Walk A Mile In Your Shoes
Chapter 5: The Legend of Ankorbak
Mimi put the book back on the shelf before leaving the library and walking home. As she reached her home, she was met with fright when she saw her mom carrying baby Tina in her arms. Mimi's mom was stepping out of the car and was on her way to the house/shop.
"Mimi, run." ordered Neteru noticing that Mimi's mom (sorry, I don't know her name). Mimi ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She ran behind the shop and entered through the back door. She quickly took off her shoes and socks as Neteru, Mara, and Hamtaro leaped out of the purse. Mimi immediately sat down next to her dolls and pretended that she was busy playing with the dolls. Neteru, Mara, and Hamtaro noticed the other Ham-Hams on top of Mimi's dresser and they all climbed to the top of it to join the others. Mimi's mom walked into the room carrying Tina and a bag of groceries.
"Hello Mimi, anything happened while I was gone?" she asked.
"Nope." answered Mimi. The Ham-Hams ran down the dresser and went out the door. Before Neteru left, he said to Mimi, "Thanks for all your help." Mimi whispered in response, "You're welcome." before Neteru disappeared out of sight.
When they all reached the Clubhouse, the Ham-Hams were talking all at once asking about what Neteru had found out. Neteru shouted out to tell them to quiet down. Once everyone was quiet, Neteru said, "We discovered an ancient artifact called the Ankorbak Pylons. This artifact should be more than powerful enough to revert the humans back to normal."
"But where do we find the pylons?" asked June excited.
"It's in a city called Ankorbak." said Mara.
"Ankorbak?" asked Travis. "There's no such city."
"I don't know what or where it is but I suspect that it's in a ham-ham city." said Neteru.
"Heke, a ham-ham city?" chorused the former humans.
"You mean that ham-hams actually have their own cities?" asked Laura.
"Yes actually." said Neteru. "They're all far from human civilizations but they do exist."
"So we are supposed to find some city run by ham-hams?" asked Kylie.
"Exactly." said Neteru.
"But if you don't know where the city is, how are you going to find it." asked Kana.
"I know this may sound crazy but two nights ago, I had a dream that told me that if I needed to go to Ankorbak, I must first go to another ham-ham city called Rokugon and find an ancient seer." said Neteru.
"Why go there?" asked Laura.
"Perhaps this seer may have some information or a hint as how to find Ankorbak." suggested Neteru.
"But how are we going to get to Rokugon?" asked Travis.
"We're going to have to walk." said Neteru.
"Walk?" said Laura. "At this height, it would take us forever."
"You could try the Ham-Ham Train." suggested Panda.
"No, we will be going through deep wilderness and the trails might be too rocky for the Ham-Ham Train." said Neteru. "And the underground tunnels don't go out to the forests that deep. We could use it to get out of town but that is it."
"Wont it be dangerous to go out into the forests when you're that small?" asked Laura.
"I'm afraid it will be." said Neteru. "Don't worry, Mara and I will be at your side the whole time."
"What? You mean we're coming too." chorused Laura, Travis, Kana, June, and Kylie.
"Yes you're coming."' said Neteru. "You can't be humans again if we don't take you to those pylons."
"Well, what about the rest of the Ham-Hams?" asked Laura.
"Sorry, we would love to help but we can't leave." said Panda.
"Oui, our humans would be worried sick eef we just vanished for a few days." said Bijou.
"I could come along." said Hamtaro.
"Heke?" chorused the Ham-Hams.
"I don't want my human to go on this hard and dangerous adventure alone." said Hamtaro.
"Oh Hamtaro, you're so brave." said Bijou.
"If he's coming, then I'm coming too." said Boss not wanting Hamtaro to steal all of Bijou's attention.
"Well I'm coming too." said Oxnard surprising everyone, including himself.
"Then it's settled." said Neteru. "Oxnard, Hamtaro, Boss, Mara, and myself shall lead the humans to Rokugon and then to Ankorbak. We make preparations at once."
Everyone packed up supplies for the ten adventurers by gathering the largest back packs they could find and stuffing them with food, tools, and other necessities. The former humans couldn't help but feel nervous since they had never been this small in their lives and the thought of going out into the open hamster size was rather frightening. Oxnard was also a little nervous but determined to help. The Clubhouse supplied no weapons except for Boss's ax which Boss put on a belt strapped around his waste. Since the other Ham-Hams had no weapons, they depended on Neteru and Mara as their only defense. They got all their back packs and brought them to the Ham-Ham Fun Park to wait for Panda's Ham-Ham Train to arrive. As they waited, the former humans observed their surroundings amazed at the beautiful fun park they were in.
"Where did this fun park come from?" asked Laura to Hamtaro.
"Oh, we built it ourselves." said Hamtaro.
"All by yourselves?" asked Kana.
"Yep." said Hamtaro. Boss, Neteru, Oxnard, and Mara carried the last of the back packs and put them on top of the pile of back packs they were making. Boss's ax remained attached to Boss's belt which made Boss some what more threatening some how.
"That's the last of them." said Boss as he put the last back pack on top. "Now where is Panda with the train?" The moment Boss said that, he saw all the other Ham-Hams pushing the train towards them. The train looked like an ordinary toy train with train cars filled with rows upon rows of seats. Each seat was equipped with peddles which are used to propel the train forward. The former humans were amazed at the contraption before them.
"Can this thing actually run?" asked Travis.
"Yes it does." said Panda as he got into the drivers seat. "I built it so we can travel more farther."
"Have you ever used this thing before?" asked Travis.
"Once we used it so we can follow Mr. Yoshi's class on that hiking field trip." said Panda. "Okay, load the back packs in the baggage car." At the end of the second car was a smaller car designed for carrying cargo which was known as the baggage car. All the back packs were stacked onto the little car and tightly strapped in. Then all five of the former humans, plus Neteru, Mara, Oxnard, Hamtaro, and Boss got onto the train followed by Stan and Sandy who took the remaining two seats. Cappy, Maxwell, Dexter, and Howdy squeezed onto the baggage car with all the other back packs. There was no room to sit so Cappy, Maxwell, Dexter, and Howdy had to stand while holding onto the straps that held the back packs.
"Everyone ready?" said Panda as he got himself into position in the driver's seat. After everyone gave Panda their approval to start, Panda said, "Okay, so here we go." Panda pulled on the chain causing the train's horn to blow. The passengers began to pump the peddles and the train began to move forward. Bijou, Pashmina, and Penelope all waved good-bye as the train moved forward.
"Bye-Q, send me a post card when you reach Rokugon." said Pashmina.
"Au revoir Ham-Hams." said Bijou as she waved good-bye.
"Ookwee, Ookwee, Ookwee." repeated Penelope jumping up and down. The train rode on into a nearby tunnel and out of site.
The train rode through the dark underground tunnels with the light on the front of the train providing the only light source. They all worked the puddles attached to the floor of the train repeating "Hamma-Hamma-Hamma-Hamma-Choo-Choo" as they did. After about thirty minutes peddling, they came to the end of the tunnel which ended at the edge of a forest on the other side of the town and far from the out-door school Laura and the others were supposed to be in.
"Okay, here is where you guys get off." said Panda. They all got out of their seats and began removing the back packs. Laura looked up at the trees above and was overwhelmed by how tall they were. Laura was not used to seeing everything so big and even now it still bothered her that a cat or even a squirrel could be bigger than her. Laura tried to shove these thought out of her mind as she picked up her back pack. Mara, Neteru, Hamtaro, Boss, Oxnard, and the former humans all put on a back pack ready to make their difficult trip. Cappy, Howdy, Maxwell, Dexter, Stan, and Sandy all got on the seats of the Ham-Ham Train, ready to peddle the train back home with Panda once again in the drivers seat.
"Bye-Q you guys." said Panda. "Good luck on your journey."
"Are you sure you have enough Ham-Hams to move that train?" asked Boss.
"It will be difficult but I'm sure we can manage." said Panda.
"Easy for you to say." said Howdy. "You're not the one who has to do all the peddling."
"Good luck you guys." said Maxwell. All of them said their good-byes as Panda drove the Ham-Ham Train back into the tunnel and out of sight leaving the ten adventurers alone.
"Well, we're burning day light so lets get moving." said Neteru. They began the long and hard hike to the city of Rokugon.
Eight hours later, the adventurers were still on their long hike and exhaustion was clearly visible on their faces. Only Mara, Neteru, and Boss didn't seem so tired. Infact, Neteru and Mara was actually singing a song the others had never heard before. It was an unusual song that appeared to be about two young lovers. When it ended, Mara said to Neteru, "Oh Neteru, it's been years since we sang that song together." Indeed, the two looked like they were actually enjoying themselves despite all the tired ham-hams who followed behind them.
"I'm tired, can we stop?" complained Laura.
"Yes, I could go for a lunch brake." said Oxnard.
"Let's let them rest, Neteru." said Mara.
"Well, it is about time for dinner." said Neteru. They all stopped and sat on the ground. They all pulled out their food and began to eat. It felt relaxing to finally have a chance to rest because they had been hiking for eight hours strait. Fortunately, the trees in the forest provided a lot of shade. It was then that Laura noticed that the trees were becoming more numerous as they got deeper into the forest. Laura had no idea how much further they had to go but she knew that this trip was her only chance at being human again.
Hamtaro's sensitive ears picked up an unusual sound.
"Do you guys hear that?" asked Hamtaro. They all listened carefully and they could hear the sound of something moving through the trees. They also heard what sounded like guitar music, awfully familiar guitar music. They then heard a voice saying, "Like a rainbow in the darkness, a masterpiece unsigned, a hole with no donut, I drift, unchained and free..."
"I know that poem anywhere." said Neteru. Boss, Hamtaro, Neteru, Mara, and Oxnard all stood up, cupped their paws around their mouths and began shouting, "Jingle, over here." From within the trees, they could see Herbert the pig and on his back was Jingle with the same guitar and the same sword on his belt that he wore when they last saw him. Jingle could clearly see his friends ahead of him and so Jingle steered Herbert towards the Ham-Hams.
Once he got close enough, he said, "Hello Ham-bleepo."
"HAMTARO!" shouted Hamtaro annoyed.
"And Neteru, good to see you." said Jingle ignoring Hamtaro's shouts. "And Mara, you're as lovely as always." Mara blushed. Jingle slid off Herbert's back and landed on the ground. Laura and the other former humans were rather surprised by this new arrival.
"Who are you?" asked Laura.
"My name is Jingle and I'm a traveling bard." said Jingle.
"What's a bard?" asked Laura.
"A bard is a performer who uses magic through the power of music." explained Neteru.
"So Jingle can cast spells just by playing a song?" asked Laura.
"That is correct." said Jingle. "So why are you guys here? It's awfully far from home."
"Well see those five over there." said Neteru pointing at Laura and the former humans. "They are humans who were changed into ham-hams through powerful magic." said Neteru. "We're going to the city of Ankorbak in order to change them back." Jingle seemed surprised by this news.
"Well obviously you never heard of Ankorbak before because if you did, you wouldn't be going there." said Jingle. Neteru was surprised by this statement.
"Why do you say that?" asked Neteru.
"Because I'm a bard and as a bard, I pick up a lot of information in my travels." said Jingle.
"Well, tell us what you know about Ankorbak." said Neteru.
"Very well, I tell you." said Jingle. He sat on the ground as did everyone else. Jingle plucked a guitar string and he began to tell his story.
"There have been many versions of the story but they all describe a town that was built long ago by some Ham-Hams of mystical power. According to legend, Ankorbak was made by the first ham-hams created by Neanna, goddess of the ham-hams. These ham-hams wanted to construct a monument to her honor so they built an underground city. The ham-hams within Ankorbak were dedicated worshipers of Neanna. The clerics who worshiped her were capable of drawing magic from Neanna granting them spells to keep the city functioning. Through the use of magic, the inhabitants of Ankorbak were capable of growing crops underground, provide for medical attention to ham-hams in need, and protect the city from danger. The city was peaceful and prosperous but it didn't last. Without warning, a powerful and destructive magic ran through the city and killed every single ham-ham there. With its inhabitants gone, Ankorbak remained a lost city to this day." Everyone fell silent as Jingle finished the story.
"But why is it dangerous to go to the city?" asked Neteru.
"The city is designed with magical traps to keep out intruders." said Jingle. "If those rummers are to be believed, then those traps would still be as strong today as they were when they were first created. Also, it is rumored that the magic that destroyed the ham-hams in Ankorbak left something behind."
"Like what?" asked Hamtaro.
"No one knows." said Jingle. "Maybe it's a monster, a curse, or even the most foulest devil to grace our world."
"Well, what ever is in there, we still need the magical pylons to change these humans back to normal." said Neteru.
"But how are you going to get to Ankorbak when no one has found it?" asked Jingle.
"There is a seer in Rokugon who should be able to help us." said Neteru.
"You're going to Rokugon?" asked Jingle. "How are you supposed to pay for food and lodging? Do you have any money?"
"Uh, no, I never thought of that." admitted Neteru.
"Don't worry, I can help you out." said Jingle. "I was born and raised in Rokugon, not to mention I have family in Rokugon who would help us."
"You never told me you lived in Rokugon." said Neteru surprised.
"Why don't you all hop on Herbert and I can give you a ride to Rokugon." said Jingle. Herbert laid onto the ground enabling Jingle and the others to climb onto his back.
"Onward to Rokugon, Herbert." said Jingle. Herbert walked forward and the trip to Rokugon continues.