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Everything started out fairly normal. The American Museum of Natural History came to life as it had every night for the past 50 years. Far down in the hall of miniatures a– and he would argue this is highly incorrect– tiny cowboy awoke from his preset position. He moved around a bit to wake up his wax, now skin, limbs properly. Once he was all settled he made his way over to the neighboring Roman Diorama. Ever since the peace treaty between the two nations things had been going a lot smoother in the hall. Apart from the Mayans who Jedediah and Octavius still had yet to reach out to though that was next on their list of priorities.
“Jedediah!” A familiar voice called from the intersection of the Dioramas. Jed’s face broke into a delighted smile.
“Octavius! How ya doin’ bud?” As he neared the Roman Jed noticed a concerned expression on the general’s face.
“Something has gone terribly wrong,” Octavius grabbed Jed by the hand and hauled him through the seemingly empty city. Jed’s face now grew confused, the city was typically bustling with the sounds of street merchants and Roman civilians awaiting an order from Octavius but tonight there was nothing. Only the sound of the pair’s feet could be heard as they hit the marble beneath them.
The two only stopped when they’d reached a beautiful garden. Octavius had brought Jed here a couple of times though, again, there was typically a large hubbub from people walking through. The garden was still full, though now it was full of statues. Men and women alike, posed as though they were screaming. Some were in pairs, grabbing onto each other in fear. Jedediah could practically feel the terror radiating off of each one of them.
“What… Happened here?” It was all Jed could say as he looked around.
“I do not know, dear friend. That is what scares me the most. These are my people Jedediah, I am meant to save them but I cannot. I do not even know where to start,” Octavius wrung his hands together. He couldn’t even look Jedediah in the eye.
“I’m sure we’ll figure this out par’ner,” Jed put a comforting hand on Octavius’ shoulder. He moved his head to try and get Octavius to look at him but Octavius turned away. Jed moved his hand up to Octavius’ cheek and turned it so that they were making eye contact, “I promise you we’ll get them back.”
Octavius moved one of his own hands up and felt Jed’s hand on his face. They were rough, from a ‘life’ lived in the brilliant desert sun. His own hands were toughened up as well though they were more calloused from the years of sword training, “Yes… We must. Have you checked on your own citizens? In case something similar has happened to them?”
Jed looked slightly ashamed and took a moment before responding, “Well… No. I was so excited to see ya that I left as soon as I woke up.”
Octavius lightly pulled Jed’s hand off of his face and gripped it in his own hand, “Let us go back to the west.”
The pair made their way back to the Western Diorama through the now empty Roman streets. Jedediah decided he didn’t like the quiet much. Once they reached the sands of the southern United States Jedediah looked around for any of his friends. He didn’t see them anywhere. There was no rabble-rousing that was typical of the Diorama and in its place was once again the silence. He turned to face Octavius who had seemingly spotted something. Jedediah looked where Octavius had been looking and saw the one thing he was hoping he hadn’t needed to see.
Everyone he knew was frozen, transformed into some form of statue. Some had their guns drawn but most were caught before they had the chance. The look of despair on Jed’s face could’ve been seen from the Mayan exhibit. Not one, but both of their civilizations were seemingly gone in the blink of an eye. Octavius placed a hand on Jed’s shoulder and Jed turned to look at him. Octavius nodded at him sullenly, “We must venture out for help.”
The two miniatures scaled down the side of the exhibit and made their way to the toy jeep stationed neatly behind a plant. Jed walked around to the passengers seat and opened the door for Octavius, “After you, yer Highness.”
Octavius rolled his eyes, “I have many formal titles but you are well aware that is not one.”
Jed smirked as Octavius got into the car, “Yer royalty to me.”
He shut the door and jumped over the hood of the car to get to the driver’s seat. He quickly buckled in and floored it. Octavius made a grab for the hand bar at the top of the car as they shot through the museum corridors. For a while there was only silence around them. The only sound being that of the tiny engine and Octavius lightly screaming when they rounded corners.
Jed pulled over to the Hall of Biodiversity, just to take a look around as this was one of the fullest exhibits they’d surely see if someone had happened there. The two ran into the hall and saw that this time every single creature in the exhibit had been turned to stone. It was eerie to see everything so motionless. Octavius wondered if that’s what it felt like to be a regular civilian who came in during the day. He decided he was not a fan of daytime museums.
“We’ve gotta find Gigantor. He’ll know what to do. He always does,” Jedediah didn’t look as sure as he sounded but Octavius nodded and they once again headed to the jeep. The two drove through the museum in silence, not entirely sure what to say to one another. As Jed rounded yet another corner they heard voices in the distance. The two exchanged quick glances and Jed somehow managed to floor it even more than before.
Jedediah followed the sound of the voices and not too long afterwards spotted the two people they needed most right now, Teddy and Larry.
“Gigantor!” Jedediah yelled and Larry looked around, puzzled.
“Down here, my liege! It is imperative we get your help!” Octavius stuck a hand out of the sun roof as if that would make it any easier for a human to see them. The second Larry did see them Jed stopped the car to make it easier for him to pick them up. As soon as they were set down again the pair got out of the car.
“Woah, woah. Calm down you two. What’s going on?” Larry was crouching down next to the table he had placed the two on.
“When we awoke this evening we found all of our citizens to have been turned to stone! They were statues, my liege. We do not know how to save them,” Octavius’ head hung.
“The hall of biodiversity too! We stopped on our way here just in case we weren’t the only unlucky ones,” Jed wrapped an arm around Octavius.
Larry’s face scrunched up, clearly trying to think of any reason why this would be happening. He thought through many different ideas before one caused his eyes to widen, “Oh no.”
“‘Oh no’ what, par’ner?”
“The Ancient Greece exhibit. They just opened it up today and some of them must’ve gotten loose.”
“What’s so bad about a couple of vases? That’s usually what they’ve got in that exhibit whenever it visits us,” There was a genuine look of confusion on Jedediah’s face.
“They added in some statues this time,” Larry looked around the area, seemingly scanning for something. Jed was still confused but Octavius seemed to understand.
“What kind of statues? They would not have happened to have…” Octavius stopped himself as though he was unable to finish his sentence.
“Medusa.”
“I shall go find any others not turned to stone. You find her, dear boy. I believe in you,” Teddy nodded at Larry and the miniatures and turned towards the hall of North American peoples.
Larry returned the miniatures and their car to the ground and grabbed a shield from a now confused Hun man. He signaled down to Jed to follow him in the car and the three of them searched the halls closer to the new exhibit. As they went they passed by the Egyptian exhibit and Larry spotted Ahkmenrah frozen in place. He scowled slightly and the three continued on.
As they came closer to the hall of North African Mammals Larry heard something in the distance. He asked Jed to stop the car. The tiny engine hushed and the three waited. Again the noise came, but louder this time. Almost as if it was right at the end of the hall. It sounded like… Snakes.
Medusa rounded the corner as Larry turned away and pulled the shield up so that he could see behind him. Medusa noticed the groups immediately as the miniatures made their way out of the jeep.
“Who are you? Are you here to hurt me like all those before you?” Snakes hissed angrily around her head and Larry carefully leaned down to pick up Jed and Octavius in his free hand.
“I don’t have any weapons! I can’t hurt you even if I wanted to. And I don,’t want to. I have small men in one hand and my shield in the other, see? I just want to know why you turned so many people to stone!” Larry called out, keeping Medusa in the frame of his shiny silver shield.
“I didn’t ask to be like this! I didn’t try to hurt anyone!” Medusa moved ever so slightly closer to the three men, “I didn’t even know it was her temple. Why are we always punished for the wrongdoings of those who seem above the law? Why must I pay for a crime I did not know I was committing?” Tears stained her cheeks and the snakes of her hair hissed angrily.
Octavius was the first to talk. He looked into the silver shield and spoke, “We know. But you are safe here. You have made it to the land of forgiveness, Lady Medusa. Lady Liberty towers just down the river and Lady Justice stands blind. No one here blames you for the wrongdoing of another.”
Jedediah smiled at Octavius. The man always had a way with words to soothe others that did not come as simply to him.
“How do I know you’re not lying? All you heroic men tend to lie.”
“I can vouch for them, my lady,” Sacajawea called from down the hall. She covered her eyes so as to not be turned as well, “I have lived here for longer than one may care to imagine. I have known these men for as long as I have lived and they are not lying to you.”
Jed saw Medusa’s face soften slightly, seeing a woman with them, “fine.”
“Is there any way to bring ‘em back?” Jed asked, turning to look up at Larry.
Larry thought for a moment, “Well. You’re not really Medusa…” He paused for a second, “Right?”
Medusa stopped, as if feeling the air around her for some trace of who she might’ve once been, “That feels correct.”
“Then this should all clear up by tomorrow night. The rising moon’s effect on the tablet seems to fix anything that’s gone too wrong, at least most times,” Larry shifted slightly, not entirely sure if what he was saying was correct.
“We gotta at least try,” Jed looked up at Larry. All of his people were still stone. If there was any way to help them he would certainly try.
As if by luck, Larry’s watch beeped. He quickly glanced at it and noted that they only had about 30 minutes left before sunrise. He just hoped that this would work, for everybody’s sake, “30 minutes left! Everyone back to their exhibits!”
Medusa looked around as she watched all of those belonging to the museum slowly turn away from her before booking it back to where they had come from. Larry stayed where he was when suddenly he got an idea, “Hey, I think I might have something for you tomorrow so that you won’t turn everyone to stone as soon as you wake up.”
She looked confused but slowly made her way back to her own exhibit as well.
***
When Larry arrived at the Museum the following evening Dr. McPhee dragged him into his office, “Now, Mr. Daley. I just want to have a chat. A quick rendezvous if you will.”
Larry was used to Dr. McPhee finding some reason to chew him out and apparently tonight was no different, “Yeah? What’s up?”
“I got quite a few calls today about how many of the exhibits looked…” Dr. McPhee paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, “Well. Terrified honestly. They looked like they’d seen a ghost! Now I don’t understand how you managed to do that but really I do expect this not to happen again, alright?”
“Yup, you got it,” Larry tried his best to look like he even vaguely believed it to be his fault.
As soon as Larry left Dr. McPhee’s office he made his way to the Ancient Greek exhibit. Luckily he made it there before Ahk’s tablet was fully powered and pulled a sleek pair of aviator sunglasses on Medusa’s face. He looked at her from the front and was entirely happy when he couldn’t see her eyes. He didn’t, however, want to be the one to test out if his idea had worked or not so when the moon did fully rise he closed his eyes and asked Medusa to stay put for a couple of minutes.
Larry rushed over to the hall of miniatures and noted happily that both exhibits seemed to be bustling with noise. He also saw the two leaders standing at the conjunction between the dioramas, “Hey guys! I need your help for something.”
The two agreed and Larry placed them in his pocket. They made their way back through the museum to the Ancient Greek exhibit where Medusa was feeling out the new glasses on her face. Larry himself closed his eyes and brought out the two miniatures from his pocket, “Lady Medusa, just take a look at these two real quick.”
There was silence for a second and Larry feared his experiment had not worked but after a moment he heard Jed’s signature whooping, “It worked, Gigantor! We’re as not stone as any person could be!”
Octavius laughed loudly at his cowboy, “Lady Medusa, welcome to the American Museum of Natural History. You are going to love it here.”
Larry opened his eyes and saw Medusa smile.