Walking along the edge of the wall, Lily spotted three figures waiting underneath a sign by the edge of a river. Cryptically, the sign just had a single word rewritten on it. Simply, the sign just said, “To”.

“To where?” She wondered.

Two of the figures looked like small alligators with short mouths. They were dressed in long cloaks and stood on their hind legs. The two of them were engaged in a heated conversation with each other. Going back and forth in their conversation they gestured wildly at each other.

“The Phoenixians have the most dominate players,” the first one spit with vehemence in his voice.

“Ha! And what is their answer to Plank and Hawkings?” the second gather said matter of factly, “Those two will carry the Dragonites to victory! Once again their ideology will rule another seven years.”

“Don’t be a fool, Aesop and Aquinas will upset the balance. Mark my words,” the first gator pointed officially to his own chest, “The scripture predicts a new messiah will come. A new player that will change the games forever.”

“Scripture flipture. You should stay believing in what you see. What has the Phoenix ever done for you?”

“How has the Dragon ever changed your life?” the first gator question the second while point directly to the other’s chest.

“If the Phoenix is real, why do the good die and the young go hungry?” The other gator merely shrugged off the indignity with a well placed verbal parry.

“Life is pain.”

“What!?” the small gator had his hands on his hips with his head cocked to the side in confusion. The wise gator chose to lead him with words of wisdom.

“There is a deeper meaning to suffering. Search for the answers.”

Just then, the first one stamped on the second’s foot. “What are you doing?!” the second crocodile snapped.

“Helping you find the answer,” the other one tittered as he fell to the ground rolling and laughing, “Do you…hehe…do you feel the pain?! Haha! Stupid Phoenixians!”

The third figure remained stoic. A hooded cloak obscured everything but a gnarled cane poking from one of the sleeves. Slowly, the cane lifted from the ground to indicate for Lily to look up the river.

A wooden boat came into view. A small red fox was steering the boat with two passengers in the back. One was a grey-faced mole with an overstuffed body. Like someone had pumped him full of air until his neck and wrists had almost completely disappeared. He wore a little suit that may have fit him a few pounds ago, but not anymore. Gaps in between buttons stretched the fabric to the limit. A little grey belly hung out from the bottom of his shirt. His hands looked like balloons with udders attached. The little mole seemed to be showing a card trick to his massive companion, a ginormous crow.

The crow was close to seven feet tall with a hooked bill. The crow’s beak entranced her eyes. The beak was covered with intricate magic symbols. Metallic swirls and ancient signs carved deep into its surface. On top of the crow’s head, he wore a floppy fedora. It was familiar to Lily, it looked like the old American gangster hats from the 1930s. In the brim of the crow’s hat, an old battered card. As Lily got on the boat, she got a closer look at the card in the crow’s brim. A man hanging upsidedown. His legs slightly crossed, as he hung from one foot. What a strange card. It too seemed familiar. I wonder if it is like one of Mom’s tarot cards?

Before she could ask, the crow introduced himself. “Afternoon Ma’am,” he tugged at the brim of his hat.

“What’s someone so dignified as yourself doing on such a lowly riverboat?”

“I don’t quite know. I’m really just trying to get back to town so I can find my brother.” She looked up both ways of the river, unsure of where ‘town’ was, and which way would bring her closer.

“A woman who treasures family will never be without,” the crow’s wisdom and velvety tone quickly put her at ease. She could trust him. However, something seemed off. The distant voice of her mother told her to be on guard from the dark stranger.

The crow seemed to be well aware of her reservations. From a small bag, he pulled an amber-colored caramel apple and snacked casually. He did it as if he was completely unaware of her lusting gaze. Her mouth watered and her stomach protested like an errant child. “Feed Me!”

She hadn’t eaten since lunch period with Becky.