" This is an adventure tour, isn ' t it?" the demon asked, unmoved by threats. " If you want adventure, you must join my tour!"
He proceeded to hand us all business cards. It seemed, from reading the words on the card stock, that he was starting his own monster hunting tour here in America. I lifted my chin, glaring at him. I had had enough of monsters telling me what to do. " No thank you. I would prefer to perish."
Mrs. Bamfield clutched my arm in a resolute manner.
" I must emphatically assure you I am in no way bluffing. I will shoot you," Captain Hammerhorn said.
" Well, all right then," the demon replied, annoyed. " I guess I have some divorce papers in the back somewhere. All right. Just wait right here." Ahrimanes shut the door. After some time, and much rustling and banging within, the doors opened once more. The demon presented some divorce papers to Brunhilde, and they both signed them on Hammerhorn ' s back.
" Ha! Ha!" cried the demon. " I have haunted your dreams long enough to learn all the routes around the globe which feature the most desirable locations for monster hunting! And now, Brunhilde, you will forever be disgraced to live life as a divorcée!"
And with that, the demon began cackling maniacally and disappeared into a burst of flames, smoke and business cards.
We left the troll and the wagon with Ahrimanes, who, for some reason, crawled out of a trap door under the steps just a moment after his theatrics to pull the wagon into his carriage house.
Brunhilde is now free of the demon, and her spirits have lifted greatly.
The tour group awaits us in the bay, where I am told a gigantic mechanical island— speckled with the most delightful entertainments— will bear us across the Pacific Ocean and all the way to Asia!