Page 39 of Geoffrey the Very Strange
"Is hedead?" Lila gasped.
"No, no." Aspic turned to find Grandma Tutti regarding him with concern. "But I'm not sure he's in his right mind. He says he needs vinegar, vials, and bait. And to tell you it's vinegar rain. He's so exhausted. I'm just not sure he knows what he's saying."
Grandma Tutti frowned, shaking her head. Then she slammed her palm down on the table. "Vinegar. We're such ninnies. It's not 'vine garrain'. It's 'vinegar rain.'"
"Um. That still doesn't sound any more reasonable." Aspic swallowed hard when all the witches turned to him.
"Vinegar…" Aunt Frida clapped her hands. "It does. Of course it does. They're shells and limestone. Geoffrey needs sympathetic magic. How could we be so dense?"
"We're not." Grandma Tutti rose stiffly from her chair. "My grandson's just brilliant. Where's Geoffrey now, dear?"
"He took Sundrop and said to meet him in the square."
Thunder rumbled overhead.
"Geoff's calling a storm," Lila said in hushed tones.
Grandma Tutti nodded as if that confirmed something. "Good. We need to hurry. Aspic, run as fast as your demon blood allows and gather every friend you can. People you can rely on to be brave and responsible. Have some of them gather bait and bring it to Geoffrey in the square—you know what we need by now. Shells, bones, bits of limestone. Have the rest come back here, especially anyone who flies. My girls and I will get things ready."
"Yes'm." Aspic still didn't understand entirely, but if a family of witches agreed on an idea, it had to be a good one.
He threw the bolt open, checked for zombie shells, and dashed out into the night. Grandma Tutti was right. One of the few gifts he had from his mother was speed far greater than any human could manage. Friends. He would roust them out from Mrs. Pickle's first, then check at Talondon's. The sun was rising reluctantly in the face of gathering clouds, but it was morning all the same. Heliotrope, at least, would be coming in to get the shop ready for the day.
The first friend he encountered, though, he nearly bowled over. He just managed to avoid colliding with Katya by skidding to the side. She huffed at him and adjusted the heavy walking stick she carried on her shoulder like a club.
"What… ah. What are you doing?" Aspic glanced around, but she was alone.
"Patrolling. Someone should." She hefted her club. "I chased those nasties away from the jewelers. They were trying to get through the windows."
"Oh. Thank you. Do you know where they are now?"
Katya nodded and pointed down the street. "They've laid siege to the butcher's. Butthatbuilding's granite block. They're not getting in."
"Good. Perfect. Let's keep them there for now." Quickly, Aspic outlined the plan, as much of it as he understood, at least. "Could you stay with the butcher for now? Make sure the zombies stay there? Maybe they can throw small bones down every few minutes from the second story to encourage them to stay." Aspic stopped as an idea hit him. "Yes. Second story. Have them bring as many bones upstairs as they can. Someone who flies can retrieve a sack when we're ready and lead them to the square."
"Huh." Katya gave him a savage grin. "Pretty sharp for a shop boy. Go, go, I've got this handled."
Aspic ran on to Mrs. Pickle's, where he convinced Timms to go back out for bait gathering and Ishi to go to the bakery for whatever the witches had planned.
"I'll rouse the librarians as well," Ishi said as he shook out his wings, carefully opened the door, and flew out into the murky dawn.
"The pup needs me here," Mrs. Pickle said from where she sat in her rocking chair by the fire with Mari fast asleep in her lap. "Be careful, hoglet."
She did get up then, Mari balanced against her shoulder, to lock the door behind them. Timms trotted off to start bait gathering on Mallow Street, while Aspic raced off to Talondon's, where he found Ryu on the bench by the front door, panting.
"Ryu?"
He held up a big, calloused hand. "I'm all right. Just tried to possess one of the grinding stones at the mill. Thinking I could squash the little monsters."
"Did it work?"
"No." Ryu pulled in a deep breath. "Coming out of a possession is hard. I'm sorry I couldn't keep them in the box."
"You did all you could. Mari's with Mrs. Pickle, just so you don't worry. And she has Shrimpie."
"Good. Thank you. Poor little mite," Ryu said back with a sigh. "We're all going to die, aren't we?"
"No. Well, I hope not." Aspic took the seat beside him and again outlined the plan. He finished with, "Will you help?"
