Indiana Jones in: The Staff of the Northern Eclipse

A dream…

In this story, Indy and I join up and form a team to go and retrieve the Staff of the Northern Eclipse. Time to face the challenges and have a taste of the excitement that Indy has to face on a regular basis! Just your average archaeologist, huh? I don't think so…

I got home from school to a quiet house. Through the kitchen I went and I saw mom and my little sister. Suddenly, my mom says that we have a visitor. So I didn't pay much attention until heard, "Hi. It's nice to be here. What's your name?"

I looked up and saw that right in the middle of my living room was the famous Indiana Jones. "Mom…"

"Isn't it great? Your cousin is Proffessor Jones Jr.!"

"Junior?"

"Please don't call me that--"

He was going to say more, but I decided to leave the scene. I can't just show up all sweaty from school, so I took a bath. After I came to my bedroom to change, he was sitting on my bed looking at some papers that seemed to be funny to him. I almost fell to the floor. I'd just realized he was reading my 'Kajjjm World' comics (I'm making my own anime comic series…). Well, for one thing, I was happy to see that he was enjoying himself. For the other, well, let's just say that I don't like to introduce myself while I'm in a towel. Then he noticed me; "Crap," I muttered. I felt like I was on the spotlight. Without turning around he said, "Very funny. You did this, kid?" I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Then he stood up and walked all casually out of the room, still laughing at the comic. After I had changed into fresh clothes, he was nowhere to be seen. "Mom, where'd Indy go?"

"Oh, I don't know. That cousin of yours is always up to something."

Duh. Like I wouldn't know that. Then she said, "It's time to go do your job."

"Do I HAVE to?" One look into her eyes told me everything. Ok, so I have to give them authority. That doesn't mean that I have no rights. So anyway, I went to my job, where I so happened to just work as a box retriever. There I was at the counter pretending that I owned the place when I heard, "What the fk are you doing!! GET BACK TO WORK!!" Yeesh. No need to tell me twice. I went to the back room. The one where they say 'Employee's only'. It was the creepiest thing-of-a-room there was. There were 2 stories. And my job was to bring the boxes down to the first floor and bring them all to the front cart area where the cart says 'FREE BOXES!!' Easier said than done. And to boost up the creepiness there was a lightning storm outside, the lights in the room were out and it was extremely cold in there. The only company there was a parrot. He always was talkative and always talks nonsense to you. All you hear when he's talking to you is 'gibba-blabba-coobie'.

Weird. So I bravely went up the rickety set of stairs, got about 8 boxes, and went downstairs. 'Funny,' I thought, 'the bird isn't talking.' I tried to get him to speak but he looked so… so terrified. "What happened?" He shook his head. Then he pointed to the top of the stairs. Funny, birds don't point. And yet, it's still a dream. I swear that there could have been a "Michael Jackson Thriller-guy" up there. But there wasn't anything to be seen.

"Stupid bird…" I said and went back up the stairs. You know how the strangest things happen to those who don't expect it and not to the ones that do? Yeah, well, it was vice-versa for me. It just so happened that the boxes upstairs were all cleared out when I swear that there were like about 30 or so left. I heard a shriek downstairs and decided to check it out. Also weird, I don't normally "check things out". I felt like Freddy from the 'Scooby Doo' show that I used to watch. As soon as I got down there it had stopped screaming. 'It', as in the parrot, was cowering in the corner of its cage and staring at space. "Hmm…" I said as I went down the only section of hallway that had light. I was terrified, believe me. But as soon as I stopped down that hallway there was a slight hissing noise and I thought that I saw something in the shadows. I looked about, but didn't see anyone.

"Hello? ..." I said in the smallest voice possible. I walked back down the hallway. It felt like one of those horror movies, and I was the next victim. Then I heard a loud FWAP!! As I turned the corner a hand clamped onto my mouth and another dragged me into the shadows. I struggled and fought and kicked as hard as I could. "Ouch! Hey! Easy!" I was suddenly blinded by something put on my head and immediately recognized his voice. "Indy?" I tried to say, but my mouth was muffled. He let me go but kept the "blinding hat" on; but I took it off anyways. "Indy, what are you doing here?" I asked his shadowy figure. "No time to explain right now. I'll tell you later…" he said as he picked me up like a parcel. He started towards the door, but I stopped him. "Indy! We can't just march on outta here with you holding me like this! Put me down! I'm at work you know!" I tried to explain to him. But he just said, "Nope! I don't care. Besides," he added, "we're in a hurry, and I need you to come with me..." It looked like he was about to go through the front door, but instead he went through the back. Funny, I didn't know that there was a back...

So anyway, he went through the back into an alleyway and ran in the direction to my house. "Indy, if we're going to my house, then you'd have to put me down." I said. He made no attempt to answer my statement. Soon we were passing the house and he still insisted on carrying me. He finally stopped at the forest in front of the houses. "Hey kid," he asked breathlessly, "do your parents mind if I borrow you for the day?"

I took it in for the moment. Hmm… considering the previous things that he had just said, in my entire mind I would've said something better than what at that point came out of my mouth. "Uh… I think so. I guess we'd have to ask. I… uh… I really don't know." Indy laughed at that. I guess I didn't see the point his way so I didn't laugh at us and Indy was telling me to run for my life.

P-tiiiiiw!

A bullet came out of nowhere and whizzed past us.

"Wha--?"

"Kid, run! There's no time to stand there!"

"But Indy," I started to protest.

P-tiiiiiiw!!

This time that one was aimed at my feet. I ran and ran and ran. I reached the pool area and hid under a picnic table in the grassy side beside the pool. Then I saw two men walking towards each other a couple of tables away. They both met and started speaking quietly to each other so that I couldn't hear the conversation. One looked like the one that's second in command and another commander. Suddenly there was a sentinel coming up to the front of my table and sat down on it. "Oh Indy," I whispered, praying that he would come and rescue me. "We have Dr. Jones secured, sir. My men are awaiting your command." I was shocked. Indy! Captured!? It all was so awful! Then the men moved away towards the clubhouse. After I made sure that they were in and the coast was clear, I inched my way out of those grounds and ran towards the back of the building. I saw the commander exit the building with most of his men except for two men as guards. Both guarded the front. "This should be thrilling…" I said to myself. I snuck through the back into the building to find no guards on the inside. "The idiots..." I mumbled to myself.

There was only one corridor and I went down it to find only two rooms. I put my ear on one of them (the one on the left). Nothing. I put my ear on the opposite one. Inside I heard yelling, crashing and cries of pain and the shouting of foreign languages. The moment I hid in the other room is the moment three guards opened the right door and exited. Close call. I didn't understand what they were saying, but the idiots left the door open and I shot a glimpse of a man on the floor, tied to a pole and he was bleeding from head-to-toe. I felt bad for him and went to go free him. I didn't know what in the world I was doing. As soon as I got there, he said "Didn't I tell you to run away?"

Indy! I was so grateful that he was still alive. "I heard that they were going to kill you! What happened in here?"

"You don't want to know." He said as he spat out blood. "Why were they interpreting you? What do these men want?!"

"Kid, this isn't the time to start blabbing out questions. Help with the ropes."

I immediately obeyed. Once freed, he grabbed my arm and said in a low voice, "C'mon! We've got to escape."

"Nuh-uh! Not until you tell me what's going on here." I tried to stay put, but when Indy had that stern "professor-look" on his face, who could argue? We ran through the clubhouse. But the guards saw us running past and were gaining on us. "We have to shake them!" I said with a terrified look. As we rounded a corner, it turned out to be a dead end. Desperate, I tried to look for another way out, but there was none. Turning around, we found ourselves trapped by 5 mercenaries. "How did you get out?" asked one. "No sense in ruining a good mystery!" Indy replied. While he was stalling, I was trying to see if we can get past them, but Indy had other plans. "Put down your weapon!!" another shouted. They were getting closer now. "Sorry men! But my cuz and I are late for the train!" And with that, he raised his bullwhip in the air, gave me a wink, and FWAP!! I covered my face to keep from seeing the slashed men. Indy pulled me outside and we ran through the nearby forest. As we ran I asked, "Indy, why did you say that we're going to be late for a train?"

"Less talk, more running…" was all he said. We ran for a good long time that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, we reached a railroad. "We'll have to stop here, kid."

"But why?" I whined. He didn't answer. There was a good long pause. Then, down the track, there were a few men dressed in black cowboy clothing were looking at us suspiciously. They looked at us, then down at their paper, then at us again. Suddenly, one of the men pulled out a pistol and started shooting at us!

"Indy! C'mon!" I cried. At the same second, the train came into view. "Run!" he said, pulling me along. I had to run double-time in order to keep up with his long strides. I heard galloping hooves behind me and knew that these men in black were spies. "When I say jump, you jump!" he said. As the train was speeding past, there was an open door coming up. "JUMP!!" Indy shouted. No need to tell me twice. We both jumped in, him first, then me. The train automatically sped up as the curve ended and the cowboys were left behind in the dust. "Whoa…" I breathed. On the jump over, I'd fallen over Indy face-to-face. Embarrassed, I tried to scuttle off into a corner. As Indy got up, he caught my hand and held it tight. "Are you ok?" he asked. "Yeah, sure…" He pulled me back down and I sat next to him, in silence. His face expression looked so… so far away. 'I'll try to wake him up by asking what this is all about.' I thought.

"Indy, what is this all about?" He looked at me with a blank expression at first, but then it all turned into a sly look. "You really are a curious one, aren't you cuz? Well, your curiosity is gonna have to wait." Irritated, I retreated to a corner of the cart to think about what Indy said. True, I was angry with him and demanded the truth, but I refused to talk with him (I'm kind of stubborn that way). If I did, it would've resulted in a fight, in which I know that he would win. As the sky became darker, I noticed it grew cold. I huddled, pulling my legs in and hugging my knees, but the cold air still kept its grasp. I was shivering all over until I felt arms lifting me up. Indy had come and put me sideways on his lap.

"Cold?" he asked; his breath visible in the icy air. I didn't want to lose body heat, so I just nodded.

"Why don't you get some sleep? I'll explain what you want to know tomorrow." he said. I fell asleep comfortable in the security of his arms, both of us sharing our warmth. But I dreamt about that I somehow got separated from Indy and was kidnapped, taken to a far place, shoved onto the floor, and was about to be stabbed in the chest when I woke with a jerk. I was panting and I took a moment to check my surroundings. We were still in the train, and it was still going. Apparently, the train still hadn't reached its destination. 'Oh well,' I thought. Then I checked on Indy, who was still sleeping sitting up. "I wonder what time it is…" I mumbled sleepily. I was just getting up when his arms fell (and I think it was a reflex but…) and his fingers interlaced and pulled me back down. I plopped back onto his lap. 'Surely,' I thought, 'surely he must be awake.' His head was tipped back and resting on the wall and his hat was on his face in a cowboy style. I decided to tip the hat off so that I can see his face. If he was faking, it might be a trap, or more possibly a joke. I propped his hat up just enough to see his face. He looked like he was sleeping. After I put his hat back, I removed his arm from my waistline and got up. That's when the train lurched. It flung me up into the air and I flew out of the train. Apparently the door to the cart was still open. If it weren't for the last moment that I clasped onto the side bars on the outsides of the cart, I would've been killed by the wheels of the train. I couldn't let my hand go to grasp the next bar or else I'll fall.

"Indy!! Help!!" I screamed. The movement of the train was getting more brutal by the second. "INDIANA!!" Now I'm realizing that my calls aren't worth while because Indy was sleeping and also there's a turn up ahead! 'If that train turns,' I thought, 'Then I'll be flung to the other side of the tracks and squashed for sure!'

"INDY!!" I cried as I started to slip off of the bar. The roar of the train was deafening. I was getting closer to the curve when…

"What the heck are you doin' out there?!" I heard a voice say.

I felt a strong hand reach out and grasp my other free hand. I was pulled into the train once again, safe and sound. But Indy didn't actually praise me for that matter. "You could've been killed!! If I wasn't here for you, you'd be more squashed than road kill!!" he reprimanded in a harsh tone of voice. I didn't reply for my shame. I just hung my head for being a fool and it almost cost my life there. Then, in some sort of pitiful sounding squeak, I said "But I only was trying to stand up and then the train shook…" my voice died away.

I forced myself to look into his eyes and try to leave them there, but with such a stern face I pulled my gaze away. I saw in the corner of my eye that his hand was coming down and I flinched, expecting a slap or a rap on my head, but it didn't come. Instead, he was ruffling my hair.

"Well, at least you're still alive…" he sighed as he sat down beside me. "Softie," I said. "Am not..." he answered. After a brief pause, I asked "Henry, why are we on this train?"

He looked at me confusedly, "...Henry?"

"I mean... uh, Indy." I stuttered. He shook his head smiling, "I've never heard that one from you before. Well, anyways... It just so happens that this train is headed to the harbor."

"Huh? The harbor? Why are we going to the harbor?"

"Because once there we're going to meet up with Brody and take a ship north." I was amazed. The north? A ship? I had so many questions buzzing around in my head that I wanted to ask, but I couldn't bombard them on Indy all at once.

"Mr. Brody? Marcus Brody?"

"Yeah. He's got our ticket outta here. He says that by tomorrow we'll be out to sea and on our way north." I pondered for a minute.

"Where exactly are we going?" Indiana took this opportunity to give me a creepy grin...