Vincas Come Home

Seventeen years after Vincas The Magician's disappearance Boleslaw sets out on a mission to find him.

Chapter 1
Boleslaw looked at the red brick building in front of him. The green awning cast a small shadow over the large window, beside it was a small door colored the same green. The smaller windows on the second floor were all blocked by concealing red drapes. In the doorway stood a yellow penguin in a blue dress and grey jacket, she had on blue earmuffs and was sweeping; she looked like a Mwa Mwa Penguin.

Boleslaw reread the note card in his blubbery flipper and checked the address on the door. Sure enough, he had the correct building. He smiled and walked to the door, the penguin who had been sweeping moved out of the way for him.

"Hello, how are you?" He asked, unannoyed by the Mwa Mwa Penguin's general existence.

"Wello, Mista." It squeaked. "My name is Sweetiecakes. How awe woo?"

"Well, aren't you the cutest?" He chuckled and pulled a lollipop out of his pocket and handed it to her. She giggled and thanked him went back to sweeping. Boleslaw walked inside, his blubbery rolls were caressed by the unyielding door frame as he entered.

Inside the walls were lined with jugs of all sorts of spices and dried materials. There were several isles of baskets of strange and unrecognizable produce and dried sea creatures. Towards the left of the room were giant sacks of spices, in the back was a wall to wall ice box, right in front of it was a staircase fixed to the wall leading up. From where he was, Boleslaw could barely see a door right next to the foot of the stairs. To the right was the checkout counter, behind it was shelves of rather old looking stationery: yellowed parchment paper, fountain pens, small bottles of ink, envelopes, and blocks of wax of all sorts of color.

Just beside the counter was an assortment of exotic flowers, another yellow penguin, definitely another Mwa Mwa, was arranging some in a metal vase next to a rather antique looking cash register.

"Excuse me," Boleslaw said politely. "Where might I find someone named Ukuroa Balangurrk?" As soon as the words left his mouth a door slammed open.

Chapter 2
A green penguin wearing gypsy-esque clothes came thudding down the stairs, she looked angry.

"Tamaiti, why is Muimui washing the window when I told you to do that?" She asked as she gestured to the small Mwa Mwa penguin sitting in the corner washing the window, she was so small Boleslaw had not noticed her.

"Eyes well up with diamond tears." The penguin at the counter said, despite her eyes not welling up with diamond tears, or even tears in general.

"Aw look, you've made her cry." Boleslaw said compassionately. Ukuroa gave him a look of disgust and confusion. He watched as the pink ear muffed penguin begrudgingly took the rag from the penguin on the ground a pushed her aside, all with a sweet smile on her face. Ukuroa sent Muimui off to dust before turning to Boleslaw.

"I know why you're here." Good lord, that was a heavy accent.

"Y-you do?"

"Yes," She said as she grabbed a small glass jar and a brown paper bag, they must have been somewhere below the counter, and walked out. She first went to the plethora of dried sea creatures and grabbed something that looked like a bumpy peice of grey brown wood with a pair of tongs, she dropped it into a bag before going to the sacks of spices, scooping a bright orange powder into the jar.

She came back and handed him the two items. "Cut the dried sea cucumber into eight pieces, as equal as possible, then boil one piece with a scoop of turmeric in a kettle. Once it is boiling pour it into a bath tub already filled with water and then soak in it for twenty minutes do this for every night until you run out of sea cucumber and the fat will come oozing off."

"What? I'm not here about that!" She stared at him for a moment before shouting.

"Tatarahapa!" Sweetiecakes came forward, broom still in her hand and the stick of the lollipop poking out of her mouth. "Sea cucumber and turmeric, put them back." She said handing her the jar and bag. "Keep the containers." The penguin nodded and walked off.

"Now, what are you here for?"

Chapter 3
“Have you heard of a magician called Vincas the Great?”

“I don’t follow fake magic users.”

“Oh no! Vincas was legitimate. But now he’s missing and I was hoping that you could find him.” Ukuroa rolled her eyes.

“I need something of his first and formo-” She was cut of by Boleslaw whipping out a lock of hair from the breast pocket on his XXXL vest.

“A lock of Vincas’ hair. I normally keep underneath my pillow but I brought it just in case!” The shaman looked visibly perturbed.

“Okay?” As she said this she took a small towel and used it to grab the hair. “Good. But I cannot do this for free, and for these kinds of services I do not accept cash payment.”

“Might I make a loan? Vincas has a whole shelf of magical relics! I’m sure that he will be so grateful of you for finding him that he will let you take whatever you want from it.” Ukuroa thought about it for a moment.

“What kind of things do he have?”

“Well, there was a can that said liquid evil on it and he has a bottle of my tears there too.”

“Yes, I suppose that will be adequate.” She looked out at the three small penguins and began yelling. “Close up shop, put away your tools, and go to the room!” She then turned back to Boleslaw.

Boleslaw watched the three quickly put away their things, Sweetiecakes locked the door and turned the sign around.

“Follow me.”

Chapter 4
Ukuroa led Boleslaw to the door behind the stairs, the three small penguins following behind them. The witchdoctor took out a ring of keys and unlocked the door, holding it open until everyone passed through, a challenge for Boleslaw. Finally Ukuroa herself entered and locked the door behind them.

They were standing in front of a flight of stairs spiraling downwards, everything; the walls, the ceiling, the stairs was made of cement. They descended down to a hallway with many doors, the first one Ukuroa unlocked, revealing a prison cell of sorts and the Mwa Mwa Penguins piled into it with the witch locking them inside.

"Ignore that, now we can get to work." She explained and led him further down the hall. They passed by several uniformed doors with nothing to explain what lied behind them (though there was a desperate thumping coming from one, Boleslaw gulped). Finally they stopped at a door and Ukuroa led him into a room completely empty save for a cabinet, a sink, and a cauldron.

"Help me and fill the pot with water." Boleslaw complied and lifted the heavy thing to the sink while Ukuroa shifted through the cabinet. He grunted as he carried it back to the stand and rubbed his aching back in pain. Despite only having walked three feet, Boleslaw was panting like he was running a marathon.

Quickly she light a fire under the cauldron and began tossing spices and powders into it, Ukuroa then opened a jar and took out a dead frog, it had been frozen but had just begun to thaw out and the smell of formaldehyde made him retch. She dumped the frog in and the liquid turned a sickly green, finally she took Vincas' lock of hair and drop it into the stew. There was a puff of black smoke and the liquid turned orange and took on a very gelatinous texture.

"Is this going to bring him back?"

"No, it will just help us find him."

"Well, where is he then?"