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."