Questmyre

by HaaJar Johnson

  “Oh my…. I could live on this!” Robin dove in for another sip of the magical liquid. “I definitely have to get one for Roami before we go back home.” She said giddily.

  “Yes we can order one to go for your friend.” Tika promised with a delighted smile.

  “So… what do you think about my new book?” Tika asked while running her black manicured fingers through her hip-long blue hair.

  “I um… well I haven’t read it yet.” Robin stated the obvious.

  Tika laughed, “Oh yes, there is that. Well to give you a quick summary. It is just about how beautiful…the purple-skinned people of Wongswited truly are. It goes into the psychology of what was done to us by the people of Fitz… and how we have overcome all of this by becoming such a strong and industrious people. We are so much more advanced than them now… we have actually gone from the student to the master in such a short time… Overall I wrote this so that we here in Wongswited could revel in the beauty that…we are.” She said with a tear in her eye and a small smile on her lips.

  Robin being…well… Robin… could not help but speak her mind. “I guess overall that’s an interesting topic. The only thing about it is…well... I mean… I always thought of beauty as being something that societies measure based on relative examples…So… how could you say that Purple is beautiful without having other options… I mean… you’re all purple…” Robin realized just a few seconds after she had spoken the words that maybe; just maybe, they would have been better left kept in her head.

  If Tika’s glare was any indication; she may have landed in a heap of trouble.

  Robin hoped wherever Roami was, he was faring better with their male host. Otherwise by the end of the night they might find themselves not only lost in a strange world…but also…homeless.

  ***

  Roami was in fact having a better time than Robin. He and Mika spent most of the next day exploring the town of Wongswited. True to Mika’s word, when they stepped outside the building later that day all traces of green stones had been removed although there were a few broken windows and street signs here and there. Roami was dressed in the official outfit of the Wongswited. He wore a silk business suit in white and had a red shirt beneath it. Mika wore a red suit and a brown under-shirt.

  They had stopped at a few stores as Mika needed to buy some things for Tika and Brifton. Roami too had ran an errand which he needed to see to in one particular store.

  At the moment he stood with a large dark blue shopping bag in hand waiting outside a toy shop while Mika searched for a few toys for Brifton.

  Roami was quickly becoming used to the look, feel, sounds and smells of the town. He was no longer as anxious as he had been the day before. The people who passed by looked at him openly as he was obviously different from everyone else. Some smiled and waved and others just stared and continued walking.

  A bit annoyed by all the attention, Roami sighed and stared at up at the building above him. It was then that he noticed something that he had not seen the day before.

  At the top of the buildings where the sky’s light hit them, he noticed tiny planked bridges crisscrossing across the building tops. He was mesmerized by the sight; trying his best to understand what they could be for. He made a note to ask Mika once he finally left the store and returned to him.

  Once again someone was staring at Roami’s every move intently. A little purple boy licking a green creamy sweet treat in a purple cup of some sort watched Roami’s confused sky-ward gaze.

  Skipping over to him the child asked, “Why are you looking up sir? There’s nothing up there to see…nothing at all.” The kid said this nonchalantly while looking up as well. At no point did the child stop greedily licking his candy treat.

  Roami glanced down to see the kid’s straight frock of silver hair and smiling green eyes. Chuckling Roami said, “Ah but there is something, there’s always something somewhere…if you look close enough. There are wooden bridges up above, can’t you see them?” Roami pointed up with his blue index finger.

  “No, my Mom tells me not to so I don’t look up too much.” The kid dropped his gaze from the sky then focused on Roami.

  “Everything we need is down here anyway. The sky is just a place for… ghosts…” The kid smiled and then skipped back over to his mother who just walked out of a nearby shop. Her hands were full of shopping bags so she nodded for her son to follow her and they both disappeared into the bustling crowd.

  Roami stared at the child for a moment as he walked away then with a look of confusion stared back up at the bridges high above.

  “What are you looking at?” Mika stood behind him and nearly made Roami jump in fear.

  Before Roami could respond and ask Mika about the bridges Mika said, “Don’t look too closely at the sky. The light can play funny tricks on your eyes that far away. There is nothing there but building tops…” With a pointed look Mika looked at Roami then began to walk down the street.

  Roami ran to catch up with him. He could not wait to see Robin at home later so he could tell her what he was sure he had just seen.

  He had that and another surprise to share with her. Roami could not wait to see her face light up again. It was at that moment he realized just how much she was coming to mean to him. To him, she meant…well…everything.

  CHAPTER 10

  “Mmm… It is delicious!” Roami said after taking a sip of the Bobble juice Robin had brought home in a large blue paper cup.

  “See, I told ya!” Robin said. She was overjoyed to have brought Roami some level of pleasure.

  They sat cross-legged in his room, resting after their respective day trips with their hosts. Each had washed and was dressed in silk pajama pant suits. Robin in white and Roami in Red. Their feet were bare so that they could feel the comfort of the plush, fluffy sky-blue rug. Robin had never felt so at ease and happy than at that moment just sitting there and relaxing on the floor beside Roami.

  Both, however, knew that beneath the soothing normalcy of the moment, they had a dire task at hand. It was high time they started to work on figuring out the riddle. While the flashing Akwo Tunnels and delicious Bobble juice were fantastic, it did not take away the sneaking suspicion that things were not as they should be. Earlier that day Robin had experienced an exceptionally odd moment which made her wonder about the new world they were in.

  Now that Roami had received his present, Robin felt compelled to tell him about her little adventure. Without preamble she spoke just as he opened his mouth to say something, “Well, here’s what happened today. It was the oddest thing…” Robin pulled her knees up to her chest then hugged her legs as she recalled the incident.

  “I was walking with Tika back to the house when all of a sudden…we’re going down this pretty empty street and I... well… I bumped into thin air.” Robin watched as Roami’s eyebrow slowly quirked up.

  Before he could ask her if she had lost her mind she quickly continued, “I know what you’re thinking but that’s the only way to describe what happened to me. I swear, one second I was walking with no one in front of me and the next I was flat on the ground. But I wasn’t the only thing that fell… right there near my hand was this-” Robin pulled a fist-sized blue Akwo stone from the pocket of her white pajama pants. “See? It is the same Akwo crystal they use in the tunnels to shine the light of the Sun… I mean not the sun, the Planet Yur.” Robin handed the brightly glowing stone over to Roami. He took it and looked back at Robin.

  “Are you sure you just didn’t see it lying there? This stuff is all over the city. Maybe someone dropped it and-” He was interrupted by Robin.

  “No, no and no. Believe me, I know what happened. I bumped into nothing and this fell out of thin air. Plain and simple.” Robin looked back at Roami obstinately and he was sure arguing with her would do no good. Besides he had much better things planned for Robin at the moment. Handing her back the blue stone, Roami stood up excitedly.

  “Okay, I have no idea how to explain that b
ut let’s pause for just a second. You gave me a present… now it is your turn.” Was all he said as he ran towards his large walk-in closet on the far side of the room.

  “My turn for what?” Robin looked a bit nervous as she had never seen her friend act so nervous or excited for that matter.

  “I um…” Whatever else Roami was saying was muffled as he stepped into the large closet that could have doubled as another bedroom.

  “Huh?” Robin said as she stood up and flounced on Roami’s bed. She gingerly sat indian-style while impatiently awaiting his return.

  Roami left the closet with a huge dark blue bag in hand and a timid smile on his face. His golden eyes seemed to sparkle as he drew closer to her.

  Robin had hardly, if ever, been given gifts so she was still not completely sure what Roami was doing until he handed the bag directly to her.

  “A gift…for you.” Was all he said before blushing slightly. He quickly sat across from her in the large bed covered in blue and silver covers that glittered like the night sky.

  Robin did not open the bag, did not move and could barely remember to breathe. She simply stared at Roami as if he were some odd thing that had just fallen from the sky above.

  “What? Don’t you want to see what it is?” He asked, looking increasingly nervous. She was not responding the way he had envisioned in his many elaborate but perhaps not so realistic daydreams about this exact moment.

  In answer, a single tear fell down Robin’s cheeks. Swallowing hard she simply said, “I…I….”

  Laughing at the look of complete bewilderment on her face, Roami rolled his eyes the way he had seen her do hundreds of times and said, “Just open it.”

  With a smile, Robin wiped the tears from her face and did as he instructed. She gasped when she saw what the bag held.

  “Oh my…” Was all she could think to say when she pulled out her gift. It was the doll house from their first day in Wongswited! The one she had been mesmerized by at the store window. She looked up at Roami and nearly screamed in excitement.

  “I can’t believe you did this… for me…” Robin breathed a sigh of true happiness.

  “Of course. Why not? You are my friend after all…” Roami said with a smile. Robin smiled back a bit shyly.

  “Come on. Let’s try it out!” He said as he took it from her and placed it on a nearby wooden table. Robin pulled the remote from the bag and raced after him. They sat side by side on wooden chairs and together figured out how to program the family of purple dolls. They played out different daily scenarios. Some were dramatic but thanks to Robin most were hysterically funny. Through the role playing, Robin secretly tested out how a family might work together.

  For the first time in her life, with her friend Roami at her side, she truly dreamed of perhaps having a family of her own…someday.

  ***

  They did not figure out the riddle to the world the next day, nor the day after that. It was harder than usual to determine the difference between night and day in the town of Wongswited. Without a clear view of the sky or the illuminating planets above, days seemed to mesh together in a sky-blue haze.

  The two friends spent their mornings eating elaborate breakfasts left by what seemed to be invisible servants. While they thought their absence strange, neither brought the issue up to their hosts; afraid they might think the question rude. When they had the chance they spent time playing with little Brifton. The beautiful boy grew rapidly before their very eyes.

  Each night Robin and Roami would hear sad melodies whistled or hummed in the corridors. This occurred around the same time each night, like clockwork. While Roami was sure there was a reasonable explanation, Robin assured him the truth was simple enough; there were ghosts roaming around.

  Her latest elaborate conspiracy theory was that Tika and Mika had somehow found a way to make the undead serve their household.

  Their afternoons mainly consisted of roaming the streets trying to determine the riddle. They walked across nearly every inch of the town talking to the people and asking questions of everyone they met.

  On one such afternoon, Robin and Roami walked out into the town dressed in matching blue suits with red undershirts and black shoes. Robin straightened her short blueberry blue skirt and pushed back her black braids which she had stylishly curled earlier that morning.

  Roami stared at her at odd moments. His intense look made her feel shy for some unknown reason. Given his extra attentiveness, Robin continuously found herself fidgeting with her hair and clothes to ensure nothing was amiss.

  They began walking down the shining gold streets basking in the unnatural blue glow of the street lamps. The streets were slowly becoming crowded as the day grew long. No matter how many times they went to town Robin and Roami never got bored with the sights and sounds they experienced during their explorations.

  “Roami look at this? You’ll never believe what they’re selling in here!” Robin had raced ahead to a store shop. She stared inside with eyes alight with excitement.

  Laughing, Roami ran up to her to see what had snatched her attention so acutely.

  “Rainbows! They have captured actual rainbows in these jars! How is that even possible?” She stared at the display of glass jars with golden lids sitting on a spread of purple velvet fabric.

  Roami looked down at the jars and tried his best to determine how they had worked this particular magic.

  “The Akwo stones… and water. The underside of the lids are covered in blue stones. So the light shines down to the bottom and they have water perpetually cycling through the jar. It makes little rainbows inside.” Roami smiled as he figured it out.

  “Wow…” Robin was mesmerized. Roami stared at her beautiful face and could not help but smile at the thought that not too long ago those exotic brown eyes used to carry a world of sadness. Now as he looked at her, he felt as if it might be possible to help her forget her past… forever. She was slowly realizing she could move forward and towards a brighter future with infinite possibilities.

  Roami chuckled at Robin’s infectious excitement. Turning away from the store front; he paused to consider their next steps. It was then he noticed a couple walking on the opposite side of the street moving in their direction.

  They looked like any other Wongswited couple; vibrant purple skin, matching pair of sky-blue suits with yellow undershirts, black shoes and brightly colored hair. The man sported red locks in a cropped fashion while the woman had her shoulder length brown tresses in a ponytail.

  Roami could not determine the colors of their eyes from so far away. But that was not his main concern at the moment. What had drawn his attention was not how they looked but what they were doing.

  Their baby was in a black stroller rolling in front of them. However, neither the mother nor father were pushing it along. They were, in fact, sipping on brown cups of Bobble Juice and laughing heartily at some private joke.

  Robin noticed Roami’s sudden silence and turned to see what had caught his attention.

  “Robin do you see what I see?” He asked without taking his eyes off the couple in question.

  “Yes… I think I do. Who is pushing that stroller?” Robin asked.

  Roami had no answer.

  “Do you think maybe they have a new technology that no one else knows about? I mean we know the purple Hapblo stones help them hover but they can’t navigate or push anything forward…right?” Robin looked confused.

  “Exactly.” Roami began to walk towards the couple as they grew nearer. He made his way across the cobbled street and Robin was right at his side.

  Just when they were about to step up onto the other sidewalk, a few feet away from the couple and their stroller; the pair of Wongswited parents finally realized they were under intense scrutiny.

  Gasping aloud, the woman quickly raced towards the stroller. She looked flustered as she wrapped her hands around its handles and began to push it as it hovered above ground. Robin heard a little giggle erupt from inside th
e contraption. A piece of gray fabric covered the little one inside but the child apparently thought the scenario as funny as Robin did...

  The husband simply stared at the two strange ones with a look of guilt and embarrassment.

  Robin did not let their discomfort stop her from getting to the bottom of this mystery. She walked alongside the woman, “Hello! We just noticed your stroller pushes and navigates by itself. How cool… Can you please tell us how it works?”

  The woman simply stared at Robin with her large gray eyes and did not open her mouth. She looked afraid and slightly in shock.

  “Is everything okay?” Robin asked with concern.

  The woman’s husband raced around Roami and took his wife by the hand protectively. In the process he dropped his cup of Bobble Juice on the street. It’s pink contents splattered like blood across the immaculate gold stones. He ignored the mess as he was in a hurry to grab the stroller handle with his other hand.

  “I’m sorry we must go!” He muttered anxiously. Without another word the Wongswited family raced down the street in an effort to get far away from Robin and Roami.

  “How rude…” Roami said.

  “Yeah…” Robin muttered.

  Watching the couple knock into pedestrians and nearly trip twice; Robin shook her head. “Something is definitely going on here…” She sighed deeply.

  “Yes, you’re absolutely right about that Robin. We have to figure out what it is so we can get out of here. Let’s get busy and start asking some more questions. Someone is bound to give us an answer eventually.” Roami rationalized.

  “Okay, I’m game. Let’s go!” Robin said with an encouraging smile.

  They began walking down the many streets of the town. Expertly, they scanned the crowds for people who looked ‘open’ enough to speak to them openly.

  “How long have you lived in Wongswited?” Robin asked an old man with short pink hair, black rimmed glasses and a kindly face. The man just smiled and sped up. He shook his head before walking away from her, down the busy golden street.