| Hastily, I scribbled a note on my sister's flower stationary.
"Barbhead kidnapped. Gone to find him. Be back soon." I signed the note by dipping
my hoof in red ink And stamping it onto the paper. Then, I packed myself a rucksack
with provisions, A change of clothes, a coil of rope, A flashlight and a few batteries
And I hopped on my green bike. I was ready to go.
I rode for hours in the direction I had seen
the Korbats and the Grarrl go in. I stopped occasionally to ask if anyone had
seen them.
It wasn't just my house the kidnappers had raided.
They had taken other petpets too, Petpets of all shapes and sizes. Airaxes,
Selkets, Wadjets and Scados. They had almost left a trail of despair in their
wake. A horrible trail, A trail filled with fond memories and crying NeoPets.
A trail full of words, Sad words like, "My Kadotie meant a lot to me." And "I'll
never see my dear Doglefox again." It was a trail of sorrows leading to the
biggest sorrow of all, The ruby mines.
For hours I pedaled on, Oblivious to my fatigue.
I left the main street far behind, Riding on a narrow dirt road in the middle
of a meadow. The sun sank, fiery red and gold on the western horizon. The moon
rose, a silvery crescent that shone like a lamp. One by one, the stars came
out, Twinkling like tiny diamonds embedded in a deep blue sky. My legs felt
like they couldn't push another pedal.
Ruby, whispered that rational voice in
my mind. You have to get some sleep now. You won't do Barbhead any good by
tiring yourself out.
I resisted that voice for a little over half
an hour. I resisted and resisted until I could resist no longer. Then, I parked
my bike, kicked the kickstand and laid down on the lush, soft carpet of grass
to sleep.
* * *
I woke the next morning feeling determined to go and get my Barbat back. I
ate a quick, meager breakfast of unbuttered bread and an apple. Then, I continued
to pedal.
On and on I rode my bike. The dirt road narrowed
and narrowed until it disappeared altogether. The beautiful grass gave way to
dirt, and eventually to rock. Every crack and bump in the rock jolted me out
of my bike seat. Finally, I was so sore from being tossed around like a salad,
I decided to go on hoof from here. I tied my bike to a pathetic-looking spruce
tree, the only thing growing around here.
The days passed, monotonous and gray. Everything
was gray. The sky was gray and overcast. The mountains and rocky hills ahead
of me were gray. The very air around me seemed to hold the essence of gray.
The only thing that drove me forward was a thin column of black smoke. The smoke
from the mines.
Finally, I was nearing the source of the smoke.
The road had distorted my sense of time. How much time had gone by? A week?
Two weeks? Was my family worried about me?
Maybe I ought to go home. There's nothing ahead
of me but despair and hard traveling. But no, home wouldn't be the same without
Barbhead. I wouldn't let… Couldn't let my Barbat down.
Finally, the scene changed a little. A little,
but not much. The rocks stared to blacken, covered in ash and soot. What few
plants there had disappeared. The heavy scent of smoke lingered on the breeze.
And forever that column of smoke rose ahead, urging me onward.
A mountain, entirely black. Blacker than coal,
Blacker than night, Blacker than those spaces between the stars where eternity
is just a word, and where your mind can wander for nearly that long. If there
were ever a total blackness, this would be it. Smoke and soot clung to every
surface. Mine carts filled with rubies traveled in and out of a tiny cave. They
expelled the soot and smoke. They had stunk up the region.
I took a closer look at these mine carts. They
were like boxes on wheels; black boxes on wheels. At one point, they may have
been wooden and brown, But age and soot had made them nearly as black as the
mountain. In sharp contrast, the rubies they held glittered and shone. They
would have been quite beautiful, If only there were a sun to warm them. Without
the sun, they were cold, hard stones. Like blood-red ice blocks. I touched one.
The imperfect, jagged edges scraped my hoof. These were the stones that I was
named for. These were the stones that the petpets had to mine.
I shuddered. But how do I get in? The mine carts
were coming out of an opening, But it was too small for me to get through.
There must be another entrance... I told myself. Somewhere, something…
I searched around the base of the mountain all
day And well into the night. The moon was probably full tonight, but I couldn't
see it behind the gray clouds that forever hung over this black wasteland. I
searched all night, looking for an opening by the tiny beam of my flashlight.
I slept for most of the next day. Then, I searched
some more by night. It's probably better searching by night, I thought
to myself. That way, no one will see me.
But who is out there to see you? asked
another part of my mind. Who is there in this harsh environment?
While I was pondering this, I leaned against a rock. To my surprise, the rock
gave way! It revealed… a long, low tunnel. That seemed to glow with scarlet
light.
Barbhead, here I come!
To be continued...
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