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The screwdrivers slipped into the holes and slotted into the screw. Crystal twisted and turned them, releasing the lock. The shed door swung open. Inside, the water valve and filtration system were starting to hiss. Dials were ticking in the red, and Crystal leaped forward with the tools. She twisted levels and turned taps. Slowly, the grumbling machine calmed itself back down again, and Crystal was in a heap next to it.

“Golly,” she said. “A few more minutes and this whole place would have erupted.”

“With the strawberry jam-infused water?” Rammi asked. “Well, that sounds disgusting, but it’s not the end of the world.”

There was a huge roar and Dave and Rammi looked up. A giant green dragon with dark pink wings circled above.

“That’s Phil,” Crystal said, getting up. “He normally doesn’t bother me, but ever since the water became contaminated with strawberry jam, he’s been circling. He has a thing for jam.”

“Would that have been the end of the world?” Rammi asked.

“No. But it would have been the end of me. Phil ate the previous owners of this farm because they made jam. When I came, I put all the jam in the bunkers, and since then, Phil’s left me alone. But with the contaminated water… Well. Let’s just say, I’m real happy that this whole fiasco is over. If you had been around when those pipes burst, and Phil came down, he might have ended up eating you as well, and that is paperwork I really don’t want to deal with.”

“I guess this is a dead end then,” Dave said, looking at Rammi.

“What do you boys mean?” Crystal said. “I mean, that was a pretty big thing we dodged there.”

“Yes, for us, but the town would have been fine if the dragon ate us. We need to still find the big event,” Rammi said. “I guess we should head back to the city and meet Lydia and Bill at the cafe. Maybe they had a better afternoon than us.”

“Who is Lydia and Bill?” Crystal asked.

“Bill is a gardener, and Lydia is… Um… Well, she knows a lot. About people.” Dave answered.

Crystal looked at them. “A chef, a town crier, an accountant and a gardener, are the ones chosen to save the world?”

She muttered under her breath as she picked up her tools.

“I’m coming with you,” she said. “If the end is coming, you are going to need an engineer. A real one. Someone with tools to fix things and that knows how to solve problems.”

Rammi looked at Dave and they shrugged.

“I mean, you can,” Dave said. “You don’t have to…”

“Nope,” she said. “Where’s your flying car? I’m driving.”

Crystal stormed off.

“Bye guys!” a voice sounded out from the boot of a nearby tractor.

Dave and Rammi looked at each other.

“Shall we…”

“We shall.”

And the both of them quickly followed after Crystal to get back to the cafe.

“Wait,” said Dave.