Triccity's Travels: Mystery Island

     A giant, angry face bellowing smoke and fire came into view. Upon seeing me, it roared, seeming to rattle the nearby trees with its fury and silencing the jungle cacophony.

     I backed away, mouth dry with fear and heart pounding in my ears. I braced myself for an attack, wondering if this would be the end of my adventure before it had even really begun. Then, I realized something. The face was wooden and…were there figures moving behind the eyes and mouth? Why, it wasn’t a creature at all! It was a wooden construct of some sort controlled by ‘pets within.

     I looked upon it with renewed interest, my fear swept away by the force of my curiosity. “How does this work?”

     The ‘pets inside did not answer. Perhaps it was a language barrier. Or perhaps they were so accustomed to scaring others out of their wits that they didn’t know what to make of someone addressing them rationally.

     I stepped closer, trying to see past the glare of fire coming from the mouth and hiding the eyes in shadow. “If you do not wish to share the wonders of your invention with a stranger, so be it. But, I have lost my way. Could you please direct me back to Geraptiku?”

     Another moment of silence passed. Were they conferring, trying to decide my fate? At last, I heard a thump come from the back of the contraption. A moment later, a skunk Wocky appeared.

     “Come,” he said, beckoning me.

     I eagerly followed and saw a door opened into the back of the contraption. I followed the Wocky inside.

     It was a simple construction with an engine to move it on concealed treads, another to belch smoke and a third for flame with a platform above our heads allowed visibility through the hollow eyes. As I had suspected, it was not the work of a single Wocky but three.

     “This is quite clever!” I exclaimed.

     Not one of my rescuers looked pleased.

     “What is the purpose of this contraption?” I persisted.

     “Protect Geraptiku,” a Blue Wocky answered.

     “No like tourists,” the Skunk Wocky grunted.

     “Oh.” I had heard that from Kaleo though I hadn't experienced it for myself. The natives in the tourist district all seemed quite accommodating but not all natives were happy about the foreigners crowding their shores.

     It reminded me of my friend back home, Cinderneo. Shy, he hated the influx of visitors to Moltara. Our reconnection with the surface was a good thing for everyone but he certainly didn’t think so.

     Uncertain what to say, I watched with interest as the Wockies steered their contraption that they called Potgatkerchi with ease. Soon enough, they stopped. They opened the door and let me out.

     “Geraptiku,” the Blue Wocky said, pointing in the direction I needed to go.

     “Thank you,” I said.

     Within a few steps I was back in Geraptiku. Looking back, I saw only jungle with no hint that a giant wooden contraption had gotten me here.

     “There you are!” Benny hugged me tight.

     “We’ve been looking for you,” Charlotte said.

     “Where did you go?” Anna asked.

     “I thought I heard something but got a bit turned around. Luckily, I ran into some natives that pointed me back in the right direction,” I told them.

     “Come on. Some other tourists said there’s an island just offshore. A mystic lives there and will tell us our fortunes!” Benny exclaimed, tugging on my arm and pointing past the temple where a path led away from the village. A crude sign said ‘Island Mystic’.

     “Alright, lets go,” I said, letting the eager young Moehog lead me.

     It was a short walk to the shore where a ferry took us to the island. A short line led into the mystic’s hut.

     “Your sense of direction will cease unexpectedly,” he told me.

     “Some would say I never had it,” I joked.

     I had gotten lost in the jungle twice in as many days. Before I’d left Moltara, I had been confident I could make my way across Neopia with my map. Now I wasn’t so sure. Could I really do this? I was subdued all the way back to the tourist district.

     “Can we get a ride on the airship now?” Benny asked me eagerly.

     “Benny, we just got back. Give her some space,” Anna said.

     “I’m going to get some lunch first but give me half an hour and I’d be happy to take you,” I said.

     “Alright!” Benny exulted, dashing off to the beach.

     “You don’t want to eat with us?” Charlotte asked.

     I shook my head. “Not this time. I’ll see you later.”

     I waved and headed down the boardwalk grabbing a sandwich wrap and a bowl of sliced fruit on the way back to the boatyard. I ate my light lunch, enjoying the walk and the view. Getting some food in me, along with fresh air and a peaceful view helped lift my spirits. By the time I returned to the airship and freshened up, I felt like myself again. A knock at the door alerted me that my guests had arrived.

     I was surprised to see only Anna and Charlotte. “Where’s Benny?”

     “You mean he’s not here?” Charlotte asked.

     “With how excited he was, we thought for sure he would beat us here,” Anna said.

     “Well, I don’t mind waiting for him,” I said. “Come on in and get settled.”

     The two of them stepped inside and took a seat.

     “Have a good lunch?” I asked by way of conversation.

     “Yes, and you?” Charlotte asked.

     “I-” My response was cut off by a knock at the door. “That would be Benny…” I said opening it and getting another surprise, “and his friends.”

     Indeed, there was the young Moehog along with all of the friends we’d played volleyball with the previous day.

     “What are you all doing here?” I asked.

     “When I told them I was gonna ride in an airship today they all wanted to come, too. I let them cuz I knew you’d be OK with it,” Benny explained, eyes silently begging me.

     “Well…” I hesitated. I didn’t want to say no. There was no real reason to. I just hadn’t been expecting such a big group. “The more the merrier, I say!”

     “Thank you!” Benny exclaimed, hugging me.

     “It wasn’t your invitation to make,” I heard Anna scold Benny as he passed her.

     The group of young ‘pets came aboard and I led the way to the flight deck. They lined up eagerly at the windows.

     “Is everyone ready?” I asked from the helm.

     “Yes!” a chorus answered.

     “Here we go!” I pushed the lever that turned the airship on.

     In a moment, the airship whirred to life and we rose into the air. My guests oohed and aahed. Their excitement was palpable and I grinned. No matter how often I did this, it would never get old. I took them over the island, retracing the areas I’d covered on foot.

     Having now seen it up close, I viewed it all with new eyes. My guests took pictures and chatted excitedly or stared in silent awe at the view. It felt good to offer this to them. I made sure to get my own pic of Techo Mountain, much better from the air than one could ever hope to get on land. Almost an hour later, I landed the airship back in the boatyard.

     “Thank you!”

     “That was great!”

     “So much fun!”

     Benny’s friends enthused as they left the airship.

     We headed for the beach where we swam and played volleyball. The three of us girls sunbathed for a bit, enjoying the break.

     “Excuse me.”

     I looked up to see a Krawk standing there. “Yes?”

     “I overhead those boys talking about an airship ride they took. They said you were the one to ask. I’d love to take a ride, if you’ll tell me how much you charge.”

     I was taken aback, casting a glance at where Benny and his friends were tossing a beach ball around and taking turns dunking each other in the water. This was the last thing I had expected. I had done something nice for my friends. I hadn’t meant to do it again for Pets I didn’t even know.

     I could feel Anna and Charlotte’s surprised eyes on me, also waiting for my response.

     I looked back at the Krawk. “I will…have to get back to you.”

     “No problem. I’m here for a couple weeks with a pretty open schedule. You can reach me at the Shady Palms Resort,” he said before strolling away.

     “Well? Are you gonna take him up on his offer?” Charlotte asked.

     “I don’t know. I mean, that wasn’t really in the plan. I’m not outright opposed to it but it's definitely something I have to think about,” I said.

     “I think you should do it.”

     “I don’t know if you need it but it could bring in a nice income for however long you’ll be here,” Anna said.

     I nodded slowly. “Yeah, but I don’t want to rush into the decision, either.”

     “Of course not but definitely something to consider.”

     That evening, I went back to the Flight of Fancy and did some serious thinking. The dream had been to travel Neopia in the airship. Our family wasn’t rich and we needed an income to sustain us. Grandpappy had intended to take on repair jobs and while I could still do that on my own, our current clientele was all back in Moltara. It would take time to build one on the surface and the little money I did have wouldn’t last forever. So, offering airship rides could be a neat solution to the problem.

     I was not opposed. I had loved seeing Grandpappy’s dream experienced by others. Seeing their excitement and joy had enhanced my own. It reminded me that it was meant to be shared. Being able to do that on a regular basis would surely be a good thing.

     Mind made up, I set to work on the details.

     From what I had learned, Flight of Fancy was the only one of its kind. That meant there was low supply and (possibly) high demand. I could take as many as twelve guests aboard and charge whatever I wanted. I suspected tourists would pay for the privilege. Not that I wanted to take advantage but it would have to be a balance of charging enough to sustain me but not too much as to be exorbitant.

     Then I worked out a schedule of how many flights I would offer and how often I would take them. This was liable to change depending on how successful this venture turned out to be. I also still wanted to explore the island and the airship would need regular maintenance. I figured I would start with two trips a day, morning and afternoon at forty-five minutes each. Depending on how that went, I could adjust as needed.

     Then, there was the matter of advertising. The success of any business depended on their advertising. I knew how to do that in Moltara but I wasn’t sure how one went about doing that on the surface. Though, I knew I could ask my friends. They should know or at least give me an idea where to start.

     With most of the details hashed out, I went to bed that night wondering what the future would bring.

     I ended up staying on Mystery Island for two months. Triccity’s Tours was a hit success with ‘pets eager to take their own trip. I loved every minute of it. Mystery Island was great fun. I only left after a run-in with pirates but that is a story for another time.

     The End.