I tried. I tried so bloody hard. Paint just doesn't like doing what GIMP does. Well, at least Perry isn't blue. I hope you guys like the cover anyways. *Sigh* Oh, well. As for the story itself, I'm getting some vibes from you guys that the prologue wasn't very satisfying. I regret nothing. This story is going to be a bit darker in some areas than the last stories. I'm going to keep darkness to a minimum, but I'm just warning you now. Also, since Penelope set the scene for a flashback in the prologue, I'm going to go into that now. Surprise! We're going to go back to the beginning of the adventure to find out what happened. So, hopefully no one hates me and hopefully, you guys keep reading. If you choose to stay, then enjoy, but this is your last chance to turn back. Dun Dun Dun! Okay, storytime... now.
Chapter 1: Light
Penelope
"I'm on my way now. I'm up high in the clouds, got nothin' but birds to see. It's the life for me," I sang. Perry had given me the controls so that he could go to sleep. (He was awake now, but I still wanted to drive.) We went in shifts like this. Now, we were right over Africa.
"So, now what?" asked Phineas from the backseat.
"Just hang tight and you'll live to see the 8th grade," I said with a laugh. It was a way of saying "Sit back." I was pretty mellow about it though. Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Doofenshmirtz, Perry, the kids, Maxwell and Rosalynn, and myself were all on an adventure.
"Can you at least tell us where we're going?" asked Phineas.
"My boy, we are going to deepest, darkest Africa to find an ancient treasure. Surely you've heard the tale of the platypus warrior Tau?" Blank stares.
"Really? Wow," said Perry.
"Well, who is Tau, then?" asked Isabella.
"He is an ancient warrior from long ago. It is said that he fought some of the most dreaded monsters of our land, like the Drop Bear, the Yara-ma-yha-who, the Muldjewangk, and the Bunyip," I said.
"Didn't he also fight the Moolyewonk as well?" asked Perry.
"Oh, yes, indeed. I forgot about that tale. To think, I forgot the best tale of Tau," I said with a laugh.
"Oh, come on, you're just making those things up to get us all scared," said Doofenshmirtz.
"Oh, no, they existed. They may even still exist, lurking in the darkness. After all, Tau's name means evening or war. It meant he fought against the creatures in the dark that tried to do evil to others. It is most shameful of those creatures," I said. "Now that the creepy part of the legend is out of the way, here's the cool part: Tau had access to the Dreamtime."
"Whoa, whoa, wait, the Dreamtime was supposed to be long over, after the creation of the universe," said Perry.
"That's what I thought too, but after doing some studying, I have found that it is still very possible to enter the Dreamtime. For instance, let me ask you, how long was I dead?" I asked.
"I don't know, a few minutes, maybe five?" asked Perry.
"I was dead seven minutes and gone for seven days," I said.
There was a collective "What?!" from everyone.
"It's true. I went through a period in the spirit world that equated to seven days, all in seven minutes," I said.
"Who told you that you were dead for seven minutes?" asked Perry.
"That's not important. What is important is that these old myths are very real and very much still in existence," I said.
"But if the myth is Australian, why are we going to Africa?" asked Rosalynn.
"Simple: Tau was a hunter and he chased these monsters everywhere," I said.
"Across an ocean?" asked Perry.
"He had special powers. One of them was to go through the two different forms of time at will. Dreamtime allows for things you would never begin to imagine," I said.
"So, what does this have to do with the symbol that was ingrained into all of our heads?" asked Perry.
"I'm glad you asked. You see, Tau was one of the most intelligent platypuses to ever exist. As such, he would get bored, so he designed a treasure hunt for only the most brave and clever platypuses out there. That symbol that gets ingrained into all of our heads is the first clue," I said. I was really excited about this.
"So, why did you ask about how long you were dead?" asked Doofenshmirtz.
"I asked because while I was dead, I went to the Dreamtime," I explained. "Usually, only people who have the ability to travel or who are in favor with the spirits may go there."
"I thought you were in favor with the spirits," said Perry.
"Well... there are some things I've been neglecting on account of the fact that they're impossible tasks. This is something I think we can do though," I said.
"What is the treasure, exactly?" asked Maxwell.
"No one knows. Some say it is Tau's armor. It was impervious to any sort of damage by blow or fire, yet it was light enough that he could go swimming and not drown. It's made of a special material that no one knows how to make, much less find," I said.
"Others say it might be an ancient weapon of his, like his sword or his spear," said Perry.
"Then, there's the big one: the source of his magic. Some say he got his magic from an amulet he wore around his neck. Others say he got the magic from the spirits and was forced to give the powers back for his successor to take them," I said.
"What do you think?" asked Phineas.
"I don't know. I wasn't told. I just hope it'll be half as exciting as I think it's going to be," I said. I looked at Perry and saw him smiling in that way I knew he did when he was thinking I was adorable. "My eyes are sparkling again, aren't they?"
"Not just sparkling, they're violet right now," said Perry. I looked in the rear view mirror and smiled. So I am, I thought.
"Well, we have to land soon, we're running out of fuel," I said. We landed in the midst of a savanna, scaring away multiple dik-diks (they are small antelopes, really small). "All right, I'm gonna go see if I can find Batini." I went onto all-fours and went to the nearest hole. It turned out, coincidentally enough, to be a meerkat hole. I tried to get in, but my body was a little bit too wide for the thin meerkat. I sighed and began digging. I heard Perry call my name, but I was too far along to care. I kept digging.
I was soon too far in to see the light of day anymore. By that time, I was wondering why I hadn't seen a meerkat yet. Then, I saw glowing red eyes and I immediately began backing up as fast as I could. When that wasn't enough, I struck upwards and dug up. I eventually made a new hole and ran back over to Perry. The creature that had followed me through the darkness turned out to be a meerkat with a birth defect that made his eyes red.
"Hey, platypuses in Africa! Ha, ha! What will they think of next?" said the meerkat. I stood up behind Perry and looked at the meerkat, confused. Another meerkat emerged from the hole, followed by another and another until we were surrounded.
"I think you started an uprising," said Doofenshmirtz.
"Batini? Does anyone know Batini?" I asked. A meerkat I recognized as Batini emerged from the crowd. "Oh, thank the spirits. I didn't think I'd find you." We embraced and she made a shrilling noise, the noise meerkats make, and I said, "Oh, no, thank you, I don't think anyone would fit down there." She made another noise and immediately began burrowing. The others followed suit until there was a hole big enough for a human to fit through. The sunlight got in pretty far in the big hole, but the passage just kept going from there. Batini shrilled again and I said, "Okay then." I waved a hand for everyone to follow.
The tunnel led to a huge main area that the meerkats had burrowed. Torches hung on the side walls, lighting the area a little. Batini asked us to sit down and wait for her to get some grubs for us. I was close to mentioning humans don't eat grubs, but she went away before I could say anything.
"What's going on?" asked Isabella.
"Batini is giving us dinner. Please be polite and eat at least some of it. It's poor manners to not eat what is served to you, especially here where they scrounge for everything they get," I said.
"Then maybe we should let them keep it?" asked Phineas.
"No, it is custom. Besides, Batini will help us if we are good house guests," I said.
"Don't you mean tunnel guests?" asked Doofenshmirtz.
"I mean what I mean," I said, batting a hand at the question. Batini returned with a handful of grubs and we each took one. Some of us were more squeamish than others. It wasn't just the humans. These particular grubs were not among my favorites. When we each had one, Batini shrilled at me and I responded. "Well, of course we'd come here, Batini, why wouldn't we after that not so subtle hint you gave us back in America?" She seemed to consider a moment before shrilling again. "Uh huh... uh huh... uh huh..." I took Perry's fedora, much to his dismay, and stole a notepad and pencil from it. I wrote down the information and, when Batini finished, I thanked her by shaking her hand. "Thank you very much for your hospitality. We shall pursue this straight away." Batini shrilled something else and I responded with, "Of course." The humans and platypuses then left the underground.
"What was that all about?" asked Doofenshmirtz.
"Gentlemen, girls, we have our full first clue. The dots have been connected and now, voila!" I showed them the pad of paper.
"Hey, I know that marker," said Perry.
"Really? Could you take us to it?" I asked.
"Maybe. I'm not sure..." said Perry.
"Well, let's try," I said. "In the meantime, I know a guy nearby that can get us some shelter." We went off and if I hadn't thought it before, I certainly began thinking it more now that the sun was setting: danger lied ahead.
All right! We have a breathing period! Perry's alive! Also, those monsters they were talking about are based on actual Aboriginal legends. Just don't look up the one that ends in "who" if you are weak of heart. It's really freaky looking... not that the others aren't weird too. Dreamtime is also a legit belief of the Aboriginals, but as Perry pointed out, it was the beginning of existence that this different time existed (as far as I understood from reading about it). So, fiction leaves room for elaboration and experimentation. I'm making my own Dreamtime! Dik-diks are legit animals too. They are small antelopes and if you want an example of one in the media, either Google the name or if you've seen Madagascar 2, there were tons of those things running around. They are so adorable! (But not as adorable as Perry ;) ) Please keep reading and reviewing to find out what happens next, thanks, guys :)
