Page 16 of A Midlife Vanishing Trick

Then Danny burst out laughing. “Now, that’s one excuse I’ve never heard. It’s even better than when I told my buddy Garrick I’d come down with pneumonia just to get out of game night six years ago.” He clapped Stanley on the shoulder. “Although I’m assuming you needed to get away from someone else ...”

He stared pointedly at Stanley in the mirror. It took Stanley a second to realize what the barber was implying. He shot him an affronted look. “I wasn’t trying to get away from my wife.”

“Sure, you were just taking a break, huh?” The man chuckled. “Four years is a hell of a long time for a break, though, if you ask me.”

Before Stanley could respond, the barber raised a pair of scissors and began snipping away. Stanley watched the hair fall to the floor, feeling somewhat like he was losing a part of himself.

He glanced momentarily outside the barber shop. Through the large window, he could make out the red-and-white barber pole. Beyond it, people were walking along the street or in their vehicles.

A thought occurred to him then. If he had more information on Johan, it could come in handy. “Hey, Danny,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Any strange sightings around town lately?”

Through the mirror, he saw Danny’s brows furrow. “How strange are we talking?”

Stanley shrugged and said, “Like anything out of the ordinary. Any strangers?”

“Oh, you mean the weirdo,” Danny said and smirked. “He’s no stranger than you if you ask me. I heard he’s been poking around town, but that’s all I know. That’s probably all anyone knows. He lifted a curious eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

Stanley shook his head and said, “Just wondering.”

***

Once Danny’s haircut was finished, Stanley left the barber shop and headed home, admittedly feeling more confident because of his new look. He looked the town over as he walked, mainly because he wanted to sightsee but also because his driving skills were not yet up to par.

Maybe he should’ve ridden into town on a horse instead. His inner snow leopard was pleased to be able to ride across the ranch. It was so freeing, but the thought of racing through these streets on all fours as a snow leopard, exploring the town with heightened senses, was truly exciting.

On Frost Mountain, he’d shifted whenever and wherever he wished, without fear of repercussion. But he was on Earth now, where revealing his true nature around humans wouldn’t end well for him or other supernaturals.

The town seemed mostly quiet this afternoon, he noticed as he crossed the street. There were a few pedestrians around, but no one he recognized. A few people stared a little too long as he passed them. On his way to the barbershop, flickering neon signs blinked at him from vacant store windows. Aaron and Julian were right. This place was slowly turning into a ghost town.

He glanced to his left as a car rolled past a red light and into the next street. He smiled. It felt good to be back despite his present circumstances. He’d missed this town.

At first, before he realized how Frost Mountain worked, he’d struggled to get to the bottom of it and get help to return home. After months of traveling and making zero progress, he’d given that up and focused solely on his survival.

Now that he was back home, he no longer had to worry so much about surviving. There were no harsh conditions or hunters or monsters he needed to look out for. There was no need to look over his shoulder. Torpe might be slowly dying, but at least there was safety in that process. Stanley appreciated that.

This was just an ordinary town with ordinary people. Well, not all were ordinary, some, like him, were supernaturals. But otherwise, it was as ordinary as a town could get.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a neon sign that made him pause in his tracks.The Blue Cicada, the sign read. He stared at it a moment and thought about walking over for a drink or two. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d tasted alcohol. But then he thought better of it.

Next time, he thought, as he rounded the bend into the next street.

He continued walking, so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the man walking next to him until he bumped into him, nearly sending him sprawling to the ground.

Stanley cursed under his breath. “I’m so sorry, sir. I wasn’t really paying attention to ...”

He trailed off, staring at the man who had quickly regained his balance and was now staring back at him with wide grey eyes. The man’s red beard twitched. He’d changed out of his fur garments and was wearing clothes he’d probably stolen from someone’s backyard or had threatened the owner: a hoodie over black sweatpants and sneakers that looked too small for him.

It was exactly the sort of thing a Collector would do.

“You,” Johan said, his eyes narrowing. “I knew you had to be around here somewhere.”

“I heard you were in town,” Stanley said, bracing for an attack. “You don’t blend in well. Then again, it took me a while to do that on Frost Mountain.”

Johan’s beard twitched again, and a growl rose in his throat. “You brought me here. I would still be on Frost Mountain if you hadn’t grabbed me.”

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