https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:16:18 +0000 MyBB https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-230.html Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:28:17 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-230.html Quote:Final Chapter: Hope for Happy Future


The movie ended with massive applause from the viewers in the studio. I couldn't believe myself that our movie, made from mixing some points of our adventures in Oz, could receive such applause. Soon after, a girl came to me looking hesitated.

"Umm... Are you Guardian Blackberry and Guardian Almond?" she asked.

"Why, yes we are," Almond said. "May we help you?"

"Uhh... Please sign this!" she said, thrusting a notepad with pen.

"Sure! Why not?" Almond said, taking the notepad and pen, and signing it. "You too, bro!"

"Oh, alright," I said, taking both things from Almond and signing it. "Here you go."

"Thank you!" she said happily, and then she left. Just seconds later, the rest of the crowd swarmed each and every one of us asking for autograph. The autograph frenzy lasted for quite a while, and even after we were done with the crowd inside the studio, outside the theater there were more crowds doing the same. I was very overwhelmed, but there was no other good choice besides keep smiling and giving what they wanted. During the course of the swarm, Sour Grapes, who was right next to me, seemed a bit strange. She handled the crowd nicely like the others, but she seemed to be daydreaming as well. I wanted to ask about it, but with the noisy crowd around even screaming will be useless. Suddenly, she seemed very surprised. Her hands stopped signing, which confused the people around her. She then ran through the crowd in front of her, into the arms of a man only I and Almond knew: Somnus. They hugged each other warmly like a couple reunited after being separate for a long time. As this happened, the crowd went into silence and all autograph signing came into a halt as all eyes stared at the couple.

"You came for me..." Sour Grapes said.

"Yes, dear. I am here for you," Somnus said. "And I want to tell you this again."

"Oh... you mean..." Sour Grapes said as Somnus released his hug, kneeled on one knee, and presented a sparkling ring in a box. Sour Grapes covered her face from nose to chin with her hands, her eyes leaked a few tears.

"Sour Grapes," Somnus said. "I want someone to pass through life with me at her side, as her companion. Will you do the honor, to be my wife?"

There was a silence for a moment as Sour Grapes held her tears. She then reached her hand to the ring, held Somnus' hand with the other hand, and then she smiled.

"Yes... Yes! I will!" Sour Grapes said while half sobbing with tears of happiness. Somnus then put the ring into Sour Grapes' ring finger, and the couple hugged again, kissing each other's lips. The crowd around them cheered and applauded, while I looked away the moment I saw it. But I knew for sure that it was the beginning of her happy life.

Months had passed after the event, and winter had come, although not snowing yet. Sour Grapes had changed her name into Stella Grapes, and she lived with both her husband and her brother in a house not far from the theater, which was thriving well thanks to Strawberry's successful movie. Pie Man sold his pies at the theater, and Strawberryland girls happily supplied him with berries and cooking recipes to spice up his shop with variety. His shop was very successful, and everyone was happy to see him finally succeeding to fulfill his dream without damaging Strawberryland.

"Hey, Almond," I said while lying down lazily on the sofa in my living room.

"Yeah?" Almond replied while doing the same on another sofa.

"Is this what Pomegranate meant when she said that?" I asked.

"You mean when she said that Pie Man would finally succeeded?" he asked back, and I nodded. "Probably. Come to think of it, she only said that he finally succeeded, not succeeded in taking over Strawberryland."

"I still wonder, though," I said. "Judging from her looks, she was about the same age as Mango and Persimmons. She should be born pretty soon, but there's no sign of Pie Man going to marry someone."

"I think you missed something, bro," Almond said.

"Huh? What?" I asked.

"She never said how many years in the future she came from. You have been assuming that she was from seven years ahead because we had just come home from that future," Almond said.

"Come to think of it, you're probably right," I said. "I still wonder about Pie Man's wife, though."

"The Berry Princess, right?" Almond said.

"Yeah, I've never heard of a Berry Princess before Jackfruit Jam told me. I don't even know who Cranberry Crisp is," I said.

"Hey, let's visit him and try asking," Almond suggested.

"Well, why not? We have nothing else to do anyway," I said, getting up and taking my jacket, fur hat, and gloves.

So, we went to the movie theater where Pie Man opened his shop. Even though there was no snow yet, it was already cold outside so I wore my winter outfit. To save time, we went there riding Albatross. When we arrived there, it was still quite early so the shop was not open yet. We entered the shop anyway because we knew that Pie Man should be in the kitchen at the back by then. The door bell rang as we entered.

"Sorry! You came too early! We are not open yet!" Pie Man's voice was heard from the back.

"We're just visiting you!" I replied. Soon enough, he came out from the kitchen.

"Oh, hello there, boys. What brings you here? Perhaps the smell of my new recipe?" he said, grinning. "Another one from the girls actually."

"Well, it sure smells good," I said, sniffing the air a bit. "Be careful not to toast it."

"No worries. The oven has a timer," he said. "So, what brings you here, boys?"

"Well, we're just wondering..." I said, hesitating to continue.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We want to know when you will get married!" Almond said.

"Hey, don't ask right out of the bat like that!" I said, hitting Almond with my elbow.

"Hahaha! I like your style, boy!" Pie Man said. "Though I'm still afraid of you, by the way."

"Come on, I'm just like any other kids of Strawberryland," Almond said. "As long as you don't cause any threat to them, that is."

"Yeah yeah, I know," he said. "Anyway, I have no idea about that."

"Nobody in your mind yet?" I asked.

"No. I'd rather think about my pie shop than a woman," he said. "Why are you so interested in that, boys?"

"No, nothing. We're just wondering," I said, trying to avoid further discussion. From that point I started to regret coming to the shop. "Sorry for bothering. We're taking our leave now,"

"Not so fast, kid!" Pie Man said, he then went behind his cashier desk and crouched there. We couldn't see what he was doing.

"Eh, what? Are you going to confine me again?" I asked awkwardly, which was because somehow the line Pie Man had just said reminded me about the events where he had captured and confined me.

"Huh? No, of course not. Why should you think like that?" Pie Man asked, still hidden behind the cashier desk.

"It's your own fault, don't you remember?" Almond said with arms folded and slightly upset face. "Three times, almost four."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. Anyway, I want you to give this to Strawberry Shortcake," Pie Man said, standing up and putting a gift box on the desk. "I'll give you another of this later."

"Huh? What is this?" I asked.

"Let's just say that this is my apology for every harmful thing I have done," Pie Man said.

"I don't think you need to do that," I said. "And what's past is past. You don't have to give me anything too."

"Also, I don't think you owe any apology to her. Strawberry is just that forgiving," Almond said.

"But I still don't feel right if I don't do anything," Pie Man said.

"Well, I think it's better if you give it to her yourself," I said.

"I want to do that, but I cannot leave the shop," Pie Man said. "Ahh, alright. I'll close early today. But... could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm kinda... embarrassed," he said, looking away from me. "I need you two to accompany me."

"Alright, tell us the hour and we will be there," I said.

"Well, about two I think," Pie Man said while thinking.

"See you soon then," I said, and the two of us left the shop.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Almond asked. "It's still six hours before two."

"Well, how about going to a place you have never been there yet?" I said, taking Time Remote II from my pocket.

"Huh? What is that place?" he asked.

"The Land of Dreams," I said. The remote responded by creating a dimension door, and the two of us jumped in. We immediately came out right in front of PJ's cafe. Almond looked around and he seemed astonished.

"Wow, I have never seen this place! What is this place actually?" he asked.

"This is the place where dreams are made," I said, walking through the stairs to PJ's cafe.

"Dreams? What do you mean?" he asked, following me. Immediately, the front door of the cafe opened and PJ herself welcomed us.

"Welcome to PJ's! Table for two: Blackberry Bun and Almond Cookie," PJ said.

"It's been a long time! How are you?" I asked.

"I am as fine as ever!" PJ said. "Now please sit down and have your hot chocolate!"

"How did she know my name?" Almond whispered to me.

"I know many things, dear!" PJ said. "I also know that you are actually a soul fragment of a planet far, far away!"

"Well, that's right, but..." Almond said. "I'd rather be recognized as his brother."

"Don't worry, dear! You are what you want to be," PJ said as the two of us sat down. A glass of hot chocolate appeared right in front of me, probably because PJ knew that Almond didn't need to eat or drink anything.

"Bro, you haven't told me what this place actually is," Almond said.

"Just wait a minute. Someone else will come soon," I said.

"Who?" Almond asked.

"Well, it's still quite early in the morning, so it should be... Daisy Dawn," I said.

"You're wrong!" suddenly a fairy entered saying that. It was apparently Mary Midnight. "Also, Article 1C Paragraph 21. Exiled individuals who enters the Land of Dreams again are obliged to leave immediately."

"In addition, Paragraph 22. Refusal is not an option. Those who refuse will be forced to leave by all authorities of Dream Fairy Fields," another fairy, who apparently was Diana Dusk, entered.

"Fairies? And... exiled?" Almond asked, looking confused. There was a silence as the two fairies floated near my head with upset face and arms on their hip. The situation was quite awkward for me, but then both fairies hugged my face.

"It's been so long, Blackberry!" Mary said.

"We have been worried sick about you after you went into the black hole and never returned!" Diana said.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"In any case, you're now back, alive and well, and that's all that matters," Diana said.

"Where's Daisy?" I asked.

"It's her working hours now, and unfortunately there's nobody to take her place currently," Mary said.

"I see," I said. "Oh, by the way, let me introduce you two to Almond Cookie. My brother."

"Nice to meet you," Almond said.

"Nice to meet you too, Almond," Diana said. "However... what do you say, Mary? We have another outsider now."

"But looking at his origin, he can be within Deity category, right?" Mary said.

"Hey, I'm confused here," Almond said.

"I'll answer all your questions when we get back home," I said.

"Alright," Almond said.

"It's decided," Mary said. "Almond Cookie is of Deity category. Therefore, he is immune to our rules."

"Blackberry, like before, you're given until Strawberryland bed time for your visit," Diana said.

"I won't stay here for long. I only want to pass time until two, and also show Almond this place," I said.

"Ah, yes. I still don't know what this place actually is," Almond said.

"This is The Land of Dreams. A place where dreams are made, like I said before" I said.

"Yeah, I remember that," Almond said. "The thing is, I don't know what dreams are."

"Don't you dream when you sleep?" I asked.

"I don't know what it is. All I know is that whenever I fall asleep, poof! I'm already at the time I wake up, like skipping time," Almond said.

"Is it always like that?" I asked, and he nodded. I then looked at PJ, Mary, and Diana.

"Well," Mary said, thinking. "This is probably because he is not registered at the Dream Factory."

"It definitely is. The first time he came to this world, he was a sleepless spaceship. Even after having human body, he remained sleepless for a while. The automatic registration system missed him because of that," Diana said.

"Is there anything that can be done?" I asked.

"That's easy, dear," PJ said. "Take him to my brother, and he will take care of everything."

"Your brother? You mean... Sandman?" I asked.

"Why yes, haven't I told you? Or maybe I actually missed telling you? There are things I still can possibly miss, dear," PJ said.

"Let's just never mind that," I said. "So, Almond, do you want to dream?"

"Why not? I like trying something new," Almond said.

"I'll take you to the Dream Factory, Almond," Mary said.

"And I'll accompany you as your Dream Fairy, Blackberry," Diana said.

"I want to stay here now. Please both of you accompany Almond instead," I said.

"Alright if you say so," Diana said. "Let's go, Almond."

"Yeah," Almond said, and the three of them left PJ's cafe.

"So, what do you want to say, Dear?" PJ asked. "I believe you want to talk to me."

"That's right," I said. "I want to know more about... Somnus."

"Ah, my dear cousin. What do you want to know?" PJ asked.

"I just wonder, how did they meet?" I said. "I mean, an ordinary human, and someone from this land..."

"They have a long history, dear," PJ said. "All the way back to the time when she was still a little girl."

"That long?" I said.

"Both she and her brother had a troubled childhood, and my cousin felt that he couldn't just simply watch," PJ said. "On one occasion, he saved their lives from a life-threatening situation made by their own mother."

"That's just terrible," I said.

"You cannot expect any hospitality from anyone in Porcupine Peak, dear," PJ said.

"I really hope that island can finally find peace someday," I said.

"Even I am not certain about that, dear," PJ said. "I can see the future, but some kind of unknown power prevents me from seeing any future around the island."

"I feel that the island is much more than I have seen," I said.

"Indeed it is, dear!" PJ said. "And we are all the same as you, hoping that Porcupine Peak will eventually find peace."

"Blackberry!" suddenly someone said from behind me. I looked behind and saw that it was Daisy Dawn. Like the other fairies, she hugged my face. "I'm happy to see you again!"

"Me too, Daisy," I said. "And you came just at the right time. Could you bring me to Dream Factory?"

"Sure!" Daisy said.

Not much can be told after that. I went to Dream Factory, met the other fairies there along with Almond and Sandman, and then we spent time touring Land of Dreams until it was almost the time. With proper farewell, the two of us left the place and went straight to Strawberry's house. By coincidence, the two of us arrived at her house at the same time with Pie Man. The three of us then went to the front door and rang the doorbell. Soon, Strawberry came out.

"Oh, hi there, Blackberry, Almond, and Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "Please come in!"

All of us went into her guest room and sat on the sofa there. Within a minute, she came bringing drinks for all of us and after putting them on the table, she sat on a chair across us.

"What brings all of you here?" she asked. Me and Almond looked at Pie Man.

"Well, Strawberry Shortcake. I, am here, to give you this," Pie Man said timidly, putting his gift box on the table.

"Why, thank you berry much, Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "But why?"

"Well, I, it is, I mean..." Pie Man said timidly.

"Hmm?" Strawberry said, still with her usual smile.

"It's a gift of apology for all bad things I have done!" Pie Man said very fast, then he looked away.

"Well, Pie Man, I'm berry grateful for this, and I appreciate seeing you doing this berry much," Strawberry said. "But you don't need to go this far to apologize to me, and anyone else. Indeed the things you have done have been wrong, and I have been upset at times, but everything has become a past and now you have the pie shop you have been dreaming of without causing any bad things to Strawberryland! Everyone is happy, and that is all I want to see!"

"Well, I guess, thank you. That means a lot for me," Pie Man said. "Still, please accept this."

"Thank you berry much, Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "I'll get us something to eat, then!"

Strawberry then took the gift box and then she went to the kitchen. A minute later, the doorbell rang.

"I'm berry sorry, but could one of you please answer it for me?" Strawberry said from the kitchen. "I can't take my hands off right now."

"I'll get the door for you," Pie Man said, getting up and going to the door. He then opened it, and from the guest room the two of us could see that the new guest was a lady in gown whom we have never seen before. However, the color and style of her hair, and also her eye color, reminded me of Seaberry Delight.

"Excuse me, is Strawberry Shortcake here?" the lady asked.

"Uh.. yes.. this is her house," Pie Man said timidly. "And indeed she is here."

"Ah, let me introduce myself. My name is Cranberry Crisp," the lady said, which surprised me and Almond.

"P-Please come in," Pie Man said. As the two of them entered the house, both me and Almond went to Strawberry who was still in the kitchen.

"Who came, Blackberry?" she asked.

"Maybe it's better if you delay the food a bit," I said.

"Huh?" Strawberry asked. She then looked at Pie Man and Cranberry, who sat side by side on the sofa. Both of them looked timid and blushing. "Oh, I see. But who is that lady?"

"Strawberry, I need to say this to you," I said. "When destiny calls you, you must be strong. You will always have the support from everyone."

"What are you saying, Blackberry? You sound like my life is going to change forever," Strawberry said.

"You will know soon enough, Strawberry," I said. "We will just leave now. See you later."

After I said the line, both me and Almond immediately rushed out and left the place. After we were far enough, we slowed down to walking pace towards my house.

"Well, I guess we have the answer now," Almond said.

"Yeah," I said. "And this is also definitely the beginning of a drastic change in Strawberry's life."

"What do you feel about that, brother?" Almond asked.

"No matter what, I believe she will still be the Strawberry Shortcake we all know and love," I said. "I got a hunch, though, that someday she will carve a history on Strawberryland."

"Why? How do you know that?" Almond asked.

"I just know," I said. I then noticed that snow started falling. "Look, Almond."

"Ahh, snow," Almond said. "This is the first time I see snow in Strawberryland. As Almond I mean."

"I wonder how the land will become by tomorrow," I said, looking up.

At the next morning, the two of us woke up and realized that the entire land was covered in snow. As far as eyes could see, everything was white. After I had my breakfast, the two of us went out of my house to have a tour around snowy Strawberryland.

"Wow, the snow became this thick overnight," Almond said as I went down the ladder. "Wonderful."

"Everything looks so different and new," I said as we walked to where Arrowhead was parked.

"It's like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on," Almond said.

"Indeed, full of possibilities," I said, getting on Arrowhead.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Almond asked, sitting behind me.

"Let's go exploring!" I said, turning the engine on, and then we were off to explore the white Strawberryland, always hopeful for a good and happy future for all.


--The End--
Prudie, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like a more thorough comment for this final chapter]]> Quote:Final Chapter: Hope for Happy Future


The movie ended with massive applause from the viewers in the studio. I couldn't believe myself that our movie, made from mixing some points of our adventures in Oz, could receive such applause. Soon after, a girl came to me looking hesitated.

"Umm... Are you Guardian Blackberry and Guardian Almond?" she asked.

"Why, yes we are," Almond said. "May we help you?"

"Uhh... Please sign this!" she said, thrusting a notepad with pen.

"Sure! Why not?" Almond said, taking the notepad and pen, and signing it. "You too, bro!"

"Oh, alright," I said, taking both things from Almond and signing it. "Here you go."

"Thank you!" she said happily, and then she left. Just seconds later, the rest of the crowd swarmed each and every one of us asking for autograph. The autograph frenzy lasted for quite a while, and even after we were done with the crowd inside the studio, outside the theater there were more crowds doing the same. I was very overwhelmed, but there was no other good choice besides keep smiling and giving what they wanted. During the course of the swarm, Sour Grapes, who was right next to me, seemed a bit strange. She handled the crowd nicely like the others, but she seemed to be daydreaming as well. I wanted to ask about it, but with the noisy crowd around even screaming will be useless. Suddenly, she seemed very surprised. Her hands stopped signing, which confused the people around her. She then ran through the crowd in front of her, into the arms of a man only I and Almond knew: Somnus. They hugged each other warmly like a couple reunited after being separate for a long time. As this happened, the crowd went into silence and all autograph signing came into a halt as all eyes stared at the couple.

"You came for me..." Sour Grapes said.

"Yes, dear. I am here for you," Somnus said. "And I want to tell you this again."

"Oh... you mean..." Sour Grapes said as Somnus released his hug, kneeled on one knee, and presented a sparkling ring in a box. Sour Grapes covered her face from nose to chin with her hands, her eyes leaked a few tears.

"Sour Grapes," Somnus said. "I want someone to pass through life with me at her side, as her companion. Will you do the honor, to be my wife?"

There was a silence for a moment as Sour Grapes held her tears. She then reached her hand to the ring, held Somnus' hand with the other hand, and then she smiled.

"Yes... Yes! I will!" Sour Grapes said while half sobbing with tears of happiness. Somnus then put the ring into Sour Grapes' ring finger, and the couple hugged again, kissing each other's lips. The crowd around them cheered and applauded, while I looked away the moment I saw it. But I knew for sure that it was the beginning of her happy life.

Months had passed after the event, and winter had come, although not snowing yet. Sour Grapes had changed her name into Stella Grapes, and she lived with both her husband and her brother in a house not far from the theater, which was thriving well thanks to Strawberry's successful movie. Pie Man sold his pies at the theater, and Strawberryland girls happily supplied him with berries and cooking recipes to spice up his shop with variety. His shop was very successful, and everyone was happy to see him finally succeeding to fulfill his dream without damaging Strawberryland.

"Hey, Almond," I said while lying down lazily on the sofa in my living room.

"Yeah?" Almond replied while doing the same on another sofa.

"Is this what Pomegranate meant when she said that?" I asked.

"You mean when she said that Pie Man would finally succeeded?" he asked back, and I nodded. "Probably. Come to think of it, she only said that he finally succeeded, not succeeded in taking over Strawberryland."

"I still wonder, though," I said. "Judging from her looks, she was about the same age as Mango and Persimmons. She should be born pretty soon, but there's no sign of Pie Man going to marry someone."

"I think you missed something, bro," Almond said.

"Huh? What?" I asked.

"She never said how many years in the future she came from. You have been assuming that she was from seven years ahead because we had just come home from that future," Almond said.

"Come to think of it, you're probably right," I said. "I still wonder about Pie Man's wife, though."

"The Berry Princess, right?" Almond said.

"Yeah, I've never heard of a Berry Princess before Jackfruit Jam told me. I don't even know who Cranberry Crisp is," I said.

"Hey, let's visit him and try asking," Almond suggested.

"Well, why not? We have nothing else to do anyway," I said, getting up and taking my jacket, fur hat, and gloves.

So, we went to the movie theater where Pie Man opened his shop. Even though there was no snow yet, it was already cold outside so I wore my winter outfit. To save time, we went there riding Albatross. When we arrived there, it was still quite early so the shop was not open yet. We entered the shop anyway because we knew that Pie Man should be in the kitchen at the back by then. The door bell rang as we entered.

"Sorry! You came too early! We are not open yet!" Pie Man's voice was heard from the back.

"We're just visiting you!" I replied. Soon enough, he came out from the kitchen.

"Oh, hello there, boys. What brings you here? Perhaps the smell of my new recipe?" he said, grinning. "Another one from the girls actually."

"Well, it sure smells good," I said, sniffing the air a bit. "Be careful not to toast it."

"No worries. The oven has a timer," he said. "So, what brings you here, boys?"

"Well, we're just wondering..." I said, hesitating to continue.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We want to know when you will get married!" Almond said.

"Hey, don't ask right out of the bat like that!" I said, hitting Almond with my elbow.

"Hahaha! I like your style, boy!" Pie Man said. "Though I'm still afraid of you, by the way."

"Come on, I'm just like any other kids of Strawberryland," Almond said. "As long as you don't cause any threat to them, that is."

"Yeah yeah, I know," he said. "Anyway, I have no idea about that."

"Nobody in your mind yet?" I asked.

"No. I'd rather think about my pie shop than a woman," he said. "Why are you so interested in that, boys?"

"No, nothing. We're just wondering," I said, trying to avoid further discussion. From that point I started to regret coming to the shop. "Sorry for bothering. We're taking our leave now,"

"Not so fast, kid!" Pie Man said, he then went behind his cashier desk and crouched there. We couldn't see what he was doing.

"Eh, what? Are you going to confine me again?" I asked awkwardly, which was because somehow the line Pie Man had just said reminded me about the events where he had captured and confined me.

"Huh? No, of course not. Why should you think like that?" Pie Man asked, still hidden behind the cashier desk.

"It's your own fault, don't you remember?" Almond said with arms folded and slightly upset face. "Three times, almost four."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. Anyway, I want you to give this to Strawberry Shortcake," Pie Man said, standing up and putting a gift box on the desk. "I'll give you another of this later."

"Huh? What is this?" I asked.

"Let's just say that this is my apology for every harmful thing I have done," Pie Man said.

"I don't think you need to do that," I said. "And what's past is past. You don't have to give me anything too."

"Also, I don't think you owe any apology to her. Strawberry is just that forgiving," Almond said.

"But I still don't feel right if I don't do anything," Pie Man said.

"Well, I think it's better if you give it to her yourself," I said.

"I want to do that, but I cannot leave the shop," Pie Man said. "Ahh, alright. I'll close early today. But... could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm kinda... embarrassed," he said, looking away from me. "I need you two to accompany me."

"Alright, tell us the hour and we will be there," I said.

"Well, about two I think," Pie Man said while thinking.

"See you soon then," I said, and the two of us left the shop.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Almond asked. "It's still six hours before two."

"Well, how about going to a place you have never been there yet?" I said, taking Time Remote II from my pocket.

"Huh? What is that place?" he asked.

"The Land of Dreams," I said. The remote responded by creating a dimension door, and the two of us jumped in. We immediately came out right in front of PJ's cafe. Almond looked around and he seemed astonished.

"Wow, I have never seen this place! What is this place actually?" he asked.

"This is the place where dreams are made," I said, walking through the stairs to PJ's cafe.

"Dreams? What do you mean?" he asked, following me. Immediately, the front door of the cafe opened and PJ herself welcomed us.

"Welcome to PJ's! Table for two: Blackberry Bun and Almond Cookie," PJ said.

"It's been a long time! How are you?" I asked.

"I am as fine as ever!" PJ said. "Now please sit down and have your hot chocolate!"

"How did she know my name?" Almond whispered to me.

"I know many things, dear!" PJ said. "I also know that you are actually a soul fragment of a planet far, far away!"

"Well, that's right, but..." Almond said. "I'd rather be recognized as his brother."

"Don't worry, dear! You are what you want to be," PJ said as the two of us sat down. A glass of hot chocolate appeared right in front of me, probably because PJ knew that Almond didn't need to eat or drink anything.

"Bro, you haven't told me what this place actually is," Almond said.

"Just wait a minute. Someone else will come soon," I said.

"Who?" Almond asked.

"Well, it's still quite early in the morning, so it should be... Daisy Dawn," I said.

"You're wrong!" suddenly a fairy entered saying that. It was apparently Mary Midnight. "Also, Article 1C Paragraph 21. Exiled individuals who enters the Land of Dreams again are obliged to leave immediately."

"In addition, Paragraph 22. Refusal is not an option. Those who refuse will be forced to leave by all authorities of Dream Fairy Fields," another fairy, who apparently was Diana Dusk, entered.

"Fairies? And... exiled?" Almond asked, looking confused. There was a silence as the two fairies floated near my head with upset face and arms on their hip. The situation was quite awkward for me, but then both fairies hugged my face.

"It's been so long, Blackberry!" Mary said.

"We have been worried sick about you after you went into the black hole and never returned!" Diana said.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"In any case, you're now back, alive and well, and that's all that matters," Diana said.

"Where's Daisy?" I asked.

"It's her working hours now, and unfortunately there's nobody to take her place currently," Mary said.

"I see," I said. "Oh, by the way, let me introduce you two to Almond Cookie. My brother."

"Nice to meet you," Almond said.

"Nice to meet you too, Almond," Diana said. "However... what do you say, Mary? We have another outsider now."

"But looking at his origin, he can be within Deity category, right?" Mary said.

"Hey, I'm confused here," Almond said.

"I'll answer all your questions when we get back home," I said.

"Alright," Almond said.

"It's decided," Mary said. "Almond Cookie is of Deity category. Therefore, he is immune to our rules."

"Blackberry, like before, you're given until Strawberryland bed time for your visit," Diana said.

"I won't stay here for long. I only want to pass time until two, and also show Almond this place," I said.

"Ah, yes. I still don't know what this place actually is," Almond said.

"This is The Land of Dreams. A place where dreams are made, like I said before" I said.

"Yeah, I remember that," Almond said. "The thing is, I don't know what dreams are."

"Don't you dream when you sleep?" I asked.

"I don't know what it is. All I know is that whenever I fall asleep, poof! I'm already at the time I wake up, like skipping time," Almond said.

"Is it always like that?" I asked, and he nodded. I then looked at PJ, Mary, and Diana.

"Well," Mary said, thinking. "This is probably because he is not registered at the Dream Factory."

"It definitely is. The first time he came to this world, he was a sleepless spaceship. Even after having human body, he remained sleepless for a while. The automatic registration system missed him because of that," Diana said.

"Is there anything that can be done?" I asked.

"That's easy, dear," PJ said. "Take him to my brother, and he will take care of everything."

"Your brother? You mean... Sandman?" I asked.

"Why yes, haven't I told you? Or maybe I actually missed telling you? There are things I still can possibly miss, dear," PJ said.

"Let's just never mind that," I said. "So, Almond, do you want to dream?"

"Why not? I like trying something new," Almond said.

"I'll take you to the Dream Factory, Almond," Mary said.

"And I'll accompany you as your Dream Fairy, Blackberry," Diana said.

"I want to stay here now. Please both of you accompany Almond instead," I said.

"Alright if you say so," Diana said. "Let's go, Almond."

"Yeah," Almond said, and the three of them left PJ's cafe.

"So, what do you want to say, Dear?" PJ asked. "I believe you want to talk to me."

"That's right," I said. "I want to know more about... Somnus."

"Ah, my dear cousin. What do you want to know?" PJ asked.

"I just wonder, how did they meet?" I said. "I mean, an ordinary human, and someone from this land..."

"They have a long history, dear," PJ said. "All the way back to the time when she was still a little girl."

"That long?" I said.

"Both she and her brother had a troubled childhood, and my cousin felt that he couldn't just simply watch," PJ said. "On one occasion, he saved their lives from a life-threatening situation made by their own mother."

"That's just terrible," I said.

"You cannot expect any hospitality from anyone in Porcupine Peak, dear," PJ said.

"I really hope that island can finally find peace someday," I said.

"Even I am not certain about that, dear," PJ said. "I can see the future, but some kind of unknown power prevents me from seeing any future around the island."

"I feel that the island is much more than I have seen," I said.

"Indeed it is, dear!" PJ said. "And we are all the same as you, hoping that Porcupine Peak will eventually find peace."

"Blackberry!" suddenly someone said from behind me. I looked behind and saw that it was Daisy Dawn. Like the other fairies, she hugged my face. "I'm happy to see you again!"

"Me too, Daisy," I said. "And you came just at the right time. Could you bring me to Dream Factory?"

"Sure!" Daisy said.

Not much can be told after that. I went to Dream Factory, met the other fairies there along with Almond and Sandman, and then we spent time touring Land of Dreams until it was almost the time. With proper farewell, the two of us left the place and went straight to Strawberry's house. By coincidence, the two of us arrived at her house at the same time with Pie Man. The three of us then went to the front door and rang the doorbell. Soon, Strawberry came out.

"Oh, hi there, Blackberry, Almond, and Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "Please come in!"

All of us went into her guest room and sat on the sofa there. Within a minute, she came bringing drinks for all of us and after putting them on the table, she sat on a chair across us.

"What brings all of you here?" she asked. Me and Almond looked at Pie Man.

"Well, Strawberry Shortcake. I, am here, to give you this," Pie Man said timidly, putting his gift box on the table.

"Why, thank you berry much, Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "But why?"

"Well, I, it is, I mean..." Pie Man said timidly.

"Hmm?" Strawberry said, still with her usual smile.

"It's a gift of apology for all bad things I have done!" Pie Man said very fast, then he looked away.

"Well, Pie Man, I'm berry grateful for this, and I appreciate seeing you doing this berry much," Strawberry said. "But you don't need to go this far to apologize to me, and anyone else. Indeed the things you have done have been wrong, and I have been upset at times, but everything has become a past and now you have the pie shop you have been dreaming of without causing any bad things to Strawberryland! Everyone is happy, and that is all I want to see!"

"Well, I guess, thank you. That means a lot for me," Pie Man said. "Still, please accept this."

"Thank you berry much, Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "I'll get us something to eat, then!"

Strawberry then took the gift box and then she went to the kitchen. A minute later, the doorbell rang.

"I'm berry sorry, but could one of you please answer it for me?" Strawberry said from the kitchen. "I can't take my hands off right now."

"I'll get the door for you," Pie Man said, getting up and going to the door. He then opened it, and from the guest room the two of us could see that the new guest was a lady in gown whom we have never seen before. However, the color and style of her hair, and also her eye color, reminded me of Seaberry Delight.

"Excuse me, is Strawberry Shortcake here?" the lady asked.

"Uh.. yes.. this is her house," Pie Man said timidly. "And indeed she is here."

"Ah, let me introduce myself. My name is Cranberry Crisp," the lady said, which surprised me and Almond.

"P-Please come in," Pie Man said. As the two of them entered the house, both me and Almond went to Strawberry who was still in the kitchen.

"Who came, Blackberry?" she asked.

"Maybe it's better if you delay the food a bit," I said.

"Huh?" Strawberry asked. She then looked at Pie Man and Cranberry, who sat side by side on the sofa. Both of them looked timid and blushing. "Oh, I see. But who is that lady?"

"Strawberry, I need to say this to you," I said. "When destiny calls you, you must be strong. You will always have the support from everyone."

"What are you saying, Blackberry? You sound like my life is going to change forever," Strawberry said.

"You will know soon enough, Strawberry," I said. "We will just leave now. See you later."

After I said the line, both me and Almond immediately rushed out and left the place. After we were far enough, we slowed down to walking pace towards my house.

"Well, I guess we have the answer now," Almond said.

"Yeah," I said. "And this is also definitely the beginning of a drastic change in Strawberry's life."

"What do you feel about that, brother?" Almond asked.

"No matter what, I believe she will still be the Strawberry Shortcake we all know and love," I said. "I got a hunch, though, that someday she will carve a history on Strawberryland."

"Why? How do you know that?" Almond asked.

"I just know," I said. I then noticed that snow started falling. "Look, Almond."

"Ahh, snow," Almond said. "This is the first time I see snow in Strawberryland. As Almond I mean."

"I wonder how the land will become by tomorrow," I said, looking up.

At the next morning, the two of us woke up and realized that the entire land was covered in snow. As far as eyes could see, everything was white. After I had my breakfast, the two of us went out of my house to have a tour around snowy Strawberryland.

"Wow, the snow became this thick overnight," Almond said as I went down the ladder. "Wonderful."

"Everything looks so different and new," I said as we walked to where Arrowhead was parked.

"It's like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on," Almond said.

"Indeed, full of possibilities," I said, getting on Arrowhead.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Almond asked, sitting behind me.

"Let's go exploring!" I said, turning the engine on, and then we were off to explore the white Strawberryland, always hopeful for a good and happy future for all.


--The End--
Prudie, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like a more thorough comment for this final chapter]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-227.html Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:48:15 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-227.html Quote:Chapter 19: Pirates of The Berryland - Beyond The Seven Seas


Once upon a time, somewhere in the ocean far, far away from land, a pirate captain and her crews were sailing with one thing in mind. They were sailing towards an island where a treasure they were searching for was hidden.

"Lands ahoy!" Orange Blossom, who were on top of the mast, shouted.

"Is that the island we've been looking for, Captain Strawberry?" Angel Cake asked.

"It berry much looks like it," Captain Strawberry said, observing the island with her spyglasses.

"Finally! We have sailed the seven seas for a very long time, and now we are going to reap our rewards!" Purple Pie Man said.

"Not so fast, Pie Man!" Sour Grapes said. "We have to find the treasure first!"

"According to the writings on this old map, the treasure is hidden inside a cave filled with traps, and guarded by The Guardian Brothers," Blueberry Muffin said.

"Challenges waiting ahead, mateys," Captain Strawberry said. "But I'm berry sure we can overcome everything if we work together!"

"Aye!" everyone else said together.

"Massive storm ahead!" Orange shouted. Indeed, all of the sudden the calm sea became a very stormy sea with heavy rain, wind, and thunders.

"Get down from there, Orange!" Captain Strawberry shouted. Orange immediately went down the mast, but halfway down she slipped and fell down screaming.

"I got you, matey!" Purple Pie Man said, catching her.

"Thanks!" Orange said.

"Brace yourselves, mateys! We're going to have a berry rough ride!" Captain Strawberry said while trying to steer the ship.

Later, the pirates found themselves on a coastline with their ship stranded and badly wrecked. The storm had disappeared right after their ship had hit the ground, as if its only purpose had been to lead them to the coastline.

"What just happened?" Angel asked.

"It looks like the Guardian Brothers knew we were coming," Blueberry said.

"What did you say? Those Guardian Brothers, they can control weather at their will?" Purple Pie Man asked. "We won't have any chance against such power!"

"Pie Man, have you actually read the writings on the map?" Sour Grapes said.

"Uhh, no," Purple Pie Man said, looking embarassed.

"The Guardian Brothers put tests and challenges to those who come seeking their treasure. The storm was one of them," Blueberry said.

"Eh? Doesn't that mean I was right?" Purple Pie Man said.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Sour Grapes said. "If the Guardian Brothers don't want anyone to take the treasure, we would have been sunk into the bottom of the ocean since the beginning!"

"That's right, mateys. The storm led the ship right into this coastline. They want to see if we have what it takes to get their treasure," Captain Strawberry said.

"But how we will get out of the island after we get the treasure? The ship is wrecked!" Pie Man said.

"We will question it later. Let's move," Captain Strawberry said.

"Yeah, the Guardian Brothers should not wait much longer," Angel said.

"Let's show them what we got!" Orange said.

The group then walked through a visible path into the island. Along the way, they could notice that the island was actually a beautiful one with a lot of trees and pretty landscape. The wildlife they saw so far were harmless and there was no danger at all.

"I honestly thought we would face a real challenge," Pie Man said.

"Keep your eyes open, Pie Man," Sour Grapes said. "We never know what tricks those Guardian Brothers have!"

"Ha! What can happen in this boring, harmless place?" Pie Man said.

After Pie Man said those, suddenly the weather changed. Heavy rain came pouring down with thunders and strong wind for just a few seconds. Then suddenly a number of plants grew around them in an instant, and once the flowers bloomed they let out deafening trumpet sounds. The pirates immediately ran away covering their ears, but they were chased by a group of butterflies which spread pollen on them. Soon, all of them felt itchy all over their body. Within seconds, heavy rain poured again for a few seconds, cleaning their body from the pollen. Right after that, the weather became sunny again.

"What... just... happened?" Orange asked, panting.

"Pie Man angered the Guardian Brothers, that's what!" Sour Grapes said. "Now you see what they can do?"

"Alright, alright. Sorry about that," Pie Man said. He then said in whispering voice to himself. "What a bunch of touchy guardians they are."

Immediately, a trumpet plant grew near Pie Man and let out its deafening sound near him. He was very surprised that he immediately jumped and ran.

"Come on, we must not make them wait!" he shouted while running away. The others laughed and then the trip continued.

Not too far later, the group met a dead end. The path ended at a cliff wall which was green with plant vines.

"Looks like a dead end," Blueberry said. "That's strange. According to the map there should be a cave entrance here."

"Let's look around for clues," Captain Strawberry said.

"Captain! Over here!" Angel Cake said from near the cliff wall. "There's an inscription on this stone."

Everyone went to Angel Cake and saw that there was a large stone with an inscription on it.

"When bathed in light, the door will open and show the path," Captain Strawberry said, reading the inscription.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pie Man asked.

"Use your head and think, will ya?" Sour Grapes said. "It's a clue. Now think!"

"Maybe the light means sunlight?" Captain Strawberry said.

"But captain, it is sunny now and the cliff is bathing in sunlight," Orange said.

"It's a bit cloudy, though. Maybe the light isn't strong enough," Angel said.

"Hmm, I think I know a way," Sour Grapes said.

"What is it, Sour Grapes?" Captain Strawberry said.

"Just a moment," Sour Grapes said, walking away a bit. She then took something from her pocket. It was a small mirror, which she then held up. The sunlight got reflected by the mirror towards the cliff wall, which immediately reacted. The vines on the cliff wall moved away from the reflected light, revealing a cave entrance.

"Berry nice job, Sour Grapes!" Captain Strawberry said. "Let's move, mateys!"

The group then entered the cave, which at the inside was very dark.

"I can't see a thing!" Orange asked.

"We need to light a torch, but we have none..." Captain Strawberry said. Immediately, they saw something bright coming to them. All of them were surprised that it was a floating fireball.

"Aaahh! A ghost!" Angel screamed. The fireball then floated around right above them. "Get away from me!"

"Calm down, Angel Cake. It doesn't look dangerous," Orange said.

"In fact, it is lighting the way for us," Blueberry said.

"Alright then, let's move!" Captain Strawberry said, and the group started walking with the fireball following right above their head.

"Are the Guardian Brothers helping us now?" Purple Pie Man asked.

"Stay cautious! And don't tempt them again!" Sour Grapes said.

"Yeah yeah, I know already," Pie Man said.

Soon, the group met a wooden door at the end. Captain Strawberry cautiously opened the door, and behind the door was a rather large room with another door at the other side. The floor of the room was made from stone tiles, and the room was illuminated by a larger fireball floating near the ceiling at the center of the room. The fireball which had been guiding them in the cave didn't follow them. Instead, it went away and disappeared.

"What is this room?" Orange said.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go to that door over there," Pie Man said, walking towards the other side. Suddenly a stone tile he stepped on shattered and he fell down into a deep hole below it. However, Captain Strawberry and Sour Grapes managed to grab his arms at the last second and pulled him back to safety.

"This is why I told you to stay cautious!" Sour Grapes said.

"This means, we have to figure out which tiles are safe to walk on," Blueberry said.

"Hey look! There's an inscription over there!" Orange said, pointing at the wall above the door on the other side. Indeed there was an inscription there, and it was large enough for the group to read from the other side of the room.

"Nature will show you the way..." Captain Strawberry said, reading the inscription. "Hmm..."

"I don't know what that means," Angel said.

"Sorry, I don't know this time," Sour Grapes said. "And my useless brother here is too shocked to think of anything."

As Sour Grapes had said, Pie Man was sitting on the ground and shivering, being shocked at the fact that he had just narrowly escaped demise. Captain Strawberry kept thinking for a moment, looking at the stone tiles. She then noticed something and smiled.

"I know!" she said.

"Did you figure it out?" Angel asked.

"Look closely between the stone tiles. Don't you see anything?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"I see nothing other than some weeds... Oh!" Orange said, realizing something.

"That's right, Orange Blossom!" Captain Strawberry said. "Tiles near the weeds are safe. Plants can only grow if there is ground beneath them! Let's move, mateys!"

"How long are you planning to sit there and keep pretending to be shocked? Move!" Sour Grapes said to Pie Man.

"All right, all right," Pie Man said, standing up. Soon, the group was at the door on the other side. Behind the door was another large room with its own floating fireball and a door on the other side. At the center of the room there were five pedestals standing on a circle stone platform in a circle formation, and on each pedestal there was a crystal of different colors floating. In clockwise order, the color of the crystals are green, red, brown, silver, and blue. Between pedestals close to each other there was an arrow mark pointing from one pedestal to the other, also in clockwise direction. In addition, there were also straight arrow marks from each pedestal to another pedestal two steps ahead. All together, the arrow marks form an image of a star inside a circle.

"We did it! That's the treasure!" Pie Man said, running to the pedestals. He then tried to take the crystal from a pedestal, but he couldn't grab the crystal. His hand were obstructed by an invisible barrier surrounding the pedestal.

"I don't think the crystals are the treasure, Pie Man," Captain Strawberry said.

"Then what are these?" Pie Man asked.

"Look at the next door here," Sour Grapes said. Pie Man then walked to the next door and saw that the door had five insertions of different colors, arranged in the same formation as the pedestals with the same arrow marks.

"It looks like we have to insert the crystals here to open the door," Orange said.

"But how are we gonna take the crystals from the pedestals?" Angel asked.

"I've searched for clues in this room, but I didn't find any," Blueberry said.

"I somehow feel that this looks familiar..." Captain Strawberry said, looking at the insertions and the circled star image.

"You too, Captain?" Blueberry asked.

"In any case, split up and examine each pedestal. Maybe you can figure something out," Captain Strawberry said.

"Aye, captain!" everyone else said, and they spread to each pedestal while Captain Strawberry stayed near the door, pondering on why there was something familiar with the insertions. The others examined the pedestals and tried to find out if there was any clue. They also tried a few physical methods such as a pushing, rubbing, or punching, but none worked.

"This is getting frustrating," Pie Man said. Out of frustration, he grabbed a nearby stone and threw it to the blue crystal he had been examining. The crystal's barrier deflected the stone, but then it shattered. "Hey, look!"

Everyone else immediately ran to Pie Man.

"What did you do?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"I just threw a stone at it," Pie Man said, taking the crystal.

Everyone else then tried throwing a stone at the other pedestals, but it didn't work the same way. Red and brown crystal didn't react at all, while the barrier of the silver crystal became solid and seemed more durable. As for the green crystal, the stone shattered when it hit the barrier. After a few minutes, the barrier of the silver crystal reverted back to normal condition.

"It seem each crystal has a different method to remove the barrier," Orange said.

"Figuring one out was already confusing. How are we gonna figure five out?" Angel cake said, being frustrated.

"Whatever. Let's just try everything with trial and error! Burn them, flush them with water, everything!" Pie Man said.

"That will probably take days! There should be a way to figure them out!" Sour Grapes said.

"Wait! Now I remember!" Captain Strawberry said. "It's the circle of five elements!"

"Oh yeah! That's it!" Blueberry said.

"What is that? I have no idea," Pie Man said.

"It's a philosophy of the Eastern land. There are five elements, and each element interacts with some others in a certain way," Captain Strawberry said.

"The elements are fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. A stone counts as earth, and earth defeats water. That's why throwing a stone at the blue crystal removes the barrier. The blue crystal represents water," Blueberry said.

"What about the others?" Angel asked.

"Earth is defeated by wood. That's why the stone shattered when it hit the green crystal, which represents wood," Captain Strawberry said.

"As for the silver barrier becoming solid, earth strengthens metal. The silver crystal represents metal," Blueberry said.

"So that means the brown crystal is earth and the red crystal is fire?" Orange asked.

"Alright, now tell us the weakness of the remaining crystals. Don't leave the rest of us in the dark," Sour Grapes said.

"Water defeats fire, fire defeats metal, metal defeats wood, and wood defeats earth," Blueberry said.

"Alright, leave earth to me," Pie Man said, approaching the brown crystal and kicking it with his wooden leg. As expected, the barrier disappeared and he took the crystal.

"I'll take the wood," Angel said, walking to the green crystal and removing the barrier with the head of her belt.

"I'll have the fire," Blueberry said, splashing the red crystal with water from her drinking bottle.

"Uhh, mateys!" Orange said while standing next to the silver crystal. "I have no fire. My matches are wet."

"What? How are we supposed to take this crystal now?" Pie Man asked.

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said, looking at the silver crystal and then at the ceiling. "Anybody got rope?"

"I have," Orange said, taking a long rope from her bag and giving it to Captain Strawberry. "For what, captain?"

"To get our fire," Captain Strawberry said, making a thick knot at one end of the rope. She then threw the knotted end towards the floating fireball at the ceiling. The knot touched the fireball and got burned. She then pulled the rope quickly and used the burned knot to remove the silver crystal barrier.

"Great job, captain!" Blueberry said.

"We all did a great job, because we worked together," Captain Strawberry said. The group then walked to the door and inserted all the crystals into the insertions. The door then let out a bright light.

"Congratulations, treasure seekers. You have passed my test," a voice said from the door.

"Does that mean we got the treasure?" Purple Pie Man asked.

"Silence! Hear the voice out!" Sour Grapes said.

"You have shown me that you all work together as a team, and I'm impressed. Behind this door you will find my brother, and he will test you like I did," the voice said. "If you can pass his tests, the treasure will be yours."

"Did you hear that? Just a little bit more and it's ours!" Pie Man said.

"Shut up and listen! He might have more to say!" Sour Grapes said.

"I must warn you. The tests my brother will give are unfair, or so it seems. Best of luck!" the voice said, and the door opened.

"Wait! What is your name?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"You will know soon," the voice answered while fading away.

"Did the voice say 'unfair'?" Orange asked.

"Does that mean we're gonna face an unfair test?" Angel asked.

"He also said, 'or so it seems'. I wonder what that means," Blueberry said.

"In any case, there's no use staying here. Let's move, mateys," Captain Strawberry said.

"Aye!" everyone else replied. Behind the door was a short cave passageway which led to another room about the same size as before. However, this time the walls on the left and right side were open like large windows, showing views to the outside. At the other side of the room, there was someone wearing robes like a shaman sitting on what seemed like a throne.

"Is that the other Guardian Brother?" Orange whispered to Blueberry.

"That is correct!" the person suddenly said. "I am Guardian Almond, and you are treasure seekers."

"Guardian Almond, what test should we do to get the treasure?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Straight to the point, eh? Mind you, I'm not as soft as my brother, Guardian Blackberry," Guardian Almond said.

"No matter how hard your test will be, we will get past it because we work together as a team!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Ha! Unfortunately, my test is made to deny that!" Guardian Almond said. "Only one person is allowed take the test! Choose wisely."

The group was surprised hearing what Guardian Almond had said. Then they all gathered to discuss what to do next.

"What should we do now? Who will take the test?" Sour Grapes asked.

"What will happen if the one taking it fails?" Pie Man asked. "Can another become a replacement and try again?"

"No! One try only!" Guardian Almond said loudly, still sitting on his throne.

"He sure has sharp ears," Angel said.

"Alright then, I'll go," Captain Strawberry said. "If something goes wrong, just leave me and run away."

"We won't leave you, captain!" Orange said. "We stick together as a team, no matter what!"

"Agreed!" everyone else said. Captain Strawberry smiled seeing the determination of her team. She then moved forward.

"I'll be the one taking your test," Captain Strawberry said.

"All right, let us begin. You see the two candles between us?" Guardian Almond said. Indeed there were two candles on the ground. One was much shorter than the other. "Pick one candle. I will pick the other one and we will lit it at the same time. If your candle is still burning after mine is off, you pass the test."

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said, thinking.

"It's logical to pick the long one, but it must not be that simple. The long one is probably rigged to burn out fast," Blueberry said.

"But it is possible to be a trap for us to think that way and pick the short one, and none of the candles are actually rigged," Sour Grapes said.

"Let's just believe in our captain," Orange said, and everyone else agreed.

"I'll pick the long one," Captain Strawberry said.

"Nice choice," Guardian Almond said. The long candle then floated to Captain Strawberry's hand. Guardian Almond then took a short candle which had been sitting on his throne's arm rest. "I have the short candle here as you can see. Let's begin right now."

Almond then shot fire from his finger to his candle, and then to Captain Strawberry's candle. Both candles began to burn, signing that the test has begun. Captain Strawberry stood still while holding the candle with one hand and covering the fire with the other hand from winds coming from both openings of the room. Suddenly, Captain Strawberry's candle burned very fiercely, consuming the candle very quickly.

"The long candle is rigged!" Angel said.

"Oh, you should have chosen the short one!" Sour Grapes said.

"No difference," Guardian Almond said. "Both candles are rigged like that. That's why I have my own candle here."

"What? You cheater!" Orange said.

"Say what you want. This is my test, and I choose the way I test treasure seekers," Guardian Almond said.

"Curse you!" Pie Man shouted.

Captain Strawberry didn't say anything. She looked at her burning candle, and then she smiled. She then put her candle to the ground and calmly walked towards Guardian Almond.

"If my candle burns like that, the wind will not put it off," Captain Strawberry said once she were close to Guardian Almond. She then blew Guardian Almond's candle, putting it off. Captain Strawberry's candle was still burning for the next ten seconds until it finally went off. The group cheered, knowing that their captain had won and passed the test. Guardian Almond smiled seeing what he had just seen.

"I'm honestly surprised that you found the answer to my test. All treasure seekers before you just threw the candle away and attaked me out of rage," Guardian Almond said. "Congratulations, you passed my test."

"So they made it huh, Almond?" suddenly another person dressed in shaman robes came from behind Guardian Almond's throne.

"Yeah, brother. After all these years, finally someone passed my test," Guardian Almond said.

"Are you the one who tested us before?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Yes, I am Guardian Blackberry," he replied.

"Are we getting the treasure now?" Pie Man asked, looking very excited.

"Actually, there is one more test," Guardian Almond said. "Come with us."

The group then followed both guardians into a cave passageway behind the throne. Soon, they arrived in another room. At the other side of the room there were two doors next to each other. There was also a large cage near the left door. After every people entered the room, the entrance suddenly closed by itself and was sealed tight.

"Behind the door on the right is a labirynth which leads to the exit of the cave," Guardian Almond said. "The labirynth will take at least three days to go through, probably more. Behind the other door is the treasure you seek and also the exit of this cave."

"Now you have to choose which door to open," Guardian Blackberry said.

"Opening the left door should be the logical action, right?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"That's right, but there is a catch," Guardian Almond said. "Opening the labirynth door doesn't cost anything, but if you want to open the treasure door, three of you must enter the cage."

"Once three persons enter the cage, it will be sealed with our magic. They will never get tired, thirsty, and hungry, but they will never get out of the cage forever," Guardian Blackberry said.

"Take your time and pick your choice," Guardian Almond said.

"What kind of choice is that?" Pie Man said. "We have no supplies. We won't last three more days!"

"I said, pick, your, choice," Guardian Almond said, emitting fire from his hands.

"What should we do, captain? Pie Man was right. We won't last three more days without supplies," Orange asked.

"That means only three of us getting out of here, or none at all," Blueberry said.

"I can't do that!" Angel said.

"Yeah, we have been through things together. We can't just throw it all away!" Sour Grapes said.

"Whatever you say, the choices are either only three of us, or we all perish together," Pie Man said.

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said. She then walked towards the two doors and looked at them. The doors were close to each other, the separating cave wall between the doors was maybe just about twenty inches, maybe even less. Yet what lied behind each door was so different.

"Captain!" Orange called. Captain Strawberry then walked back to them.

"We have discussed, and we have decided," Blueberry said.

"We will leave the final decision to you," Angel said.

"No matter what you choose, you will always be our captain and we will support you," Sour Grapes said.

"Yeah, I guess that's the decision," Pie Man said.

"Thank you, mateys. I'm really glad to have all of you with me," Captain Strawberry said. She then turned to the waiting Guardian Brothers. "I have made my decision."

"Speak your choice," Guardian Almond said.

"I want to open..." Captain Strawberry said. "The labirynth door."

"Are you sure with your decision? It's still not too late to change your mind," Guardian Blackberry said. "Remember, you have no supplies."

"I am berry sure!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Then, so be it," Guardian Almond said. He then waved his hand to the right door, and it opened, revealing a dark cave passageway. "Best of luck."

The group then walked into the labirynth door. Once everyone were behind the door, the door shut itself tight and Captain Strawberry stopped walking.

"Everyone, take out all our digging tools!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Huh? For what, captain?" Orange asked, taking her pickaxe which had been hanging on her belt. Captain Strawberry took hers from her belt and started hitting the left wall with it.

"What are you doing?" Pie Man asked. He then realized something. "Oh! I see!"

About one hour later, there was a large hole at the left wall of the cave passageway, large enough for a person to go through. The group had dug a hole from the labyrinth straight into the treasure room next to it. As the group entered through the hole, they noticed that the treasure room was as large as the previous test room, and at the other side of the room were two thrones with both Guardian Brothers sitting on them.

"Congratulations!" Guardian Almond said, slowly clapping his hands. "You have entered the treasure room in a way which is not supposed to exist!"

"Uh oh, he is mad," Orange said.

"Should we run away?" Angel asked.

"There's no use running away from him. Let's face it together," Captain Strawberry said.

"Smart move, captain," Guardian Almond said, standing up and approaching the group. "Do you know what you have just done?"

Nobody in the group said anything.

"Not only that you broke the wall of the room. You also broke the wall of common thought, and for that, I am impressed," Guardian Almond said as he got close to Captain Strawberry.

"What are you going to do to us?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Only one thing," Guardian Almond said. "Giving you the treasure you seek."

"Are you serious?" Purple Pie Man asked, being very surprised.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Guardian Almond said. He then revealed a big treasure chest in the middle of the room. "Go there, captain. You have earned it."

"Not me, but we," Captain Strawberry said. "I would never get this far without them."

Captain Strawberry then opened the treasure chest. To her surprise, there was only a piece of stone tile with an inscription on it. She picked it up and read the inscription in front of her teammates.

"If you highly value your teammates and always work together with them to overcome any problem, you already have the greatest treasure of all," Captain Strawberry said.

"That's it?" Orange said.

"That's the treasure?" Angel asked.

"You gotta be kidding me! All those challenges and tests, and all we got is just a useless philosophy?!" Pie Man said.

"I don't think anybody is kidding, Pie Man," Sour Grapes said.

"But it is berry right, mateys," Captain Strawberry said. "We have gone through many things to get here, and from the beginning we always worked together and had fun together searching for the treasure. I value each and every one of you berry much, and I will never trade that for any kind of treasure."

"You are absolutely right, captain," Blueberry said.

"Of course!" Orange said.

"Together we can overcome any obstacle!" Angel said.

"I guess I can agree with you on that one," Pie Man said.

"He's still upset," Sour Grapes whispered, and the whole group laughed.

"Now that the treasure is found, we have served our purpose," Guardian Almond said.

"What are you going to do after this?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"We will soon fade away into eternal rest," Guardian Blackberry said, getting up from his throne. "And for that, we thank you."

"However, you all have come all the way here. It would be a shame to walk away empty handed," Guardian Almond said, doing a finger snap. The wall at one side of the room then opened, revealing a coastline outside. There was also a dock there, complete with a pirate ship ready to set sail. The ship was bigger and looked much more powerful than the ship the group previously had.

"Life is a journey where we keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths," Guardian Blackberry said, while walking and then standing next to Guardian Almond. "That ship is now yours. Go on and seek new adventures with your greatest treasure of all."

Right after Guardian Blackberry said that, Captain Strawberry suddenly hugged both him and Guardian Almond.

"Thank you berry much for everything," Captain Strawberry said.

"No. We thank you..." both Guardian Brothers said together, and then they faded away into light. There was a silence for about one minute as some of the group leaked tears.

"All right, mateys! Let's go!" Captain Strawberry said. "A new adventure awaits us!"

"Yeah!" The group shouted together, and they ran towards their new ship, ready for the next adventure.


-End of Chapter 19- ]]> Quote:Chapter 19: Pirates of The Berryland - Beyond The Seven Seas


Once upon a time, somewhere in the ocean far, far away from land, a pirate captain and her crews were sailing with one thing in mind. They were sailing towards an island where a treasure they were searching for was hidden.

"Lands ahoy!" Orange Blossom, who were on top of the mast, shouted.

"Is that the island we've been looking for, Captain Strawberry?" Angel Cake asked.

"It berry much looks like it," Captain Strawberry said, observing the island with her spyglasses.

"Finally! We have sailed the seven seas for a very long time, and now we are going to reap our rewards!" Purple Pie Man said.

"Not so fast, Pie Man!" Sour Grapes said. "We have to find the treasure first!"

"According to the writings on this old map, the treasure is hidden inside a cave filled with traps, and guarded by The Guardian Brothers," Blueberry Muffin said.

"Challenges waiting ahead, mateys," Captain Strawberry said. "But I'm berry sure we can overcome everything if we work together!"

"Aye!" everyone else said together.

"Massive storm ahead!" Orange shouted. Indeed, all of the sudden the calm sea became a very stormy sea with heavy rain, wind, and thunders.

"Get down from there, Orange!" Captain Strawberry shouted. Orange immediately went down the mast, but halfway down she slipped and fell down screaming.

"I got you, matey!" Purple Pie Man said, catching her.

"Thanks!" Orange said.

"Brace yourselves, mateys! We're going to have a berry rough ride!" Captain Strawberry said while trying to steer the ship.

Later, the pirates found themselves on a coastline with their ship stranded and badly wrecked. The storm had disappeared right after their ship had hit the ground, as if its only purpose had been to lead them to the coastline.

"What just happened?" Angel asked.

"It looks like the Guardian Brothers knew we were coming," Blueberry said.

"What did you say? Those Guardian Brothers, they can control weather at their will?" Purple Pie Man asked. "We won't have any chance against such power!"

"Pie Man, have you actually read the writings on the map?" Sour Grapes said.

"Uhh, no," Purple Pie Man said, looking embarassed.

"The Guardian Brothers put tests and challenges to those who come seeking their treasure. The storm was one of them," Blueberry said.

"Eh? Doesn't that mean I was right?" Purple Pie Man said.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Sour Grapes said. "If the Guardian Brothers don't want anyone to take the treasure, we would have been sunk into the bottom of the ocean since the beginning!"

"That's right, mateys. The storm led the ship right into this coastline. They want to see if we have what it takes to get their treasure," Captain Strawberry said.

"But how we will get out of the island after we get the treasure? The ship is wrecked!" Pie Man said.

"We will question it later. Let's move," Captain Strawberry said.

"Yeah, the Guardian Brothers should not wait much longer," Angel said.

"Let's show them what we got!" Orange said.

The group then walked through a visible path into the island. Along the way, they could notice that the island was actually a beautiful one with a lot of trees and pretty landscape. The wildlife they saw so far were harmless and there was no danger at all.

"I honestly thought we would face a real challenge," Pie Man said.

"Keep your eyes open, Pie Man," Sour Grapes said. "We never know what tricks those Guardian Brothers have!"

"Ha! What can happen in this boring, harmless place?" Pie Man said.

After Pie Man said those, suddenly the weather changed. Heavy rain came pouring down with thunders and strong wind for just a few seconds. Then suddenly a number of plants grew around them in an instant, and once the flowers bloomed they let out deafening trumpet sounds. The pirates immediately ran away covering their ears, but they were chased by a group of butterflies which spread pollen on them. Soon, all of them felt itchy all over their body. Within seconds, heavy rain poured again for a few seconds, cleaning their body from the pollen. Right after that, the weather became sunny again.

"What... just... happened?" Orange asked, panting.

"Pie Man angered the Guardian Brothers, that's what!" Sour Grapes said. "Now you see what they can do?"

"Alright, alright. Sorry about that," Pie Man said. He then said in whispering voice to himself. "What a bunch of touchy guardians they are."

Immediately, a trumpet plant grew near Pie Man and let out its deafening sound near him. He was very surprised that he immediately jumped and ran.

"Come on, we must not make them wait!" he shouted while running away. The others laughed and then the trip continued.

Not too far later, the group met a dead end. The path ended at a cliff wall which was green with plant vines.

"Looks like a dead end," Blueberry said. "That's strange. According to the map there should be a cave entrance here."

"Let's look around for clues," Captain Strawberry said.

"Captain! Over here!" Angel Cake said from near the cliff wall. "There's an inscription on this stone."

Everyone went to Angel Cake and saw that there was a large stone with an inscription on it.

"When bathed in light, the door will open and show the path," Captain Strawberry said, reading the inscription.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pie Man asked.

"Use your head and think, will ya?" Sour Grapes said. "It's a clue. Now think!"

"Maybe the light means sunlight?" Captain Strawberry said.

"But captain, it is sunny now and the cliff is bathing in sunlight," Orange said.

"It's a bit cloudy, though. Maybe the light isn't strong enough," Angel said.

"Hmm, I think I know a way," Sour Grapes said.

"What is it, Sour Grapes?" Captain Strawberry said.

"Just a moment," Sour Grapes said, walking away a bit. She then took something from her pocket. It was a small mirror, which she then held up. The sunlight got reflected by the mirror towards the cliff wall, which immediately reacted. The vines on the cliff wall moved away from the reflected light, revealing a cave entrance.

"Berry nice job, Sour Grapes!" Captain Strawberry said. "Let's move, mateys!"

The group then entered the cave, which at the inside was very dark.

"I can't see a thing!" Orange asked.

"We need to light a torch, but we have none..." Captain Strawberry said. Immediately, they saw something bright coming to them. All of them were surprised that it was a floating fireball.

"Aaahh! A ghost!" Angel screamed. The fireball then floated around right above them. "Get away from me!"

"Calm down, Angel Cake. It doesn't look dangerous," Orange said.

"In fact, it is lighting the way for us," Blueberry said.

"Alright then, let's move!" Captain Strawberry said, and the group started walking with the fireball following right above their head.

"Are the Guardian Brothers helping us now?" Purple Pie Man asked.

"Stay cautious! And don't tempt them again!" Sour Grapes said.

"Yeah yeah, I know already," Pie Man said.

Soon, the group met a wooden door at the end. Captain Strawberry cautiously opened the door, and behind the door was a rather large room with another door at the other side. The floor of the room was made from stone tiles, and the room was illuminated by a larger fireball floating near the ceiling at the center of the room. The fireball which had been guiding them in the cave didn't follow them. Instead, it went away and disappeared.

"What is this room?" Orange said.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go to that door over there," Pie Man said, walking towards the other side. Suddenly a stone tile he stepped on shattered and he fell down into a deep hole below it. However, Captain Strawberry and Sour Grapes managed to grab his arms at the last second and pulled him back to safety.

"This is why I told you to stay cautious!" Sour Grapes said.

"This means, we have to figure out which tiles are safe to walk on," Blueberry said.

"Hey look! There's an inscription over there!" Orange said, pointing at the wall above the door on the other side. Indeed there was an inscription there, and it was large enough for the group to read from the other side of the room.

"Nature will show you the way..." Captain Strawberry said, reading the inscription. "Hmm..."

"I don't know what that means," Angel said.

"Sorry, I don't know this time," Sour Grapes said. "And my useless brother here is too shocked to think of anything."

As Sour Grapes had said, Pie Man was sitting on the ground and shivering, being shocked at the fact that he had just narrowly escaped demise. Captain Strawberry kept thinking for a moment, looking at the stone tiles. She then noticed something and smiled.

"I know!" she said.

"Did you figure it out?" Angel asked.

"Look closely between the stone tiles. Don't you see anything?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"I see nothing other than some weeds... Oh!" Orange said, realizing something.

"That's right, Orange Blossom!" Captain Strawberry said. "Tiles near the weeds are safe. Plants can only grow if there is ground beneath them! Let's move, mateys!"

"How long are you planning to sit there and keep pretending to be shocked? Move!" Sour Grapes said to Pie Man.

"All right, all right," Pie Man said, standing up. Soon, the group was at the door on the other side. Behind the door was another large room with its own floating fireball and a door on the other side. At the center of the room there were five pedestals standing on a circle stone platform in a circle formation, and on each pedestal there was a crystal of different colors floating. In clockwise order, the color of the crystals are green, red, brown, silver, and blue. Between pedestals close to each other there was an arrow mark pointing from one pedestal to the other, also in clockwise direction. In addition, there were also straight arrow marks from each pedestal to another pedestal two steps ahead. All together, the arrow marks form an image of a star inside a circle.

"We did it! That's the treasure!" Pie Man said, running to the pedestals. He then tried to take the crystal from a pedestal, but he couldn't grab the crystal. His hand were obstructed by an invisible barrier surrounding the pedestal.

"I don't think the crystals are the treasure, Pie Man," Captain Strawberry said.

"Then what are these?" Pie Man asked.

"Look at the next door here," Sour Grapes said. Pie Man then walked to the next door and saw that the door had five insertions of different colors, arranged in the same formation as the pedestals with the same arrow marks.

"It looks like we have to insert the crystals here to open the door," Orange said.

"But how are we gonna take the crystals from the pedestals?" Angel asked.

"I've searched for clues in this room, but I didn't find any," Blueberry said.

"I somehow feel that this looks familiar..." Captain Strawberry said, looking at the insertions and the circled star image.

"You too, Captain?" Blueberry asked.

"In any case, split up and examine each pedestal. Maybe you can figure something out," Captain Strawberry said.

"Aye, captain!" everyone else said, and they spread to each pedestal while Captain Strawberry stayed near the door, pondering on why there was something familiar with the insertions. The others examined the pedestals and tried to find out if there was any clue. They also tried a few physical methods such as a pushing, rubbing, or punching, but none worked.

"This is getting frustrating," Pie Man said. Out of frustration, he grabbed a nearby stone and threw it to the blue crystal he had been examining. The crystal's barrier deflected the stone, but then it shattered. "Hey, look!"

Everyone else immediately ran to Pie Man.

"What did you do?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"I just threw a stone at it," Pie Man said, taking the crystal.

Everyone else then tried throwing a stone at the other pedestals, but it didn't work the same way. Red and brown crystal didn't react at all, while the barrier of the silver crystal became solid and seemed more durable. As for the green crystal, the stone shattered when it hit the barrier. After a few minutes, the barrier of the silver crystal reverted back to normal condition.

"It seem each crystal has a different method to remove the barrier," Orange said.

"Figuring one out was already confusing. How are we gonna figure five out?" Angel cake said, being frustrated.

"Whatever. Let's just try everything with trial and error! Burn them, flush them with water, everything!" Pie Man said.

"That will probably take days! There should be a way to figure them out!" Sour Grapes said.

"Wait! Now I remember!" Captain Strawberry said. "It's the circle of five elements!"

"Oh yeah! That's it!" Blueberry said.

"What is that? I have no idea," Pie Man said.

"It's a philosophy of the Eastern land. There are five elements, and each element interacts with some others in a certain way," Captain Strawberry said.

"The elements are fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. A stone counts as earth, and earth defeats water. That's why throwing a stone at the blue crystal removes the barrier. The blue crystal represents water," Blueberry said.

"What about the others?" Angel asked.

"Earth is defeated by wood. That's why the stone shattered when it hit the green crystal, which represents wood," Captain Strawberry said.

"As for the silver barrier becoming solid, earth strengthens metal. The silver crystal represents metal," Blueberry said.

"So that means the brown crystal is earth and the red crystal is fire?" Orange asked.

"Alright, now tell us the weakness of the remaining crystals. Don't leave the rest of us in the dark," Sour Grapes said.

"Water defeats fire, fire defeats metal, metal defeats wood, and wood defeats earth," Blueberry said.

"Alright, leave earth to me," Pie Man said, approaching the brown crystal and kicking it with his wooden leg. As expected, the barrier disappeared and he took the crystal.

"I'll take the wood," Angel said, walking to the green crystal and removing the barrier with the head of her belt.

"I'll have the fire," Blueberry said, splashing the red crystal with water from her drinking bottle.

"Uhh, mateys!" Orange said while standing next to the silver crystal. "I have no fire. My matches are wet."

"What? How are we supposed to take this crystal now?" Pie Man asked.

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said, looking at the silver crystal and then at the ceiling. "Anybody got rope?"

"I have," Orange said, taking a long rope from her bag and giving it to Captain Strawberry. "For what, captain?"

"To get our fire," Captain Strawberry said, making a thick knot at one end of the rope. She then threw the knotted end towards the floating fireball at the ceiling. The knot touched the fireball and got burned. She then pulled the rope quickly and used the burned knot to remove the silver crystal barrier.

"Great job, captain!" Blueberry said.

"We all did a great job, because we worked together," Captain Strawberry said. The group then walked to the door and inserted all the crystals into the insertions. The door then let out a bright light.

"Congratulations, treasure seekers. You have passed my test," a voice said from the door.

"Does that mean we got the treasure?" Purple Pie Man asked.

"Silence! Hear the voice out!" Sour Grapes said.

"You have shown me that you all work together as a team, and I'm impressed. Behind this door you will find my brother, and he will test you like I did," the voice said. "If you can pass his tests, the treasure will be yours."

"Did you hear that? Just a little bit more and it's ours!" Pie Man said.

"Shut up and listen! He might have more to say!" Sour Grapes said.

"I must warn you. The tests my brother will give are unfair, or so it seems. Best of luck!" the voice said, and the door opened.

"Wait! What is your name?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"You will know soon," the voice answered while fading away.

"Did the voice say 'unfair'?" Orange asked.

"Does that mean we're gonna face an unfair test?" Angel asked.

"He also said, 'or so it seems'. I wonder what that means," Blueberry said.

"In any case, there's no use staying here. Let's move, mateys," Captain Strawberry said.

"Aye!" everyone else replied. Behind the door was a short cave passageway which led to another room about the same size as before. However, this time the walls on the left and right side were open like large windows, showing views to the outside. At the other side of the room, there was someone wearing robes like a shaman sitting on what seemed like a throne.

"Is that the other Guardian Brother?" Orange whispered to Blueberry.

"That is correct!" the person suddenly said. "I am Guardian Almond, and you are treasure seekers."

"Guardian Almond, what test should we do to get the treasure?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Straight to the point, eh? Mind you, I'm not as soft as my brother, Guardian Blackberry," Guardian Almond said.

"No matter how hard your test will be, we will get past it because we work together as a team!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Ha! Unfortunately, my test is made to deny that!" Guardian Almond said. "Only one person is allowed take the test! Choose wisely."

The group was surprised hearing what Guardian Almond had said. Then they all gathered to discuss what to do next.

"What should we do now? Who will take the test?" Sour Grapes asked.

"What will happen if the one taking it fails?" Pie Man asked. "Can another become a replacement and try again?"

"No! One try only!" Guardian Almond said loudly, still sitting on his throne.

"He sure has sharp ears," Angel said.

"Alright then, I'll go," Captain Strawberry said. "If something goes wrong, just leave me and run away."

"We won't leave you, captain!" Orange said. "We stick together as a team, no matter what!"

"Agreed!" everyone else said. Captain Strawberry smiled seeing the determination of her team. She then moved forward.

"I'll be the one taking your test," Captain Strawberry said.

"All right, let us begin. You see the two candles between us?" Guardian Almond said. Indeed there were two candles on the ground. One was much shorter than the other. "Pick one candle. I will pick the other one and we will lit it at the same time. If your candle is still burning after mine is off, you pass the test."

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said, thinking.

"It's logical to pick the long one, but it must not be that simple. The long one is probably rigged to burn out fast," Blueberry said.

"But it is possible to be a trap for us to think that way and pick the short one, and none of the candles are actually rigged," Sour Grapes said.

"Let's just believe in our captain," Orange said, and everyone else agreed.

"I'll pick the long one," Captain Strawberry said.

"Nice choice," Guardian Almond said. The long candle then floated to Captain Strawberry's hand. Guardian Almond then took a short candle which had been sitting on his throne's arm rest. "I have the short candle here as you can see. Let's begin right now."

Almond then shot fire from his finger to his candle, and then to Captain Strawberry's candle. Both candles began to burn, signing that the test has begun. Captain Strawberry stood still while holding the candle with one hand and covering the fire with the other hand from winds coming from both openings of the room. Suddenly, Captain Strawberry's candle burned very fiercely, consuming the candle very quickly.

"The long candle is rigged!" Angel said.

"Oh, you should have chosen the short one!" Sour Grapes said.

"No difference," Guardian Almond said. "Both candles are rigged like that. That's why I have my own candle here."

"What? You cheater!" Orange said.

"Say what you want. This is my test, and I choose the way I test treasure seekers," Guardian Almond said.

"Curse you!" Pie Man shouted.

Captain Strawberry didn't say anything. She looked at her burning candle, and then she smiled. She then put her candle to the ground and calmly walked towards Guardian Almond.

"If my candle burns like that, the wind will not put it off," Captain Strawberry said once she were close to Guardian Almond. She then blew Guardian Almond's candle, putting it off. Captain Strawberry's candle was still burning for the next ten seconds until it finally went off. The group cheered, knowing that their captain had won and passed the test. Guardian Almond smiled seeing what he had just seen.

"I'm honestly surprised that you found the answer to my test. All treasure seekers before you just threw the candle away and attaked me out of rage," Guardian Almond said. "Congratulations, you passed my test."

"So they made it huh, Almond?" suddenly another person dressed in shaman robes came from behind Guardian Almond's throne.

"Yeah, brother. After all these years, finally someone passed my test," Guardian Almond said.

"Are you the one who tested us before?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Yes, I am Guardian Blackberry," he replied.

"Are we getting the treasure now?" Pie Man asked, looking very excited.

"Actually, there is one more test," Guardian Almond said. "Come with us."

The group then followed both guardians into a cave passageway behind the throne. Soon, they arrived in another room. At the other side of the room there were two doors next to each other. There was also a large cage near the left door. After every people entered the room, the entrance suddenly closed by itself and was sealed tight.

"Behind the door on the right is a labirynth which leads to the exit of the cave," Guardian Almond said. "The labirynth will take at least three days to go through, probably more. Behind the other door is the treasure you seek and also the exit of this cave."

"Now you have to choose which door to open," Guardian Blackberry said.

"Opening the left door should be the logical action, right?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"That's right, but there is a catch," Guardian Almond said. "Opening the labirynth door doesn't cost anything, but if you want to open the treasure door, three of you must enter the cage."

"Once three persons enter the cage, it will be sealed with our magic. They will never get tired, thirsty, and hungry, but they will never get out of the cage forever," Guardian Blackberry said.

"Take your time and pick your choice," Guardian Almond said.

"What kind of choice is that?" Pie Man said. "We have no supplies. We won't last three more days!"

"I said, pick, your, choice," Guardian Almond said, emitting fire from his hands.

"What should we do, captain? Pie Man was right. We won't last three more days without supplies," Orange asked.

"That means only three of us getting out of here, or none at all," Blueberry said.

"I can't do that!" Angel said.

"Yeah, we have been through things together. We can't just throw it all away!" Sour Grapes said.

"Whatever you say, the choices are either only three of us, or we all perish together," Pie Man said.

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said. She then walked towards the two doors and looked at them. The doors were close to each other, the separating cave wall between the doors was maybe just about twenty inches, maybe even less. Yet what lied behind each door was so different.

"Captain!" Orange called. Captain Strawberry then walked back to them.

"We have discussed, and we have decided," Blueberry said.

"We will leave the final decision to you," Angel said.

"No matter what you choose, you will always be our captain and we will support you," Sour Grapes said.

"Yeah, I guess that's the decision," Pie Man said.

"Thank you, mateys. I'm really glad to have all of you with me," Captain Strawberry said. She then turned to the waiting Guardian Brothers. "I have made my decision."

"Speak your choice," Guardian Almond said.

"I want to open..." Captain Strawberry said. "The labirynth door."

"Are you sure with your decision? It's still not too late to change your mind," Guardian Blackberry said. "Remember, you have no supplies."

"I am berry sure!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Then, so be it," Guardian Almond said. He then waved his hand to the right door, and it opened, revealing a dark cave passageway. "Best of luck."

The group then walked into the labirynth door. Once everyone were behind the door, the door shut itself tight and Captain Strawberry stopped walking.

"Everyone, take out all our digging tools!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Huh? For what, captain?" Orange asked, taking her pickaxe which had been hanging on her belt. Captain Strawberry took hers from her belt and started hitting the left wall with it.

"What are you doing?" Pie Man asked. He then realized something. "Oh! I see!"

About one hour later, there was a large hole at the left wall of the cave passageway, large enough for a person to go through. The group had dug a hole from the labyrinth straight into the treasure room next to it. As the group entered through the hole, they noticed that the treasure room was as large as the previous test room, and at the other side of the room were two thrones with both Guardian Brothers sitting on them.

"Congratulations!" Guardian Almond said, slowly clapping his hands. "You have entered the treasure room in a way which is not supposed to exist!"

"Uh oh, he is mad," Orange said.

"Should we run away?" Angel asked.

"There's no use running away from him. Let's face it together," Captain Strawberry said.

"Smart move, captain," Guardian Almond said, standing up and approaching the group. "Do you know what you have just done?"

Nobody in the group said anything.

"Not only that you broke the wall of the room. You also broke the wall of common thought, and for that, I am impressed," Guardian Almond said as he got close to Captain Strawberry.

"What are you going to do to us?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Only one thing," Guardian Almond said. "Giving you the treasure you seek."

"Are you serious?" Purple Pie Man asked, being very surprised.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Guardian Almond said. He then revealed a big treasure chest in the middle of the room. "Go there, captain. You have earned it."

"Not me, but we," Captain Strawberry said. "I would never get this far without them."

Captain Strawberry then opened the treasure chest. To her surprise, there was only a piece of stone tile with an inscription on it. She picked it up and read the inscription in front of her teammates.

"If you highly value your teammates and always work together with them to overcome any problem, you already have the greatest treasure of all," Captain Strawberry said.

"That's it?" Orange said.

"That's the treasure?" Angel asked.

"You gotta be kidding me! All those challenges and tests, and all we got is just a useless philosophy?!" Pie Man said.

"I don't think anybody is kidding, Pie Man," Sour Grapes said.

"But it is berry right, mateys," Captain Strawberry said. "We have gone through many things to get here, and from the beginning we always worked together and had fun together searching for the treasure. I value each and every one of you berry much, and I will never trade that for any kind of treasure."

"You are absolutely right, captain," Blueberry said.

"Of course!" Orange said.

"Together we can overcome any obstacle!" Angel said.

"I guess I can agree with you on that one," Pie Man said.

"He's still upset," Sour Grapes whispered, and the whole group laughed.

"Now that the treasure is found, we have served our purpose," Guardian Almond said.

"What are you going to do after this?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"We will soon fade away into eternal rest," Guardian Blackberry said, getting up from his throne. "And for that, we thank you."

"However, you all have come all the way here. It would be a shame to walk away empty handed," Guardian Almond said, doing a finger snap. The wall at one side of the room then opened, revealing a coastline outside. There was also a dock there, complete with a pirate ship ready to set sail. The ship was bigger and looked much more powerful than the ship the group previously had.

"Life is a journey where we keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths," Guardian Blackberry said, while walking and then standing next to Guardian Almond. "That ship is now yours. Go on and seek new adventures with your greatest treasure of all."

Right after Guardian Blackberry said that, Captain Strawberry suddenly hugged both him and Guardian Almond.

"Thank you berry much for everything," Captain Strawberry said.

"No. We thank you..." both Guardian Brothers said together, and then they faded away into light. There was a silence for about one minute as some of the group leaked tears.

"All right, mateys! Let's go!" Captain Strawberry said. "A new adventure awaits us!"

"Yeah!" The group shouted together, and they ran towards their new ship, ready for the next adventure.


-End of Chapter 19- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-226.html Sun, 13 Jan 2013 20:26:12 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-226.html Quote:Chapter 18: Talk It Out


A week had passed since the day I, along with Almond and Strawberry, went into two storybooks using the new device I had made. The device had not been named that time, but later on that day I had decided to name the device as Book Diver. Speaking of Book Diver, the three of us actually had tried going into both storybooks once again at the next day. My predictions had turned out to be true. In both books the story had restarted and nobody had remembered us. In the second book, both Purple Palm Pie and my thief look-alike had not existed when we entered the book again. I had no explanation for their one time existence, and I saw no possible way it could have happened. Therefore, we had decided to keep the memories of them in our heart.

By the way, Strawberry actually had taken my idea seriously, and she really had written a story of both my look-alike and Purple Palm Pie. None of us knew the full name of my look-alike, so she made up the name Burglar Blackberry. In her story, Purple Palm Pie was the son of Professor Grapes whom she always left home alone because she was busy teaching Princess Rapunzel. One day, the two characters met by chance and eventually Purple Palm Pie convinced Burglar Blackberry to return the things he had stolen and live an honest life from then on. The End.

Of course the story is much longer than that. But this is my journal, so I have to tell my own story, don't you agree? Anyway, I will begin for real now.

Almond had been sleeping endlessly for the past three days. Turning back the time apparently had costed him more than just two weeks worth of soul power reserve. It also had disrupted the flow of energy supply from the Sun Stone to his human body. Because of that, he had fainted quite often while playing outside. Of course, it had made me worried sick about him so he had decided to hibernate until his soul power reserve is refilled. He also had convinced me that his hibernation would speed up his recovery, so I had allowed him to do it. However, I still had no idea how long he would stay asleep.

Without anything to do, I decided to visit Blueberry Muffin at her house. When I got there, I was a bit surprised to see that she was not alone. There were Strawberry, Orange, and Angel with her, and they seemed to be preparing a set of a TV studio, complete with costumes, lights, and camera.

"Hi, there," I said.

"Hello, Blackberry! It's berry nice to see you!" Strawberry said.

"Hi, Blackberry," Orange greeted. "Is Almond awake yet?"

"Not yet," I said. "By the way, what are you all doing here?"

"We're going to make a movie!" Strawberry said in excitement.

"Movie? Seriously? Why all of a sudden?" I asked. Then I learned from Strawberry about a closed down theater and their intention of reopening it by making a movie.

"I can be wrong, but I don't think we can save a theater with only one movie," I said.

"It never hurts to try, and we will never know the result if we don't try!" Strawberry said.

"Well, alright if you say so. Do you need help?" I asked.

"That will be berry appreciated, Blackberry!" Strawberry said.

"Alright, let me look around and see what you all have done so far," I said. I then walked towards the almost-finished set of a pirate ship.

"What do you say, Blackberry?" Angel asked.

"It's fine, but we're not going to make a movie with only this one set, right?" I said.

"Of course not! There will be more!" she said.

"Making other sets will take too much time and energy. I think I know what to do here," I said.

"That is gonna be great!" Angel said.

"I'll be back soon," I said, going back home. Not long later, I returned bringing a device which looked like a disco lamp along with a portable control panel.

"What is that, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"Something I made years ago," I said. Putting the control panel on the floor. "Its name is Scenery Creator."

"What does it do?" Blueberry asked.

"We're very curious!" Orange said.

"Give me a minute," I said, activating the 'disco lamp' and throwing it upwards. It then floated at the center of the room. I then sat in front of the control panel and activated it. "Listen, friends. Do not move from your position no matter what!"

"Huh? Oh, okay!" Strawberry said.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Orange asked.

"Alright if you say so," Blueberry said.

"Here goes!" I said, pressing a button on the control panel. Everything around us went static and blurry, and then suddenly we were on a beautiful coastline.

"Wow..." Strawberry said.

"What just happened?" Blueberry asked, looking around.

"Did you just teleport us?" Orange asked.

"This is amazing!" Angel said, starting to run towards the sea.

"No! Don't...!" I shouted, but it was too late. She suddenly crashed onto something hard.

"Ouch! What was that?" she asked, rubbing her nose. I then deactivated the device with the control panel, and we were instantly back to Blueberry's house.

"That's why I told you to stay put. We're actually still in this same room. Running around will cause what just happened to you," I said.

"You should have said that before!" she said, being very upset.

"Angel Cake, he told us to stay put," Strawberry said.

"He did not explain why we should stay put!" Angel said. "And what's the use of that thing if we cannot move around?!"

"Angel Cake, don't say it like that," Strawberry said.

"It's fine, Strawberry. She has a point," I said. "I guess I have to make a few adjustments to this device."

"You better do that or you will cause more accident," Angel said.

I was frankly a bit upset with Angel Cake's attitude. She could have said those with nicer way of speaking. I didn't want to repeat the averted history, though, so I just kept silent about it.

Later, the sky was getting dark and the weather was getting very windy. We have decided to call it a day and go home. I left Scenery Creator and my tools in Blueberry's house because I thought it was easier than bringing them back home.

"Be sure to close all your windows, Blueberry," I said at the front door. Everyone else were holding their hats because of the strong wind.

"Yeah, it's going to be stormy tonight," Angel said.

"It does look stormy," Blueberry said. "Don't worry. I'll do it right now."

"See you in the morning!" Strawberry said, and all of us went back home.

Later that night, I couldn't sleep. I just came to realize that it was the first time I left my device at someone else's house overnight. Would the device be okay? Had Blueberry remembered to close the windows? All my paranoia prevented me from getting any sleep at all. So, I decided to check on Blueberry's house. It was already over midnight and the weather was still very windy, so I decided to ride Arrowhead to go to Blueberry's house. When I arrived there, I was surprised seeing the window wide open. I immediately closed the window, although I knew I was too late.

"Ah well, I guess I'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow," I said before going back home.

At the next day, when all of us were back at Blueberry's house, we were horrified to see everything inside being a complete mess. What really surprised me was the fact that the window I had closed at midnight was wide open again.

"What happened here?" Angel asked, then she saw the window. "Oh, Blueberry! You didn't close the window!"

"But I did close them," Blueberry said. "Though I remember something..."

"What is it, Blueberry Muffin?" Strawberry asked.

"About midnight, a noise woke me up. I was curious, so I looked through the window in my room," she said.

"What kind of noise? Did you see anything?" Orange asked.

"It was an engine noise, and..." Blueberry said, looking at me. "I saw you, Blackberry."

Everybody was pretty surprised hearing that. I knew that I soon would become a victim of a misunderstanding.

"Is that really true, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked. "Were you really here last night?"

I was completely torn between denying and accepting. I didn't want to lie and deny, it was not a right thing to do. But accepting would put me in a really bad misunderstanding situation.

"I... Yeah... I was here," I said, deciding not to lie.

"Why did you do that?! That's just mean!" Angel said.

"I said I was here, not that I opened the window on purpose," I said, trying to hold myself from getting enraged.

"Would you explain to us, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"It's useless," I said. "Nobody will believe me."

"Of course we would! Why shouldn't we?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said with upset face and arms folded. "I did not open the window. That's all I want to say. If you don't believe me for that one, then I will just leave."

"Maybe we should just get back to work," Orange said.

"Right! We can't let something like this stop us!" Strawberry said. We all then went back to work. I was glad that I had managed to contain myself, but I still felt something burning in my chest, and it did not feel good at all. In any case, I was lucky that the storm did not cause any damage to Scenery Creator, so I didn't have much to do.

"We'll have things ready to go in no time flat! Maybe sooner!" Strawberry said once most of the mess were cleaned up.

"The costumes seem to be okay, just a little dusty," Blueberry said, clearing dust from her costumes.

"My work is done. I'm going out for now. Be back soon," I said, then I left the place. Outside, I just walked aimlessly with nothing in my mind. I still felt upset because of Angel Cake, and I had no idea where to vent it out. Without my knowing, I was already halfway home. I had nothing to do at home, so I turned around and went back to Blueberry's house. When I arrived and entered, everyone there were gathering near the costume rack and they looked at me.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Look at these messes," Orange said, showing the costume she held. It was too small for her, but maybe could fit Margalo. I then noticed that the others were also holding a messed up costume. Strawberry's pirate hat was half red and half blue. Angel's coat had an extra sleeve.

"How could this happen?" I asked.

"Well... I actually noticed something," Orange said. "I noticed at one moment that some costumes were missing from the rack, but I only thought that they were being cleaned. And then..."

"And then what?" I asked, hoping that I would not fall to another misunderstanding.

"When I looked again, I saw a hand putting these messed up costumes on the rack," she said.

"And at that time you were the only one not with us," Angel said. That was when I knew I would fall victim again. "Are you trying to ruin our movie?!"

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked with arms folded.

"I don't know, maybe you're mad because you don't get any role?" Angel said cynically.

"Say whatever you want," I said, walking away from them and getting out from the house again. Once outside, I put on Blind Spot and walked around the house. When I got close to an open window, I heard something, so I decided to stop and listen.

"We need to talk, Strawberry," a voice I recognized as Angel's said.

"About what, Angel Cake?" Strawberry asked.

"About him. Blackberry," Angel said. "He's definitely trying to ruin our movie."

"That's not a nice thing to say, Angel Cake," Strawberry said. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he doesn't get any role!" Angel said.

"He never asked for it, and if he really wants a role we can always give him one," Strawberry said.

"One more thing, Strawberry. He did not deny that he did all those. That's more than enough proof that he is not as nice as we have been believing," Angel said.

I did not hear anything more than that. I was already hurt badly by all I had heard, that I immediately left the place with major pain on my chest. After removing Blind Spot, I kept walking aimlessly without anything but grief in my mind. Without my knowing, I stumbled upon something very familiar. It was Purple Pie Man's carriage, parked at a pretty obscure place. I then examined the storage space at the back of the carriage, and I found pirate costumes which had probably been stolen from Blueberry's house. I also found a stack of paper which turned out to be the script for the movie. All things I had found were more than enough proof that our movie making had been being disrupted by Purple Pie Man. I was about to immediately return to Blueberry's house, but suddenly I was grabbed by none other than Purple Pie Man himself.

"Snooping little kid. Not so fast," Pie Man said, holding me.

"Why were you trying to ruin our movie?" I asked.

"There's no use talking about it," he said. "Sour Grapes, find me a rope!"

"Is confining me going to do any good for you?" I asked. "My friends will eventually know."

"Do you think I haven't heard everything there? They are no longer your friend. They believe that you're the one ruining their movie," he said. "And I didn't even try to frame you. You did it to yourself."

"I guess you're right," I said after sighing. Soon, Sour Grapes came bringing a rope. I knew that once again I would waste time being tied up by Pie Man. It had happened so many times that I was embarassed of myself for easily getting into this mess.

However, suddenly a very loud lightning strike occured. It surprised all of us so much that Pie Man released his grip and I fell down to the ground. I immediately stood up and realized what had happened.

"What was that? Lightning strike? How?! There is no cloud!" Pie Man said.

"Why should I know?" Sour Grapes said. Immediately, Albatross came and floated near us.

"What is that thing?" Pie Man asked.

"Remember when I said 'jet plane' the last time we met?" I asked back. "That's my jet plane. Albatross."

After I said that, the canopy opened and my dear brother Almond jumped out from it. He landed right in front of Pie Man, who was startled.

"Brother! I'm glad that you're okay!" Almond said, running past Pie Man towards me.

"Yeah, thanks for your help, Almond," I said as he hugged me.

"Hey, what happened here?" suddenly I heard Strawberry's voice. I looked and indeed Strawberry was there along with Angel Cake, Blueberry, and Orange.

"I don't know myself, but I know that Pie Man here captured my brother and I came just in time," Almond said.

"Hey, aren't those our costumes?" Blueberry said, noticing the costumes.

"And that looks like our script!" Angel said, noticing the papers.

"So you're the one who have been trying to ruin our movie!" Orange said.

"Why did you do all those, Pie Man?" Strawberry asked with slightly upset face.

"Well I... That is to say... What I mean is I..." Pie Man said in panic. "Oh, I don't wanna talk about it."

"No! Go on, tell them!" Sour Grapes said.

"Grr..." Pie Man grumbled.


Soon after, all of us were sitting on logs in a circle formation. Albatross had reverted into the necklace worn by Almond.

"So, Blackberry. Why didn't you say that you were not the one ruining our movie?" Strawberry asked.

"I just thought that talking it out was useless because nobody would believe me, and I didn't want to argue. So I thought I could just leave you all thinking that way while I look for the real culprit," I said.

"You didn't have to do that, Blackberry. You should have talked it out. We are friends, we will always believe you. Right, everyone?" Strawberry said.

"Absolutely," Blueberry said.

"Of course we do!" Orange said.

"Yeah, and... umm... Blackberry... I'm really sorry for all I have said. I should have never been so mean," Angel said.

"What's past is past," I said. "Anyway, I wonder how did you all got here."

"We were looking for you, Blackberry," Orange said.

"Although, we actually lost your track," Blueberry said.

"We found you thanks to Albatross. His lightning cannon noise was what led us here," Strawberry said.

"What did you say? Lightning cannon?" Pie Man said, probably realizing that he had been in grave danger back then.

"Only for the surprise," Almond said. "I don't want to harm anyone, unless someone has gone too far..." he continued, grinning towards Pie Man.

"Okay, Pie Man. Please tell us what happened," Strawberry said.

"I... I want to stop your movie because I want to use the old theater as a store to sell my pies," Pie Man said.

"Couldn't you sell pies at the theater if it was open?" Strawberry said.

"Ha! Now there's an idea, eh?" Sour Grapes said.

"Well, I suppose it would be a possibility. But the old theater is closed now so it hardly matters anymore, does it?" Pie Man said. As he talked I noticed his thin moustache moving and curving around, and it was a pretty funny sight.

"It will be open if we finish our movie," Strawberry said. "Pie Man, do you think you can help us?"

"Oooohh what fun that would be! Wouldn't it, Pie Man? Wouldn't it?!" Sour Grapes said, looking very excited.

"Well, guess we could help," Pie Man said. "A little."

So, our movie production continued with two new crews. We got so busy that hours and days passed without our knowing. The production went very smoothly without any meaningful obstruction, and finally we finished everything after 2 weeks. I didn't know what happened next because Strawberry was the one taking care of putting the movie into the theater. All I knew was that one week later all eight of us were at the premiere of the movie. Strawberry, Orange, Angel, Blueberry, Pie Man, and Sour Grapes came to the theater through the front door and the cheering crowds with their best formal clothes, while I who couldn't handle crowds and Almond who couldn't change outfit entered through the back door.

Soon enough, the seats of the studio were filled and the movie started...

--End of Chapter 18-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 18: Talk It Out


A week had passed since the day I, along with Almond and Strawberry, went into two storybooks using the new device I had made. The device had not been named that time, but later on that day I had decided to name the device as Book Diver. Speaking of Book Diver, the three of us actually had tried going into both storybooks once again at the next day. My predictions had turned out to be true. In both books the story had restarted and nobody had remembered us. In the second book, both Purple Palm Pie and my thief look-alike had not existed when we entered the book again. I had no explanation for their one time existence, and I saw no possible way it could have happened. Therefore, we had decided to keep the memories of them in our heart.

By the way, Strawberry actually had taken my idea seriously, and she really had written a story of both my look-alike and Purple Palm Pie. None of us knew the full name of my look-alike, so she made up the name Burglar Blackberry. In her story, Purple Palm Pie was the son of Professor Grapes whom she always left home alone because she was busy teaching Princess Rapunzel. One day, the two characters met by chance and eventually Purple Palm Pie convinced Burglar Blackberry to return the things he had stolen and live an honest life from then on. The End.

Of course the story is much longer than that. But this is my journal, so I have to tell my own story, don't you agree? Anyway, I will begin for real now.

Almond had been sleeping endlessly for the past three days. Turning back the time apparently had costed him more than just two weeks worth of soul power reserve. It also had disrupted the flow of energy supply from the Sun Stone to his human body. Because of that, he had fainted quite often while playing outside. Of course, it had made me worried sick about him so he had decided to hibernate until his soul power reserve is refilled. He also had convinced me that his hibernation would speed up his recovery, so I had allowed him to do it. However, I still had no idea how long he would stay asleep.

Without anything to do, I decided to visit Blueberry Muffin at her house. When I got there, I was a bit surprised to see that she was not alone. There were Strawberry, Orange, and Angel with her, and they seemed to be preparing a set of a TV studio, complete with costumes, lights, and camera.

"Hi, there," I said.

"Hello, Blackberry! It's berry nice to see you!" Strawberry said.

"Hi, Blackberry," Orange greeted. "Is Almond awake yet?"

"Not yet," I said. "By the way, what are you all doing here?"

"We're going to make a movie!" Strawberry said in excitement.

"Movie? Seriously? Why all of a sudden?" I asked. Then I learned from Strawberry about a closed down theater and their intention of reopening it by making a movie.

"I can be wrong, but I don't think we can save a theater with only one movie," I said.

"It never hurts to try, and we will never know the result if we don't try!" Strawberry said.

"Well, alright if you say so. Do you need help?" I asked.

"That will be berry appreciated, Blackberry!" Strawberry said.

"Alright, let me look around and see what you all have done so far," I said. I then walked towards the almost-finished set of a pirate ship.

"What do you say, Blackberry?" Angel asked.

"It's fine, but we're not going to make a movie with only this one set, right?" I said.

"Of course not! There will be more!" she said.

"Making other sets will take too much time and energy. I think I know what to do here," I said.

"That is gonna be great!" Angel said.

"I'll be back soon," I said, going back home. Not long later, I returned bringing a device which looked like a disco lamp along with a portable control panel.

"What is that, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"Something I made years ago," I said. Putting the control panel on the floor. "Its name is Scenery Creator."

"What does it do?" Blueberry asked.

"We're very curious!" Orange said.

"Give me a minute," I said, activating the 'disco lamp' and throwing it upwards. It then floated at the center of the room. I then sat in front of the control panel and activated it. "Listen, friends. Do not move from your position no matter what!"

"Huh? Oh, okay!" Strawberry said.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Orange asked.

"Alright if you say so," Blueberry said.

"Here goes!" I said, pressing a button on the control panel. Everything around us went static and blurry, and then suddenly we were on a beautiful coastline.

"Wow..." Strawberry said.

"What just happened?" Blueberry asked, looking around.

"Did you just teleport us?" Orange asked.

"This is amazing!" Angel said, starting to run towards the sea.

"No! Don't...!" I shouted, but it was too late. She suddenly crashed onto something hard.

"Ouch! What was that?" she asked, rubbing her nose. I then deactivated the device with the control panel, and we were instantly back to Blueberry's house.

"That's why I told you to stay put. We're actually still in this same room. Running around will cause what just happened to you," I said.

"You should have said that before!" she said, being very upset.

"Angel Cake, he told us to stay put," Strawberry said.

"He did not explain why we should stay put!" Angel said. "And what's the use of that thing if we cannot move around?!"

"Angel Cake, don't say it like that," Strawberry said.

"It's fine, Strawberry. She has a point," I said. "I guess I have to make a few adjustments to this device."

"You better do that or you will cause more accident," Angel said.

I was frankly a bit upset with Angel Cake's attitude. She could have said those with nicer way of speaking. I didn't want to repeat the averted history, though, so I just kept silent about it.

Later, the sky was getting dark and the weather was getting very windy. We have decided to call it a day and go home. I left Scenery Creator and my tools in Blueberry's house because I thought it was easier than bringing them back home.

"Be sure to close all your windows, Blueberry," I said at the front door. Everyone else were holding their hats because of the strong wind.

"Yeah, it's going to be stormy tonight," Angel said.

"It does look stormy," Blueberry said. "Don't worry. I'll do it right now."

"See you in the morning!" Strawberry said, and all of us went back home.

Later that night, I couldn't sleep. I just came to realize that it was the first time I left my device at someone else's house overnight. Would the device be okay? Had Blueberry remembered to close the windows? All my paranoia prevented me from getting any sleep at all. So, I decided to check on Blueberry's house. It was already over midnight and the weather was still very windy, so I decided to ride Arrowhead to go to Blueberry's house. When I arrived there, I was surprised seeing the window wide open. I immediately closed the window, although I knew I was too late.

"Ah well, I guess I'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow," I said before going back home.

At the next day, when all of us were back at Blueberry's house, we were horrified to see everything inside being a complete mess. What really surprised me was the fact that the window I had closed at midnight was wide open again.

"What happened here?" Angel asked, then she saw the window. "Oh, Blueberry! You didn't close the window!"

"But I did close them," Blueberry said. "Though I remember something..."

"What is it, Blueberry Muffin?" Strawberry asked.

"About midnight, a noise woke me up. I was curious, so I looked through the window in my room," she said.

"What kind of noise? Did you see anything?" Orange asked.

"It was an engine noise, and..." Blueberry said, looking at me. "I saw you, Blackberry."

Everybody was pretty surprised hearing that. I knew that I soon would become a victim of a misunderstanding.

"Is that really true, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked. "Were you really here last night?"

I was completely torn between denying and accepting. I didn't want to lie and deny, it was not a right thing to do. But accepting would put me in a really bad misunderstanding situation.

"I... Yeah... I was here," I said, deciding not to lie.

"Why did you do that?! That's just mean!" Angel said.

"I said I was here, not that I opened the window on purpose," I said, trying to hold myself from getting enraged.

"Would you explain to us, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"It's useless," I said. "Nobody will believe me."

"Of course we would! Why shouldn't we?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said with upset face and arms folded. "I did not open the window. That's all I want to say. If you don't believe me for that one, then I will just leave."

"Maybe we should just get back to work," Orange said.

"Right! We can't let something like this stop us!" Strawberry said. We all then went back to work. I was glad that I had managed to contain myself, but I still felt something burning in my chest, and it did not feel good at all. In any case, I was lucky that the storm did not cause any damage to Scenery Creator, so I didn't have much to do.

"We'll have things ready to go in no time flat! Maybe sooner!" Strawberry said once most of the mess were cleaned up.

"The costumes seem to be okay, just a little dusty," Blueberry said, clearing dust from her costumes.

"My work is done. I'm going out for now. Be back soon," I said, then I left the place. Outside, I just walked aimlessly with nothing in my mind. I still felt upset because of Angel Cake, and I had no idea where to vent it out. Without my knowing, I was already halfway home. I had nothing to do at home, so I turned around and went back to Blueberry's house. When I arrived and entered, everyone there were gathering near the costume rack and they looked at me.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Look at these messes," Orange said, showing the costume she held. It was too small for her, but maybe could fit Margalo. I then noticed that the others were also holding a messed up costume. Strawberry's pirate hat was half red and half blue. Angel's coat had an extra sleeve.

"How could this happen?" I asked.

"Well... I actually noticed something," Orange said. "I noticed at one moment that some costumes were missing from the rack, but I only thought that they were being cleaned. And then..."

"And then what?" I asked, hoping that I would not fall to another misunderstanding.

"When I looked again, I saw a hand putting these messed up costumes on the rack," she said.

"And at that time you were the only one not with us," Angel said. That was when I knew I would fall victim again. "Are you trying to ruin our movie?!"

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked with arms folded.

"I don't know, maybe you're mad because you don't get any role?" Angel said cynically.

"Say whatever you want," I said, walking away from them and getting out from the house again. Once outside, I put on Blind Spot and walked around the house. When I got close to an open window, I heard something, so I decided to stop and listen.

"We need to talk, Strawberry," a voice I recognized as Angel's said.

"About what, Angel Cake?" Strawberry asked.

"About him. Blackberry," Angel said. "He's definitely trying to ruin our movie."

"That's not a nice thing to say, Angel Cake," Strawberry said. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he doesn't get any role!" Angel said.

"He never asked for it, and if he really wants a role we can always give him one," Strawberry said.

"One more thing, Strawberry. He did not deny that he did all those. That's more than enough proof that he is not as nice as we have been believing," Angel said.

I did not hear anything more than that. I was already hurt badly by all I had heard, that I immediately left the place with major pain on my chest. After removing Blind Spot, I kept walking aimlessly without anything but grief in my mind. Without my knowing, I stumbled upon something very familiar. It was Purple Pie Man's carriage, parked at a pretty obscure place. I then examined the storage space at the back of the carriage, and I found pirate costumes which had probably been stolen from Blueberry's house. I also found a stack of paper which turned out to be the script for the movie. All things I had found were more than enough proof that our movie making had been being disrupted by Purple Pie Man. I was about to immediately return to Blueberry's house, but suddenly I was grabbed by none other than Purple Pie Man himself.

"Snooping little kid. Not so fast," Pie Man said, holding me.

"Why were you trying to ruin our movie?" I asked.

"There's no use talking about it," he said. "Sour Grapes, find me a rope!"

"Is confining me going to do any good for you?" I asked. "My friends will eventually know."

"Do you think I haven't heard everything there? They are no longer your friend. They believe that you're the one ruining their movie," he said. "And I didn't even try to frame you. You did it to yourself."

"I guess you're right," I said after sighing. Soon, Sour Grapes came bringing a rope. I knew that once again I would waste time being tied up by Pie Man. It had happened so many times that I was embarassed of myself for easily getting into this mess.

However, suddenly a very loud lightning strike occured. It surprised all of us so much that Pie Man released his grip and I fell down to the ground. I immediately stood up and realized what had happened.

"What was that? Lightning strike? How?! There is no cloud!" Pie Man said.

"Why should I know?" Sour Grapes said. Immediately, Albatross came and floated near us.

"What is that thing?" Pie Man asked.

"Remember when I said 'jet plane' the last time we met?" I asked back. "That's my jet plane. Albatross."

After I said that, the canopy opened and my dear brother Almond jumped out from it. He landed right in front of Pie Man, who was startled.

"Brother! I'm glad that you're okay!" Almond said, running past Pie Man towards me.

"Yeah, thanks for your help, Almond," I said as he hugged me.

"Hey, what happened here?" suddenly I heard Strawberry's voice. I looked and indeed Strawberry was there along with Angel Cake, Blueberry, and Orange.

"I don't know myself, but I know that Pie Man here captured my brother and I came just in time," Almond said.

"Hey, aren't those our costumes?" Blueberry said, noticing the costumes.

"And that looks like our script!" Angel said, noticing the papers.

"So you're the one who have been trying to ruin our movie!" Orange said.

"Why did you do all those, Pie Man?" Strawberry asked with slightly upset face.

"Well I... That is to say... What I mean is I..." Pie Man said in panic. "Oh, I don't wanna talk about it."

"No! Go on, tell them!" Sour Grapes said.

"Grr..." Pie Man grumbled.


Soon after, all of us were sitting on logs in a circle formation. Albatross had reverted into the necklace worn by Almond.

"So, Blackberry. Why didn't you say that you were not the one ruining our movie?" Strawberry asked.

"I just thought that talking it out was useless because nobody would believe me, and I didn't want to argue. So I thought I could just leave you all thinking that way while I look for the real culprit," I said.

"You didn't have to do that, Blackberry. You should have talked it out. We are friends, we will always believe you. Right, everyone?" Strawberry said.

"Absolutely," Blueberry said.

"Of course we do!" Orange said.

"Yeah, and... umm... Blackberry... I'm really sorry for all I have said. I should have never been so mean," Angel said.

"What's past is past," I said. "Anyway, I wonder how did you all got here."

"We were looking for you, Blackberry," Orange said.

"Although, we actually lost your track," Blueberry said.

"We found you thanks to Albatross. His lightning cannon noise was what led us here," Strawberry said.

"What did you say? Lightning cannon?" Pie Man said, probably realizing that he had been in grave danger back then.

"Only for the surprise," Almond said. "I don't want to harm anyone, unless someone has gone too far..." he continued, grinning towards Pie Man.

"Okay, Pie Man. Please tell us what happened," Strawberry said.

"I... I want to stop your movie because I want to use the old theater as a store to sell my pies," Pie Man said.

"Couldn't you sell pies at the theater if it was open?" Strawberry said.

"Ha! Now there's an idea, eh?" Sour Grapes said.

"Well, I suppose it would be a possibility. But the old theater is closed now so it hardly matters anymore, does it?" Pie Man said. As he talked I noticed his thin moustache moving and curving around, and it was a pretty funny sight.

"It will be open if we finish our movie," Strawberry said. "Pie Man, do you think you can help us?"

"Oooohh what fun that would be! Wouldn't it, Pie Man? Wouldn't it?!" Sour Grapes said, looking very excited.

"Well, guess we could help," Pie Man said. "A little."

So, our movie production continued with two new crews. We got so busy that hours and days passed without our knowing. The production went very smoothly without any meaningful obstruction, and finally we finished everything after 2 weeks. I didn't know what happened next because Strawberry was the one taking care of putting the movie into the theater. All I knew was that one week later all eight of us were at the premiere of the movie. Strawberry, Orange, Angel, Blueberry, Pie Man, and Sour Grapes came to the theater through the front door and the cheering crowds with their best formal clothes, while I who couldn't handle crowds and Almond who couldn't change outfit entered through the back door.

Soon enough, the seats of the studio were filled and the movie started...

--End of Chapter 18-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-225.html Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:56:48 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-225.html Quote:Chapter 17: Unexpected Meeting


We went out from Strawberry's storybook not long after parting with everyone in Brambleberry's house. I brought with me quite a number of Brambleberry treats which Brambleberry Fairy had given to us. The first thing I checked was the time because I needed to know how long had passed in the real world while we had been away in the storybook.

"Well, that's surprising," I said, looking at the clock on the living room wall.

"What is it?" Almond asked.

"Not even a minute has passed here," I replied.

"Are you sure, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"Well, there's one way to know," I said. "Almond, please communicate with him and ask how long we have been away."

"I see. Okay," Almond said. He then closed his eyes for a brief moment, and opened them again.

"Well?" I said.

"He said that we came out of the portal just about ten seconds after we had entered," Almond said.

"How berry strange! We spent a lot of time there, right?" Strawberry said.

"Ten seconds... Hmm..." I said, thinking for a moment. "This is just an estimation, but it seems that one day in the storybook is one minute in the real world."

"That's interesting," Almond said.

"I don't know if it will be the same for a different storybook, though," I said. "Oh, Strawberrry, please take the storybook from the device and check if there's any change in the story."

"Alright," Strawberry said, taking the book from the device. She then opened the book and read it briefly. "Nope, the story here is still the same."

"Well, it's unfortunate, but if we enter the book again the story will probably restart and nobody will remember us," I said.

"Hey, it is how a storybook supposed to work!" Almond said. "After we finish reading one and then go back to page one, the story begins again without any change!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said. "Let's try the other storybook then."

"This one is more peaceful. There is no villain in this story," Strawberry said, taking the other storybook.

"Good for us," I said in low voice so only Almond could hear it.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Almond asked. Strawberry then put the storybook in the device. I activated it and it began to scan the storybook. However, suddenly the device let out black smokes right after the scan had finished.

"Something is wrong. I better turn it off," I said, but right before I could switch it off, electricity waves emerged from the device and created a dimension door. To make matters worse, the dimension door sucked all of us like a black hole.

We all fell down on an open field of grass. I immediately stood up, and so did the others.

"What just happened?" Strawberry asked.

"I honestly have no idea," I said, picking up my backpack which fortunately had been sucked in with us.

"Better make sure we can still go home," Almond said.

"Yeah," I said, taking the device's remote which I had been keeping in my pocket. I pressed a button and a dimension door appeared. "No problem here. We can go home anytime we want."

"That's a relief," Almond said as the dimension door vanished. "Let's enjoy this world then, now that we're here."

"Hey, look! Someone's coming!" I said, pointing to a direction. Indeed there were two persons walking towards us. It was a bit surprising that one of them looked like Sour Grapes, but it was even more surprising that the other person can be recognized as Purple Pie Man but younger, about Apple Dumplin's age.

"The lady is probably Professor Grapes, but I have never seen the boy with her in the book," Strawberry said.

"He sure looks like Pie Man," Almond commented.

The boy seemed to notice us, and then he talked to the lady while occasionally pointing at us. Once they were near us, they stopped and started a conversation.

"Good day. Do you know the way to the king's castle?" the lady asked.

"Umm, we are travellers from far away, so we have no idea. Sorry," I said.

"Oh dear," she said. "Better keep walking, then."

"May we walk with you?" Almond asked.

"I see no problem," she said, and we started walking. "Ah, where are my manners? I am Professor Grapes, and this is my son Purple Palm Pie."

"Uhh, hi there," the boy said timidly. "You can just call me..."

Professor Grapes interrupted by clearing her throat.

"Never mind," Purple Palm Pie said.

"My name is Blackberry Bun," I said.

"I'm his brother. My name is Almond Cookie," Almond said.

"I'm Strawberry Shortcake. It's berry nice to meet you, Purple Palm Pie and Professor Grapes!" Strawberry said.

"Why are you all here?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, we are travellers. We just happen to be here," I said.

"Oh, I see. My mother here was invited by the king and the queen to be the teacher for the princess," Purple Palm Pie said.

"That must be a very tough job. We wish you luck," I said.

"Thank you," Professor Grapes said.

"Hey, Strawberry," I whispered. "Is it written anywhere in the book that Professor Grapes has a child?"

"I am berry sure that it is never mentioned anywhere in the book," Strawberry whispered back.

"That's very strange," I whispered. "Probably the effect from the accident we had when we came to this world."

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Let's wait and see what happens next. If anything goes wrong we will immediately get out of this world," I whispered.

It didn't take long for us to find the castle because it was big enough we could see it from far away. When we arrived at the front gate, we stopped and a conversation started.

"Wait here, son," Professor Grapes said. "I'm the only one invited."

"Alright, mom," Purple Palm Pie said.

"Travellers, could you please accompany my son? This should not take long," Professor Grapes said.

"No problem," I said.

"Thank you," she said, and then she entered the castle.

"Is your mother a famous teacher, Purple Palm Pie?" I asked.

"You can just call me Pie Boy when my mother is not around," Purple Palm Pie said, which felt a bit awkward for me. "And yes, she's famous for being strict and a bit odd. And she has a very long list of references."

"Where are you from?" Almond asked.

"I don't know," he said.

"How come?" Strawberry asked.

"Mom's reputation made many kings invite her to be the teacher of their princesses. That's why she has been moving from one kingdom to another even before she had me," he said.

"Do you wish to have a permanent place to stay?" I asked.

"Yeah, kinda. All the travels are quite tiring, and having to say farewell to my friends every time mom moves..." he said.

"I see, that must be tough," Almond said.

Not too long later, Professor Grapes came out from the gate bringing a key and a scroll.

"Son, here is the key for the house the king provides for us this time, and here is the map for its location," she said, giving the key and the scroll to Purple Palm Pie.

"What about you, mom?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"I am going to pick up the princess and bring her to her study place. I will be home by nightfall," Professor Grapes replied. "Like before, I have memorized the location."

"Alright, mom," Purple Palm Pie said.

"Travellers, thank you for your patronage. I should not hold you any longer than this," Professor Grapes said.

"It was no problem," I said.

"Hey, where are you all going to sleep tonight?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, we haven't decided," I said.

"Mom, how about we invite them to stay at our house?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"I see no problem with it," Professor Grapes said. Purple Palm Pie then looked at us with delightful face.

"Well, I guess we will gladly accept," I said. "Thank you."

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said.

So, the three of us stayed in Professor Grapes' and her son's temporary house, which was a simple wooden house located at the edge of a forest behind the king's castle. During our stay, Purple Palm Pie asked a lot about us such as where we were from and places we had visited. We ended up telling him everything about Strawberryland and quite a number of places I and Strawberry had visited during our stay in Oz.

"Wow! All the places you have told me about are all amazing! As if they came out from a fairy tale!" Purple Palm Pie commented.

"They sure are pretty hard to believe, and I honestly didn't expect you to believe that we really have been there," I said.

"Why shouldn't I believe? The world is huge! No matter how much I have travelled, there must be many amazing places I have not even heard of!" Purple Palm Pie said.

"You're berry right, Pie Boy!" Strawberry said.

"But still, how far are those places from here?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well..." I said. "We were in those places years ago, and we have been travelling without map. So unfortunately we now only know that those places are very far from here."

"I see. That's unfortunate," Purple Palm Pie said.

Professor Grapes came home by nightfall as she had said, and during dinner we learned about the princess she had to teach this time. The princess' name was Rapunzel and she was a complete tomboy, which had made her parents worried that she would not become a proper princess. To remedy this problem, Professor Grapes had been invited to be the teacher of the princess so she will learn the right thing. For this purpose, a tower was provided to be used as the classroom and also the place where the princess would stay for the rest of her studies. The tower was unique in a way that the only entrance and exit was a window located near its peak, which was only accessible with a long ladder.

"I'm not sure, but putting her in a tower doesn't sound right..." I said.

"Yeah, kinda sounds like a prison to me," Almond said.

"You have a point, dear. But I have to do things necessary for achieving what I was hired for," Professor Grapes said.

"Well, I guess I'll just believe that you know what you are doing and wish you luck," I said.

"Thank you," she said. "Let us sleep now. It is already late."

"Good night," I said, and we all went to sleep.

At the next day, Professor Grapes was already gone by the time the three of us woke up. We found Purple Palm Pie in the living room, sitting on a chair and reading a book. He stopped reading when he noticed us coming.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Good morning, Pie Boy! Yes, we slept berry well! Right, everyone?" Strawberry said.

"I guess so," I said.

"Yeah," Almond said.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, this kingdom should have a town, right? Let's go there and walk around," I said.

"That's a berry good idea, Blackberry!" Strawberry said. Purple Palm Pie then took the map we had used the day before and opened it.

"According to this map, the nearest town is about 30 minute walk from this house," he said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Almond said in excitement.

"Right behind you," Purple Palm Pie said.

We then walked to the town of the kingdom. During the trip we told Purple Palm Pie more about us and he was excited to hear them. Later, as he had predicted, we arrived in town by 30 minutes. The town was about as technologically advanced as the towns in Oz, but of course only inhabited by humans without any magic present. After walking a bit, we ended up at the marketplace. The place was crowded with people shopping and trading, as expected from a marketplace. We didn't have any intention to buy anything so we just kept walking.

"It's him! He's the one!" suddenly we heard someone yelling. We looked at the source and saw a merchant pointing at us. Other citizens started looking at us immediately.

"Get him!" another merchant yelled, jumping from his stand and running towards us.

"RUN!" Almond said, and we immediately ran away from the place. The merchants, along with quite a number of citizens, chased us.

"What's the matter with them?" Purple Palm Pie asked while still running.

"I have no idea!" I said.

"Me neither! But the way they acted obviously meant nothing good for us!" Almond said.

"Hey, look!" Strawberry said, pointing forward. We then saw someone at an alleyway entrance signaling us to enter the alleyway. His face was concealed in hood. We knew that we would be caught if we kept running straight, so we entered the alleyway. The guy then led us into a small house and once we were inside, he opened a trapdoor leading to the basement of the house. All of us, including the guy, entered the basement. Not long after, we heard noises of people chasing us from the outside. Fortunately, the noises eventually faded. The guy then lit up a lantern to illuminate the dark basement. We then realized that he was as tall as us, although we still couldn't see his face.

"Thank you for saving us," I said.

"Yeah, thank you," Purple Palm Pie said. "Although I still have no idea why they chased us."

"It's because of me," the guy said, revealing his face. The rest of us were surprised because the man looked exactly like me.

"What? Two Blackberry?" Purple Palm Pie said.

"I see that we even share the same name," the guy said, looking at me.

"Wait! You said 'because of you'? Does that mean..." Almond said.

"Exactly," the guy said. "I'm a thief, and this is my hideout."

"You're a thief? That's not a right thing to do!" Strawberry said.

"Strawberry, we better let him be," I said.

"But..." Strawberry said.

"I know how you feel. But remember, Strawberry. This is not our place. We should not meddle with the affairs of people here," I said.

"Okay..." Strawberry said.

"Wait until nightfall, and you will be safe to get out of here," the guy said.

"Unfortunately, we have a problem here," Almond said. "His mother will be worried about him."

"And to make it worse, he was seen with me and he will be staying in this kingdom with his mother for a while unlike us," I said. "If someday he comes to this town again, I don't know what will happen."

"Hmm..." the guy said. "I have an idea for that."


About half an hour later, the marketplace of the town was already back to its usual activities. But the activities didn't last long because a merchant noticed the thief he knew walking at the edge of a much less crowded street carrying a large sack.

"Look! He's stealing something again! Get him!" the merchant said, jumping from his stand. The thief noticed people chasing him and he started to run fast. However, the sack he was carrying was too heavy. So, he dropped the sack and ran away really fast, quickly disappearing from sight.

"He got away again!" the merchant said.

"At least this time he didn't get to steal anything," a citizen said, crouching near the sack.

"I wonder what he was going to steal this time," another citizen said. "Let's open it."

The people then opened the sack and got surprised. Inside the sack was Purple Palm Pie, bound and gagged, and looking scared.

"What?! This time he kidnapped a boy?!" a citizen said.

"I've never seen you before. Who are you?" the merchant said, releasing the boy.

"Purple Palm Pie. Professor Grapes is my mother..." Purple Palm Pie said.

"Professor Grapes? Isn't she the new teacher of Princess Rapunzel?" a citizen said.

"I was walking around town and he said he would guide me around. But he..." Purple Palm Pie said right before he cried.

"Easy, boy. You're safe now. I'll take you home," the merchant said.


Meanwhile, back at the thief's hideout, he has returned and met the three of us who were still waiting in the basement.

"Mischief managed," he said to us, which was a relief.

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said.

"It's surprising that you were strong enough to carry him around," I said. "I definitely can't"

"He's not that heavy. You need to work out more," he said.

"But I wonder..." Almond said. "Why did you go this far to help us?"

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe because I just felt like helping a twin brother."

"Hey, I'm not..." I said before he interrupted.

"Of course I know that!" he said. "Anyway, as I said, wait here until nightfall and you will be safe to get out."

"We don't need to," I said, activating the remote of the device. A dimension door appeared at the corner of the room.

"Heh, you're more than meets the eye as I thought," he said. "Farewell."

"Farewell, and thank you," I said. All of us then jumped to the dimension door.

We ended up in my room, which was quite a mess because of what had happened. The clock in the room showed that only one minute had passed, proving that my estimation was right.

"Well, brother. He just told me that we have been away for only one minute," Almond said.

"The story in this book is still the same. Purple Palm Pie and the thief is never mentioned anywhere," Strawberry said, checking the storybook.

"This is sad, but probably they were somehow created by the mess that happened. We might never meet them again even if we enter the storybook again," I said.

"That's berry sad..." Strawberry said.

"Hey, they're still with us, right here!" Almond said, pointing at his chest.

"Our heart? You're right. We have good memories of them, and that's how they still live with us," I said.

"You're berry right, Almond!" Strawberry said.

"But hey, there's another way!" I said. "We can write stories about them ourselves!"

"That's a berry good idea, Blackberry! I can't wait to do that!" Strawberry said. "Thank you for all the adventures today, Blackberry!"

"Thank you for providing the storybooks too, Strawberry," I said.

"See you later!" Strawberry said, and then she went home.


--End of Chapter 17-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 17: Unexpected Meeting


We went out from Strawberry's storybook not long after parting with everyone in Brambleberry's house. I brought with me quite a number of Brambleberry treats which Brambleberry Fairy had given to us. The first thing I checked was the time because I needed to know how long had passed in the real world while we had been away in the storybook.

"Well, that's surprising," I said, looking at the clock on the living room wall.

"What is it?" Almond asked.

"Not even a minute has passed here," I replied.

"Are you sure, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"Well, there's one way to know," I said. "Almond, please communicate with him and ask how long we have been away."

"I see. Okay," Almond said. He then closed his eyes for a brief moment, and opened them again.

"Well?" I said.

"He said that we came out of the portal just about ten seconds after we had entered," Almond said.

"How berry strange! We spent a lot of time there, right?" Strawberry said.

"Ten seconds... Hmm..." I said, thinking for a moment. "This is just an estimation, but it seems that one day in the storybook is one minute in the real world."

"That's interesting," Almond said.

"I don't know if it will be the same for a different storybook, though," I said. "Oh, Strawberrry, please take the storybook from the device and check if there's any change in the story."

"Alright," Strawberry said, taking the book from the device. She then opened the book and read it briefly. "Nope, the story here is still the same."

"Well, it's unfortunate, but if we enter the book again the story will probably restart and nobody will remember us," I said.

"Hey, it is how a storybook supposed to work!" Almond said. "After we finish reading one and then go back to page one, the story begins again without any change!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said. "Let's try the other storybook then."

"This one is more peaceful. There is no villain in this story," Strawberry said, taking the other storybook.

"Good for us," I said in low voice so only Almond could hear it.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Almond asked. Strawberry then put the storybook in the device. I activated it and it began to scan the storybook. However, suddenly the device let out black smokes right after the scan had finished.

"Something is wrong. I better turn it off," I said, but right before I could switch it off, electricity waves emerged from the device and created a dimension door. To make matters worse, the dimension door sucked all of us like a black hole.

We all fell down on an open field of grass. I immediately stood up, and so did the others.

"What just happened?" Strawberry asked.

"I honestly have no idea," I said, picking up my backpack which fortunately had been sucked in with us.

"Better make sure we can still go home," Almond said.

"Yeah," I said, taking the device's remote which I had been keeping in my pocket. I pressed a button and a dimension door appeared. "No problem here. We can go home anytime we want."

"That's a relief," Almond said as the dimension door vanished. "Let's enjoy this world then, now that we're here."

"Hey, look! Someone's coming!" I said, pointing to a direction. Indeed there were two persons walking towards us. It was a bit surprising that one of them looked like Sour Grapes, but it was even more surprising that the other person can be recognized as Purple Pie Man but younger, about Apple Dumplin's age.

"The lady is probably Professor Grapes, but I have never seen the boy with her in the book," Strawberry said.

"He sure looks like Pie Man," Almond commented.

The boy seemed to notice us, and then he talked to the lady while occasionally pointing at us. Once they were near us, they stopped and started a conversation.

"Good day. Do you know the way to the king's castle?" the lady asked.

"Umm, we are travellers from far away, so we have no idea. Sorry," I said.

"Oh dear," she said. "Better keep walking, then."

"May we walk with you?" Almond asked.

"I see no problem," she said, and we started walking. "Ah, where are my manners? I am Professor Grapes, and this is my son Purple Palm Pie."

"Uhh, hi there," the boy said timidly. "You can just call me..."

Professor Grapes interrupted by clearing her throat.

"Never mind," Purple Palm Pie said.

"My name is Blackberry Bun," I said.

"I'm his brother. My name is Almond Cookie," Almond said.

"I'm Strawberry Shortcake. It's berry nice to meet you, Purple Palm Pie and Professor Grapes!" Strawberry said.

"Why are you all here?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, we are travellers. We just happen to be here," I said.

"Oh, I see. My mother here was invited by the king and the queen to be the teacher for the princess," Purple Palm Pie said.

"That must be a very tough job. We wish you luck," I said.

"Thank you," Professor Grapes said.

"Hey, Strawberry," I whispered. "Is it written anywhere in the book that Professor Grapes has a child?"

"I am berry sure that it is never mentioned anywhere in the book," Strawberry whispered back.

"That's very strange," I whispered. "Probably the effect from the accident we had when we came to this world."

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Let's wait and see what happens next. If anything goes wrong we will immediately get out of this world," I whispered.

It didn't take long for us to find the castle because it was big enough we could see it from far away. When we arrived at the front gate, we stopped and a conversation started.

"Wait here, son," Professor Grapes said. "I'm the only one invited."

"Alright, mom," Purple Palm Pie said.

"Travellers, could you please accompany my son? This should not take long," Professor Grapes said.

"No problem," I said.

"Thank you," she said, and then she entered the castle.

"Is your mother a famous teacher, Purple Palm Pie?" I asked.

"You can just call me Pie Boy when my mother is not around," Purple Palm Pie said, which felt a bit awkward for me. "And yes, she's famous for being strict and a bit odd. And she has a very long list of references."

"Where are you from?" Almond asked.

"I don't know," he said.

"How come?" Strawberry asked.

"Mom's reputation made many kings invite her to be the teacher of their princesses. That's why she has been moving from one kingdom to another even before she had me," he said.

"Do you wish to have a permanent place to stay?" I asked.

"Yeah, kinda. All the travels are quite tiring, and having to say farewell to my friends every time mom moves..." he said.

"I see, that must be tough," Almond said.

Not too long later, Professor Grapes came out from the gate bringing a key and a scroll.

"Son, here is the key for the house the king provides for us this time, and here is the map for its location," she said, giving the key and the scroll to Purple Palm Pie.

"What about you, mom?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"I am going to pick up the princess and bring her to her study place. I will be home by nightfall," Professor Grapes replied. "Like before, I have memorized the location."

"Alright, mom," Purple Palm Pie said.

"Travellers, thank you for your patronage. I should not hold you any longer than this," Professor Grapes said.

"It was no problem," I said.

"Hey, where are you all going to sleep tonight?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, we haven't decided," I said.

"Mom, how about we invite them to stay at our house?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"I see no problem with it," Professor Grapes said. Purple Palm Pie then looked at us with delightful face.

"Well, I guess we will gladly accept," I said. "Thank you."

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said.

So, the three of us stayed in Professor Grapes' and her son's temporary house, which was a simple wooden house located at the edge of a forest behind the king's castle. During our stay, Purple Palm Pie asked a lot about us such as where we were from and places we had visited. We ended up telling him everything about Strawberryland and quite a number of places I and Strawberry had visited during our stay in Oz.

"Wow! All the places you have told me about are all amazing! As if they came out from a fairy tale!" Purple Palm Pie commented.

"They sure are pretty hard to believe, and I honestly didn't expect you to believe that we really have been there," I said.

"Why shouldn't I believe? The world is huge! No matter how much I have travelled, there must be many amazing places I have not even heard of!" Purple Palm Pie said.

"You're berry right, Pie Boy!" Strawberry said.

"But still, how far are those places from here?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well..." I said. "We were in those places years ago, and we have been travelling without map. So unfortunately we now only know that those places are very far from here."

"I see. That's unfortunate," Purple Palm Pie said.

Professor Grapes came home by nightfall as she had said, and during dinner we learned about the princess she had to teach this time. The princess' name was Rapunzel and she was a complete tomboy, which had made her parents worried that she would not become a proper princess. To remedy this problem, Professor Grapes had been invited to be the teacher of the princess so she will learn the right thing. For this purpose, a tower was provided to be used as the classroom and also the place where the princess would stay for the rest of her studies. The tower was unique in a way that the only entrance and exit was a window located near its peak, which was only accessible with a long ladder.

"I'm not sure, but putting her in a tower doesn't sound right..." I said.

"Yeah, kinda sounds like a prison to me," Almond said.

"You have a point, dear. But I have to do things necessary for achieving what I was hired for," Professor Grapes said.

"Well, I guess I'll just believe that you know what you are doing and wish you luck," I said.

"Thank you," she said. "Let us sleep now. It is already late."

"Good night," I said, and we all went to sleep.

At the next day, Professor Grapes was already gone by the time the three of us woke up. We found Purple Palm Pie in the living room, sitting on a chair and reading a book. He stopped reading when he noticed us coming.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Good morning, Pie Boy! Yes, we slept berry well! Right, everyone?" Strawberry said.

"I guess so," I said.

"Yeah," Almond said.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, this kingdom should have a town, right? Let's go there and walk around," I said.

"That's a berry good idea, Blackberry!" Strawberry said. Purple Palm Pie then took the map we had used the day before and opened it.

"According to this map, the nearest town is about 30 minute walk from this house," he said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Almond said in excitement.

"Right behind you," Purple Palm Pie said.

We then walked to the town of the kingdom. During the trip we told Purple Palm Pie more about us and he was excited to hear them. Later, as he had predicted, we arrived in town by 30 minutes. The town was about as technologically advanced as the towns in Oz, but of course only inhabited by humans without any magic present. After walking a bit, we ended up at the marketplace. The place was crowded with people shopping and trading, as expected from a marketplace. We didn't have any intention to buy anything so we just kept walking.

"It's him! He's the one!" suddenly we heard someone yelling. We looked at the source and saw a merchant pointing at us. Other citizens started looking at us immediately.

"Get him!" another merchant yelled, jumping from his stand and running towards us.

"RUN!" Almond said, and we immediately ran away from the place. The merchants, along with quite a number of citizens, chased us.

"What's the matter with them?" Purple Palm Pie asked while still running.

"I have no idea!" I said.

"Me neither! But the way they acted obviously meant nothing good for us!" Almond said.

"Hey, look!" Strawberry said, pointing forward. We then saw someone at an alleyway entrance signaling us to enter the alleyway. His face was concealed in hood. We knew that we would be caught if we kept running straight, so we entered the alleyway. The guy then led us into a small house and once we were inside, he opened a trapdoor leading to the basement of the house. All of us, including the guy, entered the basement. Not long after, we heard noises of people chasing us from the outside. Fortunately, the noises eventually faded. The guy then lit up a lantern to illuminate the dark basement. We then realized that he was as tall as us, although we still couldn't see his face.

"Thank you for saving us," I said.

"Yeah, thank you," Purple Palm Pie said. "Although I still have no idea why they chased us."

"It's because of me," the guy said, revealing his face. The rest of us were surprised because the man looked exactly like me.

"What? Two Blackberry?" Purple Palm Pie said.

"I see that we even share the same name," the guy said, looking at me.

"Wait! You said 'because of you'? Does that mean..." Almond said.

"Exactly," the guy said. "I'm a thief, and this is my hideout."

"You're a thief? That's not a right thing to do!" Strawberry said.

"Strawberry, we better let him be," I said.

"But..." Strawberry said.

"I know how you feel. But remember, Strawberry. This is not our place. We should not meddle with the affairs of people here," I said.

"Okay..." Strawberry said.

"Wait until nightfall, and you will be safe to get out of here," the guy said.

"Unfortunately, we have a problem here," Almond said. "His mother will be worried about him."

"And to make it worse, he was seen with me and he will be staying in this kingdom with his mother for a while unlike us," I said. "If someday he comes to this town again, I don't know what will happen."

"Hmm..." the guy said. "I have an idea for that."


About half an hour later, the marketplace of the town was already back to its usual activities. But the activities didn't last long because a merchant noticed the thief he knew walking at the edge of a much less crowded street carrying a large sack.

"Look! He's stealing something again! Get him!" the merchant said, jumping from his stand. The thief noticed people chasing him and he started to run fast. However, the sack he was carrying was too heavy. So, he dropped the sack and ran away really fast, quickly disappearing from sight.

"He got away again!" the merchant said.

"At least this time he didn't get to steal anything," a citizen said, crouching near the sack.

"I wonder what he was going to steal this time," another citizen said. "Let's open it."

The people then opened the sack and got surprised. Inside the sack was Purple Palm Pie, bound and gagged, and looking scared.

"What?! This time he kidnapped a boy?!" a citizen said.

"I've never seen you before. Who are you?" the merchant said, releasing the boy.

"Purple Palm Pie. Professor Grapes is my mother..." Purple Palm Pie said.

"Professor Grapes? Isn't she the new teacher of Princess Rapunzel?" a citizen said.

"I was walking around town and he said he would guide me around. But he..." Purple Palm Pie said right before he cried.

"Easy, boy. You're safe now. I'll take you home," the merchant said.


Meanwhile, back at the thief's hideout, he has returned and met the three of us who were still waiting in the basement.

"Mischief managed," he said to us, which was a relief.

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said.

"It's surprising that you were strong enough to carry him around," I said. "I definitely can't"

"He's not that heavy. You need to work out more," he said.

"But I wonder..." Almond said. "Why did you go this far to help us?"

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe because I just felt like helping a twin brother."

"Hey, I'm not..." I said before he interrupted.

"Of course I know that!" he said. "Anyway, as I said, wait here until nightfall and you will be safe to get out."

"We don't need to," I said, activating the remote of the device. A dimension door appeared at the corner of the room.

"Heh, you're more than meets the eye as I thought," he said. "Farewell."

"Farewell, and thank you," I said. All of us then jumped to the dimension door.

We ended up in my room, which was quite a mess because of what had happened. The clock in the room showed that only one minute had passed, proving that my estimation was right.

"Well, brother. He just told me that we have been away for only one minute," Almond said.

"The story in this book is still the same. Purple Palm Pie and the thief is never mentioned anywhere," Strawberry said, checking the storybook.

"This is sad, but probably they were somehow created by the mess that happened. We might never meet them again even if we enter the storybook again," I said.

"That's berry sad..." Strawberry said.

"Hey, they're still with us, right here!" Almond said, pointing at his chest.

"Our heart? You're right. We have good memories of them, and that's how they still live with us," I said.

"You're berry right, Almond!" Strawberry said.

"But hey, there's another way!" I said. "We can write stories about them ourselves!"

"That's a berry good idea, Blackberry! I can't wait to do that!" Strawberry said. "Thank you for all the adventures today, Blackberry!"

"Thank you for providing the storybooks too, Strawberry," I said.

"See you later!" Strawberry said, and then she went home.


--End of Chapter 17-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-208.html Sat, 27 Oct 2012 18:29:02 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-208.html Quote:Chapter 16: Take The Time to Listen


The event on Annie's ranch had been over, and all of us had arrived back home. At the end of the event, Annie had given the trophy to Strawberry's team. However, it had been decided by every single member of the team that the trophy should have been given to both teams. So, we had had a group shot photo with both teams holding the trophy and the event had been closed with everybody happy.

Just one day after the trip, after a good night sleep on my bed, I went back to my working table to finish the new device I had been working on. Almond woke up some time later and then he went outside without saying much to me, probably because he didn't want to disturb.

I finished the new device just before lunch time. I wanted to test it out, but I needed something more. Therefore, I walked to the phone in the living room and called Strawberry's house.

"Hello. Strawberry Shortcake here," Strawberry answered the phone.

"Hi, Strawberry," I said. "Blackberry here."

"Hi there, Blackberry! How are you?" she said.

"Good, thank you," I said. "Strawberry, I think I need your help with something."

"What is it? I'll be glad to help!" she said.

"I've just finished a new device and I want to test it out. I'm wondering if I can borrow one storybook or two from you," I said.

"Of course you can! I'll bring them to you!" she said.

"No, you don't have to. I'll come and take them," I said. There was no answer. "Strawberry?"

Suddenly, someone knocked my home entrance.

"Come in! Door's not locked!" I said. The door then opened and to my surprise the guest was Strawberry. "Strawberry? But how...?"

"See?" suddenly Almond followed behind her, and the two of them giggled. "We got him!"

"Almond... Figures..." I said after sighing a little.

"I'm berry sorry for surprising you, Blackberry," Strawberry said, still giggling a little. "Almond was visiting me when you called. He heard everything you had said, so he went to my bookshelf, took two books, and brought me here with Albatross."

"Albatross? But you said two days ago that there would be no Albatross for two weeks," I said.

"It was a mistake. I came up with that time thinking that I was still the one transforming!" Almond said. "My other half here has his own soul power reserve, though much smaller than mine. He can't keep Albatross for long if my reserve is dry or I'm too far from him."

"Your power has been growing so fast lately," I said. "I remember when you only could be Albatross once a day for five minutes. Now Albatross can last for one hour in your normal condition."

"Yeah, indeed, and I don't know why," he said. "But as long as I can always use my power to help others, I have no problem."

"Alright, Blackberry. Now that the storybooks you need are here, what are you going to do with them?" Strawberry asked.

"This," I said, taking the new device from my working table and putting it on the table in the living room. The device was a thick box with an insertion on its top, which was large enough to put a book in. Attached to one side of the box there was a vertical support pole and at the top end of it there was a scanner with the shape of a gun pointing at the insertion of the box. At the butt of the gun there was something similar to a radar dish.

"It looks cool, Blackberry!" Strawberry said. "What does it do?"

"If we put a storybook in this insertion, the device will scan the book and make a dimension door which will bring us into the world inside the storybook," I said.

"That's berry cool, Blackberry!" Strawberry said.

"How do we return once we're inside?" Almond asked.

"I have also made a remote controller for this device. It will take care of everything," I said, showing a small remote controller.

"That's good to hear. So, when will we go?" he asked.

"After lunch I guess," I said, looking at the clock in the living room wall. "Let's have lunch together, Strawberry."

"Thank you berry much, Blackberry," Strawberry said. I then went to the kitchen and quickly prepared bread slices. I then brought them all to the dining table which had a collection of jams on it, and we all sat around it.

"You have so many kinds of jams, Blackberry!" Strawberry said, astonished by the amount of jam jars.

"I like making jams based on the names of my friends," I said. "Actually, I just started making those about one week ago. With my Jam Maker."

"Though some names cannot be made into jams," Almond said. "I can't really imagine about 'angel jam', 'crepes jam', 'frosty jam', or 'tea jam'."

"That would be berry funny!" Strawberry said with a giggle. "Look at these jams! You even have peach jam, mango jam, persimmons jam, and jackfruit jam!"

"The last one is very spot on," Almond said and we all laughed.

"We've only met them for a very short time, but they're our friends too, and I believe they will be in the future. I mean, our future," I said.

"You're berry right, Blackberry!" Strawberry said, and the two of us started having lunch. But soon enough, Strawberry noticed Almond not eating.

"Why are you not eating, Almond?" Strawberry asked.

"Ah yes, I haven't told anyone other than brother about this," Almond said. "I don't need to eat. I never feel either hungry or full."

"Really? But nobody said that you shouldn't eat, right?" Strawberry asked, looking at me afterwards.

"For that matter, I let him decide," I said. "But I think you should eat sometimes, Almond. It's a pity if you never experience the taste of food."

"Blackberry is berry right, Almond," Strawberry said. "You should try eating once in a while."

"Well, if you say so," Almond said. He then took a bread slice, smeared a random jam on it, and ate it. "Well, this one is good enough."

After we finished our lunch, we went back to the living room table where the device was put. I took my backpack from nearby my shelves and put in a number of devices, along with the new device's remote.

"Ready?" I asked. Both Strawberry and Almond nodded. "Alright, put the storybook into the insertion."

Strawberry then took one of the two books and put it into the insertion. I then activated the device, which immediately scanned the book. Less than one minute later, the radar dish behind the scanner gun let out electricity waves, which created a dimension door. All three of us then jumped into the dimension door. When we got out of the dimension door, we saw that we were on an open field of grass with a few trees and bushes around us. I looked around and noticed a castle in a distance.

"Blackberry, where are we?" Strawberry asked.

"Inside the world of your storybook of course," I said.

"I know that, but which part of the story?" she asked.

"If my device works right, it should be the beginning of the story now. Unless there's a flashback to some time before the beginning. In that case we would be brought to that part," I said.

"Well..." Strawberry said, thinking. "This story has one."

"Hey, isn't that Banana Candy?" Almond said. We then looked towards where Almond was looking at, and indeed we saw Banana Candy walking towards us. She looked troubled.

"Definitely not. She's just a character in this story, who happens to look like her," I said.

"She looks troubled. Let's help her out," Strawberry said. We then approached her. She seemed a bit surprised.

"Who are you all?" she asked.

"We're... travellers from far away," I said. "You look troubled, so we're wondering if we can help."

"Oh, I see," she said. "Well..."

She then told us about a celebration of the birth of Princess Strawberry Rose and she was tasked to deliver invitations to the people of the kingdom. Her trouble had been from one house which was completely surrounded by thorny brambleberry bushes, which had made it impossible for her to deliver the invitation. While she were speaking, all four of us walked towards the house she had mentioned and we arrived right when she finished telling.

"It's indeed completely surrounded by thorns. How does the house owner gets in and out from there?" I asked, taking the invitation scroll which had been left there on one of the bushes.

"The owner is a fairy. She can just fly over them," she said.

"Hmm... any ideas?" I said, looking at Strawberry and Almond.

"There are other fairies, right? I think you can kindly ask one of them to deliver the invitation," Strawberry said.

"Oh yeah, you're right! Why didn't I think about that?" she said. "Thank you! I'll get to it right away! Oh, here are invitations for you all! Be sure to come!"

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said, receiving the invitations.

"See you soon!" she said, running off.

"So... what will happen now?" Almond asked. "What we just did will make the story different than it's supposed to be, right?"

"I'm actually not sure about that. Let's just wait and see what happens next," I said.

"According to this invitation, the party is still two days away. What are we going to do until then?" Strawberry asked.

"Hey, backpack. Give me the remote for the new device," I said. My backpack then immediately gave me the remote. "We can use this to skip time right to the day of the party."

"Let's get going then," Almond said. Strawberry also agreed, so we skipped time to the day of the celebration. When we arrived at the castle entrance, we gave our invitations to the receptionist, who happened to look like Plum Puddin'

"Let's see... The guest list has 'three travellers' written at the bottom. I suppose you are them, right?" she said. "Banana has told me a bit about you all, but she somehow forgot to ask for your names. Anyway, please come in!"

"Thank you berry much," Strawberry said, and the three of us went inside. The event was held in the castle courtyard, and we could see a baby bed placed at the main stage of the courtyard. The bed had its curtains closed so we couldn't see the baby. Right next to the bed, a puppy which looked exactly like Pupcake was sleeping on the floor.

"I wonder how the baby looks like," Almond said.

"Well, judging from her name and Pupcake sleeping next to the bed, I won't be surprised if she looks like Strawberry," I said.

"The fairies should come berry soon if the event still stays true to the book," Strawberry said, and she was right. A group of fairies soon came flying from above. It was pretty surprising that the fairies looked like our friends. To be more exact, they looked like Tangerina Torta, Orange Blossom, Ginger Snap, Rainbow Sherbet, Apple Dumplin', and the last one which I didn't recognize at first but actually looked like Angel Cake but with darker skin and dark purple hair. They flew straight to the baby bed, greeted the puppy, and opened the bed curtain, which then revealed the baby inside. Indeed, the baby looked like Strawberry.

"The story is different now," Strawberry said. "The purple fairy shouldn't be here yet because of the failed invitation delivery."

"What is supposed to happen here?" I asked.

"Each fairy will give one gift to the princess with her spell, but after four fairies give their gifts, the purple fairy will suddenly come, angry for not being invited. She then will place a berry horrible curse on the princess and leave," Strawberry said.

"Curse? What kind of curse?" I asked.

"A prick from a brambleberry thorn will make the princess vanish forever," she replied.

"That sounds horrible indeed," Almond said.

"But after that, the last fairy who has not given her gift yet will use her gift to replace vanish with sleep," she said.

"But now that all fairies are here, let's see how things will go," I said. "Looks like it's starting."

"I give you wisdom, my darling girl. Be the wisest ruler in all the world," Rainbow fairy said, casting her spell.

"You'll be a gifted ruler when you become our queen. Not just of people, but nature's creatures and all things green. I give you a green thumb, darling girl," Tangerina fairy said, casting her spell.

"For now and always ever after, my gift is one happy laughter," Ginger fairy said, casting her spell.

"The gift of true friendship is my gift to you. You'll be patient, forgiving, and a good listener too," Orange fairy said, casting her spell.

"My turn then," the purple fairy said. "Or maybe you want to go before me, Appleberry?"

"I'm still thinking, Brambleberry. Please go before me," Appleberry said.

"Alright," Brambleberry said, waving her wand. "Since everyone else has taken care of your inside, my gift to you is healing. Be all wounds you will ever receive, healed with no scars staying."

"I think my gift will be this," Appleberry said, waving her wand. "Generosity is my gift to you. Whenever there is someone in need, you'll be more than happy to aid."

After Appleberry had finished her spell, there was a beeping noise from my pocket. I knew that the noise came from the remote, so I took it and examined it.

"This part of the story is over. It's time to skip time again," I said. "And it's for... 11 years? That's a huge jump."

"Yes, after this part there is a time skip until the princess is about as old as me," Strawberry said.

"I see. Let's go in any case," I said, and I used the remote to skip time to the next part of the storybook.

We arrived at a place unknown to us. We were in the middle of a forest, and there was no sight of anything that could be used to lead the way.

"Where are we?" Almond asked.

"I have no idea," Strawberry said.

"Don't ask me," I said. "But I'm sure we're still somewhere within the storybook world."

"I guess so. Let's walk around... Ouch!" Strawberry said, suddenly holding her back neck.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"I think I got bitten by a bug here," Strawberry said. I then examined her back neck, and indeed one part was red and swollen.

"Yeah, indeed. Are you all right? Do you feel anything wrong now?" I asked.

"I think I'm..." Strawberry said, before she suddenly fell down and fainted. Almond quickly held her body so she didn't fall to the ground.

"Strawberry! What happened?!" Almond said, slowly putting her on the ground.

"Her fever is high. Whatever bit her is probably poisonous," I said, touching her forehead. "Can you do something with your healing power, Almond?"

"Bro, you know my soul power reserve is empty and won't start refilling for two weeks. Even if it is not, my healing power can only heal physical wounds, not intoxication!" Almond said.

"Even if we bring her back to Strawberryland, I don't think there's anyone who can cure her there," I said. "We better bring her to one of the fairies. They should be able to help her, hopefully."

Almond then carried the unconscious Strawberry on his back and we started moving to one direction. Unfortunately for us, similar with Greenhill, the world inside the storybook had no soul, so Almond couldn't use his scanner ability. We could only hope that we would run into one of the fairies.

"Hey! What are you doing there?!" suddenly we heard a voice. We looked to the source and saw that the voice came from Brambleberry fairy.

"We're..." I said before interrupted.

"Isn't that Princess Strawberry Rose?" she said.

"No. She is..." I said before interrupted again.

"I see! You two are kidnapping her! You no good kidnapper!" she said.

"You're wrong! We just..." I said, but once again I got interrupted.

"I'm not listening!" she said, and then she casted a spell on us. I didn't know what happened next.

Some time later, I woke up not knowing where I was. The first thing I could notice was the fact that I was locked in a cage which was not even large enough for me to stand up. Beyond the iron bars, I could see that I was in a small stone house. Across the room was a bed, and I could see Strawberry lying there covered in blanket from neck to toe and without her hat. She was fast asleep but she was breathing heavily, which meant her condition was still bad.

"Finally awake, you kidnapper?" a voice suddenly said. I looked to the left and saw Brambleberry sitting on a chair.

"I'm not a kidnapper!" I said.

"I see no other explanation for you two hurrying, bringing unconscious Princess Strawberry Rose in the middle of a forest," she said.

"That was because..." I said.

"Because you kidnapped her and you were running away from the kingdom!" she interrupted.

"Put that aside for now! Her condition is bad!" I said.

"Yeah, because you two poisoned her to make her unconscious," she said. "I've been trying to cure her, but I can't do anything if I don't know what poison you used!"

"That's not..." I said.

"I'm not listening!" she interrupted. "Now I will only listen if you tell me what kind of poison you used on her."

"We didn't even..." I said.

"I said, I'm not listening anything other than what kind of poison you used!" she interrupted, and I couldn't say anything. "Not convinced yet? Then how about this?"

After saying that, she waved her wand towards a part of the room which had been covered by a curtain. The curtain then opened, and I was horrified by the sight of Almond being unconscious and entangled by brambleberry vines which were growing from a pot.

"Almond! What have you done to my brother?!" I shouted.

"Well, right outside that window is a pile of brambleberry thorns," she said, waving her wand. The vines then brought Almond near the window she had mentioned. The window was wide open and large enough for a person to go through. "I suppose you don't want me to throw your brother there, do you?"

"NO!" I shouted. Of course I knew Almond would regenerate any injuries, but he would still feel the pain and I didn't want that to happen.

"Then you know what to say," she said.

"Uhh... Bug!" I said, suddenly getting an idea. "We extracted the poison of a bug!"

"Interesting. What bug?" she asked.

"Uhh... the poisonous kind that lives around here!" I said.

"Be more specific! There are two kinds of poisonous bug around here, and if I give her a wrong potion she'll only get worse!" she said.

"I... I don't know," I said.

"There's no way you don't know!" she said, waving her wand. The vines brought Almond closer to the window. "Tell me or..."

"I really don't know!" I said.

"You don't think I wouldn't really throw your brother out of the window, do you?" she said, waving her wand again. The vines moved as if they're getting ready to throw Almond out. The situation was really grave, but suddenly someone knocked on the front door.

"Hmph!" she said. Putting her wand on the table next to her. "Coming!" She then flew to the front door and opened it.

"Hello, Brambleberry!" a voice said, and I could recognize the voice as Huck's voice.

"Oh hello, Prince Huckleberry! Welcome!" Brambleberry said. "But I'm afraid the situation is bad now."

"Bad? What's the matter?" he asked as the two of them entered the house. Indeed Prince Huckleberry looked like Huck. He then noticed me and Almond, but he had not noticed Strawberry on the bed. "Who are these guys?"

"These no good villains kidnapped Princess Strawberry Rose and made her unconscious with a poison. I'm now trying to make him tell me what poison they used so I can cure her," she said.

"They kidnapped Princess Strawberry Rose?" he said. "That cannot be right."

"But that's what happened," she said, showing him the unconscious Strawberry. "See?"

"Princess Strawberry Rose...? This... cannot be..." he said.

"Unbelievable indeed. That's why I'm gonna get the information right now," she said, looking at me.

"Brambleberry, do you know why I said that this cannot be right?" he asked.

"Huh? No. Why?" she asked.

"Hello, Brambleberry! How are you? I've just picked brambleberries from your garden for your berry delicious treat you have invited me for!" suddenly someone none other than Princess Strawberry Rose came into the house bringing a basket full of brambleberries. Brambleberry was very surprised.

"I have been with her since this morning," he said. "Whoever this girl is, she is not Princess Strawberry Rose."

"What are you talking about?" Princess Strawberry Rose asked. She then noticed everything and got very surprised. "What's going on here?"

"Then... who is this girl?" Brambleberry asked in disbelief, and she looked at me.

"She is my friend Strawberry Shortcake. We are travellers from far away and she got bitten by a poisonous bug," I said.

"Well, I think I can guess what happened next," Prince Huckleberry said, looking at Brambleberry. She was speechless, seeming embarassed and afraid. "Better release them now, Brambleberry."

"Uhh... Yeah. Right away," Brambleberry said. She then took her wand from the table and waved it. My cage opened and the vines released Almond, who landed on his feet fully awake.

"So you were awake all this time?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I couldn't get free anyway, so I just kept pretending to be unconscious," Almond said.

"I... Uh... I..." Brambleberry said, being very afraid and embarassed.

"Put that aside for now. Now the thing to do first is to cure her," I said, though it was pretty obvious that I sounded upset.

"Which part of her was bitten?" Prince Huckleberry asked.

"The back of her neck," I said. He then examined the back of Strawberry's neck.

"Oh, I know this," he said. "Brambleberry, please get the potion for Berry Wasp poison."

"I... I'll get to it," Brambleberry said. She then took a vial from her shelf and carefully put the content into Strawberry's mouth. She then waved her wand and Strawberry's body shined. After it was over, I could notice her breathing normally again and her face became more peaceful than before.

"Is she alright now?" I asked.

"She should be. Just let her sleep more for now," Prince Huckleberry said. All of us then walked outside the house.

"I believe it's time to settle things between us now," I said, looking at Brambleberry.

"I... I... I'm sorry!" Brambleberry said, kneeling on the ground.

"You accused us of kidnapping, put me in a cage, threatened to harm my brother, and now you expect everything to be settled with 'I'm sorry'?" I said.

"The last one was just a bluff! There's only soft grass there," Brambleberry said.

"That doesn't make you any better," I said. "Everything could be avoided. Strawberry could be cured faster. If only you took a time to listen to me!"

"Please calm down, traveller," Princess Strawberry Rose said. "I admit that Brambleberry made a mistake, but could you please forgive her? I believe she has learned from her mistake."

"I can't ever deny such polite request," I said after sighing. "Alright, fine. Just do me one favor."

"I'll do anything! What do you want?" Brambleberry said.

"I heard someone saying about brambleberry treats," I said. "I'd like to have some."

"Not only some! I'll give you many! As many as you want!" Brambleberry said.

"Did I hear something about brambleberry treats?" suddenly Strawberry came out from the house saying that.

"Strawberry! You're okay!" I said.

"Yeah, I'm berry fine now. Though I have no idea what have been happening while I was asleep," she said.

"This fairy, Brambleberry Fairy, helped us to cure you. Other than that, nothing special," Almond said, which pretty much surprised Brambleberry.

"Thank you berry much, Brambleberry!" Strawberry said.

"I... I... It was no problem... really..." Brambleberry said.

"Also, this might be a bit awkward but... Strawberry, meet also Princess Strawberry Rose and Prince Huckleberry," I said.

"Hello," Prince Huckleberry said.

"It's like I'm looking at a mirror! Nice to meet you," Princess Strawberry Rose said.

"You're berry right! I'm Strawberry Shortcake, and this is my friend Blackberry Bun, and his brother Almond Cookie," Strawberry said.

"Well, now that we're done introducing, let's get inside for the brambleberry treats," Prince Huckleberry said, and we all went into the house. I really hope Brambleberry has learned her lesson about taking the time to listen to what others have to say.


-End of Chapter 16-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 16: Take The Time to Listen


The event on Annie's ranch had been over, and all of us had arrived back home. At the end of the event, Annie had given the trophy to Strawberry's team. However, it had been decided by every single member of the team that the trophy should have been given to both teams. So, we had had a group shot photo with both teams holding the trophy and the event had been closed with everybody happy.

Just one day after the trip, after a good night sleep on my bed, I went back to my working table to finish the new device I had been working on. Almond woke up some time later and then he went outside without saying much to me, probably because he didn't want to disturb.

I finished the new device just before lunch time. I wanted to test it out, but I needed something more. Therefore, I walked to the phone in the living room and called Strawberry's house.

"Hello. Strawberry Shortcake here," Strawberry answered the phone.

"Hi, Strawberry," I said. "Blackberry here."

"Hi there, Blackberry! How are you?" she said.

"Good, thank you," I said. "Strawberry, I think I need your help with something."

"What is it? I'll be glad to help!" she said.

"I've just finished a new device and I want to test it out. I'm wondering if I can borrow one storybook or two from you," I said.

"Of course you can! I'll bring them to you!" she said.

"No, you don't have to. I'll come and take them," I said. There was no answer. "Strawberry?"

Suddenly, someone knocked my home entrance.

"Come in! Door's not locked!" I said. The door then opened and to my surprise the guest was Strawberry. "Strawberry? But how...?"

"See?" suddenly Almond followed behind her, and the two of them giggled. "We got him!"

"Almond... Figures..." I said after sighing a little.

"I'm berry sorry for surprising you, Blackberry," Strawberry said, still giggling a little. "Almond was visiting me when you called. He heard everything you had said, so he went to my bookshelf, took two books, and brought me here with Albatross."

"Albatross? But you said two days ago that there would be no Albatross for two weeks," I said.

"It was a mistake. I came up with that time thinking that I was still the one transforming!" Almond said. "My other half here has his own soul power reserve, though much smaller than mine. He can't keep Albatross for long if my reserve is dry or I'm too far from him."

"Your power has been growing so fast lately," I said. "I remember when you only could be Albatross once a day for five minutes. Now Albatross can last for one hour in your normal condition."

"Yeah, indeed, and I don't know why," he said. "But as long as I can always use my power to help others, I have no problem."

"Alright, Blackberry. Now that the storybooks you need are here, what are you going to do with them?" Strawberry asked.

"This," I said, taking the new device from my working table and putting it on the table in the living room. The device was a thick box with an insertion on its top, which was large enough to put a book in. Attached to one side of the box there was a vertical support pole and at the top end of it there was a scanner with the shape of a gun pointing at the insertion of the box. At the butt of the gun there was something similar to a radar dish.

"It looks cool, Blackberry!" Strawberry said. "What does it do?"

"If we put a storybook in this insertion, the device will scan the book and make a dimension door which will bring us into the world inside the storybook," I said.

"That's berry cool, Blackberry!" Strawberry said.

"How do we return once we're inside?" Almond asked.

"I have also made a remote controller for this device. It will take care of everything," I said, showing a small remote controller.

"That's good to hear. So, when will we go?" he asked.

"After lunch I guess," I said, looking at the clock in the living room wall. "Let's have lunch together, Strawberry."

"Thank you berry much, Blackberry," Strawberry said. I then went to the kitchen and quickly prepared bread slices. I then brought them all to the dining table which had a collection of jams on it, and we all sat around it.

"You have so many kinds of jams, Blackberry!" Strawberry said, astonished by the amount of jam jars.

"I like making jams based on the names of my friends," I said. "Actually, I just started making those about one week ago. With my Jam Maker."

"Though some names cannot be made into jams," Almond said. "I can't really imagine about 'angel jam', 'crepes jam', 'frosty jam', or 'tea jam'."

"That would be berry funny!" Strawberry said with a giggle. "Look at these jams! You even have peach jam, mango jam, persimmons jam, and jackfruit jam!"

"The last one is very spot on," Almond said and we all laughed.

"We've only met them for a very short time, but they're our friends too, and I believe they will be in the future. I mean, our future," I said.

"You're berry right, Blackberry!" Strawberry said, and the two of us started having lunch. But soon enough, Strawberry noticed Almond not eating.

"Why are you not eating, Almond?" Strawberry asked.

"Ah yes, I haven't told anyone other than brother about this," Almond said. "I don't need to eat. I never feel either hungry or full."

"Really? But nobody said that you shouldn't eat, right?" Strawberry asked, looking at me afterwards.

"For that matter, I let him decide," I said. "But I think you should eat sometimes, Almond. It's a pity if you never experience the taste of food."

"Blackberry is berry right, Almond," Strawberry said. "You should try eating once in a while."

"Well, if you say so," Almond said. He then took a bread slice, smeared a random jam on it, and ate it. "Well, this one is good enough."

After we finished our lunch, we went back to the living room table where the device was put. I took my backpack from nearby my shelves and put in a number of devices, along with the new device's remote.

"Ready?" I asked. Both Strawberry and Almond nodded. "Alright, put the storybook into the insertion."

Strawberry then took one of the two books and put it into the insertion. I then activated the device, which immediately scanned the book. Less than one minute later, the radar dish behind the scanner gun let out electricity waves, which created a dimension door. All three of us then jumped into the dimension door. When we got out of the dimension door, we saw that we were on an open field of grass with a few trees and bushes around us. I looked around and noticed a castle in a distance.

"Blackberry, where are we?" Strawberry asked.

"Inside the world of your storybook of course," I said.

"I know that, but which part of the story?" she asked.

"If my device works right, it should be the beginning of the story now. Unless there's a flashback to some time before the beginning. In that case we would be brought to that part," I said.

"Well..." Strawberry said, thinking. "This story has one."

"Hey, isn't that Banana Candy?" Almond said. We then looked towards where Almond was looking at, and indeed we saw Banana Candy walking towards us. She looked troubled.

"Definitely not. She's just a character in this story, who happens to look like her," I said.

"She looks troubled. Let's help her out," Strawberry said. We then approached her. She seemed a bit surprised.

"Who are you all?" she asked.

"We're... travellers from far away," I said. "You look troubled, so we're wondering if we can help."

"Oh, I see," she said. "Well..."

She then told us about a celebration of the birth of Princess Strawberry Rose and she was tasked to deliver invitations to the people of the kingdom. Her trouble had been from one house which was completely surrounded by thorny brambleberry bushes, which had made it impossible for her to deliver the invitation. While she were speaking, all four of us walked towards the house she had mentioned and we arrived right when she finished telling.

"It's indeed completely surrounded by thorns. How does the house owner gets in and out from there?" I asked, taking the invitation scroll which had been left there on one of the bushes.

"The owner is a fairy. She can just fly over them," she said.

"Hmm... any ideas?" I said, looking at Strawberry and Almond.

"There are other fairies, right? I think you can kindly ask one of them to deliver the invitation," Strawberry said.

"Oh yeah, you're right! Why didn't I think about that?" she said. "Thank you! I'll get to it right away! Oh, here are invitations for you all! Be sure to come!"

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said, receiving the invitations.

"See you soon!" she said, running off.

"So... what will happen now?" Almond asked. "What we just did will make the story different than it's supposed to be, right?"

"I'm actually not sure about that. Let's just wait and see what happens next," I said.

"According to this invitation, the party is still two days away. What are we going to do until then?" Strawberry asked.

"Hey, backpack. Give me the remote for the new device," I said. My backpack then immediately gave me the remote. "We can use this to skip time right to the day of the party."

"Let's get going then," Almond said. Strawberry also agreed, so we skipped time to the day of the celebration. When we arrived at the castle entrance, we gave our invitations to the receptionist, who happened to look like Plum Puddin'

"Let's see... The guest list has 'three travellers' written at the bottom. I suppose you are them, right?" she said. "Banana has told me a bit about you all, but she somehow forgot to ask for your names. Anyway, please come in!"

"Thank you berry much," Strawberry said, and the three of us went inside. The event was held in the castle courtyard, and we could see a baby bed placed at the main stage of the courtyard. The bed had its curtains closed so we couldn't see the baby. Right next to the bed, a puppy which looked exactly like Pupcake was sleeping on the floor.

"I wonder how the baby looks like," Almond said.

"Well, judging from her name and Pupcake sleeping next to the bed, I won't be surprised if she looks like Strawberry," I said.

"The fairies should come berry soon if the event still stays true to the book," Strawberry said, and she was right. A group of fairies soon came flying from above. It was pretty surprising that the fairies looked like our friends. To be more exact, they looked like Tangerina Torta, Orange Blossom, Ginger Snap, Rainbow Sherbet, Apple Dumplin', and the last one which I didn't recognize at first but actually looked like Angel Cake but with darker skin and dark purple hair. They flew straight to the baby bed, greeted the puppy, and opened the bed curtain, which then revealed the baby inside. Indeed, the baby looked like Strawberry.

"The story is different now," Strawberry said. "The purple fairy shouldn't be here yet because of the failed invitation delivery."

"What is supposed to happen here?" I asked.

"Each fairy will give one gift to the princess with her spell, but after four fairies give their gifts, the purple fairy will suddenly come, angry for not being invited. She then will place a berry horrible curse on the princess and leave," Strawberry said.

"Curse? What kind of curse?" I asked.

"A prick from a brambleberry thorn will make the princess vanish forever," she replied.

"That sounds horrible indeed," Almond said.

"But after that, the last fairy who has not given her gift yet will use her gift to replace vanish with sleep," she said.

"But now that all fairies are here, let's see how things will go," I said. "Looks like it's starting."

"I give you wisdom, my darling girl. Be the wisest ruler in all the world," Rainbow fairy said, casting her spell.

"You'll be a gifted ruler when you become our queen. Not just of people, but nature's creatures and all things green. I give you a green thumb, darling girl," Tangerina fairy said, casting her spell.

"For now and always ever after, my gift is one happy laughter," Ginger fairy said, casting her spell.

"The gift of true friendship is my gift to you. You'll be patient, forgiving, and a good listener too," Orange fairy said, casting her spell.

"My turn then," the purple fairy said. "Or maybe you want to go before me, Appleberry?"

"I'm still thinking, Brambleberry. Please go before me," Appleberry said.

"Alright," Brambleberry said, waving her wand. "Since everyone else has taken care of your inside, my gift to you is healing. Be all wounds you will ever receive, healed with no scars staying."

"I think my gift will be this," Appleberry said, waving her wand. "Generosity is my gift to you. Whenever there is someone in need, you'll be more than happy to aid."

After Appleberry had finished her spell, there was a beeping noise from my pocket. I knew that the noise came from the remote, so I took it and examined it.

"This part of the story is over. It's time to skip time again," I said. "And it's for... 11 years? That's a huge jump."

"Yes, after this part there is a time skip until the princess is about as old as me," Strawberry said.

"I see. Let's go in any case," I said, and I used the remote to skip time to the next part of the storybook.

We arrived at a place unknown to us. We were in the middle of a forest, and there was no sight of anything that could be used to lead the way.

"Where are we?" Almond asked.

"I have no idea," Strawberry said.

"Don't ask me," I said. "But I'm sure we're still somewhere within the storybook world."

"I guess so. Let's walk around... Ouch!" Strawberry said, suddenly holding her back neck.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"I think I got bitten by a bug here," Strawberry said. I then examined her back neck, and indeed one part was red and swollen.

"Yeah, indeed. Are you all right? Do you feel anything wrong now?" I asked.

"I think I'm..." Strawberry said, before she suddenly fell down and fainted. Almond quickly held her body so she didn't fall to the ground.

"Strawberry! What happened?!" Almond said, slowly putting her on the ground.

"Her fever is high. Whatever bit her is probably poisonous," I said, touching her forehead. "Can you do something with your healing power, Almond?"

"Bro, you know my soul power reserve is empty and won't start refilling for two weeks. Even if it is not, my healing power can only heal physical wounds, not intoxication!" Almond said.

"Even if we bring her back to Strawberryland, I don't think there's anyone who can cure her there," I said. "We better bring her to one of the fairies. They should be able to help her, hopefully."

Almond then carried the unconscious Strawberry on his back and we started moving to one direction. Unfortunately for us, similar with Greenhill, the world inside the storybook had no soul, so Almond couldn't use his scanner ability. We could only hope that we would run into one of the fairies.

"Hey! What are you doing there?!" suddenly we heard a voice. We looked to the source and saw that the voice came from Brambleberry fairy.

"We're..." I said before interrupted.

"Isn't that Princess Strawberry Rose?" she said.

"No. She is..." I said before interrupted again.

"I see! You two are kidnapping her! You no good kidnapper!" she said.

"You're wrong! We just..." I said, but once again I got interrupted.

"I'm not listening!" she said, and then she casted a spell on us. I didn't know what happened next.

Some time later, I woke up not knowing where I was. The first thing I could notice was the fact that I was locked in a cage which was not even large enough for me to stand up. Beyond the iron bars, I could see that I was in a small stone house. Across the room was a bed, and I could see Strawberry lying there covered in blanket from neck to toe and without her hat. She was fast asleep but she was breathing heavily, which meant her condition was still bad.

"Finally awake, you kidnapper?" a voice suddenly said. I looked to the left and saw Brambleberry sitting on a chair.

"I'm not a kidnapper!" I said.

"I see no other explanation for you two hurrying, bringing unconscious Princess Strawberry Rose in the middle of a forest," she said.

"That was because..." I said.

"Because you kidnapped her and you were running away from the kingdom!" she interrupted.

"Put that aside for now! Her condition is bad!" I said.

"Yeah, because you two poisoned her to make her unconscious," she said. "I've been trying to cure her, but I can't do anything if I don't know what poison you used!"

"That's not..." I said.

"I'm not listening!" she interrupted. "Now I will only listen if you tell me what kind of poison you used on her."

"We didn't even..." I said.

"I said, I'm not listening anything other than what kind of poison you used!" she interrupted, and I couldn't say anything. "Not convinced yet? Then how about this?"

After saying that, she waved her wand towards a part of the room which had been covered by a curtain. The curtain then opened, and I was horrified by the sight of Almond being unconscious and entangled by brambleberry vines which were growing from a pot.

"Almond! What have you done to my brother?!" I shouted.

"Well, right outside that window is a pile of brambleberry thorns," she said, waving her wand. The vines then brought Almond near the window she had mentioned. The window was wide open and large enough for a person to go through. "I suppose you don't want me to throw your brother there, do you?"

"NO!" I shouted. Of course I knew Almond would regenerate any injuries, but he would still feel the pain and I didn't want that to happen.

"Then you know what to say," she said.

"Uhh... Bug!" I said, suddenly getting an idea. "We extracted the poison of a bug!"

"Interesting. What bug?" she asked.

"Uhh... the poisonous kind that lives around here!" I said.

"Be more specific! There are two kinds of poisonous bug around here, and if I give her a wrong potion she'll only get worse!" she said.

"I... I don't know," I said.

"There's no way you don't know!" she said, waving her wand. The vines brought Almond closer to the window. "Tell me or..."

"I really don't know!" I said.

"You don't think I wouldn't really throw your brother out of the window, do you?" she said, waving her wand again. The vines moved as if they're getting ready to throw Almond out. The situation was really grave, but suddenly someone knocked on the front door.

"Hmph!" she said. Putting her wand on the table next to her. "Coming!" She then flew to the front door and opened it.

"Hello, Brambleberry!" a voice said, and I could recognize the voice as Huck's voice.

"Oh hello, Prince Huckleberry! Welcome!" Brambleberry said. "But I'm afraid the situation is bad now."

"Bad? What's the matter?" he asked as the two of them entered the house. Indeed Prince Huckleberry looked like Huck. He then noticed me and Almond, but he had not noticed Strawberry on the bed. "Who are these guys?"

"These no good villains kidnapped Princess Strawberry Rose and made her unconscious with a poison. I'm now trying to make him tell me what poison they used so I can cure her," she said.

"They kidnapped Princess Strawberry Rose?" he said. "That cannot be right."

"But that's what happened," she said, showing him the unconscious Strawberry. "See?"

"Princess Strawberry Rose...? This... cannot be..." he said.

"Unbelievable indeed. That's why I'm gonna get the information right now," she said, looking at me.

"Brambleberry, do you know why I said that this cannot be right?" he asked.

"Huh? No. Why?" she asked.

"Hello, Brambleberry! How are you? I've just picked brambleberries from your garden for your berry delicious treat you have invited me for!" suddenly someone none other than Princess Strawberry Rose came into the house bringing a basket full of brambleberries. Brambleberry was very surprised.

"I have been with her since this morning," he said. "Whoever this girl is, she is not Princess Strawberry Rose."

"What are you talking about?" Princess Strawberry Rose asked. She then noticed everything and got very surprised. "What's going on here?"

"Then... who is this girl?" Brambleberry asked in disbelief, and she looked at me.

"She is my friend Strawberry Shortcake. We are travellers from far away and she got bitten by a poisonous bug," I said.

"Well, I think I can guess what happened next," Prince Huckleberry said, looking at Brambleberry. She was speechless, seeming embarassed and afraid. "Better release them now, Brambleberry."

"Uhh... Yeah. Right away," Brambleberry said. She then took her wand from the table and waved it. My cage opened and the vines released Almond, who landed on his feet fully awake.

"So you were awake all this time?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I couldn't get free anyway, so I just kept pretending to be unconscious," Almond said.

"I... Uh... I..." Brambleberry said, being very afraid and embarassed.

"Put that aside for now. Now the thing to do first is to cure her," I said, though it was pretty obvious that I sounded upset.

"Which part of her was bitten?" Prince Huckleberry asked.

"The back of her neck," I said. He then examined the back of Strawberry's neck.

"Oh, I know this," he said. "Brambleberry, please get the potion for Berry Wasp poison."

"I... I'll get to it," Brambleberry said. She then took a vial from her shelf and carefully put the content into Strawberry's mouth. She then waved her wand and Strawberry's body shined. After it was over, I could notice her breathing normally again and her face became more peaceful than before.

"Is she alright now?" I asked.

"She should be. Just let her sleep more for now," Prince Huckleberry said. All of us then walked outside the house.

"I believe it's time to settle things between us now," I said, looking at Brambleberry.

"I... I... I'm sorry!" Brambleberry said, kneeling on the ground.

"You accused us of kidnapping, put me in a cage, threatened to harm my brother, and now you expect everything to be settled with 'I'm sorry'?" I said.

"The last one was just a bluff! There's only soft grass there," Brambleberry said.

"That doesn't make you any better," I said. "Everything could be avoided. Strawberry could be cured faster. If only you took a time to listen to me!"

"Please calm down, traveller," Princess Strawberry Rose said. "I admit that Brambleberry made a mistake, but could you please forgive her? I believe she has learned from her mistake."

"I can't ever deny such polite request," I said after sighing. "Alright, fine. Just do me one favor."

"I'll do anything! What do you want?" Brambleberry said.

"I heard someone saying about brambleberry treats," I said. "I'd like to have some."

"Not only some! I'll give you many! As many as you want!" Brambleberry said.

"Did I hear something about brambleberry treats?" suddenly Strawberry came out from the house saying that.

"Strawberry! You're okay!" I said.

"Yeah, I'm berry fine now. Though I have no idea what have been happening while I was asleep," she said.

"This fairy, Brambleberry Fairy, helped us to cure you. Other than that, nothing special," Almond said, which pretty much surprised Brambleberry.

"Thank you berry much, Brambleberry!" Strawberry said.

"I... I... It was no problem... really..." Brambleberry said.

"Also, this might be a bit awkward but... Strawberry, meet also Princess Strawberry Rose and Prince Huckleberry," I said.

"Hello," Prince Huckleberry said.

"It's like I'm looking at a mirror! Nice to meet you," Princess Strawberry Rose said.

"You're berry right! I'm Strawberry Shortcake, and this is my friend Blackberry Bun, and his brother Almond Cookie," Strawberry said.

"Well, now that we're done introducing, let's get inside for the brambleberry treats," Prince Huckleberry said, and we all went into the house. I really hope Brambleberry has learned her lesson about taking the time to listen to what others have to say.


-End of Chapter 16-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-204.html Sat, 06 Oct 2012 19:24:22 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-204.html Quote:Chapter 15: Over The Top


A week had passed after the trip around the world. Strawberryland had once again been saved from Purple Pie Man's grasp and all of us were glad. During this one week, nothing special had happened. Every single person on Strawberryland enjoyed their peaceful time without having to deal with Purple Pie Man or any other threat. On this peaceful day, I was sitting on my working table making a new device, while Almond was playing outside.

"Hey bro! Check this out!" Almond said, right after he came back.

"What is it?" I asked, turning my working chair around.

"Our friends are going to go here tomorrow! Let's go there too!" he said, giving me a piece of paper. I took the paper from him and read it. It was a brochure of a ranch where people can come to breathe on the country air and experience the life down on the ranch.

"Who are going there?" I asked.

"Lemon Meringue, Plum Puddin', Watermelon Kiss, Tangerina Torta, Rainbow Sherbet, Banana Candy, Blueberry Muffin, and Apricot," he replied.

"I'm not sure about this," I said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I just don't feel like it," I replied. "I'm not really fond of going out anyway."

"Come on, bro! Please," he said.

"Can't you just go by yourself?" I asked.

"Not without you!" he said. I then pondered for a while.

"Alright if you want it," I said after sighing. "This device can wait anyway."

"Yaay! I'll tell them then!" he said, leaving the house running. I could only hope I had not made a bad decision.

At the next morning, the thing that woke me up was my telephone ringing. I picked it up while still being drowsy, and Almond was still fast asleep.

"Hello..." I said.

"Blackberry, are you coming or not?" the voice on the other side asked. "The bus is about to depart!"

"What?! Oh my, both me and Almond overslept!" I said in surprise.

"Do you want us to wait for you?" the voice asked. "But we can't hold the bus for long!"

"Uhh..." I said. "Go without us!"

"Are you sure?" the voice asked.

"We will come with another means! Don't worry about us!" I said.

"Alright if you say so. We'll wait for you at the location. See you soon, Blackberry," the voice said.

"See you soon, Lemon Meringue," I said, hanging the phone up.

"What happened...?" Almond asked, still in his drowsiness.

"We overslept," I said.

"I guess that can't be helped then..." he said.

"Yeah..." I said. "I'll get ready."

"I'll sleep for five more minutes then..." Almond said, going to sleep again.


About two hours later, the bus arrived at the ranch. All the girls on the bus were getting off, and then they were greeted by the owner of the ranch, who was a girl with orange ponytail in cowboy outfit.

"Welcome to Berry Prairie Dude Ranch! I'd like you to meet your ranch hands; Strawberry and Angel Cake!" the owner said. The girls were surprised that their ranch hands were indeed Strawberry Shortcake and Angel Cake, who were already in their cowboy outfit.

Soon, the teams were divided. Lemon, Banana, Blueberry, and Plum were in Strawberry's team, while Tangerina, Apricot, Watermelon, and Rainbow were in Angel's team.

"Is this everybody?" Strawberry asked.

"Well, there are supposed to be two more, but they overslept," Lemon said.

"Really? That's too bad. Who are they?" Strawberry asked.

"Blackberry and Almond," Plum said.

"But when I called them Blackberry said that they would come with another means," Lemon said.

"Well..." Strawberry said. "If it's them, they will come... about now."

Right after Strawberry said the last line, something familiar to most of the girls there came. It was Albatross, and when it arrived right above the front gate of the ranch, Almond and I jumped out from it. We landed safely because of Albatross' gravity field keeping our fall slow enough, and right after we had landed Albatross deformed back into necklace form. Almond caught the necklace and put it around his neck again.

"Sorry we're late!" Almond said.

"We're berry glad that you two made it here, Blackberry and Almond!" Strawberry said, welcoming us.

"Well, I guess I'm the only one who needs an explanation about what just happened, huh?" the ranch owner said.

"Annie, meet Blackberry Bun and his brother Almond Cookie," Strawberry said. "Blackberry and Almond, meet Annie Oatmeal."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Let me explain that the spaceship you saw was my true form. And before you ask, yes I'm not human. But let's just put that aside, alright?" Almond said.

"Alright, nice to meet you two. Welcome to Berry Prairie Dude Ranch!" Annie said. "Now pick your team."

"Team?" I asked.

"There are two teams here: Strawberry's and Angel Cake's. The two teams already has the same number of members, so it will be best if you two are in separate team. However, if you really want to be in the same team, I can arrange," Annie explained.

"What do you say, bro?" Almond asked.

"I'm fine either way actually," I said.

"Same, so let's separate," he said.

"Alright, I'll be in Strawberry's team," I said.

"Then I'll be in Angel Cake's team," he said. "Good luck, bro!"

"Good luck to you too," I said. I then approached Strawberry's team and Almond went to Angel Cake's team.

"Welcome to the team!" Strawberry said.

"Almond Cookie. With all his special abilities he's certainly the best competitor of the entire Strawberryland. With him in my team, this is gonna be an easy win!" Angel Cake said with low voice and grinning. Nobody heard her except Almond himself, who then decided not to talk about it.

Later, all teams were gathered at the horse area. We all had changed to cowboy outfit, except Almond who only put on a cowboy hat.

"Hey, Blackberry," Banana said. "Why Albatross... I mean, Almond, didn't change his clothes?"

"Well, the detail is hard to explain. To put it simply, his clothes can't be removed," I said.

"They can't?" Lemon asked.

"Does that mean he sleeps without changing to pajamas?" Blueberry asked.

"Yeah, he sleeps with those clothes, shoes included," I said. "The only thing that can be removed from him is the necklace, and you all know for what."

"Wow, that sounds terrible if it's us," Plum said.

"But the funny thing is that no matter how dirty he becomes during the day, he will be perfectly clean by bedtime," I said.

"Hey, Blackberry," Annie said while approaching me with a black horse at her side. "I'm going to pair you with this horse. He likes a rider who's calm and also smart. His name is Black Currant."

"Eh... what...?" I asked, not believing her last line. "Did you say... Black Currant?"

"Yes, that's his name," Annie said. "What's the matter."

"I had a cat with the same name," I said.

"What a coincidence! But that makes it even better to pair you with him, right?" Annie said, and I didn't say anything.

"Uhh.. Annie. I think we should pair Blackberry with another horse," Strawberry said.

"Huh? Why?" Annie asked. Strawberry didn't answer and instead she looked at me.

"Black Currant, my cat... He died protecting me six years ago," I said, which seemed to surprise Annie. "Without his sacrifice, I wouldn't be here now."

"Uhh Sorry. I didn't know," Annie said.

"It's not your fault," I said, stroking the black horse. "And don't worry about pairing me with this Black Currant. I'll get along with him just fine."

Later, all people had been paired with their horse and were riding them. I could see Almond riding a brown horse skillfully, which surprised me because he had never ridden any horse before. He then approached me.

"Hey bro, doing good with Black Currant?" he asked.

"You already know his name?" I asked.

"I can hear anything you hear if I want, remember?" he said. "You seemed down when Annie brought Black Currant to you, so I got curious and activated that trait."

"I see," I said. "By the way, I'm pretty surprised seeing you riding your horse so well," I said.

"My telepathy, along with him helping me with language barrier, really helps. Glad that ever since I split my soul, I no longer have any headache while connecting to him in human form," he said. Suddenly we heard someone screaming. We then rushed to Strawberry and Annie to ask about what had happened.

"What happened? I heard someone screaming," I said.

"It was Plum Puddin'," Strawberry said. "Her horse jumped over the fence and she was frightened."

"Is she going to be alright?" Almond asked, looking at a distant horse running around the field with its rider looking scared.

"Don't worry. Thunder knows where he's going," Annie said calmly.

Later that night, there was a chili cooking competition between the teams. I had no idea about cooking chili, so I only watched. I was standing close enough to the other group so I could hear Angel Cake bossing towards her team.

"Hey, Almond. Use your fire on this pot!" Angel said.

"Huh? But..." Almond said.

"We need to keep the fire hot, so do it now!" Angel interrupted.

"Alright..." Almond said. He then used his Flame Stone power on the pot. I was worried about the pain and burn damage he had to endure, but I decided to believe in him, so I didn't say anything.

"Hmm... Smells berry good," Strawberry said, smelling the chili from her team's pot. Blueberry then took a spoonful of the chili and tasted it.

"Could use some more chili powder," Blueberry said.

"Plum, could you do it?" Strawberry said.

"I'm on it," Plum said, bringing a bottle of chili powder. She was about to shake the bottle above the pot when I interrupted.

"Wait a second, Plum," I said, approaching her. "Before doing that, make sure the cap is sealed tight. Don't want to risk the cap falling and all chili powder in the bottle getting into our chili, right?"

"Oh yeah, you're right," Plum said, tightening the bottle cap. "Oh my gosh, glad you said that! The cap is loose!"

"Berry great job, Blackberry!" Strawberry said as Plum carefully added the chili powder to the pot.

Not long after, Annie went to the other group and tasted their chili.

"Ouch!" Annie said right after tasting.

"What's the matter?" Angel asked.

"This was delicious," Annie said. "But it's too hot! I mean, the heat. You probably had the fire too big. But don't feel bad about it."

Annie then went to our team's pot and tasted our chili.

"Hmm... This is... Perfect! Well done!" Annie said. "Team Strawberry is the winner for this match!"

Our team cheered for our victory. But my cheering didn't last long because I heard Angel Cake scolding Almond.

"We lost and it was your fault!" Angel said.

"I was about to say that the fire from Flame Stone is hotter than ordinary fire, but you wouldn't listen!" Almond said.

"You should have controlled it! It's your..." Angel said, but I came and interrupted her.

"He did everything as you told him, and now you blame him?! Do you know how hard it was for him?!" I shouted.

"Huh...?" Angel said in surprise. I then pulled Almond's right hand which he had been keeping inside his pants pocket. There was severe burn damage all over his hand.

"Look! This is what always happens if he uses the Flame Stone power continuously for more than one minute!" I shouted.

"Calm down, brother! It will heal by tomorrow morning!" Almond said, but I didn't listen.

"He did all those for you, and you scolded him?! I had better thought of you, but now I hate you, and I will never forgive you! NEVER!" I shouted from the top of my lungs. There was a silence, and I walked away from the crowd still holding Almond's hand. However, suddenly everything went dark and I didn't remember anything that happened next.

When I woke up, I was on a bed, but not the bed in the bunkhouse. I had no idea how I suddenly had ended up there, but I noticed that it was already the next day in the morning from the sunlight coming through the window in the room.

"Morning," suddenly a familar voice greeted.

"Hey, Almond. Where am I? What happened?" I asked, looking at Almond who was sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"This is Annie's bedroom. I knocked you out, with my soul power," he replied, which surprised me.

"Huh? Why? For what?" I asked.

"Because I needed you to calm down," he said. "Do you realize what you've done? Do you know what happened after you threw a tantrum like that?"

I couldn't answer, so I kept silent.

"Angel Cake broke down and cried! She was so shocked, and she fainted not long after! Not to mention the atmosphere became so bad that Annie decided to call the entire event off!" Almond said, standing up. "Everyone else should be halfway home by now."

"But she..." I said, but Almond interrupted.

"I know! You had a point that what Angel Cake did wasn't right, but you didn't have to be so outraged! You said it yourself that anything done out of rage wouldn't bring anything good, but why did you end up doing that?" he said. "Everyone else said that it was not like the usual you."

"Because..." I said, but I couldn't bring myself to speak further.

"Tell me, brother," he said, sitting on the bed.

"Because I love you," I said. Almond seemed a bit surprised. "I love you as my brother. I'm determined to guard you from anything at all cost, even if it means losing everything else. I won't mind the entire Strawberryland hating me, as long as I can always guard you I don't need anything else."

"Well, I'm flattered," Almond said. "But that still cannot justify what you have done. I appreciate you defending me, but you went too far and it won't bring any good for your future."

"Yeah, I pretty much have lost some of my friends' respect towards me. I'm aware of that," I said. "But the damage has been done and I have to live with the consequences."

"Brother, can you promise me one thing?" he asked.

"What is it?" I asked back.

"Never defend me out of rage again," he said. "If you want to defend me, keep your head cool."

"That may be a bit hard to do," I said.

"Promise me, brother," he said. I kept silent for a while.

"Alright, I promise," I finally said. I saw Almond smiling after I had said that.

"Thank you, brother. That's what I want to hear," he said. Suddenly, his necklace started to shine.

"Almond? What's happening with you?" I asked. Almond didn't say anything. He just kept smiling as his necklace emitted even brighter light to the point I couldn't see anything but white.

"We lost and it was your fault!" suddenly I heard a familiar voice.

"I was about to say that the fire from Flame Stone is hotter than ordinary fire, but you wouldn't listen!" I heard another familiar voice as I regained my sight. I was very surprised that I was back at the chili cooking competition again. Almond had somehow turned back the time.

"You should have controlled it! It's still your fault!" Angel said. I was once again angered by what Angel had said, but I had promised to keep my head cool. Therefore, I just calmly approached her.

"Angel Cake, did you really want victory so bad that you now blame my brother?" I asked.

"Eh? No... I mean... I..." Angel said, losing her words.

"If you want to blame someone, then blame me," I said. "Blame me for your loss because I prevented Plum from accidentally pouring the whole bottle of chili powder to our team's chili,"

"I don't think that makes sense, brother," Almond said, still with both hands inside his pockets.

"Well, does blaming you make sense either when you did what she had told you to the letter?" I asked.

"Alright, sorry for interrupting but I really need to say something here," Annie said. "Angel Cake, I don't mean to corner you, but you are really becoming what we have been trying to avoid."

Angel just bowed down her head, not saying anything.

"We all need to remember that the whole team competition is just for the fun of it, not for the victory or the trophy. So no bragging if you win, no whining if you lose. The participation and putting all your heart in it should be the main point," Annie said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Angel said. "I'm really sorry, Almond. I was carried away."

"Ah, no worries," Almond said.

"Alright, now that we are settled, let's eat our chili together!" Annie said.

"I'll pass, then," Almond said.

"Why is it?" Angel asked. "Are you still hurt because of what I said?"

"No, not that," Almond said. "I suddenly don't feel too well..."

"I think he needs some rest after using that Flame Stone power," I said. "I'll take him to the bunkhouse and return later."

"Oh I see," Angel said. "Good night, Almond."

"Good night, Almond!" the others said. The two of us then walked away from the group.

"Can't have her feel more guilty because of seeing this," I said, pulling Almond's left hand from his pocket while still walking. The hand had severe burn damage.

"Yeah, thanks," Almond said.

"And thank you to you too," I said.

"Huh? For what?" he asked.

"For turning back the time to give me second chance," I said.

"I did that?" he asked.

"Yeah. You don't remember?" I asked.

"I see. So that's why suddenly my soul power suddenly depleted and I felt so weak," he said. "Yeah, I can turn back the time, but I don't get to keep my memories of the future. Only one other person I choose will get to keep the memories."

"Oh..." I said.

"What had happened that I turned back the time?" he asked.

"It's embarassing. I'd rather not talk about it," I replied. "But I'm very grateful that you averted it."

"You're welcome," he said. "Though there will be no Albatross for at least two weeks because of this."

"A small price to pay," I said.

"If you think that's a small price, I'm starting to wonder what kind of trouble you got into," he said.

"You're better off not knowing," I said.

"Come on, bro. Tell me!" he said with a smirk.

"No!" I said, running away from him.

"Hey, wait!" he said, chasing me, and the two of us ran all the way to his team's bunkhouse.


-End of Chapter 15- ]]> Quote:Chapter 15: Over The Top


A week had passed after the trip around the world. Strawberryland had once again been saved from Purple Pie Man's grasp and all of us were glad. During this one week, nothing special had happened. Every single person on Strawberryland enjoyed their peaceful time without having to deal with Purple Pie Man or any other threat. On this peaceful day, I was sitting on my working table making a new device, while Almond was playing outside.

"Hey bro! Check this out!" Almond said, right after he came back.

"What is it?" I asked, turning my working chair around.

"Our friends are going to go here tomorrow! Let's go there too!" he said, giving me a piece of paper. I took the paper from him and read it. It was a brochure of a ranch where people can come to breathe on the country air and experience the life down on the ranch.

"Who are going there?" I asked.

"Lemon Meringue, Plum Puddin', Watermelon Kiss, Tangerina Torta, Rainbow Sherbet, Banana Candy, Blueberry Muffin, and Apricot," he replied.

"I'm not sure about this," I said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I just don't feel like it," I replied. "I'm not really fond of going out anyway."

"Come on, bro! Please," he said.

"Can't you just go by yourself?" I asked.

"Not without you!" he said. I then pondered for a while.

"Alright if you want it," I said after sighing. "This device can wait anyway."

"Yaay! I'll tell them then!" he said, leaving the house running. I could only hope I had not made a bad decision.

At the next morning, the thing that woke me up was my telephone ringing. I picked it up while still being drowsy, and Almond was still fast asleep.

"Hello..." I said.

"Blackberry, are you coming or not?" the voice on the other side asked. "The bus is about to depart!"

"What?! Oh my, both me and Almond overslept!" I said in surprise.

"Do you want us to wait for you?" the voice asked. "But we can't hold the bus for long!"

"Uhh..." I said. "Go without us!"

"Are you sure?" the voice asked.

"We will come with another means! Don't worry about us!" I said.

"Alright if you say so. We'll wait for you at the location. See you soon, Blackberry," the voice said.

"See you soon, Lemon Meringue," I said, hanging the phone up.

"What happened...?" Almond asked, still in his drowsiness.

"We overslept," I said.

"I guess that can't be helped then..." he said.

"Yeah..." I said. "I'll get ready."

"I'll sleep for five more minutes then..." Almond said, going to sleep again.


About two hours later, the bus arrived at the ranch. All the girls on the bus were getting off, and then they were greeted by the owner of the ranch, who was a girl with orange ponytail in cowboy outfit.

"Welcome to Berry Prairie Dude Ranch! I'd like you to meet your ranch hands; Strawberry and Angel Cake!" the owner said. The girls were surprised that their ranch hands were indeed Strawberry Shortcake and Angel Cake, who were already in their cowboy outfit.

Soon, the teams were divided. Lemon, Banana, Blueberry, and Plum were in Strawberry's team, while Tangerina, Apricot, Watermelon, and Rainbow were in Angel's team.

"Is this everybody?" Strawberry asked.

"Well, there are supposed to be two more, but they overslept," Lemon said.

"Really? That's too bad. Who are they?" Strawberry asked.

"Blackberry and Almond," Plum said.

"But when I called them Blackberry said that they would come with another means," Lemon said.

"Well..." Strawberry said. "If it's them, they will come... about now."

Right after Strawberry said the last line, something familiar to most of the girls there came. It was Albatross, and when it arrived right above the front gate of the ranch, Almond and I jumped out from it. We landed safely because of Albatross' gravity field keeping our fall slow enough, and right after we had landed Albatross deformed back into necklace form. Almond caught the necklace and put it around his neck again.

"Sorry we're late!" Almond said.

"We're berry glad that you two made it here, Blackberry and Almond!" Strawberry said, welcoming us.

"Well, I guess I'm the only one who needs an explanation about what just happened, huh?" the ranch owner said.

"Annie, meet Blackberry Bun and his brother Almond Cookie," Strawberry said. "Blackberry and Almond, meet Annie Oatmeal."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Let me explain that the spaceship you saw was my true form. And before you ask, yes I'm not human. But let's just put that aside, alright?" Almond said.

"Alright, nice to meet you two. Welcome to Berry Prairie Dude Ranch!" Annie said. "Now pick your team."

"Team?" I asked.

"There are two teams here: Strawberry's and Angel Cake's. The two teams already has the same number of members, so it will be best if you two are in separate team. However, if you really want to be in the same team, I can arrange," Annie explained.

"What do you say, bro?" Almond asked.

"I'm fine either way actually," I said.

"Same, so let's separate," he said.

"Alright, I'll be in Strawberry's team," I said.

"Then I'll be in Angel Cake's team," he said. "Good luck, bro!"

"Good luck to you too," I said. I then approached Strawberry's team and Almond went to Angel Cake's team.

"Welcome to the team!" Strawberry said.

"Almond Cookie. With all his special abilities he's certainly the best competitor of the entire Strawberryland. With him in my team, this is gonna be an easy win!" Angel Cake said with low voice and grinning. Nobody heard her except Almond himself, who then decided not to talk about it.

Later, all teams were gathered at the horse area. We all had changed to cowboy outfit, except Almond who only put on a cowboy hat.

"Hey, Blackberry," Banana said. "Why Albatross... I mean, Almond, didn't change his clothes?"

"Well, the detail is hard to explain. To put it simply, his clothes can't be removed," I said.

"They can't?" Lemon asked.

"Does that mean he sleeps without changing to pajamas?" Blueberry asked.

"Yeah, he sleeps with those clothes, shoes included," I said. "The only thing that can be removed from him is the necklace, and you all know for what."

"Wow, that sounds terrible if it's us," Plum said.

"But the funny thing is that no matter how dirty he becomes during the day, he will be perfectly clean by bedtime," I said.

"Hey, Blackberry," Annie said while approaching me with a black horse at her side. "I'm going to pair you with this horse. He likes a rider who's calm and also smart. His name is Black Currant."

"Eh... what...?" I asked, not believing her last line. "Did you say... Black Currant?"

"Yes, that's his name," Annie said. "What's the matter."

"I had a cat with the same name," I said.

"What a coincidence! But that makes it even better to pair you with him, right?" Annie said, and I didn't say anything.

"Uhh.. Annie. I think we should pair Blackberry with another horse," Strawberry said.

"Huh? Why?" Annie asked. Strawberry didn't answer and instead she looked at me.

"Black Currant, my cat... He died protecting me six years ago," I said, which seemed to surprise Annie. "Without his sacrifice, I wouldn't be here now."

"Uhh Sorry. I didn't know," Annie said.

"It's not your fault," I said, stroking the black horse. "And don't worry about pairing me with this Black Currant. I'll get along with him just fine."

Later, all people had been paired with their horse and were riding them. I could see Almond riding a brown horse skillfully, which surprised me because he had never ridden any horse before. He then approached me.

"Hey bro, doing good with Black Currant?" he asked.

"You already know his name?" I asked.

"I can hear anything you hear if I want, remember?" he said. "You seemed down when Annie brought Black Currant to you, so I got curious and activated that trait."

"I see," I said. "By the way, I'm pretty surprised seeing you riding your horse so well," I said.

"My telepathy, along with him helping me with language barrier, really helps. Glad that ever since I split my soul, I no longer have any headache while connecting to him in human form," he said. Suddenly we heard someone screaming. We then rushed to Strawberry and Annie to ask about what had happened.

"What happened? I heard someone screaming," I said.

"It was Plum Puddin'," Strawberry said. "Her horse jumped over the fence and she was frightened."

"Is she going to be alright?" Almond asked, looking at a distant horse running around the field with its rider looking scared.

"Don't worry. Thunder knows where he's going," Annie said calmly.

Later that night, there was a chili cooking competition between the teams. I had no idea about cooking chili, so I only watched. I was standing close enough to the other group so I could hear Angel Cake bossing towards her team.

"Hey, Almond. Use your fire on this pot!" Angel said.

"Huh? But..." Almond said.

"We need to keep the fire hot, so do it now!" Angel interrupted.

"Alright..." Almond said. He then used his Flame Stone power on the pot. I was worried about the pain and burn damage he had to endure, but I decided to believe in him, so I didn't say anything.

"Hmm... Smells berry good," Strawberry said, smelling the chili from her team's pot. Blueberry then took a spoonful of the chili and tasted it.

"Could use some more chili powder," Blueberry said.

"Plum, could you do it?" Strawberry said.

"I'm on it," Plum said, bringing a bottle of chili powder. She was about to shake the bottle above the pot when I interrupted.

"Wait a second, Plum," I said, approaching her. "Before doing that, make sure the cap is sealed tight. Don't want to risk the cap falling and all chili powder in the bottle getting into our chili, right?"

"Oh yeah, you're right," Plum said, tightening the bottle cap. "Oh my gosh, glad you said that! The cap is loose!"

"Berry great job, Blackberry!" Strawberry said as Plum carefully added the chili powder to the pot.

Not long after, Annie went to the other group and tasted their chili.

"Ouch!" Annie said right after tasting.

"What's the matter?" Angel asked.

"This was delicious," Annie said. "But it's too hot! I mean, the heat. You probably had the fire too big. But don't feel bad about it."

Annie then went to our team's pot and tasted our chili.

"Hmm... This is... Perfect! Well done!" Annie said. "Team Strawberry is the winner for this match!"

Our team cheered for our victory. But my cheering didn't last long because I heard Angel Cake scolding Almond.

"We lost and it was your fault!" Angel said.

"I was about to say that the fire from Flame Stone is hotter than ordinary fire, but you wouldn't listen!" Almond said.

"You should have controlled it! It's your..." Angel said, but I came and interrupted her.

"He did everything as you told him, and now you blame him?! Do you know how hard it was for him?!" I shouted.

"Huh...?" Angel said in surprise. I then pulled Almond's right hand which he had been keeping inside his pants pocket. There was severe burn damage all over his hand.

"Look! This is what always happens if he uses the Flame Stone power continuously for more than one minute!" I shouted.

"Calm down, brother! It will heal by tomorrow morning!" Almond said, but I didn't listen.

"He did all those for you, and you scolded him?! I had better thought of you, but now I hate you, and I will never forgive you! NEVER!" I shouted from the top of my lungs. There was a silence, and I walked away from the crowd still holding Almond's hand. However, suddenly everything went dark and I didn't remember anything that happened next.

When I woke up, I was on a bed, but not the bed in the bunkhouse. I had no idea how I suddenly had ended up there, but I noticed that it was already the next day in the morning from the sunlight coming through the window in the room.

"Morning," suddenly a familar voice greeted.

"Hey, Almond. Where am I? What happened?" I asked, looking at Almond who was sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"This is Annie's bedroom. I knocked you out, with my soul power," he replied, which surprised me.

"Huh? Why? For what?" I asked.

"Because I needed you to calm down," he said. "Do you realize what you've done? Do you know what happened after you threw a tantrum like that?"

I couldn't answer, so I kept silent.

"Angel Cake broke down and cried! She was so shocked, and she fainted not long after! Not to mention the atmosphere became so bad that Annie decided to call the entire event off!" Almond said, standing up. "Everyone else should be halfway home by now."

"But she..." I said, but Almond interrupted.

"I know! You had a point that what Angel Cake did wasn't right, but you didn't have to be so outraged! You said it yourself that anything done out of rage wouldn't bring anything good, but why did you end up doing that?" he said. "Everyone else said that it was not like the usual you."

"Because..." I said, but I couldn't bring myself to speak further.

"Tell me, brother," he said, sitting on the bed.

"Because I love you," I said. Almond seemed a bit surprised. "I love you as my brother. I'm determined to guard you from anything at all cost, even if it means losing everything else. I won't mind the entire Strawberryland hating me, as long as I can always guard you I don't need anything else."

"Well, I'm flattered," Almond said. "But that still cannot justify what you have done. I appreciate you defending me, but you went too far and it won't bring any good for your future."

"Yeah, I pretty much have lost some of my friends' respect towards me. I'm aware of that," I said. "But the damage has been done and I have to live with the consequences."

"Brother, can you promise me one thing?" he asked.

"What is it?" I asked back.

"Never defend me out of rage again," he said. "If you want to defend me, keep your head cool."

"That may be a bit hard to do," I said.

"Promise me, brother," he said. I kept silent for a while.

"Alright, I promise," I finally said. I saw Almond smiling after I had said that.

"Thank you, brother. That's what I want to hear," he said. Suddenly, his necklace started to shine.

"Almond? What's happening with you?" I asked. Almond didn't say anything. He just kept smiling as his necklace emitted even brighter light to the point I couldn't see anything but white.

"We lost and it was your fault!" suddenly I heard a familiar voice.

"I was about to say that the fire from Flame Stone is hotter than ordinary fire, but you wouldn't listen!" I heard another familiar voice as I regained my sight. I was very surprised that I was back at the chili cooking competition again. Almond had somehow turned back the time.

"You should have controlled it! It's still your fault!" Angel said. I was once again angered by what Angel had said, but I had promised to keep my head cool. Therefore, I just calmly approached her.

"Angel Cake, did you really want victory so bad that you now blame my brother?" I asked.

"Eh? No... I mean... I..." Angel said, losing her words.

"If you want to blame someone, then blame me," I said. "Blame me for your loss because I prevented Plum from accidentally pouring the whole bottle of chili powder to our team's chili,"

"I don't think that makes sense, brother," Almond said, still with both hands inside his pockets.

"Well, does blaming you make sense either when you did what she had told you to the letter?" I asked.

"Alright, sorry for interrupting but I really need to say something here," Annie said. "Angel Cake, I don't mean to corner you, but you are really becoming what we have been trying to avoid."

Angel just bowed down her head, not saying anything.

"We all need to remember that the whole team competition is just for the fun of it, not for the victory or the trophy. So no bragging if you win, no whining if you lose. The participation and putting all your heart in it should be the main point," Annie said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Angel said. "I'm really sorry, Almond. I was carried away."

"Ah, no worries," Almond said.

"Alright, now that we are settled, let's eat our chili together!" Annie said.

"I'll pass, then," Almond said.

"Why is it?" Angel asked. "Are you still hurt because of what I said?"

"No, not that," Almond said. "I suddenly don't feel too well..."

"I think he needs some rest after using that Flame Stone power," I said. "I'll take him to the bunkhouse and return later."

"Oh I see," Angel said. "Good night, Almond."

"Good night, Almond!" the others said. The two of us then walked away from the group.

"Can't have her feel more guilty because of seeing this," I said, pulling Almond's left hand from his pocket while still walking. The hand had severe burn damage.

"Yeah, thanks," Almond said.

"And thank you to you too," I said.

"Huh? For what?" he asked.

"For turning back the time to give me second chance," I said.

"I did that?" he asked.

"Yeah. You don't remember?" I asked.

"I see. So that's why suddenly my soul power suddenly depleted and I felt so weak," he said. "Yeah, I can turn back the time, but I don't get to keep my memories of the future. Only one other person I choose will get to keep the memories."

"Oh..." I said.

"What had happened that I turned back the time?" he asked.

"It's embarassing. I'd rather not talk about it," I replied. "But I'm very grateful that you averted it."

"You're welcome," he said. "Though there will be no Albatross for at least two weeks because of this."

"A small price to pay," I said.

"If you think that's a small price, I'm starting to wonder what kind of trouble you got into," he said.

"You're better off not knowing," I said.

"Come on, bro. Tell me!" he said with a smirk.

"No!" I said, running away from him.

"Hey, wait!" he said, chasing me, and the two of us ran all the way to his team's bunkhouse.


-End of Chapter 15- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-203.html Thu, 20 Sep 2012 03:29:57 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-203.html Quote:Chapter 14: We Meet Again


One week had passed after the day when Albatross had healed me from the injuries I had gotten. During this one week, I have been taking trains to chase Strawberry and Peppermint, who were three days ahead of me. Because I pretty much used the train of same schedule, chasing her was difficult. The only way I could catch up to her was to keep taking the immediate next train in every station, hoping that the two girls would stop to look around or rest from time to time. I even took any available night train so I could keep chasing her even while asleep. However, I was not even sure if I got closer or even passed her without knowing. Albatross couldn't use his scanner while in necklace form, so I had to wait until he could transform again.

This day, while standing around at a station waiting for the next train to come, suddenly there was an announcement that the next train would be delayed because the train two schedules ahead had been obstructed by a herd of sheeps for one hour.

"What a waste of time," I said.

"Can't be helped," Albatross said.

"I'm not sure whether I should hope they are in that blocked train or not," I said.

"I see what you mean," Albatross said. "If they're in that train, at least you're not falling behind again. But if they're not and already ahead, they have better chance to finish the challenge."

"Right," I said.

"I can transform again if you want me to," he said.

"Better save it for later," I said.

"Okay," he said. "By the way, bro..."

"What is it?" I asked.

"We better not talk anymore for now. You look like a weirdo doing that," he said. I then looked around and noticed that some people are looking at me with confused face. I felt pretty embarassed, so I walked some distance from them.

Three days later, while waiting at another station, I heard an announcement that all train schedules on that day had to be cancelled because the railroad was blocked by a big fallen tree.

"Albatross, I guess it's time," I said.

"Alright," he said. I then walked to an area behind the station where there were no other people around. In there, I threw the necklace up and it transformed into Albatross. He then sucked me into cockpit and flew along the railway.

"While you're here, can you use your gravity field to move the fallen tree out of the way?" I asked.

"Sure, no problem," he replied. Soon, we saw the fallen big tree which was blocking the railroad. There was a train in front of it, unable to proceed because of the fallen tree. Albatross then flew closer to the fallen tree and slowly lifted it using his gravity field. He easily moved the tree to an open field. After the tree was safely put down, he flew away quickly, leaving some people below staring in confusion.

"Can you scan for Strawberry?" I asked.

"Sure. Wait a minute," he replied. He then stopped and hovered above a jungle. "That's pretty strange. According to my scanner, Strawberry and Peppermint are right below..."

Before Albatross could finish his sentence, he suddenly deformed again. Once again, I fell down screaming. I fell through something like a sheet of cloth, ripping it open, and then I landed on something hard. I didn't get any injuries because the cloth I had fallen through had miraculously absorbed my fall, but hitting the hard surface was still pretty painful. Soon after, the necklace fell right on my chest.

"Blackberry?" suddenly I heard a very familiar voice.

"Why are you here?" another very familiar voice asked. I opened my eyes and saw that they were indeed Strawberry and Peppermint.

"Oh, hi, Strawberry, Peppermint," I said with a little laugh, still trying to endure the pain from falling.

"You surprised me, y'know. Suddenly falling right here through the umbrella," Peppermint said.

"Are you all right?" Strawberry asked.

"I guess so..." I said, trying to get up into sitting position. "Hey, if you keep repeating this, you'll eventually kill me for real."

"Sorry..." Albatross replied, sounding ashamed.

"Umm, who are you talking to?" Peppermint asked. "Did you hit your head?"

"Well, I guess I have a lot to explain," I said. "By the way, where am I?"

"We're riding an elephant to get through the jungle because the railroad was blocked by a fallen tree," Strawberry said.

"I see," I said, then I told the two girls everything.

"So before this you already fell once and got injured? Seriously, if I were you I wouldn't ride him again. Do you have any fear in you?" Peppermint said.

"Of course I was afraid," I said. "But my friends are worth more than myself and I will take any risk to keep them safe."

"I appreciate that berry much, Blackberry," Strawberry said. "But none of us want any of our friends to risk themselves so much. There is always be a way to overcome any obstacle without risking yourself berry greatly."

"I'm not so sure about that," I said.

We all then continued the trip with the elephant ride. The jungle was so huge that it took many days. Every day, We continued the trip from the morning until evening and we stayed overnight at small villages we came across. I saw no sight of Purple Pie Man and Sour Grapes during the trip through the jungle, but I felt that I still needed to be careful.

"We've made it! We're out of the jungle!" Peppermint said in excitement when we were indeed finally out of the jungle.

The elephant then stopped near a coastline and sat down for us to jump off. Strawberry and Peppermint jumped off to the right while I jumped off to the left. After that, the elephant stood up and walked away.

"Thanks for your help, my friend, and thank you, nice elephant!" Strawberry said, waving her hands.

CRACK!

"What is that sound?" Peppermint asked.

"I don't know. Blackberry! Are you all right?" Strawberry asked, looking at me, who was looking away from her.

"Well, not too good," I said, turning around and showing my broken glasses I held in my hands.

"What happened?" Strawberry asked.

"My glasses fell off when I jumped, and I carelessly stepped on it," I said.

"What a bummer," Peppermint said. "Can you still see now?"

"Of course I still can. But now I'm pretty much blind for anything further than 5 meters away," I said. "Never mind that. Let's move on."

"Strawberry Shortcake? Is that you?" Suddenly we heard a familiar voice.

"I know that voice," Strawberry said, looking back. "Tea Blossom!"

I then saw a blurry figure running to Strawberry. I finally could recognize her as Tea Blossom when she got close and hugged Strawberry. We all then walked together while Strawberry explained everything to Tea Blossom.

"So you see, now we need to find a ship to take us the rest of the way back," Strawberry said.

"If we can get home in three weeks, we can cure Almond without that rotten Pie Man getting our berry fields," Peppermint said.

"I'm sure we'll find what you need," Tea Blossom said. "By the way, Blackberry. Where are your glasses?"

"I broke them by accident," I said.

"I see. I might be able to find something for you too," she said. "Let's go to my house first. It's almost lunch time."

All of us then went to Tea Blossom's house and had lunch there. After we were done Tea Blossom left the house saying that she knew someone who could help me, so the three of us remained inside the house for a few minutes until she came back bringing a girl in red clothes.

"Mint Tea?" Peppermint said, surprised.

"Ah yes, you both know her already," Tea Blossom said. "Strawberry Shortcake, meet Mint Tea. Mint Tea, Strawberry Shortcake."

"Nice to meet you, Mint Tea!" Strawberry said, standing up and offering a handshake. Mint Tea accepted it reluctantly.

"So, who needs help?" Mint Tea asked, a bit cynically.

"Uhh, me," I said, showing my broken glasses to her.

"This? Are you kidding me? This is broken beyond repair!" she said. "But alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," I said.

"Thank her instead," she said, looking at Tea Blossom. "If not for her, I wouldn't accept this."

"Thank you for your kindness, Mint Tea," Tea Blossom said.

"Hmph!" Mint tea replied with slightly blushing cheek, looking away from Tea Blossom.

"Strawberry, Peppermint, let's go find a boat to bring you home," Tea Blossom said.

"Yeah, let's go. We must get back as soon as we can!" Peppermint said.

"We'll be back soon, Blackberry and Mint Tea," Strawberry said, and the three of them left the place. Mint Tea then put something that seemed like a toolbox on the table in Tea Blossom's living room and started working on something.

"How did this happen anyway?" she asked while still working.

"They fell off when I jumped off an elephant ride, and my foot landed on them," I replied.

"How careless of you," she said, examining the remains of my glasses. "Minus 5? Not only your glasses, your eyes are also horribly broken!"

"I don't even know how they became like this," I said.

"You're strange," she said. "And so are your glasses. They don't seem like any ordinary glasses..."

"Well..." I said.

"Tell me. Are you an inventor?" she asked.

"Uhh, yes.." I said.

"Figures. The frame has tiny cables inside. What do they do?" she asked.

"They help me to see in the dark. Blind person can also use it to see," I replied.

"That's... quite cool," she said.

"But you can't use it for too long or you'll have very bad headache," I said.

"How long did it take you to make them?" she asked.

"One hour," I replied. "But without my tools, I can't do anything here."

"Alright! Here!" she said, giving me something. "Of course I can't repair your glasses, but I've made a replacement for them!"

"Let's see..." I said, taking the new glasses from her hand. I then wore them and my vision became clear again. I then looked at myself on a nearby mirror. The replacement glasses she had made for me looked just like my original glasses. "This is great! Thank you!"

"Really?" she asked.

"Definitely! It was surprising that you can do this," I said.

"Surprising?" she asked, getting upset.

"Oh, umm... I mean..." I said. Getting timid because I didn't expect my last line to upset her.

"Yeah, that figures. We only met once before and I acted like a complete brat back then," she said.

"No, you didn't!" I said. "You were just being cautious. Me and Peppermint were complete strangers back then, so it was just fine!"

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course!" I said. Immediately after, the girls who had left returned.

"We're home!" Tea Blossom said.

"And we got a boat ready for us tomorrow morning!" Peppermint said.

"Wow, Blackberry! I'm berry surprised that Mint Tea has fixed your glasses so quickly!" Strawberry said, noticing that I was wearing glasses again.

"They're not my glasses. She made a replacement," I said.

"Replacement? But they look exactly like your old glasses!" Peppermint said. "You're amazing, Mint Tea!"

"Nobody can match her when it comes to handcrafting," Tea Blossom said. "She's a master of it."

"Stop it, Tea Blossom! That's embarrassing!" Mint Tea shouted with her cheeks completely red, the rest of us just laughed.

When Mint Tea went home, I went with her because I also wanted to walk around the area. She offered to give me a tour around the place, and I gladly accepted. With her, I saw a lot of places such as a bamboo forest, a beautiful riverside, and The Great Wall of Chocolate itself. Later, we found a small pier at the coastline and there was a boat docking there.

"Maybe that boat is the one I'll be using tomorrow?" I said.

"Well, I have no idea. Why don't you ask the captain if you want to make sure?" she said.

"Yeah, let's go there," I said.

Both of us then walked to the boat to make sure if it was the boat I would use at the next day. When we arrived there, there was nobody on the boat, but we got on board anyway.

"Hello, anybody here?" Mint Tea shouted. There was no answer.

"Maybe the captain is somewhere else for now?" I said.

"Maybe, but now I'm curious," Mint Tea said. "Let's check the lower deck."

"I don't think we should. That's trespassing," I said.

"No worries. We can just say we're lost," she said, walking to the lower deck entrance. I followed without saying anything. Later in the lower deck, there was nobody inside.

"Let's just go. The captain isn't here right now," I said.

"Well, alright," she said. However, soon someone entered.

"What are you doing here?" a voice familiar to me asked. It was Purple Pie Man disguising as the boat captain.

"Uh, we just wanted to make sure if this boat is the one my friends will be riding tomorrow," Mint Tea said.

"Yeah it is. So?" he asked.

"Then we're leaving. See you tomorrow," she said, starting to walk to the entrance. I followed behind her, hoping that Pie Man wouldn't recognize me.

"Not so fast, child," Pie Man said, grabbing my arms. "Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you? The weird boy with his weird devices?"

"And it seems you knew that I saw through your thin disguise," I said. I tried to get free, but I naturally couldn't match the strength of an adult.

"Hey, what are you doing to Blackberry?!" Mint Tea said. Suddenly, Sour Grapes came from behind her and grabbed her arms. "What are you doing?! Let me go!"

"Nice work, Sour Grapes," Pie Man said.

"Now what are we going to do? We can't let them go, but if we don't their friends will get worried and suspect us," Sour Grapes said.

"Hmm..." Pie Man said, thinking. "Hey, girl. There must be a telephone in the place this boy's friends are staying, right?"

"If yes, so what?" Mint Tea replied.

"My sister there has a cellphone. Call them and tell them that this boy is going to stay at your house tonight and meet them at this boat tomorrow," Pie Man said.

"And why should I do that?" Mint Tea said.

"Because you don't want me to pour this poison on him," Pie Man said, holding a green vial with his left hand while holding my arms with his right hand. Mint Tea did as Pie Man had told her because of the threat.

"Hmph! There you go!" Mint Tea said after her call had ended. Pie Man then opened the green vial and drank all the content.

"Apple syrup. Tasty!" he said, followed by a laugh. Mint Tea was very angry because she had been deceived, but Sour Grapes had already grabbed her arms.

And so, history repeated itself for me. I got locked up inside the lower deck of a boat with my hands tied behind my back. Though this time my legs were tied as well and my mouth was gagged. I could only sat on the floor quietly, leaning to the wall, and the same applied to Mint Tea. She tried struggling to get free, but it was of no use.

"In trouble again," Albatross said telepathically.

"Yeah, can you do something?" I said in my mind.

"Afraid not," he replied. "I can't do anything in necklace form, and if I transform right now you'll be crushed by my spaceship body along with this boat."

"So I guess we have no choice other than wait," I said in my mind.

Later, nightfall came and I felt really hungry and tired. I believed the same applied to Mint Tea, but there was nothing we could do. Suddenly, we heard someone coming. The place was dark so we couldn't see clearly, but soon we could recognize that it was Sour Grapes bringing a lit lantern and some other things. She then hanged the lantern near the deck ceiling and kneeled in front of us. She then removed our gag.

"I brought some food for you both," she said.

"And you expect us to eat with our hands tied?" Mint Tea said.

"Of course not. I will help you," Sour Grapes said. She then patiently fed us until we were done with the food.

"You're much nicer than that man," Mint Tea said.

"I'm sorry about my brother. I actually don't agree with him myself," Sour Grapes said.

"Then why did you help him?" Mint Tea asked.

"Because I have promised him that I would help him forever, no matter what. I'm sorry," Sour Grapes said. She then gagged our mouth again and then she put an old mattress with two old pillows on the floor right in front of us. "Lie down here and sleep. Both of you."

We did as told by her, and then she put a blanket over us.

"I know this is not comfortable, but hang in there," she said. Both of us nodded, and we could see her smiling warmly before leaving the place. Having to sleep with our hands and legs tied and mouth gagged was of course not comfortable, but much better than without the mattress, pillows, and warm blanket. Both of us fell asleep soon enough.

I had no idea what Pie Man had told Strawberry and Peppermint in the following morning, but we could feel the boat departing, which meant Strawberry and Peppermint were upstairs on the boat and they were somehow convinced not to look for me. Mint Tea struggled hard and tried to scream, but all she did were in vain. The two of us spent the rest of the day doing nothing at all other than sitting idly, being unable to move. Nobody came downstairs at all. I was really bored and my body felt really sore, and I knew the same could apply to Mint Tea. I really wondered how Pie Man managed to prevent Strawberry and Peppermint from looking down here, but bed time came again so we just went to sleep.

In the following morning, not long after the two of us woke up, we heard someone rushing downstairs. It was apparently Strawberry and Peppermint. They looked really horrified.

"Blackberry! Mint Tea!" Strawberry shouted, running to us. "Are you two okay?"

"That no good Pie Man! How could he have done this to you?" Peppermint said.

"I'm berry sorry for not knowing this earlier," Strawberry said as she released me.

"I'm sorry too! I should have not trusted him!" Peppermint said as she released Mint Tea.

"What took you so long?! Are you two dumb or what?!" Mint Tea said, looking very upset.

"Calm down, Mint Tea," I said.

"How can I be so calm when...!" Mint Tea said before someone interrupted. It was Pie Man himself, no longer in disguise.

"Alright, now that you have had your reunion, get out of my boat," Pie Man said.

Soon, the four of us were left stranded on a beach which seemed far from Strawberryland. According to Strawberry, we were already at the same land with Strawberryland, but we were far south. To make matters worse, there was only one week left.

"Now, what should we do?" I asked.

"Now we're really not going to make it," Peppermint said.

"Don't give up yet, Peppermint. We will overcome this obstacle," Strawberry said.

"How? We're still far from Strawberryland, and we have no vehicle!" Peppermint said.

"I don't care about that!" suddenly Mint Tea said.

"What?" Peppermint said.

"I don't care about your contest or whatever it is!" Mint Tea said, starting to cry. "I don't know this place! I'm scared! I just want to go home!"

After saying it, she broke down crying. I could understand her. That day had been supposed to be just another ordinary day for her, but all of a sudden she had been kidnapped and had been brought far away from her home with no idea how and when she would be able to get back. I then looked at my necklace.

"Albatross..." I said.

"Yeah, I know," he replied. I then threw my necklace upwards and it morphed into Albatross. Mint Tea seemed very surprised.

"Mint Tea, this is Albatross, my spaceship. He will take you home in a flash," I said.

"Spaceship? Did you...?" Mint Tea said before I interrupted.

"He can't fly for long, so you should go now. Save any questions for later, okay?" I said. She then smiled and nodded, and Albatross immediately took her and flew away.

"Uhh... Blackberry. Do you know about what you have done?" Peppermint asked.

"She wants to go home, so I helped her with Albatross," I said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Did you realize that you have just thrown away our chance to get back home in time?" she asked.

"Aren't we supposed not to use jet planes for this challenge?" I asked back.

"Pie Man cheated by doing this to us! That rule doesn't matter anymore!" she said.

"Peppermint, it's true that Pie Man cheated on us, but that doesn't mean we can cheat as well!" Strawberry said.

"So how are we going to make it now?! We're in the middle of nowhere!" Peppermint said.

"Not really, I think," I said, which confused Peppermint. "Don't you think this beach looks familiar?"

"Huh?" Peppermint said, looking around. "Oh yeah, this place does seem familiar..."

"We're near Tangerina Torta's place," I said, and the two girls seemed to be delighted. "Let's go."

We then walked into the forest, and not long after that we found Tangerina Torta's house. Just as we arrived, she greeted us from the balcony of her tree house. All of us then sat together inside her house, and Strawberry told her everything including our need for a vehicle to get us home in time. Fortunately, Tangerina had a scooter available. But it could only fit two persons so I had to stay. I needed much treatment anyway, because I had spent the previous day without any food and water.

"Be careful on the way," I said as the two girls were about to go.

"We will!" Strawberry said.

"Pie Man thinks we're going to fail for sure, so I guess he won't get in your way now," I said.

"That's good to hear and I really hope you're right," Peppermint said.

"Thank you for your help, Blackberry! I hope you will catch up soon!" Strawberry said.

"I will. Once Albatross returns I will go straight to Strawberryland and wait for you there," I said, and the two girls left the place.

four days later, after lunch time, Albatross came flying near Tangerina's house and soon reverted back into a necklace. I picked the necklace up and put it on.

"What took you so long?" I asked. "I actually expected you to come three days ago."

"Sorry," he replied. "She needed some treatment after spending a full day without food and water so I used my soul power to heal her."

"I see," I said.

One day later, Albatross was ready to transform again. After saying goodbye to Tangerina, we left her place and flew straight to the clubhouse Strawberryland. When I arrived, Blueberry and Orange were there sitting in the main room. They looked surprised when I entered the building.

"Blackberry Bun!" Orange said. "Where have you been?"

"You absolutely made us confused with your disappearance," Blueberry said.

"Yeah, sorry. I was in a hurry," I said, then I told them everything.

"Really? That no good Pie Man!" Orange said.

"Let's hope Strawberry will make it in time," I said. "Eh, not hope. Believe is the better word."

"That's right. Absolutely!" Blueberry said.

Two days later, I was waiting for Strawberry at the gazebo used for the finish line. Angel, Ginger, and Orange were also with me, as well as Almond's body which was put on the gazebo bench. Not long later, the wagon we all knew and not love came. Both Pie Man and Sour Grapes came off from the wagon and approached us. As I had expected, they were surprised seeing me.

"You? How did you...?" Pie Man said.

"Jet plane. Therefore I don't count for your challenge," I said. "Strawberry will come soon. You'll see."

"I will just wait here for my berries then," Pie Man said, seeming relieved.

"Give me the antidote," I said. "Or rather... the vial where you contain his soul."

"So you knew..." he said. "Why should I?"

"Either Strawberry makes it in time or not, you'll give me that vial anyway," I said.

"He's right," Sour Grapes said. "Don't make him suffer for any longer!"

"Alright, alright," Pie Man said, and then he took a purple vial from his pocket and gave it to me. "Open this under his nose and let him inhale it."

I then immediately went to the gazebo bench where Almond was sleeping. I could notice Strawberry and Peppermint coming right after I had received the vial, but I didn't care much because I just wanted to return Almond's soul to his body. I took his necklace from my neck and put it on him, and then I did as Pie Man had told me. Purple smoke came out from the vial and Almond inhaled it. Just one second later, he opened his eyes and got up to sitting position.

"Hey, brother," he said, then without saying anything I hugged him tight. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Welcome back, brother," I said, leaking tears.

"Oh..." he said, seeming to understand. "But you need to let me go."

"Let me do this, just for a little longer," I said, still hugging him tight.

"I need to settle things with that Pie Man," he said. I then released my hug.

"Settle things?" I asked.

"Come with me," he said, standing up and walking to Pie Man. I followed him and when I came close I noticed both Pie Man and Sour Grapes being upset and my other friends cheering. It was obvious that Strawberry had won the challenge.

"Hey, Pie Man," Almond said.

"You won! Are you happy now?" Pie Man said, still upset.

"Not in your life," Almond said, coming closer to Pie Man. "Do you know how it felt for me?"

"What do you mean?" Pie Man asked back.

"I repeat! Do you have any idea, about how it felt for me being trapped inside that vial?!" Almond said. He seemed very angry.

"Huh? But..." Pie Man said before Almond interrupted.

"Imagine yourself, being hanged, unable to move, bound by chains from all directions, inside nothing but emptiness!" Almond shouted. "That's how I felt! For eighty! Straight! Days!"

"But... That's impossible!" Pie Man said in disbelief. "Any soul trapped by the potion should be in deep sleep, and when it returns to the body it shouldn't even remember anything!"

"Let's just say that my soul is a bit... special," Almond said, raising his left hand to about the same height as his shoulder. He then used the Flame Stone power to set his left hand on fire. That of course surprised both Pie Man and Sour Grapes, and probably my other friends as well because none of them had ever seen Almond doing such thing.

"W-what are you...?!" Pie Man said, taking a few steps back.

"You have ten seconds..." Almond said, increasing the size of the fire on his hand and starting to count down from ten. Both Pie Man and Sour Grapes didn't need explanation at all. They both ran to their carriage and rushed it to escape. After Almond's countdown reached zero, he was about to throw his necklace. However, I hugged him from behind.

"Stop it, Almond. Please..." I said.

"Let me go, brother. I must do this," he said.

"I know you're upset and angry for what Pie Man has done," I said. "But anything done out of rage won't bring anything good."

"He is berry right, Almond," Strawberry said.

"Please take a rest and calm down," Peppermint said.

"You are all too soft," he said, putting off the fire on his hand. "If you keep this up they will just keep coming back for more."

"Let them come, and we all will work together to make sure they won't get our berry fields, ever," I said, followed by all girls nodding. Almond then sighed.

"Alright, if you all say so," he said. "You can let me go now, brother."

I then released my hug, and all of us agreed to go home and rest.

"By the way, brother," I said as the two of us walked to my home.

"Yes?" he said.

"Do you realize that what you did will possibly backfire on you?" I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Now that Pie Man and Sour Grapes know that you're special, when they return their first priority will be to get rid of you with any scheme they can come up with," I said.

"Let them come and try," he said.

"Also, I'm glad that you didn't go completely insane," I said. "I don't think I would be able to stay sane after being trapped for 80 days."

"80 days is nothing compared to my previous life as a stone," he said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," I said. "But then why did you bring that up if it was nothing for you?"

"Just to make him feel guilty," he replied. "Though I'm not sure if it worked or not."

"Well, let's just wait and see if he will ever dare to return," I said. "And if he does, we all will make sure that any scheme he has will fail."

"Count me in for that," he said.


--End of Chapter 14-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 14: We Meet Again


One week had passed after the day when Albatross had healed me from the injuries I had gotten. During this one week, I have been taking trains to chase Strawberry and Peppermint, who were three days ahead of me. Because I pretty much used the train of same schedule, chasing her was difficult. The only way I could catch up to her was to keep taking the immediate next train in every station, hoping that the two girls would stop to look around or rest from time to time. I even took any available night train so I could keep chasing her even while asleep. However, I was not even sure if I got closer or even passed her without knowing. Albatross couldn't use his scanner while in necklace form, so I had to wait until he could transform again.

This day, while standing around at a station waiting for the next train to come, suddenly there was an announcement that the next train would be delayed because the train two schedules ahead had been obstructed by a herd of sheeps for one hour.

"What a waste of time," I said.

"Can't be helped," Albatross said.

"I'm not sure whether I should hope they are in that blocked train or not," I said.

"I see what you mean," Albatross said. "If they're in that train, at least you're not falling behind again. But if they're not and already ahead, they have better chance to finish the challenge."

"Right," I said.

"I can transform again if you want me to," he said.

"Better save it for later," I said.

"Okay," he said. "By the way, bro..."

"What is it?" I asked.

"We better not talk anymore for now. You look like a weirdo doing that," he said. I then looked around and noticed that some people are looking at me with confused face. I felt pretty embarassed, so I walked some distance from them.

Three days later, while waiting at another station, I heard an announcement that all train schedules on that day had to be cancelled because the railroad was blocked by a big fallen tree.

"Albatross, I guess it's time," I said.

"Alright," he said. I then walked to an area behind the station where there were no other people around. In there, I threw the necklace up and it transformed into Albatross. He then sucked me into cockpit and flew along the railway.

"While you're here, can you use your gravity field to move the fallen tree out of the way?" I asked.

"Sure, no problem," he replied. Soon, we saw the fallen big tree which was blocking the railroad. There was a train in front of it, unable to proceed because of the fallen tree. Albatross then flew closer to the fallen tree and slowly lifted it using his gravity field. He easily moved the tree to an open field. After the tree was safely put down, he flew away quickly, leaving some people below staring in confusion.

"Can you scan for Strawberry?" I asked.

"Sure. Wait a minute," he replied. He then stopped and hovered above a jungle. "That's pretty strange. According to my scanner, Strawberry and Peppermint are right below..."

Before Albatross could finish his sentence, he suddenly deformed again. Once again, I fell down screaming. I fell through something like a sheet of cloth, ripping it open, and then I landed on something hard. I didn't get any injuries because the cloth I had fallen through had miraculously absorbed my fall, but hitting the hard surface was still pretty painful. Soon after, the necklace fell right on my chest.

"Blackberry?" suddenly I heard a very familiar voice.

"Why are you here?" another very familiar voice asked. I opened my eyes and saw that they were indeed Strawberry and Peppermint.

"Oh, hi, Strawberry, Peppermint," I said with a little laugh, still trying to endure the pain from falling.

"You surprised me, y'know. Suddenly falling right here through the umbrella," Peppermint said.

"Are you all right?" Strawberry asked.

"I guess so..." I said, trying to get up into sitting position. "Hey, if you keep repeating this, you'll eventually kill me for real."

"Sorry..." Albatross replied, sounding ashamed.

"Umm, who are you talking to?" Peppermint asked. "Did you hit your head?"

"Well, I guess I have a lot to explain," I said. "By the way, where am I?"

"We're riding an elephant to get through the jungle because the railroad was blocked by a fallen tree," Strawberry said.

"I see," I said, then I told the two girls everything.

"So before this you already fell once and got injured? Seriously, if I were you I wouldn't ride him again. Do you have any fear in you?" Peppermint said.

"Of course I was afraid," I said. "But my friends are worth more than myself and I will take any risk to keep them safe."

"I appreciate that berry much, Blackberry," Strawberry said. "But none of us want any of our friends to risk themselves so much. There is always be a way to overcome any obstacle without risking yourself berry greatly."

"I'm not so sure about that," I said.

We all then continued the trip with the elephant ride. The jungle was so huge that it took many days. Every day, We continued the trip from the morning until evening and we stayed overnight at small villages we came across. I saw no sight of Purple Pie Man and Sour Grapes during the trip through the jungle, but I felt that I still needed to be careful.

"We've made it! We're out of the jungle!" Peppermint said in excitement when we were indeed finally out of the jungle.

The elephant then stopped near a coastline and sat down for us to jump off. Strawberry and Peppermint jumped off to the right while I jumped off to the left. After that, the elephant stood up and walked away.

"Thanks for your help, my friend, and thank you, nice elephant!" Strawberry said, waving her hands.

CRACK!

"What is that sound?" Peppermint asked.

"I don't know. Blackberry! Are you all right?" Strawberry asked, looking at me, who was looking away from her.

"Well, not too good," I said, turning around and showing my broken glasses I held in my hands.

"What happened?" Strawberry asked.

"My glasses fell off when I jumped, and I carelessly stepped on it," I said.

"What a bummer," Peppermint said. "Can you still see now?"

"Of course I still can. But now I'm pretty much blind for anything further than 5 meters away," I said. "Never mind that. Let's move on."

"Strawberry Shortcake? Is that you?" Suddenly we heard a familiar voice.

"I know that voice," Strawberry said, looking back. "Tea Blossom!"

I then saw a blurry figure running to Strawberry. I finally could recognize her as Tea Blossom when she got close and hugged Strawberry. We all then walked together while Strawberry explained everything to Tea Blossom.

"So you see, now we need to find a ship to take us the rest of the way back," Strawberry said.

"If we can get home in three weeks, we can cure Almond without that rotten Pie Man getting our berry fields," Peppermint said.

"I'm sure we'll find what you need," Tea Blossom said. "By the way, Blackberry. Where are your glasses?"

"I broke them by accident," I said.

"I see. I might be able to find something for you too," she said. "Let's go to my house first. It's almost lunch time."

All of us then went to Tea Blossom's house and had lunch there. After we were done Tea Blossom left the house saying that she knew someone who could help me, so the three of us remained inside the house for a few minutes until she came back bringing a girl in red clothes.

"Mint Tea?" Peppermint said, surprised.

"Ah yes, you both know her already," Tea Blossom said. "Strawberry Shortcake, meet Mint Tea. Mint Tea, Strawberry Shortcake."

"Nice to meet you, Mint Tea!" Strawberry said, standing up and offering a handshake. Mint Tea accepted it reluctantly.

"So, who needs help?" Mint Tea asked, a bit cynically.

"Uhh, me," I said, showing my broken glasses to her.

"This? Are you kidding me? This is broken beyond repair!" she said. "But alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," I said.

"Thank her instead," she said, looking at Tea Blossom. "If not for her, I wouldn't accept this."

"Thank you for your kindness, Mint Tea," Tea Blossom said.

"Hmph!" Mint tea replied with slightly blushing cheek, looking away from Tea Blossom.

"Strawberry, Peppermint, let's go find a boat to bring you home," Tea Blossom said.

"Yeah, let's go. We must get back as soon as we can!" Peppermint said.

"We'll be back soon, Blackberry and Mint Tea," Strawberry said, and the three of them left the place. Mint Tea then put something that seemed like a toolbox on the table in Tea Blossom's living room and started working on something.

"How did this happen anyway?" she asked while still working.

"They fell off when I jumped off an elephant ride, and my foot landed on them," I replied.

"How careless of you," she said, examining the remains of my glasses. "Minus 5? Not only your glasses, your eyes are also horribly broken!"

"I don't even know how they became like this," I said.

"You're strange," she said. "And so are your glasses. They don't seem like any ordinary glasses..."

"Well..." I said.

"Tell me. Are you an inventor?" she asked.

"Uhh, yes.." I said.

"Figures. The frame has tiny cables inside. What do they do?" she asked.

"They help me to see in the dark. Blind person can also use it to see," I replied.

"That's... quite cool," she said.

"But you can't use it for too long or you'll have very bad headache," I said.

"How long did it take you to make them?" she asked.

"One hour," I replied. "But without my tools, I can't do anything here."

"Alright! Here!" she said, giving me something. "Of course I can't repair your glasses, but I've made a replacement for them!"

"Let's see..." I said, taking the new glasses from her hand. I then wore them and my vision became clear again. I then looked at myself on a nearby mirror. The replacement glasses she had made for me looked just like my original glasses. "This is great! Thank you!"

"Really?" she asked.

"Definitely! It was surprising that you can do this," I said.

"Surprising?" she asked, getting upset.

"Oh, umm... I mean..." I said. Getting timid because I didn't expect my last line to upset her.

"Yeah, that figures. We only met once before and I acted like a complete brat back then," she said.

"No, you didn't!" I said. "You were just being cautious. Me and Peppermint were complete strangers back then, so it was just fine!"

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course!" I said. Immediately after, the girls who had left returned.

"We're home!" Tea Blossom said.

"And we got a boat ready for us tomorrow morning!" Peppermint said.

"Wow, Blackberry! I'm berry surprised that Mint Tea has fixed your glasses so quickly!" Strawberry said, noticing that I was wearing glasses again.

"They're not my glasses. She made a replacement," I said.

"Replacement? But they look exactly like your old glasses!" Peppermint said. "You're amazing, Mint Tea!"

"Nobody can match her when it comes to handcrafting," Tea Blossom said. "She's a master of it."

"Stop it, Tea Blossom! That's embarrassing!" Mint Tea shouted with her cheeks completely red, the rest of us just laughed.

When Mint Tea went home, I went with her because I also wanted to walk around the area. She offered to give me a tour around the place, and I gladly accepted. With her, I saw a lot of places such as a bamboo forest, a beautiful riverside, and The Great Wall of Chocolate itself. Later, we found a small pier at the coastline and there was a boat docking there.

"Maybe that boat is the one I'll be using tomorrow?" I said.

"Well, I have no idea. Why don't you ask the captain if you want to make sure?" she said.

"Yeah, let's go there," I said.

Both of us then walked to the boat to make sure if it was the boat I would use at the next day. When we arrived there, there was nobody on the boat, but we got on board anyway.

"Hello, anybody here?" Mint Tea shouted. There was no answer.

"Maybe the captain is somewhere else for now?" I said.

"Maybe, but now I'm curious," Mint Tea said. "Let's check the lower deck."

"I don't think we should. That's trespassing," I said.

"No worries. We can just say we're lost," she said, walking to the lower deck entrance. I followed without saying anything. Later in the lower deck, there was nobody inside.

"Let's just go. The captain isn't here right now," I said.

"Well, alright," she said. However, soon someone entered.

"What are you doing here?" a voice familiar to me asked. It was Purple Pie Man disguising as the boat captain.

"Uh, we just wanted to make sure if this boat is the one my friends will be riding tomorrow," Mint Tea said.

"Yeah it is. So?" he asked.

"Then we're leaving. See you tomorrow," she said, starting to walk to the entrance. I followed behind her, hoping that Pie Man wouldn't recognize me.

"Not so fast, child," Pie Man said, grabbing my arms. "Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you? The weird boy with his weird devices?"

"And it seems you knew that I saw through your thin disguise," I said. I tried to get free, but I naturally couldn't match the strength of an adult.

"Hey, what are you doing to Blackberry?!" Mint Tea said. Suddenly, Sour Grapes came from behind her and grabbed her arms. "What are you doing?! Let me go!"

"Nice work, Sour Grapes," Pie Man said.

"Now what are we going to do? We can't let them go, but if we don't their friends will get worried and suspect us," Sour Grapes said.

"Hmm..." Pie Man said, thinking. "Hey, girl. There must be a telephone in the place this boy's friends are staying, right?"

"If yes, so what?" Mint Tea replied.

"My sister there has a cellphone. Call them and tell them that this boy is going to stay at your house tonight and meet them at this boat tomorrow," Pie Man said.

"And why should I do that?" Mint Tea said.

"Because you don't want me to pour this poison on him," Pie Man said, holding a green vial with his left hand while holding my arms with his right hand. Mint Tea did as Pie Man had told her because of the threat.

"Hmph! There you go!" Mint Tea said after her call had ended. Pie Man then opened the green vial and drank all the content.

"Apple syrup. Tasty!" he said, followed by a laugh. Mint Tea was very angry because she had been deceived, but Sour Grapes had already grabbed her arms.

And so, history repeated itself for me. I got locked up inside the lower deck of a boat with my hands tied behind my back. Though this time my legs were tied as well and my mouth was gagged. I could only sat on the floor quietly, leaning to the wall, and the same applied to Mint Tea. She tried struggling to get free, but it was of no use.

"In trouble again," Albatross said telepathically.

"Yeah, can you do something?" I said in my mind.

"Afraid not," he replied. "I can't do anything in necklace form, and if I transform right now you'll be crushed by my spaceship body along with this boat."

"So I guess we have no choice other than wait," I said in my mind.

Later, nightfall came and I felt really hungry and tired. I believed the same applied to Mint Tea, but there was nothing we could do. Suddenly, we heard someone coming. The place was dark so we couldn't see clearly, but soon we could recognize that it was Sour Grapes bringing a lit lantern and some other things. She then hanged the lantern near the deck ceiling and kneeled in front of us. She then removed our gag.

"I brought some food for you both," she said.

"And you expect us to eat with our hands tied?" Mint Tea said.

"Of course not. I will help you," Sour Grapes said. She then patiently fed us until we were done with the food.

"You're much nicer than that man," Mint Tea said.

"I'm sorry about my brother. I actually don't agree with him myself," Sour Grapes said.

"Then why did you help him?" Mint Tea asked.

"Because I have promised him that I would help him forever, no matter what. I'm sorry," Sour Grapes said. She then gagged our mouth again and then she put an old mattress with two old pillows on the floor right in front of us. "Lie down here and sleep. Both of you."

We did as told by her, and then she put a blanket over us.

"I know this is not comfortable, but hang in there," she said. Both of us nodded, and we could see her smiling warmly before leaving the place. Having to sleep with our hands and legs tied and mouth gagged was of course not comfortable, but much better than without the mattress, pillows, and warm blanket. Both of us fell asleep soon enough.

I had no idea what Pie Man had told Strawberry and Peppermint in the following morning, but we could feel the boat departing, which meant Strawberry and Peppermint were upstairs on the boat and they were somehow convinced not to look for me. Mint Tea struggled hard and tried to scream, but all she did were in vain. The two of us spent the rest of the day doing nothing at all other than sitting idly, being unable to move. Nobody came downstairs at all. I was really bored and my body felt really sore, and I knew the same could apply to Mint Tea. I really wondered how Pie Man managed to prevent Strawberry and Peppermint from looking down here, but bed time came again so we just went to sleep.

In the following morning, not long after the two of us woke up, we heard someone rushing downstairs. It was apparently Strawberry and Peppermint. They looked really horrified.

"Blackberry! Mint Tea!" Strawberry shouted, running to us. "Are you two okay?"

"That no good Pie Man! How could he have done this to you?" Peppermint said.

"I'm berry sorry for not knowing this earlier," Strawberry said as she released me.

"I'm sorry too! I should have not trusted him!" Peppermint said as she released Mint Tea.

"What took you so long?! Are you two dumb or what?!" Mint Tea said, looking very upset.

"Calm down, Mint Tea," I said.

"How can I be so calm when...!" Mint Tea said before someone interrupted. It was Pie Man himself, no longer in disguise.

"Alright, now that you have had your reunion, get out of my boat," Pie Man said.

Soon, the four of us were left stranded on a beach which seemed far from Strawberryland. According to Strawberry, we were already at the same land with Strawberryland, but we were far south. To make matters worse, there was only one week left.

"Now, what should we do?" I asked.

"Now we're really not going to make it," Peppermint said.

"Don't give up yet, Peppermint. We will overcome this obstacle," Strawberry said.

"How? We're still far from Strawberryland, and we have no vehicle!" Peppermint said.

"I don't care about that!" suddenly Mint Tea said.

"What?" Peppermint said.

"I don't care about your contest or whatever it is!" Mint Tea said, starting to cry. "I don't know this place! I'm scared! I just want to go home!"

After saying it, she broke down crying. I could understand her. That day had been supposed to be just another ordinary day for her, but all of a sudden she had been kidnapped and had been brought far away from her home with no idea how and when she would be able to get back. I then looked at my necklace.

"Albatross..." I said.

"Yeah, I know," he replied. I then threw my necklace upwards and it morphed into Albatross. Mint Tea seemed very surprised.

"Mint Tea, this is Albatross, my spaceship. He will take you home in a flash," I said.

"Spaceship? Did you...?" Mint Tea said before I interrupted.

"He can't fly for long, so you should go now. Save any questions for later, okay?" I said. She then smiled and nodded, and Albatross immediately took her and flew away.

"Uhh... Blackberry. Do you know about what you have done?" Peppermint asked.

"She wants to go home, so I helped her with Albatross," I said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Did you realize that you have just thrown away our chance to get back home in time?" she asked.

"Aren't we supposed not to use jet planes for this challenge?" I asked back.

"Pie Man cheated by doing this to us! That rule doesn't matter anymore!" she said.

"Peppermint, it's true that Pie Man cheated on us, but that doesn't mean we can cheat as well!" Strawberry said.

"So how are we going to make it now?! We're in the middle of nowhere!" Peppermint said.

"Not really, I think," I said, which confused Peppermint. "Don't you think this beach looks familiar?"

"Huh?" Peppermint said, looking around. "Oh yeah, this place does seem familiar..."

"We're near Tangerina Torta's place," I said, and the two girls seemed to be delighted. "Let's go."

We then walked into the forest, and not long after that we found Tangerina Torta's house. Just as we arrived, she greeted us from the balcony of her tree house. All of us then sat together inside her house, and Strawberry told her everything including our need for a vehicle to get us home in time. Fortunately, Tangerina had a scooter available. But it could only fit two persons so I had to stay. I needed much treatment anyway, because I had spent the previous day without any food and water.

"Be careful on the way," I said as the two girls were about to go.

"We will!" Strawberry said.

"Pie Man thinks we're going to fail for sure, so I guess he won't get in your way now," I said.

"That's good to hear and I really hope you're right," Peppermint said.

"Thank you for your help, Blackberry! I hope you will catch up soon!" Strawberry said.

"I will. Once Albatross returns I will go straight to Strawberryland and wait for you there," I said, and the two girls left the place.

four days later, after lunch time, Albatross came flying near Tangerina's house and soon reverted back into a necklace. I picked the necklace up and put it on.

"What took you so long?" I asked. "I actually expected you to come three days ago."

"Sorry," he replied. "She needed some treatment after spending a full day without food and water so I used my soul power to heal her."

"I see," I said.

One day later, Albatross was ready to transform again. After saying goodbye to Tangerina, we left her place and flew straight to the clubhouse Strawberryland. When I arrived, Blueberry and Orange were there sitting in the main room. They looked surprised when I entered the building.

"Blackberry Bun!" Orange said. "Where have you been?"

"You absolutely made us confused with your disappearance," Blueberry said.

"Yeah, sorry. I was in a hurry," I said, then I told them everything.

"Really? That no good Pie Man!" Orange said.

"Let's hope Strawberry will make it in time," I said. "Eh, not hope. Believe is the better word."

"That's right. Absolutely!" Blueberry said.

Two days later, I was waiting for Strawberry at the gazebo used for the finish line. Angel, Ginger, and Orange were also with me, as well as Almond's body which was put on the gazebo bench. Not long later, the wagon we all knew and not love came. Both Pie Man and Sour Grapes came off from the wagon and approached us. As I had expected, they were surprised seeing me.

"You? How did you...?" Pie Man said.

"Jet plane. Therefore I don't count for your challenge," I said. "Strawberry will come soon. You'll see."

"I will just wait here for my berries then," Pie Man said, seeming relieved.

"Give me the antidote," I said. "Or rather... the vial where you contain his soul."

"So you knew..." he said. "Why should I?"

"Either Strawberry makes it in time or not, you'll give me that vial anyway," I said.

"He's right," Sour Grapes said. "Don't make him suffer for any longer!"

"Alright, alright," Pie Man said, and then he took a purple vial from his pocket and gave it to me. "Open this under his nose and let him inhale it."

I then immediately went to the gazebo bench where Almond was sleeping. I could notice Strawberry and Peppermint coming right after I had received the vial, but I didn't care much because I just wanted to return Almond's soul to his body. I took his necklace from my neck and put it on him, and then I did as Pie Man had told me. Purple smoke came out from the vial and Almond inhaled it. Just one second later, he opened his eyes and got up to sitting position.

"Hey, brother," he said, then without saying anything I hugged him tight. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Welcome back, brother," I said, leaking tears.

"Oh..." he said, seeming to understand. "But you need to let me go."

"Let me do this, just for a little longer," I said, still hugging him tight.

"I need to settle things with that Pie Man," he said. I then released my hug.

"Settle things?" I asked.

"Come with me," he said, standing up and walking to Pie Man. I followed him and when I came close I noticed both Pie Man and Sour Grapes being upset and my other friends cheering. It was obvious that Strawberry had won the challenge.

"Hey, Pie Man," Almond said.

"You won! Are you happy now?" Pie Man said, still upset.

"Not in your life," Almond said, coming closer to Pie Man. "Do you know how it felt for me?"

"What do you mean?" Pie Man asked back.

"I repeat! Do you have any idea, about how it felt for me being trapped inside that vial?!" Almond said. He seemed very angry.

"Huh? But..." Pie Man said before Almond interrupted.

"Imagine yourself, being hanged, unable to move, bound by chains from all directions, inside nothing but emptiness!" Almond shouted. "That's how I felt! For eighty! Straight! Days!"

"But... That's impossible!" Pie Man said in disbelief. "Any soul trapped by the potion should be in deep sleep, and when it returns to the body it shouldn't even remember anything!"

"Let's just say that my soul is a bit... special," Almond said, raising his left hand to about the same height as his shoulder. He then used the Flame Stone power to set his left hand on fire. That of course surprised both Pie Man and Sour Grapes, and probably my other friends as well because none of them had ever seen Almond doing such thing.

"W-what are you...?!" Pie Man said, taking a few steps back.

"You have ten seconds..." Almond said, increasing the size of the fire on his hand and starting to count down from ten. Both Pie Man and Sour Grapes didn't need explanation at all. They both ran to their carriage and rushed it to escape. After Almond's countdown reached zero, he was about to throw his necklace. However, I hugged him from behind.

"Stop it, Almond. Please..." I said.

"Let me go, brother. I must do this," he said.

"I know you're upset and angry for what Pie Man has done," I said. "But anything done out of rage won't bring anything good."

"He is berry right, Almond," Strawberry said.

"Please take a rest and calm down," Peppermint said.

"You are all too soft," he said, putting off the fire on his hand. "If you keep this up they will just keep coming back for more."

"Let them come, and we all will work together to make sure they won't get our berry fields, ever," I said, followed by all girls nodding. Almond then sighed.

"Alright, if you all say so," he said. "You can let me go now, brother."

I then released my hug, and all of us agreed to go home and rest.

"By the way, brother," I said as the two of us walked to my home.

"Yes?" he said.

"Do you realize that what you did will possibly backfire on you?" I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Now that Pie Man and Sour Grapes know that you're special, when they return their first priority will be to get rid of you with any scheme they can come up with," I said.

"Let them come and try," he said.

"Also, I'm glad that you didn't go completely insane," I said. "I don't think I would be able to stay sane after being trapped for 80 days."

"80 days is nothing compared to my previous life as a stone," he said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," I said. "But then why did you bring that up if it was nothing for you?"

"Just to make him feel guilty," he replied. "Though I'm not sure if it worked or not."

"Well, let's just wait and see if he will ever dare to return," I said. "And if he does, we all will make sure that any scheme he has will fail."

"Count me in for that," he said.


--End of Chapter 14-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-199.html Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:42:15 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-199.html Quote:Chapter 13: Without The Other Half


It was a starry night, a few weeks after the day Almond split his soul between his human body and his necklace. The seven of us, namely Strawberry, Angel, Orange, Ginger, Peppermint, Almond, and I were relaxing on the top of a small hill, lying down on mats we had brought ourselves. Ginger kept telling us about the names of star formations we could see in the sky.

"That's berry interesting, Ginger Snap," Strawberry said.

"Just how do you know all these things?" Peppermint asked.

"Oh, I've all kinds of books about stars stars and more stars! I just love to read about stars and outer space and all that!" Ginger replied.

"Maybe you'll be an astronaut when you grow up," Orange said.

"Yeah, maybe," Ginger said. "Maybe one day someday I'll go there and see those stars for myself!"

"Umm, we all have gone there, right?" I said.

"That's true, but we didn't get to enjoy it for long because suddenly that black hole came up and whoosh! Everything went dark!" Ginger said.

"And that's why you're not gonna catch me up there in the stars. I'm staying right here! That's my future," Peppermint said.

"Someone is traumatized, I see," Almond said with a grin.

"You have no idea how scary that was!" Peppermint said. "Anyway, if you want to go there again, Ginger, of course you can."

After saying her last line, Peppermint looked at Almond. Indeed, Almond's true identity had been revealed to everyone in Strawberryland not long after he split his soul. He had decided not to hide his identity anymore, and had confessed everything to everyone.

"Well, why not?" Almond said. "Shall we go right now?"

"If you are fine with that, which I hope so, yes! Let's go right now and fast!" Ginger said, accepting the offer. With a smile, Almond threw his necklace upwards, which then morphed into Albatross and brought all of us to outer space. Once again, we were all astonished by the beautiful view of stars above and our planet below. I could see the Black Hole not too far from us, but nobody else cared because they were too distracted by the view and Albatross resisted the hole's force with no effort.

"Berry beautiful!" Strawberry said.

"Can't agree even more for that," Angel said.

"I would like this to last forever!" Ginger said.

"Better not. You'll get bored eventually," Albatross said, and we all laughed.

"Almond, I haven't said this to you, but I'm berry glad to have you with us!" Strawberry said. "I don't care if you are a boy, a spaceship, or a soul of a planet. You are you, and we will always be friends no matter what."

"Thank you," Almond and Albatross replied at the same time.

Three days later not too long before noon, all seven of us were sitting in a gazebo at the outfield of Strawberryland. Strawberry was reading out a book for us. The book was about how a man named Phileas Fogg traveled around the world within 80 days as a challenge. He actually arrived back one day late, but because he crossed the International Date Line he got one extra day and that qualified him to be successful.

"International Date Line? What is that?" Almond asked.

"Well, that's actually quite a confusing thing. You know that the planet rotates for our day cycle, right?" I said and he nodded. "At one point agreed by all countries there's a line separating one day to the next. Right now is 21 May at 10 o'clock right? So let's say this gazebo is right at the International Date Line."

"Uh-huh?" Almond said as I walked to the West side of the gazebo.

"If I stand here on the West side, right now is 21 May at 10 o'clock," I said, then I walked to the other side. "But if I stand here, right now is 20 May at 10 o'clock."

"I don't get it," Almond said.

"Me neither, actually," I said, getting back to inside the gazebo.

"Putting that aside, I doubt anybody could actually get that far that fast," Peppermint said. "It's just impossible, unless they were in a jet airplane... or you."

"Albatross can go around the world in 10 minutes," Almond said. "But it will be just pointless if you don't have fun traveling."

"Peppermint, a lot of things are possible. If you have the right attitude, you can find ways around most any obstacle," Strawberry said.

"She's right, as always," suddenly we heard a very familiar voice. Pie Man and Sour Grapes came riding their wagon. "It's all about having a positive outlook. But of course, some things are still impossible," he continued as he got off from the wagon and approached us.

"Like what, Pie Man?" I asked cynically. "Like the thing you've been eavesdropping us about?"

"Exactly! Though I didn't get that 10 minutes you were babbling about," he said with a sinister grin, looking at Almond. "In any case, I'd give every pie in this wagon to anyone who could do that."

"If anybody could do it, Strawberry Shortcake could! She can find ways around any kind of obstacle!" Ginger said, infuriated by Pie Man's words.

"Uhh... Ginger..." Strawberry said.

"Yes, Yes I know," Pie Man said. "But still, she couldn't possibly make that trip."

"Oh, she could do it with her eyes clo..." Ginger said before interrupted.

"Yes, she can do it, but she won't do it," I interrupted, then I looked at Ginger. "Don't fall for the incitement, Ginger. We all know well that he will do anything at all cost to see Strawberry fail."

"Oh, so you're afraid she will lose?" he challenged.

"No, I'm afraid of YOU putting her in harm's way!" I said. "There's no reason for her to accept your challenge."

"No reason, eh?" he said.

After saying that, Pie Man walked back to the wagon where Sour Grapes was sitting waiting for him. Suddenly, he turned around and hurled something at me while saying, "Then I'll give her one!".

I had no idea what he had hurled at me, but at the last second Almond jumped in front of me, causing him to be the one getting hit in the face by the thing Pie Man had thrown. It turned out to be a small water balloon filled with purple water, and Almond's face ended up covered in purple. The purple water then immediately evaporated into purple smoke, and Almond fell down unconscious.

"Brother!" I shouted, holding him.

"What did you do to him?!" Angel shouted.

"Relax, he's just asleep," Pie Man said as some of us put Almond to lie down under the gazebo. "But he will never wake up!"

"What?!" Peppermint said in surprise.

"You no good Pie Man!" Orange said in anger.

"Don't worry. I have the antidote," Pie Man said, showing a sealed purple vial. "If you take the challenge and succeed, I'll give you all the pies in the wagon, and the antidote."

"And if she fails?" Ginger asked.

"You get nothing, of course! But you still can buy the antidote from me," Pie Man said with sinister grin. "The price would be... berries. Yes, all berries in Strawberryland! Fields included!"

After saying those, Pie Man went back to his wagon.

"I'll be back in 80 days, but I don't think you will be," he said, and then he left.

"That no good Pie Man!" Angel said. "Look at what he did to Almond!"

"I hope he will be fine," Orange said.

"Does any of us know what thing Pie Man threw at Almond?" I asked, and everyone shook their head.

"Judging from what he said, I can predict that it was a magical potion," Ginger said. "One that induces sleep."

"He will never wake up...?" Strawberry said. "I hope what Pie Man's said isn't true."

"I sure hope so, Strawberry..." I said. I was really worried that it would be the case.

"Where should we put him?" Peppermint asked. "To be honest, I don't think we can climb the ladder into your house while carrying him."

"Let's bring him to the Friendship Clubhouse," Strawberry said. "It's the closest place from here."

"I'll bring my motortrike," Ginger said. Ginger then went to her house and later returned with her motored tricycle with a cart attached behind it. We put Almond on the cart and then Ginger brought him to the Friendship Club house. When we arrived there, Almond was already put on a bed, with Ginger explaining the matter to Blueberry and Raspberry, who happened to be there.

"That no good Pie Man!" Raspberry said.

"I'll search my books," Blueberry said. "There might be some information on the potion you said."

"Many thanks, Blueberry!" Ginger said as Blueberry left the place.

"So what are you going to do, Strawberry?" Peppermint asked. "There's no way you can make it back in 80 days."

"Maybe not. But I will!" Strawberry said, which surprised everyone else.

"Are you serious, Strawberry? Our berry fields will be at stake!" Peppermint opposed. "We will find another way!"

"Our friend is more important than any berry fields!" Strawberry said, and all were speechless.

Later, at night of the same day, I was sitting next to Almond's bed. I held his warm hand, in mind asking why he had to save me. I also felt really upset because I could only sit there unable to do anything for him. I had no idea how long I sat there, but eventually I fell asleep right there. In the next day, I woke up and realized that I had overslept.

"Strawberry has probably departed already," I said. "I'll be back soon, brother," I said, then I left the clubhouse towards the outfield. While walking, I noticed that Pie Man's wagon was coming from where I headed. I then decided to quickly hide behind a nearby bush. While hiding, I could overhear a conversation.

"With the engine of that boat 'fixed', she will never get far!" Pie Man said.

"So what are we going to do now? Just sit here and wait?" Sour Grapes asked cynically.

"No. That girl always somehow find a way to succeed. Therefore, I must make sure she won't," Pie Man said. "We will follow her!"

"What?! Are you crazy? It will cost us a fortune!" Sour Grapes said.

"Any amount of fortune does not compare to all the berries we can get," Pie Man said. After that, the wagon had gone too far for me to overhear anything further. Knowing that Strawberry had already departed, I then decided to return to Almond. When I arrived back at the clubhouse, Blueberry was there.

"Hi, Blueberry," I said.

"I'm sorry, Blackberry. I tried looking all over my books, but I couldn't find any information about the sleeping potion," Blueberry said.

"I see. Thank you," I said.

"No need to thank me. I absolutely didn't give any result," she said.

"But you tried," I said. "I appreciate your effort, and I believe Almond will do the same."

"Yeah, you're right," she said, and both of us looked at Almond's motionless body. I then sat next to Almond's bed again and stayed there. Hours later, there was nobody else in the clubhouse and once again my mind kept asking why he had to protect me, and also felt upset for being unable to do anything. But then suddenly I noticed that Almond's necklace started to shine. It then faded again, started shining again, and kept repeating.

"Maybe I should try wearing it?" I thought. I then took the necklace and put it around my neck. Suddenly, I heard a voice.

"Hey!" the voice said.

"Brother? Is that you?" I said.

"Pretty much. I'm the soul part put inside this necklace," the voice said. "I'm speaking in your head by the way. Nobody else can hear me."

"Do you know how I can wake you up?" I asked.

"It's not an easy matter," the voice said.

"Why? Because the sleeping potion is very difficult to cure?" I asked.

"That was not a sleeping potion!" the voice said. "It was a soul trap potion!"

"What?!" I said, surprised.

"Indeed! That potion sucked the soul out from Almond's body. When Pie Man said antidote, he actually meant the vial where the trapped soul is contained!" the voice said.

"That's plain horrible. That no good Pie Man!" I said, filled with anger.

"Calm down! Anger won't solve anything!" the voice said.

"How can I be so calm?! Now Pie Man is going to follow Strawberry to make sure she fails!" I said.

"That's why I went through the trouble of awakening myself like this! We both will follow Strawberry and keep her safe!" the voice said.

"Ah, that's right. You can transform into Albatross and bring us," I said.

"Easier said than done actually," the voice said. "Without the presence of my other half... Ah, never mind! Just bring me outside and throw me upwards!"

I immediately did what he had told me to, and the necklace transformed into Albatross. He then sucked me into the cockpit and immediately flew to chase Strawberry. However, just less than a minute later, he landed on Ice Cream Island roughly and reverted back to a necklace.

"Hey, what happened?" I asked after putting the necklace on.

"Sorry..." the voice replied with a lot of panting. "Without my other half nearby, I can't keep the form for long. Not to mention that I used a lot of soul power just to enable myself to speak to you."

"We're not going anywhere at this rate..." I said. Suddenly, someone greeted me from above.

"Hey, kid. Long time no see!" he said. I immediately recognized that it was Raven. "More trouble happening?"

"Yeah, actually," I said. I then told him about my problems.

"So you need a transport?" he said, and I nodded. "Follow me. There's something that might help you."

I then followed Raven to a shoreline not too far away. In there I saw a small boat with engine. The condition of the boat was quite far from acceptable, but there was no leak and there was still some gasoline inside.

"I can't go far with this," I said.

"I think your necklace might say otherwise," Raven said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You said that the energy source of Albatross, the Sun Stone, is now that necklace, right?" he said. "It might be possible to use that energy source for this boat's engine."

"What do you think, Albatross?" I asked.

"Let me try it," Albatross said. The necklace then emitted gold aura, and the boat's engine did the same.

"Does that mean it worked?" I asked.

"Yes," Albatross said. I then got onboard the boat and sat near the engine.

"Have a safe trip, kid! I wish for your success!" Raven said.

"Thank you, Raven!" I said, and then I departed with the boat.

Thanks to the energy provided by Albatross, the boat could run much faster than it should. However, it was still too slow for me. I started to worry about not being able to catch up with Strawberry.

"We're not going to catch up at this rate," I said.

"Who said we were going to use this boat all the way across the ocean?" Albatross said.

"I have no idea about your idea. So please explain," I said.

"This is just to shorten the distance to our destination," he said. "Tomorrow morning I will have gathered enough soul power to transform again."

"For how long?" I asked. "Last time, you didn't bring us far."

"Not long, but much longer than the last time," he replied. "Remember that I used most of my soul power to enable this telepathic communication."

"Then maybe you should stop speaking?" I said.

"I said 'enable' right? It's now permanently enabled and won't consume any more soul power. Think of it as a permanent upgrade," he said.

"Alright, I understand," I said.

Later, nightfall came and I was still riding the boat with no land in sight.

"I wonder why I don't feel hungry at all," I said.

"Sun Stone's energy. But don't depend too much of it. Eat real food once you can," Albatross said.

"I see," I said.

"Let's stop and get some sleep. My energy will keep you warm and comfortable," he said. I nodded and after the boat stopped I lied down. Like he had said, somehow the hard surface still felt comfortable and the cold night didn't bother me at all because I felt warm.

"You know," I said. "I wonder how your other half is doing now, being trapped inside that vial."

"I think he's not aware, like in a deep sleep. When he returns to Almond Cookie body he won't know anything," he said.

"That's good to hear," I said. "Can't imagine how he suffers if he's aware all the time."

"Yeah..." he said, then I fell asleep a few minutes later. When morning arrived, we continued the trip for a few hours to close some more distance. Then suddenly the boat's engine stopped.

"Alright, it's time," Albatross said.

"Try to land some time before your transformation expires. We can't risk causing a commotion from rough landing in the middle of a city," I said.

"I'll try my best," he said. I then threw the necklace high and it transformed into Albatross. After putting me into the cockpit and closing the canopy, he immediately flew fast. Less than three minutes later, he slowed down right above a city I knew: Pearis.

"She should be in this city by now," he said.

"Definitely. Let's find a place to land," I said. However, suddenly he deformed back into a necklace while we were still about five stories from the ground. I fell down screaming, and then I had no idea what happened next.

I had no idea at all whether I survived that fall or not, and if I indeed survived I also had no idea how long I had been unconscious and how badly I got injured. When I woke up, I realized that I was on a bed in a bedroom. My whole body felt pretty painful, although still bearable.

"Crepes! He's awake!" suddenly a familiar voice shouted.

"Really?! C'erry I'm zo glad!" another familiar voice shouted.

"What happened? Where am I?" I asked, seeing that the two girls were Cherry Cudler and Crepes Suzette.

"You fell down five stories high! You were very lucky that you fell through a tall tree and landed right into a bush below it!" Cherry said.

"Ot'erwize you wouldn't be 'ere in C'erry's 'ouze!" Crepes said.

"I just happened to be there so I brought you here," Cherry said. "But still, you got some minor rib fracture. You'll need rest."

"T'ankfully, your armz and legz are just fine azide from bruizez and scrat'ez," Crepes said.

"I see..." I said. "By the way, where's my necklace?"

"It's right there," Cherry said, looking at the shelf next to my bed. I looked there and saw my necklace. I immediately took it and put it on.

"Hey, bro," I said in my head, but there was no reply.

"T'at necklaze lookz like Albatrozz," Crepes said.

"Because it is Albatross," I said, which of course confused the two girls. I then told them everything about Albatross and why I had the accident.

"Zo you were following Strawberry S'ortcake? Ze and 'er friend Peppermint Fizz left by train two dayz ago," Crepes said.

"So Peppermint is accompanying her..." I said. "Do they know about me?"

"No. W'en t'ey left I didn't know about t'e accident yet. C'erry called me t'e next day," Crepes said.

"How long have I been unconscious?" I asked.

"Two days," Cherry said.

"I see," I said. "But for now I wonder why Albatross is not replying me."

"Well..." Cherry said. "I might be wrong, but maybe he feels guilty."

"Guilty?" I asked.

"You fell because he suddenly deformed while flying, right?" she said. "Maybe now he's afraid of you getting angry at him."

"I see..." I said. Then I looked at the necklace. "Brother, come and talk to me. I'm not angry at you."

"...Really?" a voice came out from the necklace. I could notice that Cherry and Crepes couldn't hear him. "But I..."

"You couldn't control it. I don't blame you," I said. "Though now it seems I cannot continue the trip. Sorry..."

"No! I should be the one who say sorry!" he said.

"Never mind. What's past is past. The main thing now is that I'll be stuck here for a while," I said.

"Not if I can help it!" he said. Then the necklace started to shine brightly.

"W'at 'appened?" Crepes asked.

"It's shining?" Cherry asked.

"He just said he could help me. I don't know what he meant," I said.

"Blackberry! Look! Your arms!" Cherry said. I looked at my scratched and bruised arms, and noticed that they were gradually healing. The pain over my body also disappeared gradually. Three minutes later, the necklace finally stopped shining. I then tried moving my body around, and there was no pain at all. All injuries were gone as if the accident had never happened.

"I never knew that your regeneration can be used for this," I said.

"It took a lot of soul power, though. I won't be able to transform for a week at least," he said.

"I guess we have to travel using conventional means, then," I said.

"Umm, 'ello Blackberry. Could you tell uz w'at 'appened?" Crepes asked.

"You've been talking to Albatross, but we can't hear him so we don't understand a thing," Cherry said. I then explained everything to them.

"I guess I have to go immediately to follow them," I said.

"But it'z zeven in ze evening now and ze lazt train is already gone," Crepes said. "Ze next one iz tomorrow morning."

"You should just rest now. Tomorrow morning we will take you to the station," Cherry said.

"Can't be helped I guess," I said. "By the way. Thank you very much for taking care of me."

"No, I didn't do anyt'ing! C'erry did all the work!" Crepes said.

"Thank you, Cherry," I said, hugging her.

"Cherry love hug..." Cherry said.


--End of Chapter 13-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 13: Without The Other Half


It was a starry night, a few weeks after the day Almond split his soul between his human body and his necklace. The seven of us, namely Strawberry, Angel, Orange, Ginger, Peppermint, Almond, and I were relaxing on the top of a small hill, lying down on mats we had brought ourselves. Ginger kept telling us about the names of star formations we could see in the sky.

"That's berry interesting, Ginger Snap," Strawberry said.

"Just how do you know all these things?" Peppermint asked.

"Oh, I've all kinds of books about stars stars and more stars! I just love to read about stars and outer space and all that!" Ginger replied.

"Maybe you'll be an astronaut when you grow up," Orange said.

"Yeah, maybe," Ginger said. "Maybe one day someday I'll go there and see those stars for myself!"

"Umm, we all have gone there, right?" I said.

"That's true, but we didn't get to enjoy it for long because suddenly that black hole came up and whoosh! Everything went dark!" Ginger said.

"And that's why you're not gonna catch me up there in the stars. I'm staying right here! That's my future," Peppermint said.

"Someone is traumatized, I see," Almond said with a grin.

"You have no idea how scary that was!" Peppermint said. "Anyway, if you want to go there again, Ginger, of course you can."

After saying her last line, Peppermint looked at Almond. Indeed, Almond's true identity had been revealed to everyone in Strawberryland not long after he split his soul. He had decided not to hide his identity anymore, and had confessed everything to everyone.

"Well, why not?" Almond said. "Shall we go right now?"

"If you are fine with that, which I hope so, yes! Let's go right now and fast!" Ginger said, accepting the offer. With a smile, Almond threw his necklace upwards, which then morphed into Albatross and brought all of us to outer space. Once again, we were all astonished by the beautiful view of stars above and our planet below. I could see the Black Hole not too far from us, but nobody else cared because they were too distracted by the view and Albatross resisted the hole's force with no effort.

"Berry beautiful!" Strawberry said.

"Can't agree even more for that," Angel said.

"I would like this to last forever!" Ginger said.

"Better not. You'll get bored eventually," Albatross said, and we all laughed.

"Almond, I haven't said this to you, but I'm berry glad to have you with us!" Strawberry said. "I don't care if you are a boy, a spaceship, or a soul of a planet. You are you, and we will always be friends no matter what."

"Thank you," Almond and Albatross replied at the same time.

Three days later not too long before noon, all seven of us were sitting in a gazebo at the outfield of Strawberryland. Strawberry was reading out a book for us. The book was about how a man named Phileas Fogg traveled around the world within 80 days as a challenge. He actually arrived back one day late, but because he crossed the International Date Line he got one extra day and that qualified him to be successful.

"International Date Line? What is that?" Almond asked.

"Well, that's actually quite a confusing thing. You know that the planet rotates for our day cycle, right?" I said and he nodded. "At one point agreed by all countries there's a line separating one day to the next. Right now is 21 May at 10 o'clock right? So let's say this gazebo is right at the International Date Line."

"Uh-huh?" Almond said as I walked to the West side of the gazebo.

"If I stand here on the West side, right now is 21 May at 10 o'clock," I said, then I walked to the other side. "But if I stand here, right now is 20 May at 10 o'clock."

"I don't get it," Almond said.

"Me neither, actually," I said, getting back to inside the gazebo.

"Putting that aside, I doubt anybody could actually get that far that fast," Peppermint said. "It's just impossible, unless they were in a jet airplane... or you."

"Albatross can go around the world in 10 minutes," Almond said. "But it will be just pointless if you don't have fun traveling."

"Peppermint, a lot of things are possible. If you have the right attitude, you can find ways around most any obstacle," Strawberry said.

"She's right, as always," suddenly we heard a very familiar voice. Pie Man and Sour Grapes came riding their wagon. "It's all about having a positive outlook. But of course, some things are still impossible," he continued as he got off from the wagon and approached us.

"Like what, Pie Man?" I asked cynically. "Like the thing you've been eavesdropping us about?"

"Exactly! Though I didn't get that 10 minutes you were babbling about," he said with a sinister grin, looking at Almond. "In any case, I'd give every pie in this wagon to anyone who could do that."

"If anybody could do it, Strawberry Shortcake could! She can find ways around any kind of obstacle!" Ginger said, infuriated by Pie Man's words.

"Uhh... Ginger..." Strawberry said.

"Yes, Yes I know," Pie Man said. "But still, she couldn't possibly make that trip."

"Oh, she could do it with her eyes clo..." Ginger said before interrupted.

"Yes, she can do it, but she won't do it," I interrupted, then I looked at Ginger. "Don't fall for the incitement, Ginger. We all know well that he will do anything at all cost to see Strawberry fail."

"Oh, so you're afraid she will lose?" he challenged.

"No, I'm afraid of YOU putting her in harm's way!" I said. "There's no reason for her to accept your challenge."

"No reason, eh?" he said.

After saying that, Pie Man walked back to the wagon where Sour Grapes was sitting waiting for him. Suddenly, he turned around and hurled something at me while saying, "Then I'll give her one!".

I had no idea what he had hurled at me, but at the last second Almond jumped in front of me, causing him to be the one getting hit in the face by the thing Pie Man had thrown. It turned out to be a small water balloon filled with purple water, and Almond's face ended up covered in purple. The purple water then immediately evaporated into purple smoke, and Almond fell down unconscious.

"Brother!" I shouted, holding him.

"What did you do to him?!" Angel shouted.

"Relax, he's just asleep," Pie Man said as some of us put Almond to lie down under the gazebo. "But he will never wake up!"

"What?!" Peppermint said in surprise.

"You no good Pie Man!" Orange said in anger.

"Don't worry. I have the antidote," Pie Man said, showing a sealed purple vial. "If you take the challenge and succeed, I'll give you all the pies in the wagon, and the antidote."

"And if she fails?" Ginger asked.

"You get nothing, of course! But you still can buy the antidote from me," Pie Man said with sinister grin. "The price would be... berries. Yes, all berries in Strawberryland! Fields included!"

After saying those, Pie Man went back to his wagon.

"I'll be back in 80 days, but I don't think you will be," he said, and then he left.

"That no good Pie Man!" Angel said. "Look at what he did to Almond!"

"I hope he will be fine," Orange said.

"Does any of us know what thing Pie Man threw at Almond?" I asked, and everyone shook their head.

"Judging from what he said, I can predict that it was a magical potion," Ginger said. "One that induces sleep."

"He will never wake up...?" Strawberry said. "I hope what Pie Man's said isn't true."

"I sure hope so, Strawberry..." I said. I was really worried that it would be the case.

"Where should we put him?" Peppermint asked. "To be honest, I don't think we can climb the ladder into your house while carrying him."

"Let's bring him to the Friendship Clubhouse," Strawberry said. "It's the closest place from here."

"I'll bring my motortrike," Ginger said. Ginger then went to her house and later returned with her motored tricycle with a cart attached behind it. We put Almond on the cart and then Ginger brought him to the Friendship Club house. When we arrived there, Almond was already put on a bed, with Ginger explaining the matter to Blueberry and Raspberry, who happened to be there.

"That no good Pie Man!" Raspberry said.

"I'll search my books," Blueberry said. "There might be some information on the potion you said."

"Many thanks, Blueberry!" Ginger said as Blueberry left the place.

"So what are you going to do, Strawberry?" Peppermint asked. "There's no way you can make it back in 80 days."

"Maybe not. But I will!" Strawberry said, which surprised everyone else.

"Are you serious, Strawberry? Our berry fields will be at stake!" Peppermint opposed. "We will find another way!"

"Our friend is more important than any berry fields!" Strawberry said, and all were speechless.

Later, at night of the same day, I was sitting next to Almond's bed. I held his warm hand, in mind asking why he had to save me. I also felt really upset because I could only sit there unable to do anything for him. I had no idea how long I sat there, but eventually I fell asleep right there. In the next day, I woke up and realized that I had overslept.

"Strawberry has probably departed already," I said. "I'll be back soon, brother," I said, then I left the clubhouse towards the outfield. While walking, I noticed that Pie Man's wagon was coming from where I headed. I then decided to quickly hide behind a nearby bush. While hiding, I could overhear a conversation.

"With the engine of that boat 'fixed', she will never get far!" Pie Man said.

"So what are we going to do now? Just sit here and wait?" Sour Grapes asked cynically.

"No. That girl always somehow find a way to succeed. Therefore, I must make sure she won't," Pie Man said. "We will follow her!"

"What?! Are you crazy? It will cost us a fortune!" Sour Grapes said.

"Any amount of fortune does not compare to all the berries we can get," Pie Man said. After that, the wagon had gone too far for me to overhear anything further. Knowing that Strawberry had already departed, I then decided to return to Almond. When I arrived back at the clubhouse, Blueberry was there.

"Hi, Blueberry," I said.

"I'm sorry, Blackberry. I tried looking all over my books, but I couldn't find any information about the sleeping potion," Blueberry said.

"I see. Thank you," I said.

"No need to thank me. I absolutely didn't give any result," she said.

"But you tried," I said. "I appreciate your effort, and I believe Almond will do the same."

"Yeah, you're right," she said, and both of us looked at Almond's motionless body. I then sat next to Almond's bed again and stayed there. Hours later, there was nobody else in the clubhouse and once again my mind kept asking why he had to protect me, and also felt upset for being unable to do anything. But then suddenly I noticed that Almond's necklace started to shine. It then faded again, started shining again, and kept repeating.

"Maybe I should try wearing it?" I thought. I then took the necklace and put it around my neck. Suddenly, I heard a voice.

"Hey!" the voice said.

"Brother? Is that you?" I said.

"Pretty much. I'm the soul part put inside this necklace," the voice said. "I'm speaking in your head by the way. Nobody else can hear me."

"Do you know how I can wake you up?" I asked.

"It's not an easy matter," the voice said.

"Why? Because the sleeping potion is very difficult to cure?" I asked.

"That was not a sleeping potion!" the voice said. "It was a soul trap potion!"

"What?!" I said, surprised.

"Indeed! That potion sucked the soul out from Almond's body. When Pie Man said antidote, he actually meant the vial where the trapped soul is contained!" the voice said.

"That's plain horrible. That no good Pie Man!" I said, filled with anger.

"Calm down! Anger won't solve anything!" the voice said.

"How can I be so calm?! Now Pie Man is going to follow Strawberry to make sure she fails!" I said.

"That's why I went through the trouble of awakening myself like this! We both will follow Strawberry and keep her safe!" the voice said.

"Ah, that's right. You can transform into Albatross and bring us," I said.

"Easier said than done actually," the voice said. "Without the presence of my other half... Ah, never mind! Just bring me outside and throw me upwards!"

I immediately did what he had told me to, and the necklace transformed into Albatross. He then sucked me into the cockpit and immediately flew to chase Strawberry. However, just less than a minute later, he landed on Ice Cream Island roughly and reverted back to a necklace.

"Hey, what happened?" I asked after putting the necklace on.

"Sorry..." the voice replied with a lot of panting. "Without my other half nearby, I can't keep the form for long. Not to mention that I used a lot of soul power just to enable myself to speak to you."

"We're not going anywhere at this rate..." I said. Suddenly, someone greeted me from above.

"Hey, kid. Long time no see!" he said. I immediately recognized that it was Raven. "More trouble happening?"

"Yeah, actually," I said. I then told him about my problems.

"So you need a transport?" he said, and I nodded. "Follow me. There's something that might help you."

I then followed Raven to a shoreline not too far away. In there I saw a small boat with engine. The condition of the boat was quite far from acceptable, but there was no leak and there was still some gasoline inside.

"I can't go far with this," I said.

"I think your necklace might say otherwise," Raven said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You said that the energy source of Albatross, the Sun Stone, is now that necklace, right?" he said. "It might be possible to use that energy source for this boat's engine."

"What do you think, Albatross?" I asked.

"Let me try it," Albatross said. The necklace then emitted gold aura, and the boat's engine did the same.

"Does that mean it worked?" I asked.

"Yes," Albatross said. I then got onboard the boat and sat near the engine.

"Have a safe trip, kid! I wish for your success!" Raven said.

"Thank you, Raven!" I said, and then I departed with the boat.

Thanks to the energy provided by Albatross, the boat could run much faster than it should. However, it was still too slow for me. I started to worry about not being able to catch up with Strawberry.

"We're not going to catch up at this rate," I said.

"Who said we were going to use this boat all the way across the ocean?" Albatross said.

"I have no idea about your idea. So please explain," I said.

"This is just to shorten the distance to our destination," he said. "Tomorrow morning I will have gathered enough soul power to transform again."

"For how long?" I asked. "Last time, you didn't bring us far."

"Not long, but much longer than the last time," he replied. "Remember that I used most of my soul power to enable this telepathic communication."

"Then maybe you should stop speaking?" I said.

"I said 'enable' right? It's now permanently enabled and won't consume any more soul power. Think of it as a permanent upgrade," he said.

"Alright, I understand," I said.

Later, nightfall came and I was still riding the boat with no land in sight.

"I wonder why I don't feel hungry at all," I said.

"Sun Stone's energy. But don't depend too much of it. Eat real food once you can," Albatross said.

"I see," I said.

"Let's stop and get some sleep. My energy will keep you warm and comfortable," he said. I nodded and after the boat stopped I lied down. Like he had said, somehow the hard surface still felt comfortable and the cold night didn't bother me at all because I felt warm.

"You know," I said. "I wonder how your other half is doing now, being trapped inside that vial."

"I think he's not aware, like in a deep sleep. When he returns to Almond Cookie body he won't know anything," he said.

"That's good to hear," I said. "Can't imagine how he suffers if he's aware all the time."

"Yeah..." he said, then I fell asleep a few minutes later. When morning arrived, we continued the trip for a few hours to close some more distance. Then suddenly the boat's engine stopped.

"Alright, it's time," Albatross said.

"Try to land some time before your transformation expires. We can't risk causing a commotion from rough landing in the middle of a city," I said.

"I'll try my best," he said. I then threw the necklace high and it transformed into Albatross. After putting me into the cockpit and closing the canopy, he immediately flew fast. Less than three minutes later, he slowed down right above a city I knew: Pearis.

"She should be in this city by now," he said.

"Definitely. Let's find a place to land," I said. However, suddenly he deformed back into a necklace while we were still about five stories from the ground. I fell down screaming, and then I had no idea what happened next.

I had no idea at all whether I survived that fall or not, and if I indeed survived I also had no idea how long I had been unconscious and how badly I got injured. When I woke up, I realized that I was on a bed in a bedroom. My whole body felt pretty painful, although still bearable.

"Crepes! He's awake!" suddenly a familiar voice shouted.

"Really?! C'erry I'm zo glad!" another familiar voice shouted.

"What happened? Where am I?" I asked, seeing that the two girls were Cherry Cudler and Crepes Suzette.

"You fell down five stories high! You were very lucky that you fell through a tall tree and landed right into a bush below it!" Cherry said.

"Ot'erwize you wouldn't be 'ere in C'erry's 'ouze!" Crepes said.

"I just happened to be there so I brought you here," Cherry said. "But still, you got some minor rib fracture. You'll need rest."

"T'ankfully, your armz and legz are just fine azide from bruizez and scrat'ez," Crepes said.

"I see..." I said. "By the way, where's my necklace?"

"It's right there," Cherry said, looking at the shelf next to my bed. I looked there and saw my necklace. I immediately took it and put it on.

"Hey, bro," I said in my head, but there was no reply.

"T'at necklaze lookz like Albatrozz," Crepes said.

"Because it is Albatross," I said, which of course confused the two girls. I then told them everything about Albatross and why I had the accident.

"Zo you were following Strawberry S'ortcake? Ze and 'er friend Peppermint Fizz left by train two dayz ago," Crepes said.

"So Peppermint is accompanying her..." I said. "Do they know about me?"

"No. W'en t'ey left I didn't know about t'e accident yet. C'erry called me t'e next day," Crepes said.

"How long have I been unconscious?" I asked.

"Two days," Cherry said.

"I see," I said. "But for now I wonder why Albatross is not replying me."

"Well..." Cherry said. "I might be wrong, but maybe he feels guilty."

"Guilty?" I asked.

"You fell because he suddenly deformed while flying, right?" she said. "Maybe now he's afraid of you getting angry at him."

"I see..." I said. Then I looked at the necklace. "Brother, come and talk to me. I'm not angry at you."

"...Really?" a voice came out from the necklace. I could notice that Cherry and Crepes couldn't hear him. "But I..."

"You couldn't control it. I don't blame you," I said. "Though now it seems I cannot continue the trip. Sorry..."

"No! I should be the one who say sorry!" he said.

"Never mind. What's past is past. The main thing now is that I'll be stuck here for a while," I said.

"Not if I can help it!" he said. Then the necklace started to shine brightly.

"W'at 'appened?" Crepes asked.

"It's shining?" Cherry asked.

"He just said he could help me. I don't know what he meant," I said.

"Blackberry! Look! Your arms!" Cherry said. I looked at my scratched and bruised arms, and noticed that they were gradually healing. The pain over my body also disappeared gradually. Three minutes later, the necklace finally stopped shining. I then tried moving my body around, and there was no pain at all. All injuries were gone as if the accident had never happened.

"I never knew that your regeneration can be used for this," I said.

"It took a lot of soul power, though. I won't be able to transform for a week at least," he said.

"I guess we have to travel using conventional means, then," I said.

"Umm, 'ello Blackberry. Could you tell uz w'at 'appened?" Crepes asked.

"You've been talking to Albatross, but we can't hear him so we don't understand a thing," Cherry said. I then explained everything to them.

"I guess I have to go immediately to follow them," I said.

"But it'z zeven in ze evening now and ze lazt train is already gone," Crepes said. "Ze next one iz tomorrow morning."

"You should just rest now. Tomorrow morning we will take you to the station," Cherry said.

"Can't be helped I guess," I said. "By the way. Thank you very much for taking care of me."

"No, I didn't do anyt'ing! C'erry did all the work!" Crepes said.

"Thank you, Cherry," I said, hugging her.

"Cherry love hug..." Cherry said.


--End of Chapter 13-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-197.html Wed, 08 Aug 2012 08:30:14 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-197.html Quote:Chapter 12.5: End of Paranoia


"BROTHER!" I suddenly heard a shout, which I immediately recognized as Almond's. He came running from behind the girls, and without hesitation he jumped into the river to save me. Swimming with full clothes was not a problem for him, and once he got close he grabbed my neck and dragged me to the side.

"You're really a bothersome kid, you know," Almond said as the others helped both of us to get up to the ground. We then sat on the ground under a nearby tree.

"I'm berry glad that you came, Almond!" Strawberry said.

"Yeah! That was the most definitely best heroic rescue I've ever seen for all my lifetime!" Ginger said.

"Uhh..." I said, feeling awkward. "Thank you, brother."

"Don't mention it," he said. Then I noticed something.

"Hey, where's your necklace?" I asked. He then looked at his neck.

"I guess it fell down into the river," he said.

"But that means..." I said before he interrupted.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "I think we should only worry about those."

As he said his line, he looked at the other side of the river. The rest of us looked there and saw the swarm of berry beetles continuing to devour everything they came across.

"You all may have saved our land for now, but sooner or later they will find a way to return," he said.

"What are we gonna do?!" Angel asked in panic

"So what should we do? Any great ideas now?" Peppermint asked.

"Well, judging from their behaviour the only way to save Strawberryland for good is to bring all of them back to their original home," Ginger said.

"Berry Beetle Island? How on earth can we bring them all there?" Peppermint asked.

"I guess you'll have your answer soon," Almond said, smiling.

"Huh?" Peppermint said in confusion. Immediately, all of us heard a familiar noise of running engine. I couldn't believe what I heard, but indeed Albatross came and used his gravity field to take the whole swarm away. Everything happened so fast that everyone except Almond were astounded, let alone myself who knew that Almond and Albatross shouldn't have been able to exist at the same time.

"I will explain once we get home," Almond whispered to me. The silence continued for a few more seconds.

"Right. I forgot about Albatross," Peppermint said.

"We haven't seen him for a long time, am I right?" Ginger said.

"Yeah, but I'm berry glad that the beetles are now back at their home," Strawberry said.

"Wait a second! How can we be sure that Albatross will bring them to their home?" Peppermint asked.

"Albatross can hear everything Blackberry hears, right? I'm berry sure he heard about everything!" Strawberry replied.

"You're right, Strawberry!" Angel said. "Let's thank him when he comes back!"

"As if he will come back right here," Peppermint said.

"Why shouldn't I?" suddenly Albatross said from behind her. It was an awkward moment for Peppermint and she could only laugh timidly.

"Thank you berry much for bringing the berry beetles back to their home, Albatross," Strawberry said.

"Ah, it was nothing," Albatross said. "By the way, you two look messed up. I will take you home if you let me."

"Why not?" I said, looking at myself and Almond, who were completely soaked. Then, with proper goodbye beforehand, Albatross took both of us to my home. After landing, the two of us jumped off and then suddenly with a bright light Albatross disappeared. While I was still astounded, Almond walked to where Albatross was and took something from the ground. I then saw that it was his necklace.

"Dry yourself and change your clothes first," Almond said, putting on his necklace. "I'll explain after that."

I then went to my bedroom to do what he had told me to, and then when I returned to the living room, he was already there sitting on the sofa, and somehow his clothes were already dry.

"I suppose now is the time to explain," I said, sitting next to him.

"You know where I went this morning? After I got upset?" he asked.

"No," I said.

"I went to him," he said. "In there I asked if there was any solution to your paranoia."

"And his answer?" I asked.

"He said that he noticed my soul power having grown enough, and then he offered to split my soul," he said.

"Split your soul?" I said.

"Yes. Long story short, my soul is now split between this body of Almond Cookie and this necklace. There's no more drawback for not wearing the necklace, though I can no longer transform into Albatross. This necklace will be the one transforming from now on," he said.

"I see, and the Flame Stones? They can't exist in your hands and Albatross' thrusters at the same time, right?" I said.

"Yes, therefore I only can burn my hands while this necklace is a necklace," he said. "As if you'll allow me to do that anymore."

"Well..." I said, a bit timid. "Thank you for going though those for me."

"It's fine! Don't worry!" he said with a smile. "Although, there's one more side effect..."

"What is it this time?" I asked, a bit worried.

"I still never get tired, but now I need sleep just like you and other kids," he said.

"Oh bother..." I said. "Now I need to make a new bed."

--End of Chapter 12-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 12.5: End of Paranoia


"BROTHER!" I suddenly heard a shout, which I immediately recognized as Almond's. He came running from behind the girls, and without hesitation he jumped into the river to save me. Swimming with full clothes was not a problem for him, and once he got close he grabbed my neck and dragged me to the side.

"You're really a bothersome kid, you know," Almond said as the others helped both of us to get up to the ground. We then sat on the ground under a nearby tree.

"I'm berry glad that you came, Almond!" Strawberry said.

"Yeah! That was the most definitely best heroic rescue I've ever seen for all my lifetime!" Ginger said.

"Uhh..." I said, feeling awkward. "Thank you, brother."

"Don't mention it," he said. Then I noticed something.

"Hey, where's your necklace?" I asked. He then looked at his neck.

"I guess it fell down into the river," he said.

"But that means..." I said before he interrupted.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "I think we should only worry about those."

As he said his line, he looked at the other side of the river. The rest of us looked there and saw the swarm of berry beetles continuing to devour everything they came across.

"You all may have saved our land for now, but sooner or later they will find a way to return," he said.

"What are we gonna do?!" Angel asked in panic

"So what should we do? Any great ideas now?" Peppermint asked.

"Well, judging from their behaviour the only way to save Strawberryland for good is to bring all of them back to their original home," Ginger said.

"Berry Beetle Island? How on earth can we bring them all there?" Peppermint asked.

"I guess you'll have your answer soon," Almond said, smiling.

"Huh?" Peppermint said in confusion. Immediately, all of us heard a familiar noise of running engine. I couldn't believe what I heard, but indeed Albatross came and used his gravity field to take the whole swarm away. Everything happened so fast that everyone except Almond were astounded, let alone myself who knew that Almond and Albatross shouldn't have been able to exist at the same time.

"I will explain once we get home," Almond whispered to me. The silence continued for a few more seconds.

"Right. I forgot about Albatross," Peppermint said.

"We haven't seen him for a long time, am I right?" Ginger said.

"Yeah, but I'm berry glad that the beetles are now back at their home," Strawberry said.

"Wait a second! How can we be sure that Albatross will bring them to their home?" Peppermint asked.

"Albatross can hear everything Blackberry hears, right? I'm berry sure he heard about everything!" Strawberry replied.

"You're right, Strawberry!" Angel said. "Let's thank him when he comes back!"

"As if he will come back right here," Peppermint said.

"Why shouldn't I?" suddenly Albatross said from behind her. It was an awkward moment for Peppermint and she could only laugh timidly.

"Thank you berry much for bringing the berry beetles back to their home, Albatross," Strawberry said.

"Ah, it was nothing," Albatross said. "By the way, you two look messed up. I will take you home if you let me."

"Why not?" I said, looking at myself and Almond, who were completely soaked. Then, with proper goodbye beforehand, Albatross took both of us to my home. After landing, the two of us jumped off and then suddenly with a bright light Albatross disappeared. While I was still astounded, Almond walked to where Albatross was and took something from the ground. I then saw that it was his necklace.

"Dry yourself and change your clothes first," Almond said, putting on his necklace. "I'll explain after that."

I then went to my bedroom to do what he had told me to, and then when I returned to the living room, he was already there sitting on the sofa, and somehow his clothes were already dry.

"I suppose now is the time to explain," I said, sitting next to him.

"You know where I went this morning? After I got upset?" he asked.

"No," I said.

"I went to him," he said. "In there I asked if there was any solution to your paranoia."

"And his answer?" I asked.

"He said that he noticed my soul power having grown enough, and then he offered to split my soul," he said.

"Split your soul?" I said.

"Yes. Long story short, my soul is now split between this body of Almond Cookie and this necklace. There's no more drawback for not wearing the necklace, though I can no longer transform into Albatross. This necklace will be the one transforming from now on," he said.

"I see, and the Flame Stones? They can't exist in your hands and Albatross' thrusters at the same time, right?" I said.

"Yes, therefore I only can burn my hands while this necklace is a necklace," he said. "As if you'll allow me to do that anymore."

"Well..." I said, a bit timid. "Thank you for going though those for me."

"It's fine! Don't worry!" he said with a smile. "Although, there's one more side effect..."

"What is it this time?" I asked, a bit worried.

"I still never get tired, but now I need sleep just like you and other kids," he said.

"Oh bother..." I said. "Now I need to make a new bed."

--End of Chapter 12-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-171.html Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:20:19 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-171.html Quote:Chapter 12: Brotherly Love


About one week after the trip to Greenhill, I woke up in the morning like usual, changed my pajamas into my daily outfit, and went out from the bedroom. Like any days before, I expected to see Almond sitting on the sofa in the living room, doing his usual life-watching. However, this morning I was quite surprised to see Almond wearing new outfit. His top was a combination of unbuttoned brown square pattern shirt and white short sleeve T-Shirt, and his knee shorts had been changed into full pants. He also wore a necklace with black chain and golden head which I couldn't recognize at first, but upon closer looking I noticed that the shape of the head was like Albatross.

"Good morning!" he greeted.

"Alright, that's surprising. Where did you get that?" I asked.

"Oh, this?" he said, looking at his new outfit. "Last night I chatted with him instead of watching life. In the end he offered to change my clothes."

"And I see you accepted," I said.

"Yeah! Even though he warned me that the change would be random like when he morphed me, but I kinda like the excitement of it!" he said happily.

"So, do you like the new outfit?" I asked.

"Definitely! See? Now I wear pants!" he said in high excitement.

"Well, I do think you now look much nicer than before," I said. "But why the overexcitement about pants?"

"Well, it's just that I have been feeling awkward being the only one wearing shorts while the others wear pants," he said.

"I don't think you should have been feeling like that. I mean, look at Peach Streusel," I said.

"Don't compare me with a girl!" he said with a laugh.

"And the necklace looks nice too," I said.

"Ah, this is actually the only rather bad part of the change," he said.

"Really? Why is that?" I asked.

"The Sun Stone was used to be inside my body," he said. "But now this necklace is the Sun Stone."

"What? Then what will happen if the necklace is removed?" I asked.

"I actually tried it before you woke up," he replied. "I won't be able to morph into Albatross, and I will lose my infinite stamina. In fact, at worst I won't even able to stand up without this necklace."

"That sounds dangerous!" I said. "Can you ask him to change back?"

"No! I like these new clothes! I don't want to wear those strange clothes again!" he refused.

"Those clothes were not strange, and nobody really cares about your looks anyway!" I said. "But everybody cares about each other's safety, including yours!"

"I'm not listening!" he said, shutting both his ears with his hands. I only could sigh.

"Fine, but promise me that you'll be careful," I said.

"Yay!" he shouted happily. "Yes, I promise!"

"Alright, let me have some breakfast and then we can go," I said. "Or you can go there first if you like."

"Nah, take your time," he said. Soon enough, both of us departed from my house to the place of the event taking place in Strawberryland. The event was a career fair, where there were a lot of stands, each representing a certain job. When we arrived, we saw that some of our other friends were already there, and they were also excited about the event.

"Hey there, everyone," I said as we approached the group.

"Hi, Blackberry! Hi, Almond!" Strawberry greeted back. "Wow, you look berry nice, Almond!"

"Do you think so? I really like my new clothes myself," Almond said. "Anyway, let's have a look around!"

"Yeah! You're right! Let's go!" Orange said.

"Right behind you!" Ginger said.

So, all of us went off to look for a booth which interested us the most. I myself didn't find anything interesting, so I just walked around greeting other friends I met. Some time after, I met Almond and the usual group near a small bridge.

"I never realized how many different careers there were!" Orange said.

"I can't wait till I'm older and actually have a job!" Angel said.

"Well, why should we wait?" Strawberry said.

"What are you talking about, Strawberry?" Peppermint asked.

"We could pretend we have the jobs!" Strawberry said. "For a few days we can be anything we want!"

"That sounds like fun!" Almond said.

"A lot of fun!" Orange said.

"Alright! Let's do it!" Ginger said in excitement.

"It'll be great! You'll see, we'll be everything we wanted to be!" Strawberry said, and then the group started singing a song about the thing they wanna be. Both me and Almond only watched because none of us could sing.

"I know what I wanna be!" Ginger said after the song was finished. "I wanna be a firefighter!"

"I want to be a doctor!" Orange said.

"I think I'll open a restaurant!" Angel said.

"And I would love to be a teacher!" Strawberry said.

"What about you, Peppermint?" Angel asked. "What are you going to be?"

"Well," Peppermint said, thinking. "The mayor of all Strawberryland! The boss of everything! That'll be me!"

Peppermint's line surprised everyone.

"Can she, be that, Strawberry?" Angel whispered to Strawberry.

"Well sure! Why not?" Strawberry said.

"Yes!" Peppermint said in excitement.

"How about you two, Blackberry and Almond?" Strawberry asked.

"I actually have no idea, so I'll just be myself. An inventor," I said.

"As for me, I know what I want to be!" Almond said.

"What is it?" Angel asked.

"Hunter!" Almond replied, and everyone was surprised again.

"You mean, the one who hunt animals?" Orange asked, and Almond nodded without hesitation.

"Isn't it... kinda bad?" Ginger said. "I've never thought of harming animals in Strawberryland! Nope! Never!"

"Hey, I've never said about harming the animals!" Almond said.

"But you said that you would be a hunter," Angel said.

"Yes, a hunter, with a camera! I'm going to take pictures of animals deep in the jungle of Strawberryland!" Almond said, and everyone was relieved.

At the next day, Almond was ready for his hunt with my camera he borrowed hanging around his neck. He was very excited about what he was going to do. I also had a special drinking bottle I made myself hanged around my shoulder and a regular backpack on my back.

"Wait a second! You're going too?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Aren't you an inventor? So, shouldn't you be right here, you know, inventing?" he asked.

"I need ideas first, and I usually get one if I go out," I said.

"Oh yeah?" he said with suspicious face. "Even without reading your mind I can tell that you're lying."

"I can't lie to you, can I?" I said after sighing. "Alright, I'm worried about you so I'm going with you."

"I'm not a helpless little kid," he said. "And I'm thousands of centuries older than you."

"But now you can easily become one," I said. "And as human you're not even a month old."

"Heh, alright, fine, you can come," he said.

"I'd come anyway, no matter what you said," I said.

So, the two of us went off to hunt for pictures of animals living in Strawberryland. Though actually Almond did all the hunting while I just followed him and watched over him. I just couldn't shake off the fact that Almond could get into danger much more easily this time because his Sun Stone was then much easier to remove than before. Just a bit of bad luck or careless move and he would be in grave danger.

"Brother, I appreciate that you're concerned about me but..." Almond said while aiming the camera towards a chirping bird above.

"But what?" I asked as he took a picture.

"I'm probably the one concerned, about you," he said, looking at me and sighing. I looked really messed up. My clothes were all covered in burrs, and I was wet from my own sweat. Not to mention that I was extremely exhausted from all the hours of walking.

"Nah... Just ignore me and continue hunting..." I said while panting heavily. "I'll keep following."

"Your condition says otherwise," he said. "Though I find it strange that this morphed Sun Stone doesn't work for other people anymore."

"It was meant for you anyway," I said, still panting.

"At this rate you won't be able to continue much further," he said. "Let's sit down under this tree and take a break. I insist."

"Can't deny you," I said, and both of us sat down under the nearby tree. I sighed in relief as I sat down, and then I drank a lot from my bottle.

"That bottle looks interesting. Where did you get that? How does it work?" Almond asked.

"I made it," I said. "It's actually simple. Put tea leaves inside this removable filter here, and then every time I put water into this bottle it will become tea."

"That's cool," he said. "So you have more water for this in the backpack?"

"Yeah, and also my namesake," I said. "But I've eaten and drunk them all during the trip here, so it's totally empty now."

"And you've just drunk the last drop of your bottle," he said.

"Yeah," I said, pouring the last drops into my mouth. Suddenly, the filter lid came off and all wet tea leaves fell to the ground.

"Don't worry. The leaves will become natural fertilizer over time," he said. "Where did you get them, by the way?"

"A few days ago Peppermint came and gave these to me when you were away playing," I replied. "She wanted me to try her favorite drink. It sure tastes good."

"Let me try it some time," he said, and then suddenly both of us felt a tremor.

"What was that? An earthquake?" I asked after the tremor stopped.

"I don't know," he said as the tremor started again. "But I do know that we better get out of here now."

After saying the line, Almond immediately transformed into Albatross, sucked me into his cockpit, and flew away from the place. None of us knew that a swarm of beetles came out right from the ground where the peppermint tea leaves had fallen. They ate the leaves and also every single plant around, and then they marched towards Strawberryland while still eating any plants they came across.

Meanwhile, the two of us arrived home safely, not knowing about the marching swarm. I was still very exhausted, so before reverting to human form, Almond brought me into my house with his gravity field and put me sitting on the sofa. I then put down my backpack and drinking bottle on the floor and immediately fell half-asleep on the sofa. Almond came in soon after, already in his human form.

"You will catch a cold if you sleep there with your clothes still wet from your sweat," he said.

"Don't worry," I said weakly, and then I fell fully asleep.

"Heh..." he said with a sigh. He then went into my bedroom and came back bringing a blanket, which he then used to cover me. After doing that, he suddenly got a bad feeling about something outside and then he left the house immediately. I didn't know what happened, but he then returned and woke me up.

"Brother! Wake up! Something bad is happening!" he shouted, shaking my body.

"Huh? What happened?" I asked in surprise with my eyelids still felt heavy.

"Quick! Come here!" he said, dragging me to the window of the house. Outside the window I saw a horrible sight. There was a large purple cloud-like thing crawling around Strawberryland, eating any plants they came across. I then took my binoculars from a nearby table and used it to see what the cloud actually was.

"A swarm of beetles?" I said while looking through the binoculars. "Could they be... Berry beetles?"

"Berry beetles? What are they?" he asked.

"I only have read about them," I said. "They eat almost anything they come across. They're not supposed to be here at all! They should be in an island where every single plant magically grows within minutes!"

"Well, they are here in Strawberryland now, and they're heading right here," he said. "Alright, then."

"Where are you going?" I asked as he ran to the entrance.

"To protect our home!" he replied, jumping out. I hurried to follow him, and right outside I saw him standing towards the incoming swarm. His necklace then started to glow brightly, and so did his hands which let out red glow. I then immediately realized what he was going to do.

"No! Don't use the Flame Stones!" I shouted, but it was too late. Almond unleashed a stream of fire from both his hands, which immediately started to show burn damage. It was clear from his face that he was in pain, but he kept streaming fire from his hands against the incoming swarm. The beetles seemed to realize that danger was near, and then they immediately escaped by burrowing to the ground before any of them got burned. Almond then stopped his flame throwing, then he fell down kneeling on the ground and panting. His hands from finger to elbow showed severe burn damage.

"Heh... Now they're gone..." he said, still panting heavily. The burn damage began to heal, but the healing rate was very slow.

"Almond! Are you alright?" I asked, running to him. "Why are your hands not healing fast?"

"It seems the magical power from the Flame Stones is a bit too strong for my regeneration to handle," he said, looking at his hands. "Don't worry, they'll heal in about... tonight."

"Thank you, brother," I said. "But please, no more doing anything like that. You had me worried sick."

"If you say so," he replied, and then we went home. Later, I walked around Strawberryland bringing Nature's Blessing to restore all plants the beetles had eaten.

At the next day, Almond went hunting again. He had fully healed his hands like he had said, but I was still worried about him so I followed him again. This time, I had prepared a way not to get exhausted like the day before.

"Brother, I appreciate that you're concerned about me but..." Almond said while carefully and silently aiming the camera towards a raccoon at a distance.

"But what?" I asked as the raccoon noticed something and escaped from sight.

"Following me by riding Arrowhead makes a lot of noise and scares the animals," Almond said with a sigh. Like he had said, I was riding Arrowhead, which I had modified to be able to run on any solid surface.

"Uh... Sorry," I said.

"Let's just sit down there and relax," he said, pointing towards a large tree. We then sat down under the tree and relaxed for a while.

"So, how your job as a hunter has been so far?" I asked.

"It was fine, except the continuous disturbing from one paranoid guy," he replied, then he smirked to me. "And how about your job as... inventor?"

"Very good. Yesterday I made that filter bottle, and today I made a new modification for my vehicle," I said, and we both laughed.

"I wonder how the others are doing now," he said.

"You can know right away, can't you?" I said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," he said. "I can't watch life anymore."

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Ever since I got my new clothes, connecting myself to him without morphing to Albatross gives me painful headache," he said.

"Another downside? I'm now even more convinced that your new clothes aren't worth all the things you lost," I said.

"Well, while watching life I learned that people can go out of their way just to look better," he said. "I'm still sure that this is worth all the loss."

"Whatever you say," I said. "Still, I'm worried about those Berry Beetles. They only escaped underground, they might return again sooner or later."

"If they dare to return, I will exterminate them with fire for real," he said.

"No, don't you dare. Don't you dare burn yourself up again," I said.

"I didn't burn myself up. Only my hands! And I healed them overnight. See?" he said, showing me his healed hands.

"I know! But I don't want to risk you losing control of the Flame Stones and burning yourself up completely!" I said. "I lost you once, and I don't want it to happen again!"

"Losing control? You don't need to worry about that because..." he said before suddenly stopping.

"Because what?" I asked.

"Never mind. Alright, I won't use the stones," he said. The rest of the day passed without any of us saying much.

At the next day, Almond went hunting again. This time I had prepared a way to follow him without either getting exhausted or scaring animals away from him.

"Brother, I appreciate that you're concerned about me but..." Almond said while walking straight.

"But what?" I asked, and he stopped walking.

"Watching me through Midnight Eye... I'm just speechless now..." he said, and he started walking again. The Midnight Eye satellite kept following him while I watched the monitor at home. Everything seemed fine for a while, but then he stopped again. This time, he turned his head and looked straight at the camera. He looked really upset.

"I can't take this anymore, brother!" he said, and then he transformed into Albatross and flew away, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Maybe I really have overdone it," I said. I then decided to call the satellite back. However, on the way home, the satellite spotted something terrible. The berry beetles had returned and they marched towards Strawberryland again.

"Brother, can you hear me?" I said, hoping that he still heard what I said and heard like he used to be, but there was no response. "I have to tell everyone else!"

I then ran out from the house and straight to the outfield of Strawberryland. While on the way, I suddenly noticed a trail of peppermint tea leaves. I wondered why there was that trail there, but then I looked to the left and saw the swarm of beetles following the trail. I quickly ran away from the swarm while still following the trail. I knew that I could just run to the side, but I felt that I had to know where the trail led to and who made the trail. Not too far later, the trail of peppermint tea leaves ended, but immediately followed by a trail of what seemed to be candy shards. I kept running along the trail until I saw that the trail led to the other side of a river through a bridge made from a single tree log.

"Hey, Blackberry! Here!" I suddenly heard a voice. I looked around and saw Peppermint waving hand at me while hiding in a bush. I then went to the bush and found that along wih her there were Angel, Orange, Ginger, and Strawberry. They were all crouching to hide behind the bush.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, kneeling with one knee.

"We are luring the berry beetles to the other side of the river," Peppermint said.

"Once they are at the other side, we will push the log into the river," Angel said.

"I see," I said. "Well, we better be ready. They are already here."

Just after my last sentence, the swarm of beetles came and went across the river. All of us then immediately ran towards the log bridge and pushed it into the river. However, when the log fell down I lost my balance and fell down into the river. I then got dragged by the river's current.

"Blackberry! Oh no!" Strawberry shouted, and everyone there started running to chase me.

"This is bad, it sure is!" Ginger said. "We are not too far from a waterfall!"

"Take my hand!" Peppermint shouted, reaching her hand out to me while running along the river. I tried to reach her hand, but failed. The river kept dragging me, who helplessly tried to swim to the side. I actually could swim, but it was the first time I had to swim in a river with such strong current. Not to mention that I had to swim with all my clothes on. I struggled to swim to the side, but my clothes which had absorbed water heavily burdened me.

"Is this... the end?" I thought. My arms and legs were exhausted, and I could feel that I started sinking into the water. I still could hear my friends shouting at me, reaching their hands out, but their voices were getting lower and lower. Maybe this would really be the end of me...


--To be continued-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 12: Brotherly Love


About one week after the trip to Greenhill, I woke up in the morning like usual, changed my pajamas into my daily outfit, and went out from the bedroom. Like any days before, I expected to see Almond sitting on the sofa in the living room, doing his usual life-watching. However, this morning I was quite surprised to see Almond wearing new outfit. His top was a combination of unbuttoned brown square pattern shirt and white short sleeve T-Shirt, and his knee shorts had been changed into full pants. He also wore a necklace with black chain and golden head which I couldn't recognize at first, but upon closer looking I noticed that the shape of the head was like Albatross.

"Good morning!" he greeted.

"Alright, that's surprising. Where did you get that?" I asked.

"Oh, this?" he said, looking at his new outfit. "Last night I chatted with him instead of watching life. In the end he offered to change my clothes."

"And I see you accepted," I said.

"Yeah! Even though he warned me that the change would be random like when he morphed me, but I kinda like the excitement of it!" he said happily.

"So, do you like the new outfit?" I asked.

"Definitely! See? Now I wear pants!" he said in high excitement.

"Well, I do think you now look much nicer than before," I said. "But why the overexcitement about pants?"

"Well, it's just that I have been feeling awkward being the only one wearing shorts while the others wear pants," he said.

"I don't think you should have been feeling like that. I mean, look at Peach Streusel," I said.

"Don't compare me with a girl!" he said with a laugh.

"And the necklace looks nice too," I said.

"Ah, this is actually the only rather bad part of the change," he said.

"Really? Why is that?" I asked.

"The Sun Stone was used to be inside my body," he said. "But now this necklace is the Sun Stone."

"What? Then what will happen if the necklace is removed?" I asked.

"I actually tried it before you woke up," he replied. "I won't be able to morph into Albatross, and I will lose my infinite stamina. In fact, at worst I won't even able to stand up without this necklace."

"That sounds dangerous!" I said. "Can you ask him to change back?"

"No! I like these new clothes! I don't want to wear those strange clothes again!" he refused.

"Those clothes were not strange, and nobody really cares about your looks anyway!" I said. "But everybody cares about each other's safety, including yours!"

"I'm not listening!" he said, shutting both his ears with his hands. I only could sigh.

"Fine, but promise me that you'll be careful," I said.

"Yay!" he shouted happily. "Yes, I promise!"

"Alright, let me have some breakfast and then we can go," I said. "Or you can go there first if you like."

"Nah, take your time," he said. Soon enough, both of us departed from my house to the place of the event taking place in Strawberryland. The event was a career fair, where there were a lot of stands, each representing a certain job. When we arrived, we saw that some of our other friends were already there, and they were also excited about the event.

"Hey there, everyone," I said as we approached the group.

"Hi, Blackberry! Hi, Almond!" Strawberry greeted back. "Wow, you look berry nice, Almond!"

"Do you think so? I really like my new clothes myself," Almond said. "Anyway, let's have a look around!"

"Yeah! You're right! Let's go!" Orange said.

"Right behind you!" Ginger said.

So, all of us went off to look for a booth which interested us the most. I myself didn't find anything interesting, so I just walked around greeting other friends I met. Some time after, I met Almond and the usual group near a small bridge.

"I never realized how many different careers there were!" Orange said.

"I can't wait till I'm older and actually have a job!" Angel said.

"Well, why should we wait?" Strawberry said.

"What are you talking about, Strawberry?" Peppermint asked.

"We could pretend we have the jobs!" Strawberry said. "For a few days we can be anything we want!"

"That sounds like fun!" Almond said.

"A lot of fun!" Orange said.

"Alright! Let's do it!" Ginger said in excitement.

"It'll be great! You'll see, we'll be everything we wanted to be!" Strawberry said, and then the group started singing a song about the thing they wanna be. Both me and Almond only watched because none of us could sing.

"I know what I wanna be!" Ginger said after the song was finished. "I wanna be a firefighter!"

"I want to be a doctor!" Orange said.

"I think I'll open a restaurant!" Angel said.

"And I would love to be a teacher!" Strawberry said.

"What about you, Peppermint?" Angel asked. "What are you going to be?"

"Well," Peppermint said, thinking. "The mayor of all Strawberryland! The boss of everything! That'll be me!"

Peppermint's line surprised everyone.

"Can she, be that, Strawberry?" Angel whispered to Strawberry.

"Well sure! Why not?" Strawberry said.

"Yes!" Peppermint said in excitement.

"How about you two, Blackberry and Almond?" Strawberry asked.

"I actually have no idea, so I'll just be myself. An inventor," I said.

"As for me, I know what I want to be!" Almond said.

"What is it?" Angel asked.

"Hunter!" Almond replied, and everyone was surprised again.

"You mean, the one who hunt animals?" Orange asked, and Almond nodded without hesitation.

"Isn't it... kinda bad?" Ginger said. "I've never thought of harming animals in Strawberryland! Nope! Never!"

"Hey, I've never said about harming the animals!" Almond said.

"But you said that you would be a hunter," Angel said.

"Yes, a hunter, with a camera! I'm going to take pictures of animals deep in the jungle of Strawberryland!" Almond said, and everyone was relieved.

At the next day, Almond was ready for his hunt with my camera he borrowed hanging around his neck. He was very excited about what he was going to do. I also had a special drinking bottle I made myself hanged around my shoulder and a regular backpack on my back.

"Wait a second! You're going too?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Aren't you an inventor? So, shouldn't you be right here, you know, inventing?" he asked.

"I need ideas first, and I usually get one if I go out," I said.

"Oh yeah?" he said with suspicious face. "Even without reading your mind I can tell that you're lying."

"I can't lie to you, can I?" I said after sighing. "Alright, I'm worried about you so I'm going with you."

"I'm not a helpless little kid," he said. "And I'm thousands of centuries older than you."

"But now you can easily become one," I said. "And as human you're not even a month old."

"Heh, alright, fine, you can come," he said.

"I'd come anyway, no matter what you said," I said.

So, the two of us went off to hunt for pictures of animals living in Strawberryland. Though actually Almond did all the hunting while I just followed him and watched over him. I just couldn't shake off the fact that Almond could get into danger much more easily this time because his Sun Stone was then much easier to remove than before. Just a bit of bad luck or careless move and he would be in grave danger.

"Brother, I appreciate that you're concerned about me but..." Almond said while aiming the camera towards a chirping bird above.

"But what?" I asked as he took a picture.

"I'm probably the one concerned, about you," he said, looking at me and sighing. I looked really messed up. My clothes were all covered in burrs, and I was wet from my own sweat. Not to mention that I was extremely exhausted from all the hours of walking.

"Nah... Just ignore me and continue hunting..." I said while panting heavily. "I'll keep following."

"Your condition says otherwise," he said. "Though I find it strange that this morphed Sun Stone doesn't work for other people anymore."

"It was meant for you anyway," I said, still panting.

"At this rate you won't be able to continue much further," he said. "Let's sit down under this tree and take a break. I insist."

"Can't deny you," I said, and both of us sat down under the nearby tree. I sighed in relief as I sat down, and then I drank a lot from my bottle.

"That bottle looks interesting. Where did you get that? How does it work?" Almond asked.

"I made it," I said. "It's actually simple. Put tea leaves inside this removable filter here, and then every time I put water into this bottle it will become tea."

"That's cool," he said. "So you have more water for this in the backpack?"

"Yeah, and also my namesake," I said. "But I've eaten and drunk them all during the trip here, so it's totally empty now."

"And you've just drunk the last drop of your bottle," he said.

"Yeah," I said, pouring the last drops into my mouth. Suddenly, the filter lid came off and all wet tea leaves fell to the ground.

"Don't worry. The leaves will become natural fertilizer over time," he said. "Where did you get them, by the way?"

"A few days ago Peppermint came and gave these to me when you were away playing," I replied. "She wanted me to try her favorite drink. It sure tastes good."

"Let me try it some time," he said, and then suddenly both of us felt a tremor.

"What was that? An earthquake?" I asked after the tremor stopped.

"I don't know," he said as the tremor started again. "But I do know that we better get out of here now."

After saying the line, Almond immediately transformed into Albatross, sucked me into his cockpit, and flew away from the place. None of us knew that a swarm of beetles came out right from the ground where the peppermint tea leaves had fallen. They ate the leaves and also every single plant around, and then they marched towards Strawberryland while still eating any plants they came across.

Meanwhile, the two of us arrived home safely, not knowing about the marching swarm. I was still very exhausted, so before reverting to human form, Almond brought me into my house with his gravity field and put me sitting on the sofa. I then put down my backpack and drinking bottle on the floor and immediately fell half-asleep on the sofa. Almond came in soon after, already in his human form.

"You will catch a cold if you sleep there with your clothes still wet from your sweat," he said.

"Don't worry," I said weakly, and then I fell fully asleep.

"Heh..." he said with a sigh. He then went into my bedroom and came back bringing a blanket, which he then used to cover me. After doing that, he suddenly got a bad feeling about something outside and then he left the house immediately. I didn't know what happened, but he then returned and woke me up.

"Brother! Wake up! Something bad is happening!" he shouted, shaking my body.

"Huh? What happened?" I asked in surprise with my eyelids still felt heavy.

"Quick! Come here!" he said, dragging me to the window of the house. Outside the window I saw a horrible sight. There was a large purple cloud-like thing crawling around Strawberryland, eating any plants they came across. I then took my binoculars from a nearby table and used it to see what the cloud actually was.

"A swarm of beetles?" I said while looking through the binoculars. "Could they be... Berry beetles?"

"Berry beetles? What are they?" he asked.

"I only have read about them," I said. "They eat almost anything they come across. They're not supposed to be here at all! They should be in an island where every single plant magically grows within minutes!"

"Well, they are here in Strawberryland now, and they're heading right here," he said. "Alright, then."

"Where are you going?" I asked as he ran to the entrance.

"To protect our home!" he replied, jumping out. I hurried to follow him, and right outside I saw him standing towards the incoming swarm. His necklace then started to glow brightly, and so did his hands which let out red glow. I then immediately realized what he was going to do.

"No! Don't use the Flame Stones!" I shouted, but it was too late. Almond unleashed a stream of fire from both his hands, which immediately started to show burn damage. It was clear from his face that he was in pain, but he kept streaming fire from his hands against the incoming swarm. The beetles seemed to realize that danger was near, and then they immediately escaped by burrowing to the ground before any of them got burned. Almond then stopped his flame throwing, then he fell down kneeling on the ground and panting. His hands from finger to elbow showed severe burn damage.

"Heh... Now they're gone..." he said, still panting heavily. The burn damage began to heal, but the healing rate was very slow.

"Almond! Are you alright?" I asked, running to him. "Why are your hands not healing fast?"

"It seems the magical power from the Flame Stones is a bit too strong for my regeneration to handle," he said, looking at his hands. "Don't worry, they'll heal in about... tonight."

"Thank you, brother," I said. "But please, no more doing anything like that. You had me worried sick."

"If you say so," he replied, and then we went home. Later, I walked around Strawberryland bringing Nature's Blessing to restore all plants the beetles had eaten.

At the next day, Almond went hunting again. He had fully healed his hands like he had said, but I was still worried about him so I followed him again. This time, I had prepared a way not to get exhausted like the day before.

"Brother, I appreciate that you're concerned about me but..." Almond said while carefully and silently aiming the camera towards a raccoon at a distance.

"But what?" I asked as the raccoon noticed something and escaped from sight.

"Following me by riding Arrowhead makes a lot of noise and scares the animals," Almond said with a sigh. Like he had said, I was riding Arrowhead, which I had modified to be able to run on any solid surface.

"Uh... Sorry," I said.

"Let's just sit down there and relax," he said, pointing towards a large tree. We then sat down under the tree and relaxed for a while.

"So, how your job as a hunter has been so far?" I asked.

"It was fine, except the continuous disturbing from one paranoid guy," he replied, then he smirked to me. "And how about your job as... inventor?"

"Very good. Yesterday I made that filter bottle, and today I made a new modification for my vehicle," I said, and we both laughed.

"I wonder how the others are doing now," he said.

"You can know right away, can't you?" I said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," he said. "I can't watch life anymore."

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Ever since I got my new clothes, connecting myself to him without morphing to Albatross gives me painful headache," he said.

"Another downside? I'm now even more convinced that your new clothes aren't worth all the things you lost," I said.

"Well, while watching life I learned that people can go out of their way just to look better," he said. "I'm still sure that this is worth all the loss."

"Whatever you say," I said. "Still, I'm worried about those Berry Beetles. They only escaped underground, they might return again sooner or later."

"If they dare to return, I will exterminate them with fire for real," he said.

"No, don't you dare. Don't you dare burn yourself up again," I said.

"I didn't burn myself up. Only my hands! And I healed them overnight. See?" he said, showing me his healed hands.

"I know! But I don't want to risk you losing control of the Flame Stones and burning yourself up completely!" I said. "I lost you once, and I don't want it to happen again!"

"Losing control? You don't need to worry about that because..." he said before suddenly stopping.

"Because what?" I asked.

"Never mind. Alright, I won't use the stones," he said. The rest of the day passed without any of us saying much.

At the next day, Almond went hunting again. This time I had prepared a way to follow him without either getting exhausted or scaring animals away from him.

"Brother, I appreciate that you're concerned about me but..." Almond said while walking straight.

"But what?" I asked, and he stopped walking.

"Watching me through Midnight Eye... I'm just speechless now..." he said, and he started walking again. The Midnight Eye satellite kept following him while I watched the monitor at home. Everything seemed fine for a while, but then he stopped again. This time, he turned his head and looked straight at the camera. He looked really upset.

"I can't take this anymore, brother!" he said, and then he transformed into Albatross and flew away, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Maybe I really have overdone it," I said. I then decided to call the satellite back. However, on the way home, the satellite spotted something terrible. The berry beetles had returned and they marched towards Strawberryland again.

"Brother, can you hear me?" I said, hoping that he still heard what I said and heard like he used to be, but there was no response. "I have to tell everyone else!"

I then ran out from the house and straight to the outfield of Strawberryland. While on the way, I suddenly noticed a trail of peppermint tea leaves. I wondered why there was that trail there, but then I looked to the left and saw the swarm of beetles following the trail. I quickly ran away from the swarm while still following the trail. I knew that I could just run to the side, but I felt that I had to know where the trail led to and who made the trail. Not too far later, the trail of peppermint tea leaves ended, but immediately followed by a trail of what seemed to be candy shards. I kept running along the trail until I saw that the trail led to the other side of a river through a bridge made from a single tree log.

"Hey, Blackberry! Here!" I suddenly heard a voice. I looked around and saw Peppermint waving hand at me while hiding in a bush. I then went to the bush and found that along wih her there were Angel, Orange, Ginger, and Strawberry. They were all crouching to hide behind the bush.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, kneeling with one knee.

"We are luring the berry beetles to the other side of the river," Peppermint said.

"Once they are at the other side, we will push the log into the river," Angel said.

"I see," I said. "Well, we better be ready. They are already here."

Just after my last sentence, the swarm of beetles came and went across the river. All of us then immediately ran towards the log bridge and pushed it into the river. However, when the log fell down I lost my balance and fell down into the river. I then got dragged by the river's current.

"Blackberry! Oh no!" Strawberry shouted, and everyone there started running to chase me.

"This is bad, it sure is!" Ginger said. "We are not too far from a waterfall!"

"Take my hand!" Peppermint shouted, reaching her hand out to me while running along the river. I tried to reach her hand, but failed. The river kept dragging me, who helplessly tried to swim to the side. I actually could swim, but it was the first time I had to swim in a river with such strong current. Not to mention that I had to swim with all my clothes on. I struggled to swim to the side, but my clothes which had absorbed water heavily burdened me.

"Is this... the end?" I thought. My arms and legs were exhausted, and I could feel that I started sinking into the water. I still could hear my friends shouting at me, reaching their hands out, but their voices were getting lower and lower. Maybe this would really be the end of me...


--To be continued-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-159.html Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:53:00 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-159.html Quote:Extra Chapter: Almond's Path


"Let's get going!" Mary said after Blackberry left her and Almond.

"You lead the way," Almond said.

"First stop, the park!" she said, and the two started walking.

"So, you have been Randy's friend for a long time?" he asked while still walking.

"Yep!" she replied. "We were born on the same day at the same hospital, and our beds were next to each other! So we pretty much have been friends since birth!"

"That's cool!" he said.

"You think so? It sure is!" she said.

"But from what you said you seem to like making fun of him," he said.

"Ha! It's just that he was so cute, simple, and sincere that I couldn't resist doing it! But I never did anything bad to him," she said. "Not too bad at least... I think."

"Do you think we can find him in the park?" he asked.

"Not the park, but the special place in the park," she said.

"Special place?" he asked

"Just wait and see," she said.

Not too long afterwards, they passed a house where there were two boys sitting on the terrace. One of them was rather fat while the other was thinner and shorter. When Almond and Mary passed them, the boys looked at them and stood up. Then they approached and Mary sighed.

"Here we go again," she said.

"What?" Almond asked.

"Hey hey do you see what I see?" the fatter boy said.

"Yes yes I see what you see," the other boy said.

"It's Mary the witch, and she has bewitched a slave," the fatter boy said.

"Ohh she has bewitched a slave for herself!" the other boy said.

"Yes, a slave for herself!" both boys said at the same time. Almond could only watch in confusion.

"Cut it out, you two!" Mary shouted. "Hearing you two rapping about everything gives me headaches!"

"Well well if you say so," the fatter boy said.

"We'll cut it out, yes we'll cut it out," the other boy said.

"Because Mary is boss," both boys said at the same time.

"Alby, these two useless boys are Nick and Terry. They're also called The Rap Brothers because of what you just saw," Mary said.

"Hey, we're not useless," The fatter boy said. "Anyway, I'm Nick."

"And I'm Terry," The other boy said.

"Nick and Terry, this is Alby. If you remember Randy telling about his faraway friend David, Alby is his brother," Mary said.

"You two really confused me back there," Almond said. "Do you always do that?"

"We used to always do that," Nick said.

"But we got kinda tired, so now not always," Terry said. "Anyway, where are you going?"

"We're looking for Randy. He looked troubled for some reason I don't know," Almond said. "My brother is also looking for him now."

"Troubled?" Nick said, then he looked at his brother who did the same to him.

"If he looks troubled maybe he's there again, right bro?" Terry said, and Nick nodded.

"Sure thing," Nick said.

"There? Again?" Almond asked.

"Yes indeed, he's there again," Nick said, starting to rap again.

"The one place where he always goes to," Terry said, also rapping.

"Whenever he looks troubled," they said at the same time.

"That's where I'm taking him to," Mary said. "The Secret Place."

"Let's go together then!" Nick said. "We're kinda bored right now actually."

"Your call," Mary said. "Let's hurry on."

The group then went to the Greenhill Park. When they arrived, clueless Almond could only follow the other kids walking through the forest part of the park.

"Can't believe that a forest exists in a city," Almond said.

"Hey, almost all cities must have a park like this somewhere, don't you know that?" Mary said.

"No," Almond said.

"Now I really can't imagine the place where you come from," Mary said. "Anyway, I bet you don't know that a crocodile lived in this park."

"Really? wasn't that dangerous?" Almond asked.

"Of course it was! That's why people moved it to the zoo when they found it!" Mary said. "Oh, here we are! The Secret Place!"

Almond looked at the thing they said as The Secret Place. It was a simple wooden triangular tree house with a ladder leaning on its front for people to access.

"So this is the place, huh?" Almond said, climbing the ladder with the other kids following. The inside of the tree house looked more like a storage room than a house. Various things were all over the place, and all of them had collected some dust. Almond looked around and he didn't find Randy there, but one thing caught his attention because it was much cleaner than everything else. It was a large yellow toy car which little kids could ride on. On the seats of the car lied three smaller things. A toy robot, a small green toy car, and an even smaller toy police car.

"That's what that kid used to call as 'ChaCha'," Mary said.

"ChaCha?" Almond asked. "This toy car?"

"Yeah," she said. "He had a dog named ChaCha, whom he loved very dearly. However, about six years ago, ChaCha died protecting him from a car crash."

"That is a sad story," Nick said.

"Yeah, a really sad story it is," Terry said.

"You two! Could you do me a favor and don't rap in your speech?!" Mary shouted. "Just for today... Please?"

The two brothers were speechless, looking surprised.

"Did you hear that, bro?" Nick said.

"I heard that loud and clear," Terry said.

"Mary said 'please'!" both said at the same time.

"Alright, just for today as you wish," Nick said, and Terry nodded.

"Thank you," Mary said and Almond sat on a chair next to the toy car. "Moving on, ever since then, that kid started calling that toy car ChaCha. He kept telling me that the toy car was ChaCha, but I didn't believe him."

"We neither, but he was such a nice friend that we decided to play along," Nick said. "Sorta."

"In other words, he played make believe with this toy car?" Almond asked and everyone else nodded. "Either that, or the soul of the dog possessed this toy car."

"Wait a second! What did you just say?" Mary asked.

"Uh, maybe the soul of the dog possessed the toy car?" Almond replied.

"You actually believe in such thing?" Mary asked, looking upset.

"Why shouldn't I?" Almond asked back.

"Because there is no such thing as ghost!" Mary said.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked. "Don't you remember the ghost in the haunted house?"

"Nobody has ever seen it for real, and now the house no longer looks haunted!" Mary said.

"Alright, let's just end the arguing and move on," Almond said. "So, why is this car left here now?"

"That's because..." Mary said before an interruption came.

"Mary!" a voice shouted, and all of us looked at the source. It was Randy himself.

"Uhh..." Mary said, looking timid. "Hi, Randy."

"How much have you told him?" Randy asked, looking angry.

"Um, not much?" Mary replied, still looking timid.

"Just leave now," Randy said with a sigh. Mary and the two brothers left the place immediately without question, but Almond sat still on the chair. "Why are you still here?"

"Let's go back home. Your mother is worried about you," Almond said.

"You lied," Randy said. "It's still too early for Mom to be worried about me."

"Alright, we are worried about you," Almond said.

"Why should you?" Randy said cynically. "Now, please go away."

"Randy, I have never met you before, but why you hate me and my brother?" Almond asked.

"No, I don't hate you..." Randy said. "I just... don't want you to be here."

"Why?" Almond asked.

"Please don't ask," Randy said. "Please... just leave me alone..."

Seeing Randy's sad face, Almond decided to leave him alone although reluctantly. After he climbed down the ladder, he hid himself behind a nearby bush to keep watching. He couldn't see what was happening inside the tree house, but the front of the house was in clear sight so he would notice if Randy left the place. While watching, Almond wanted to contact Blackberry telepathically to inform him that Randy had been found, but he was aware that it would not work.

"It's useless. Without the planet's soul I don't even know where brother is," Almond said to himself. Then, suddenly he heard a voice.

"Hey, you're watching too?" the voice asked. Almond looked behind and saw that it was Nick. Mary and his brother was there with him too.

"Yeah, I'm kinda worried about him," Almond said.

"You can say the same for us," Mary said. "I've made him upset several times with pranks, but that was the first time he looked angry and... sorta scary."

"By the way, you haven't answered my question because he interrupted," Almond said to Mary.

"Oh, alright," Mary said. "I actually have nearly no idea. He just said that he wanted to dump his old toys."

"That's it?" Almond asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Mary said. "And that honestly sounded very, very, very strange to me! I mean, he has been telling everyone that they were his best friends, and then one day he suddenly dumped all of them here?!"

"Exactly!" Terry said.

"Hmm, I think so. Even though it only meant his make believe was over, he could have just keep the toys at his home," Almond said. "By the way..."

"What?" Nick asked.

"We have been talking and nobody is watching the tree house?" Almond asked. Everybody were surprised, realizing their mistake. Almond quickly went to the tree house and climbed the ladder. Seconds later, he came out shaking his head and sighing.

"The worst timing possible," Mary said with a sigh. Nick and Terry also sighed.

"Let's just go home then," Nick said.

"Yeah, it's useless staying here now," Terry said, and the three of them left the place after waving hands to Almond.

From the color of the sky, Almond knew that sunset was very near, so he decided to go back to Randy's house to meet Blackberry there as they had promised. Nothing happened on the trip, and when he arrived he knew that he was in time because Blackberry was not there yet. A few minutes later, Almond saw a black car coming near. The car then parked right in front of him, and soon two people came out from it. Almond was a bit surprised that one of them was Blackberry.

"Hey, bro," Almond said.

"I pretty much failed," Blackberry said. "Were you luckier than me?"

"Yes and no," Almond said, which confused his brother.


--End of Extra Chapter-- ]]> Quote:Extra Chapter: Almond's Path


"Let's get going!" Mary said after Blackberry left her and Almond.

"You lead the way," Almond said.

"First stop, the park!" she said, and the two started walking.

"So, you have been Randy's friend for a long time?" he asked while still walking.

"Yep!" she replied. "We were born on the same day at the same hospital, and our beds were next to each other! So we pretty much have been friends since birth!"

"That's cool!" he said.

"You think so? It sure is!" she said.

"But from what you said you seem to like making fun of him," he said.

"Ha! It's just that he was so cute, simple, and sincere that I couldn't resist doing it! But I never did anything bad to him," she said. "Not too bad at least... I think."

"Do you think we can find him in the park?" he asked.

"Not the park, but the special place in the park," she said.

"Special place?" he asked

"Just wait and see," she said.

Not too long afterwards, they passed a house where there were two boys sitting on the terrace. One of them was rather fat while the other was thinner and shorter. When Almond and Mary passed them, the boys looked at them and stood up. Then they approached and Mary sighed.

"Here we go again," she said.

"What?" Almond asked.

"Hey hey do you see what I see?" the fatter boy said.

"Yes yes I see what you see," the other boy said.

"It's Mary the witch, and she has bewitched a slave," the fatter boy said.

"Ohh she has bewitched a slave for herself!" the other boy said.

"Yes, a slave for herself!" both boys said at the same time. Almond could only watch in confusion.

"Cut it out, you two!" Mary shouted. "Hearing you two rapping about everything gives me headaches!"

"Well well if you say so," the fatter boy said.

"We'll cut it out, yes we'll cut it out," the other boy said.

"Because Mary is boss," both boys said at the same time.

"Alby, these two useless boys are Nick and Terry. They're also called The Rap Brothers because of what you just saw," Mary said.

"Hey, we're not useless," The fatter boy said. "Anyway, I'm Nick."

"And I'm Terry," The other boy said.

"Nick and Terry, this is Alby. If you remember Randy telling about his faraway friend David, Alby is his brother," Mary said.

"You two really confused me back there," Almond said. "Do you always do that?"

"We used to always do that," Nick said.

"But we got kinda tired, so now not always," Terry said. "Anyway, where are you going?"

"We're looking for Randy. He looked troubled for some reason I don't know," Almond said. "My brother is also looking for him now."

"Troubled?" Nick said, then he looked at his brother who did the same to him.

"If he looks troubled maybe he's there again, right bro?" Terry said, and Nick nodded.

"Sure thing," Nick said.

"There? Again?" Almond asked.

"Yes indeed, he's there again," Nick said, starting to rap again.

"The one place where he always goes to," Terry said, also rapping.

"Whenever he looks troubled," they said at the same time.

"That's where I'm taking him to," Mary said. "The Secret Place."

"Let's go together then!" Nick said. "We're kinda bored right now actually."

"Your call," Mary said. "Let's hurry on."

The group then went to the Greenhill Park. When they arrived, clueless Almond could only follow the other kids walking through the forest part of the park.

"Can't believe that a forest exists in a city," Almond said.

"Hey, almost all cities must have a park like this somewhere, don't you know that?" Mary said.

"No," Almond said.

"Now I really can't imagine the place where you come from," Mary said. "Anyway, I bet you don't know that a crocodile lived in this park."

"Really? wasn't that dangerous?" Almond asked.

"Of course it was! That's why people moved it to the zoo when they found it!" Mary said. "Oh, here we are! The Secret Place!"

Almond looked at the thing they said as The Secret Place. It was a simple wooden triangular tree house with a ladder leaning on its front for people to access.

"So this is the place, huh?" Almond said, climbing the ladder with the other kids following. The inside of the tree house looked more like a storage room than a house. Various things were all over the place, and all of them had collected some dust. Almond looked around and he didn't find Randy there, but one thing caught his attention because it was much cleaner than everything else. It was a large yellow toy car which little kids could ride on. On the seats of the car lied three smaller things. A toy robot, a small green toy car, and an even smaller toy police car.

"That's what that kid used to call as 'ChaCha'," Mary said.

"ChaCha?" Almond asked. "This toy car?"

"Yeah," she said. "He had a dog named ChaCha, whom he loved very dearly. However, about six years ago, ChaCha died protecting him from a car crash."

"That is a sad story," Nick said.

"Yeah, a really sad story it is," Terry said.

"You two! Could you do me a favor and don't rap in your speech?!" Mary shouted. "Just for today... Please?"

The two brothers were speechless, looking surprised.

"Did you hear that, bro?" Nick said.

"I heard that loud and clear," Terry said.

"Mary said 'please'!" both said at the same time.

"Alright, just for today as you wish," Nick said, and Terry nodded.

"Thank you," Mary said and Almond sat on a chair next to the toy car. "Moving on, ever since then, that kid started calling that toy car ChaCha. He kept telling me that the toy car was ChaCha, but I didn't believe him."

"We neither, but he was such a nice friend that we decided to play along," Nick said. "Sorta."

"In other words, he played make believe with this toy car?" Almond asked and everyone else nodded. "Either that, or the soul of the dog possessed this toy car."

"Wait a second! What did you just say?" Mary asked.

"Uh, maybe the soul of the dog possessed the toy car?" Almond replied.

"You actually believe in such thing?" Mary asked, looking upset.

"Why shouldn't I?" Almond asked back.

"Because there is no such thing as ghost!" Mary said.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked. "Don't you remember the ghost in the haunted house?"

"Nobody has ever seen it for real, and now the house no longer looks haunted!" Mary said.

"Alright, let's just end the arguing and move on," Almond said. "So, why is this car left here now?"

"That's because..." Mary said before an interruption came.

"Mary!" a voice shouted, and all of us looked at the source. It was Randy himself.

"Uhh..." Mary said, looking timid. "Hi, Randy."

"How much have you told him?" Randy asked, looking angry.

"Um, not much?" Mary replied, still looking timid.

"Just leave now," Randy said with a sigh. Mary and the two brothers left the place immediately without question, but Almond sat still on the chair. "Why are you still here?"

"Let's go back home. Your mother is worried about you," Almond said.

"You lied," Randy said. "It's still too early for Mom to be worried about me."

"Alright, we are worried about you," Almond said.

"Why should you?" Randy said cynically. "Now, please go away."

"Randy, I have never met you before, but why you hate me and my brother?" Almond asked.

"No, I don't hate you..." Randy said. "I just... don't want you to be here."

"Why?" Almond asked.

"Please don't ask," Randy said. "Please... just leave me alone..."

Seeing Randy's sad face, Almond decided to leave him alone although reluctantly. After he climbed down the ladder, he hid himself behind a nearby bush to keep watching. He couldn't see what was happening inside the tree house, but the front of the house was in clear sight so he would notice if Randy left the place. While watching, Almond wanted to contact Blackberry telepathically to inform him that Randy had been found, but he was aware that it would not work.

"It's useless. Without the planet's soul I don't even know where brother is," Almond said to himself. Then, suddenly he heard a voice.

"Hey, you're watching too?" the voice asked. Almond looked behind and saw that it was Nick. Mary and his brother was there with him too.

"Yeah, I'm kinda worried about him," Almond said.

"You can say the same for us," Mary said. "I've made him upset several times with pranks, but that was the first time he looked angry and... sorta scary."

"By the way, you haven't answered my question because he interrupted," Almond said to Mary.

"Oh, alright," Mary said. "I actually have nearly no idea. He just said that he wanted to dump his old toys."

"That's it?" Almond asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Mary said. "And that honestly sounded very, very, very strange to me! I mean, he has been telling everyone that they were his best friends, and then one day he suddenly dumped all of them here?!"

"Exactly!" Terry said.

"Hmm, I think so. Even though it only meant his make believe was over, he could have just keep the toys at his home," Almond said. "By the way..."

"What?" Nick asked.

"We have been talking and nobody is watching the tree house?" Almond asked. Everybody were surprised, realizing their mistake. Almond quickly went to the tree house and climbed the ladder. Seconds later, he came out shaking his head and sighing.

"The worst timing possible," Mary said with a sigh. Nick and Terry also sighed.

"Let's just go home then," Nick said.

"Yeah, it's useless staying here now," Terry said, and the three of them left the place after waving hands to Almond.

From the color of the sky, Almond knew that sunset was very near, so he decided to go back to Randy's house to meet Blackberry there as they had promised. Nothing happened on the trip, and when he arrived he knew that he was in time because Blackberry was not there yet. A few minutes later, Almond saw a black car coming near. The car then parked right in front of him, and soon two people came out from it. Almond was a bit surprised that one of them was Blackberry.

"Hey, bro," Almond said.

"I pretty much failed," Blackberry said. "Were you luckier than me?"

"Yes and no," Almond said, which confused his brother.


--End of Extra Chapter-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-154.html Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:50:05 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-154.html Quote:Chapter 11b: Souls in The Stars


"Hey, bro," Almond said when I got out from Uncle's car.

"I pretty much failed," I said. "Were you luckier than me?"

"Yes and no," he replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I found him, but because of a few things I lost him again," he said.

"Really? Where did you find him?" I asked.

"A tree house in the park," he said.

"A tree house in the park..." Uncle said. "The Secret Place?"

"How did you know?" Almond asked. "And who are you?"

"Alright, let me introduce you," I said. "Almond, this is Uncle, one of Randy's closest friends. I met him on my search and he agreed to help. Uncle, this is my brother Almond Cookie."

"Hey! My name is..." Almond said before I interrupted.

"He already knows everything from Randy. It's fine," I said.

"If you found him there, then I believe you found ChaCha as well," Uncle said. "What remains of him anyway."

"The yellow toy car?" Almond asked, and Uncle nodded. "Though I'm kinda confused now."

"I haven't told you about things here because I wanted it to become a surprise," I said. "Randy had a number of magical friends. They are souls of deceased animals possessing inanimate objects."

"I see," Almond said. "Come to think of it, I remember that there were a few things put in the car. A small green toy car, a toy robot, and an even smaller toy police car."

"I don't know the other two, but the police car is probably Papa Rat," I said.

"The green car is Pyoko, and the robot is Bull," Uncle said. "After their soul was gone, Randy gathered their bodies in that tree house. Unfortunately, four of them were just impossible to bring."

"The hippopotamus truck, Cindy the elephant excavator, the leopard sports car, and...?" I asked.

"The whale cargo plane," Uncle said. "The truck and the sports car were left in the plains not far from Greenhill, and the excavator is still used by people."

"How about the plane?" I asked.

"No idea," Uncle said. "There weren't any news about plane crash or such, so it probably fell down to the ocean and sunk. Nobody knows where it is now."

"That's sad," I said. "By the way, we have been talking for a while but Randy hasn't come back yet."

"Do you think it's because we're here standing in front of his house?" Almond asked.

"Maybe..." I said, then I noticed a familiar red car coming and parking right behind Uncle's car. Soon, Randy's father came out from it.

"Hi, what are you all doing here?" he asked.

"We are waiting for Randy to come home," I said.

"Why are you standing here outside? Come in and have a seat inside!" he kindly offered, and we accepted. All four of us then entered the house and sat in the main room. We all talked together for a while, but Randy didn't return home even after the sky had become completely dark.

"I honestly am starting to worry," I said.

"Me too," Almond said.

"I feel the same," Randy's father said.

"Let's go look for him," Uncle suggested, and everyone else agreed. Soon, all of us went out to look for Randy again. Randy's mother stayed at home in case Randy returned when we were out looking for him. I went with Almond to The Secret Place, but we didn't find Randy there. We then continued looking for him in the park, but it was of no success.

"I really wish your scanner worked right now," I said.

"Me too, Bro," Almond said. "But like I said, this planet has no soul. It won't work."

"Yeah..." I said, looking at the stars above. "Wait a minute! I think it can work!"

"Huh?" Almond asked in confusion.


Meanwhile, on a plain barely within walking distance, Randy was sitting alone on the top of a small slope. He kept looking upwards to the starry sky, musing and not knowing what to do. He was aware that his mother and father were probably worried about him, but he didn't want to meet the two visitors again. He would rather be scolded by his parents later than seeing them again and had his heart broken. He had decided to stay there until morning.

"Hey there," suddenly he heard a familiar voice from behind. Without looking, he knew that it was me, and Almond was with me.

"What are you doing here?" Almond asked, but Randy didn't show any response.

"May I sit here?" I asked, standing next to him at his right side.

"Whatever," he said, and I sat down. Almond immediately followed by sitting at Randy's other side.

"Nice view, eh?" I said, looking at the stars above.

"Makes you want go there," Almond said.

"You can't," Randy said.

"Why not?" Almond asked. "You won't know if you don't try."

"Well then how? We don't have a rocket or spaceship here!" Randy said, looking at Almond. I silently chuckled a bit, knowing that actually there was a spaceship right there.

"I didn't mean about going there literally," Almond said with a little laugh.

"If you mean telescope or book, I already know," Randy said, still looking upset.

"I think you should tell us why you don't want us to be here," I said.

"Why should I?" he said. "You don't exist anyway!"

"Eh? What do you mean?" I asked. "We're right here."

"No! You don't exist!" Randy shouted, closing his eyes and hugging his legs tight.

"Then you should just say it loud to the stars," Almond said.

"Huh?" Randy asked, seeming confused.

"We don't exist, so you're now alone. The stars are good listeners when you want to say something," Almond said.

"I don't want to say anything," Randy said.

"It's not good to keep it to yourself for long. You'll feel pain in your chest," I said. "Believe me, I have experienced it myself."

"No! I don't believe!" Randy shouted, quickly standing up. "I don't believe in you! I don't believe in Cindy! I don't believe in Leopard! I don't believe in Hippo Truck! I don't believe in Bull, Pyoko, and Papa Rat! I don't believe in ChaCha!"

"Eh? What are you saying?" I asked.

"I don't believe in miracles! All my friends were not and were never real! They were just my imagination!" Randy shouted with tears leaking from his eyes. "I keep telling myself in front of those toys that they were not real! I don't need to feel sad for them!"

"So that's what you do in The Secret Place?" Almond asked.

"Yes, but why should you care?!" Randy replied. "You both are from imaginary world! You're just my imagination! Please, make it stop!"

"Randy..." I said, looking at Randy, who sat down again hugging his legs and sobbing.

"Please... make it stop... Make me forget... Please..." Randy said, still sobbing. From what we had heard we could understand that Randy had been suppressing his deep sadness of losing ChaCha and his other friends by telling himself that they had not been real, hoping that he would forget them all. His hate upon us was because our presence reminded him of his lost friends, and it broke his heart.

"No, you shouldn't forget," Almond said. "You have a room in your heart for them, right? Leave the room as it is. Don't lock it off and forget, because after they were gone they can only live in others' memory."

"I don't get what you said, and I don't want to care," Randy said, still in sad tone. "People said that Greenhill is a city of miracles. If it is true, then why the miracle didn't keep them to stay with me?! I lost my best friends! They're gone! I don't believe in miracles anymore!"

"No, they're not gone," Almond said. "They are still there," he continued, pointing at Randy's chest. "In your heart."

"I know! Mom and Dad have told me that! But it's pointless if I can't talk to them and play with them!" Randy said. There was a silence for a moment because neither of us knew what to say.

"Randy, hold my hand," Almond said, with his right hand offered to Randy.

"Huh? For what?" Randy asked.

"Just do it. Please," Almond said. Randy reluctantly complied without saying any words. Almond then held his forehead with his other hand and concentrated. From seeing what he was doing, I could immediately guess that he was going to communicate with the souls of Randy's lost friends, just like how he had done it to locate Randy. This planet indeed didn't have a soul, but there were the souls of Randy's friends among the stars above. With his ability to telepathically communicate with souls, Almond had been able to ask them for Randy's location.

Soon enough, I could see Randy's face looking surprised. I couldn't hear what he heard, but I could safely assume he heard the voice of his lost friends. He was so surprised that he couldn't say anything. Tears then started to leak from his eyes, but he smiled. The communication lasted for quite a while, and in the end he fell asleep on Almond's shoulder. Almond smiled looking at Randy, then he looked to the sky while still holding his forehead.

"Thank you," Almond said, and for a moment the stars twinkled brighter than before.

"Is it over?" I asked with low voice, and Almond nodded.

"He sure has good friends," he said. "And now I know his real reason."

"Huh? What is it?" I asked.

"He actually could accept them being gone, but he wanted to at least say proper farewell before that happened," he replied. "Too bad it happened so suddenly without any warning."

"So that's what has been burdening him for years," I said, and Almond nodded.

"He also couldn't forgive himself for starting to forget about them back then. All he said about desiring to forget them was just a cover to suppress his sadness. In truth, he would never forget them, ever," he said.

"I guess it's time to bring him home," I said.

"Yeah, we cannot keep his parents worried for too long," Almond said. He then carried Randy on his back and we walked back home. Later when we arrived, his mother was waiting anxiously at the front door. When she saw us, she was surprised and immediately came running.

"Is Randy alright? What happened?" she asked.

"He's just asleep. We better put him on his bed now," Almond replied. She agreed and then all of us entered the house. Almond followed Randy's mother to the bedroom and then he put Randy on the bed. After that, the three of us went to the living room. Randy's mother immediately used the phone there to call the others and tell that Randy has been found and returned. Within minutes, Randy's father and Uncle came back to the house and all of us sat in the living room.

"Where did you find him?" Uncle asked.

"The plains not too far from here," I said. "He was looking at the stars."

"Ah yes, I completely forgot that it is his favorite place when the sky is clear at night," the father said.

"How did you know that place?" Uncle asked.

"We were just lucky," I said, thinking that it would be better not to reveal that Almond could telepathically communicate with the souls.

"Please don't scold him tomorrow when he wakes up," Almond said. "It's our fault that he went off like that."

"No, don't blame yourselves," the father said. "And don't worry about that."

"Thank you," I said. "I guess it's time to go home."

"It's already late," the mother said. "Why don't you spend the night here?"

"Don't worry. This time we got good transport," I said.

"Good transport?" the father asked.

"Oh, you mean that?" Uncle said. "But you put it pretty far from here. I'll take you there with my car."

After saying that, Uncle gave us a wink, which we immediately understood.

"Thank you," I said. Soon, all of us went outside. Almond and I entered Uncle's car, and with handwaves from us we left Randy's house.

"Can't have them see you opening the portal to your world, right?" Uncle said while driving.

"Yeah. Thank you," I said. "I couldn't think of a good excuse."

"No problem," he said. "By the way, take me to your world some time. I'm curious about many things there."

"We will, when we come back someday," I said.

Soon, the car stopped right outside the city and the three of us got off from the car.

"Be careful on your way," Uncle said.

"You too," I said, taking the Time Remote II from my pocket.

"Goodbye," he said as I opened the dimension door to Strawberryland.

"See you next time," Almond said, and both of us entered the dimension door. We ended up right in the living room of my house, and the dimension door vanished immediately.

"So, how was it? I mean, our trip to Greenhill," I asked.

"If you ask me, it was actually great," Almond replied. "But there were too many sad things."

"Indeed," I said. "But I believe everything will turn up okay."

"We have the same thinking," he said, and I yawned.

"It's bed time. I'm going to sleep," I said.

"Good night, bro," he said, sitting down on the sofa.

"Happy watching life," I said, going into my bedroom.


--End of Chapter 11b-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 11b: Souls in The Stars


"Hey, bro," Almond said when I got out from Uncle's car.

"I pretty much failed," I said. "Were you luckier than me?"

"Yes and no," he replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I found him, but because of a few things I lost him again," he said.

"Really? Where did you find him?" I asked.

"A tree house in the park," he said.

"A tree house in the park..." Uncle said. "The Secret Place?"

"How did you know?" Almond asked. "And who are you?"

"Alright, let me introduce you," I said. "Almond, this is Uncle, one of Randy's closest friends. I met him on my search and he agreed to help. Uncle, this is my brother Almond Cookie."

"Hey! My name is..." Almond said before I interrupted.

"He already knows everything from Randy. It's fine," I said.

"If you found him there, then I believe you found ChaCha as well," Uncle said. "What remains of him anyway."

"The yellow toy car?" Almond asked, and Uncle nodded. "Though I'm kinda confused now."

"I haven't told you about things here because I wanted it to become a surprise," I said. "Randy had a number of magical friends. They are souls of deceased animals possessing inanimate objects."

"I see," Almond said. "Come to think of it, I remember that there were a few things put in the car. A small green toy car, a toy robot, and an even smaller toy police car."

"I don't know the other two, but the police car is probably Papa Rat," I said.

"The green car is Pyoko, and the robot is Bull," Uncle said. "After their soul was gone, Randy gathered their bodies in that tree house. Unfortunately, four of them were just impossible to bring."

"The hippopotamus truck, Cindy the elephant excavator, the leopard sports car, and...?" I asked.

"The whale cargo plane," Uncle said. "The truck and the sports car were left in the plains not far from Greenhill, and the excavator is still used by people."

"How about the plane?" I asked.

"No idea," Uncle said. "There weren't any news about plane crash or such, so it probably fell down to the ocean and sunk. Nobody knows where it is now."

"That's sad," I said. "By the way, we have been talking for a while but Randy hasn't come back yet."

"Do you think it's because we're here standing in front of his house?" Almond asked.

"Maybe..." I said, then I noticed a familiar red car coming and parking right behind Uncle's car. Soon, Randy's father came out from it.

"Hi, what are you all doing here?" he asked.

"We are waiting for Randy to come home," I said.

"Why are you standing here outside? Come in and have a seat inside!" he kindly offered, and we accepted. All four of us then entered the house and sat in the main room. We all talked together for a while, but Randy didn't return home even after the sky had become completely dark.

"I honestly am starting to worry," I said.

"Me too," Almond said.

"I feel the same," Randy's father said.

"Let's go look for him," Uncle suggested, and everyone else agreed. Soon, all of us went out to look for Randy again. Randy's mother stayed at home in case Randy returned when we were out looking for him. I went with Almond to The Secret Place, but we didn't find Randy there. We then continued looking for him in the park, but it was of no success.

"I really wish your scanner worked right now," I said.

"Me too, Bro," Almond said. "But like I said, this planet has no soul. It won't work."

"Yeah..." I said, looking at the stars above. "Wait a minute! I think it can work!"

"Huh?" Almond asked in confusion.


Meanwhile, on a plain barely within walking distance, Randy was sitting alone on the top of a small slope. He kept looking upwards to the starry sky, musing and not knowing what to do. He was aware that his mother and father were probably worried about him, but he didn't want to meet the two visitors again. He would rather be scolded by his parents later than seeing them again and had his heart broken. He had decided to stay there until morning.

"Hey there," suddenly he heard a familiar voice from behind. Without looking, he knew that it was me, and Almond was with me.

"What are you doing here?" Almond asked, but Randy didn't show any response.

"May I sit here?" I asked, standing next to him at his right side.

"Whatever," he said, and I sat down. Almond immediately followed by sitting at Randy's other side.

"Nice view, eh?" I said, looking at the stars above.

"Makes you want go there," Almond said.

"You can't," Randy said.

"Why not?" Almond asked. "You won't know if you don't try."

"Well then how? We don't have a rocket or spaceship here!" Randy said, looking at Almond. I silently chuckled a bit, knowing that actually there was a spaceship right there.

"I didn't mean about going there literally," Almond said with a little laugh.

"If you mean telescope or book, I already know," Randy said, still looking upset.

"I think you should tell us why you don't want us to be here," I said.

"Why should I?" he said. "You don't exist anyway!"

"Eh? What do you mean?" I asked. "We're right here."

"No! You don't exist!" Randy shouted, closing his eyes and hugging his legs tight.

"Then you should just say it loud to the stars," Almond said.

"Huh?" Randy asked, seeming confused.

"We don't exist, so you're now alone. The stars are good listeners when you want to say something," Almond said.

"I don't want to say anything," Randy said.

"It's not good to keep it to yourself for long. You'll feel pain in your chest," I said. "Believe me, I have experienced it myself."

"No! I don't believe!" Randy shouted, quickly standing up. "I don't believe in you! I don't believe in Cindy! I don't believe in Leopard! I don't believe in Hippo Truck! I don't believe in Bull, Pyoko, and Papa Rat! I don't believe in ChaCha!"

"Eh? What are you saying?" I asked.

"I don't believe in miracles! All my friends were not and were never real! They were just my imagination!" Randy shouted with tears leaking from his eyes. "I keep telling myself in front of those toys that they were not real! I don't need to feel sad for them!"

"So that's what you do in The Secret Place?" Almond asked.

"Yes, but why should you care?!" Randy replied. "You both are from imaginary world! You're just my imagination! Please, make it stop!"

"Randy..." I said, looking at Randy, who sat down again hugging his legs and sobbing.

"Please... make it stop... Make me forget... Please..." Randy said, still sobbing. From what we had heard we could understand that Randy had been suppressing his deep sadness of losing ChaCha and his other friends by telling himself that they had not been real, hoping that he would forget them all. His hate upon us was because our presence reminded him of his lost friends, and it broke his heart.

"No, you shouldn't forget," Almond said. "You have a room in your heart for them, right? Leave the room as it is. Don't lock it off and forget, because after they were gone they can only live in others' memory."

"I don't get what you said, and I don't want to care," Randy said, still in sad tone. "People said that Greenhill is a city of miracles. If it is true, then why the miracle didn't keep them to stay with me?! I lost my best friends! They're gone! I don't believe in miracles anymore!"

"No, they're not gone," Almond said. "They are still there," he continued, pointing at Randy's chest. "In your heart."

"I know! Mom and Dad have told me that! But it's pointless if I can't talk to them and play with them!" Randy said. There was a silence for a moment because neither of us knew what to say.

"Randy, hold my hand," Almond said, with his right hand offered to Randy.

"Huh? For what?" Randy asked.

"Just do it. Please," Almond said. Randy reluctantly complied without saying any words. Almond then held his forehead with his other hand and concentrated. From seeing what he was doing, I could immediately guess that he was going to communicate with the souls of Randy's lost friends, just like how he had done it to locate Randy. This planet indeed didn't have a soul, but there were the souls of Randy's friends among the stars above. With his ability to telepathically communicate with souls, Almond had been able to ask them for Randy's location.

Soon enough, I could see Randy's face looking surprised. I couldn't hear what he heard, but I could safely assume he heard the voice of his lost friends. He was so surprised that he couldn't say anything. Tears then started to leak from his eyes, but he smiled. The communication lasted for quite a while, and in the end he fell asleep on Almond's shoulder. Almond smiled looking at Randy, then he looked to the sky while still holding his forehead.

"Thank you," Almond said, and for a moment the stars twinkled brighter than before.

"Is it over?" I asked with low voice, and Almond nodded.

"He sure has good friends," he said. "And now I know his real reason."

"Huh? What is it?" I asked.

"He actually could accept them being gone, but he wanted to at least say proper farewell before that happened," he replied. "Too bad it happened so suddenly without any warning."

"So that's what has been burdening him for years," I said, and Almond nodded.

"He also couldn't forgive himself for starting to forget about them back then. All he said about desiring to forget them was just a cover to suppress his sadness. In truth, he would never forget them, ever," he said.

"I guess it's time to bring him home," I said.

"Yeah, we cannot keep his parents worried for too long," Almond said. He then carried Randy on his back and we walked back home. Later when we arrived, his mother was waiting anxiously at the front door. When she saw us, she was surprised and immediately came running.

"Is Randy alright? What happened?" she asked.

"He's just asleep. We better put him on his bed now," Almond replied. She agreed and then all of us entered the house. Almond followed Randy's mother to the bedroom and then he put Randy on the bed. After that, the three of us went to the living room. Randy's mother immediately used the phone there to call the others and tell that Randy has been found and returned. Within minutes, Randy's father and Uncle came back to the house and all of us sat in the living room.

"Where did you find him?" Uncle asked.

"The plains not too far from here," I said. "He was looking at the stars."

"Ah yes, I completely forgot that it is his favorite place when the sky is clear at night," the father said.

"How did you know that place?" Uncle asked.

"We were just lucky," I said, thinking that it would be better not to reveal that Almond could telepathically communicate with the souls.

"Please don't scold him tomorrow when he wakes up," Almond said. "It's our fault that he went off like that."

"No, don't blame yourselves," the father said. "And don't worry about that."

"Thank you," I said. "I guess it's time to go home."

"It's already late," the mother said. "Why don't you spend the night here?"

"Don't worry. This time we got good transport," I said.

"Good transport?" the father asked.

"Oh, you mean that?" Uncle said. "But you put it pretty far from here. I'll take you there with my car."

After saying that, Uncle gave us a wink, which we immediately understood.

"Thank you," I said. Soon, all of us went outside. Almond and I entered Uncle's car, and with handwaves from us we left Randy's house.

"Can't have them see you opening the portal to your world, right?" Uncle said while driving.

"Yeah. Thank you," I said. "I couldn't think of a good excuse."

"No problem," he said. "By the way, take me to your world some time. I'm curious about many things there."

"We will, when we come back someday," I said.

Soon, the car stopped right outside the city and the three of us got off from the car.

"Be careful on your way," Uncle said.

"You too," I said, taking the Time Remote II from my pocket.

"Goodbye," he said as I opened the dimension door to Strawberryland.

"See you next time," Almond said, and both of us entered the dimension door. We ended up right in the living room of my house, and the dimension door vanished immediately.

"So, how was it? I mean, our trip to Greenhill," I asked.

"If you ask me, it was actually great," Almond replied. "But there were too many sad things."

"Indeed," I said. "But I believe everything will turn up okay."

"We have the same thinking," he said, and I yawned.

"It's bed time. I'm going to sleep," I said.

"Good night, bro," he said, sitting down on the sofa.

"Happy watching life," I said, going into my bedroom.


--End of Chapter 11b-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-153.html Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:13:56 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-153.html Quote:Chapter 11a: Blackberry's Path


Almond and I parted ways to search for Randy, our friend who suddenly hated us for unknown reason and went away. Almond went with Mary, Randy's friend next door, while I went alone because I was more familiar to the area than Almond who came there for the first time. While walking, I kept wondering why Randy suddenly hated us even though he had been still nice the last time I had met him. Maybe something had happened during my years long absence? Or maybe he was mad because I had not visited him for years? In the end, there was no way I could figure out the reason without asking Randy himself.

My first search point was the old house where an old lady lived with a ghost named Sarah. When I arrived there, I was quite surprised that the old house no longer looked old and haunted. The house was clean and neatly painted, and the broken windows had been fixed, unlike the house I remembered. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and there was still no answer at all.

"Hey, aren't you... David?" suddenly someone asked from behind. I turned around and saw that it was Randy's father.

"Randy's father? It's been a long time!" I said.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm looking for the old lady who lives here," I said.

"Oh..." he said. "Let's sit down for a bit."

Both of us then sat on the stairs right in front of the door of the house. The father looked a bit sad, which gave me a bad feeling.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"I'm sorry to say this, David," he said. "The lady who lived here, is no longer here..."

"What...?" I asked. "You mean she's..."

"She became one with the stars two years ago," he said, looking to the sky. There was a silence for a moment.

"How come? And why this house is now very clean and tidy?" I asked.

"Her time had come, like any other old human" he said. "This house was inherited to her distant relative, and he had been taking good care of it ever since then."

"I see..." I said.

"Ah, there he is!" he said, pointing to a man walking from the distance. It was a rather fat man with thick dark brown beard. He wore green jacket with yellow shirt underneath and blue jeans.

"Him?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. He then stood up and approached the man once he got close to us. "Hello."

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" The man replied with a thunderous roar which surprised me, but Randy's father was not so surprised.

"People in town call him Mr. Daa because of that roar," he said, looking at me. "Why don't you greet him?"

"Uh, hello," I said reluctantly.

"Ahhh...." the man said, smiling. He then entered the house.

"He cannot talk properly because his tongue is handicapped," Randy's father said. "But he's very nice and helpful, and he loves kids."

"That's pretty sad," I said.

"Ah, I have to go now," he said, looking at his watch.

"Be careful on your way," I said.

"You too, and don't hesitate to visit us again," he said, and then he left waving his hand.

"Now, where next?" I said to myself. Then I remembered the antique store in the nearby dark alley. I tried going there and explored the dark alley, but no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find the antique store. However, I occasionally felt that someone or something was watching me during my exploration. I couldn't find the watcher either, so I gave up and left the dark alley. I then couldn't decide where to go next. Orgel House was not in walking distance, so it was not an option. I had been able to go there in my first visit because the Hippopotamus Truck had given me a ride, but the truck was not with me this time.

"Maybe I should try the park," I said. "Maybe Almond is there as well."

I then walked to the park. While walking, I kept wondering about Sarah and Papa Rat, who had lived with the deceased old lady. What had happened to them? Had they moved somewhere else? Or were they still living in the house secretly? I was still thinking about it too much by the time I arrived at the park that I didn't notice a bicycle coming.

"Watch out!" I heard a voice of a girl. I looked and saw a teenage girl speeding with her bicycle towards me. She almost hit me with her bicycle, but she narrowly evaded. However, as the result she hit an iron fence and got thrown off from her bicycle. To my surprise, she sommersaulted and landed on her feet.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" I asked, running to her.

"Don't worry. I'm just fine. I'm the one who should say sorry," she said, retrieving her bicycle. "I'm looking for my missing cousin so I wasn't paying attention."

"Hey, we're pretty much the same!" I said. "I'm looking for my missing friend."

"Huh? Hmm...." she said, thinking. "Are you... David?"

"How did you know?" I asked. "So I guess we're looking for the same person."

"I just visited his house and I heard about what happened from his mother," she said. "Yes, we're looking for the same kid. I'm Catherine, his cousin."

"Do you know where he might be headed?" I asked.

"I'm not really sure. He has a lot of places to go," she said. "This park is one, but I couldn't find him here."

"I looked for him near the formerly haunted house, but he's not there either," I said.

"I see..." she said. "Where could he had gone?"

"Maybe Orgel House? But the distance is quite far, so maybe not?" I said.

"He might have taken a bus ride," she said. "In here buses are free of charge for children under 10."

"Is that so? Then maybe that place is worth a visit," I said. "But I'm already over that age."

"I'll give you a ride!" she said, getting on her bicycle. "Come!"

"Thanks!" I said, then I sat behind her on her bicycle. The ride to the Orgel House didn't take too long and I got to enjoy a good sea scenery while on the way. When we arrived, I saw that Orgel House had not changed at all, still the same building on the sea side. After Catherine parked her bicycle, both of us entered through the main door and started searching. However, the search was no success.

"Looks like he's not here," I said while both of us were walking at the hallway.

"Let's take a short rest," Catherine said. "I'm kinda tired after the ride. You're quite heavy, you know."

"Good idea. I haven't been here after all, so might as well take a tour," I said.

"Huh? But you knew this place," she said, wondering.

"I once came here, but I went straight to the balcony through the side walkway. I've never seen the inside of the building," I said.

"Then you should come here," she said, directly walking to a door. "Inside this room is one of the many Greenhill miracles."

We entered the room and found the musician of the house in there, playing his large bass violin while the old-looking organ-like instrument next to him was playing a matching song by itself. Right above the instrument there were a number of musician miniatures which also played a song by themselves. I recognized the miniatures as the same ones I had seen in the antique store.

"See? The musician only played his bass. The rest played by themselves!" Catherine said in excitement, just as the music ended.

"The instrument is a machine, so no wonder," I said. "But the miniatures are sure wonders."

"Unfortunately, they are beginning to end..." the musician said.

"End? What do you mean?" Catherine asked.

"Lately, they don't want to play anymore. I often had to play only with the instrument, and it doesn't sound happy when that happens" he said, looking at the instrument and the miniatures above it.

"How come?" she asked.

"It seems people no longer believe in miracles," he replied with a sigh. "And that is very unfortunate."

"But they just played," I said.

"They seem to play only in the presence of someone who truly believes in miracles," he said. "I believe, but truth to be told, I'm not fully certain."

"I think I believe, but maybe not? I'm not sure either," Catherine said. Then she and the musician looked at me.

"Huh? Me?" I said. "Yes, I believe in miracles. But I didn't think I would qualify for them."

After saying those, I began to think that the term might be, in other words, people who could see ChaCha and his friends. But as far as I knew, the only one who could besides me and the Strawberryland kids was Randy himself. Could it be that Randy was actually there, or it was true that I qualified for the miniatures? While I was still thinking, suddenly the door opened and someone entered. It was a guy in his early-mid twenties. He had black hair and wore glasses with thick frame. His shirt, pants, and shoes were all black, and he wore a chain necklace with a metal scorpion figure on it.

"Oh, hi Uncle!" Catherine greeted him.

"Hey, Catherine. How're you doing?" the guy replied with a smile.

"I'm just fine," Catherine replied. "David, this is my friend. His real name is not Uncle, but we call him Uncle."

"Hi," I said. It didn't take long until we then told Uncle about what was happening and the fact that we were looking for Randy.

"I see. I'll help too," Uncle said.

"Thank you!" Catherine said.

"You can ride in my car," Uncle said, looking at me.

"Thanks," I said.

"Huh? What about me?" Catherine asked.

"If you want to leave your bike here, go ahead and join us" Uncle said.

"Oh yeah I forgot!" Catherine said and we laughed a bit. Soon, we left the place after giving proper farewell to the musician. In the parking area, I saw that Uncle's car was a black sports car which looked a bit old, but also very well maintained. It seemed to be able to run much faster than Leopard.

"Well, get in," Uncle said, unlocking the doors.

"Okay," I said, getting in. We then left the parking area after waving hand with Catherine.

"It's a very nice car," I said, trying to open a conversation.

"It's old, though," he replied while still driving.

"Why are you called Uncle?" I asked.

"Because I want to," he replied. "And why are you called David... Blackberry Bun?"

"Huh?" I said. His last sentence really surprised me. "I... I mean..."

"Relax," he said with a giggle. "Randy is my best friend. He told me a lot of things about you."

"Things about me? Everything? And you believe?" I asked.

"Yeah, everything, and I believe," he said. "If you ask why, it's because I'm pretty much the same as him."

"The same as him?" I asked.

"This car..." he said. "...was my late brother."

"Eh?" I said, surprised again.

"It's a long story, and I don't feel like telling it," he said.

"Alright," I said. "But you said 'was'? Does that mean...?"

"Yeah, his soul has become one with the stars now," he said. "It happened two years ago."

"How come?" I asked.

"I have no idea," he said. "It seemed that on that day, all souls possessing inanimate objects returned to the stars without warning."

"How did you know that he really returned there?" I asked.

"I had a dream of him telling me that it was time for him to go back to the stars," he replied. "The dream felt so real, so I knew that it was true."

"Wait! You said 'all'? Does that mean... ChaCha too?" I asked. Uncle weakly nodded.

"Poor Randy. He was so shocked," he said.

"Yeah, losing his best friend like that..." I said.

"There's something more about that, though," he said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Actually, Randy was starting to forget about ChaCha at that time," he said, which surprised me.

"Why?" I asked.

"He grew up like any other kid, and eventually ChaCha became too small for him to ride. So he started playing outside without bringing ChaCha, and little by little ChaCha became forgotten," he said.

"That's pretty sad," I said.

"Indeed," he said. "But like people said, 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone.'"

"By the way, where are we going now?" I asked.

"Like I said, I'll help looking for him," he said. "As you can see, it's almost sunset. He probably has returned home already, so let's look there first."

"You're probably right," I said. "And I promised my brother to return there by sunset."

"Oh, you have a brother?" he asked.

"Yes, and I love him very much," I said.

"Take a good care of him. Don't repeat my mistake..." he said. "Ah, never mind. I believe you won't."

So, we went back to Randy's house hoping that he had really returned home. When we arrived, I saw Almond already there standing around and waiting. My search for Randy was pretty much a failure, and I hoped Almond had been luckier than me.


--To Be Continued-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 11a: Blackberry's Path


Almond and I parted ways to search for Randy, our friend who suddenly hated us for unknown reason and went away. Almond went with Mary, Randy's friend next door, while I went alone because I was more familiar to the area than Almond who came there for the first time. While walking, I kept wondering why Randy suddenly hated us even though he had been still nice the last time I had met him. Maybe something had happened during my years long absence? Or maybe he was mad because I had not visited him for years? In the end, there was no way I could figure out the reason without asking Randy himself.

My first search point was the old house where an old lady lived with a ghost named Sarah. When I arrived there, I was quite surprised that the old house no longer looked old and haunted. The house was clean and neatly painted, and the broken windows had been fixed, unlike the house I remembered. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and there was still no answer at all.

"Hey, aren't you... David?" suddenly someone asked from behind. I turned around and saw that it was Randy's father.

"Randy's father? It's been a long time!" I said.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm looking for the old lady who lives here," I said.

"Oh..." he said. "Let's sit down for a bit."

Both of us then sat on the stairs right in front of the door of the house. The father looked a bit sad, which gave me a bad feeling.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"I'm sorry to say this, David," he said. "The lady who lived here, is no longer here..."

"What...?" I asked. "You mean she's..."

"She became one with the stars two years ago," he said, looking to the sky. There was a silence for a moment.

"How come? And why this house is now very clean and tidy?" I asked.

"Her time had come, like any other old human" he said. "This house was inherited to her distant relative, and he had been taking good care of it ever since then."

"I see..." I said.

"Ah, there he is!" he said, pointing to a man walking from the distance. It was a rather fat man with thick dark brown beard. He wore green jacket with yellow shirt underneath and blue jeans.

"Him?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. He then stood up and approached the man once he got close to us. "Hello."

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" The man replied with a thunderous roar which surprised me, but Randy's father was not so surprised.

"People in town call him Mr. Daa because of that roar," he said, looking at me. "Why don't you greet him?"

"Uh, hello," I said reluctantly.

"Ahhh...." the man said, smiling. He then entered the house.

"He cannot talk properly because his tongue is handicapped," Randy's father said. "But he's very nice and helpful, and he loves kids."

"That's pretty sad," I said.

"Ah, I have to go now," he said, looking at his watch.

"Be careful on your way," I said.

"You too, and don't hesitate to visit us again," he said, and then he left waving his hand.

"Now, where next?" I said to myself. Then I remembered the antique store in the nearby dark alley. I tried going there and explored the dark alley, but no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find the antique store. However, I occasionally felt that someone or something was watching me during my exploration. I couldn't find the watcher either, so I gave up and left the dark alley. I then couldn't decide where to go next. Orgel House was not in walking distance, so it was not an option. I had been able to go there in my first visit because the Hippopotamus Truck had given me a ride, but the truck was not with me this time.

"Maybe I should try the park," I said. "Maybe Almond is there as well."

I then walked to the park. While walking, I kept wondering about Sarah and Papa Rat, who had lived with the deceased old lady. What had happened to them? Had they moved somewhere else? Or were they still living in the house secretly? I was still thinking about it too much by the time I arrived at the park that I didn't notice a bicycle coming.

"Watch out!" I heard a voice of a girl. I looked and saw a teenage girl speeding with her bicycle towards me. She almost hit me with her bicycle, but she narrowly evaded. However, as the result she hit an iron fence and got thrown off from her bicycle. To my surprise, she sommersaulted and landed on her feet.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" I asked, running to her.

"Don't worry. I'm just fine. I'm the one who should say sorry," she said, retrieving her bicycle. "I'm looking for my missing cousin so I wasn't paying attention."

"Hey, we're pretty much the same!" I said. "I'm looking for my missing friend."

"Huh? Hmm...." she said, thinking. "Are you... David?"

"How did you know?" I asked. "So I guess we're looking for the same person."

"I just visited his house and I heard about what happened from his mother," she said. "Yes, we're looking for the same kid. I'm Catherine, his cousin."

"Do you know where he might be headed?" I asked.

"I'm not really sure. He has a lot of places to go," she said. "This park is one, but I couldn't find him here."

"I looked for him near the formerly haunted house, but he's not there either," I said.

"I see..." she said. "Where could he had gone?"

"Maybe Orgel House? But the distance is quite far, so maybe not?" I said.

"He might have taken a bus ride," she said. "In here buses are free of charge for children under 10."

"Is that so? Then maybe that place is worth a visit," I said. "But I'm already over that age."

"I'll give you a ride!" she said, getting on her bicycle. "Come!"

"Thanks!" I said, then I sat behind her on her bicycle. The ride to the Orgel House didn't take too long and I got to enjoy a good sea scenery while on the way. When we arrived, I saw that Orgel House had not changed at all, still the same building on the sea side. After Catherine parked her bicycle, both of us entered through the main door and started searching. However, the search was no success.

"Looks like he's not here," I said while both of us were walking at the hallway.

"Let's take a short rest," Catherine said. "I'm kinda tired after the ride. You're quite heavy, you know."

"Good idea. I haven't been here after all, so might as well take a tour," I said.

"Huh? But you knew this place," she said, wondering.

"I once came here, but I went straight to the balcony through the side walkway. I've never seen the inside of the building," I said.

"Then you should come here," she said, directly walking to a door. "Inside this room is one of the many Greenhill miracles."

We entered the room and found the musician of the house in there, playing his large bass violin while the old-looking organ-like instrument next to him was playing a matching song by itself. Right above the instrument there were a number of musician miniatures which also played a song by themselves. I recognized the miniatures as the same ones I had seen in the antique store.

"See? The musician only played his bass. The rest played by themselves!" Catherine said in excitement, just as the music ended.

"The instrument is a machine, so no wonder," I said. "But the miniatures are sure wonders."

"Unfortunately, they are beginning to end..." the musician said.

"End? What do you mean?" Catherine asked.

"Lately, they don't want to play anymore. I often had to play only with the instrument, and it doesn't sound happy when that happens" he said, looking at the instrument and the miniatures above it.

"How come?" she asked.

"It seems people no longer believe in miracles," he replied with a sigh. "And that is very unfortunate."

"But they just played," I said.

"They seem to play only in the presence of someone who truly believes in miracles," he said. "I believe, but truth to be told, I'm not fully certain."

"I think I believe, but maybe not? I'm not sure either," Catherine said. Then she and the musician looked at me.

"Huh? Me?" I said. "Yes, I believe in miracles. But I didn't think I would qualify for them."

After saying those, I began to think that the term might be, in other words, people who could see ChaCha and his friends. But as far as I knew, the only one who could besides me and the Strawberryland kids was Randy himself. Could it be that Randy was actually there, or it was true that I qualified for the miniatures? While I was still thinking, suddenly the door opened and someone entered. It was a guy in his early-mid twenties. He had black hair and wore glasses with thick frame. His shirt, pants, and shoes were all black, and he wore a chain necklace with a metal scorpion figure on it.

"Oh, hi Uncle!" Catherine greeted him.

"Hey, Catherine. How're you doing?" the guy replied with a smile.

"I'm just fine," Catherine replied. "David, this is my friend. His real name is not Uncle, but we call him Uncle."

"Hi," I said. It didn't take long until we then told Uncle about what was happening and the fact that we were looking for Randy.

"I see. I'll help too," Uncle said.

"Thank you!" Catherine said.

"You can ride in my car," Uncle said, looking at me.

"Thanks," I said.

"Huh? What about me?" Catherine asked.

"If you want to leave your bike here, go ahead and join us" Uncle said.

"Oh yeah I forgot!" Catherine said and we laughed a bit. Soon, we left the place after giving proper farewell to the musician. In the parking area, I saw that Uncle's car was a black sports car which looked a bit old, but also very well maintained. It seemed to be able to run much faster than Leopard.

"Well, get in," Uncle said, unlocking the doors.

"Okay," I said, getting in. We then left the parking area after waving hand with Catherine.

"It's a very nice car," I said, trying to open a conversation.

"It's old, though," he replied while still driving.

"Why are you called Uncle?" I asked.

"Because I want to," he replied. "And why are you called David... Blackberry Bun?"

"Huh?" I said. His last sentence really surprised me. "I... I mean..."

"Relax," he said with a giggle. "Randy is my best friend. He told me a lot of things about you."

"Things about me? Everything? And you believe?" I asked.

"Yeah, everything, and I believe," he said. "If you ask why, it's because I'm pretty much the same as him."

"The same as him?" I asked.

"This car..." he said. "...was my late brother."

"Eh?" I said, surprised again.

"It's a long story, and I don't feel like telling it," he said.

"Alright," I said. "But you said 'was'? Does that mean...?"

"Yeah, his soul has become one with the stars now," he said. "It happened two years ago."

"How come?" I asked.

"I have no idea," he said. "It seemed that on that day, all souls possessing inanimate objects returned to the stars without warning."

"How did you know that he really returned there?" I asked.

"I had a dream of him telling me that it was time for him to go back to the stars," he replied. "The dream felt so real, so I knew that it was true."

"Wait! You said 'all'? Does that mean... ChaCha too?" I asked. Uncle weakly nodded.

"Poor Randy. He was so shocked," he said.

"Yeah, losing his best friend like that..." I said.

"There's something more about that, though," he said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Actually, Randy was starting to forget about ChaCha at that time," he said, which surprised me.

"Why?" I asked.

"He grew up like any other kid, and eventually ChaCha became too small for him to ride. So he started playing outside without bringing ChaCha, and little by little ChaCha became forgotten," he said.

"That's pretty sad," I said.

"Indeed," he said. "But like people said, 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone.'"

"By the way, where are we going now?" I asked.

"Like I said, I'll help looking for him," he said. "As you can see, it's almost sunset. He probably has returned home already, so let's look there first."

"You're probably right," I said. "And I promised my brother to return there by sunset."

"Oh, you have a brother?" he asked.

"Yes, and I love him very much," I said.

"Take a good care of him. Don't repeat my mistake..." he said. "Ah, never mind. I believe you won't."

So, we went back to Randy's house hoping that he had really returned home. When we arrived, I saw Almond already there standing around and waiting. My search for Randy was pretty much a failure, and I hoped Almond had been luckier than me.


--To Be Continued-- ]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-143.html Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:36:00 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-143.html Quote:Chapter 11: Return to Greenhill


At the morning after the night when Almond had told me his true identity, I woke up like in any usual day. I then left my bedroom and found him still sitting on the same sofa.

"Morning, bro!" he greeted.

"Morning..." I said, still half asleep.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Not really," I said. "I couldn't get you off my mind."

"Eh, why?" he asked.

"Unlike any other kids, you don't sleep," I said. "It must be boring, having to spend every night alone without sleep."

"Not at all!" he said with a giggle. "Do you know what I do every night?"

"You haven't told me anything about that. How should I know?" I said.

"Alright alright," he said. "I watch life."

"Watch life? What do you mean?" I asked.

"By telepathically connecting myself with this planet's soul, I can watch everything happening on the planet. It never gets boring because there are so many things to see and life always changes," he explained.

"I'm glad to hear that," I said. "By the way, is that how your scanner actually works? And also how you hear what I hear?"

"You nailed it!" he said with a grin. I smiled to him with a relieved sigh.


Later, I was working on my desk while Almond was reading my books. I made electricity noises and sparkles which drew his attention. He then approached me out of curiosity.

"Hey, what are you making?" he asked.

"Well, I just remembered another friend I haven't met for years," I replied.

"Then let's go! I'll take you there no problem!" he said.

"You can't," I said.

"Eh? Why?" he asked.

"He lives in a different world," I said. "That's why I'm making this."

"What is it actually?" he asked.

"I'm recreating Time Remote II. I still have no idea about how to make Time Remote III so this is what I'm making now," I replied.

"I see," he said. "Could you tell me about this friend?"

"Well..." I said. "His name is Randy, but he's usually called Buddy. He lives in a big city named Greenhill."

"And then?" he asked.

"Let's go and see for yourself," I said. "The remote is done."

"Right behind you!" he said in excitement.

"Greenhill!" I said, activating the remote. A dimension door appeared and both of us jumped into it. When we came out, we ended up just outside the edge of a big city which was very familiar to me.

"This sure brings back memories," I said.

"What a big city!" Almond said. "And very different than Strawberryland!"

"Let's go to his house," I said, starting to walk.

"Like I said, I'm right behind you," he said, following me. "By the way, this planet has no soul. My scanner won't work here."

"Alright," I said while still walking. "Oh, before I forget, in here we go by different name. My name here is David, though Buddy knows my real name already."

"Is that so? Then I'll be..." he said, thinking.

"Alby," I said.

"That name again? Fine, whatever," he said.

We walked through the city, looking around to find our way to Buddy's house. The city roads were still mostly the same as the last time, so it didn't take me long to find the way. Soon, we arrived at Buddy's house which haven't changed at all.

"Here we are," I said.

"So this is Buddy's house?" Almond said. "Pretty nice,"

"Let's go in," I said. I then went to the front door and pressed the doorbell button. Soon, someone opened the door, and it was Buddy's mom. She looked at me for a few seconds, then she looked surprised.

"David? What a surprise! It has been a long time!" she said, hugging me. "And who is this lovely boy?"

"Meet Alby. He's my brother," I said.

"Good afternoon," Almond said.

"Please come in!" Buddy's mom said. We then entered the house. "Make yourselves at home!"

Both of us then sat on a sofa while Buddy's mom went to the back of the house, probably to get a drink for us.

"Is she Buddy's mother?" Almond said, and I nodded. Soon, she came back bringing three glasses of red syrup. She then put all three glasses on the table in front of us and sat on a couch next to the table.

"I actually kinda forgot how long since the last time I was here," I said, taking one glass. "About five years I guess?"

"I remember Randy being three years old back then, and he will become eight in four months," she said. "Yes, almost five years."

"I see. How has the family been doing?" I asked, taking a sip.

"We're doing great!" she replied with a smile. "How about you?"

"We're all as fine as ever," I said. "Where's Buddy? Oh, I mean... Randy. He's no longer called Buddy, I suppose?"

"Indeed, he stopped being called with that name since he turned six," she said. "He's visiting Mary and Candy next door. He should be back soon."

"I see. I think I will wait here, then," I said.

"I'm home!" suddenly we heard a voice of a kid entering the front door. We still couldn't see the kid because our view to the front door was obstructed by a wall.

"Welcome home, Randy!" the mother said. "Your other friends are here."

"Who? Nick and Terry?" the voice asked.

"No, see for yourself!" the mother replied. Soon, the kid came to our view. He was as tall as Apple Dumplin' and he no longer wore his blue overall. Instead, he wore green short sleeve shirts which had a thick black stripe at the tip of each sleeve and also across the chest. He wore black pants like mine, and his shoes were white and blue. He saw me and became silent for a while.

"...Blackberry?" he asked.

"Long time no see," I said.

"Nice to meet you," Almond said, getting up to approach him. "I'm Alby, his brother."

Almond approached Randy to offer a handshake, but Randy bowed his head and kept silent.

"Something wrong?" Almond asked.

"... away," Randy said in low voice.

"Huh?" Almond asked.

"I said GO AWAY!" Randy yelled, surprising everyone else there.

"Randy, you're not supposed to yell at your friends!" the mother said, getting upset.

"If they don't go away, then I'll go away!" Randy said, and then he immediately ran outside the house. There was a silence for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry. He's usually not like that," the mother said.

"It's fine," I said. "Actually, that made me wonder if there's something wrong with him."

"I have no idea, unfortunately," the mother said. "Randy is always nice to any of his friends. That was the first time I saw him like that."

"I see..." I said. "We will go look for him."

"You don't have to. He will eventually come back," the mother said.

"We have to," I said. "There's definitely something wrong with him, and we want to help him."

"Thank you for your concern," the mother said, and we left the house. We then stopped at the roadside just in front of the house.

"Hey, I know that we want to help him, but do we know where he is now?" Almond asked.

"No, but I can think of some possible places. Though I don't know if he still visits those places. It has been years after all," I said.

"Hey, you two!" suddenly we heard a voice of a girl. We looked at the source and saw a girl about Almond's height looking at us. "I believe you don't know something!"

"Uhh, that's right," I said.

"You have to know that not knowing something is forbidden, because not knowing is a sin, and sin is forbidden!" she said.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Almond said. The girl then sighed.

"This doesn't work anymore," she said. "I used to do this to him all the time, and he would get confused. Now everyone's too smart for that."

"Him? You mean Randy?" I asked.

"And I used to make fun of his name, and then he always said that his name was Buddy," she said. "Not fun anymore. Growing up really sucks!"

"So it was him indeed," I said. "You see, he went off somewhere and we don't know where he went."

"I know some places," she said. "I'll take you there."

"You go with her, Alby." I said.

"Me? What about you?" Almond asked.

"Splitting up will be faster to look for him," I said. "I'll look for him in places I remember."

"If you say so," Almond said. "But how can we meet again?"

"I'll return right here by sunset," I said. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I'm David."

"So you're the guy he once told me about!" the girl said. "He said that your name was Blackberry something, but you don't really have such silly name, right?"

"This is my brother Alby," I said.

"Now that's a silly name! Who gave you that name?" she asked.

"This silly guy," Almond said, choking my neck with his left arm and grinning.

"Anyway, I'm Mary. I have a sister, but Candy is now taking a nap," she said. "Shall we get going?"

"Sure," Almond said.

"Good luck finding him," I said.

"You too," Almond said, and then we split up to begin our search.


--To be Continued--
Yep, I'm crossover-ing with Daisuki BuBu ChaCha anime again. Here's a picture of the characters to help imagining their looks. Though you have to imagine yourselves on how they look five years later. =P


From left to right:
Back row: Connie Rand (Mother), Forest Rand (Father), Catherine (Cousin)
Front row: Nick & Terry (Friends), ChaCha, Buddy/Randy Rand, Mary (Neighbor/Friend)]]> Quote:Chapter 11: Return to Greenhill


At the morning after the night when Almond had told me his true identity, I woke up like in any usual day. I then left my bedroom and found him still sitting on the same sofa.

"Morning, bro!" he greeted.

"Morning..." I said, still half asleep.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Not really," I said. "I couldn't get you off my mind."

"Eh, why?" he asked.

"Unlike any other kids, you don't sleep," I said. "It must be boring, having to spend every night alone without sleep."

"Not at all!" he said with a giggle. "Do you know what I do every night?"

"You haven't told me anything about that. How should I know?" I said.

"Alright alright," he said. "I watch life."

"Watch life? What do you mean?" I asked.

"By telepathically connecting myself with this planet's soul, I can watch everything happening on the planet. It never gets boring because there are so many things to see and life always changes," he explained.

"I'm glad to hear that," I said. "By the way, is that how your scanner actually works? And also how you hear what I hear?"

"You nailed it!" he said with a grin. I smiled to him with a relieved sigh.


Later, I was working on my desk while Almond was reading my books. I made electricity noises and sparkles which drew his attention. He then approached me out of curiosity.

"Hey, what are you making?" he asked.

"Well, I just remembered another friend I haven't met for years," I replied.

"Then let's go! I'll take you there no problem!" he said.

"You can't," I said.

"Eh? Why?" he asked.

"He lives in a different world," I said. "That's why I'm making this."

"What is it actually?" he asked.

"I'm recreating Time Remote II. I still have no idea about how to make Time Remote III so this is what I'm making now," I replied.

"I see," he said. "Could you tell me about this friend?"

"Well..." I said. "His name is Randy, but he's usually called Buddy. He lives in a big city named Greenhill."

"And then?" he asked.

"Let's go and see for yourself," I said. "The remote is done."

"Right behind you!" he said in excitement.

"Greenhill!" I said, activating the remote. A dimension door appeared and both of us jumped into it. When we came out, we ended up just outside the edge of a big city which was very familiar to me.

"This sure brings back memories," I said.

"What a big city!" Almond said. "And very different than Strawberryland!"

"Let's go to his house," I said, starting to walk.

"Like I said, I'm right behind you," he said, following me. "By the way, this planet has no soul. My scanner won't work here."

"Alright," I said while still walking. "Oh, before I forget, in here we go by different name. My name here is David, though Buddy knows my real name already."

"Is that so? Then I'll be..." he said, thinking.

"Alby," I said.

"That name again? Fine, whatever," he said.

We walked through the city, looking around to find our way to Buddy's house. The city roads were still mostly the same as the last time, so it didn't take me long to find the way. Soon, we arrived at Buddy's house which haven't changed at all.

"Here we are," I said.

"So this is Buddy's house?" Almond said. "Pretty nice,"

"Let's go in," I said. I then went to the front door and pressed the doorbell button. Soon, someone opened the door, and it was Buddy's mom. She looked at me for a few seconds, then she looked surprised.

"David? What a surprise! It has been a long time!" she said, hugging me. "And who is this lovely boy?"

"Meet Alby. He's my brother," I said.

"Good afternoon," Almond said.

"Please come in!" Buddy's mom said. We then entered the house. "Make yourselves at home!"

Both of us then sat on a sofa while Buddy's mom went to the back of the house, probably to get a drink for us.

"Is she Buddy's mother?" Almond said, and I nodded. Soon, she came back bringing three glasses of red syrup. She then put all three glasses on the table in front of us and sat on a couch next to the table.

"I actually kinda forgot how long since the last time I was here," I said, taking one glass. "About five years I guess?"

"I remember Randy being three years old back then, and he will become eight in four months," she said. "Yes, almost five years."

"I see. How has the family been doing?" I asked, taking a sip.

"We're doing great!" she replied with a smile. "How about you?"

"We're all as fine as ever," I said. "Where's Buddy? Oh, I mean... Randy. He's no longer called Buddy, I suppose?"

"Indeed, he stopped being called with that name since he turned six," she said. "He's visiting Mary and Candy next door. He should be back soon."

"I see. I think I will wait here, then," I said.

"I'm home!" suddenly we heard a voice of a kid entering the front door. We still couldn't see the kid because our view to the front door was obstructed by a wall.

"Welcome home, Randy!" the mother said. "Your other friends are here."

"Who? Nick and Terry?" the voice asked.

"No, see for yourself!" the mother replied. Soon, the kid came to our view. He was as tall as Apple Dumplin' and he no longer wore his blue overall. Instead, he wore green short sleeve shirts which had a thick black stripe at the tip of each sleeve and also across the chest. He wore black pants like mine, and his shoes were white and blue. He saw me and became silent for a while.

"...Blackberry?" he asked.

"Long time no see," I said.

"Nice to meet you," Almond said, getting up to approach him. "I'm Alby, his brother."

Almond approached Randy to offer a handshake, but Randy bowed his head and kept silent.

"Something wrong?" Almond asked.

"... away," Randy said in low voice.

"Huh?" Almond asked.

"I said GO AWAY!" Randy yelled, surprising everyone else there.

"Randy, you're not supposed to yell at your friends!" the mother said, getting upset.

"If they don't go away, then I'll go away!" Randy said, and then he immediately ran outside the house. There was a silence for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry. He's usually not like that," the mother said.

"It's fine," I said. "Actually, that made me wonder if there's something wrong with him."

"I have no idea, unfortunately," the mother said. "Randy is always nice to any of his friends. That was the first time I saw him like that."

"I see..." I said. "We will go look for him."

"You don't have to. He will eventually come back," the mother said.

"We have to," I said. "There's definitely something wrong with him, and we want to help him."

"Thank you for your concern," the mother said, and we left the house. We then stopped at the roadside just in front of the house.

"Hey, I know that we want to help him, but do we know where he is now?" Almond asked.

"No, but I can think of some possible places. Though I don't know if he still visits those places. It has been years after all," I said.

"Hey, you two!" suddenly we heard a voice of a girl. We looked at the source and saw a girl about Almond's height looking at us. "I believe you don't know something!"

"Uhh, that's right," I said.

"You have to know that not knowing something is forbidden, because not knowing is a sin, and sin is forbidden!" she said.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Almond said. The girl then sighed.

"This doesn't work anymore," she said. "I used to do this to him all the time, and he would get confused. Now everyone's too smart for that."

"Him? You mean Randy?" I asked.

"And I used to make fun of his name, and then he always said that his name was Buddy," she said. "Not fun anymore. Growing up really sucks!"

"So it was him indeed," I said. "You see, he went off somewhere and we don't know where he went."

"I know some places," she said. "I'll take you there."

"You go with her, Alby." I said.

"Me? What about you?" Almond asked.

"Splitting up will be faster to look for him," I said. "I'll look for him in places I remember."

"If you say so," Almond said. "But how can we meet again?"

"I'll return right here by sunset," I said. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I'm David."

"So you're the guy he once told me about!" the girl said. "He said that your name was Blackberry something, but you don't really have such silly name, right?"

"This is my brother Alby," I said.

"Now that's a silly name! Who gave you that name?" she asked.

"This silly guy," Almond said, choking my neck with his left arm and grinning.

"Anyway, I'm Mary. I have a sister, but Candy is now taking a nap," she said. "Shall we get going?"

"Sure," Almond said.

"Good luck finding him," I said.

"You too," Almond said, and then we split up to begin our search.


--To be Continued--
Yep, I'm crossover-ing with Daisuki BuBu ChaCha anime again. Here's a picture of the characters to help imagining their looks. Though you have to imagine yourselves on how they look five years later. =P


From left to right:
Back row: Connie Rand (Mother), Forest Rand (Father), Catherine (Cousin)
Front row: Nick & Terry (Friends), ChaCha, Buddy/Randy Rand, Mary (Neighbor/Friend)]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-137.html Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:52:35 +0000 Blackberry Bun]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-137.html Quote:Chapter 10.5: Truth


The country fair was over, and Carmel's farm had been saved. All of us were very happy that Strawberry's plan was a big success. After cleaning up with everyone, I and Almond decided to go home.

"Really? But it's getting dark. You should spend the night here," Carmel said when we told her.

"She's berry right, Blackberry," Strawberry said. "Why don't you spend the night here first?"

"Thanks for the offer," I said. "But I have something important to do with my brother here."

"Don't worry, we got good transport!" Almond said.

"Good transport?" Carmel asked.

"Oh yeah, Carmel has never met Albatross," Strawberry said. "He's Blackberry's spaceship, and he's alive!"

"Really? I'd like to see him!" Carmel said, seeming amazed.

"We're kinda in a hurry, but you can have a quick look, I think," I said. "Let's go outside."

All of us then went outside. Without anybody knowing, Almond sneaked to the back of the house and quickly transformed into Albatross. He then flew to the front of the house and picked me up into the cockpit. Carmel was very astonished on what she saw.

"So long, see you again soon," Albatross said with his original voice, then he quickly flew towards my home. However, he landed roughly near Blueberry's house and transformed back into Almond Cookie before I could get off. As the result, I fell to the ground pretty hard.

"Sorry, that was the very last second I could have for today," he said.

"I guess we have to walk the rest of the way, then," I said, getting up. We then walked home. When we arrived inside, I immediately sat on the sofa. Almond then sat next to me.

"Well," he said. "I told you that I would tell you what I am once we got home."

"Tell me, then," I said.

"But before that, any final guess?" he asked.

"Actually, I have one," I said.

"Really? What is it?" he asked.

"Are you... the regenerating stone from The Center of The Planet?" I said. There was a silence for a moment.

"You're amazing, brother," he said. "That is correct."

"But I still don't know many things about you," I said.

"Then listen up," he said.

"Okay, I'm listening," I said.

"I'm the soul of the planet," he said.

"Soul? But that means..." I said, realizing that I had taken the soul of Planet Oz.

"Don't worry! You only took a fragment!" he said. "The planet is still fine without this tiny fragment."

"That's a relief," I said. "Tell me more."

"I can telepathically communicate with all life forms on the planet," he said. "Though I had one problem."

"Is that how you could read my mind?" I asked and he nodded. "And one problem? What was it?"

"Language barrier," he said.

"Did you mean you couldn't understand our language?" I asked and he nodded. "But now you can. How?"

"It all started when we arrived on this planet," he said.

"This planet?" I asked.

"Yeah, apparently this planet has its own soul too," he said. "I tried communicating with it, and it replied."

"What did it say?" I asked.

"It was happy to have a visitor. I then learned that unlike me, the soul of this planet doesn't have any language barrier but it cannot communicate telepathically," he said. "It only can watch things happening on the planet."

"That's interesting," I said. "So he taught you our language?"

"He?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think it's better to mention the soul of this planet as 'him' just like I did to you back then," I replied.

"Alright if you say so," he said. "Yes, he taught me little by little about it."

"I see, but until now your biggest mystery for me is about what happened when you were wrecked at Porcupine Peak," I said.

"Oh... That..." he said. "Back then, I actually didn't care much about what happened. But thanks to you, I got the motivation to regenerate and go to help."

"Me?" I asked.

"He told me what happened to you after that," he said. "He said that you were crying..."

"Stop that!" I interrupted with blush sticker on my face. "It's embarrassing!"

"But you showed that you actually cared about me," he said. "There was still a problem though."

"What was it?" I asked.

"My regeneration was not enough to bring myself back to full function," he replied.

"But you could," I said.

"That was thanks to the Sun Stone," he said. "It gave me energy to push beyond my limit."

"I see. Oh, let me guess," I said. "You knew about Banana Candy before we met her because you learned about her from this planet in the future, right?"

"Bzzt! Incorrect," he said, grinning. "Not completely wrong, though. From future me."

"Alright, now I'm starting to get it," I said. "Then how did you transform into what you are now?"

"That morning after we talked about the festival, I talked a bit with him," he said. "He said he could change me to become human."

"Really? How?" I asked.

"He said about using his soul power for that," he said. "But he warned me that this transformation would be permanent and there was no promise about how I would look. I took some time to consider, and in the end I decided to take the chance."

"Where were you in the morning of the festival?" I asked.

"I went to where he resides," he said. "It was a very large and very deep crater located on an island in the middle of the ocean. Don't ask me about detail. It'll be too long to explain."

"Alright if you say so," I said.

"In the end I met him and he warned me once more. I was determined so I told him to do it. And here I am," he said. "After that he teleported me to Strawberryland, just in time for the festival."

"Wait a second. You were warned that the transformation is permanent? But you still can morph back to Albatross, though limited," I said, wondering.

"I can use my own soul power to force a reversion, but like I said it cannot last long. Can't expect much soul power from a fragment, I guess?" he said.

"Well, in any case, I'm happy to have you here with me," I said. "Oh, one more thing! I still wonder about what the future me has said about his Albatross being stonger than you."

"Ah yes, the future me didn't say anything about it, but I figured it out myself this morning," he said.

"Really? Tell me," I said.

"My powers grow as we speak," he said. "Not much, though. It will take months and years to see any difference."

"I see," I said. Then I yawned.

"You should go to sleep. It's getting late," he said.

"Yeah you're right..." I said, standing up. "Good night."

"Good night, bro," he said as I walked to my bedroom, leaving him sitting alone in the living room.


--End of Chapter 10.5-- ]]> Quote:Chapter 10.5: Truth


The country fair was over, and Carmel's farm had been saved. All of us were very happy that Strawberry's plan was a big success. After cleaning up with everyone, I and Almond decided to go home.

"Really? But it's getting dark. You should spend the night here," Carmel said when we told her.

"She's berry right, Blackberry," Strawberry said. "Why don't you spend the night here first?"

"Thanks for the offer," I said. "But I have something important to do with my brother here."

"Don't worry, we got good transport!" Almond said.

"Good transport?" Carmel asked.

"Oh yeah, Carmel has never met Albatross," Strawberry said. "He's Blackberry's spaceship, and he's alive!"

"Really? I'd like to see him!" Carmel said, seeming amazed.

"We're kinda in a hurry, but you can have a quick look, I think," I said. "Let's go outside."

All of us then went outside. Without anybody knowing, Almond sneaked to the back of the house and quickly transformed into Albatross. He then flew to the front of the house and picked me up into the cockpit. Carmel was very astonished on what she saw.

"So long, see you again soon," Albatross said with his original voice, then he quickly flew towards my home. However, he landed roughly near Blueberry's house and transformed back into Almond Cookie before I could get off. As the result, I fell to the ground pretty hard.

"Sorry, that was the very last second I could have for today," he said.

"I guess we have to walk the rest of the way, then," I said, getting up. We then walked home. When we arrived inside, I immediately sat on the sofa. Almond then sat next to me.

"Well," he said. "I told you that I would tell you what I am once we got home."

"Tell me, then," I said.

"But before that, any final guess?" he asked.

"Actually, I have one," I said.

"Really? What is it?" he asked.

"Are you... the regenerating stone from The Center of The Planet?" I said. There was a silence for a moment.

"You're amazing, brother," he said. "That is correct."

"But I still don't know many things about you," I said.

"Then listen up," he said.

"Okay, I'm listening," I said.

"I'm the soul of the planet," he said.

"Soul? But that means..." I said, realizing that I had taken the soul of Planet Oz.

"Don't worry! You only took a fragment!" he said. "The planet is still fine without this tiny fragment."

"That's a relief," I said. "Tell me more."

"I can telepathically communicate with all life forms on the planet," he said. "Though I had one problem."

"Is that how you could read my mind?" I asked and he nodded. "And one problem? What was it?"

"Language barrier," he said.

"Did you mean you couldn't understand our language?" I asked and he nodded. "But now you can. How?"

"It all started when we arrived on this planet," he said.

"This planet?" I asked.

"Yeah, apparently this planet has its own soul too," he said. "I tried communicating with it, and it replied."

"What did it say?" I asked.

"It was happy to have a visitor. I then learned that unlike me, the soul of this planet doesn't have any language barrier but it cannot communicate telepathically," he said. "It only can watch things happening on the planet."

"That's interesting," I said. "So he taught you our language?"

"He?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think it's better to mention the soul of this planet as 'him' just like I did to you back then," I replied.

"Alright if you say so," he said. "Yes, he taught me little by little about it."

"I see, but until now your biggest mystery for me is about what happened when you were wrecked at Porcupine Peak," I said.

"Oh... That..." he said. "Back then, I actually didn't care much about what happened. But thanks to you, I got the motivation to regenerate and go to help."

"Me?" I asked.

"He told me what happened to you after that," he said. "He said that you were crying..."

"Stop that!" I interrupted with blush sticker on my face. "It's embarrassing!"

"But you showed that you actually cared about me," he said. "There was still a problem though."

"What was it?" I asked.

"My regeneration was not enough to bring myself back to full function," he replied.

"But you could," I said.

"That was thanks to the Sun Stone," he said. "It gave me energy to push beyond my limit."

"I see. Oh, let me guess," I said. "You knew about Banana Candy before we met her because you learned about her from this planet in the future, right?"

"Bzzt! Incorrect," he said, grinning. "Not completely wrong, though. From future me."

"Alright, now I'm starting to get it," I said. "Then how did you transform into what you are now?"

"That morning after we talked about the festival, I talked a bit with him," he said. "He said he could change me to become human."

"Really? How?" I asked.

"He said about using his soul power for that," he said. "But he warned me that this transformation would be permanent and there was no promise about how I would look. I took some time to consider, and in the end I decided to take the chance."

"Where were you in the morning of the festival?" I asked.

"I went to where he resides," he said. "It was a very large and very deep crater located on an island in the middle of the ocean. Don't ask me about detail. It'll be too long to explain."

"Alright if you say so," I said.

"In the end I met him and he warned me once more. I was determined so I told him to do it. And here I am," he said. "After that he teleported me to Strawberryland, just in time for the festival."

"Wait a second. You were warned that the transformation is permanent? But you still can morph back to Albatross, though limited," I said, wondering.

"I can use my own soul power to force a reversion, but like I said it cannot last long. Can't expect much soul power from a fragment, I guess?" he said.

"Well, in any case, I'm happy to have you here with me," I said. "Oh, one more thing! I still wonder about what the future me has said about his Albatross being stonger than you."

"Ah yes, the future me didn't say anything about it, but I figured it out myself this morning," he said.

"Really? Tell me," I said.

"My powers grow as we speak," he said. "Not much, though. It will take months and years to see any difference."

"I see," I said. Then I yawned.

"You should go to sleep. It's getting late," he said.

"Yeah you're right..." I said, standing up. "Good night."

"Good night, bro," he said as I walked to my bedroom, leaving him sitting alone in the living room.


--End of Chapter 10.5-- ]]>