by Unknown
“Dear friends, you will have to forgive us, especially me, since with the passage of the years, I walk more slowly, which is a great problem for me. It is the only thing I dislike about being old. So we are going to take some time to get there, I hope it doesn't bother you.” “There is no problem!” Captain Ernest replied. Once they got to the Jeep, Mitsurugi said: “I think I can make something which would help you with this. Just give me a bit of time, and I promise the blueprints will be ready for tomorrow morning.”
Johnny Dash could not count the hours remaining for the next day. What would their new vehicle be like? How long would it take to be built?
Mini-Chapter 94
The next morning, Mitsurugi gave them the blueprints, just as he had promised. In them, the exact place where the wood should be placed, how they should do it, as well as the accessories their new ship would have, were explained with rigorosity.
They all worked, even the meerkats. They rested a little and went back to work several times. Before they noticed, it was already night and they had managed to build their new vehicle. Tired but satisfied, the crew contemplated their finished job: the boat was really beautiful, and it was even more beautiful because of how hard it had been to build it. Then, Captain Ernest congratulated, one by one, each of the participants of the project. After that, the crew members and the meerkats went to sleep.
The next day, almost all of them got up early, they were eager to set their boat in motion and depart in direction to the Doral Flower, which they had been looking for so long.
Mini-Chapter 95
Before their boat left, Captain Ernest exclaimed: “Thanks for everything, meerkat friends! No matter how many years go by, I will never forget the way you have helped us. I wish you the best.” Then, he approached Mitsurugi Meerkat and told him: “I especially thank you, friend. Thanks for your blueprints. There's no doubt, your genius has no limits.” Just when they were about to shake hands, a loud noise interrupted them. The meerkats and the brave ones looked quickly.
Mini-Chapter 96
Captain Ernest looked at the sky, just like everyone else: they could not see the sun, only water loaded clouds. Then, he exclaimed: “A storm is coming!” He knew it'd be difficult to navigate in such conditions; however, they had lost a lot of time, and they had to leave. Meanwhile, an intense torrential rain started to pour on the world.
On the other hand, the meerkats were trapped in the middle of the water. Mitsurugi said: “We have to get out of here, and go back to our cave! This rain is too heavy!” The Captain thought the meerkats would not hold for long. Despite of this, he could not set off and leave them like that, for they were in danger. He had to help them.
Mini-Chapter 97
Captain Ernest jumped and advanced with great difficulty. While he did, he encouraged himself by thinking of those years in which he had fought to save the innocent citizens of Happy Town. This time, he had to defend the meerkats; even though it was dangerous, it was his duty. Johnny Dash wanted to help, but Taylor held his arm and told him that it was too risky and she was afraid of losing him. The rest of the crew wanted to get out of there before everything flooded, but they could not leave their Captain, they would never do that. So, they worked to take care of the boat. All the brave ones collected as much water as they could and took it out of their ship.
The Captain arrived to where the meerkats were: he saw how they were hugging each other to protect one another, because there was nothing else to be done. When Mitsurugi saw him, he shouted: “Do not worry about us, Ernest! Save yourself! Save your people!” “I will not leave you here under any circumstance! Even if I wanted, I couldn't, I am a soldier. It is my duty to save lives!” When he heard this, Mitsurugi Meerkat shouted: “Then save my family! I am very old; I will not make it on time to the cave. Do not worry about me, Ernest! Save them, it is the only thing I ask from you!” In the middle of the chaos and excessive violence with which the weather treated them, Captain Ernest had a great idea.
Mini-Chapter 98
Swiftly, he extended his right hand and an object which shone like a star fell. Mitsurugi Meerkat, on his part, could barely catch it and was surprised when he saw it. It was the Jeep’s silvery key. “I give you my car! That way, we will all be saved! It is very easy to drive, but hurry up or it will be impossible to drive in such a swampy terrain!” The meerkats climbed on the Jeep, and once on it, they helped Mitsurugi climb too. Then, they ignited the engine. On his part, Captain Ernest started to run on the opposite direction as fast as his legs allowed him. He just wanted to get back to his boat; he was worried about his crew. While he ran, he heard someone calling his name in the distance: it was Mitsurugi. “Thanks a lot!” He shouted. Then, he added “This is for you! I hope it helps you in your fight!” The Captain saw how the wise meerkat ordered a young one of lesser hierarchy; then, the inexperienced mammal took an object from one of their tunnels —which was almost completely flooded— and threw it at him. Captain Ernest jumped like never before to catch it before it felt into the water. He did not have much time to examine it, since the rain was devastating everything. He only noticed it had a strap. He put it on his back; then, kept advancing: the only thing he wanted was to go back to his ship and see that everyone was all right. For an instant, he felt afraid, since he thought his crew had abandoned him; however, he found them in the same place, waiting for him in the middle of the rain and realized that those brave young were not only his crew, those brave young had become, inevitably, his friends. He hurried up and arrived to the boat. When they saw him, the other members of the crew shouted: “Quickly, Captain! We have to go!” Captain Ernest made a great effort and managed to get on the ship. Then, he released the rope and the ship set off. While he rested, Tech Jeff tried to maneuver the ship, but his efforts were useless.
Mini-Chapter 99
The current was too violent; besides, never before in his life had he navigated, so he did not have the slightest idea of what he was doing. Captain Ernest noticed that, and despite being very tired, took the boat's wheel, and said: “I'll teach you how to do it, rookie!” The rest of the crew was very happy for a brief moment, because they saw the Captain as they had never seen him before, with the bravery and vigor of his best years. Despite having carried out such complicated mission, he still had enough strength as to defend his crew.
Despite the unmatchable force of the water, the Captain was very experienced, and could avoid the rocks. He looked at the current, felt the direction of the wind, and moved the tiller. Now, he felt stronger than ever. “I have fought braver seas, and I have vanquished them all,” he would say to himself, while he sailed the small boat in the middle of that indomitable river. Slowly, the storm became smaller and smaller, the rain vanished and the clouds went away. “Are you all ok?” Captain Ernest asked. They all answered positively, and he let himself fall heavily on the boat. “We managed to overcome the storm! Now do you see how strong we are when we all fight together to accomplish the same ideal?” Later, he taught Tech Jeff —who learned very fast— how the boat worked, and asked him to replace him, taking advantage of the fact that the waters were much calmer now, which made it a lot easier to maneuver the boat.
Before going to sleep, Captain Ernest asked Olympus and Rock to be in charge of the rowing. Then, he added: “Let's all help! The warriors will row tonight; tomorrow morning, the scientists, and so on. As I told you before, I will not discriminate, we are all equal! We are all equally important! Those who aren't rowing now can go to sleep. You will have a lot of work tomorrow.”
Captain Ernest was about to check Mitsurugi Meerkat's gift, but he fell asleep before being able to do it. What could it be? Why had he said it could help him in the fight?
Mini-Chapter 100
Day twenty-three came by, and this time it was the Captain who got up first: he was very curious about seeing the gift from his faithful friend. “What could it be?” He wondered while he checked the ancient wood cover. He slowly took it apart and was a
stonished when he saw what the cover was hiding: it was a finely crafted katana. He observed its edge for a moment, he was certain it could cut anything. The first sun rays reflected on it with great persistence. “It is a masterpiece!” He exclaimed, amazed. For an instant, he saw his reflection on the surface of the beautiful samurai saber, he contemplated his face: his eyes, blue like the sea he had navigated so many times, now shrouded in wrinkles. He contemplated his abundant beard, which had lost its color with the cruel passage of the years. “I am becoming old!” He thought while he contemplated his reflection, “but the hope I carry in my heart will never get old.” He felt identified with the beautiful katana he had in his hands. He contemplated it a bit closer; on one of its faces, a Japanese phrase which he could translate with great difficulty was engraved: “Hope, Justice, and Freedom.” He was excited and saddened at the same time: he had fought for so many years of his life to defend those values, and even now, after so long, he was still fighting to see a world where those ideals were completely met. Motivated and reflexive, he said to himself: “I will not stop until I see the people of my town truly happy!”
In the afternoon, Captain Ernest decided to take command of the boat, since the waters were much calmer, and he had always found navigating quite relaxing. While he breathed the soft breeze, he contemplated the beauty of the paradisiacal place to which his noble cause had taken him. It had been so long since he did not see such a green and lush landscape. He thought about his old friend, in his words and his gift. For an instant, he also remembered that he had given him an invaluable gift: his car. “Mitsurugi deserved to be faster! He told me on another occasion that what made him saddest about old age was not being able to walk as fast as before.” What had happened to his friend? Would he find him again?
In the morning of the twenty-fourth day, the crew stopped the boat, since they had to rest a bit due to an emergency.
Mini-Chapter 101
The never-ending rocking of the complex surface had made many of the crew members sea-sick. On top of that, they were running out of supplies. After analyzing the situation patiently, they concluded that the main objective was to find food. This time, Johnny Dash and the warriors would take care of this: once they had found as much food as they could carry in their hands, they went back to the boat. Then, the warriors pushed it until it softly floated again. After that, all the crew members got on the ship very carefully, since it was very unstable. Johnny helped his beloved Taylor, since it was the second time she got on a boat in her whole life, and she was scared of falling down. When all the brave ones were ready, Captain Ernest cut the rope that was holding the boat with his katana, and the crew members were surprised when they contemplated the beauty of the art piece. They asked him how he had gotten it, but the Captain only replied: “It is a gift from a good friend!” After that, they continued their journey: they still had a great deal to traverse. During the journey, the brave ones could appreciate much more closely the beauty of the vegetation of a place which normal human beings had definitely not reached. The afternoon surprised them and they were still navigating. Despite of the fact that, at the beginning, many crew members —especially the Scientists— had been sick, with the passage of time, they got used until the symptoms completely disappeared. When the night fell, all of them were tired, but happy. Those who were not rowing talked for a while until they fell asleep. On the contrary, Rock and The Olympic Warrior continued the watch, since they were the only ones with the necessary strength to continue rowing for so long.
While he navigated again, Captain Ernest contemplated the shine of that quite, clean and crystalline river, a true reflection of his conscience. What else awaited him?
Mini-Chapter 102
Throughout the journey, Johnny Dash had learned how to handle some technological devices thanks to the patient and loving labor of his beloved Taylor, and now he was on the Internet searching about the most dangerous animals in the forest, so they could be prepared. Then, he left Taylor's Fire, and went to talk to Captain Ernest, who was still maneuvering the boat with a steel will. Then, after listening to all the information that the young man had found on the Internet, the Captain replied: “I have known that for a long time, soldier Dash! The jungle is really beautiful, but it is very dangerous as well. There are many ferocious predators that cannot be compared to what we have seen in the city or in the mountains. The only thing I hope for is not having to face one of them.” Johnny, visibly worried, asked him what they could do in such situation. The Captain, with the same imperturbable attitude responded: “Avoid them. We do not have another option, we have to survive. Although we have weapons, I don't know if they will be enough. We cannot risk a fight.” When he heard this, Johnny Dash was afraid, but he quickly overcame it: he knew that they had to get the Doral Flower to save his people. He thought about them, in his beloved Happy Town. How would his Homeland be?
Mini-Chapter 103
Meanwhile, Happy Town looked grayer and sadder each passing day. A gigantic smoke cloud, product of the factories’ continuous functioning, made it impossible for the sun rays to come through. Almost all the water, which was once crystalline, had been polluted with the chemicals used in the explosive mining activity and was not fit for consumption. The beautiful plants had withered and many of their leaves had fallen. Besides, most of the citizens were obese and sick due to the excessive consumption of fast food. Due to their overweight, many of the citizens had stopped working and only complained, while they missed those glorious times which now seemed so distant. Others, who were in better conditions, had completely lost their interest in petroleum, and only looked for healthy food to be able to survive another day. The citizens who made fun of Johnny Dash before the beginning of their journey were sorry and, uselessly, tried to sow the small seed of fruits and vegetables in a land in which nothing could grew now. Frustrated, tired, hungry and disappointed, they realized then the true importance of the Doral Flower. Many of them went to talk to Mayor Midas —who was also sick— but he did not hear them: the only thing he cared about was making more money; and he was worried because he was losing his workers. On the contrary, Johnny's parents, Jared and Laura, had built some sort of shelter, and patiently gave away the few vegetables and fruit they still had. The citizens just received them with a lot of sadness. Many apologized for having made fun of their son. That lonely afternoon, in the middle of the deepest melancholy and sincerest reflection, Laura looked at the cloudy sky, dimmed and gray as the most forgotten of the stars and she thought about her son: “Come back soon, Johnny, the whole Happy Town needs you!”
Mini-Chapter 104
The next morning, the crew had decided to continue their journey on foot, since the surface of the river had become too complex. Captain Ernest ordered them to take their most valued belongings: the warriors chose their swords and spears; the techs, their Fires and advanced cell phones; the physicians and scientists, medicines and supplies; Johnny Dash chose Freeman Wise's map, and Captain Ernest —who bravely lead the expedition— his shining katana. Captain Ernest and the warriors saw the need of unsheathing their swords and spears to cut the annoying vegetation and keep moving forward. However, there were too many plants and they were spending too much energy trying to cut them. Johnny Dash climbed on a tree and, from the highest part, he saw what seemed to be a shortcut, but it was too far away from them.
They walked with great difficulty, because the vegetation of the place kept treating them with the same hostility as before, and the weapons of the warriors and Captain Ernest were not enough to advance. With each step, the jungle seemed a gigantic green labyrinth. When the afternoon came, they were still walking. The Captain headed the expedition; however, he did not know if they would arrive to the place Johnny Dash had discovered either. Nevertheless, his fear disappeared when he contemplated a vast path of intertwined vines in the crown of the trees; he then knew they had reached the shortcut. Despite all this, he realized there was a great difficulty.
Mini
-Chapter 105
The lianas were in an excessively high place, which is why they did not have other option than climb. Johnny Dash climbed up first, along with his beloved Taylor, who held onto him with a mixture of love and desperation. The young man held a liana and, after calculating, he jumped taking advantage of the momentum and fell onto the next branch. Once he had arrived, he shouted at the other crew members: “It's alright, friends! Just do not look down.” The next ones to pass were the scientists who, despite not being very athletic, managed to arrive to the wanted place. On their part, Tech Jeff demonstrated his acrobatic skills when he executed the task with admirable dexterity. Although it was very difficult for them, the physicians managed to pass too. After a few instants, the only ones left were the warriors and Captain Ernest. Although they were resistant to all kinds of reasoning at the beginning, they finally understood that taking the risk was the only viable option. Rock held with all his strengths, closed his eyes and jumped. He was afraid that the liana would break; however, that never happened. When he saw he had arrived in one piece, Olympus was encouraged to jump as well. Very carefully, he calculated the distance and let himself fall. He worried all the way and held even stronger that his friend. Unlike the other warrior, he had a small problem when landing and almost pushes everyone out; nevertheless, they stabilized again. Meanwhile, the Captain looked at them with certain nostalgia. They all had managed to pass, but they were young. He felt too old to try such a maneuver. Could he do it?