Journey to the Island of Halastia
Chapter 5: A Bit of Sea Sickness
The Ham-Ham Train was steered towards the underground tunnels under the city. Boss, who have traveled down these tunnels before, directed Hamtaro through them. From their current position, Sabu and Francoise could not be seen by the Ham-Hams since the two of them were high in the air, over looking the ground below them. According to the plan, Sabu was going to meet them at the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town and the safest way for the Ham-Hams to get there is underground. The tunnel was very dark, especially since the only light they had was from the little light bulb on the front of the train.
"Are you sure that Boss knows his way around these tunnels?" asked Roberto.
"Of-course he does." said Pashmina. "Boss had even built some of the these tunnels himself."
"I just wish I had more light, though." said Roberto. Once Roberto said that, the train had reached the exit to the tunnel. Roberto blinked his eyes in pain from the sudden change from dark to light. The train finally pulled to a stop right next to the abandoned warehouse. The warehouse was in poor shape. It was falling apart, decaying, and a "Condemned" sign was placed on the front.
"Now we just have to find out where Sabu and Francoise is." said Boss.
"We're right here, Ham-Hams." said Sabu. The Ham-Hams looked up overhead and they could see Sabu on Francoise's back while she was perched on a tree.
"Follow us and we'll take you along the shortest path to the docks." said Sabu. "Lets go, Francoise." Francoise took off into the air and headed East.
"Wait up, Sabu." said Hamtaro as the Ham-Hams began to pump the peddles of the train, repeating "Hamma-Hamma-Hamma-Hamma-Choo Choo" as they did.
It was the longest ride the Ham-Hams had ever taken on the Ham-Ham Train. They road through the forests, avoiding all the large animals they encountered such as the raccoons and bears. All the animals were relatively friendly except for the birds which Neteru had to scare off with his powers. It was exhausting work on the Ham-Hams to have to pump the peddles to the train all the time. Everyone, especially Oxnard, were growing tired from all the effort. Circumstances didn't improve on the third day of their journey because it began to rain hard. Normally rain didn't bother Laura but the drops were so much more larger now that she was a hamster. It rained so hard that they had to drag the train inside a hollow log in order to keep it dry. The Ham-Hams all had crammed themselves into the log in hopes of keeping warm and dry. To help them keep warm, Terra conjured an energy field that actually felt very warm while they were inside it. Although her powers were useful, everyone did have a problem with having to share a cramped space with someone who is covered in sharp quills.
The next morning, the rain had stopped and their journey could continue. However, the ground was way too muddy for the train so Mara and Neteru had to use their powers to dry up the mud. It was a bit exhausting for the two of them because using magic so frequently can ware you out. They eventually made it to some dry land where the forest was beginning to become more flat and stable. After such a long journey, everyone was tired and weak.
"Are we there yet?" complained Stan.
"Yeah, my legs are getting stiff." said Sandy.
"I need some water." said Moonbeam. Sabu (who was the only who didn't have to work so hard to get there because he has been riding on Francoise) called down to them from the sky, "We're almost there." The Ham-Ham Train began to climb up some steep slopes on a small hill. The Ham-Hams gave the train as much of a boost as they could and when they finally made it over the top, they gasped with joy when they noticed the docks below them.
"Hamtastic, we made it." cried Hamtaro. Everyone cheered with joy knowing that their journey to the docks were finally at an end. Meanwhile, the former humans couldn't believe their eyes, especially Roberto. At the foot of the hill they were on, there was a perfect hamster size dock with hamster size ships complete with some sea food restaurants and shops. The docks reminded Laura of that field trip she and her friends took to the docks.
Terra, who was now in the driver's seat of the Ham-Ham Train, steered the train towards a tree were she parked it. Everyone joyously stepped out of the train, relieved that they finally get to rest their legs.
"Now that we're here, we just have to obtain a boat." said Neteru.
"But what are we going to do with the Ham-Ham Train?" asked Panda.
"Not to worry." said Mara. "I can take care of that detail." She lifted her staff into the air. The stone on top of it began glow brightly as Mara said the incantation. "Gif bogla baz zana vow enue pautta bog enue." Right before their eyes, the train began to melt like a stick of butter on a hot pan. The liquidity substance that was the train had merged into the ground and disappeared, leaving all their supplies behind.
"How'd you do zat?" asked Bijou.
"It's an advanced merge spell." said Mara. "The train has merged itself with the Earth and once we come back for the train, I can conjure another spell to bring it back."
"Will it be safe?" asked Cappy.
"Certainly." said Mara. "The only way anyone can steal it now is they have to know the counterspell."
"Well, now that the train has been taken care of, lets get our supplies and find ourselves a boat." said Neteru. Just then, Francoise swooped down from the sky and landed on the ground next to Neteru.
"Come on, I can show you guys where you can rent the boats." said Sabu to the Ham-Hams as he got off of Francoise's back. He turned to Francoise and said to her, "Sorry you can't come with us but I promise I'll back as soon as I can. You'll wait for me, wont you?" Francoise chirped in response. She then nudged Sabu's cheek and then flew off into the sky.
"Bye-Q, Francoise." said Sabu as he waved "good-bye." "Now, lets find that boat." Everyone picked up a back pack and they headed into the docks, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they did.
The docks looked very similar to the docks Laura and her friends had visited but instead of having it crawling with people, small birds, and sea life, it was instead filled with hamsters of all shape, size, and coloration. All of them going about their business, just like any busy dock would be. As L;aura had suspected, there were many shops on the docks. None of them sold fish but they did sell food such as seeds and vegetables. Some of them even sold ocean jewelry such as coral and pearls, all of them hamster fist size. As for the other animal life, the small fish below were no longer small. Now that Laura and the other former humans were hamsters, the fish in the water were the size of dogs or bigger. There were sea gulls nearby but none of them were near the docks. Still, the sight of those huge sea gulls made Roberto nervous.
The smell of all the food in the air made Oxnard's stomach growl.
"Oh, I'm so hungry." said Oxnard. "Can't we have some food?"
"Not now, Oxnard." said Sabu. "We need to find a boat." Oxnard sighed sadly in response. Sabu led the Ham-Hams to a small building beside the docks. The building looked like a small rental shack with a rotting roof and peeling green paint.
"Is this were we rent the boats?" asked Hamtaro.
"Yep, this is the place." said Sabu. "You guys can wait out here while Neteru and I go inside."
"Okay, Sabu, we'll wait." said Moonbeam. The others waited in a huge crowd as they watched Neteru and Sabu step into the building.
Upon entering the building, Neteru and Sabu were greeted by a room that was surprisingly clean and organized compared to the outside of the building which was grimy and warn away by the sea air. The interior was decorated with many sailing memorabilia, including steering wheels, sailor hats of all kinds, miniature ship models, and photos and paintings of ships.
"Cappy would have loved to see the hats." thought Neteru. Neteru and Sabu walked up to the counter on the other end of the room and was greeted only by the back of a huge newspaper which was held up by the ham-ham behind the desk. The news paper was so large, it hid the hamster from view
"Excuse me, sir." said Sabu. "We need tickets to the next ship heading towards Halastia." The news paper was closed, revealing the hamster behind the counter. Now that Neteru and Sabu can see the ham-ham before them, they were surprised by his appearance. He was a very fat hamster, even fatter than Oxnard, and he was covered in greasy gray fur. Infact, he was so dirty looking, he looked more like a rat than a hamster.
"What can I do for you?" asked the cashier.
"We need tickets." repeated Sabu.
"And how many tickets will you need?" asked the cashier. Neteru began to count on his fingers, counting everyone in his head how many passengers there were.
"Twenty-four." said Neteru.
"Will that be first class or coach?" asked the cashier.
"Coach." said Neteru. The cashier calculated the cost on his cash register's computer.
"That will be seventy-two keyomes." said the cashier.
"Keyomes?" asked Neteru.
"Yes, as in money." said the cashier sarcastically. "One coach ticket is worth three keyomes and three times twenty-four equals seventy-two keyomes." Neteru and Sabu fell silent as they realized a flow in their plan they had overlooked. Keyomes is the most common form of currency used by rodents, especially ham-hams. But such forms of money can only be found in rodent dominated cities.
"Do you have the money or not?" asked the cashier impatiently.
"We don't have any money but can you accept sun flower seeds?" asked Neteru.
"Not with the amounts you're talking about." said the cashier.
"Sabu, do you have any money?" asked Neteru.
"I only have fourteen keyomes." said Sabu.
"Well, if you don't have the dough, then get out." said the cashier.
"But..." protested Neteru.
"Out." shouted the cashier. Defeated, Neteru and Sabu left the building, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as they did.
"You didn't get us tickets?" said Laura after Neteru and Sabu explained to the Ham-Hams that they don't have the money for tickets.
"Now what are we going to do?" asked Hamtaro.
"I have no idea." said Neteru. "Maxwell, do you have any ideas?"
"We could try working for the money," suggested Maxwell, "but that could take too long."
"Now what are we going to do?" asked Bijou.
"We're stuck here and there is no way to get to Halastia." said Moonbeam.
"Excuse me but did you guys say that you are going to Halastia?" said a voice from behind them. They all turned around to see a elderly looking hamster. At first glance, the hamster looked like Elder Ham because he had the same white beard and gray fur. But this ham-ham had a smaller beard and he didn't have large bushy eye brows or drooping ears. Upon his head was a white sailor's hat and he wore a blue coat.
"My name is Captain Brux and I over heard your dilemma and I think I can help." said the captain. "You see, I'm driving an empty cargo ship to Halastia so I can deliver some supplies from Halastia. Since the ship is going to be empty, it will have enough room to take you to Halastia."
"Really?" said Hamtaro. "That would be hamsterrific."
"Merci, Captain." said Bijou.
"However, I don't have enough money to pay for the food required for the trip." said the captain.
"That's okay, we brought our own food and if we ration it enough, it should be able to last the whole trip." said Neteru.
"Well that should help." said the captain. "Now, everyone please follow me and I can lead you to the ship."
The captain led the huge group of ham-hams through the docks, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they did. The captain led them to a ship tied to the docks. The ship was large, old, and rusted but it still was sea worthy.
"What a disgusting looking boat." said Howdy. "Good thing we're not riding in it."
"Actually, you are, Howdy, because this is my ship." said the captain.
"What?" said Howdy. "You mean to tell me that we're going to sail all the way to Halastia in this floatible sardine can?"
"That's right and if you don't want to go, you don't have to go but bare in mind, without any money, you wont be able to leave here on a boat." said the captain.
"Come on, Howdy, I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks." said Pashmina. "Perhaps the interior is better looking."
"Oh, well, in that case, I'll go along." said Howdy in response to Pashmina.
"Great, I'll lead you all on board." said the captain. "Just follow me." The Ham-Hams all walked signal file up the ramps leading to the boat. Upon reaching the deck, they saw three, hamsters who were cleaning the deck. Both of the hamsters wore sailors' shirts and hats and they all had white fur with large brown spots on their bodies. The captain walked up to them and said, "Look alive men, we have some passengers that will be riding with us. Treat them respectfully."
"Yes, Captain." said the crew.
"Now prepare to shove off, we're going to Halastia." said the captain. The three hamsters all began to run about the ship, preparing the ship to set sail. The Ham-Hams all gathered around the railings of the ship and they all looked out as the ship was steered out of the docks. Hamtaro was right beside Bijou as the ship set sailed.
"This is so wonderful." said Bijou.
"This is certainly better than the last time we were on a ship." said Hamtaro. All the Ham-Hams watched the land behind them disappear as they sailed out to sea.
That evening, as the sun began to set in the distance causing the sky to turn bright orange, Boss leaned onto the railing with his head leaning over the edge. It had been only three hours since they had left the docks and Boss was beginning to feel sea sick. He just stood there, leaning over the railing and fighting back the urge to vomit. He wasn't alone for long when Travis walked up to Boss, looking as pale as him.
"What are you doing here?" asked Boss.
"I can get a little sea sick when I'm on a boat." said Travis. Travis leaned over the edge, struggling not to "toss his cookies."
"I tend to get sea sick myself." said Boss. "You're welcome to stay here."
"Thanks." said Travis queasily. It was then that Hamtaro, Laura, Bijou, and Neteru all came out of the cargo bay, where the others were, to look for Boss and Travis.
"Boss, Travis. Where are you?" they chorussed. They quickly noticed Boss and Travis leaning on the railing.
"Oh dear, they must be sea sick again." said Bijou. The four of them ran up to Boss and Travis, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they did. Upon approaching him, Laura began to rub Travis's back.
"Try my mom's 'look at the horizon' trick." suggested Laura.
"Does it work?" asked Boss.
"Only one way to find out and that is to try it." said Laura. The two sea sick rodents stared out at the horizon and they slowly began to feel a little better.
"So Travis has been sea sick before, right?" asked Neteru.
"Yes." answered Laura.
"That's interesting." said Neteru. "Apparently, even though Travis is in a new body, he still has to deal with some of the physical boundaries of his original body."
"Lucky me." said Travis sarcastically.
"I'll get ze captain, he might have some motion sickness pills." suggested Bijou.
"You do that." said Travis. Without another word, Bijou went off to find the captain, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as she did.
Luckily, the captain did have some pills in his first aid kit and he gave them to Boss and Travis. The long journey continued throughout the day and the next day. The weather was relatively warm and calm so they faced no problems on the way to Halastia. The trip was fairly boring since there wasn't much to do. They managed to amuse themselves by listening to Maxwell or the captain tell stories or they would play indoor games such as Charades. On the morning of the third day of their trip, the Ham-Hams slept soundly in the cargo bay which was barren and empty with walls and floors made of pure steal. The Ham-Hams only had thin pads to sleep on so the whole thing was not very comfortable and the constant rocking of the ship didn't help much either. One of those few who was not sleeping well was Neteru. He was the first one to wake up that morning which surprised him since he was always a heavy sleeper, even before he was put under that sleeping spell. Believing that he was not going to be able to get anymore sleep, Neteru silently slipped out of bed and walked up the stairs and into the open air on the deck of the ship, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" the whole time. Neteru breathed in deeply, taking in the salty sea air. As he turned his attention to the front of the ship, he noticed, to his surprise, an island in the distance. Neteru walked up to the front of the ship (repeating Ticky-Ticky) and leaned against the railing on the tip of the ship and looked out on the island before him.
"Halastia, here we come." said Neteru with a smile as he admired Halastia in the distance.