallow.

“Glanni?” Sean got up from his makeshift bed, going over to him. He gently shook him, getting no response. Sean’s eyes widened; this wasn’t good. He couldn’t help but panic, and ran out of the room, crashing into Scott and Barry, who were just heading towards the room to check on Glanni themselves.

“I would ask if everything was okay, but judging by how hard you barreled into us, and how fast you were running out of there, I’d say no.” Scott remarked, looking from Sean to Barry, concerned.

“It’s — it’s Glanni, I can’t get him to wake up.”

It was then that Elliott walked over, accompanied by their neighbor, Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger.

“Oh, hi, Mrs. P. Now’s not a good time.”

It was almost like she hadn’t heard a word Scott said. “I don’t know about you boys, but I keep smelling a very peculiar smell.”

The four shared a confused look.

“What kind of smell?”

“Like iron.”

“Iron has a smell?” Elliott whispered to Scott, confused.

“Yes, iron has a smell. It’s a smell a lot like blood but stronger.” Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger had excellent hearing. “A metallic, garlicky odor.”

She peers behind Sean, into the bedroom, noticing Glanni. A concerned expression crosses her face, and she moves the boys aside, making her way in.

The boys follow her, just as concerned.

As she approaches Glanni, the smell is stronger. She smells near him, before taking a step back. “This boy is awfully pale.” she comments, merely thinking out loud.

“I can’t get him to wake up.” Sean stammered.

Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger turns her attention to him. “You can’t? Is he ill?” she looks at Glanni briefly, then back to Sean.

Sean shakes his head. “No, at least, not that I can tell. He had been acting odd since we got back from a rendezvous with one of Carmen’s henchmen.”

The boys nodded. “Yeah, he was acting really strange, like out of it. Kinda like he was sleep-deprived but not.”

“Had he been injured at all?” she asks.

The boys tried to remember the previous night’s mess. “RoboCrook threw him into some scrap metal. He said he was fine though, for what it’s worth.” Elliott commented, remembering being the first one to reach Glanni.

Sean went over to the bed and moved Glanni’s shirt up, pulling back the bandage some, showing Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger the wound. “He was hiding it.”

The older woman looked at it. It was a particularly nasty gash, purple streaks surrounding it – poisoned veins. “Oh no… that can’t – it – we need to act fast.” She turns to the boys. “Iron poisoning.”

The boys shared a look. “Iron poisoning?” Sean asked, concerned, as his brain began to put it all together.

Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger nods. “We need to act. Now. If we don’t…” she looks at Glanni again. “If we don’t… he’ll most likely be dead before the next sunrise.”

***

Leaving the bedroom, the boys sat on the couch, stunned. They kept thinking about what Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger had said.

“We have to do something. We can’t just let Glanni die like this.” Elliott broke the silence.

“But what? What can we do? We don’t know anything about how to cure iron poisoning.” Barry replied.

No one said anything, as they tried to think of what exactly could be done. Sean got up from the couch, heading back to the bedroom where Glanni was in bed, seemingly unconscious. He watched the Fae; he looked to be even paler than he was not even a few moments ago.

“I should have known… Why didn’t I see the signs?” Sean muttered, not knowing Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger had come in the room. She stood in the doorway, not wanting to disturb him. Sean sat on the bed and reached down, and gently stroked Glanni’s hair. “Please don’t leave me…” he whispered.

After a moment, Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger, came up to him, gently touching his shoulder.

“Come back in here. I… might know a few things that will help.”

Sean looked at her, hoping that she didn’t notice the tears in his eyes. He looked over at Glanni again before getting up and heading back into the living room. He sat next to Scott, staring at the floor.

“Are there any other Fae in town?” Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger asks, looking at the boys.

They looked at one another, thinking.

“Well, there’s Glanni’s brother, Robbie, their mom, and then Glanni’s kids are half-Fae if that counts.” Elliott replied.

“Hmm… I was afraid of that.”

“Afraid of what?”

“All the Fae in town are related to Glanni.”

Scott made a confused face. “And that’s a bad thing?”

Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger sat across from them in a chair. “Yes. I can’t explain without getting into semantics and nuances, but it has to do with DNA and magic, and therefore a Fae related to the poisoned one can’t help save them.”

Silence filled the room as the guys took in the information.

“So… there’s nothing that can be done?” Sean asked, fear apparent in his eyes.

“I didn’t say that.” she sighed. “Looks like I’ve got 24 hours, give or take, to try to create this cure. It’s not going to be easy.”

The boys were wide-eyed.

“Wait, Mrs. P… you’re –”

“Yes, a Fae. I thought you boys knew?”

They shook their heads in response.

“I’d better get going.” Mrs. Pumpkin-Klanger stood up from her seat, peeking into the bedroom to look at Glanni before turning her attention to Sean and the boys. “I don’t care what time of day or night it is, there is always a chance he could get worse quicker. If anything – and I mean anything – changes, come get me.”

“We will.”

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