Just Say the Word: Part Two

"May I see your ticket, sir?" said the lanky Red Kyrii that stood before the large ship that was bound for Mystery Island.

      Nate reached into his pocket and removed a large, white ticket that was his only way into the SS Verdana. He placed the ticket in the Kyrii's palm, and the Kyrii stepped aside.

      Nate made his way up the ramp and inside the ship, his suitcase in hand. The Kyrii began to ring a large bell that he had been holding behind his back, "Last call for passengers of the SS Verdana: bound for Mystery Island!"

      The Kyrii turned and walked up the ramp. He slammed the ship's door shut, and then walked to the very front of the ship where passengers were not allowed.

      "Passengers!" the crowd of Neopets heard the captain speak into a megaphone. "We are now departing Neopia Central. Next stop: Mystery Island!"

     ***

      The passengers of the SS Verdana piled out of the ship and onto the glory that is Mystery Island. Each and every one of them was eager to make it to Mystery Island's famous beaches, hotels, and restaurants. Nate was just as eager, but for another reason.

      "Welcome to Mystery Isle!" exclaimed a young, Island Wocky who placed a necklace made of shells around Nate's neck.

      Nate thanked her, and then grabbed his suitcase and made his way to the nearest hotel. He walked through the revolving doors of the Mystery Island Inn and checked in to the hotel. An Island Techo in a bellboy's suit took Nate's suitcase up to Room 121, where he'd be staying.

      After Nate was done checking in, he made his way up a very large flight of stairs and into Room 121. The bellboy had left his suitcase on the bed. Nate sat on the bed and glanced at the clock on the wall.

      "It's 6:30 PM. It'll be a while before it's midnight. Maybe I should find something to do. It shouldn't be that hard. I'm on Mystery Island, after all."

      Nate arose from his sitting position on the bed and started towards the closet, his suitcase in hand. He tugged the door open, and screamed in terror.

      "Aah!" Nate cried.

      Inside the closet was none other than that same, raggedy, Blue Acara that had given him the three word of the day suggestions that led him to Mystery Island.

      "You again?!" Nate stared at the Acara in disbelief.

      The Acara was huddled up in the closet in a fetal position. She looked up at Nate with large, miserable eyes… eyes that had terrible bags underneath them.

      "Thank you… thank you for coming here…" the Acara said softly.

      The closet door suddenly slammed shut, causing Nate to fly backwards. He jerked the door open again, but only to find an empty closet. Nate poked his head inside the closet and looked around. He then threw his suitcase in there, slammed the door shut, and plopped onto his bed.

      "I think I'll just rest until midnight… that works…"

      A sudden knock at Nate's door woke him up. Nate dragged his feet to the door, and opened it. An Island Bori stood before him.

      "You… er… asked to be awoken at midnight…?" the Bori said, nervously.

      "Oh! Yes, thank you!" Nate exclaimed with much glee.

      "O…kay…" the Bori trudged down to the first floor.

      Nate grabbed the card key, the only key that would let him back into his hotel room, off of the bedside table and left his hotel room, letting the door shut behind him. He made his way down the stairs and into the lobby. The clock on the wall read 11:40 PM. Nate left the hotel and entered the darkness of an island at night.

      Hardly anyone was outside at this time of the night. Actually, no one was out. The island was deserted.

      "Odd…" Nate thought, "you would think that at least someone would be out this late…"

      He reached into his pocket and revealed a map of the island. Nate found the Mystery Island Inn on the map.

      "Okay, I'm right here on this map," Nate began, "and Techo Mountain is in northwest direction."

      Nate looked up from the map and into the northwest. He saw a very large forest of palm trees.

      "I'm assuming the mountain is through there…" Nate folded the map in half four times and placed it in his pocket.

      He walked into the forest, and to his surprise, he found a dirt path leading deep into the forest.

      "Awesome. This will make my life a whole lot easier."

      Suddenly, a twig snapped. Nate slowly turned his head to the left to see a shadowy figure staring at him from far away. The figure stepped into the light of the full moon, and Nate found the figure to be the raggedy Blue Acara. It appeared to be holding something.

      "Look what I've got!" the Acara said, singsong.

      She held the object over her head, and Nate recognized it as his suitcase.

      "My suitcase!" Nate cried.

      He lunged toward the Acara, and the Acara bolted into the forest, leading Nate away from the dirt path. Nate hopped over tree stumps and large rocks and the large leaves of the many palm trees. Soon, the Acara dove behind a tree, leaving Nate's suitcase on the ground.

      Nate picked his suitcase up and glanced behind the tree that the Acara hid behind. She was gone. Confused, Nate looked around the area for the Acara, and then looked straight ahead. What lay before Nate left him flabbergasted. It was Techo Mountain.

      "It's midnight!" Nate heard the Acara. "Follow me!"

      Nate spotted the Blue Acara not too far away from him. She entered a small cave that led inside the mountain. Nate followed, leaving his suitcase behind.

      Once inside, Nate found himself in an almost pitch-black room. Stalagmites and stalactites lined the ceiling and floor of the cave, and the annoying sound of dripping water rang in Nate's ears.

      "Hello?" Nate's call echoed."Little Acara?"

      "Follow me…" Nate heard the Acara's soft voice speak.

      The voice came from a tunnel to the right of where Nate stood. He entered the tunnel, but saw no Acara.

      "The rock…" the Acara said.

      Nate looked down at his foot to spot a medium-sized rock with an oddly shaped object on it. He bent down and picked up the object, and discovered that it was a rusty, old key.

      "A key?" Nate examined the rusty object. "What's this for?"

      Suddenly, a small slip of paper fell from somewhere above. It landed in front of Nate's feet. Nate picked the slip of paper up and read what was written on it:

Evil Death

      "Wha?" Nate was puzzled.

      "This way!" Nate heard the Acara say.

      He looked up from the slip of paper to spot the Acara running out of the cave. Nate slipped the key and paper into his pocket and ran after the Acara.

     ***

      "Follow me!" the Acara shouted, not slowing down at all.

      Nate had followed the Acara out of Techo Mountain and all the way to the shores of Mystery Island. It was a bit of a challenge, seeing as how it was pitch black outside. The Acara began to walk through the crashing waves of fury and into the massive ocean.

      "It's this way!" the Acara pointed in the western direction. Nate saw nothing but an endless sea.

      "What's that way?" Nate eyed the Acara.

      "Use the key!" the Acara then dove beneath the water. Nate caught a final glimpse of her swimming to the west, never looking back.

      "The key…?" Nate removed the key from his pocket and examined it. "Could there be something in the western direction that has to do with this key?"

      He removed the slip of paper from his pocket.

      "And an evil death, too?"

      Nate placed the key and paper back in his pocket, and then spotted the lanky, Red Kyrii who had led him on and off the S.S. Verdana. The Kyrii was ringing a bell, and suddenly began to board the ship.

      "Wait!" Nate called.

      He bolted toward the ship and grabbed the Kyrii's arm.

      "What is it, sir?" the Kyrii turned to face Nate.

      "I'll be boarding this ship was well!"

      "May I see your ticket?"

      "Yes, of course. It's right here in my… my suitcase! I left it at Techo Mountain!"

      "Beg your pardon?"

      "Er… um… you dropped your pocket!"

      "What?"

      The Kyrii bent down to examine his pocket. Nate then pushed the Kyrii out of the way and zipped inside the ship. He slammed the door shut and ran to the front of the ship. He spotted a withered, Pirate Krawk placed at the steering wheel of the ship.

      "Captain?" Nate disguised his voice to sound like the Kyrii's. "Our destination has changed. This ship's next stop is the land west from here."

      "West, ye say?!" the Krawk spoke. "Well, that's fine by me, lad!"

      The Krawk grabbed the megaphone that was sitting on a table and spoke into it. "Passengers! Our course has changed! We will be traveling to the land west of Mystery Island!"

      The Krawk then grabbed the steering wheel and turned it hard to the left as the passengers screamed in shock.

To be continued...