Questmyre

by HaaJar Johnson

  “Well, guess that mystery is solved.” Roami looked over at Robin and winked. “Seems like many things here are unlike the city of Fitz…” Roami mused.

  “Roami look… There are tunnels all over the city. What do you think they’re for?” She whispered as she stared at the dark purple brick tunnels now surrounding them in three separate directions.

  “I don’t know but I guess we’re about to find out. There are only three ways to go from here and each is covered by a tunnel.” Roami said while taking Robin’s hand. She enjoyed the feel of his warm skin against hers in this protective gesture. Whereas the ‘old’ Robin would never have allowed him to hold her hand or show her any measure of care; the new Robin was not as standoffish. She enjoyed the feeling of being part of something more than just herself.

  Mika and Tika noticed their guest’s hesitation as they stood at the crossroad. Laughing Mika spoke up, “Do not be afraid Strange Ones. These tunnels are a common and necessary part of life in the town of Wongswited. As you’ve noticed it is very dark in the city and we don’t get much light from the red Planet Yur during the day. We have therefore devised a way to harness this light from Yur into special stones which line the ceilings of these tunnels. These crystals are called Akwo stones.” Smiling he motioned for Robin and Roami to follow him into the tunnel at the far left.

  Roami walked ahead of Robin to ensure it was indeed safe to enter. As they followed behind the couple and walked through the tunnel’s alcove they noticed that while the exterior was made of purple stone the inside glowed with sky blue light. At first it was so bright it seemed to burn their eyes after having walked in the darkness outside for some time.

  Here again, they saw the same water channels running through both the right and left sides of the tunnel’s path. The center of the walkway was paved with the same gold cement as the rest of the streets they had already walked on. To their right people were gliding over the four side by side water channels that moved in one direction. Their shoes somehow allowed them to hover just above the water as it pushed them forward. There were also four identical streams located on the left side of the tunnel which ran in the opposite direction.

  Robin could tell by the looks on everyone’s face that this incredible sight was nothing new to them at all. They spoke to one another, laughed, coughed, yawned or hovered by with their arms across their chests waiting impatiently to get off.

  Mika and Tika chose to take the middle path of cement and explained their actions, “Like our fellow townspeople we usually take the waterway however, you two do not yet have Wongswited shoes. The bottoms are covered with the precious Hapblo stone which allows us to hover over water. For now we will take the middle path until we get you two a pair. It will take a little longer but we will eventually make it home.” Tika smiled reassuringly.

  Nodding in response, Robin walked while looking all about her in amazement. Up above them the ceiling was encrusted with the large blue Akwo stones which shone with an intense light blue akin to earth’s day sky.

  “Robin, take a look at the walls a little further up.” Roami pulled at her hand to bring her attention from the ceiling for a moment. He was sure she would be delighted to see this.

  “Wow! It’s like Time Square to the tenth power! Where are those images coming from and how are they changing so quickly?” Robin asked allowed.

  “It seems like it’s very similar to the technology the Fitz used to perpetuate the patterns in their curtains and rugs.” Roami said this aloud without thinking.

  Tika and Mika stopped so short that Robin and Roami nearly stumbled into them.

  Mika looked slightly enraged before covering this extreme emotion with a blank look. “No… that is not it at all Strange One. We here at Wongswited are nothing at all like those barbaric heathens in Fitz!” Mika looked so overwhelmed with his anger he could not easily complete his thought.

  Seeing this, his wife tried her best to clear the air by adding, “Yes, well Mika is right about that. We are nothing like the Fitzians. Our technology was based on decades of study and development. You will find nothing like this in that backwards city. In fact, we can’t even tell you how the technology works; it is so advanced only our top scientists could properly explain it. What we can tell you is that the pictures shown in the Akwo Tunnels; that’s what these tunnels are called by the way… Um, well the pictures are of different new fashions, products, events, shows and important news around the town.” Tika stared at their guests to gauge their reaction to her words.

  Robin and Roami just smiled and nodded at her and motioned for them to continue to lead the way. Taking Mika by the arm Tika turned and continued to lead the group out of the Tunnel and back into the darkness of the town’s main streets.

  Robin just gave Roami a pointed look which said, we should be careful what we say around them. He nodded his head in agreement. As they walked on the streets outside of the tunnels they saw that the pathway had now turned into golden cobbled stone streets and wide golden cement sidewalks.

  On either side of them quaint store fronts, offices and the like were lined up side by side. Street poles and hanging lines, similar to those in Fitz ran some feet above them. Each one was laden with clear glass lanterns holding the same glowing blue gems which lit the Akwo Tunnels.

  While Robin noticed a keen similarity between the street lamps here and in Fitz she was sure to keep her mouth shut about it. She feared their hosts would spontaneously burst at even the thought.

  Robin simply poked Roami, pointedly eyed the lanterns then quirked her eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes but laughed a little at her silly antics.

  They continued to walk on dark, dimly lit streets then through a maze of bright blue tunnels. While the walk seemed long it was giving Robin and Roami a great opportunity to see the city and determine what they had gotten themselves into here in Wongswited.

  “Have you noticed there aren’t many trees…” Robin whispered to Roami.

  “Yes… Oh but wait, I did see a few on that last street. There was a small park near a mall. I think they were tree sculptures…” Roami said as he thought back to what he had seen.

  “Tree sculptures?” Robin looked at Roami as if he had lost it.

  “Yes, really Robin I’m serious. Wait… look over there…right in front of that flower shop there are two of them!” He pointed towards the opposite side of the street and Robin noticed two small trees planted in the cement before a pink and purple painted flower shop.

  “Wow! They’re beautiful!” Robin said as she looked at the clear crystal trunks and branches and the leaves which were made of rainbow colored gemstones. When the wind blew they tinkled softly against one another making a sweet melody.

  “I see what you mean. As beautiful as those are, I doubt they are real…” Robin said as she arched her head backward to look up at the mounds of rough marble buildings stacked so high the sky itself had been blocked out.

  “Why would anyone want to block out the sky like this… I bet that’s why we don’t see too many plants or trees…” She whispered near Roami’s ear.

  “Yes, exactly.” Roami muttered. He was listening to Robin but was also somewhat entranced by the wisps of white mist that continually found their way across the streets and over their feet.

  Robin noticed what Roami was staring at a bit fearfully.

  “Don’t worry Roami. I doubt it’s like the blue mists of Source One… and even if it was, we’ve already fallen into a world already…maybe a blue mist right now is just what we need to bring us back to Source One.” She had been trying to make him laugh but he looked even more distraught.

  “Actually…” She thought for a moment, “This mist is probably just the clouds…I mean… we are high in the sky right now. We’ve been in the city for a while now so you probably forgot where we truly are…” She said with a forced smile. Robin did not like to see Roami sad or disillusioned; it made her angry. She was trying her best to get his spirits back up.

 
“No, I have not forgotten where we are… We are lost.” Roami said then clinched his teeth together angrily.

  “Yes… but we’re together.” Was all Robin could think to say as she took his hand in the same gesture he always used to soothe her. When his hand was in hers, she squeezed softly. Roami looked down at her then smiled in response.

  Neither Mika nor Tika spoke for the rest of the walk through the city center towards their home. Robin’s eyes were slowly getting adjusted to the darkness above them and the unnatural sky blue glow from the street lamps followed by the intense blue experience of the Akwo Tunnels. The cobbled stone streets also glittered and shimmered so brightly under the false light they made everything shine and glitter. Robin felt as if she were in some sort of fairy land.

  The obsessively wide streets which could have held eight people side by side; zigzagged in a maze throughout the city that was oddly enough called a ‘town’.

  All the building exteriors were made of rough marble in every shade of the color spectrum. The windows were clear and shiny. However most details of the immaculate construction were lost on her. All Robin could clearly see was the first few floors bathed in blue light, then as she looked higher the buildings seemed to disappear into intense blackness then reappear at the very top. The building tops stood hundreds of feet above them, where the Planet Yur still shone against the rooftops.

  The stores had large window displays with items Robin had never seen in all her life. She found herself stopping a dozen times to look at an odd flying toy or buzzing food item as they walked towards Mika and Tika’s home.

  For the most part Robin tethered in her curiosity to keep up with their hosts. However, they eventually came across a particular store front display that nearly took her breath away. She just had to stop. It was as if she had no say in the matter.

  “Robin!” Roami chided when he realized she was not at his side but a few feet behind him with her nose held up against a storefront window. Her eyes were huge with excitement and her breath was fogging up the glass.

  On the other side of Robin’s upraised nose, sitting on a red velvet display was a large beautiful doll house. Actually it was a doll building to be precise. Unlike the buildings surrounding them it was not drawn to scale but had only three floors.

  Each room was created in beautiful detail with tiny lamps, carpets, beds, dressers, bathrooms, dining halls, living rooms and kitchens. A family of dolls sat in a room filled with games, couches, comfortable chairs and a fireplace. Instead of golden flames, inside the alcove brightly lit Akwo stones glowed well enough to light the entire miniature room.

  Robin noticed a large golden remote control with purple gemstone buttons lying besides the doll house. She then realized to her delight that the small purple dolls were in fact mechanical. With the remote their actions could be programmed. There were four dolls in total. Parents, a young boy and a young girl….

  “A family.” Robin whispered against the glass, fogging it up even more so. Robin stood entranced as the tiny figurines sat down in a family room drinking from small cups by the blue fire.

  Roami came up to stand behind Robin and see what had grabbed her attention. Mika and Tika stood impatiently in the middle of the street. They waited for him to collect her so they could continue on.

  He knew they should rush but he could not push himself to break the spell Robin seemed to be in. Roami looked at her face first, etched with a strong desire for the toy before her. But even more acute was her passionate desire to have what the toy portrayed; a loving family and a place to call home for once in her life.

  “Robin…come now. They are waiting. We must go.” He said softly so as not to pull her too quickly from her fantasy. He took her hand from the glass and slowly pulled it towards his chest. When she felt his heartbeat she finally broke away from the glass and her eyes found his. He wanted to scream when he saw the emptiness shining there. Gulping, he took her hand and led her back towards their waiting hosts.

  “Sorry about that.” Was all Roami would say to them as they turned and continued walking down a few more streets before stopping before their final destination. All along the way Roami noticed how listless Robin’s hand felt in his. It was as if her body was there but her mind was thousands of miles away.

  “Well… Here we are. Home sweet home!” Mika lifted his arm dramatically and pointed towards the dark blue front door. The group stood before a massive fuchsia colored marble building which towered over them.

  “Wow… It must have taken decades to build something so large.” Robin let her head fall back in amazement. Then she added, “And…it’s Fuchsia…God how I missed that color…”

  Roami snickered at her sarcasm but covered it up with a slight cough so as not to anger their hosts.

  “Well, no. Not really. We have tons of laborers so it-” Tika was rudely shushed by her husband Mika.

  Roami watched the couple closely and grabbed Robin’s hand to pull her closer to him.

  After a private stare the couple simply smiled back at their guests to shrug off the odd moment. “Well let’s show you the inside then.” Mika said with a smile as he motioned for Robin and Roami to enter their home.

  Roami stepped forward first and kept Robin close by his side. What they saw inside was even more grand than the exterior. The entryway was circular with a pair of elevator doors to the far left and a number of doorways and hallways leading in various directions. Everywhere they turned they saw furnishings of every kind. Both the entryway, hallways and connecting rooms were filled with all types of furniture made of the most colorful and beautiful jewels either had ever seen.

  There were couches made of bright orange velvet and trimmed with countless rubies and diamonds. Chairs made entirely of what looked like gold were littered throughout. Small decorative sculpture trees were planted in crystal vases and sprouted leaves made of purple and green gemstones.

  The entire effect was warm, airy and magical. Both Robin and Roami were surprised to find so many jewels in the interior furnishings as there were few if any jewels worn by the actual people of Wongswited. They were finding a lot of things did not quite add up in this new world.

  Roami stared at the blue jewel encrusted golden elevator doors at the center of the entryway and asked, “With so many floors, there must be others who live here right?”

  “No. It was just Mika and I. But now we have our little Brifton to share this all with us.” Tika beamed joyously.

  “What a waste.” Roami said under his breath to Robin.

  “Really.” Robin had to agree. She could think of thousands of people on earth who could use the vacant shelter this single home could offer.

  Leave it to Robin and Roami to be housed with what seemed to be the most eccentric couple in the entire town. They really needed to take a look into why they kept attracting only the oddest hosts in each world they fell into.

  “Well, do we get to pick which floor we want to live on?” Robin skipped towards one of the elevator doors which automatically opened before her. Her mouth gaped open as she stared at the amazing amount of buttons. “I love the number twenty-four so maybe I’ll just stay on that floor!” She mused happily as she prepared to push that very button.

  “No! No!” Tika rushed forward and pulled Robin out of the elevator. “We do not live past two. No one goes past two here!”

  Robin stared at Tika as if she had gone crazy and backed up towards Roami fearfully. Roami stood in front of her preparing himself for a possible confrontation.

  Tika however calmed herself and said sweetly. “I am sorry, but the top floors are… um… under construction for the time being. Please…just… we have rooms set aside for guests on the second floor. You will find the pillows plush and the carpeted floors soft enough to sink into. Okay, so just forget about the top floors. There really is no need to go so high anyway. The uh…air quality gets thin the higher you go…” With this said Tika smiled again then excused herself saying she had to feed and settle Brif
ton into his room for the night. Running her hand nervously through her long blue hair, Tika nodded at their guests, held Brifton closer to her bosom and walked through one of the three hallways on the main floor. She was apparently going to the kitchen.

  Mika stepped forward and guided Robin and Roami into the elevators quietly. The two followed their remaining guide with some level of anxiety. Mika pressed the button for the second floor. Once the elevator made its way to their floor he stepped out and began walking down a long corridor filled with doors.

  The wall sconces and recessed hallway lights above glowed blue from the Akwo stones set into the fixtures. There were a few potted sculpture plants and small wooden tables along the walls. The carpet beneath them was made of a green velvet-like fabric that had what looked like silver dust sprinkled throughout it. The doors each looked completely identical. They were all painted dark green.

  “Out of the frying pan and into…” Robin whispered to Roami who looked at her in confusion.

  “I do not understand this saying.” Roami said with confusion.

  “Oh, yes. Sorry. I just meant to say that-” Robin began to explain but was interrupted by Mika. They had walked to the end of the corridor where there were only two doors left. One to the left and the other to their right.

  “Here is your room.” Mika pointed to the green door to his right then at Robin.

  “Robin. My name is Robin.” She told him.

  “Yes. Robin.” Mika said quickly then turned to walk to the door across the hall. “And here is your room.”

  “Thank you. And my name is Roami.” Roami said as he ignored Mika’s gesture for him to walk into his own room.

  They had only just then realized that they had never been asked their names. Everyone had jumped straight into calling them the “Strange Ones”. Again Robin grew upset with the annoying nickname.

  “I think I will see Robin to her room first, Mika. We thank you for your hospitality.” Roami said to him politely.