Page 10 of Monster's Mystery

Aiden chuckled. “It’s got a bit of a twist to it.”

“Of course it does.”

We made our way outside the castle, to where the mirror travel would work, and it was a matter of seconds before we were in Wellspring. The sun hadn’t yet sunk below the horizon, and the people who lived in the town were still out and about.

“This way,” Aiden said, leading me away from the main street where Buckie’s pub was.

We’d shared many nights there with our friends, playing pool, darts, and drinking.

Instead, he brought me to a smallish building almost tucked away like an afterthought.

“This doesn’t look big enough for bowling,” I said, suspicious.

“I said it had a twist to it. Trust me.” Aiden grinned at me over his shoulder.

The lights were dark when we entered, but I could still see clearly, thanks to the fluorescent lighting making neon colors bright against the darkness. “Oh, this is cool,” I said.

Aiden’s normally white teeth glowed blue. “Wait until you see the best part,” he said.

“Lead on.” I couldn’t stop myself from staring at the garish lighting as we walked through the space. With each step, the slashes of color got bigger until they were filling my vision entirely.

“All right. We’re here,” Aiden said.

I looked away from a giant orange light to see that we were standing in front of a series of bowling lanes. “Wait, what?”

“It’s a shrinking filter,” Aiden explained. “The further in you walk, the smaller you get. It means they can squish a bowling alley into a regular-sized house.”

“No way! That was seamless. I didn’t feel it at all. I’m really impressed,” I gushed.

“Thank you,” said a man. “My wife and I worked very hard to get it just right.” He bowed slightly. “Welcome to The Bowl! My name is Jim, my wife is Everly, and if you have any questions, just holler.”

“I think we’ll start with grabbing a bite to eat?” Aiden said, raising his eyebrow questioningly at me.

I nodded eagerly, and we headed for one of the small tables off to one side.

The menu was simple; the options ranged from soup, chili, rice, noodles, or shepherd’s pie, all in bowl form.

“I think I want a rice bowl,” I said, looking at the images that moved beside each item. “It looks delicious.”

Aiden looked up at the woman who had appeared. “We’ll get one rice and one noodle bowl, please, Everly.”

She beamed. “Excellent choices. I’ll be right back with those. Anything to drink?”

“Just water for me,” I said.

“Me as well,” Aiden added.

Everly nodded and left us, disappearing behind swinging doors.

“Can I try a bite of yours?” I asked.

“Of course.” Aiden’s thumb traced an invisible pattern on the back of my hand. “I’ve missed this. Being able to touch you and talk with you in person. Summer has never felt so endless before.”

“Couldn’t wait to get back to school?” I teased.

“I couldn’t wait to get back toyou,” he said emphatically.

“Aww, aren’t you sweet,” I cooed. “What would your friends say if they heard you?”

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