Prologue
The Adventure Begins
All
was quiet in the all-but-deserted city of Port of Entry. At one time
this near ghost town was a bustling, seaside community, which thrived
and depended heavily on a long since dried up fishing industry. The
Great Sea stretched far beyond the visible horizon, but the current
residents had long forgotten about the things that lay on the
opposite shore. Age had ravaged their wind worn catamarans and they
served little purpose now except to remind the Port of Entry citizens
of days passed, as they lie on the beaches of The Great Sea, bleached
and rotting in the sun.
A
lighthouse, Alexandria's Lighthouse, towered far above even the
highest residency in the city. No one went there anymore; no one had
the key to its door... and most lacked the heart to search. Its
beacon had not shone in ages, and many doubted that it ever would
again. Until, one day, a very strange and otherworldly man visited
their dying city.
Three
friends had recently come from the mainland.
Kit, the oldest, was eighteen from Los Angeles. Elektra, a warrior
assassin, came from New York City. Anna hailed from Vaseria, a
village in far-off Transylvania. A visitor to Port of Entry was rare,
and rarer yet was a strange man in the gates. Stirring their
curiosity, the three adventurers, Kit, Elektra, and Anna raced down
the wooden staircase of the restaurant and exited the people within.
They planned to meet the man at the city's gate. To their shock and
amazement, the man was standing right outside the restaurant the
moment the three came out the front door! Impossible.
The
three stood there, astonished. Before any of them could utter a word,
the old man spoke:
"Hello,"
he said calmly, "do not let your hearts grow fearful. I bring no
harm, but a gift. A gift you all have yearned for for many years
now." The old man's voice had an almost bewitching effect on the
three, and they listened spell bound. "Follow me, this way..."
whispered the man. He led them across the plaza and all the way to
the lighthouse. At the lighthouse's door, the man stopped. Without
saying a word, he pulled from his pocket a small silver key. With
this key, he unlocked the lighthouse's door and entered with the
three. Once inside, they all climbed the winding stair all the way to
the summit of the Alexandria's Lighthouse and looked out.
"Oh,
it's beautiful..." exclaimed Elektra upon seeing the vast Lake
reflect the golden sunlight off of it's surface. "We will wait
here until nightfall." whispered the man, and he sat down near
the extinguished lighthouse beacon and waited.
Night
came, and the three travelers were still in the Lighthouse with the
strange man, still seemingly under his spell. The man stood up, and
in his hand he held a smooth, white stone. Without warning or word,
the man hurled the stone from the lighthouse and it skipped across
the surface of Great Sea until it eventually sank. The puzzled
adventurers watched in amazement as the water started emitting a soft
white glow, and where the stone sank, it bubbled.
Suddenly,
what appeared to be a shooting star changed its course and started
coming straight down to earth, towards the lighthouse... and those
inside the lighthouse! The travelers' bolted for the staircase, not
wanting to be run down by a meteor, but the man stood still and
watched. The star landed inside the lighthouse at full-speed and
right into the beacon, but no damage was done! The Lighthouse beacon
absorbed the star and instantly, intense white light issued forth
from the lighthouse and far across the inland sea, shining its
warning to ships once again! The travelers were aghast, but were
nowhere near ready for what was about to happen.
A
meteor shower! Another
star fell, this one with tremendous force, onto the surface of Great
Sea. Out of the water rose a huge landmass, teaming with life.
Buildings and skyscrapers like none had seen before rose high above
the waves and settled in the formation of a vast metropolis-
populated with its very own beings. Some flew about, some lifted
heavy objects right into the air, some looked like ordinary people,
running around the city in their own busy lives and there was even
one who would climb the walls! The most fearful of these was a rather
large and green fellow who almost seemed to dominate the entire
island. His roar could be heard above all else.
As
if in response to the light from the Lighthouse, a happy little ship
skipped the waves of Great Sea and anchored itself right beside a bit
of land that had broken off of that first marvelous island. At the
ships helm was a sprightly ol' sailor with forearms like you wouldn't
BELIEVE. He hopped down from the prow and onto the landmass. With the
corncob pipe clenched between his teeth, he "tooted" twice
and in response, mountains rose from the sea, and from these
mountains cascaded waterfalls, and behind the mountains, the buzzing
sounds of Ripsaws could be heard. Everything that came from this new
island was cheerful and full of color- and also a little damp. In
next to no time, a sprawling comedic community was formed in the
soggy little lagoon, and all there smiled.
A
roar shattered the air like a brick to glass. The adventurers covered
their ears and watched, mouths agape, as a lush, green jungle rose
from the waves. Shrieks, rumbles and out of this world roars filled
the air and the trio grew afraid. From the trees emerged beast like
none had ever seen. Huge lizard-like animals with sharp teeth and,
seemingly, no stomach for nuts and berries tore through the
landscape. Kit remembered seeing the bones of such animals hanging
from the ceilings in the museums of his childhood. The largest of
these animals seemed quite timid by contrast and almost looked as if
they were ignoring the small, ferocious ones. Their roars were
horrible, but one in particular was the most terrifying. Kit
instantly recognized these creatures as dinosaurs.
The smell of candy permeated the evening sky, and something like a million pink and green fireflies swarmed into a mass far to the east of The Port. After a minute, the soft glowing balls of light faded to uncover the strangest thing any of the travelers had ever seen. Countless fictitious animals walked around, some wearing clothes, and almost all of them walking upright. They danced and sang and made all sorts of merriment. Their leader, which the travelers had to assume was some sort of cat... wearing a HAT, climbed atop a large, colorful menagerie and tipped his hat in the direction of the travelers and he then bowed respectfully.
And
now, the sixth landmass erupted from the water. Rolling gardens and
hills adorned the new island... And one large building, colored a
beautiful pinkish brown. People of all sizes began to file through
the weaving garden paths amidst fountains and large flowers and,
ultimately, into the large building with enormous, neon letters
reading, "The Hollywood Towers Hotel."
The
city of Port of Entry itself indeed began to glow. The light faded
and the walls revealed a fresh paint job, the residents found that
they were dressed in shiny, sparkling new clothes, the smells of
curry and cider exhaled from the open air houses on the rooftops and
boats once again dotted the shores of Great Sea, all waiting to ferry
passengers to these new adventures. The outermost gate of Port of
Entry now bore an engraved slogan: The Adventure Begins.
The
water separating the islands began to glow as well, as suddenly;
wide, wooden bridges connected the islands, allowing safe passage to
endless adventures.
The
man turned to the explorers. The man smiled. "This new worlds is
now yours to discover... you have only to share it with others. There
lies now before you, a single question before you depart for parts
unknown. That question is:
"Are
you ready?"
Authors Note: Thanks goes out to for the story of the formation of the islands. The sixth island is not from their story, I added it.