Louis in the Land of Tetra

by Frank J. Ling

  “Great! Let’s go!” she said before he could change his mind.

  She placed the Bonky bird carefully in her dress pocket. She noticed that one of its wings was injured. This explained why it fell from the sky.

  Crystal and Louis climbed on the Zeeboo’s back.

  “Is everybody ready?” the Zeeboo asked.

  “I am!” Crystal said enthusiastically.

  “I hope I don’t fall,” Louis mumbled.

  The Zeeboo left the ground galloping and glided gracefully into the air. His golden yellow wings shone like gold against the reddish-pink sky. Below them, all the trees and animals became smaller as they rose higher.

  The scenery was breathtaking. They saw rainbows that shimmered and glittered like tinsel. They flew through one and were able to actually touch the different colors with their hands. Red, green, blue, purple, yellow, and orange; the colors seemed to hang in the air. There were beautiful flowing rivers in hues of pink and violet. Waterfalls sparkled in the sunlight as if comprised of millions of moving, flowing gemstones. Their eyes could scarcely take in all the beauty of the Tetran landscape.

  Low in the horizon, Louis saw something unexplainable. “Crystal, how many suns do we have in our solar system?”

  “Is this a joke or trick question? Louis, of all people, you know more about astronomy than anyone at our school, and that includes the teachers!”

  “No. I’m serious. I’m asking you this question to make sure I’m not seeing things.”

  “Well, if you really have to know the obvious, we only have one, silly. Why are you asking a question like that? Did an extra one pop up somewhere?” she teased.

  “Well, you aren’t too far from the truth. Look over to your right and you’ll understand.”

  Crystal’s eyes followed to where Louis was pointing and almost fell off the Zeeboo in shock. “One, two, three! I see three suns!” she said with astonishment and disbelief.

  There were three indeed. The largest of the three suns was a soft red color. The second one hanging in the sky was a more familiar yellow color, and the third one was the smallest with a bluish-white color.

  “How could we suddenly have three suns?” asked Louis.

  “Maybe it’s all a dream?” she offered.

  “I don’t think it’s that simple,” Louis said.

  There were even more wondrous things to appear before them. The clouds in the sky were so big and fluffy that Crystal urged the Zeeboo to fly through one them for fun.

  He turned his head and laughed. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea.”

  “Why?” Louis asked.

  “Let’s just say that it might turn into a sticky situation for all of us.”

  “Oh please, please, please. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I’ve flown in planes before and I’ve always wanted to reach out and touch a cloud. Now that we’re up here, I can finally do it! Please, please, please?” she cajoled the Zeeboo

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said the Zeeboo with a laugh. There was a gigantic pink cloud directly ahead of them. He asked Crystal and Louis to hang on tightly.

  “Here we go,” said the Zeeboo.

  They flew into the cloud. Oddly enough, the cloud had texture to it and felt like a very light and fluffy wad of cotton. But something strange was happening. Little pieces of cloud were clinging to their faces, their feet, their arms and their legs. Crystal’s hair was covered with pink gooey cloud material .

  “What’s happening to us?” she shouted to the Zeeboo.

  “Wait and see,” he said.

  They poked through the other side of the cloud and looked at their clothes. Everything was covered with a fine, strand-like substance.

  “What is this stuff? Louis shouted.

  “Eat it!” said the Zeeboo.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Taste some of the pink material.”

  Louis and Crystal tore threads of the pink cloud from their clothes and cautiously nibbled some.

  “It’s sort of sweet. The flavor is very familiar but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Where have I tasted this before?” Louis said.

  “I think I know the answer. Remember the time we went to the big carnival, Louis?”

  “Sure, that was last year. Why?”

  “What was our favorite snack there?”

  “That’s easy. We ate a ton of cotton candy. . .” Louis stopped and realized what Crystal was getting at. “This sticky stuff tastes and feels like cotton candy! But this is impossible. Clouds are made of water vapor, not sugar!” Louis said.

  “There is a logical explanation for what you are experiencing,” offered the Zeeboo.

  “This, I’ve got to hear!” said Louis.

  “The clouds themselves are not made of sugar. During this time of season on Tetra, many millions of red spiders migrate through the air to warmer climates. They travel by floating in the wind on the thin strands of web they release from their bodies.”

  “I used to see the spiders do that in windy fields back in Marystown. I could see their thin threads shining in the sunlight,” said Crystal.

  “Here on Tetra, the spiders gain very high altitudes by traveling on strong wind currents, all the way up to the clouds. The red strands are their webs.”

  “And the webs from the red spiders contain sugar, right?” Louis guessed.

  “Correct, you are. The clouds are pink because of all the millions and millions of pink webs they spin to stay aloft in the clouds.”

  Crystal turned to look at Louis and started to laugh. “Hey Louis, look at you! You’re all pink!”

  He looked at Crystal and started to laugh even harder. “You’re all pink too. And so is the Zeeboo.”

  “Now you know why I said it might not be a good idea,” said the Zeeboo.

  “This is a most wonderful world!” Louis said.

  #

  Gus had secretly watched Louis and Crystal from his hiding place when they first climbed into the trash can. He saw them go in, but they never came out.

  “Hey, what’s going on? Are they hiding in there or something?” Gus said to no one in particular.

  “Hey, Louis! Hey, Crystal! Where are you guys?”

  He got closer and looked inside.

  “What!” he said in a startled voice. They were both gone! He was certain they both climbed in. Where were they now? He looked inside again, more closely, and realized that the bottom was missing. All he could see was a pitch black hole.

  “I get it now. They found some sort of secret tunnel or something.”

  Gus continued to look around and saw a jar of fish and an alarm clock hidden behind the trash can. He noticed a rope tied to one of the handles of the can. Gus pulled the rope out and saw it was very short and frayed at the end.

  “Why is this rope so short and why did they tie it to the handle?”

  After several minutes of thinking about this, Gus had a hunch. “I wonder if they were planning to use the rope so they could climb back out of wherever they were going.” He looked at the rope and concluded it wouldn’t be long enough for them to reach it now.

  “Something must have happened to the rope. Somehow, the rope became damaged or cut. If that’s true, it means that Crystal and Louis can’t come back from wherever they are.”

  I bet they’re real scared now! he thought. “I bet they’re both crying too!” Gus started to laugh at the trouble those two were in, but stopped abruptly when a flashback suddenly came into his mind.

  When Gus was four years old, he became lost in a big department store. His parents were inspecting a new vacuum cleaner and were debating the pros and cons of purchasing it. They were concentrating so much on the appliance that they didn’t notice Gus wandering off into the huge toy section. Gus was having a wonderful time until he realized he had become lost. He cried and cried for his mom and dad, but they were nowhere to be found. It was the worst feeling he ever experienced.

  A cashier saw him crying and asked what the m
atter was. Gus told the salesperson that he couldn’t find his parents.

  “Well, we’ll take care of that right away!” she smiled.

  She made an announcement over the store intercom system. His parents came to the office where Gus was waiting anxiously.

  “Where have you been?” his mothered asked.

  “We’ve been looking all over for you,” his father said relieved.

  From then on, whenever they went shopping, Gus never let his parents out of his sight. He never wanted to be lost again because it was so horrible and frightening.

  “Gee. I guess Louis and Crystal must feel the same way I did when I got lost.” He felt genuine empathy for them.

  An amazing thing happened at that moment. Gus, who rarely helped anyone, suddenly felt the need to help Louis and Crystal.

  “Being lost is the worst feeling ever. I don’t want them to feel that way,” he said while staring into the empty trash can.

  As he was formulating a plan to rescue them, a boy shouted out to Gus. “Hey, Gus! What are you doing over there?”

  “I’m going to help some kids!” he shouted back.

  “What do you mean by that? You never help anyone!”

  Gus ran off and headed home.

  “Hey! Where are you going?” yelled the boy.

  Gus turned his head back and shouted, “I’m going home to get a real long rope!”

  “What are you going to do that for?”

  But Gus was already too far away to hear him. He only had one thought in mind, I’ve got to help Louis and Crystal.

  CHAPTER 6

  THE PECULIAR PROCURER

  “Where is this Mr. Bixbee?” Louis sighed. “We’ve been walking for hours and hours.”

  “I’m getting tired too,” groaned Crystal. “And I want to go back home!” she said with emphasis. “Why didn’t you just fly us to Mr. Bixbee’s house? It could have saved us a lot of time and trouble!” she said to the Zeeboo.

  The Zeeboo sighed loudly and shook his head. He never met creatures that complained so much. They could be so unhappy and so quickly.

  “We can’t fly to Mr. Bixbee’s house because he resides in the Land of Lost Things. He is the caretaker of that region of Tetra. The area is hidden deeply among dense trees and foliage. The path to his location is obscured from above by all the teeming growth. We would have wound up flying forever in the air trying to find his location. That is why we must walk. Now, do you understand?”

  “Oh, so that’s why,” Crystal said softly at the explanation and rebuke.

  “But once we find Mr. Bixbee’s place, how will we find our way back to the hole?” Louis asked.

  “A fair question. You probably didn’t notice, but I have been leaving lighted stones along the way as markers. This will allow us to find our way back to your floating hole,” Zeeboo said.

  Louis and Crystal looked behind them. There was a long, serpentine trail of lights as far as they could see.

  Crystal picked one of them up.

  “How did you do that?” Crystal said.

  “Like this,” the Zeeboo stomped his hoof on a gray stone lying on the ground. The rock shattered and split into small fragments.

  “I don’t see anything happening,” remarked Louis.

  “It doesn’t happen instantaneously. You will have to wait a period of time.”

  Some of the small pieces began to glow with magenta-colored light.

  “Wow. Is that magic?” Louis asked.

  “I don’t know what magic is, but within many of the gray rocks, there is a small luminous center.”

  “Amazing,” Crystal said.

  Louis changed the subject and asked, “Do you have a name? It seems sort of strange to call you Zeeboo all the time. I know that’s what you are, but you must have a name. I don’t think we’ve formally introduced ourselves. My name is Louis and that’s Crystal.”

  “Yes, I do have a name, but I cannot say it out loud. Zeeboos are forbidden to say our names.”

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  “My Zeeboo tribe has made a vow to be selfless by serving the inhabitants of Tetra in any way we can. As a reminder to ourselves that we should always think of others before ourselves, we have adopted the custom of never speaking our own names. Others can speak our names, but we must not utter our own.”

  “That’s a very interesting custom. If you can’t say your name, how does anyone know what it is?” Louis asked.

  “That is a simple matter to accomplish,” he said.

  Louis and Crystal watched as the Zeeboo scratched out words in the dirt.

  SHINING STAR

  “That’s a beautiful name,” Louis said.

  “Yes it is. It is a very pretty name,” Crystal agreed.

  “Thank you.”

  “While we’re on the subject of names, I’ve never heard anything about ‘Tetra’ in school. Just where on Earth is Tetra anyway?” asked Louis.

  “You creatures are not only easily irritated, you are always full of questions,” laughed Shining Star. “First of all, I do not know what you mean by ‘Earth’. There is no such country or land by that name. This is the land of Tetra.”

  “What do you mean you never heard of Earth? What do you mean by that?” exclaimed Louis.

  Shining Star sighed and said, “We need to find Mr. Bixbee. He will answer all your questions. I am certain he can!”

  #

  Gus rushed from his house and back to the schoolyard in record time. He ran so fast that his legs ached. He wanted to help Louis and Crystal so badly. This intense desire puzzled him. He had never felt the need to assist anyone this strongly before.

  Maybe, he thought. I’m not as hopeless as people say I am.

  The schoolyard was deserted. Even the kids who usually stayed after class to play ball were gone. He approached the mysterious trash can that Louis and Crystal disappeared into. He took the rope and tied one end of it to the garbage can handle. He threw the rest of it down the can. He watched the rope drop and vanish right through the bottom.

  “What the. . .?” Gus exclaimed. “Gee, maybe I should think this over before I climb down there.” The feeling of being afraid was foreign to him. He didn’t know how to deal with it.

  “Come on! I don’t have to worry. After all, I’m the toughest kid in my class.” But the longer he hesitated, the more uncertain and frightened he became. Doubts flooded his mind. What would happen if he couldn’t come back out? Where exactly would he be going if he went down the trash can? Maybe he should go back home and forget everything.

  The images and feelings of how awful it was to be lost came to him again. He suddenly knew what he had to do.

  “I’m going in! I’ve got to help them get back out!”

  He climbed down the rope very slowly and carefully. The trash can shook, a flash of light appeared, and he was gone.

  Loud noises and brightly colored lights flashed all around Gus as he climbed down the rope.

  “Wow. This is really cool,” he said.

  He traveled down a long narrow shaft or tunnel of some sort. He looked up and could no longer see the circle of sky above him. He continued his climb down and reached the end of the rope. He let go and tumbled into the land of Tetra.

  To say Gus was overwhelmed by what he saw would be a complete understatement of the situation. He sat on the ground and marveled at everything he laid his eyes on. He remained motionless for several minutes, stunned by the spectacular beauty of Tetra.

  “This place is awesome!”

  He has never seen so many strange and wonderful sights. He wondered if Louis and Crystal thought the same thing when they first arrived.

  “Now, what am I going to do? How am I going to find Louis and Crystal? Maybe I wasn’t so smart in coming after all. Maybe I should have had a plan before I showed up,” Gus berated himself.

  Gus was wallowing in self pity until something caught his eye. He noticed a long faint line of magenta lights. He walked toward them and realize
d they were small glowing rocks.

  These rocks look like they were left behind on purpose, he thought.

  Gus started on a path of logical thought. If someone left the trail of rocks on purpose, they were doing it to make sure they could find their way back. He decided to follow it, but in the back of his mind, he wondered if he really would be able to rescue Louis and Crystal or — in an even worse scenario — he might become lost forever in this strange land.

  #

  “Are we there yet? I really don’t mean to complain, but my feet are tired, I feel hungry again, and I want to go home,” Louis said.

  “I didn’t want to say anything either, but I feel the same way,” Crystal agreed.

  “I am quite surprised that you two did not speak up sooner, seeing that you have a penchant for a lack of patience,” Shining Star said half jokingly. “However, your timing could not have been better for, you see, we are almost there. Mr. Bixbee’s house should be just around the bend. But I must issue you a strong warning. You must not take anything you see in the Land of Lost Things without the permission of Mr. Bixbee. Is that clear?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay.”

  They entered through a gigantic gate studded with gleaming diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. The gate pulsated with fiery light. As they walked through, a large sign was hung across the threshold of the gate that said:

  WELCOME TO THE LAND OF LOST THINGS.

  IF YOU HAVE LOST IT,

  IT IS PROBABLY HERE!

  - MR. BIXBEE, ADMINISTRATOR

  “That’s a funny sign. What does it mean?” asked Louis.

  “You’ll find out in just a moment,” Shining Star replied.

  A man approached them, dressed in a glittering robe and announced, “Hello. I am the executor of lost things. My name is Mr. Bixbee. Welcome to my municipality. How may I be of assistance to you?”

  Mr. Bixbee was very tall and rather skinny. He looked as if he might fall over at any moment because he was so thin. In spite of his frail appearance, he was quite healthy. His voice sounded very official and majestic like a king or someone very important, which, of course, he probably was. His eyes were large and the color of a purple sunset sky. His most prominent characteristic was his kind demeanor. He had the aura of someone you could trust and confide in.