This Isn't A Game Anymore (VenturianTale fan fiction)

Chapter 34- We Will See You Next Time

"Pull!"

"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING?!"

"Pull harder, then!"

Isaac heaved, clutching the tongue appendage in his hands and pulling as hard as he could. Everyone stood in front of him, stepping back to heave Johnny Ghost out of the water. It looked sort of like human ice fishing. Isaac would have made a comment about it, had it not been for the current situation.

"I see him!" Called Toast, who was at the front. "He's almost up! One more yank!"

"You are aware that this is actually a part of me and it hurts when you pull like that!" Isaac pointed out.

Toast ignored him, sticking his hands into the water. "I'VE GOT HIM!" He pulled up the sopping wet, shivering form of Ghost onto the ice.

"Sir, wake up... Please!" He pleaded, shaking his shoulder vehemently.

Ghost opened his eyes, coughing up water onto the ice. "T-Toast-" He spluttered.

Toast hugged him. "Sir, don't ever scare me like that again."

Ghost feverishly pushed him off, eyes wide with panic. "Wait! W-we have to go back for him!"

Toast's face twisted into a question mark. "Who?"

"We have t-to go back!" He repeated insistently. "We have to g-get him!"

"Who? Casket?" Toast frowned, trying to calm him down. "Why would you want to-"

"BECAUSE HE'S MY BROTHER!"

A hush fell over the six of them.

Toast stood up, calmly extending a hand for Ghost to take. Ghost took it, standing up and trying to take a step. Toast caught him, and Jordan came to take his other arm.

"I believe," Said Toast. "That we have a lot to catch up on."

***

"And I guess those hauntings were an attempting at taunting me," Ghost went on, adjusting his blanket and taking a sip of Toast's tea. He glanced down at the mug in his hands. "What kind of tea is this?"

"Homemade black, Sir." Toast said proudly. "My aunt's recipe. Thought I'd give it a go."

"Hmm." Ghost set the mug aside. "Tell your aunt the next time you see her that her tea is terrible."

Toast opened his mouth as everyone started laughing, but he eventually joined in. Flames crackled in the fire pit in front of them, abandoned hot dog sticks littering the grass of the backyard. The moon hung low in the sky, the stars twinkling in the velvet night.

"I... Will be sure to do that." Toast grinned, setting aside his own tea. He turned to the smiling siblings, who were finishing up their hot dogs. "So... Are you all ready to put an end to your adventure?"

They shared glances before nodding. "I think we're ready to head home." Jordan told him.

Toast and Ghost stood up. Ghost outstretched his arms, yawning. "Well, let's go overload the universe, then." There was a series of chuckles as everyone followed Ghost into the basement. Both of the Johnnies took to the machinery, fiddling with various devices and typing madly on the keyboards attached with thick cables and wires to huge monitors. There was the sound of electricity crackling through the musty air as a thin circle appeared in the middle of the room. An electrified membrane connected them, lighting lashing out every now and again.

"We can't hold it for long," Said Ghost. "So I guess this is goodbye! And... Thank you."

Toast nodded. "We hope to see you again!"

"There's always a next time," Jordan said with a faint smile. 

Cierra saluted Toast. "See you soon, you jolly ol' brit!"

Bethany laughed. "Thanks for the crowbar, by the way!"

"I'm a zombie!" Said Isaac simply, for lack of anything else to note.

The four siblings held hands, turning their back on the world they'd only just found and braced themselves. With a single leap, they'd jumped back into their own. They'd made it, against all odds. And everyone knew that when and if they returned, there was so much more to discover.

Hey, they were VenturianTale. They'd find adventure somewhere! 

So why not start with home?

***

"Honestly, you four!" Came their mom's sleepy voice from the doorway. "It's midnight! I've only left you for three hours and you've already managed to make a mess."

Jordan opened his eyes, quickly adjusting to the light in his bedroom. He sat up from the floor in front of the shattered computer, surrounded by broken glass and his siblings. "Hi mom!" He said. "I don't think any of us have ever been this glad to see you."

Paula raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. Would any of you loving children care to explain why on earth you broke a computer that I'm pretty sure wasn't here this morning in the middle of the night?"

Isaac shrugged. "Uh..."

Neither Cierra nor Bethany offered an answer.

"Well..." Jordan chuckled. "It certainly is a tale worth telling..."

The End