Diners and Wishes | The Atbash AU

Date: June 4th 2017 - 8 AM

"Morning, morning! Rise and shine! Today's a whole new day and we're eating panca--" Mike interrupts himself and turns to the twins sitting in the dining table. "Did you guys eat our breakfast?" Mark: "Oh yeah, those pancakes were delicious. What are we having for breakfast again? - Oh wait." Well, looks we're going to town early. We'll have breakfast at the mall. Or some good diner down the road. Who knows?" Mark & Mason: "ROADTRIP!" As they get up and get into Mike's car Mason asks: "Hey, Uncle Mike? Why do cars and buses tend to turn around before they reach the town?" Mike silently replies: "..Let's.. talk about it later." They drive to town when suddenly Mark spots a diner that looks promising! "'Grandpa's Diner'? That sounds family friendly!"

They step inside the diner and it looks like someone built a giant barrel and then cut in half which was built into a restaurant. An old man stands behind the counter, cleaning the desk from a coffee stain. Mike: "Hello! We would like some pancakes!" The man turns quickly: "Why, hello there! Welcome to Grandpa's Diner! I'm Barney, the owner of this fine establishment! What can I get ya..." Barney takes a closer look of Mike. "You! You were there! You saved my life! How could I ever repay you! Here, free pancakes for you! And thank you!" Mason: "Gee, Uncle Mike, you know that guy? How did you save his life?" Mike: "There was this.. crudge against a few bad people who came to town uninvited. I didn't like them so me and my friend got rid of them.. and that guy almost got in the crossfire." Mason: "Man, Uncle Mike! Can you tell us more?" Wheatley enters the diner and Barney greets him like any other customer. Wheatley sits on the counter and almost speaks up until he notices Mike and the kids in a booth. Wheatley: "Bark." Wheatley said 'convincingly'. Then Wheatley leaves - again 'convincingly'. Mason: "What's up with Wheatley?" Mike: "What do you mean? - I don't know what you're talking about! Wheatley's a great dog!" Mason: "-Well, first of all. Your friend's house doesn't have a dog hatch, so how did he get out?" Mike: "He does parkour." Mason: "Also. Who's your friend? And when is he coming back?" Mike: "He's.. traveling for a bit." Mike hid his sad face from the twins. Mike: "Check, please!" Mike, Mark and Mason head out and get to the car. Mason: "Are we going hiking now?" Mike: "Oh yeah, and it's going to be.. an adventure."

Later, in the forest. "All three of us will head into separate directions - each of us get a map we can use to navigate, and a com. If you get lost, retrace your steps. We meet up back here in two hours." Mike: "Got it!" Mark: "Got it!" They all head in their separate ways. Mason: "Okay, so my route is simple.. head to the small waterfall, from there I shortcut using the river, and I get back to the shack in time. Easy!" Mason has walked about twenty minutes now, he has reached the waterfall, next to some unsold Christmas trees. "Huh. Must have been some Christmas." ..Mason looks around, noticing the waterfall. But behind the trees in the shore - he notices a strange figured statue. "..What the..?"

It's a statue of Fourty, stone and very unliving. Mason reaches his arm to the statues hand. And decides to shake it. As soon as he does, the earth rumbles. Dark clouds form a swirl above the statue. The two hands - of the statue's and Mason's are glistening with green fire, the statue is glowing. The fire doesn't hurt. It's just there. For aesthetics. ..laughter fills the air, echoing in the mountains. The green specter of rhombus floats upwards from within the statue.

After finishing his echoed laughter: "North Hills, it is good to be back!" Mason: "..Wha.. wh.." Fourty: "Oh hey there, you must be Mason, the kid who awoken me from my stoned tomb! The name is Fourty! You saved me, kid!" Mason: "Uh, you're welcome?" Fourty: "Listen, kid! I would like to propose a deal! As you saved my life, I'll give you anything in return! Whenever!" Mason: "My own TV show! A fidget spinner! Ultimate knowledge!" Fourty: "Whoa, whoa. Kid. I know that you don't need that! I know when the time comes and what you need is really important! I can also pinpoint the exact moment you'll eat in Taco Bell!" "Here's a message for you! And just a constant reminder of what's coming! The townsfolk have seen terrors, such as myself. Yet, I am not the only one left. There is one more of me! And after that, I will have my revenge to this town and the guy who turned my physical form into a rock! Your uncle is not who he seems! - and . Wishes cost lives." Fourty winks to 'us' - and then disappears and as he does - the statue is gone.

"..I can have one wish that can do anything? And he knows when I want use it and when I do use it? Pfft. Sounds like a rigged system to me." After turning back to the riverbed Mason notices a strange book lying in the ground With a golden hourglass on it.. labeled 3? Mason flips through a few pages and doesn't believe what he's seeing. "HELLO!" Mark screams behind him. "AGHH!" Mason shouts back. "What do you have there, bro bro?"

Mason: "Uh! It's nothing!" Mark: " 'Uhhhuuuhh, it's nothing!' Haha! Are you actually not going to show me?" Mason: "Maybe somewhere more private."

Meanwhile, Mike is wandering through the woods as well. "Stupid Wheatley. Doesn't know what he's saying.. half of the things are broken.. Yeah r-" A flash of green lightning appears in front of him. "WHAT THE?!" Mike runs up to see what it is. It's an Hourglass Journal labeled 2.

"Two journals? But he wrote only one." Mike flips to the first page. It says the following: " 'When Northern Skies go black with sun, darkness falls and death has come'.. what does that mean?"

Wheatley: "I knew it." Mike: "Hot Belgium waf- Wheatley! You scared the living daylights out of me.. or whatever they say in Scotland." Wheatley: "I told you, I'm not Scottish! I just sound Scottish! As a SEGMENT officer all things related to time travel must be handed to the one experienced with those sorts of things!" Mike: "King isn't here!" Wheatley: "Have you ever time traveled?" Mike: "No." Wheatley: "I have, so hand it over!" Wheatley reads: "reroute the main blah blah... big barrel... Ah! Here we go. 'I guess writing these chapters is s bootstrap paradox I guess King could..'" Mike: "Could do what? Wheatley?" Wheatley: "King has been asked to Time Lock us out for a month." Mike: "English, please." Wheatley: "That lil' British timey wimey pig face won't be ing us for a month! He can't travel to our location." Mike: "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's that?" Mike points to sketch of shadowy figure with strange eyes. Wheatley: "Something about someone crashing the party.. Mike, look at the date." The date for the entry is dated June 21st. "And the previous date is when you've successfully fixed the gateway."

Mike: "When's that?"

Wheatley replies: "June 15th."