A Scripta

Duncan Idaho stirred his coffee absently while sitting in the base, staring at the wall. He thought he could things flicker in the wall, like the fire surrounding Masonry. He turned to the laptop beside him, brushed his hand along the touchpad and looked again at the entry.

"Purgatory: believed by Western Catholics to be a place of purification, usually symbolized by the soul encased in purifying fire..."

There was a light thud of a coffee cup across from him. He looked across the table to see a very exhausted Suicidal Wombat, called Womby.

"Got no sleep?" Idaho asked, slowly closing the laptop.

Womby sighed, raised his coffee cup. "Time travel'll do it to ya."

"Yeah."

"When're you goin' to Oz?"

"I don't know if I'm going to bother going."

"Why not?"

"The reason why I wanted to go isn't good enough anymore."

"To save your girlfriend?"

"No. To save Masonry."

Womby sipped his coffee cup in silence. "You gotta let 'im go, mate."

"You didn't see his face."

"Whazzit?" He focused on Idaho.

"His eyes...blazing - angry - full of hate."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, here . . . where'd you see'im?"

"Star brought me to see him. And Mr. Frost. And he was - he was so evil! The things he said. He threatened us." Idaho focused on Womby. "His face, Womby, I can't get it out of my mind."

"You will." Again, Womby sipped his coffee and his concentration slipped out into the distance.

Idaho said, "I want to see him again."

"Ya think that's wise?"

"I don't know, but I feel this pull... maybe if I talk to him."

Womby shook his head. "Ya said Frosty was there? If he can't talk t'im, nobody can't. They loved each other, mate."

"He didn't."

"Who didn't?"

"Masonry didn't. He didn't love anyone, I don't think."

Womby set the coffee cup down and stared at him. "Then why d'ya wanna talk t'im? He don't care. Ya can't change a ghost if it's hauntin' some'in."

"What?"

"I said, 'Ya can't change a ghost.' You can appease it."

"It must want someone to do something."

"Or is angry at someone for doin' something."

Idaho looked down at the cup. "Star."

"Hm, maybe. But you go there an' he says 'Kill Star,' ya gonna do it?"

"No," Idaho answered quickly. "Then that starts the revenge spiral."

"Uh huh." Womby got up. "Lis'n. I ain' tellin' ya how ta feel. But I wouldn't do it, mate. He's beyond redemption." He started to walk away, then turned back. "He committed a few mortal sins. Even God don' forgive that." He pointed to the notebook. "He's in hell, mate. Accept it."