Hat Kid hummed to herself as she put some time pieces away. She was going alright! She had 20 or so. Halfway there! And she was making friends as she went; some of the Mafia, the Conductor, DJ Grooves, and she had begun to start seeing Snatcher more often.

She paused as she went to grab a Time Piece. It was one she had gotten from the Subcon forest; she had forgotten about it until now. It was cracked slightly on one edge, and there were dark shapes moving around inside.

Well, that wasn't good.

She picked it up, inspecting it. What could have happened? What could have cracked it? A cracked Time Piece was such an unstable thing, who knew what could happen if-

"Ow!" she yelped. The cracked glass had cut her finger. She dropped the Time Piece, and everything seemed to slow down as she watched it slam into the ground, shattering into pieces.

She could feel the world melt around her, as black shadows filled her vision. She was falling, things were grabbing at her. But as she started to black out, she could see the Time Piece falling after her.

She needed it!

She had to fix this!

And then everything went dark.

Hat Kid was laying flat on her face. Her ears were ringing, everything hurt.

She could feel course grass tickle her nose and scratch her face. She could feel a breeze on her back, and heard birds chirping around. She cracked open an eye. Her vision spun, making her feel sick. She could see the green of the grass, and red blobs she assumed to be birds. Distant green blobs, she assumed trees, swayed in the breeze.

She groaned and closed her eyes. Everything ached. She'd get up in a few minutes.

She heard footsteps.

Hat Kid tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't listen. She fell back onto the ground with a soft thud.

The footsteps become louder, and somewhat frantic.

"...Hello?" she heard someone ask. It was masculine in nature. She wanted to answer, but her throat was dry. She coughed quietly.

"Oh Gods, you're alive- don't be afraid!" the voice assured her. She tried to open her eyes, and saw some dark blobs nearby. Feet, maybe?

"I'm going to move you, don't be alarmed." the voice told her. She could feel hands gently grab her, and move her to a sitting position. "You're alright. You're alright." he whispered, comforting Hat Kid, and possibly himself. "Try to open your eyes."

Hat Kid fidgeted, doing as she was told. Her vision swam for a moment, but she kept them open. "Thank you." she looked at the helpful voice, wanting to properly see him.

It was a tall, gangly man, with thick black hair and deep brown eyes. He was wearing a red vest, and black pants and gloves. His face was smudged with dirt and thin, but there was life in his eyes. He smiled at her. "Hello there!"

She couldn't help but smile back. "Hi!"

"Can you stand?" he asked, offering a hand. His fingers were black, his nails forming claws. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

Hat Kid took his hand, and he helped her stand up. She was still a little achy, but not as bad as before. "Thanks mister!" she said, fixing her hat and outfit. "Who are you?"

The man stood up, towering over her. He gave a small bow; one hand in front, one in back. "My name is Wilson P. Higgsbury." He extended a hand to the girl. "And you are?"

She giggled, shaking his hand with both of hers. "Everyone calls me Hat Kid!"

"That's an odd name-" he slowly took his hand back, looking her over. "You're...a child." he stated. He groaned, holding his head in his hands. "I can't believe the bastard brought a child here..."

She frowned. Did she do something wrong. "Who?"

"Maxwell." he hissed. "You know, 'Hey Pal, you better find something to eat before night comes'." he mocked, pretending to hold something between his index and thumb.

Hat Kid shook her head. "I don't know any Maxwell. Do you know a DJ Grooves?"

Wilson looked confused. "N-No?"

"The Conductor?"

"No."

"...Snatcher? The Mafia."

"Sorry, no. And you won't find them here." he went on a knee, so he could talk on her level. "This is a place I call, the Constant. It's a...bad place, separated from other places by an endless ocean."

"Is this place in another dimension? Another time and space?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Wilson chuckled, glancing away. "I was trying to explain it in simpler terms, but you clearly know your stuff, little lady!" he grew serious. "But yes. This is a separate, pocket dimension. A place not for a child such as yourself."

"Now, I don't know how you got here if you don't know who Maxwell is-" Wilson started to mumble to himself, standing up and pacing in a small circle.

Hat Kid took the time to properly look around. The grass was thick and course, but low. A sort of yellowish green. The trees in the distance were a deep green, and looked like pine trees. The sky was a grayish blue. Everything had the feeling of being dead, or dying.

ribbit.

She gasped, looking to her side. It was a frog! With...horns. And large white eyes. But still a frog.

"Hi froggy!"

She felt someone pick her up. Wilson moved some distance away from the odd frog before placing her down. "Did you hear the part when I said, 'This place is not for a child such as yourself'?" he asked, looking worried. "I'm sorry, I should explain. This place is extremely dangerous. One wrong move and...well you'll regret it."

She scoffed. "I can handle myself, Wilson! Check out these guns!" she flexed her tiny arms, sticking her tongue out. "Plus, I have this!" she pulled out her umbrella.

Wilson couldn't help but smile. "I don't doubt your courage. But, I still worry. This world is dangerous. And I can't, in good conscience, allow you to wander around by yourself. I think-"

Wilson paused, stiffening up. He looked at the horizon. Hat Kid looked too, to see a sunset. "That's really pretty!" she said, awestruck.

"It's getting dark. We should go to my camp." he offered his hand to her again. "Would you care to join me?"

"Oh! You like camping?" she asked, taking his hand.

He smiled, although it looked a bit fake. "Not...voluntarily."

Wilson's 'camp' was certainly an odd one. Hat Kid hadn't gone camping too many times, but she knew this was a little...unorthodox. It was just a fire pit, some logs to sit on, and several strange structures nearby.

"It's not much, I apologize. I wasn't expecting guests." he laughed. "But, this is what I have. A fire pit, some logs-" he paused mid sentence. "I knew I forgot something, stay here, please? I forgot some things. You're perfectly safe. I'll be back before night falls."

Wilson set his backpack down, riffling through it. She tried to look over his shoulder to look inside the bag, seeing a variety of strange objects. Eventually, he pulled out an woodcutting axe. He smiled at her, and then he was gone.

Once he was gone, she started to go through his stuff. Rocks, shiny rocks, sharp rocks, mushrooms, bunches of red orbs, sticks, small logs, grass? And a pickaxe. She was starting to think maybe her rescuer was a few eggs short of a dozen. He seemed nice enough, but who knows what he was truly like.

She closed the backpack. She had no right to accuse him of being anything but nice. He seemed to know how things worked here, and it didn't seem like she was on the planet she was previously stranded on anymore.

She wandered over to one of the machines. It looked like a rudimentary crock pot. She opened the lid; nothing. The other machine was very large, and she couldn't really describe it. It was lumpy and big, with a lever and gears.

"Do you like it?"

Hat Kid turned around. Wilson was back, holding a bunch of carrots and more red orbs. "It's my Science Machine! I use it to build things."

"Science Machine?" she asked. "Are you a scientist?"

Wilson beamed at her. "I am! A heck of a scientist, if I do say so myself. This machine breaks items into their scientific components, and I use that to build things!" he glanced at her, and she could hear the excitement in his voice. "Do you like science, little one?"

She nodded. "Yeah!"

"Then we'll get along great!" he went to his backpack, pulling out some sticks, logs and sharp rocks. He started a fire, and called her over. "I hope you don't mind carrots and berries for dinner. There's not, well, a market nearby."

"Oh, I don't mind." she was a guest. Best to not be rude.

"Hold these-" he said, handing her the bunch of carrots. She picked one up, crunching the edge slightly. It was definitely a carrot.

She could hear snickering. "Don't you want it cooked?" Wilson asked, exchanging the bunch of carrots for a handful of cooked berries. "The one you bit is yours then."

The berries were sweet and juicy. Kinda like jam. He carefully handed her a cooked carrot. They ate, Wilson saying how much he disliked carrots, saying how they came out of the dirt.

They finished eating just as night fell. Hat Kid gasped as the entire area went completely dark, save the campfire. She couldn't see anything outside of the fire's light. It was frightening.

"Is that normal?" she asked, moving closer to him. He'd protect her, right?

"It is, sadly. Stay close to the fire, little one. There are nasty things in the dark." he warned her. "Now, little one. I have lots of questions for you."

She looked at him. He looked very serious. "O-OK." she gripped her umbrella tightly.

"Now, how did you get here, exactly? You have no idea who Maxwell is, which is how I got here." he paused, looking for words. "Who are you, child?"

Hat Kid took a deep breath. This was going to take a while. "OK. I'm gonna talk, don't say anything until I'm done."

Hat Kid told Wilson everything. Their ship, the time pieces, Mafia Town, Dead Bird Studios, the Subcon, and the cracked Time Piece that brought her here. He was silent the entire time, his facial expressions ranging from serious to confused.

"And I dropped the Time Piece, and because it was cracked and unstable, it must have taken me to this dimension." she heaved a sigh. That was a lot to explain. "And the Time Piece should be somewhere in this dimension, and if I find it, I can go home!"

Wilson was quiet, thinking. Without warning, he burst into laughter. "That's got to be the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time! You have quite the imagination, little one!"

"No! It's true! All of it! I can prove it!" she reached in her pockets, pulling out her brewing hat. "Could a normal kid do this!?" she pulled an explosive vial from the hat, throwing it into the darkness. In the distance, the two could hear and see an explosion, and the loud, angry wail of a monster.

Wilson stared into the darkness, dumbfounded. "I-I...I guess you're right." he turned back to her. "I'm sorry for doubting you. But understand what you told me goes against everything I've ever known as a scientist."

"If I find the time piece, I can go home." she repeated.

"Hold that thought." he said, reaching into his bag, pulling out a paper and charcoal. "Draw me a Time Piece."

She took the paper and charcoal, and tried to draw what a time piece looked like. "I'm not the best, but it's essentially a very important looking hourglass." she explained, showing him the paper.

He took the paper, studying it. "I'll help you find it. I know this world best."

Hat Kid gasped, jumping forward and hugging him tight. "Thank you so much! You're the best Wilson!"

Wilson froze, like a scared animal. But slowly, he returned the hug. "It's nothing, I promise. It's the right thing to do."

"I can't wait! I know..I know.." she paused, yawning.

"It's late. Little ones need sleep. Here-" he took off his red vest, placing it on her like a blanket. "I'll watch the fire, OK? Get some rest." he assured her, ruffling her hair.

She nodded, taking off her hat and laying her head on his leg. Soon, gentle snoring could be heard.

Wilson threw another log into the fire, and pulled out a book, and charcoal from his bag.

Wilson's Log

Day: ?

I am not alone. I have found a young child. She had incredible powers, but is naive to the dangers of this world. I wish to help her.

She wants to find..a 'Time Piece'. She thinks it will get her home.

It's worth a shot.

Science will prevail.

Conductor looked around from the caboose of his train. Where was she? The Lassie was supposed to visit him today. This was so unlike her.

He glanced up in the sky. He saw the stars, the moon, and her ship.

Where could she be?