Chapter 21: Disappearance
The next day, Donkey got up, and the first thing he did was go to Diddy's room in hopes of finding him sleeping... but he was still absent. "Oh no," Donkey thought with utmost concern.
Donkey was already getting desperate and started calling the entire Kong family so that they could all look for Diddy together. They searched several places on the island. From Funky to Kiddy helped to search for him, even Mr. Pinky, who was still on DK Island.
Dixie, who had already spoken out, had also said that she hadn't heard anything about Diddy for two days and, of course, she also looked very worried about him... In fact, it was as if everything she had told him a few days ago didn't seem to be true.
The entire Kong family was reunited, in addition to several inhabitants of the island, still with the unknown for the case of Diddy's missing, and added to the case of the child in the river. Everyone pointed out that it would be some kong children kidnapper group.
"Really... hasn't Diddy appeared?" Dixie asked, looking distressed.
"No, no one has heard from him," Funky replied worriedly. "By the way, Dixie, you who are his closest friend, don't you know what could have happened to him?"
"Right, Dixie," Tiny added in the same way. "And by the way... is it true that you were fighting or something?"
"Not exactly... Or well, yes," Dixie replied. Apparently, not quite sure what she was saying. "We did have a little mishap, but I don't think it has anything to do with that."
Suddenly, Donkey arrived to inform the crowd of new details. He had a face of maximum concern that everyone noticed and only worried them more.
"What happened, Donkey?" Candy asked. "What did those who went to rescue the found child say?"
"They didn't manage to rescue the child, but they just gave me more details," Donkey replied earnestly. "Those who went to follow the mysterious apes that took the little one away, said that maybe it is a gang that steals children. They didn't manage to reach them, but they could notice some things while following them: the child found had a serious wound in the chest, also had several scratches, and apparently was wrapped in some leaves.
"What a horror!" Lanky exclaimed, and at the same time the rest of the kongs also made gestures of horror and panic simultaneously. "And didn't they know the child?"
"No, but they said he was a boy with light fur on his head," Donkey said. "The clothing couldn't be identified."
"With light fur, huh?" said Mr. Pinky thoughtfully. "Well, in the class there were about six children with light fur on their heads."
"And just in case, don't you know if all of them have been okay?" Donkey asked the teacher. "Have they been contacted at school, Mr. Pinky?"
"Well, most did," Master Pinky replied. "Although now that I remember, yesterday they should have all gone to school to pick up their certificates from the school year, and the only ones who haven't gone are... Messrs. Jemky, Mandrew, Melenky and Rocky, and Mr. Diddy too... He still doesn't appear, right?"
Everyone was silent and thoughtful with the teacher's statement. The most concerned at the time was Donkey, since he always had bad vibes from that group of children, and in that situation, they had not been the exception in the suspicions he had regarding Diddy's missing.
"Wait a minute, this is very… suspicious with what you just mentioned," Donkey said with a frown. "Do you know something? That group of four children that Mr. Pinky mentioned, always gave me a bad vibe. Besides, while we're here, I ask... Hadn't that orangutan boy, Jemky, stolen the pyramid from Diddy?"
"No, that pyramid was Mr. Jemky's," Pinky replied. "Even Miss Dixie affirmed it, Mr. Donkey."
"What?! N-no, it's not true," Dixie reaffirmed in a trembling voice. "The pyramid... was actually Diddy's, Mr. Pinky."
"Huh?! But you yourself said the opposite in class," the teacher contradicted.
"Well... Oh, it was only Diddy's," Dixie replied, showing some insecurity.
"Hey, wait a minute," Donkey said, calming them all down before heading to Dixie. "Dixie, don't you really know anything about Diddy?... That group of kids didn't fight with him or something?"
Dixie was silent... It crossed his mind that Diddy's missing had to do with the quartet. She wanted to tell everyone the truth about that bully quartet, but she couldn't reveal the secret she had promised to keep for Diddy for a long time. In turn, everyone looked at her with some suspicion.
"Uhh... N-No, I don't know anything," she replied tremblingly, which everyone could notice. "And no, he never had any mishap with them."
Suddenly, Donkey also remembered that note he found the day before, which was clearly written by Dixie for Diddy. He had even kept it, but he didn't want to show it to Dixie so as not to be reckless. What was a little strange about that note was that, at the time he found it, it was dropped on the floor along with the box.
"Dixie," Donkey said, looking at her extremely seriously, even thinking several things. "Whatever important thing you have to say, you must tell. Diddy doesn't appear, a kong child was found wounded, and we don't want to think that there is a child kidnapper or worse."
"B-but I don't know anything about Diddy," replied Dixie.
"Wait a minute!" Lanky said suddenly. "They said that the child found had light fur... Wasn't that child Jemky, and Diddy did that to him in revenge for stealing the pyramid?"
"What are you saying? Diddy would never be able to do something like that," Donkey replied earnestly. "And it's unusual for a child to try to hurt another child that big."
"Or maybe it's the capuchin monkey boy," Funky added thoughtfully. "The one called Rocky; he had light fur on his head."
"Well, I think a gang that steals children is on the loose," Swanky added. "How do you explain the alleged apes who took that child away?"
"Or isn't all this a plan of King K. Rool?" Lanky added.
"Well, if we keep discussing it, we won't achieve anything. We have to keep searching for Diddy," Donkey snapped. "And also, that alleged gang that steals children."
Donkey went on to speak to the entire community to give them some recommendations. The kong inhabitants were all in an uproar and some were outraged by the discovery of that child.
"Attention everyone!" Donkey exclaimed, catching the attention of the community. "As you know, there was a child hurt and stolen, and also my nephew Diddy doesn't appear, so I keep asking you to take care of your children, and those who want and can, help us solve these mysteries. If we find these thugs who thieve children, rest assured that they will be punished, and together we'll make them pay the consequences! No one messes with the little ones!"
The whole community gave screams of fury while they showed immense desire to search for the alleged child thieves.
Everyone else picked up the search for Diddy on various sites. There were many suspicions, but no one could assure anything.
Later, Dixie was alone near a stream, still searching for Diddy, and with all the anguish of not knowing anything about him. When suddenly, she saw a piece of paper flying near her, which out of curiosity, she picked up and observed... What it contained made her very sad immediately: it was the other half of the broken photo she had given Diddy and, of course, only Diddy appeared in that fragment. Dixie guessed that maybe Diddy got really angry with her for what she told him, and that's why he broke it.
"Hey! Trixie! Or whatever your name," said someone behind her. Dixie turned around but didn't see anyone at first. "This way! In the water!"
Dixie looked down at the stream to see who it was. The voice belonged to a blue swordfish she had met before.
"Hello... Enguarde was your name, right?" asked Dixie.
"Yeah, the same," he replied, rather agitated in the water and showing that he wanted to say something fast. "It's about D-Diddy! He has been kidnapped!"
"W-what?! What are you talking about?!"
Dixie felt his blood run cold at the news, and various speculations began to invade her mind.
"And do you know where he is?!" Dixie asked, almost throwing herself into the stream. "Didn't he be taken away by some ugly and bad ape children?!"
"No, they weren't apes! Yesterday in the wee hours I saw him at sea sailing on a small raft, it was quite far from this island, by the way. I was going to greet him, but before I arrived, some very strong lights appeared. They were boats where there were tall creatures with long arms and legs and small heads! They took him away!"
Dixie felt even more panic... What kind of creature would take Diddy away? She had thought all along that they might have been those bad kids from school, but if Enguarde was telling her they weren't apes, then what were they about?
"Oh, no! But do you know where?" asked Dixie with anguish and despair. "Tell me everything in detail, please!"
"That's where I come from! I followed those creatures and it was a long journey of perhaps more than ten hours. They arrived on a huge and very strange island with giant houses, on the beaches there were more creatures like that, and those unknown ones took him further inside that island," Enguarde explained with all desperation. "B-but from there I didn't know anything more about him! There was no one to turn to for help! So, I came back again to let you guys know and-"
"Wait, wait!" exclaimed Dixie, calming him down. "But... can we still go to that island you're talking about?"
"It's too far, but I can guide you all to go and-"
"No!" Dixie interrupted firmly and with a serious look. "Only I want to go."
"What are you talking about?!"
"WHAT?!" exclaimed the entire Kong family, who were gathered on the beach after a long search, when Dixie told them what Enguarde had informed her.
"So, if he says they weren't apes... it's another gang stealing children. We have to go for him!" Donkey said, getting everyone to join him. "Let's all go find Diddy! We already know where-"
"No, no, no!" Dixie interrupted, calming them down, before showing a look of seriousness. "I'm going to go!... Surely this is my fault," she added in an anguished tone.
"Are you crazy?!" Tiny exclaimed, looking at her strangely. "You can't go alone to an unknown place. And why do you say it's your fault?"
"It's that... Well, a few days ago I told Diddy that we will no longer be friends, and surely, he thought I meant it, but it is not like that."
"Still, it's not your fault they took him away, Dixie," Candy added with a shrug.
"But they wouldn't have taken him away if he hadn't gone out at that time," replied Dixie. "He must have felt bad about everything that happened, surely that's why he left the house, and therefore he was kidnapped."
"But... why do you say that?" Donkey asked, looking at her strangely. "And why did you tell him that and treat him like that, Dixie?"
"I didn't mean to treat him like that! It was our classmates, they-" Dixie didn't want to talk anymore, since her explanation, apparently... implied the secret that she had long ago promised Diddy to keep, but she had no other one this time. "In fact, a few days ago... J-Jemky was the one who forced me to tell Diddy that we weren't friends anymore and to steal his pyramid, or else... he said he would finish him off right then and there."
"What?!" Donkey exclaimed, being astonished at what Dixie was saying and the way she explained things. "B-But how's that? I mean, why could he have threatened you like that? What are you talking about, Dixie?"
"Those four kids were armed!" Dixie suddenly confessed.
Instantly, everyone was shocked at what Dixie revealed and gave cries of astonishment. Now, especially Donkey, he was already having too many suspicions about that quartet of evil children.
"What are you talking about, Dixie?! Seriously?!" Donkey exclaimed, beginning to get panicked, and the rest of the kongs became much more worried. "I knew those four gave me a bad vibe!"
"Tell us well, what was there with those four boys?!" Mr. Pinky asked, before the rest of the kongs began to bombard her with questions about what she had just said, which made her too nervous to the point of being reflected in her face.
"Dixie...!" Donkey said, staring at her firmly. "Tell us more, I know you have something important to tell. If you can do it, I ask you to do it, please, this is serious. H-how those kids were armed?! What are you talking about?!"
Dixie was very hesitant, but that was an emergency situation, and she thought it would be no good to hide what she knew anymore. "I'm sorry, Diddy," she said in her mind.
"Well... I'll tell you all this, but... if you let me go find Diddy... okay?"
Dixie, with no other choice, explained everything about that quartet of bully children, since when Diddy was friends with them, followed by the cause of the enmity between them, how she defended Diddy at school and they stopped bothering him so much, until the latest news where she reported that they were armed again... and that even recently she had been threatened for some reason.
"... and the night before the last day of school, those four told me not to say anything about Diddy's pyramid, or else... they would attack the whole class the next day," Dixie said. "Yes, they carried those guns stored on the last day of school."
Everyone in the Kong family was completely shocked by what Dixie had just told, which left them thinking and gave them more ideas about what might have happened.
"I knew those kids were evil and Diddy didn't want to tell me!" Donkey said, shocked with everything said and hitting the ground. "So, was it all because of a threat?"
"Yes, I would never have said anything like that to Diddy," Dixie said. "And please... I ask you not to go tell Diddy that I told you... I promised him I wasn't going to tell anyone."
"But why didn't Diddy tell it before?" Donkey replied. "Those things shouldn't be hidden, Dixie, it is a serious situation!"
"He was afraid... that if he reported them, they would hurt you," Dixie replied, regretting revealing it a little. "He feared most of all for Donkey and Wrinkly... And I just tried to understand him and I also covered it up all the time."
"But we wouldn't have had any problems!" Donkey reaffirmed. "We'd only have contacted the parents of those children to take action towards them, that's all... Anyways, we'll not get anything if we continue like this. We must continue to find clues about this whole situation."
"Hey, and how could those kids carry guns and behave like that?" Lanky asked, still shocked. "I mean... they're little ones! Or what kind of parents would they have?"
The entire Kong family continued to murmur loudly about the situation, while each drew quick conclusions about what might have happened. Meanwhile, Dixie still kept quiet, although she later interrupted them.
"Okay, so... I'll go find Diddy," Dixie said, looking up.
"Hey, no, Dixie, we must go with you for that!" Funky said, and the others insisted the same thing. "What if those tall creatures who took Diddy away are the child stealers and they also take you away?"
"Yeah, just look at the case of the boy found in the river," Chunky added.
"Wait a minute!" Lanky interrupted. "And aren't those same Diddy's classmates to blame for all this? What if they are accomplices of the gang child stealers and did something to that found kid?... And I hope that with Diddy they haven't done the same."
"No, no…!" interrupted Dixie. "Well, I don't think there's a gang that steals children. I mean… Enguarde said that Diddy was taken away by creatures that were not apes. About the child found in the river, I don't know anything... Why don't you all stay better to continue investigating that case? Just watch out for those bad kids from school... I'll go find Diddy!" she ended by being determined.
The Kongs remained silent, worried but at the same time amazed at Dixie's bold attitude.
"Dixie... are you sure?" Funky asked at the same time that the rest of the Kong family looked at her with concern.
"Of course," Dixie reaffirmed, trying to show herself bravely. "I promise you that I will bring him back."
Dixie was in her room looking for her backpack, and then went around the house to pick up some things she would need for the journey she was about to make. Then her sister and two cousins came to see her.
"Dixie... are you really going to do that?" Tiny asked with extreme concern. "It's dangerous!"
"We'll go with you!" exclaimed Chunky in the same way. "In no way do we intend to leave you."
"What?! No! Of course not," Dixie replied firmly. "I don't want to expose you to danger because of something I must fix. I don't know exactly what the place where Diddy was taken away is like."
"Well, neither do you! You shouldn't expose yourself like that," replied Tiny. "What if you get lost?... We don't want to lose you too, Dixie," she added with a melancholy look.
"You just don't understand…" Dixie added, putting her hands to her head. "This is something that I think only I should take on."
"And what about the alleged gang that steals children?!" Chunky replied, fearful. "How about getting caught?... Or well, you, Tiny or Kiddy."
Dixie stared at them for a while, while she didn't know how to convince them to let her go alone. She didn't want to get her relatives in trouble and at least she needed them to be calm.
"Hey... I trust you and I want you to be a little calmer," Dixie told them in a somewhat trembling voice. "I-I need to tell you something else that happened... but please... promise me that for nothing in the world you will tell anyone, really," she added, approaching them as the three looked at her strangely.
Dixie and her family returned to the shores of the beach where the entire Kong family was; she was ready to go. Enguarde was also near the beach waiting for Dixie. Almost everyone didn't agree with her drifting, but Dixie told them several times that she could. Everyone, although looking at her with considerable concern, was saying goodbye to her, her relatives being the last to do so.
"Dixie…" Tiny said with all the concern in the world for her sister. "Take good care of yourself, okay? We don't want anything bad to happen to you too."
Her sister and two cousins hugged her before she left, and she reciprocated each with the same expression.
"Don't worry, Diddy couldn't have gone far either," Dixie told them with a small smile, though deep down, she was worried about them too and hugged them again. "Take care of yourselves too, and I want to ask you something... Stay with others, don't walk alone, okay?... And keep calm about that topic, you know," she whispered in the last sentence.
After all that, Dixie didn't know if she was actually doing well or not, although she wanted to get the idea that maybe Diddy wouldn't be that far away and bringing him back would be simple. She said goodbye to everyone, and then headed towards the sea where Enguarde was. Like Diddy, she also assembled a small raft and tied it with a rope to Enguarde's tail; she could have ridden him, but she needed more space to carry some bananas to eat and a space to sleep, although she probably won't. Dixie climbed onto the raft, ready to go.
"Are you sure, Dixie?" Enguarde asked. "This journey will be very long."
"For Diddy, of course... I must fix all this."
After all that, they headed out to sea. Later, Dixie turned for the last time to look at the island and the entire Kong family who were getting smaller and smaller in the distance...