Chapter 3
Emmet ran home and packed some supplies. He grabbed his trusty backpack and he began to fill it up with useful things. A flashlight, some batteries, a few snacks such as Twinkies or potato chips. He was not going out in the wild forests of Rood Bridge Park unprepared. No siree.
He remembered what the Queen told him before….
"You want me to go where?!" cried Emmet.
"You must find a special red flower known as the Neon Rose. It's said to have special properties that could destroy the virus that is plaguing Rood Bridge Village. According to the Mothpeople, it is in the open meadow of the flower fields in the eastern side of Rood Bridge Park." said Imani.
"The eastern side? That is so far away. It might take me a couple days. I'm still not sure." asked Emmet.
"The Mothmen believe in you, and so do I. First, pack whatever you need, but the Mothmen instructed that you must leave by nightfall." said Imani.
"Nightfall?" asked Emmet.
"Moss and his cohorts are watching us closely. But they won't see you at night." said Imani.
"Why at night? Besides, Moss is a Wendigo. They practically HUNT at night!" cried Emmet.
Imani chuckled. "Perhaps, but not Moss. You see, I've known that monster for some time now, and let me tell you one thing; he would rather sleep at night. That way, he can torment during the day. For a wendigo, he's actually kind of pathetic." said Imani.
"I still don't know about this. But I will try your majesty." said Emmet. He bowed his head and was very polite. But deep inside, he didn't feel ready at all for such a dangerous trip. Even if this was ordered by the Queen and the Mothpeople gave their word that Emmet would find the flower, this was still going to be a very dangerous trip.
As instructed by the queen, Emmet left in the dead of night. He walked in the quiet yet serene neighborhood of the village, then he went out to the outer gardens and he found himself standing outside his village. He looked back and realized just how open his village was. There was no fence to guard it and no fortress. Rood Bridge Village was actually the most peaceful of all the villages in Rood Bridge Park. It was even named after the region. Very cliche and unoriginal for a village's name thought Emmet. Some villages had far better names like Volcano Surfer Village, Mt. Hood Village, Tillamook Ranger Village, and the den of sin itself, Neon Village.
Emmet turned to face the forest and walked slowly towards it. In a matter of seconds, he found himself surrounded by trees. Lots of trees. And a few animal noises. Owls, bats, and even the Mammoths in the distance were trumpeting in a melodious tune. Emmet knew that he was in a safe part of the forest, since it was close to home. However, he knew that if he went deeper, he would stumble upon the other end. He kept on walking until he heard a stream.
"Wonderful." thought Emmet.
This stream was in Imani's instructions. There was to be a boat that Emmet could use and he wouldn't need to do a thing. No rowing at all. He would simply allow the stream of the water to let the boat float forward to its destination. According to the queen, the Mothmen predicted Emmet would be safe.
He saw the little boat tied with a rope close to the shore of the river and he swallowed hard. Here goes nothing he thought. He got on the boat and untied the rope that was tied to a stump. In seconds, the boat began to move on its own and it went up into the stream. All Emmet could do for now was to wait, as were the instructions of the queen.
"Okay, so now what do I do?" thought Emmet. He tried not to be scared. In fact, he thought of a few things to keep his mind off things. He didn't dare wish to imagine that he would run into something unexpected on the…..
BUMP.
Emmet felt something bump his little boat. He did not like this at all. He kept his arms inside the boat and waited patiently. All he could hear in the darkness of the night was the stream of water, and the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. Not bad there, but still, something bumped his boat. Something indeed.
BUMP!
There it went again. Emmet didn't move, but he knew something in the water was following him. Emmet resisted the urge to peek and see what it was that was hitting his boat. He was hoping that it was probably rocks. Yes, that's it. Rocks. Nothing more.
Bump! Bump!
Two times. And the boat moved in a way that suggested hostility. Emmet had enough and he looked outside the boat. He saw what appeared to be a fin going back into the water. Just then, he heard a splash. A heavy splash. He looked outside his boat again, and out of the water jumped a giant green and blue fish!
No, not a fish. A Piranha! And not a small one mind you. It was a giant one, with fangs and an angry scowling look on its face. Emmet cussed under his breath and looked around his boat for anything to get the piranha away from the boat. A few more bumps and finally the boat moved against some giant rocks, where it stopped!
"I think that's my cue to go!" cried Emmet. He got out of the boat and ran to land, not caring to look back and see if the piranha bumped the boat or not. Emmet kept on running, not realizing he was going in a different direction from his route.