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--1st Anniversary Special (day 3/7, page 4/4)--
Flashlight in hand, Hector eyed the blockage and scratched his head. The rocks at the top were bigger than he was, bigger than his motorcycle, even. “Why wasn’t this ever cleared away?” he asked.

Madame Carthrace was the one to answer. “From what I have read, there simply was not enough interest in doing so. Warrenhold isn’t famous enough to be very attractive to tourists, and no one has lived there for nearly forty years. Only historians have ever broached the subject of reopening it, but they have never been able to secure funding.”

“I hear it’s an eyesore,” his mother added.

“Yes, I have heard that as well,” said Amelia. “The surface is supposedly a ruin, but the vast majority of the castle is underground. No one has visited since the earthquake, however, so we may come to find that in ruins, also.”

“Great,” said Mrs. Goffe. “Is it haunted, too? Because that would just be icing on the cake.”

Amelia bobbed her head. “There are certain rumors about it.”

“Wonderful.”

“I would not worry about it very much,” said Madame Carthrace. “Any old house that has fallen into disrepair will be seen as an ill omen by some people. Superstitious nonsense, it is.”

‘I like this lady,’ said Garovel.

Hector sensed irony in there somewhere but decided to ignore it. He stretched his arms as he eyed the boulders again, considering how he should approach the problem. Garovel grabbed his shoulder and sent the rush of vigor through his body. Hector wasn’t sure he would need it, though, and simply pressed his hands against the cracked pavement.

Iron grew at the base of the rock wall, weaving through the tiny cracks in its haphazard foundation. He added onto it from the bottom, creating a platform that lifted the whole wall. The weight of the rocks resisted him, demanding much more concentration than any simple platform he’d ever created. He forced it up, and suddenly, one of the giant rocks at the top jostled free and fell toward him.

Hector caught it with both hands, further cracking the pavement beneath his feet. He threw the boulder to the other side of the road, away from everyone. But his aim wasn’t so great. The rock hit a large tree, bounced off, and crushed his motorcycle.

He stared at his work. ‘...Did that really just happen?’

‘It sure did. Good job.’