Chapter Four: Return to the Sunflower Palace

According to Maqsedeth, the Ghost Incinerator Deluxe has a defect; angry and determined for answers, Samson returns to the King ill-mannered; upon reclaiming what was rightfully his, Sam made an enemy

On the way back to where Samson last saw the path, Samson explained to Maqsedeth the meeting he had with the king and queen, the details of the quest, the prophecy he heard before then (to which Maqsedeth immediately commented, "You can't always trust what that man says," he said, "Especially since you don't know him."), and the details of his possession. Before Samson had begun to tell Maqsedeth how he defeated Mary Ann's ghost, Maqsedeth interrupted him, "Wait a minute, Samson," he said, stopping abruptly, "Should we be going this way? I don't see the path."

Samson ran into him and looked to where Maqsedeth was looking, "I'm pretty sure the path was over here," he said. He checked his watch, "We've lost fifteen minutes," he added. "Father, do you have any ideas?"

Maqsedeth rubbed his chin, "The path may have moved to the default area," he said after a moment of silence, "It may have moved behind the Town Square."

Samson nodded, "Alright then," he said as he turned, "Let's go. We don't have much time to lose."

Maqsedeth followed behind, "Hey, wait up, Samson," he called, "Why the rush?"

Samson sighed, "I'll explain on the way," he said and he picked up where he left off with how he defeated Mary Ann's ghost (to which Maqsedeth immediately responded, "That power could have easily burned you up, literally. It is just as fatal as Mary Ann using my body to try to destroy the City of Aristotle."), "...and the reason I'm in such a hurry is that if we don't make it out of The Ghost Town in time, we would eventually become ghosts. Stuck in The Ghost Town forever," he concluded.

Maqsedeth was silent for a while before speaking again, "I still can't believe that Mary Ann possessed my body like that," he said. He shuddered, "...and that I let her do that to me!"

Samson patted him on the back, "But, it's all over, now," he said as they crossed back into the kingdom Summer Breeze. Samson and Maqsedeth could vaguely see the gates of the Sunflower Palace as the sun began to rise, shining its radiant golden rays over the land. The gates Maqsedeth and Samson stood at led to the Gardens of Manorá where the Sunflower Palace Gardeners were tending the flowers. There were violets, poppies, gardenias, roses, daisies, and every other flower you can name.

Samson and Maqsedeth stood at the gate until one of the king's servants came and opened the gate for them. The servant had jet black, short cropped hair sleeked back and he was wearing a blue tunic, black trousers, black boots, and he had a sword strapped to his hip. "His Highness would like to speak with this young man right here," he said pointing to Samson, "And he has requested that I escort you home," he added looking at Maqsedeth.

Samson stepped up, "Oh, hold on," he said, "We're going in together or not at all. You're not going to just take my father home and for two reasons: One, you don't even know where he's staying and two, that's my job."

The servant looked at him, "The king warned me about you," he said as he crossed his arms. "He said that you'll be impossible to work with."

This hit Samson like a slap to the face, "He said that?" he asked. "Oh, okay. Well, tell him I think the same thing about him."

The servant chuckled, "Are you sure you want to sabotage your reputation any more than you already have?" he asked.

Samson didn't answer but instead crossed his arms over his chest. The servant uncrossed his arms, "Are you coming to see the king or not?" he asked.

"That depends," Samson said looking into the man's eyes. "Will my father be able to come with me?"

Stubborn lad, the servant thought, But, there has to some way of convincing him. Hmm... "I'll tell you what," he said, "You can take your father home and make sure that he's safe, but be back here in no more than an hour, you hear? Be back in an hour." He opened the gate and let them pass through. Samson and Maqsedeth continued on towards the island while the servant left to report to the king.

He bowed with his face to the ground, "I have found the lad behind the gates of the Gardens of Manorá," he said. "But, when I mentioned escorting his father home, he refused to meet with you immediately. I sent him away to escort his father home himself. He has promised to be back in an hour, your majesty."

The king turned to face the servant, "Good, Lord Harold Thornsickle," he said, "But, what if he doesn't return in an hour?"

"Not to worry, my king," Harold replied, "Thanks to the whereabouts Sheldon reported back with, I was able to have their vacation site secretly surrounded. That way, if he does decide to change his mind, he will have to answer to them."

"Excellent work, Lord Thornsickle," King Silus said.

In the meantime, Samson and Maqsedeth enjoy Kosher Tea out in the shade around the beach in lounge chairs with a table in between them. After a moment of silence, Samson finally asks Maqsedeth the question that nagged him for a long time. "Father," he said, "how did my mother die?" He knew that she had died in the cataclysm of the City of Aristotle but he just didn't know how or, in other words, what the cataclysm was.

Maqsedeth placed his tea cup on the table and sighed, "It's a long story, son," he said.

Samson waited eagerly for his father to answer and sipped his tea in silence. Finally, Maqsedeth gave in, "When you were but 5 years old," he said, "your mother, you, and me, we all moved to the grand City of Aristotle. You remember that I told you that you weren't from planet Xerox?"

Samson nodded, "Yes, Father," he replied, "I remember. You said that we were from the planet Eros."

Maqsedeth nodded, "But, what I didn't tell you was why we left planet Eros," he said, "Now, I believe you're old enough to handle the news."

Samson looked at Maqsedeth for a while, "What news?" he asked.

Maqsedeth sighed, "When you were 10 months old, the patriarch of planet Eros, Lord Eros, sent word to us that it wasn't safe for us to stay on planet Eros anymore," he said. "You see, because of the loss of the planet's goddess of Love, Youth, and Beauty and The Living Circle, the barriers that protected that planet were failing, so we moved to the City of Aristotle, where we have stayed ever since."

Samson nodded, "And that's why the planet Eros was known as the Forbidden Planet," he said.

Maqsedeth nodded back, "Yes," he said, "Now, you're thinking, son."

"But, what does this have to do with the death of my mother?" Samson asked.

Maqsedeth fell silent and he sighed, "While you were yet young," he said, "five years at most, the City of Aristotle fell under a very dreadful fate: the curse of the foremost city, which was to be sunken deep under the ground by Devious the Deceitful Dragon. Juan tried his best to save all the citizens. He wanted to save them all, but there weren't enough carriages to carry everyone since it was so many people, and because of that, those who were left, including poor Mary Ann, perished with the city as it sank. When the city sank, it wasn't like it just transitioned underground and became an underground city, but rather, the city became a ghost town because nothing can really sink under Xerox's ground. To sink through Xerox's ground would be the same as passing through acid because of the barriers that surround the planet."

A lump formed in Samson's throat, "And that means, the victims' skin peeled away," he said, "Or, something like that."

Maqsedeth nodded, "They practically began to decay alive, which, indeed, was painful," he sighed, "and deadly. The barriers that surround the planet are also the reason why anyone who stays too long in The Ghost Town would become a ghost."

There was nothing but silence for a while and then Samson stood, "I'm going to go and get ready," he said with distaste, "for this meeting with His Bossiness." He took his cup and went towards the cabin. As he was nearing the cabin, he was met by ten of the king's servants, "Halt," one of them said, "Where do you think you're going?"

Samson gritted his teeth and balled his fists so hard that he broke his tea cup in the palm of his hand. He looked up at the man who just spoke, "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. "Did the king send you here? Why? Doesn't he trust me enough to return on time?"

The man disregarded his anger, "Just answer the question," he said.

"What the hell do you think?" he asked. "I'm going in here to change clothes!"

"Why?" the man asked.

"What the hell do you mean 'why'?" Samson asked. "I'm not going into the"" he stopped himself, "You know what," he said, "I don't even know why I have to tell you anything. Why does it matter why I'm going into the cabin? It shouldn't matter, and if the king asks, 'Why didn't you think to dress better than you already have and where is my Ghost Incinerator Deluxe?' I'm gonna blurt out, 'Ask Sheldon! He's the one with his big fat horse and has shoved his finger all in my face asking me all these questions about my business!'"

The other nine servants looked at each other awkwardly and backed their horses back behind the cabin. Sheldon dismounted his horse and approached Samson, "You know," he said shaking his head. "You could've just said that instead of deciding to blame all of your inconveniences on me."

Samson sighed exasperatedly, "Whatever," he said as he went to enter the cabin.

"Samson," Maqsedeth called out as he stood, "Who is that you're talking to"" he stopped himself when he saw Sheldon standing at the door. He cleared his throat and went inside. When he found Samson, he pulled him into the room and shut the door, "Samson," he said, "Who the hell are all these people around our cabin?"

"You can see them?" Samson asked, shocked.

"Of course I can see them," Maqsedeth said, "They probably think they're fooling somebody."

Samson straightened his tie and put his jacket on, "Well, Father," he said, "I apologize, but I have to go."

"What's going on?" he asked, looking Samson up and down. "And why are you dressed like you're going to a funeral?"

Samson went into their closet and brought out the Ghost Incinerator Deluxe and the Ancient Power of old, "I have another meeting with the king," he said as he made it to the door, "which involves me returning some items."

When he spotted Samson holding the Ghost Incinerator Deluxe, Maqsedeth folded his arms across his chest, "He let you use that thing?" he asked. "Even after the Accident of '01?"

Samson stopped and faced Maqsedeth with a questioning look and Maqsedeth knew immediately that Samson was lost, "He didn't tell you?" he asked with a disgusted sigh. "That's so like him. I made him that machine for use only in emergencies and specifically told him not to ever let anyone else have it because the device is sensitive to unfamiliar touch. Well, on September 11, 2001, there was a huge accident where the Ghost Incinerator Deluxe was stolen by some of planet Xerox's enemies. The device's mechanism went horribly wrong and thought that even those who were normal were ghosts and began to suck and incinerate everyone near the machine, including those holding it, and as a result 3,000+ people suffered. This event has been recorded as the Accident of '01. Why'd he let you use it?"

Samson clenched his jaw, "Yeah," he said, "Why would he let me use it? Well, I'll just have to ask him that when I get there."

Maqsedeth put his hand on Samson's shoulder, "Don't go in anger, son," he said. "Approach him respectively. Now, good luck."

Samson departed the cabin and headed towards the king's palace as quickly as he could with Sheldon following closely behind him on his horse. Because he was preoccupied, wondering why the king would allow him to use the Ghost Incinerator Deluxe, he made it to the Sunflower Palace within minutes (he walks fast when he's deep in thought).

He was met by Lord Thornsickle, "Welcome back," he said with a cold smile. "You're five minutes late. I was just about to send someone to fetch you, but I can see that has already been taken care of. Thank you, Sheldon."

Sheldon nodded, "It was my pleasure, sir," he said.

Samson grimaced, "I knew you and the king had something to do with that legion surrounding our cabin," he said, "I could sense it."

Instead of answering, Lord Thornsickle grabbed Samson's arm, "Come along, son," he said, "the king is waiting."

Samson snatched his hand off his arm, "Don't you touch me," he cried, "and don't you dare call me 'son'!"

Lord Thornsickle just smiled, "Very well, then," he said. "Follow me."

Samson followed Lord Thornsickle through the Sunflower Palace and into the king's 'Sitting Room' where the king sat reading a newspaper. When Lord Thornsickle and Samson entered the room, King Silus looked up from his newspaper.

Lord Thornsickle smiled, "I found the savage Your Highness," he said. "He was coaxed in by Sheldon."

Samson glared at him, "What the hell did you just call me?" he asked.

King Silus put his newspaper down on the table, "Thank you Lord Thornsickle," he said, "Samson, have a seat."

Lord Thornsickle smiled and turned to Samson, "Mind your manners, sir," he said.

Samson gritted his teeth, "Oh, I'll mind my manners, alright. And, you will do well to watch your back," he said. Lord Thornsickle departed.

King Silus cleared his throat, "Samson," he urged, "have a seat."

Samson sat down across from him and crossed his arms over his chest. The king took off his reading glasses and sat forward. "So," he said, "how was The Ghost Town?"

Samson fought to suppress his anger and sighed, "It was somewhat good," he said, "I guess."

King Silus cleared his throat and pondered that for a while. "So, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that you survived," he said with a cold smile. "Well, look at who your father is."

Samson stood and unsheathed his sword, pointing it at the king's neck, "So, you weren't expecting me to return alive," he said, gritting his teeth. "Were you?"

The king glared at Samson a while, "You dare point a sword at your king?" he asked him.

Samson glared back, "I give no regard for your status," he said. "I don't care if you are the king. Just answer the question."

King Silus laughed, and reached for Samson's arm, in hopes of throwing him on the ground, but Samson was too fast for him and sliced his wrist out of self-defense and the king cried out in pain. His servants rushed to the door but Samson sealed it closed with his magic and approached King Silus slowly. He knelt and made the king look at him.

"I said, 'answer the question'," he said, "Or, I can do the other one. There are no accidents."

King Silus glared at him for a while and looking down, he saw he was sitting in a puddle of blood on the floor, "No," he coughed. "No, I wasn't expecting you to survive The Ghost Town."

Samson released his grasp on the king and stood, "I knew it," he said.

King Silus grabbed a napkin from the table and wrapped his wrist in it, "Who told you?" he asked as he stood.

Samson cleaned his sword with his handkerchief and sighed, "I had a hunch," he said quietly, "that you were setting me up for my death before I even accepted your stupid quest. I experienced that same feeling in The Ghost Town when I carried that thing on my back."

He pointed to the Ghost Incinerator Deluxe.

King Silus looked down at his wounded hand, "Maqsedeth told you," he said quietly, "didn't he?"

Samson nodded, "I was suspicious about a serious malfunction that involved that thing years and years ago," he said. "I just never thought that it would be as serious as the Accident of '01. Why let me use that machine when you knew the consequences? Answer me!"

King Silus sighed, "Because you were Maqsedeth's son," he said, "I knew that machine wouldn't harm you. It would mistake you to be its master. That's why."

Samson sighed and shook his head, "I don't know if I could trust you, anymore," he said.

King Silus scoffed, "You didn't trust me in the first place," he said.

Samson turned to him, "Do you see why now?" he asked.

The king cleared his throat, "I need that sword back," he said.

Samson shook his head, "I don't think so," he said. "Because I don't trust your judgment, I don't think you deserve to house these two items of power in the Sunflower Palace's vaults. I'm taking these back with me for safe keeping."

King Silus glared at him, "You have no authority to determine what I can and cannot keep in my vaults," he said, advancing towards him, "I am the king!"

Samson raised his sword to strike, "If you take one more step towards me, I can end your term just as easily as it started," he said. "The Ghost Incinerator Deluxe is yours to keep. My father gave it to you. It's yours, but this sword and its corresponding necklace he didn't give to you. You stole it, so therefore it is not rightfully yours. Just because you're king doesn't mean you can bully people into letting you have your way all of the time. I'm taking these with me." He released his magical hold on the door and departed from the king.

The king yelled to his servants, "Stop him!"

Samson made it to the cabin where he and Maqsedeth were staying only to find Maqsedeth packing. "I don't think we are safe here anymore, son," he said. "Let's go home."

Samson nodded, "Yes, Father," he said. "Let's go."

When Samson and Maqsedeth got ready to depart, they were met by some of the king's forces. "Halt," one of them said.

Maqsedeth turned to Samson, "What is this, son?" he asked.

Samson sighed, "I'll explain later," he said as he gripped his hand. Before Maqsedeth could shoot another question at him, they found themselves back at the village Fruits and Berries on their front porch.

Maqsedeth dragged Samson inside and shut the door. "Samson," he urged, "Tell me what did you do to upset the king?"

Samson sighed and explained everything that occurred during his meeting with the king. There was dead silence as Maqsedeth looked at Samson horrified."You do understand now that the king will be your enemy forever, right?" he asked, "Because you did this, the king will not rest until you're dead."

Samson sighed, "Don't worry, Father," he said, studying the sword he held in his hand, "the king can't harm me."

Maqsedeth placed his hands on Samson's shoulders, "Do not underestimate him, son," he warned. "He's more powerful than you think."

Samson looked Maqsedeth in his eyes and for the first time, Maqsedeth saw a dangerous fire flash through them. One second it wasn’t there, and the next it was. Samson held his gaze, “So am I,” he replied.

Author's Note

The Ghost Town is also available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Lulu.com; Congratulations, you've completed the book! Please leave a review :)