Mystery Island Traveller's Diary

      3rd Day of the Month of Relaxing, Y18 – Day 1

      Oh what a beautiful day! Gone are the dreary clouds and bone-chilling humidity of Shenkuu’s late spring, and arrived are the hot sun and blue skies of Mystery Island. The airship ride from Shenkuu to a small island off the coast of Moltara, and the subsequent boat ride to Mystery Island, was very enjoyable. As we lost elevation, the damp air dried and the clouds dissipated, paving the way for sun, sun, and more sun!

      My accommodations here on the Island are modest but comfortable. I rented a small hut near the beach, five minutes away from the main town district. Palm trees sway in the gentle ocean breeze, much different from the gnarled oriental trees of Shenkuu. The ocean, too, is a pleasant background noise, akin to the rushing rapids of my home but much softer. And oh, the sunsets! My first night’s sunset here was a gorgeous painting of pink and purple from horizon to horizon. This trip is going to be amazing, I just know it.

      4th Day of the Month of Relaxing, Y18 – Day 2

      Today, I spent the morning sprawled out on the beach in front of my hut, sunbathing. My original plan was to head into town after breakfast, but the golden sands and cerulean waves enticed me to postpone said plan. The sun was not yet at its peak, so the temperature was mild and perfect for spending hours reading. I picked up my library copy of Mystery Island Jungle Lore (fitting, right?) and began my literary adventure.

      Did you know that Mystery Island is home to the oldest clan of jungle-dwelling natives? Several clans live in the jungles of the inner island, many of which don’t associate with the modernized Neopets of the outer island. Imagine, entire cultures that have never before been recorded! I wonder what secrets they have. How many rare species of flora and fauna have they discovered? I’m amazed that scientists don’t know more about these enigmatic clans. I, for one, am very curious.

      After my lazy morning, I wandered into town. Young Neopets ran between alleys, chasing each other with sticks and palm fronds, laughing. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them; they reminded me of my own childhood spent playing in the rivers of Shenkuu. The older Neopets walked around town as relaxed as me. No one seemed to have urgent business to attend to, not even the locals! One of them informed me that tomorrow was the weekly market, which is something I’ll definitely have to check out!

      I picked up some island fruit and fish from some small local vendors, and then detoured down a forest path. I didn’t spend long, as my bags were getting heavy, but it was enough to whet my appetite for a longer trip. I’ll have to make sure I explore these enchanting jungles more before I leave!

      5th Day of the Month of Relaxing, Y18 – Day 3

      I awoke to the most gorgeous sunrise this morning. Much like my first day, the sky was painted various hues of pink and purple. I lounged around my cabin, enjoying some of the new fruits I bought yesterday. Oh how delectable they are! I’ve never tasted anything so sweet, so flavourful! How I wish Shenkuu had such a selection of fruit.

      The market today was amazing! Whereas the town seemed sleepy yesterday, today was all business and bustle. Multitudes of temporary booths were set up, their owners peddling wares ranging from food, to clothes, to trinkets and art. I picked up some more fruit as well as a handmade island grass skirt, sold to me by a kindly old Kougra. After paying her, she told me that tomorrow in town will be a celebration of the local Jubjub tribes, in honour of Jubjub Day. Sounds like something else I’ll have to come back to see! I thanked her for the information and walked back to my cabin to drop off my purchases. I spent the rest of the day sunbathing on the beach, reading more of my book.

      Mystery Island Jungle Lore made an intriguing mention in one of the chapters today. After the chapter talking about the thick jungle vegetation and how the natives use certain plants in their daily lives, it mentioned that jungle-explorers sometimes reported seeing a mysterious lone Jubjub, originally thought to have belonged to one of the clans in the area. This Jubjub, however, was reported in various territories over the years, which is unusual for the local tribes (who normally keep to their own territories and seldom venture outside their boundaries). I’m not sure why this tidbit caught my attention, but it piqued my curiosity much the same way mentions of Jelly World or Dr. Sloth’s origins do. I know Mystery Island has its fair share of historical secrets, but this single Jubjub was something I hadn’t heard of before. I should ask the locals tomorrow for more information.

      6th Day of the Month of Relaxing, Y18 – Day 4

      Well, today was Jubjub Day, and what a whirlwind of a day it was! This morning I heard some peculiar chanting coming from town, so I ate a quick breakfast and set out to see what was going on. In town, a group of coconut Jubjubs were humming and patting their feet against the ground in a sort of dance and song. I didn’t recognize them, so I figured they must have been one of the jungle clans. After each “song”, Neopets would offer them food and local supplies (no neopoints, I noticed) as a sort of thanks. I watched them for several dozen minutes before deciding that today would be the perfect day for a jungle walk.

      One of the locals pointed me in the direction of a popular tourist trail that would ultimately have me end up at the site of some of the large rock heads that Mystery Island was famous for. I hadn’t yet seen the heads in person, so I figured that trail would be a good choice. I can’t say the trail was too exciting, though observing the local flora and fauna along the way was pretty interesting. When I arrived at the giant rock heads, crookedly buried in the sandy ground and overgrown with lush jungle vegetation, my heart plummeted.

      They’d been defaced! Oh how it made me sick to see splashes of red and blue paint marring the exquisite stonework of these precious monuments. Half-legible, childish words adorned the rock faces, saying things like “stink” or “loser”. Upon a second glance I noticed that some Neopets were already hard at work scrubbing the paint off, and they looked as unhappy as I felt. I turned away from the historical monuments and trudged back into town, my appetite for sightseeing dashed.

      I told one of the locals about the incident, and she shook her head sadly and mumbled something about a spirit being upset. I walked forlornly back to my hut and immersed myself in my book, listening faintly to the chanting still going on in town. I finished the book just before sunset, but nothing particularly interesting was written in it today.

      7th Day of the Month of Relaxing, Y18 – Day 5

      I awoke early this morning to a foreign sound: rain! I looked out the window and sure enough, fat droplets of rain were pelting the glass. I couldn’t see more than a few hundred feet out the window, but I could see faint silhouettes of the jungles and mountains on the island. The ocean, once brilliant blue, now took on a sullen grey colour. Even the palm trees had lost their lustre. Everything was cloaked in a layer of darkness.

      As I surveyed the outside world from my window, a bizarre shape caught my eye. Standing at the edge of one of the foggy cliffs near the water was something round. Was it a rock? A statue? I couldn’t tell. I don’t remember it being there before. Maybe it was one of the native Jubjubs, but why would it be standing there? It reminded me of the lone Jubjub I had read about in my book, but it couldn’t be the same, could it? My overactive imagination is getting to me.

      In such poor weather, there wasn’t much I could do today. I started on another book, (Jubjub Natives, a fiction book this time), and watched the rain pelt the window. The strange circular figure was still standing on the cliff when the last of the feeble light fell below the horizon.

      8th Day of the Month of Relaxing, Y18 – Day 6

      I didn’t sleep well last night, whether because of the rain or the multitude of questions I had about my bizarre day, I’m not sure. Nonetheless, when I woke up this morning, the rain had stopped, and the clouds had vanished. Once again, the sky was blue and the sun shining. I looked out towards the foggy cliff from yesterday, but nothing stood at its edge, so perhaps the rain had played tricks on my eyes.

      I visited the town today, and once again, it was quiet and peaceful. I stopped at a drink vendor to get a smoothie, and then went and sat on a rustic wooden bench next to a local Kyrii. He struck up a conversation with me, and I couldn’t help but spill my story and musings about the strange events of yesterday with him. He seemed almost a little upset when I mentioned the figure on the cliff, but only told me that rain, though rare, does sometimes fall in the late spring.

      I pressed on about the cliff figure, and asked him if he knew what it was. He told me, hesitantly, that it was probably Felu Pango I saw: a peculiar native Jubjub who wore masks and often appeared before natural disasters. I could hardly believe my ears! It sounded like the lone Jubjub I had read about, and I told the Kyrii such, to which he replied that he’d never read Mystery Island Jungle Lore so he didn’t know if the Jubjub was the one and same. After that, he went fairly quiet and didn’t seem keen to answer any more of my questions, so I finished my smoothie and walked around town some more.

      I asked a few more locals about Felu Pango, but they either shrugged and walked away or shook their heads and refused to say anything else. The only other information I could gather was that Felu Pango was sometimes called The Fell Spirit, and was rumoured to be an incorporeal spirit, though others argued that it was very much alive and corporeal.

      Why does no one know anything about this strange phenomenon? I’ll have to check out Shenkuu’s library when I get home and see if there’s anything in there about this Fell Spirit.

      9th Day of the Month of Relaxing, Y18 – Day 7

      Today, unfortunately, is the day I need to return to Shenkuu. As I write, my bags are packed and I’m ready to go, ticket and all. Once again, the sun is shining and not a cloud sits in the sky. My vacation has been phenomenal, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, one question still haunts me, and I’m not sure I’ll ever find out the answer.

      Just who or what is The Fell Spirit?

      The End.