More Wandering

The hunter left of no indication of where exactly to find the cabin. All he did was point us in the general direction. We've just been walking in that direction for an hour. I suppose it isn't that bad. I mean it's not as if any of us had a place to be. Perhaps we were due for aimless wandering. "Where are we going?" Olivia asks. "To a cabin." I respond. "I know, but why." I shrug. "It's a safe haven." Peter interrupts. "I guess that is a good enough explanation as any." Olivia says. "Come on. Cheer up. The worst is over." He tells her. "Is it?" She replies, sharply. Peter half smiles. "I like to think so. Besides, at least we'll have a place to rest our bones for a while." Olivia looks down. "That's something to look forward to."

Brute

Olivia protects the hunter with a bubble. It was much needed. The falcons innately knew that this was not a man to be trusted. Five falcons rushed the hunter. They charged head first into the bubble. It took a mighty blow, but withstood the initial shock. The falcons, however, kept clawing and pecking at the bubble, weakening it ever so slightly. I had to scream "Stop" at the top of my lungs. That did the trick. All eyes were on me now. "Enough. He is our friend." I heard one of the falcons caw at me. "It's true. He no longer wishes to fight us." I continue. Todd pipes up. "I will speak on his behalf. Though this hunter is impulsive in his actions, he can be be trusted." The falcons squawk in disgust. "Quiet. I'm sure it was all a mistake." Peter says. His command is the only one they will listen to, and they are now silent. "Thank you." The hunter says. "Don't push your luck. I'm still not sure why we brought you with us." Olivia snaps. "Be kind. I'm sure he has valuable insights." Peter insists. "I do. There is a silent war that has been going on for some time." The hunter adds. Olivia rolls her eyes. "I'm sure there is, but that's not exactly our problem." "We need to free those that are held captive." He replies. "And how are we going to do that?" She asks. "I am an excellent archer. I have brute force." He says, confidently. "That's great, but even though we're growing in numbers there is still more of them. Plus we can't exactly sneak up on them with our falcon army." She responds. "You're right. I will go alone. The rest of you can wait in my wife's cabin if you wish. That will be our headquarters." "You're trying to tell us you'll take our their entire army single handedly?" She questions. "No, I will be accompanied by that man." The hunter points to Todd. "He may not be the best warrior, but he has proved himself loyal." "How do you feel about that?" Peter asks. Todd is so excited that he can barely breath. "Are you kidding me? Finally someone understands my worth." Todd starts to dismount the falcon. The hunter stops him. "One falcon is fine, but I ask you to fly high, my friend."

A Little Convincing

I led Olivia to the hunter. She spotted his bow and immediately put two and two together. "Why did you bring me here?" She demands. "This is-" "I think I have a good idea who this is. You tried to kill us, didn't you?" She asks. "It was all a misunderstanding." He replies. "Oh, it was a misunderstand. Well, that makes everything better." She says, sarcastically. "I apologize many times." "You can save it. I won't come after you, but I better not see you again." "That will be difficult. He is on our side now." I respond. "On our side with what? We have Peter, we have Todd. All the falcons are back. There is nothing more to do." "I still have friends and family trapped in that society." He tells us. "Sorry, but that's not our problem." Olivia says. "What about the prisoners who were most likely wrongly accused?" I ask. "Not our problem either." She replies. "But what about our mission to create another Wellness Center?" Olivia's patience is wearing thin. "We can do that anywhere. It does not have to be here." "But here would be perfect. This is the birds
home after all." I insist. "But this isn't a safe place." She says gritting her teeth. The hunter raises his bow. "I will help make it safe." Olivia takes a deep breath. "Fine. We'll build the Wellness Center here. Let's take him back to the others. I'll put a bubble around him so the falcons don't kill him."

They Return

Todd descended the tree faster than lightning. I thought for sure he was going to miss a branch and fall, but he made it down safely in one piece. He keeled over, panting, trying to catch his breath. I patted him on the back. "You did good." "Thanks, but what about him?" He asks, pointing to the hunter. "Oh yeah, you have to fall back." I say to him. "But why? They are on our side now." I point to myself and Todd. "They're on our side. You tried to kill them. It's gonna take a while for them to warm up to you." "He's right. They won't like you one bit." Todd adds. The hunter scoffs and walks off. I clap my hands together. "You ready, Todd." "Yes, I can do this." He says, his voice slightly steadier now. The black clouds of falcons descends with Olivia once again leading the way. Peter trails closely behind. They all safely land. "Thank God, you're ok." Peter says. "Yes, I'm happy you're alive and well too. Now get on." Olivia shouts. Todd starts to mount a falcon. Olivia observes me standing still. "Come on. It's not safe here." "We have an ally now." I reply. "Who?" Olivia asks. I don't respond. "Who?" She asks again. "You're not gonna like it." "Who is it?" "I'll show you who it is, but just you right now." Olivia looks around. "It'll be ok." I insist. She reluctantly hops off Penny. Olivia points to Peter. "I'll be right back. You'll be in charge in the mean time."

Torture the Boss

Do I enjoy torturing Todd? I do, but that's not why I sent him up the tree... ok, let me rephrase that. It wasn't the main reason I sent him up the tree. I had just injured myself in a fall. I couldn't climb myself. So I did what any one would do, I made their annoying boss, who just so happens to be afraid of heights climb the tree. He must have been shaking like a leaf. He shouted down to us several times, asking if he could come down. I told him he couldn't until we got Olivia and the falcons back. He waved his arms, manically, nearly falling over. "I don't see them anywhere." He shouts. "Try whistling." I tell him. He does just that. Much like when I whistled earlier, it feel to deaf ears. "They're not coming." He cries. "Wait." I insist. Soon after I utter that word a black swarm covers the sky. "I think they're here." He says nervously. "Wave your arms again." I instruct. Todd flails his arms. "How much longer do I do this for?" He asks. "Until they take shape and you can see the falcons." "And then what?" He asks. I take a deep breath. "Then you descend the tree as quickly as you can."

New Friend

The hunter offers his hand. I'm reluctant to grab."What's this about? " I ask. "I admire how you fought like hell to get out of there." He replies. "Thanks." I grab his hand and hoist myself up. Everything hurts. "But tell me why were you spying on me?" "I wasn't. I came to get him." I say, pointing to Todd. The hunter smiles. "Oh you came to get that guy?" "I did. Although I'm not sure why anymore. It's not like he helped me." The hunter laughs. "He wasn't very helpful, was he?" "What did you want me to do? " Todd blurts. "Certainly not stand around. " I remark. The hunter steps between us. "Easy fellas." He turns to Todd. "I'm glad you got you your employee back, and I'm glad I can trust you both. But I need you to stop fighting. We're a team now." "You guys can be a team together. I'm finding my real team." I start to walk away. The hunter yanks me back by the cape. "Where are you going?" He asks. "I'm glad we can all trust each other , but I have to find Olivia and the falcons." "Make them come here." The hunter says. "They won't come anywhere near here if they feel they are in danger." I reply. "Why would they feel they are in danger?" The hunter asks. "You were literally just firing at them." I shout. "Fair enough, but how are you going to find them?" "I'm going to climb the highest tree I can find. I'll probably be able to wave them in from there." The hunter shakes his head. "No, you are in no shape to be climbing a tree. " "I know that, but what am I supposed to do? It's not like I can send you up." The hunter's eyes light up. "Send this man up." He says, slapping Todd on the back.

Unstuck

This was one of the few times where I secretly wished and hoped I was wasn't saved. I knew that if Olivia were to fly in it could mean her downfall. I waited for a full minute. No one arrived. "It would appear your friends have abandoned you." The hunter sneers. "It would appear so." I reply. The hunter aims am arrow at me. "It's a shame I have to do this." "You don't have to." I say. " I think I do." He insists. "Todd,are you just gonna stand there?" The hunter turns sharply. "Don't you get any ideas." He says, threateningly to Todd. "Sorry I can't help." Todd says, apologetically. "Unbelievable. " I declare. "What?" Todd shouts. "You're not even trying. " "I don't see you trying to escape." "We'll see about that." I don't know why, but the hunter let me attempt to escape. Perhaps he admired my gumption, or maybe he saw it as entertainment. It probably was fun for him watching me flail my arms and legs. My thrashing eventually paid off. My cape ripped enough that I was now separate from the tree. The only problem was it was still quite a fall.

Spy?

"Let me down!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I thrash my arms an legs about, hoping I can set myself free. It is no use, and I am met with strife as the hunter steps towards me. He aims his bow at my helpless body. "What's the meaning of spying on me?" He asks. "What are you talking about?" "You've been spying on me, and I don't like that one bit." "I haven't been spying on you." "Bullshit. Who sent you?" "Nobody sent me." I plead. He shoots an arrow. It comes within inches of my face. "The next one won't miss." He says. He strings another arrow and aims it at me. "Now, who sent you?" "Don't shoot." A voice calls out. I look off in the distance to see Todd dressed in chain mail. The hunter turns toward Todd. "And why shouldn't I?" "Because he's my employee. One of the one's we were looking for." Todd replies. "So he is a spy?" "He's not a spy and neither am I." The hunter eyes Todd. "Where's your sword?" "I had to drop it." "Why?" "So I could catch up to you."Todd says. The hunter stares at me in the tree. "Can he prove that he's not a spy?" "Call the falcons." Todd tells me. "I don't think that will prove I'm innocent." I reply. "Just do it." The hunter snaps. I put my thumb and index finger in my mouth. I let out a loud whistle. I am doubtful that this plan will work, but it's all I have right now.

FreeFall

I free fall faster than a speeding bullet. In a desperate attempt to avoid being splattered on the ground, I flapped my arms. Of course it did not work. I did, however, have one more idea. I waved my cape manically. I thought the bright red swaying in the wind would catch the marksman's attention. My plan worked, perhaps a little too well. Within moments an arrow was fired at me. The arrow grazed my left shoulder and pierced my cape. I assumed, naturally that the arrow would exit through my cape. That wasn't exactly the case. It remained stuck to my cape while flying forcefully through the air. It eventually impaled itself on a nearby tree, leaving me suspended by my cape.

Enemy Fire

An arrow whizzed past us. It narrowly avoided Penny's head. I assumed it was a stray arrow that missed its mark. However, after countless more arrows were fired into the sky I knew it was no accident. Someone had targeted us. Olivia took up her position as leader. She instructed the falcons to gain in altitude. This, she believed would put us out of range of the enemy arrows. Unfortunately the plan did not work. It was now evident that we were dealing with an expert marksman. We ziged and zaged, desperately trying to avoid being hit. I held on to the reins as tightly as I could. My knuckles were white. The only problem was at that height the wind was fierce. Holding on became near impossible as the wind was pushing me back and the falcons were maneuvering in every possible direction with no warning. At one point Penny did a barrel roll. That's when I lost my grip. I fell into an abyss, an no one knew. They were all busy fighting for their lives.

Ambush?

"Are we there yet? I feel like we've been traveling for weeks." Todd asks in an exasperated tone. His shoulders are slumped forward and he is practically keeled over. The hunter laughs. "It does seem that way. Who knows, maybe we have been? But in order to throw them off we can't enter directly." "What are you talking about?" "You'll know soon enough." A faint squawk can be heard in the distance. The hunter turns to Todd. He speaks to Todd in a whisper. "Did you hear that?" "No." Another squawk can be heard. This one is much louder. "Surely you heard that one." "I did. It sounded like a bird. Maybe a hawk or a falcon." His eyes gleam. "Did you say falcon?" The hunter asks. "Yes, that's what it sounded like to me." He replies, excitedly. "That means we don't have much time." The hunter aims his bow and arrow to the sky. "What are you doing?" Todd shouts. "The falcons are the Queen's eyes and ears. She sent them to spy on us." "Don't be ridiculous. They aren't spies. They belong to me." The hunter lowers his bow and arrow. "Did you say they belong to you?" "Yes, I did." The hunter quickly grabs Todd and slams him against a tree. "I knew I shouldn't trust you. What kind of trap were you leading me into?" "No trap." Todd pleads, gasping for air. "I'll see about that." The hunter releases Todd. Then, without warning, he fires an arrow into the sky.

Pondering

I was reunited with Olivia, we had all the falcons on our side, and Peter was back to his old self. We could go anywhere we wanted and start a new life. It should have been a joyous occasion, but melancholy crept into my mind yet again. I kept thinking about the prisoner. I wondered if we did the right thing. He may have been mad, but he also may have been unjustly convicted like we were. "We need to go back." I shout to Olivia. She was steering Penny, guiding our falcons through the sky. "What are you talking about?" She asks. "The prisoner. We have to go back for him." "Are you nuts? Do you have any idea what I went through to rescue you?" She shouts over the wind. "I know, and I appreciate it, but-" "But what?" "But I'm not so convinced he was guilty." "He was crazy. Believe me." Olivia says. "I believe you, but isn't it possible that the harsh conditions he was living in made him that way?" I suggest. Olivia cocks her head slightly and glares at me. "We're not going back to prove or disprove his innocence. Maybe that's his lot in life." "To be a prisoner?" I question. Olivia continues steering. "Some people come back as royalty, others come back as con men." I sigh. "I guess you're right, but what about Todd?" "What about him?" She asks. "Well, we left him in a tree." Olivia droops her shoulders. "You're right. We'll circle the forest for him."

Switching Time

Olivia looked like a mythic warrior from yore. She stood on Penny in a confident, Wonder Woman pose. The pink bubble now enveloped her entire falcon army. "Here he is. Throw down your shield." One of my soldiers requested. "First you must throw down your weapons." She replies. The soldier nodded to men to disarm themselves. They did as they were instructed, carefully placing their spears on the ground. Olivia then removed her force field. She turned her attention to the prisoner. He was still mounted on a nearby falcon. "Go." She instructed. "Oh no. I'm not going back." He says. Aggravated, Olivia whistles. A falcon picks up the prisoner by his collar with its beak. The prisoner thrashes about with no luck. The falcon drops the prisoner right next to me. The soldier behind me quickly grabs his spear. "Don't worry. This is for him, not you." He assures me. He points the spear at the soldier. I'm dumbfounded, unsure if I should trust his word. "Go on, go to your lady." He insists. I walk backwards to Olivia, keeping an eye on him the whole time. The backwards walk causes me to bump into a falcon, but at that point I know I am safe. "Thank you." Olivia says to the soldier. The soldier grunts. "I'll bring this man back to the dungeon then I'll tell Ruth that you were lost in battle. But I better not see you around here again." I shake my head. "That's fair enough."

Found

It didn't take long for the soldiers to find me. I suppose they are trained at that sort of thing. At any rate, once I heard the stampede of nearby footsteps I knew there was no point in running. I sprung up from the bushes with my arms raised above my head. One of the soldiers menacingly pointed his spear at my face. "Looks like we found the betrayer." He says. "I did not betray you." "Oh really? Then why did you run?" "The falcons are our allies. We are not to fight them." I inform. "If that's so then why didn't you bring any one with you?" "I tried." The soldier thinks for a moment. "Maybe you didn't betray us after all." "Thank you." I say, with a sigh of relief. "But you are a coward, and that's even less respected than a betrayer. I should execute you here and now." I gulp. "Fortunately for you I'm not going to do that." "You're not?" I ask. "No, your friend has something we want." "My friend." I repeat. "Yeah, the pretty girl with the skull mask. She has a prisoner. We're exchanging you for him." I feel slight jubilation upon his words. "Well, come on! We haven't got all day."

Fair Trade

The first wave of falcons crashed head first into the soldiers. After that, a second wave arrived to help their friends. The falcons and soldiers fought viciously for a few moments until a giant, pink bubble descended from the sky. The soldiers were so thrown off that they halted fighting. "We do not wish to fight." Olivia announces from the bubble. "You could have fooled us." One of the soldiers shouts. "It's true. We come in peace." Peter adds. He is also in the bubble, along with penny. Penny lands safely on the ground. "We have something you may want." Olivia says. "And whats that?" Someone asks. Olivia whistles. Another falcon descends from the sky with the prisoner on its back. The soldiers are eager to jump at him. "Not so fast!" Olivia shouts. "You have something that we want as well." "And what's that?" A man in the front sneers. "Our friend." She replies. "Your friend?" "Yes, he wears a red hood and cape." "That's our general." "Where is he?" Olivia questions. The man in the front shrugs. "He ran off before the fighting began." "Well find him and get him." Olivia insists. "I don't think so." He replies. Olivia grits her teeth. You man have weapons, but there is more of us and our falcons can take you all down with out a problem." The man in the front sighs. He turns to the soldiers. "Move out. We have to find our general."

Black Clouds

A black mass stretched across the sky. It was nothing that I could easily discern, but being a General, I knew it was something I had to eradicate. I grabbed a spear of the nearest soldier. Without thinking the matter any further, I thrust the spear into the sky. It came no where near the unknown enemy. It landed only a few feet away from me. Remembering my school days, I instructed my men not to budge till they saw the whites of their eyes. We all kept still, not moving a single muscle. Then, to my surprise, the enemy had a face. I soon realized it was the falcons charging us. I ordered my men no to fire, but it was too late. One had already thrown a spear at the falcons. That caused them screech head first into the soldiers. I pulled back, running deeper into the forest. The falcons stayed to fight, knocking my men down.

Lost Army

We marched all night long without a sign of one single prisoner. We found no footprints, and heard no screams. It was almost as if the prisoners dropped off the face of the Earth. Tired, and worn out, I rested on rock. I am aware it is not exactly the best example a general could set for his men, but it was literally my first day. I felt the rules could be bent just a little bit. The soldiers did not share this perspective with me. "What are you sitting around for?" "I'm tired." I reply, foolishly. "We're all tired." He shouts back. "Then you can all sit down." He shakes his head. "We will not." "And why is that?" I ask. "Because we are soldiers. We don't sit around till the job is done." He says, his face an inch away from mine. I casually back away from him. "You guys ever wonder, maybe those prisoners were falsely accused?" "No, we have not." He says thrusting the butt of his spear into the mud. "What makes you so sure of that?" I ask. "Because our lady is never wrong." He says, with venom. "That's precisely the problem. You view her as an infallible being who can do no wrong." The soldier points the spear at my throat. Obviously that was not a matter up for the debate, so I quickly changed my tactic. "I know how to catch the prisoners." "How?" He asks, still pointing the blade to my throat. "We have to think like them. Everyone scream like you've never screamed before." The soldier lowers his spear. He then turns his attention to the others. "You heard him. Give him your best, primal screams." With that, they all let out bloodthirsty, war cries into the morning air.

Strength in Feathers

"This is a good thing?" Olivia questions, unsure what to make of everything. Peter walks up to the group of falcons. He offers his hand. One of the falcons lowers it's head. He then pets it gently. "Yes, this is a good thing." He replies. "But what happened?" Olivia asks. "It appears they have reached an understanding with one another." He says. "But how? They were just at each other's throats a moment ago?" Peter chuckles to himself. "I'm afraid that's how it goes sometimes." Olivia is unsatisfied with his answer. Peter walks over to her. "This is a good thing." He assures. "Yeah, you're right." "It means it'll be easier for us to find Scott." Olivia half smiles. "You're right." She points to the prisoner with her head. "But what do we do about that guy?" Peter eyes the wild man from afar. "He is an uruly fellow. I suppose if we are to restore any order to this land we need to place him back in the prison." "You're right, but he's not flying with us."

Meet the Army

The army, as it turns out was actually in a fenced in area outside. They all bowed as soon as we made our presence known. "Arise, my men. I have news for you." Ruth says. "What is it, my lady? One of them asks. Ruth rests her hand on my shoulder. "The man you see before me will lead you now." They all groan."You can't be serious." One shouts. "I am." "But why him?" A soldier in the front row asks. "Why not him?" She snaps back. "Look at him, he wears a red cloth of some sort." Ruth examines my cape. "Does this fabric cause you distaste?" She questions. "It does!" A random soldier shouts. "Too bad. He is your general now, and that's that." "But how is he to lead us?" "I don't know, you ask him." Ruth replies. She then goes back into the room, leaving me alone with my army. I nervously grin. "So what are we to do?" One asks. I take a deep breath. "We have prisoners to catch. No more time to waste."

Behind Glass

Once I signed the contact, Ruth took me to a small room with a one way mirror. One the other side was a handful of the army men. They were brute, strong men, and it was clear they were all eager for battle as I saw several of them bang on their chests in an animalistic fashion. "What do you think?" Ruth asks. "Am I in charge of them?" "You are." "And this is the whole army?" "It's only a hand full. The rest I have on reserves." I stare on in amazement. "What do you want me to do with them?" I ask. "You're the general." She replies. "But I don't know anything about this sort of thing." "Don't worry. This is a time of peace. You won't be calling them into battle." "Then what do you need them for?" Ruth half smiles. "Round up all the prisoners you freed." I slowly nod. "I suppose you want to lock up the jester as well?" "I do, but that idiot will probably escaped again if I did.You sure you don't want him executed?" "I'd prefer if you didn't." I say. "Very well. Just know that his power will be limited." "That's fine." Ruth rests her hand on the doorknob. "Enough with the small talk. It's time for you to meet your army."

Hunter's Story

Todd trudges through the forest with the hunter. Todd is dressed in chain mail and carries a broad sword. The sword is so heavy that he drags it most the time. The hunter, however, does not notice. He is many paces ahead. The hunter is dressed all in green, like Robin Hood, and he carries a bow.
"What's your story?" Todd asks. "What do you mean?" "I mean you obviously know something about these people." "I do." He replies simply. "Would you mind telling me what you know?" "No." "No, you don't mind?" Todd asks. "I'm not talking." "But you just did." Todd says, sneakily. The hunter sighs. "Very well, I can see my wits are no match for yours." The hunter turns his attention to Todd. He raises his eyebrow upon seeing him dragging his sword. "And my brawn is no match for yours." Todd quips. "My wife and I were once part of that tribe." "Why did you leave?" Todd questions. "Not everything is as it seems there. The people are blissfully unaware of their on underlining struggles." "That's how it is alot places." Todd interrupts. "I suppose. My wife and I woke up one day. We tried to get all our friends and family to do the same, but they would not." "So, is that why you were kicked out?" Todd asks. "We were not kicked out. We left on our own." "And they let you?" "They did. They assumed we had no power because no one would listen to us." "What did you do since then." The hunter shrugs. "We lived off the land. I would hunt, and my wife bake from anything that we could find.We tried to send food over to our loved ones, but then they stopped communicating, and the risks became too great. I had not seen or heard from anyone in the village for quite some time." The hunter rests his hand on Todd's shoulder. "But then you came around and I have reason to go back." The hunter slaps Todd on the back. "Stay awake. This could get dangerous."

Terms and Conditions

Ruth walks back into the room carrying three pages worth of a written contract. She places it neatly on the desk. She opens a drawer and pulls out a quill pen. "When you're ready." Ruth hears my chains and remembers my legs are still bound. "Wait." She says. She grabs her staff. She mystically waves it in the air in a circle. A moment later the chains on my ankles disintegrate. "What about my hands?" I ask. "After you sign." "Are you gonna loosen his shackles?" I ask, referring to Mamba. "No, I only need your signature." "After I sign , will you let him go?" "I was planning on executing him." She replies. Mamba gulps. "But I suppose I don't have to. Just sign the damn thing." I walk to the desk. I view my contract. It is written on time worn, yellowed paper. The font is microscopic. I squint my eyes to begin reading. "Your signature goes at the bottom of the third page." She says, interrupting my focus. "Thanks." I attempt to begin again. "What are you doing?" She asks. "Reading the fine print." I reply. "Why?" "Because that's what you do when you receive a contract." "No, no one does that. " she insists. "Maybe they should." "Why? You don't trust me?" "It's not that it's-" "Then what is it? All you need to know is that you'll be my right hand man." In that moment, I went against any conventional idea I may have had about contracts. I flipped to the third page and made the most beautiful signature.

Family Affair

Olivia doesn't skip a beat. She immediately throws up her force field. She makes one that is big enough for her, Peter, Penny, and their new prisoner - friend. The prisoner screams upon being enwrapped in the bubble. "What?" She shouts. The prisoner brushes his crazy, wavy hair from his eyes. "Not free." He says. "Of course you are." Olivia replies. The prisoner keeps screaming. "Not free." He says this over and over until it is too much for Olivia. Frustrated, she throws down her force field and kicks out the prisoner. In that single moment the group of falcons swoop down. Olivia raises her palms in an attempt to create another bubble. Penny steps past Olivia, blocking her concentration. Penny caws loudly at the falcons. They caw back. She, in turn caws even louder this time. They all simultaneously stop shrieking and cawing. They bowed their heads. Penny turns to Olivia, Peter, and the prisoner. "What just happened?" Olivia asks. Peter has seen this before. He is certain is a good thing. "I'm not sure what we witnessed, but I know it was good."

Deal or No Deal

Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek. My eardrums are pierced by a loud, metallic, scratching. I can only compare it to hangers being moved across a metal bar at a department store. "It's safe to look now." Ruth announces. I remove my hands from my face, and lift my head up. There is a gigantic, purple drape stretched across a window. It still emits a bright, amber glow, but I no longer feel as if my retinas will burn. Ruth sits behind a massive wooden desk. Its roughly the size of three regular ones placed side by side. She looks to the guard. "You may leave now." "As you wish." He replies. The guard then exits. Ruth folds her hands. "You two got pretty far. I'm impressed." "Twas nothing." Mamba says, coyly. "Is this where you ask us to join the dark side?" I ask. Ruth chuckles to herself. "In a manner of speaking. I want to make a deal." "What kind of deal?" "I could really use your talents." She says. "No." I snap. "Why not? I've been watching you for a very long time. I think your ready." "I'm sure I am, but don't trust you." I reply. Ruth leans back. "Is it because I have you in chains?" She asks. "That would have a lot to do with it." "The chains are for me. You say I am not trustworthy, but you are the one who should not be trusted." "What are you talking about?" I question. "You break my rules. My very simple rules I lay out for you. That's why I can not trust you. Either of you." I smirk. "And yet you want me to work for you." "That's because I know talent when I see it. You may be a pain in the neck, but you still have talent." "Thank you, but I'm not working for you." I respond. Ruth takes a deep breath. "Tell me, what do you stand for?" "I don't know. I'm a seeker of the unknown, a cosmic slacker, and a psychic anarchist." Ruth's eyes light up. "And you can be all that and more with me." "I really don't know about this." I sigh. "What's the problem? The war is over." "Really?" I ask. "Really, all you have to do is sign a paper." Ruth stands. "I'll type something up."

Search Team

"Do you see him?" Peter asks while flying Penny over a sea of people. "I don't know. I can't tell. There's so many people." "I'll go lower." Penny swoops down. It is now revealed that the crowd of people are the prisoners. They ravenously claw at Penny. Olivia blasts them with hearts. "We need to get higher." Olivia shouts. Penny ascends, but one of the prisoners grabs the bird's talons. Peter and Olivia are unaware of the man hanging below. "What was that?" Peter asks. "I have no idea. Let's just find somewhere safe to land." The prisoner scales Penny's leg , and hoists himself up. He makes himself known by letting out a scream. Olivia, without thinking fires a heart into his chest. It causes the prisoner to fall over backwards. "Shit. Get him!" Olivia cries. Penny descends faster than ever. Olivia reaches out her left arm. she grabs the prisoner in the nick of time, saving him from a fatal fall. "There's a cliff up ahead. I'll land us there." Peter announces. Peter lands Penny at the top of the cliff. As soon as they are stopped Olivia pushes the prisoner off Penny. "What's going on? Who are you?" She questions. Before the prisoner can utter a word, he is interrupted by many falcons cawing. Peter, blissfully unaware of the current problem, smiles. "Penny, we found your family."

Bright Room

The guard escorted us to the foot of the volcano. I assumed, naturally that I was to leap into the mouth of the volcano yet again. Olivia wasn't there to build a bridge this time so I didn't see why he wouldn't have made me and Mamba march to the top. But he didn't didn't. He had us wait while he dug through piles of rocks. It took him a long time, but he found a entrance. He told us to go in. It was dark at first. Then we found ourselves in a brightly lit room. It was so bright that I had to shield my eyes. I didn't know what was the matter. "She's not here yet. I'll go get her." The guard informs. I hear him walk away. He stops, and turns back. "Stay right where you are." I glance down at the shackles that bound me. "Like I have a choice." I think to myself.

Friends In High Places

"You don't have an idea where he might be?" Peter asks. "Not really." Olivia says, forlorn. "When was the last time you saw him?" "I was rescuing Penny. The tribesmen got a hold of him. I wanted to save him too, but it was too dangerous." Olivia looks down. Peter rests a hand on her shoulder. "You did the best you could." "What now?" Olivia asks. "Well, I don't know the layout of this place, but we have a friend that can fly us high into the air." Olivia lifts her head. "Yeah, maybe we can spot him that way." Olivia watches Peter hop on Penny's back. "Should we figure out a distraction?" She asks. Peter shakes his head. "We have a giant falcon. This is our distraction." Peter lends his hand to Olivia. She jumps on the giant bird, and they prepare to take off once more.

Cleverless

My imagination often gets the better of me. I wish that was my current problem as I march aimlessly with a court jester chained to me. Somehow my cleverness has escaped me. At least at the moment. I wonder why I haven't encountered any of the prisoners. I also wonder why I gave my power to the guard. Granted he has a sharp blade pointed to my back, but there has to be a way out of this. There just has to. Maybe that's how I escape by stop fighting. Go along with the flow. It is crazy, but I am curious to see Ruth as well.

Peter's Back

Left in the dark, and feeling there was nothing more to see in the chamber, Olivia and Penny exited the room. It just so happened that as they were leaving Peter was entering. His mouth dropped at the sight of them. Without thinking, Olivia fired a pink heart into his chest. He absorbed the blast,and his eyes changed. They appeared dazed. He looked at his surroundings in bewilderment. He then saw Penny and Olivia and became more confused. "What are you two doing here?" He asks. "We came to get you." Olivia replies. "Where am I?" "A judge's chamber." "A judge's chamber?" He repeats. "Yes, because you are or were a judge." Olivia explains. Peter takes a seat on the cot. "How did that happen?" "It had something to do with Ruth." "Who is Ruth?" He asks. "She's your sister." Peter shakes his head. "I have no sister. At least I don't think I do." "Whether or not you're related is a different story, but I think she brainwashed you." Olivia says. "This is all so strange." "Yes, it is." Peter sighs. "Let's go home." "We don't exactly have a home." Olivia reminds. Peter lowers his head. "Oh,yes. Right." "But we should still get out of here." Peter nods in agreement. "Where to?" "First we have to get Scott." "Where is he?" Peter asks. "No clue."

A little Chat

The hunter laces his boots. He wears a similar garb as before except minus the bow and arrows. Todd eagerly steps towards the hunter." What are you so excited about? I said we'd talk. That's all." "That's fine." Todd replies. The hunter clears his throat. He points to the armchair. "You might as well take a seat." Todd sits down. " What do you know about them?" The hunter asks. "The tribe? Not much at all." "Where are you from?" "A city in the sky that was destroyed." "What are your plans?" The hunter questions. "I told you." "Remind me." Todd sighs. "I need to recover my lost falcons as well as my employees." "And then what?" He questions. "Then we may build a new society." "Here?" "That was the idea." "So were you planning on kicking everyone out?" Todd shakes his head. "No I'd work with them." "After waging a war with them first, right?" "No, I don't want war." Todd insists.
"How can I trust you?" "Listen, do I look like a man of war?" The hunter eyes Todd in his cardigan sweater. "No, you do not." The hunter takes a pause to reevaluate his strategy. " I suppose you want help?" He says. "I wasn't asking, but if you're offering." "I wasn't." The hunter barks.
"Are you done interrogating me?" Todd asks. "No, I'm not." "We're from there." The baker chimes in. "Why did you leave?" Todd asks. "We had to get out of there." The hunter says, shortly. "We had to go. It wasn't for us." The baker adds. "What was so bad about it?" Todd wonders. "It's not important. Just don't go there." The hunter shouts. "Look I'm going whether you help me or not." Todd admits. The hunter clenches his fists. "If I let you go by yourself you'll probably get hurt. I can't have that on my head." "Does that mean you'll help me?" The hunter sighs. "Yes, we'll suit you up and then figure out a plan."

Judge's Chamber

Olivia was hoping to see Peter. Instead she saw a vacant chamber. It wasn't like the typical chamber. This one had a closer appearance to a small apartment than an office. There was no desk, but there was a cot and a shelf filled with law books. Olivia skimmed the various tittles. Buried in the mix was Peter's almanac. Surprised, but delighted, Olivia placed the jack- lantern on the cot and pulled out the book. "I wonder why he kept this thing. It is from 1984 after all." Olivia sits down on the cot. "But if he's kept this that means that real Peter is still alive." Olivia opens the book. Penny caws at her. "You're right, Penny. I should read by the candle." Olivia positions herself closer to the burning candle. Penny caws again. "What now?" Penny points to the pumpkin with her beak. "Yeah, I guess we could put the candle in the Jack - O - Lantern." Olivia carefully places the candle inside the pumpkin. She then continues her reading. A moment later she hears heavy breathing over her shoulder. "Penny, was that you?" She asks, worriedly. "Do not be afraid." A groggy voice calls out. Olivia jumps off the cot. "Who's there?" She shouts. "Down here." The voice says. Olivia looks down to see the Jack - O - Lantern animated. It smiles slowly. Olivia screams. "I mean no harm." It says. "Then why are you here? What do you want from me?" "You called on me." "What are you talking about?" She asks. "You placed the burning candle in me." "I didn't know it would make you come alive." "You're not from around here, are you?" It asks. "Actually, no, I'm not." The Jack - O - Lantern half smiles. "Then this is your lucky day. I am from the spirit world. I can give you wisdom." "You're from the spirit world?" She questions. "Yes, our people never truly go away. But the living have trouble contacting us." "So they carve pumpkins and then place candles in them?" Olivia asks. "Pumpkins come from the Earth during the time when door to the spirit world is wide open." "Is that why Ruth didn't want pumpkins because she didn't want anyone gaining knowledge from the dead?" "It is. This practice has not been done in a very long time." Olivia inches closer to the pumpkin. "Is there a message you can give me to help me out?" "Yes, but I feel my window closing. I don't know how much longer I can talk." "That's fine. Tell me what you can." Olivia urges. "Listen closely. All is an illusion." "All is an illusion." Olivia repeats. "Yes, all is an illusion. All is an illusion." With that , a gust of wind blows out the candle. The talking Jack - O - lantern is a normal pumpkin once more.

Criminal Records

The records for each, individual prisoner was kept under lock and key. Fortunately for us, our guard had the key. He pulled out an enormous book from a sealed file cabinet. We both gave him our name, birthday, and astrological sign so he could look up our records. Mamba was first. "241 counts of bad puns." The guard reads. Mamba laughs. "It should be higher." "3 counts of escape." "That's more accurate." Mamba says. The guard disdainfully flips to my page. "1 count of eating the forbidden fruit." "No one said I couldn't." "Pretending to be a God." "That's blasphemous, but I don't think it should be illegal." "Breaking exile." "That wasn't my idea." I reply. The guard temporarily looks up from his book. "Keep reading." I insist. "And escaping the dungeon." "Ok, I'm guilty of that." I admit. The guard clasps his book shut. "Ok boys, you still want to do this appeal thing?" "Absolutely." I say without thinking. The guard thrusts the sword in my face. "Then let's go see her." "Her?" I question. "Yes, her. Ms. Ruth. The governor of our fine land." The guard places iron chains around our hands and feet. This is not at all how I pictured this, but I think I can still bounce back.

The Hunter Returns

The baker ran to the front door to greet her husband. She opened the door, blocking the view of Todd by the fireplace in the process. Her husband had a huge dead deer wrapped around his shoulders. "Don't just just stand there." Her grunts. The baker guides her husband to the kitchen wile continuing to block his view in the process. He throws the deer down on a small wooden table. He does it with such violence that the back legs give out causing the table to collapse. The deer rolls to the ground. "Damn it." He shouts. "It's fine. I'll clean it up, and the table can be fixed." The baker replies. The baker exhales. "I hope we can salvage it." "We can. We will." "I hope so, because that venison should last us a while." "I know. It looks like a good one." "Nearly killed myself getting it." "I bet you did. How about you take a seat here, and I'll find you some dry clothes." The baker suggests. "I think I'll sit by the fire instead." The baker's heart skips a beat. "What?" "You have a fire going. I can hear it." The hunter starts to walk to the living room. "I think you should get out of those wet clothes first." She says. "Nonsense." The hunter continues to walk into the living room. There he sees Todd in plain sight sitting by the fire. The hunter turns beat red. "What's going on here?" Todd attempts to respond with reason. "You see, I was caught in the rain, and -" "I'm not asking you." The hunter turns to his wife."I couldn't let him stay out there." She responds, nervously. "Why not? We taking in strays now?" He questions. "No I guess not." "Excuse me. What exactly is the problem?" Todd interrupts. The hunter turns back to Todd. "The problem? The problem is I don't know you." "Now's a perfect time to get to know me." "I don't want to know you." The hunter insists. The hunter menacingly walks towards Todd. "I was only looking for my employees." Todd says, defensively. "No one comes around here." He scuffs. "I know that now. I took a wrong turn. I'll leave." Todd starts to leave. "Wrong turn?" He asks. "I was looking for a lost tribe. I know it sounds odd, but that's what I was doing." The hunter sighs. "You can stay." "Really?" Todd asks. "Yes, I think I know what you're looking for. I'll get into some dry clothes and then we'll talk."

Empty Courtroom

Olivia and Penny continue down the corridor to find themselves in the courtroom. It is vacant now, but that doesn't stop the the horrifying memories from flooding into Olivia's consciousness. She remembers being caged like an animal to await an unfair trial. Olivia shakes herself back into the present moment. "That was not a good time." She says out loud. "But I have a feeling this is where we want to be if we are to find Peter." Penny huffs. "I know I'm not looking forward to this either, but if we just talk to him maybe it'll be ok. You remember Peter, the real Peter, don't you?" Penny nods. "You liked him, right?" Penny nods again. "I did too. There is a chance that maybe the real Peter is still inside him." Penny lowers her head. "Plus, this is part of our mission now." Olivia continues. Penny raises her head and looks off into the distance with eagerness. "Yes, this is our duty. We can do this. Let's see if he's in the Judge's chamber."

On Guard

We walked down the stairs to the main hallway. Everything was in disarray. The chandelier was in pieces on the floor, the rug was pulled up and torn to bits, and the stain glass window was shattered. It was evident that the prisoners were there. "We did this." Mamba declares. "Not directly, but yes we did" "Aren't you worried what they'll do next?" "Not my problem." I say while glancing at the chandelier. "But it's my problem." A voice shouts out. I look up from the chandelier to see Mama at the hands of a guard. The guard has a sword to Mamba's throat. "Where do you think you're going?" He asks. "Out of here." I respond casually. I start to exit. The guard calls to me. "I'll slit his throat." "I doubt it." I say. "You want to test me?" He asks, pressing the blade against Mamba's skin. "I don't think you'll do it, but I don't want to test you either." I throw my hands up. "Good,now both of you back in the tower." Mamba snickers. "What's so funny?" He demands. "We escaped once. We'll do it again." Mamba informs. "You have a better idea what I should do?" He questions. "How about an appeal?" I ask. The guard squints his eyes. "An appeal." I repeat. "I wouldn't even know how to do those." "First you must know what we are charged for." Mamba jumps in. The guard scratches his head. "I don't know, but I suppose I could look it up." He looks at the two of us, annoyed. "Come with me now."

Good Luck Lantern

Olivia adds the finishing touches to the Jack - O - Lantern. The smile is lopsided, and the top is sinking in. Penny eats the pumpkin's innards. There is a huge string hanging from her beak. Olivia holds up her Jack - O - Lantern. "Behold." Penny seems less than impressed. "I know. It's not the best one I've made, but it's better than nothing. Right?" Penny still does not respond. Olivia stands up with the pumpkin in her hand. Piercing shrieks can be heard down the corridor. "What could that have been?" Olivia wonders out loud. The shrieks continue. "Come here!" A voice of authority shouts from down the hall. The shrieks grow wilder and louder. A prisoner runs past Penny and Olivia. His eyes are vacant. A moment later a guard with a spear appears. He too runs past Penny and Olivia. It is as if he was so engrossed in the chase that he doesn't see the two of them. Olivia eyes her Jack - O - Lantern. "Guess you're good luck after all." She turns to Penny. "Shall we continue?"

Diversion

I led Mamba back to the dungeon entrance. He was perplexed and intrigued. "What manner of trickery are you conducting?" He asks. I point to the door. "I said we needed a distraction. Here it is." "Are you suggesting letting the prisoners loose?" "Yes I am." "That is mad. Truly mad... but I like it." "Does that mean you're in on it?" I ask. "Assuming they won't harm us, yes." "I'll throw open the door, and we'll hide behind it, but I can't make any promises." "What about your lady?" He wonders. "I know she'll be able to defend herself." Mamba thinks for a moment. "I am up for danger. I am up for this." With that he rhythmically and cartoonishly knocks on the door. I have a feeling he didn't need to go as big this time, but I know he enjoys putting on a show. Mama yanked open the door and we hide behind it. I expected all the prisoners to rush out at once. That wasn't the case. Not even one walked out. It was concerning. Mama, however, assured me he had it. He stepped one foot into the dungeon and let out a bloodcurdling scream. Within moments every single prisoner rushed out of the dungeon past Mamba. They all ran down the stairs screaming with terror in their eyes. After the last prisoner ran down the stairs Mamba swung the door shut and clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's hope this diversion worked."

Cliff Problems

I'm on top of the cliff, looking out on to the vast horizon. I would say the view is breathtaking,but I can't enjoy it now. I'm even further from my goal of escaping. Why did he bring me here? Doesn't he know how stairs work? One way goes up. The other goes down. Down is where we needed to go, not up. I can't be too mad though. I am the one who followed him. "Why are we here?" I blurt. Mamba is puzzled by my question. "Why are we here? For freedom of course. " "This is how we get freedom?" "Yes." "And what do we do now?" I ask. "We climb down the cliff." "No, I'm not doing that." I insist. "Why not?" "Because it's dangerous, and if you wanted to do that, you should have done it in the first place instead of having me go through the dungeon." "Hmm, you make a valid point." "No shit. How about we go down the stairs?" I ask. "Can't do it. There's guards. It'll be a death trap." I tiredly exhale. "We need a distraction." "You want me to go down there and juggle?"He asks. "No, something bigger. I might have just the idea, but I have to lead this time."

Fireplace Questions

Todd warms himself by the fireplace. He has a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and he stares at the flames blankly. The baker sits in an adjacent armchair. "Thank you for letting me stay." Todd says, still staring at the flames. "What else would I have done? It's raining." "Doesn't matter. Some people would have turned me away." "I guess I'm not some people." Todd smiles. "Well, thank you." "Think nothing of it." She replies. "I'm almost dry." "Good. I still wouldn't go out yet." Todd cranes his neck to the window. The storm is raging outside. "I suppose not." He says. There is a brief silence. "So, you really haven't seen those people?" He asks. "I haven't. Honest." Todd casts his eyes down. "I'll find them." He mutters. "I don't understand. Are they criminals?" Todd laughs. "No, I'm serious. The way you're asking for them makes me believe they are." "They're not criminals." Todd assures. "Then who are they?" "They're my employees." "Did you ever think of hiring new people?" "I have." "And?" The baker says, trying to pull more words out of him. Todd droops his shoulders. "I need them." The baker leans forward in her armchair. "If you love someone, let them go." "It's not that simple. They also took the last falcon, and I have no way of leaving." "Falcon? Where are you from?" She questions. "Far away." "Where are you going?" Todd shakes his head, knowing that he is about to tell the craziest story. "I'm searching for a forgotten tribe. They have all my falcons as well as my gatekeeper, and those two employees who I've just mentioned." The baker's face grows pale. Todd realizes now he is on to something, but before he can say anything more, he is interrupted by the front door creaking open. "What's that?" He asks. The baker is panic stricken. "It's my husband. Hide."

On the Edge

I cautiously creep along the ledge. My heart beat races while my toes point out to nothingness. Somehow Mamba remains calm as can be. I suppose it is an added benefit to being a fool. How could one be afraid when they are in ignorance of the danger beneath their feet? The ledge seemingly ends at a wall. Mamba, still keeping his composure, places both hands against the wall. He then does a rhythmic knock. It goes on for quite some time, and I think he's having fun with me, but the wall slides open. "Follow me closely. You won't want to get lost." He says, with a devilish grin. We walk through the tunnel. It is so dark that the only thing I have guiding me is the faint sound of his footsteps. Soon I can barely hear his footsteps. They are drowned out by horrendous wailing. "What is that?" I ask. "Other prisoners. Don't stop." He warns. But I can't help it. The melancholy wailing overpowers me. I stop dead in my tracks. As soon as I stop, I can feel thousands of cold hands reaching out to me. "They got me!" I shout. I feel another hand reach out to me. This one, however, is not cold. It yanks me by the arm and continues walking. "I told you not to stop." Mamba reminds. "I couldn't help it." Mamba tightens his grip as we move forward. The wailing only grows louder the further we walk, but eventually we see light emitting from behind a door. Mamba does a similar rhythmic knock on the door. Except this time he has to pull it open. We run through to the other side. Mamba finally lets me go, and he slams the door shut. "I told you not to stop." He tells me again. "Maybe we should have stopped. They were prisoners. We could have saved them too." "No, you save yourself. You don't worry about them." "But I will." I insist. "We're not going back." Mamba eyes the stone stairway before us. "If you want to go back, be my guest, but I won't." I sigh. "Show me the way."

Baker's Cabin

Soaking wet, and with rage in his heart, Todd banged furiously on the cabin door. To his surprise neither Olivia nor I answered , but rather, a woman in a baker's apron. "Hello?" She asks, innocently. "Where are they?!" He shouts, angrily. "Who are you looking for?" "You know who." The woman shakes her head. "I'm afraid I don't." "Yes, you do. I'm looking for a man and a woman." "Nobody comes around here." "Don't you try to hide them." "Hide who?" She wonders. "You know who. He wears a red hood and cape, and she usually wears a sugar skull mask." The woman is silent for a moment. "Such an unusual description." She says. Todd looks at her confused, somewhat terrified face. "You haven't seen them, have you?" "No, I haven't." Todd looks down. "I'm sorry I wasted your time." He starts to walk away. "Where are you from?" The woman asks. "No where you've heard of." "I'm sure of that, but is this place far away?" "I believe it is." He replies. The woman opens the door all the way. "Come in, stay awhile." "You don't mind letting in a stranger?" She shrugs. "You seem important. Plus it's raining like there's no tomorrow."

Corridor

Penny and Olivia walk down a narrow corridor. The stone walls are dimly lit by torches "Ruth doesn't like Pumpkins for a reason. We have to find out why." Penny caws. "I know. We could have asked the cook, but he was on to us. I didn't want to risk it." Olivia holds up the softball sized pumpkin. "What do I do with you?" She asks her vegetable friend. Penny flaps her winds in an attempt to grab Olivia's attention. Olivia turns to Penny. "What's the matter?" Penny points a torch with her beak. "What about the torch?" Penny taps the pumpkin with her beak and then points to the torch. "Are you suggesting we make a Jack - O - Lantern?" Penny caws in excitement. "I don't think that's the best use of our time." Penny hangs her head. "Penny, I don't even have a knife." Penny pokes the pumpkin with her beak, creating a small hole. "Yes, I see that works, but I still don't think it's a good idea." Penny caws loudly in frustration. Olivia sighs and places the Pumpkin on the cold floor. "Fine, but we have to be careful. We have to keep an eye out."

Repelling

A tiny pebble hit my head. I thought little more of it than an irritation. Then another pebble hit my cheek. I looked up to see what was the matter, only to find Mamba's foot in my face. I let out a scream of annoyance. The jester apologized, telling me he misjudged the coordinates. He continued to repel past me being more careful not to hit me this time. He revealed a tiny pick from underneath his tongue while dangling mid air. He fidgeted with my cuffs around my wrists that bound me to the cliff. He removed my chains and I slid down to the narrow ledge. After that Mamba swung himself to the ledge and untied the rope around his waist. I assumed naturally that we would climb back up the cliff. I couldn't be more wrong. He took out a pair of scissors that were hidden under his hat. I watched in horror as he cut the rope and it fell to the Earth. "What the hell did you do that for?" I shout. "We can't go back that way. They would expect that." "How do you suggest we get out of here?" I ask. The jester points his head to the left. "That's going back to the dungeon." "Yes, and sometimes you have to go through hell to get to heaven." I roll my eyes. "Enough with the metaphors. Just get me out of here."

Dinner Prep

To Olivia's surprise, she didn't have any trouble getting to the kitchen. Not one single person confronted her. She did, however bring in Penny. While there was no clear and present threat, she just didn't know anymore. She placed the pumpkin on a little table and took out a knife. She was about to jab the pumpkin when the royal cook entered. "What are you doing?" He questions. Olivia, not wanting to put up with any nonsense hearts him. "What are you doing?" He asks again, but this time with a different inflection. Almost as an old friend trying to catch up. "Thought I'd make pie for everybody." "You know our Queen doesn't like pumpkins." Olivia places the knife down. She eagerly leans in. "Are you trying to tell me she can't have it? That it would be a bad idea if she were to eat it? "I don't know. She just doesn't like them." He says. "Is she allergic?" "I don't think so. I could help you." Olivia causally pulls the pumpkin away. "I don't think so." "Why not?" "Because I have a feeling this might be more important that I thought." A light appears in the cook's eyes. "Were you hoping to poison her?" Olivia hearts the cook again. "No." Olivia takes the pumpkin and heads for the exit. "Come on Penny, we gotta find out how to use this."

Hanging Out

I'm on the edge of nothing. For my crimes I was chained to the side of a cliff. On the upside, the view is spectacular. I can see just about everything. The downside is that I am slowly starving to death. I am mesmerized how I am here. I don't mean psychologically how I got here. I really mean how I got here physically. A foot below my feet is a ledge. It's about the width of a tight rope. It shouldn't be able to hold one person, yet somehow there were two people on this tiny, little ledge chaining me to the wall. Three people in total if you count me. I have no idea how they did that, and I was there. They most be some of the most dextrous people in the world. I'm sure in another life they could have been acrobats. I glance down at the ledge and view it in perspective of my dangling foot. I don't think I could do it, and I might have to. "My lord, is that you?" A voice calls from the top of the cliff. I try and look up, but all I can see is the sun. "Who is it?" I ask. "Why it's none other than your faithful Mamba." "Mamba? Like the dance?" "No, like Wamba. Flip my first M and that's what you get." "Wait, who is Wamba?" "Wamba is the great Jester of Ivanhoe. He speaks the language of fools, but he knows more than he lets on." I smile to myself. "I would have never of gotten that reference." "Glad to share wisdom with you. Now, may I be of assistance to you?" "I guess not. But how are you going to help me?" "I have a rope. I will repel down to you. Let me tie it to the nearest tree. Hang tight."

In the Garden

Olivia had troubles explaining her plans to Penny. She wanted go to the royal garden, but Penny had never been there before, and Olivia only ventured once to the garden. Olivia did her best to recall the details. They landed in the apple orchards. "No, this isn't where I wanted to be." Olivia says. Penny caws. "Yes, the apples do look delicious, but we can't stay here." Penny caws again. "You're right. We haven't eaten in a while. We should take some." Olivia plucks a handful of apples off the trees. She then carefully places them in her pockets. Olivia hops back on Penny. "Now, no more detours. We haven't time to waste." Penny flew up into the air until they could see the vast expanse of the garden. It stretched on for what appeared to be miles. At the heart was a small dirt patch.Olivia excitedly points to the patch. Penny lands, bewildered. All she can see is a few rotting pumpkins. Olivia, on the other hand is over the moon. She jumps off Penny and rushes to a pumpkin. She picks it up, only to find that the side is so soft that it is falling in. She eyes the others. The all have a similar, decayed look. Feeling a little dejected, Olivia lowers her head. "We need just one good one." She paces back and forth, hoping that she overlooked one. As she is about to call it quits, Penny comes to her aide. She points a little pumpkin buried beneath a bigger one. Olivia shoves the big, grotesque pumpkin to the side. She picks up the pumpkin that was under it. She examines it closely. There are no soft spots or any signs of rotting. It's a little smaller(about the size of a soft ball) but it will do. Olivia happily takes the pumpkin back to Penny. "To the kitchen, Penny."

The Other Path

Todd's patience was wearing thin. He had been stuck in a tree by himself all day and night. It soon became clear that no one was coming back for him. He had been ditched. He knew that to be true. He wondered why he went along with these shenanigans in the first place. After all, he still was the boss even if they were in the middle of nowhere. Rather than stewing in his own rage, he decided to put his boy scout skills to use. He steadily climbed down the tree. When he reached the bottom, instead of making right, he took a left. This would lead him further away from the tribe, but how was he to know? He was only doing what he felt was right. The hours passed, and he became more lost. It soon began to rain in his neck of the woods. It was a downpour. If it wasn't for the pink stones he stumbled on, his vision would have been blurred. He hastily followed the stones, hoping beyond hope that they would lead to shelter. The stones did guide him to a cozy cabin. Todd had a thought that maybe this is where his devious employees went. He clenched his fists and prepared his dialogue. He knew exactly what to say.

Captive

Not being bound in chains made for a slightly easier trek. However, we were not to be lulled into a false sense of security. We had sharp spears to our backs. We knew we were prisoners. The tribesmen marched us to a plateau near the twin waterfalls. There we saw the most grisly sight. Penny was tied tight to a sundial with her wings spread far apart. The main tribesman crosses in front of us, and extends his arm. "Do you know this bird?" "Yes! Don't hurt her!" Olivia cries. "Do you know she is even more unwelcome here than you two?" "We had a deal." I shout. "I know. I am well aware. I will happily keep it if you leave now." "How are we supposed to leave without her?" I ask. "You can swim for all I care. Do we have a deal?" Olivia and I are hesitant to respond. The tribesman walks toward Penny with his spear in hand, ready to strike. "We'll go!" Olivia pleads. The tribesman turns around. "I knew you'd come to your senses." He then continues to walk towards Penny, still aiming his spear at her. "What are you doing? We said we'd go." I question. "The deal was that I'd let her live if you leave. I never said I wouldn't torture her." "Please don't." Olivia shouts , with tears in her eyes. "It's either that or everybody dies. What's it going to be?" There is a brief silence. Olivia sniffles. "Can I at least see her one last time?" The tribesman takes a deep breath. "Fine. But just you. Only you." The tribesman grabs Olivia by the arm and shoves her to Penny. Olivia kneels at the sundial. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen." Penny coos softly. Olivia places her hands less than an inch from Penny's body. A pink mist flows out of Olivia's palms and into Penny's chest. Luckily, the tribesman could not see the pink mist, but the show of affection was enough to disgust him. In a fit of rage he rushes to Olivia. Fortunately, before he can grab Olivia again Penny bursts from her shackles. The tribesman, caught off guard , stands there for half a beat. It is a small widow, but allows allows Olivia enough time to hop on Penny's back. Penny then knocks over the tribesman with her wing. The other two tribesmen toss their spears at Penny and Olivia. They narrowly avoid the assault as they fly off cliff. The main tribesman comes to his feet. He grabs his spear and smacks me with the butt of it. The hit doesn't cause a loss of consciousness, but is hard enough for my mouth to bleed. The other two tribesmen grab my arms. The main tribesmen looks me in the eyes. "At least we have you."

Out of the Pit

Ruth said that she would get us out of the hole, but she never said when that would happen. I suppose it's a form of mental torture. We were literally left in the dark. The hours passed and we gave in to our fatigue. Neither Olivia nor I wanted to sleep. It would claim us anyways. That night the cold, muddy floor became my best friend. I awoke the next morning to find a wooden ladder inches from my eyes. "Hurry up! I don't have all day." A crotchety voice shouts from the surface. I nudged Olivia and we began our climb. It was a rickety, old ladder, so we looked down the entire time. I wish I would have thrown caution to the wind because as soon as I reached the top and raised my head I found a spear pointed at my throat. There were two other spear men. They were positioned on opposite sides of the hole. They aimed their spears at Olivia and were ready to toss them like javelins should she choose to move. "What's going on?" I ask, steady as I can. The main spear man looks me straight in the eyes. "We'll ask the questions. come with us. Now."

Make a Deal

We clawed at the walls for hours only to find ourselves with depleted strength and dirt beneath our nails. The sun was setting, and with it our hopes of ever escaping. It seemed we would never make it out. That we were left here to rot. "Let's make a deal." Ruth says from the surface. Her face is hidden from our line of vision. "Who said that?" I ask. "Who do you think?" She replies. "What do you want, Ruth?" Olivia asks. "I want you to leave, and if you both left now I will let your falcon live." "Kinda hard to leave when we're stuck down here." I snip. "I will get you out of there, but you must leave now." "That's fine. We didn't want to come back anyways." I say. "Then why did you come back?" She questions. "We didn't know where else to go." Olivia, nervously jumps in. "I see. I'll have my men fetch a ladder. Stay where you are." She chuckles to herself. It is loud at first, then fainter and fainter. Eventually we can't hear her laughter anymore, and it is dead silent.

Rescuer

Digging oneself out of a hole is a difficult task that is only made easier through the aide of friends. Fortunately we had a feathered friend that was willing to help us. The original plan was for Penny to peck and peck at the opening until it was wide enough for her to swoop down and save us, but as soon as she got there we realized it might not be necessary. We thought that if she could just peek her in in then we might be able to grab hold. Olivia wanted me to be the first one one out. I'm not sure why, but she was quite insistent on that. I stepped up on her hand, and she boosted me up. Penny poked her head in. I stretched my arms out as far as I could until I was able to grab her beak. I then shouted to Olivia to grab onto my ankles. Penny lifted us up. This plan would have been flawless, but her beak was much slipperier than I had expected. My hands slid down and got caught on the razor sharp tip. The painful shock caused me to fall back into the pit. I help my hand close to my body. "What's the matter." Olivia asks, attempting to stand. I show her my bloody palm. Olivia rips off a piece of my cape. She wraps it around my hand like a bandage. Penny observers this scene. She makes sorrowful cooing noises. "No, it's not your fault." I say. "Yeah, we're not mad." Olivia adds. Penny continues cooing. "No, really we're not mad." I insist. Penny's cooing became louder and more aggressive. "Calm down. It will be ok." Olivia shouts. Penny does not listen. She only gets only gets louder and more aggressive, and then she disappears from sight. Olivia and I shrink back in the hole. I turn to Olivia. "I have a feeling something just happened."

Alarm

Todd and Penny remain at the top of the pine tree. Todd is nestled under Penny's wing. He sleeps in comfort, relative comfort. Penny is roused out of her slumber by a faint noise. It doesn't wake Todd , but it is as clear as day to her. She knows she is needed. Her sense of duty causes her to forget about the sleeping man beneath her wing. As a result he wakes up, alarmed. "Morning already? " Penny ignores Todd and prepares for her take off. " You going somewhere? " Penny still does not respond. Instead she raises her mighty wings. "Well, can I come with you?" Penny squawks loudly in Todd's face. The noise nearly causes him to fall out of the tree. He rests on the branch and watches Penny fly away.

The Pits

I watch as Olivia attempts to climb out of the pit. She'll grab a hold of the wall only to have it crumble in her hands seconds later. "Why are you just watching?" She asks, impatiently. I stand and offer to give her a boost. She steps on my hand. I try to push her up, but it's still a ways to the surface. She steps off my hand." How about I try? I am a little bit taller than you." I suggest. Olivia shakes her head. "It would still be a good foot." "Maybe we can get our falcon to save us?" "She would never fit down here." Olivia says. "No, but maybe she could widen the hole enough for us to escape." "That could work.." "But?" I say, trying to force the words out of Olivia's mouth. "But if we call to her someone is bound to hear us. We don't want that kind of attention." "What difference does it make? We fell into a trap that was designed by them. They'll find us sooner or later." "You have a point." With that Olivia takes a deep breath to prepare her lungs for the falcon call.

Pitfall

Pine trees aren't difficult to climb, but I'd be lying if I said they were the most enjoyable tree to climb. Getting the proper footing isn't a problem. It's the occasional poke of a pine needle that is jarring. However, I can take even that. It's what happens to your hands afterwards that I don't like. They get caked in a gooey sap. As soon as I got to the ground I wanted to run to the river and dunk my hands in the water. I wanted to , but didn't. "Instead I sucked it up... sort of. I had a grimace on my face, and my hands were spread far apart so that they wouldn't touch my clothes. Olivia noticed my peculiar walk. "I know. My hands feel weird too." "Maybe if I think of the plan it will distract me." "What is the plan?" Olivia asks. "We go in there guns blazing." Olivia shakes her head. "What? You don't like it?" "It would be fun, but I know we need a solid plan." She says. "But why? All we gotta do is throw up your shield." "And then what?" I shrug. We both stop talking. The only thing that can be heard is the crunching of the leaves beneath our feet. "You think they can hear us?" I ask. Olivia stops walking. She turns to me. Her face is white. "You think they can?" She asks, worriedly. "Maybe, but like I said all you gotta do is throw up your shield. " I continue walking. Olivia follows close behind me. "I guess. It just feels like we should plan more." We take a step into a pile of leaves, unaware that there is nothing under it. We topple into a pit that is about eight feet deep. Olivia frantically searches for a root or something to cling to. I take a seat. "I guess we can plan now."

Bird's Eye View

We landed in a pine tree on the outskirts of their society. From our perspective we could not see any trouble below, but that is not to say they couldn't see us. "Here we are." I say to Todd. Todd piers over the edge of our branch. The ground is miles beneath us. "We're a bit far away. Don't you think?" "That's the idea." I say while placing my foot on a lower branch. Todd attempts to follow my lead. Olivia puts her arm out, stopping him. "What are you doing?" "We can't let you go with us." Olivia replies. "But I'm your boss." "Not up here." I quip. "It's too dangerous. It's best you stay back." Todd sighs. "I'm sure I can defend myself." "I'm not so sure about that." I say. "We might need you. So you really should stay back." Olivia adds. "Then if you need me, I should come." Todd pushes Olivia's arm away. She quickly fires a pink heart into his chest. "We need you alive!" Todd absorbs the pink heart. He sinks back onto the branch with a smile on his face, and Olivia and I begin our descent.

Prairie

After flying around aimlessly for a while we knew it was time to ditch our extra weight. We landed in a prairie in the middle of Nebraska. We didn't tell Todd that this was where we were letting him off, but we did untie him. I'm sure he assumed it was just a pit stop for us. We did play that up. We had to. So we stretched and ran around. We did anything to draw attention away from our plan. The only problem was Penny wasn't ready to hit the skies when we were done pretending. It's a lesser known fact, but falcons are impossible to get out of leisure mode. Instead of attempting to rouse Penny, we rested. Winter was slowly creeping into the midwest prairie, so we kept warm through Olivia's bubble. She made a big one that housed the four of us. The electrical currents were warming us and giving us light. "Sorry if it's not too warm. I haven't done this in a while." Olivia says, apologetically. "No problem at all. This is so amazing." Todd says in awe. "It is wonderful, but you should be getting some rest. Don't you think?" I ask. Todd halts gazing at the bubble with childlike wonder. "Why are you trying to get rid of me?" He asks. "I'm not." I say, nervously. "You are." "Todd, you've just had a long day." Olivia explains. Todd glares at Olivia. "If anything I should be mad at you two." "For what?" I ask. "You left with the last falcon and my gatekeeper." "We were going to come back." I reply. "I'm sure you were. Where is the gatekeeper anyways?" "Oh, he's not coming back." Olivia says. "Where is he?" Todd asks again. "He was taken by an ancient society." I say, as a mater of fact. "He was taken?" Todd questions. "Yeah, or brainwashed. They're the ones that have all the falcons too." I reply. "Then we have to get them back!" "We're not allowed back. They'll probably kill us if they saw us." Olivia responds. Todd shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. Anything worth fighting for is worth dying for." "I'm not so sure it's worth fighting for." I say. "I am. They have our gatekeeper and our falcons." "They didn't exactly take either." Olivia informs. "I'm not too sure about that. I have a feeling in my gut that won't go away." "That's just indigestion." I snicker. Todd wraps his arms around us. "This is where we must go. This is where I will build the new Wellness Center." Olivia and I stare at each other. "I know you two think it's a terrible idea, but I'm not taking no for an answer."

November Air

As much as we wanted to drop Todd of anywhere, we couldn't do that. Believe me we wanted to, but we couldn't. We needed to find a safe place where we could trust that nothing bad would happen to him. When you are flying miles above the ground, a safe place isn't easy to spot. Everything looks like a model town. Model towns are pleasant in appearance, but looks can be decieving. We seldonmly fly close enough to the ground to see the nitty gritty details of each individual town. Rather, we let the cool November air hit our faces. We get lost in the moment. There is a certain freedom in an aimless flight. It is peaceful until Todd opens his eyes. He lets out a bloddcurdling scream. His cries disrupt Penny's equilibrium. She takes a sudden nose dive. I take the reins and regain control of the bird. "Where are we?" Todd shouts. "You're on a falcon." I quip. "I can see that, but why?" "The wellness center was in decay. We had to leave." "But why am I tied?" "Because you were two sheets to the wind." Olivia replies. Todd becomes quiet for a moment. "I suppose I was overindulging." "You think?" I say. "I was. Where are we going?" "We're looking for a safe place to drop you off." I inform. "You two aren't coming with me?" "I'm afraid not. This is where we part." Olivia says. "But why?" I clear my throat. "Because we don't need you anymore." "Sure you do. You need me to run the Wellness Center." "There is no Wellness Center." Olivia shouts. "But there will be as soon as I build it." "We're not falling for that again." Olivia says. "I know I fell short as a boss, but give me another chance." "Why?" I ask. "Because I can do this." Neither Olivia nor I say a word. "I know there is nothing in it for you two, but if you land somewhere I assure you I can rebuild a society. Please, I need this." I sigh. "Fine, but we pick the location."

Fastening

Finding rope in the stables was a piece of cake. Convincing my inebriated, former boss of the necessity of fastening him to Penny was also quite easy. You would think it would be more challenging, but it wasn't. All I had to do was play into his ego. I told him that he was so important to our plans that we couldn't afford to lose him. He ate it up. Admittedly I probably enjoyed tethering him a bit much, but before anyone rolls their eyes know that I didn't tie it too tight. I made sure it was secure enough to hold him, yet loos enough that it wouldn't cut off any circulation. We wrapped his arms and legs around Penny's neck, and sat directly behind Todd. As soon as we felt he was secure, we took off. Our new destination was a simple one. We were going to find a safe location to let Todd off.

Haggard Boss

"What happened here?" Olivia shouts in a stupefied horror. Todd sits up. He cracks his back before addressing us. "There was a party." "I can see that. Where is everybody?" She asks. "They left." "But how? Nobody can fly, and we took the last falcon." I say. Todd shrugs. "They found a way. They all did." "Where did they go?" I ask. "I don't know. Away from here." I let out a sigh. "Where is the Wellness Center?" Todd looks at me, confused. "It sank, remember?" Olivia crouches down and stares Todd in the eye. "You were going to rebuild it, remember?" "Yeah I was going to..." Todd blanks before he can finish his thought. I sit down next to him. "What happened? Why didn't you finish?" "Because I didn't start." "Why didn't you start?" I ask. Todd smiles. "You remember the paper you gave me with the number for the carpenters?" "Yeah?" "Well, I tried to call it but I guess you gave me the wrong number, or I read it wrong. At any rate I just got a fax machine when I tried dialing it." "Why didn't you try dialing a different number?" Olivia questions. Todd rolls his eyes. "I thought of that, but then I realized I don't have to search for these carpenters right away. I mean my people have been through a lot. So, I decided to just kick back." "And party?" I jump in. "Yeah, party. It was fun at first, but then after a few days I guess some people got sick of it. One by one they all left. The minotaur, surprisingly enough was the first to go. He left for one of the Grecian islands. I don't know where everybody else went. You two aren't going to leave me are you?" "I'm afraid so." I respond. I stand up. I'm about to exit and Olivia stops me. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asks me. "We can't stay here." "I know that, but we can't leave him by himself." "What should we do with him?" "I don't know, but we can't leave him him here." She repeats. I look down and take a deep breath. "Ok, let's find some rope." "What for?" "We're gonna tie him to the falcon. I don't trust him to stay on by himself in his current state."

Roots

We flew to the Wellness Center for the millionth time. We weren't aching to go back , but curiosity took the better of us. We wanted to know what the new building looked like and how they kept up with things. Plus, we had no other ideas. The usual entrance was now grey and foreboding. We wondered if we were in the right place. Even after we saw the gates we were still unsure of ourselves. They lost their golden appearance. The gates turned into a faded yellow and were separating from the hinges. We walked through the gates to find nothing. There was nothing on the horizon. They never bothered to rebuild the Wellness Center, but the Stables were still in tact. I found it odd until I recalled that's where everyone was gathered previously. We decided to venture into the stables. Maybe someone could shed some light on this. The stable door was jammed. I had to force it, and even then it only opened partially. There was a pile of empty pizza boxes and beer bottles on the other side. Clearly someone was having fun. Olivia and I squeezed through the tiny opening. We were greeted only by faint odors of decaying food. It seemed the party goers all left."Looks like we missed the party." I say. "It wasn't that great." A voice replies from one of the many stables. Curious, Olivia and I run in the direction of the voice. There we found a haggard and worn out Todd. He had dark circles under his eyes and rested on hay. He lifted his head. "I was hoping you'd come back."

Exiled

It was an awkward meal. We ate in silence as every eye was on us. The vibe definitely changed. It wasn't as friendly and lively as it once was. We were surrounded by fear, suspicion, and dread. You may be thinking why didn't we just fire hearts at them? Change their collected perspective on us? We kind of thought "what's the point?" They didn't want us in their society, so why stay? Why should we force someone to like us? Besides we were only being exiled. It didn't seem that bad. I don't know why we weren't be sentenced to death again. Perhaps we were not seen as a threat. At any rate , I was happy to finish my porridge and say "Good riddance." Peter and Ruth led us to the center of the forest. This time we were not in chains and there were no spears to our backs. It was a long walk though. It was a very long walk. Just as my legs were about to give out , Ruth whistled. A second later a falcon circled over head. She whistled again and it swooped down. I wasn't positive, but at that point I was almost certain it was Penny. "This is the runt. Take her with you." Ruth instructs. "Where should we go?" I ask. "I don't care as long as it's far from here."

Breakfast of Champs

Breakfast, like dinner is eaten together, and just like dinner we were served something that is less than filling. This morning we were lucky enough to experience the wonders of porridge. I don't like porridge one bit. It makes me feel like a prisoner eating gruel, but we don't want to rouse any suspicion, so we eat. I don't look up the whole time I'm eating. Somehow I thought that would help me eat quicker. Of course Ruth notices this. "What's the matter? Don't feel like showing your face today?" She says. "No he doesn't, and I know why." The jester interrupts. Ruth stops eating and turns to the jester. "Why's that?" "Because he's a phoney. They both are, except he feels the guilt more. It's eating him alive. He can't stand to look at us for that reason." Ruth stares at the Jester for a moment. "What?" He shouts. " I knew that, you nit wit.You were there when I told him I knew." The jester shrinks down in his seat. The cook leans over to Olivia. "What is the meaning of this?" "I have no idea what she's talking about." Olivia replies. Ruth gets up and walks over to Olivia. "Don't be coy, my dear." "I really don't know what you are talking about." Olivia says, nervously. "You don't have to play dumb anymore." Ruth says. The jester bangs his fist on the table. All eyes are on him now. "My lord and lady do not play dumb. They do not know how to. Surely, you musn't believe the lies." Ruth leans over the table and looks at the Jester. "What lies would you be referring to?" "That they are anything less than the chosen ones." "But wasn't it you who said they were phoney?" She questions. The jester gulps. "Listen not to me. I know not what I say." "Finally some good advice." She replies. Ruth walks back to Olivia. Before she can say or do anything Peter bangs his bowl loudly on the table. Ruth turns her attention to Peter. "So, the judge decides to speak. What is the verdict?" "I don't believe they are who they claim to be." "And what shall we do with these false gods?" "They are to be exiled." Ruth's eyes light up. "But after this meal. They get one last meal, and then they must be lead out."

A Fool's Wisdom

You would think that as king and Queen of a forgotten society we'd be able to sleep in. That wasn't the case at all. The jester woke us up at the crack of dawn. He didn't do it in a gentle way either. He whipped the blankets off our bodies. He did give us the option of sleeping another half hour though. However, when I'm up I can't for the life of me go back to sleep. Olivia, on the other hand had no problem. I waited outside the cave while she slept. I stared out onto the horizon wondering where I was. My body was wide awake, but my mind hadn't caught up yet. Had we really stumbled upon a lost society and masqueraded as Gods? I placed my hand against the cave. The cold stone beneath my palm was confirmation enough that it was real. Had it been a dream, I wouldn't have felt anything. Once the half hour was up the Jester came back as promised. He woke Olivia and lead us to bottom of the waterfalls. I have mixed feelings about this place. The scenery is lovely, but it reminds me of loss. It's the last place we saw Penny and Peter as Peter. "This will be a good place to stay for now." The Jester shouts over the falling water. "Stay?" I repeat. "Yes, stay. While the others sleep." "Why can't we just sleep?" Olivia asks groggily. "Because Gods don't sleep. At least not that much." He replies. "You sure about that?" I ask. "Well, I can't imagine them sleeping too much." Olivia and I look at each other. "What do we do when everybody else sleeps?" Olivia asks. "We wait. There isn't anything to do. Might I suggest taking in the scenery?" "We know this place. We've seen it before." I say, disenchanted. "But have you really seen it?" He asks. "I don't know what that means." He smiles. "I know, because you are not the chosen ones." I bite my lip. "Let's cut to the chase, how do you know?" "The fool is amusing, but the fool is also wise." "I have no idea what that means." I say. "Because you think too much . You don't think like me." "All I know is that if you know that means that everybody else must know." Olivia remarks. The Jester shakes his head. "Not so, not so at all." "Ok, assuming that you're right and no one else has a clue, what do we do now?" I ask. "I will tell them all your secret." "What?" Olivia shouts. "Do not be afraid, for no one believes the word of the fool. Once I spill the beans, there will be no suspicion. None at all. Not even from Ms. Ruth." I take a deep breath. "I guess that makes sense. " The jester nods. "Good. You two take in the scenery. I will practice my lines, and then at breakfast time I will tell all your secret."

Sleeping Quarters

After dinner it was time for rest for all. While the tribe went to their respected sleeping quarters, the jester showed us where we'd be staying. Lackluster does not begin to describe it. It was basically just a cave with two small, green cots. "So, this is it?" Olivia asks, trying to hide her disappointment. "Oh yes, nothing but the best." He replies. "The best?" I repeat. "It's not up to your standards?" "It's just so... quaint." I remark. "That's the idea. You are to lead a humble existence now." "Lucky us." I say under my breath. "I will get some blankets. It can get chilly over night.Is there anything else the two of you would like?" "A T.V.?" Olivia asks. The jester shakes his head. "No, no. A humble lifestyle is what you must lead. We must keep things on the down low." "The down low?" I question. The jester nervously smiles. "Yes, we mustn't raise suspicion." "Suspicion about what?" Olivia asks. The jester backs up against the wall. "People may know things. People may not be deceived so easily." "What are you saying?" I ask. "I'm saying a lot and nothing at all." "Are you implying something." Olivia grills. "I may be implying something, but implications are nothing to be worried about." I stare are him for a moment. "Are you saying we can trust you?" "There is not reason you shouldn't." "Unless we have reason to believe you may tell the village that you think we're not the chosen ones." Olivia says threateningly. The jester pushes her away. He runs to the cave exit. "I know you're not who you say you are, but I don't care. You can trust me." "Are you sure about that?" I shout. "You have my word. I will bring blankets, and tomorrow I will teach you how to blend it. "

Dinner Table

Every single person from the tribe sat at the dinner table. Men, women, and yes, children. The table was a long rectangle that stretched a few hundred feet. The dinner table rests outside. I'm guessing no room was big enough to house it, or at least no body wanted to build one. The table is made of stone with bits of green and red marble ground into it. It is a beautiful piece of furniture , but this whole society is one big juxtaposition to me. They have a modern kitchen, yet they dress in rags and choose to live in caves. I don't get it. Perhaps I am not supposed to. Then again, I am their God. These are things I should know. After all it is their job to be clueless. Mine is to be all knowing. That's exhausting. I blow on my soup. It's still scorching hot. Everyone else, except for Olivia is sipping it down. The jester, who is sitting to my right, notices I have not eaten much. "Aren't thou hungry?" He asks. "I am, it's just too hot right now. " I respond foolishly. The tribesmen halt eating and stare at me. "Too hot?" Ruth questions from halfway down the table. I deliberately sat her away from me. I wasn't afraid what she might do to me, but I did't want her casting shade at me. "Did I hear you say it was too hot?" She continues. "That's right. It is." I say. "What kind of God says it's too hot?" She asks. Olivia stands. "One who values a good meal. You expect us to enjoy this corn, vegetable soup at exceeding temperatures?" "I do." Ruth says with a stone face. "Don't you know that when food is too hot you lose valuable flavors?" Olivia adds. "Is that true?" Someone asks. "It sounds right." The cook replies. Another person shouts. "Then if this is true, we have all been fools." The jester stands. "There is only room for one fool here." A mother shakes her fist. "He's right. We can't do this the wrong way any more. We can not lose the flavor. We must wait to eat." They all simultaneously push their soup bowls aside and fold their hands. Ruth doesn't eat, but she cups her hands around her bowl and glares at us. "I can wait."

Kitchen Drinks

The jester leads me to the kitchen with a wide eye'd promise of alcohol. I don't need it, but it would make things easier and more fun. I'm aware that that sentence sounded bad, but it happened. I merely report what happens. Anyways we're in the kitchen. It is a big restaurant kitchen. The kind that was in the scene from Jurassic Park with the Raptors. There is no one around. Just me and the jester. He is haphazardly going through the cabinets and drawers. He throws cans and boxes in a mad effort to find booze. It creates a huge mess on the floor. I know he won't put anything back, yet somehow I don't care. Eventually he finds a bottle of cooking wine. He lifts the bottle in a dramatic pose. "A bottle of spirits to lift thine spirits?" "Don't mind if I do." I reply. The jester jumps off the counter. He rummages through the cabinets again till he finds two champaign glasses. He pours one for me and one for him. "Shall we make a toast?" He asks. "Sure, cheers." The jester shakes his head. "No, to merryment. To very merryment." We clink our glasses. I take a swig.It is the most foul taste. I nearly spit it out. "That's horrible." I shout. "You do not like?" "No, it's awful." The jester shrugs. "You don't mind?" I ask. "Not at all." He gulps down the rest of his wine. "No, he won't mind. He's a fool." I turn around to see Ruth standing at the doorway to the kitchen. "That's the royal fool." He corrects her. Ruth ignores the jester. "It's lonely on top, isn't it?" I glance at the Jester. He is making faces and playing with his glass. "More like it's weird at the top." She walks over to where I am standing and picks up my wine glass. "Hard day?" "Boring day." The jester interrupts our banter. "What brings you here in the presence of my master?" "Yeah, why are you here? Are you gonna tell on me?" I ask. "Who would I run to? You're the one in charge." "Then why are you here?" I question. "Just to say that I know." "You know?" I repeat. "I know even if no one else can see it. I know. I never wanted to bow to you. In fact it makes me sick thinking about it." Ruth starts to exit the kitchen. She turns and gives a sinister smile. "Everyone falls eventually."

Seeds

Olivia spent hours looking at various crops. She walked through orchards and skipped in fields. It took a while, but the garden did eventually end. Olivia and the cook stood on a dry dirt patch. "What's this?" Olivia asks. "Nothing yet." He replies while taking a handful of seeds out of his pocket. The cook made a divot with his hands and buried the seeds. "What is it?" "Don't you remember? You said you wanted pumpkin pie." "You mean those were pumpkin seeds?" "Yes." "I appreciate that, but if Ruth disliked pumpkins that much, why would you carry seeds around?" "The seeds are very special." " What's the significance." The cook shakes his head. "Do not worry about that." "Ok, it's just kind of weird." "It is not." He insists. Olivia changes the subject. "It's getting late. You'll probably be behind on your meal preparations." "Not at all. I got everything yesterday for today because I had a feeling this would be an all day activity." "Smart." "Thank you." "But does that mean we're having one of Ruth's meals?" Olivia asks. "Yes, unfortunately. I am sorry." "No, it's fine. I like corn." Olivia looks off into the distance. "But we should head back now if we want to see the tribe before tomorrow." The cook raises his arm as if he is hailing a taxi cab. An instant later a giant falcon swoops down. The cook smiles. "It will take us no time at all to get back."

Not Punny

I like a good pun. I enjoy reading Sherman's Lagoon and occasionally Wizard of Id, but when I have to sit through sloppily crafted puns that are delivered in less than clever ways, it becomes a certain kind of torture. At first I opt for politeness, smiling on the outside, but wishing to escape my body at the same time. However, as the hours ticked away I could no longer hide my disdain. I let out a big yawn. The Jester's face dropped. "Are you not amused?" He asks. "No, not really." "Then I have not done my job. I must put you at ease. I must make you laugh." "Does that mean you're gonna tell more jokes?" I ask. "Of course." "Please don't." The jester appears hurt and wounded. "Are you disappointed with my services?" I don't answer. I don't know how to. At least not without hurting him more. "You are disappointed." He concludes. "No, it's not that. It's just I have a hard shell to crack." The jester raises an eyebrow. "A hard shell to crack?" "Yes." "Perhaps we shall get a hammer." The jester laughs at his own joke. I groan. "Your majesty, you should lighten up." "I am lightened up. I am in a jovial mood." I say. "You are? You could have fooled me." "Perhaps I did, you are the fool after all." The jester chuckles. "You are the master jokesmith. You must teach me your ways." "I must?" I question. "Yes, you must." He pleads. "I don't know. I don't think I could teach on an empty stomach." The jester smiles. " I understand fully. An empty stomach is like an empty brain." "That it is. Is it almost time to eat?" I ask. "I hope so, the cook and your other half have been gone a while." "We don't have to wait. We can find a snack." The jester shakes his head. "I would not recommend that, your majesty. We all eat together." I sigh. "It's one of those things, isn't it?" "I'm afraid so, but we can have spirits in the mean time." "You mean alcohol?" I ask. "Yes, allow me. I will lead the way."

The Crops

The royal cook lead Olivia to a lush meadow. It was a rolling hill filled with saturated greens and crops as far as the eye could see. The closest crop was the corn field. The corn stalks were about eight feet tall. The royal cook smiled proudly. "I suppose you know what this is?" "Yes, it's corn." She replies, happily. The cook nods. "It is the most popular , and most useful crop. It is closest to our tribe for that reason." "What else do you have?" Olivia asks. "Everything, you name it." "What about an apple orchard?" "We have several." "Do you have blueberries?" "Yes." "Strawberries?" "Yes." "Apricots?" "Yes." Olivia thinks for a moment. "What about coconuts? I bet you don't have those." "Though it is not as popular, we do have a few coconut trees. Do you care to see them?" "Not right now. I'll take your word for it though." "Very well." Olivia looks on in amazement and whistles. "So, do you pick everything yourself too?" She asks. "My staff helps me, but I do most the work." "Wow, still that must take a while especially if you do this daily." Olivia says. "It can be, but I tend to cater to the one in charge of our society. For a while that was Ruth. You've met her ,right?" "Yeah, I've had a few encounters with her. So, you catered to her taste? What did she like?" The cook smiles. "Very simple taste.She loved corn ." He extents his arm, displaying the vast cornfield. "Is that the real reason why you planted it the closest?" Olivia questions. "Partially, but I am serious when I say it is very useful." He says, defensively. "Oh,I know." "I also have the turnips planted far off in the distance. She didn't care for them, but I could move them closer if you'd like." "No, they are fine where they are." Olivia insists. "As you wish. Is there a meal request you'd like to make?" "Well, this is October. Maybe a nice pumpkin pie?" The cook's face grows pale. "What?" Olivia asks. "Pumpkins are the only things we don't have." "How is that possible?" "Ruth detested pumpkins. She did not like them one bit. I could plant some pumpkins for you. They won't be ready for dinner, but I could do that." "That's fine." Olivia says. He smiles once more. "Let me show you more."

Perks

Everyone in the cave disperses. Everyone except for Peter and two lower ranking tribesmen. The tribesmen stand on either side of him. To Peter's left is a man with a Jester's hat. He slouches and has a nervous grimace. To his right is a man with a very different posture. He stands straight. He looks poised and confident. "I know you wanted some peace and quiet. I can't say I blame you, your majesties, but allow me to introduce you to your new friends." Peter says, with his arms wrapped around the tribesmen. "Our friends?" Olivia repeats. "Oh yes, they're quite handy, and you'll want their services." I lean back in my chair. "Alright. What can you do for us?" Peter eyes the man with the Jester's hat. He bows and address us. "Your majesty. I will be the royal joke teller." "The royal joke teller?" I repeat. "Yes, my jokes are the finest in all the land." "Really?" I question. "Yes, really. People come from far and wide to hear my jokes. Would you like to hear one?" I shake my head no. "It won't be necessary. But why would I need your services?" "To put you at ease after a hard day." He replies. I think for a moment. "Yes, ruling is hard. So, are you saying that with you I wouldn't need to be witty?" He nods yes. "Yes, your majesty." I take a deep breath. "Ok, he can stay." "What about the other one? What does he do?" Olivia asks. He walks forward and takes a bow. "I, your majesty, am the cook. I prepare the meals everyday." "YOU, prepare the meals everyday?" She questions. "Yes, your majesty. Everything. I even grow the fruits and vegetables. Would you care to see the garden?" "I am curious." She says. Olivia looks to me. "You want to come?" "No, I'm feeling lazy. I think I'll hear a joke or two if that is alright." "Not at all. We shall reconvene later."