Blog #6: Pink Lions

        Phoenix searched Mr. Evans old room, breaking in with lockpicking skills she’d learned outside the perasphere, for any clues to where Lyra had gone. She sent Elwood to search for other parts of the town Mr. Evans was known to frequent. After a fruitless and tedious combing of the dead man’s apartment, Phoenix hoped Elwood would come back with some clue. Instead, Elwood came back with a box.

            “What is that?”

            “A Japanese puzzle box.”

            “This is no time for puzzles!”

            Elwood put the box into his jacket pocket. He could always solve it later.

            “Maybe, we could check his mail? Lyra loved sending letters.”

            “We could ask Bea.”

            “Who’s Bea?”

            “She works in the mailroom. There’s a circus going on tomorrow, we could find her then and ask her.”

            “Excellent,”

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            Elwood entered the red and white tents after dark when the stars lit the clear sky. Despite the full moon, you could barely tell it was night at all. The explosions of light from circus games, string lights, and booths were brighter than daylight. It was all so wonderous and strange, the circus, the chaos, noise of crowds, wild animals, and carnival games. Elwood even spotted a pink lion among the animals, who seemed to be staring at him.

            They found Bea by the popcorn stand, scarfing down sea-salted kettle corn.

            “Excuse me, I was a friend of Mr. Evans. Is there any way I could get a look at his mailbox? I think it might help with the grieving process,” Phoenix said.

            “To look at his mail?” Bea said.

            Phoenix clenched her fists. This was her problem, never thinking things through. Before she could get another word in, Elwood pulled out his puzzle box.

            “Where did this box come from?” Elwood asked.

            “Oh, I uh, it was in a package originally sent by Mr. Evans, but it was returned. I thought if someone could open it, it might help us figure out why he died.”

            Elwood nodded, but Phoenix was infuriated.

            “So you have the right to go through his mail, and we don’t?” Phoenix said storming off.

            Elwood followed Phoenix as she left the circus, but not before looking back to see the strange pink lion who was staring at him so intently before. But as he stared into the cage there was no lion.

            And the door was wide open.