"Dandin, why are we here?"
"Well Mariel, philosophers have been asking that question for centuries and-"
"No, why are we here?"
"Ah." Dandin looked around the desolate rocky beach. "Shipwreck."
Mariel nodded her head. "And why do I not remember any of this?"
"Asleep? Busy? Didn't see?" Dandin quailed under Mariel's unsympathetic glance. "Knocked unconscious by a falling beam and your partner didn't notice?"
Mariel sighed and said, "Well, we've been in worse. See if you can find some fresh water, willya?"
The two ragged mice looked around the beach for a source of water. Anything on the wreck of their ship, the Pearl Queen, was unsalvageable. They stayed in the open, instead of going into the thick jungle that began a few yards away. Who knew what dangers waited within?
They were so absorbed they didn't even see the squirrel walk up behind them.
Even when they had seen him, they could hardly believe it. He was tall and well groomed, wearing a white silk jacket and vest, with a stiff-looking collar, pinstriped trousers, and a white bowler hat. Not exactly the sort of beast you might expect to see on a desert island in the middle of unexplored ocean!
The stranger, however, didn't seem so surprised. "Well," he said. "Get these on and follow me. You can't stay out in this hot sun any longer!" He proffered a suit and hat like the ones he was wearing to Dandin, and a red long-skirted dress to Mariel.
They didn't even ask, but started to put the clothes on. "Uh," Mariel began as she struggled with the buttons, "who are you?"
The squirrel smiled. "My name is Mr. F."
Dandin smirked. "F what?"
"Just F. No, don't do that!" Dandin had dropped the bowler hat on the ground and neglected to fasten the cuff links and collar. Mariel was hitching up the awkward skirt almost to her knees. "Would you go out in polite company like that?" F berated them so much that they gave in and wore their clothes 'properly' to see what the eccentric squirrel would do next.
What he did was lead them into the jungle. This is lunacy, Mariel thought as she picked through thorns and scrubs. Who could live in a place like this and wear these insane clothes?
Unbeknownst to her, Dandin was thinking similar thoughts. Why have we got to wear these, he wondered. In someplace like this, you shouldn't be tip-toeing around in silk and silly-looking hats!
Gradually, the underbrush began to thin, and they were in a park-looking space. However, almost as soon as they stepped onto the grass the land began to move up and down, like waves in the sea. Mr. F didn't seem bothered by this, but instead seemed slightly amused to see Mariel and Dandin stumbling about on the quivering ground. "Don't worry, you'll get your mountain legs soon!" he called.
By now, Mariel was understandingly irritated. "What is the point of this?" she demanded irritably.
Mr. F had by now moved to a small patch of ground near the mountain that seemed to be unmoving. The two mice followed him and discovered that to their relief it was. F gave them each a pair of black goggles, and told them to wear them, putting on a pair himself. They put them on, and the squirrel opened a wooden hidden door set into the ground, and slipped inside. Mariel and Dandin entered too, and gasped at what they saw.
All around were diamonds, sticking out of the walls, piled on the floor, and bouncing light back and forth. Dazzle was everywhere, and the travelers could see why they had to wear goggles.
Dandin was almost paralyzed with surprise. "What is this place?" he managed to choke out.
Mr. F smiled. "Krakatoa."
Author's Note: This is really a crossover with The Twenty-one Balloons. I don't own that or Redwall. I only own the idea of a crossover between the two.