Kemo Memories
On a fairly large-sized transport boat, a young man makes his way through a large crowd of uniformed employees to an assigned seat, bearing his name on it: "Makoto". The young man sits down and removes his sun hat, revealing his brown-blonde hair. He rubs his eyes a bit as he yawns, clearly only half awake. It is still early morning, as most on the boat seem to share a similar level of energy, yet everyone tries to quickly make their way to their seats. At the front of the boat's cabin, a green-haired girl grabs a microphone from her belt, and an overhead tone sounds before she begins to speak. "Guides, caretakers, medical and support staff, may I please have your attention!" she announces. "I am Mirai, one of the park guides who will be assisting with your training. For caretakers and guides, I will also be overseeing your daily duties. I hope to get to know each and every one of you as you begin your exciting career at Japari Park!" There is some light applause and excited rabble as Mirai smiles and waves to the group before finding her own seat. Another overhead announcement sounds. "Please find your seats, the boat is now departing from shore. Please stand clear of all closing doors." And with that, the boat sets off from the dock. Some family members and friends wave from the shoreline as the boat departs. Makoto reaches into his sling bag and pulls out a small book, which says "Journal" on it. "I suppose there's a lot of time to pass, I may as well start now..." Makoto says quietly as he pages to the first blank page of the journal...
"Day One:
This is really silly, I've never written in a journal of any kind before in my life... A friend of mine bought this for me on a whim before I left the mainland for my new job as a caretaker. I guess how I should start this is with an introduction, of sorts? Umm... My name is Makoto. I've spent a good portion of my life living in a small suburb on the mainland, and I've always been interested in animals. I've held out a long time for a job helping animals, and that's when I heard about an amazing place called Japari Park. It is being designed as a massive zoo, spanning across many islands, with lots of attractions. It sounded too good to be true, and they were hiring everyone they could! As I write this, I am sitting on a boat with many of my future coworkers. We are on a fairly long trip from the mainland to the main island of Japari Park, called Park Central. Among us is a girl named Mirai, who is the representative for the park. She is a park guide, and one of the most knowledgeable and respected employees of the park. She will be our supervisor, as caretakers, and I'm still a bit nervous about talking to her. I don't want to make myself seem dumb if I say something wrong! I'm still so excited and nervous in general about all of this. I kind of just packed all of my things and left for this new life. I will get vacation time, of course, but it's still a big change for a guy from the suburbs. Still, a zoo on a beautiful set of islands... What's not to love? I hear there's even dormant volcanoes there!-"
The writing stops abruptly, as Makoto turns to realize that Mirai is now hovering over him. "Ah? Already so eager to write down all your feelings, I see?" Mirai says with a smile, making Makoto get a bit flustered. "U-Um! Yes! I-I'm very excited!" Makoto says as he covers the journal, but it seems as if Mirai had been reading for a bit of time already. "Don't worry, Makoto. You'll do fine! You seem like you love animals quite a bit." Mirai speaks calmly with a reassuring smile, gently placing her hand on Makoto's shoulder. Makoto looks back at her a few moments before smiling and giving a happy nod in return. "Thank you, Mirai..!" Mirai gives a smile and nod in return before continuing on to meet some of the others. "She's so friendly..!" Makoto smiles a little as he holds his journal close against him. It's not long before the mainland's shores drift from sight, now covered by the long waves of the ocean. "Your attention please, lunch will be served momentarily. Please have your requests ready on the screen." An automated message states, as a small touchscreen slides out from the back of the chair in front of Makoto. "Ah, wow! This is so high-tech!" Makoto plays around with the touchscreen a bit, paging through the menu before settling on a sandwich and soup, and a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Cheesecake has always been Makoto's favorite, after all. After a short while of Makoto playing with the screen, it folds back into the seat. "A-Aww..!" Just then, one of the servers comes up with a plate with a sandwich and a bowl of soup, gently setting it down in front of Makoto. "Here you are, sir. Please enjoy." The server says and bows politely. "Oh! One moment, how much do I owe you?" Makoto asks, digging for his wallet in his sling bag. "S-Sir, there's no charge. It's all complimentary!" Makoto's eyes widen a bit. "R-Really? Amazing!" He grabs the sandwich and happily takes a bite before sipping some of the soup, clearly quite satisfied as he finishes the soup and sandwich quickly, then starts on the cheesecake. "Ah, I forgot to eat breakfast... No wonder!" He smiles a bit to himself, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Hmm... It's been a while, I wonder if we're any closer..." Makoto says as he looks out the window, watching the horizon for a bit before he finds himself slowly getting sleepy. It's not long before he drifts off completely. "Too much food... Too comfy..." He says as he rolls over onto his side in the chair.
As Makoto sleeps, he has a strange dream about the volcanoes he read about. They're... Erupting? This can't be right, where is everyone? The islands look abandoned, but the animals still need help! As Makoto runs towards the animal enclosures, he is suddenly tripped and rolls over to see a gigantic shadow over him and slowly closing in on him. Just then, Makoto awakens to Mirai gently shaking his shoulder. "Makoto! Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep..." She says with a slight look of concern. Makoto looks around the seats, noticing they're all empty. "I-I am... I'm sorry, I had a nightmare. It must have just been because I was so nervous, haha..." He blinks and looks around some more. "Where is everyone?" he asks Mirai before looking to one side and seeing a small dock that the boat is moored at. "Ah, well... We arrived half an hour ago, but... You were asleep and seemed comfortable up until the last bit. I didn't want to wake you." She gives another reassuring smile before extending her hand to Makoto, helping him up as she walks with him off of the boat and onto the dock. "Welcome to Japari Park!" Mirai exclaims happily to him as he looks eagerly at the beautiful view from the dock. A huge island lay before him covered in verdant green. Steep volcanic mountains climb one side while the sea softly sweeps against the beaches on the other. In the middle, a huge city appears to be under construction, the tower cranes visible all the way from the beach. "So, what do you think, Makoto?" Mirai smiles as she walks with him to go collect his belongings from the cargo area. "I-It's... Incredible!" Makoto gleams happily as he follows close behind. "I'm so glad! Now, shall we get your belongings? Oh, and I made certain to take extra care regarding your special cargo!" Mirai smiles cheerfully as they reach the baggage area, where the other employees have been gathered collecting their items.
End Chapter 1