Princess Iba Algi - We Saved The Boys Locker Room

"We saved the boys locker room!" said Harlecuin Sols. "Where should we go now?"

"Countess Niwa isn't here," observed Iba Algi. "Where do you think she might be, Nin?"

"There are plenty of places that she might be," said Nin. "I've looked in so many. But the deep basement is scary. I don't like to go down there. If Countess Niwa is in the deep basement, I'm afraid I'll never find her. That would be terrible, Iba Algi! Countess Niwa has been alone all this time."

Mr. Featherpuff twirled around and chirped.

"Mr. Featherpuff thinks Countess Niwa is under the roof," said Iba Algi.

"Really?" asked Nin. "I've never really been up to the roof. My mom didn't like me climbing up ladders. She didn't even like it when I hung my legs through the little posts on the balcony."

Taking hold of Nin's hand, Iba Algi floated toward the roof. And then sideways. Then down a little bit. And over. She reached into the gap between a support beam and the roof pediment's masonry. After feeling around for a little while, Iba Algi pulled out a bundle of fabric. Nin and Harlecuin Sols leaned close and watched Iba Algi unwrap the fabric. Inside was a beautiful antique doll made of cloth and polished wood.

"Countess Niwa!" cried Nin, elated. "I've been looking for so long, Iba Algi, and you found her right away! Thank you so much!"

Nin became a bubble of happy tears.

"But I wonder how Countess Niwa got up here," she said. "Oh, I know! It was Hoan! He…."

Nin's happy tears became sad.

"He's dead, Iba Algi!" she said. "We're all dead. We just can't leave. We didn't do anything wrong! Honest! Why did those mean people kill everybody? There was no reason to kill everybody! I never hurt anybody, Iba Algi! Why did I have to get hit with a sword? That wasn't very nice."

Iba Algi yaned Nin into a hug. Harlecuin Sols hugged them both.

"Is Hoan still here?" Iba Algi asked when the crying became softer.

Nin shook her head.

"He was always playing tricks on me," she said. "And then, after this happened, he started playing tricks that hurt people who weren't dead yet. When the Ogre Queen showed up, Hoan wasn't afraid of her. He was pretty good at avoiding the ghost wires, but then she sent him away. She sent the meanest ghosts away and they never came back. Hoan just wanted to be a hero. He tried so hard to save us from the mean people. Maybe that made him kind of mean…."

Nin sniffled.

"Hoan was a hero," said Iba Algi.

"He was?" asked Nin hopefully. "Do you really think so, Iba Algi?"

"I do," said Iba Algi. "He saved Countess Niwa."

"That's right!" said Harlecuin Sols. "He saved Countess Niwa!"

Nin's eyes got so big, they were almost bigger than her. The crying started all over again. But this time, each tear sparkled with something like hope.

Nin hugged Countess Niwa and twisted from side to side.

"Hoan really was a hero, Countess Niwa," she said. "He tried so hard!"

"If you forgive him for being mean to you," said Iba Algi, "that will help a lot."

"Will it?" asked Nin. "It's not too late?"

"It's not too late," insisted Iba Algi. "If you tell Hoan you forgive him, maybe he can come back for a little while."

"Really?" asked Nin.

Iba Algi insisted it was true. Harlecuin Sols concurred. Timidly at first, then with conviction, Nin held Countess Niwa, bowed, and told Hoan that she forgave him – and that the Countess thanked him. Iba Alig hugged Nin from one side. Harlecuin Sols hugged them both. Several quiet moments passed.

A rip in the fabric of reality tore open.

Terrifying arms shot out and tried to close the tear. Nin would have run away, but she felt protected by her new friends. The ghostly body of a boy fell through the rip in reality and lay on the mansion's rafters. He was older, maybe fourteen – and in bad shape. Bruised, battered, and burned, he had filthy hair and a terrible stench. It was much worse than the ordinary stench of just being a boy.

"Hoan!" cried Nin.

She rushed forward, put herself between Hoan and the hands trying to drag him back through reality, and told them to leave her brother alone. Harlecuin Sols stomped a cute foot. The arms retreated – pulling the crack in reality shut behind them. Hoan rolled onto his back and struggled to open his eyes. Nin knelt beside his head.

"Nin?" said Hoan. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them. I tried. I stopped a lot…"

Nin hugged him ferociously.

"Thank you, Hoan," said Nin. "You're my hero."

"Silly girl," said Hoan sadly. "I've never been a hero."

Nin held out her doll. Hoan's eyes tried to focus on it.

"You saved Countess Niwa," said Nin.

"Silly girl," repeated Hoan. "I'm not sure that counts."

"It counts for me," said Nin.

Iba Algi insisted it counted for her too. Harlecuin Sols agreed. Hoan closed his eyes.

"Goodbye, Nin," he said. "I'm glad I could be your hero."

"Goodbye, Hoan," said Nin.

Hoan's body grew dull and claylike, then collapsed into dust. For a few moments, he was a sad, strange blotch of grey on ceiling boards and rafters.

His dust lifted into the air, sparkled – and vanished.

"Did we help him?" asked Nin. "I hope we helped him."

"We did," said Iba Algi.

"Thank you, Iba Algi," said Nin. "Thank you, Harlecuin Sols! Hoan was so much stronger than me, I could never help him before. Maybe he wasn't always as nice as I would have liked, but I know he tried to stop the ones who came here to hurt everybody. He tried really hard. And it was true that he stopped a lot of them."

"He has a strong soul," said Iba Algi. "Strength is a curse for people who can't use it well. Hoan used his strength to build a prison for himself. He forgot why he should fight, so he kept fighting for no reason. But you changed what happened. That lifted the curse."

"Me?" asked Nin.

"Now Hoan has saved Countess Niwa," said Iba Algi, "and became a hero."

"A real hero!" agreed Nin enthusiastically.

 "Your brother's destiny has restarted," said Iba Algi. "He has a chance to do better next time. Maybe he will even become a handsome monk for Jian Peak Abbey."

Nin giggled.

"I hope so!" she said.