by Unknown
Mini-Chapter 8
Since the authorities in Happy Town did not worry about the matter, Johnny Dash had to gather the brave ones who would come with him in his expedition on his own; so, in the next days, he committed solely and exclusively to spread the news about his quest all around the town. Would there be any citizens willing to carry out such dangerous mission? Days went by and Johnny did not get the results he had hoped for. Apparently, very few citizens were interested in looking for the new Doral Flower. What's more, almost no one believed a new one even existed. Most people thought it was just a hoax; others, for their part, just made fun of Johnny Dash. However, the young man did not lose hope. After two weeks of useless wait, only Johnny showed up, and Freeman Wise told him: “Did you know, my beloved and noble friend, the Flower has always been very important for our ancestors, especially, because of all it gave them for so long? It is a shame that today’s citizens do not value it as much as they should. The unvarnished truth is that we have to accept that, without it, regardless of how hard we try, we will not be able to survive. But, as I said before, I can't let you go on your own, it is very dangerous, especially for someone as young as you.” It could feel the sadness in the look of the old man. The old man stared at the horizon for a moment. Then, some tears fell from his legendary eyes. Afterwards, he told him: “It is a shame that there are not any more citizens like the Ten Brave Ones, only you, Johnny. You are the only one, and the first to have decided to honor this noble cause in these days.”
More than a hundred years ago, thirty-five men set out to look for the Original Doral Flower, only ten came back. From that moment on, they became known as “The Ten Brave Ones” and they were remembered for a whole generation. However, their story had lost credibility with the passage of time to become a simple legend that very few knew about. In contrast to those glorious times, the current situation was different. No one wanted to go and fight, everyone was afraid of not coming back. Not even Mayor Midas gave the example, since he was the first one to emphatically oppose the expedition, since he considered it a waste of time and, especially, a waste of money.
The Wise Man remained silent for another moment. Johnny Dash asked him: “What do we do now? The truth is I feel lost. Despite our efforts, we did not manage to convince the people to save our village.” The old man replied: “To wait, my young friend, to wait. I know that there are good-hearted people in our beloved Happy Town. I know they will come, sooner or later, but they will. The world may have changed a lot since I was young, but there are still patriots left.” However, Freeman Wise did not know exactly when they would arrive.
Mini-Chapter 9
Days went by and the situation got worst: the nature of Happy Town was being destroyed little by little by the works in the mines. Despite all of this, Johnny Dash did not lose hope: “There are patriots left,” he would repeat to himself while he placed posters everywhere. The third week was running along, and Johnny was the only one willing to go on the excursion. The rest of the citizens would see the poster and say: “This is utter nonsense. We do not need any flowers, we have money now, and we can buy many things. We are rich now; we do not need anything or anyone...”
Johnny would never forget that fourth week: after working so hard placing boards all over Happy Town, his efforts had finally paid off.
Mini-Chapter 10
Five citizens arrived. Johnny simply could not believe it. He received them filled with joy, congratulated them and, at the same time, thanked them for helping him make his dream of returning joy to Happy Town a reality. Many of them were descendants of the Ten Brave Ones. They had wanted to help from the first moment. As Freeman Wise had said: There are still patriots left, and Johnny Dash had the honor of being among them. Those five citizens committed to recruiting more members for the complicated mission. Before leaving, they said their goodbyes with an honorable blessing. Some days later, they came back: this time, there were eight people in total, counting Johnny. The last day of the month, two more joined, thus completing ten people.
When he heard the good news, Freeman Wise sent them a message with Johnny. “Esteemed young fellows, I am proud of you for being part of this expedition. I have to tell you that, regardless of the outcome, I admire you today with all the strength of my old heart. The continuation of life in Happy Town depends on you. I only ask of you to remain together, to fight together, since you will face dangers never seen before. I am sure you will triumph and, if you do not manage to, you will be remembered as heroes all the same. However, I do not want to be a pessimist, but chances are that Happy Town will no longer exist. I will not deny it, I am afraid. But if I have learned something with the unstoppable passage of the years, is that hope is the last thing you lose. Besides, your wives and children depend on you, and want to see you again as much as I do. If you do not do it for this old man, at least fight for them and for the most valuable thing a living being can have: its home, or more than that, its homeland. I wish you the best, friends. From this moment on, you are considered, officially, the New Ten Brave Ones.”
While he thought about them and the message he had sent with Johnny Dash, the old man shed many tears in his lonely tower. Despite being wise, he was not certain they would accomplish the mission, but he had no other option but believing in them.
Mini-Chapter 11
Before starting the trip, the scientists came to the conclusion they had to build a hot air balloon. However, no one knew how to fly it. Suddenly, someone said: “It's no problem! I'll take care of it.” He was an old rugged-looking citizen, called Ernest, who was wearing an old blue military uniform. Then, he added: “I have been Captain of the Happy Town Army, I have flown planes for a great deal of my life; besides, I have fought many wars, and I am willing to fly this balloon better than anyone else.” At the beginning, the rest of the citizens doubted, but when they saw the number of medals he had on his chest, they believed him. Despite all this, some people opposed; not so much because he was a middle-aged man, but because he confessed not having flown a hot air balloon before. Nevertheless, he knew how to do it, in theory. Detractors proposed making an airplane, since that was the Captain’s specialty; however, the scientists insisted that they did not have the necessary time nor resources. After a long debate, the detractors gave in, so they helped the other members of the crew all afternoon and part of the night and, after a great effort, they managed to build the hot air balloon, but they were very tired. The next morning, they would depart, very early.
Although the balloon had been carefully designed, the scientists were not experts in the creation of this type of aircrafts, so they had certain technical doubts. Would it fly? In the end, the only thing left to do was waiting until the next morning to find out.
Mini-Chapter 12
The next day, the New Ten Brave Ones were getting on the hot air balloon. Their loved ones had gathered to say goodbye. Laura gave plenty of water and food to Johnny Dash. Additionally, she gave them some suits to protect themselves from the cold. They were ten in total: nine of them were similar; however, there was one which was different from the rest, since he had the word “Homeland” embroidered with golden letters under his left pocket, which she had made especially for him. Johnny was excited when he received them, and told her: “I promise you that I'll bring the new Doral Flower... For you, who are what I love the most and for Happy Town, which is my home.”
Before getting on the balloon that would take them on the most dangerous of all his adventures, Johnny Dash contemplated all the families gathered there. He felt spontaneous sadness when he saw there were just a few people. What pained him the most was the fact that Mayor Midas, the most important member, was not there. However, he regained his joy when he noticed that his great friend, Freeman Wise, was watching from his tower. Johnny got on the balloon along with everyone else. On the other hand, some of the citizens who called them “fools” were there too; then, they told them it was a complete waste of time, and that it was obvious that not one
of them would come back, that they would get lost, and that many wild predators would eat them. Johnny Dash heard them, but he did not care. He knew he was doing the right thing, he was fighting for a just cause, and that is why he did not pay attention to them.
After waving an optimistic gesture, and drawing a small smile, Captain Ernest released the rope with his pocket knife. Then, the hot air balloon started to elevate until reaching the skies.
From his lonely tower, Freeman Wise watched in silence. Could they manage to accomplish this dangerous mission? While the balloon lost itself into endlessness, the wise man said, as if for himself: “Up, my friend, up to the stars, and farther away if possible. The whole Happy Town depends on you, do not disappoint us, Johnny.”
Mini-Chapter 13
When they were far away from Happy Town, some of the crew members started arguing; they did not know exactly where to go. Johnny checked the map of Freeman Wise very patiently. Sadly, because it was very old, the last part had faded away. He gave it to Captain Ernest, who could understand it better, since he had seen many similar maps when he fought in the Independence War of Happy Town, some years ago. Then, he said: “Crew, we are still in the coast. There is nothing to worry about, everything is calmed here, and even air currents are very gentle. The complicated thing, soldiers, is passing the City of Normal Humans, because it is a true chaos. And, as if this was not enough, we have to cross the deserted mountains, which worries me. However, soldiers, it is the only road to reach the jungle in which, according to the information in this map, the New Doral Flower is located. Although we do not exactly know where, since the data we have is very imprecise. Nevertheless, there is something I am certain about: we have to be brave. We have a duty to carry out, and carry it out we will.”
It was still daytime, and the balloon advanced easily. From the highness of the basket, the crew saw the City of Normal Humans. They had known about its existence for a long time; however, it had always seemed too chaotic to visit it. Besides, most of them were descendants of the people who, many years ago, were expelled from it, a tragedy they did not like talking about. Despite it all, a group of citizens of Happy Town visited it every new summer to recycle the things they threw away. They always wondered why they were so different, but they could never find an answer. In the past, they had thought the City of Normal Humans was very different to their home; nevertheless, this time, with deep sadness, they accepted that Happy Town was becoming more and more like that city they hated so much. They realized that it was changing as well: it could barely see a thing because of the smoke of the vehicles and the factories which reached the highest part of the sky.
Suddenly, an air draft dragged the balloon, making it descent abruptly.
Mini-Chapter 14
Now they were very close to the electric poles, which worried everyone, especially, Captain Ernest. They passed close to highways filled with vehicles to the brim. The first cars were an easily surmountable obstacle, since they were small. When they thought they were out of danger, they found themselves facing a humongous tow truck which practically occupied the whole high way. They knew that if they crashed against it, there would be nothing left of the balloon. Therefore, they had to avoid it at all costs. Then, the techs told Captain Ernest: “Captain, the only thing we can do is reduce the weight of the balloon so it elevates more! It is the only way!” Captain, for his part, knew it perfectly, but it was risky. Anyways, he was the leader of the crew and had to fight for the safety of all the members. He then pulled-out his old pocket knife and started to cut one of the ropes from which small sandbags hung. He was about to make it when, suddenly, an unexpected movement of the balloon made him hit his shoulder against the basket, letting the pocket knife fall into the void. It got lost among the cars.
When he saw this, he exclaimed: “The only way, soldiers, is that one of us stepped out of the basket and cut one of the ropes! It is the only option we have now!” Johnny Dash was very scared too, but he could not let the balloon crash against that truck, so he quickly slid on the rope until he reached the sandbag, and hit it with all his strength. He tried not to look down, since he knew vertigo would get the best of him. After some seconds, which seemed eternal to him, the rope broke and the sandbag fell heavily. Meanwhile, Johnny was hanging from the other end of the rope with his legs intertwined, he saw how the truck squashed the sandbag. Had he made it? He realized they were above the steel giant: they had finally overcome it. He felt tired, but they were not out of danger yet.
Mini-Chapter 15
He still had to climb up the rope to reach the basket. Johnny Dash was very careful, since the rope swung unpredictably to the rhythm of the wind. He used all the strength he had left and managed to get on the basket.
Once he was inside, the Captain told him: “Your bravery is much greater than your size, soldier Dash... You were the only one who could help us.” In fact, Johnny had inherited extraordinary reflexes due to a mysterious accident which had happened to his ancestors. Then, the Captain added: “Do you see how everything really is? The City of Normal Humans is a dangerous place, only the strongest survives here. We have to put all our skills together and, as Freeman Wise said, fight together. This has been just a small test, who knows what dangers await us?”
Mini-Chapter 16
The balloon kept flying above never-ending streets. What really caught their eyes was that, even when they passed by many places, they only found concrete everywhere. Had normal men destroyed all nature? Why did human beings seem to hate such beautiful beings as trees, which would only transmit love and pure air? No matter how hard they tried, the Brave Ones did not understand.
Now, in contrast, they were facing a cold and gray city, which only source of life seemed to be human life. From afar, only the car lights illuminated the sadness of indifferent people who, like ants, walked without knowing where they were going. They felt sorry, since they could not even see the stars they loved gazing at in Happy Town because of the smog. How could they live like this? Were they happy? Why would they hide something as perfectly beautiful as the shine of the stars in the middle of the sky? They did not understand either. The City of Normal Humans seemed as mysterious and incomprehensible as always. Nevertheless, they continued flying. Despite the night, the cold, and the hostile environment, they knew they had to move forward: they had a mission to accomplish, and a lot of people depended on them.
The Olympic Warrior, a friend of Johnny, told him: “You know, I can see some heavy clouds from here. I don't know how long before it rains, maybe some hours, but we must be ready.”
Mini-Chapter 17
Johnny Dash worried, since he did not know if the balloon they had built would be able to withstand intense rain, like the ones which usually fell on the City of Normal Humans. He hoped that Olympus was mistaken; however, he wasn't, after a while, very large raindrops began to fall. The crew did not know what to do: if it kept raining like that, the basket was likely to flood and fall down due to the increased weight of the balloon. They had to find a solution before it was too late. The brave young one looked down, the streets looked like the streams there were in Happy Town, only that the ones he was contemplating now were flowing way faster and crueler. Despite all this, people did not seem to care, since they had umbrellas and continued walking. For a moment, Johnny wished the balloon were just as big as a normal human being, so it could withstand the rain with ease.
The intensity of the rain increased. Seeing the situation, Captain Ernest said: “We have to find a safe place to land. We can't risk it.” In that moment, they saw something they could not believe.
Mini-Chapter 18
There was a tree in the middle of a small park. Johnny contemplated it with emotion. They also found a hole in the middle of this tree. It was the right place to land; however, it would not be an easy task. Thanks to the support of another member of the tribulation, Tech Jeff, who used his Fire tablet and calculated the location of the tree with incredible precision, they knew the
exact distance at which the hole was located. Once they had all the data, the warriors took out a rope, which had a rock on its other end, and they threw it away. It fell in the hole with great precision. Quickly, they pulled with all their strength, and they took their hot air balloon towards the interior of the wooden cave. Once they were inside, they took out the water that had fallen into the basket. Although Johnny wanted to continue, he perfectly understood that the best they could do in this situation was to wait for the rain to pass. Again, he thought of his old friend: “Waiting, waiting is the only thing left for us to do…”