"Chapter 7 - "The Ringing of the Bell"" " What are we doing?" " We're walking, Greg." " But where?" " A place to wait out this rain." "Oh." "But... shouldn't we wait for Beatrice?" "I don't need Beatrice." " I-I'll figure this out on my own." " Oh, that's good." "I'm glad you have a plan." " Hey, Wirt?" " What?" "So, what's the plan?" "'Cause you're not saying any" " details, so it's hard for me ..." " Greg, I do have a plan." "And if you don't trust me, then you don't have to follow me, okay?" "If you want to go look for" "Beatrice, go ahead." "You can do anything you want." "Anything?" "That's a lot of power." "Wirt!" "Oh, no!" "Did I knock down that tree with my powers?" "Sorry." "Are you okay?" "Yeah." "That tree just came at me out of nowhere." "Greg, look ... ax marks." " Someone chopped it down." " Indeed." "It was I." "Ohh!" "Stop!" "Listen!" "The beast knows your presence!" "Ready to claim you as part of his dark forest, but only if you give up!" "Keep hearty in both body and spirit and you shall be safe from him." "Fall ill or lose hope and your life shall pass into his crooked hands." "Children!" "Please, heed my warning!" "Boys, beware the beast!" " Woodsman." " Huh?" "We should talk." " I think we lost him." " Ha ha!" "You got him with the" " old kickeroo!" " See?" "I got it under control." "I don't need Beatrice." "Now, to find someplace" " to wait out this rain..." " As long as it's not that old," " broken-down ..." " Whoa." "Shh!" "It's perfect!" "Come on, Greg!" "Uh, Wirt..." "ain't that just the way?" "This place isn't so bad." " Huh?" " Maybe." "* dum dum-dum dum-dum dum dum *" " Get that frog out of your pants." " He can do what he wants." "Hey, what's in these old baskets?" "Whoa!" " What?" " We're rich!" " What?" " Look!" "It's full of black turtles!" "We're turtle rich!" "You know, it's kind of funny, finding a basket of turtles in" " an abandoned house, huh?" " Yeah." "Greg, not that kind of funny." " Huh?" "Oh." " Auntie?" "Auntie, I finished sorting ..." "Who are you?" "!" " We're burglars!" " No, no." "No, no." "We're ... we're not." "We just needed to get out of the rain, and we thought this place was abandoned, so we ..." "So we came here to burgle your turts." " No, it's not true." " It is true!" "Oh, okay." "I give up." " Ha!" "See?" " I believe you, but, please hide yourselves at once." " Auntie Whispers is coming soon." " Uh, what?" "Hide, quickly!" "Welcome home, Auntie." "Lorna, my sweet child." " Hmm." "Has anyone come here today?" " Nay, auntie ... not a soul." "Then no one shall be devoured alive tonight?" " Nay, I pray not, mum." " Devoured alive?" "You're a good girl, Lorna, but you deceive me." "I speak the truth, Auntie." "I swear." "Deceive me not, child." "I can smell them." "I can smell the children" " in this house." " What?" "Children?" " I'm, like, in high school." " Yeah, well, you still stink." " Shh!" " You "shh."" "Tell me where you are hiding them, precious one." " I ..." " The ringing of the bell commands you." "Look..." "in the basket." "You have entered the house of doom, children ... your doom." "Oh." "My dear, why, all along, you meant it be the turtles that smell so ripe." "A-A-Aye." "That is what I meant." "Mm." "Then you have no evil secrets to keep?" " Nay." "I have none." " Then off to bed go I, and you, Lorna ... you shall sort the bones of those who" " have been eaten here before." " I have finished already." "Then clean this floor until it shines." "The ringing of the bell commands you." "Yes, Auntie Whispers." "You know I do this for you, child." "Keeping you busy is the only way to keep evil spirits from" " driving you to wickedness." " Do not worry," "Auntie Whispers." "The work shall keep me busy." "Good night, my dear." "And dowse that fire." "I did not ask you to light it." "Come out, my turtles." "She sleeps." " You sure?" " Aye." "Uh, are you all right?" " You've been coughing a lot." " It's my illness." "It's the reason Auntie Whispers is so hard on me." "Gosh!" "That lady is so bad." "You should go see a doctor." "Auntie does not allow visitors here." "She believes outsiders will lead me to become wicked." "Yeah." "See?" "That's superweird." "I don't mean to insult your family, but ..." " Oh, she's not my real aunt." " Oh, my gosh." "See?" "!" "Hey, where'd Dr. Cucumber go?" " Hey, I'm gonna get you!" " So, you got to keep sweeping" " till you're done?" " Mm-hmm." "The work never ends." "By the time this task is complete, she will return and order me to a new task," " and so it goes." " If I help and we get the work" " done fast, maybe you can..." " Escape?" "With you?" " Yeah." " Can we escape with you, too?" " Greg..." " Hmm." "Yes." "Perhaps this ... this time it could be different." "Here." " Uh, I'll take that side." " Mm, something weird is going on." "Where are you going?" "* Here we are *" " # two of us, like ships # - # like ships # * upon a winding river *" " # and yet # - # and yet # * somehow we found each other * * like strangers, you and I *" "Hey!" "You can run and you can hide!" "Paging Dr. Cucumber!" "You're needed in the operating ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-om!" "Well, looks pretty good." "I think we're done." " Why have you come here?" " Oops!" "You shan't remain alive for long in this house." "I'm warning you, children ... keep away from my Lorna, or you shall be hastily gobbled up!" "We ... we don't want no trouble, lady." "Let's just talk it out." "I'm Wirt." " Lorna, come here." " Uh... uh..." "The ringing of the bell comman... uh, where ..." "Did I put the bell on my nightstand?" " Follow me." " Noooooooo!" "Come out before it is too late." "Unlock this door." " She will devour you." " What is she talking about?" " More bones to sort." " No!" "I told you boys to stay away from her, but now you've gone" " and made her wicked again." " Oh-ho!" "For some reason, I thought that old lady was the people-eater, but it was Lorna all along." "It just goes to show you stuff." "Now I have a plan that'll ..." "Ugh!" " Your plan was better." " I'm sorry, my turtles but I must feed!" " Greg!" " Let's try my plan now." "The ringing of the bell commands you." "What the ..." "Oh." "He ate the witch's magic bell when we were ..." " Fine!" "Do something." " Oh." "I command you to..." " The spirit compels me." " ...transform into" " a magical tiger." " The ringing ... the ringing of the bell commands you!" "Stop making Lorna do bad stuff, spirit!" "And also go away and don't come back." "Lorna!" "Lorna!" "Wirt, look!" "Lorna!" " Wirt, you saved me." " Lorna?" "Lorna?" " Oh, my Lorna." " Auntie Whispers!" "I thought they'd stolen you away." "No, Auntie." "They saved me." "They banished the evil spirit" " with the power of the bell!" " You can have it back after" " Greg Jr. goes to the bathroom." " Oh, Lorna..." " that's wonderful, dear." " Auntie Whispers, what's wrong?" "Well, now that you're cured, you won't be needing old Auntie Whispers any more" " to look after you." " Oh, Auntie, no." " Ohh." " I would never leave you." " You are my family." " Ah." "Ohh." " Thank you so much, Wirt." " And a bit of advice ... beware of my sister, Adelaide." "She lives in the pasture." " She must not be trusted." " Perhaps I'll see you again someday." "I hope so." "Smell you later." "Wow, Wirt!" " You saved the day twice today!" " Yeah, I guess." "But so what?" "We're still not any closer to getting home." "I just don't know what I'm doing out here anymore." "I don't know if we'll ever" " get back home." " Sure, we will!" "What can stop us?" "You got a plan, remember?" " I lied." " Aw, come on." "Let's go, captain!" "Lead the way!" "You can do it!" "Yes." "Yes." "All hope will soon be lost." "We're lucky the boy had the pluck to best you." "Your play could have cost us both." "Don't you care about keeping the lantern lit?" "Don't you care about your daughter's soul?" "One cannot trade the souls of children as if they were tokens!" "There has to be another way." "No." "There is only me." "There is only my way." "There is only the forest, and there is only surrender."