Welcome to Orba Nova Chapter 6-7

Where THE HECK AM I?

            What unfolded in front of me would blow your mind. Really, like your head would be in tacked but the inside would look like road kill.  Directly beneath of me was a forest that was incredibly dense and green.  To my left I saw a shore line and a sea. To my right I saw a mountain range and beyond that was a desert? Or maybe another forest perhaps?  The sun was high in the sky even though last I checked it was around seven o’clock. I looked over to see in the distance what looked like another person falling. I then saw another, and another. They were all plummeting into the forest but that right now is the least of my worries. I am still heading straight down into the forest and it’s not like I have a parachute. This is the point where it is appropriate to start screaming.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA,” I screeched out as I fell to the ground at a rate a bit faster than I wanted to. I kept on getting closer when I realized that I was going to fall on a particularly tall tree. I outstretched my arms and braced for impact. My hands caught on to one of the taller branches and it immediately snapped but that’s what I wanted. It is simple physics, the tree absorbed some of the force I gathered when I fell. It’s like my dad would tell me: it’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the bottom. I kept on falling down to the ground and snapped maybe six or seven branches and landed on my butt with a thud on the forest floor. I sat dazed for a few minutes until I realized that I am still alive! I not dead! I thought I was going to die but I didn’t so there ha ha! Oh yeah I’m not dead. Go me. Go me. Okay enough congratulating myself. I don’t want to get a big head. Back to business now, where the hell am I? I tried to stand but I felt a sharp pain on my left side. I pulled my shirt up and saw a gaping scrape with a good amount of blood coming out. I carefully pulled my pack off my back and started to dig around for my first aid kit. I finally found it at the bottom of the bag and began to dress my wound. First the cleaner spray, then the heal-fast gel stuff (no idea what it’s called), and lastly the bandage that had to wrap all the way around my torso. If this was any other time, I would be getting stiches in the emergency room. Well, sometimes you just have to live with what you got.  I began to survey the area. Okay, I am in a dense forest with a lot of tall trees and shade. Okay first things first, I should locate the other people that I saw. The best way to do that is with a bird’s eye view. I stud up and reached for the first branch. The pain in my torso was enough to bring tears to my eyes but I kept climbing. Within about ten minutes I was at the top. It would have been sooner but I had to stop every few minutes to regain my composer with the pain and all. I know I sound like a cry baby but this ach was just killing me. I’ll get a hold of it in about an hour or so but until that happens you will just have to lien to my complaining.

The view was just fantastic. From up in this tree I could see all of the forest and the amazingly tall mountains. In the distance, I could see the sea glistening in the mid-day sun. It was breathtaking to say the least. I noticed that I was dead in the center of the forest and that the nearest person that fell, from my best guess, would be about two miles to the west. I could just make out where the branches cracked when the person fell. I hope they are okay but I know that’s unlikely. Falling from 2000 feet is enough to kill most people but there is still a chance. Just look at me. I slowly climbed down to the ground and pulled my pack on my back. I started forward in the direction of the other person. It only took me five minutes to find a flat, well-worn path. Perfect. I pulled my helmet on and strapped it in. I yanked out my bored and stepped on. I propelled myself forward on the dirt path and started to gain speed. I smiled. How convenient is this? No more walking for Alex.

            Even though I knew which way to go, it is still easy to get disoriented. The sun was high in the sky and useless for navigating. Not to mention that I have no idea where this path leads so every few minutes I had to stop and clime some tree to make sure I was going the right way. Even with the pain of my side (which was just starting to numb); the climbing was the easy part. The really scary thing about this forest is all the noises that come from it. I have never had a fear of animals but these were a different story. The problem was that I couldn’t identify them. Every growl and yell sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. It was weird… and the plant life looked like something straight out of a si-fi movie. They were really creepy, I mean some looked normal but others looked like mutants. I am talking teenage ninja turtle mutant.

            I kept on riding forward for about an hour until I relied that I should be coming up on the person.  One last time, I climbed to the top of a tree. Ha! There it is. I see where the branches broke when the person fell. I quickly jumped down to the ground and took off running. The pain from my injury had almost completely disappeared and I could finally move. I shoved my bored in my pack and fought my way through the overgrowth of the forest. Within seconds I found what I was looking for.

Um… Nice to meet you

            It was the girl on skates from the train station. She had on a pink skirt and a multi colored striped tee. A brown side bag was strung across her shoulder and looked to be full of stuff.  She had on cowboy boots and her pink roller blades were sitting next to her along with her bright yellow helmet. Her short brown pig tales were stained with blood.

            I ran up to her and checked her pulse. It was weak but still present. I examined her head. I saw that she had a bump and blood was trickling out of it. She didn’t look like she had any other injuries so I focused on that one. I dabbed a tissue I got from my first aid kit on the wound. Suddenly, she began to rouse.

            “Come on Mommy, I don’t need to get up it is Saturday.” I smiled. I think she will be okay. I would have kept on smiling if she hadn’t fallen forward onto me and start hugging. “Santa! I love you! Take me with you!”

            “Get the hell off of me!” Her eyes shot open and she jumped off of me.

            “Who are you?” The girl asked in a very innocent voice.

            “Um… I’m Alex Runner. Who are you?”

            “I am known in this earthbound form as Whinny Wildflower Geminiey and I am a Scorpio.”

            “Okay… nice to meet you. Um… are you alright?”

            “Yeah, I’m fine. But I think I got a boo-boo on my head.” Boo boo?

            “Yeah, you bumped your head. Hear you can wrap this around it.” I walked up slowly and handed her the bandage.

            “Thanks,” she responded. As I dressed her wound we stuck up a conversation. Apparently, she had gotten a similar letter in the mail (only hers said to attend a “Return of the Flower Child” seminar. I am not going to even touch that) and basically did the same as me. She apparently was also the only person on her train that spoke Latin. Weird. 

            “So how do you know Latin?” I asked.

            “Well my mommy and daddy said that knowing Latin would give me a better understanding of many languages. Not to mention the sun spirit speaks it.”

“Oh…yeah that’s why I speak it too,” I said with my eyes rolling.

            “Really? Are you a flower sun child too?”

            “No my membership expired last month.”

            “Hey you’re lying!” Whinny screamed, “All members know that memberships only expire at yearly conferences!”  The girl turned bright red. I guess this is a big deal to her.

            “Err…um…” awkward… “Hey, did you see the other two people fall?” Her expression softened.

            “Well… I think I did. Over there.” She pointed to the north.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yeah I think so.”

            “Okay then I think we should find them. I don’t know where we are and our best chance is to sick together.”

            “I think so too.”

            “Good we agree then now let me see if I can see where they fell.” I grabbed hold of a branch on the nearest tree and I guess Whinny knew what I was planning because before I could get myself up, she was at the top of the tree.

            She looked down, “are you coming?”

            “Um…sure,” I climbed up as fast as I could go. I don’t know who this chick is, but I don’t take to being thought of as slow. I have to hand it to that girl though; she was at the very top of the tree. I’m not afraid of heights but I those branches don’t look sturdy enough for me. Yet Whinny didn’t even flinch.

            “I have communed with this tree and I know it will not drop me.”

            “You do that,” I said without making eye contact. I didn’t want her to see me laughing. I mean no offence to her and I am sure she is a nice person but I have a hard time keeping a straight face when someone starts talking to trees.

            “Okay, I think I see where the person fell,” I said as I pointed to the west. It was about 10 miles away. A two day hike at least.

            “Well, we won’t get anywhere sitting here,” Whinny said as she hopped down to the base of the tree as fast as she was up, and apparently waiting for me. “We need to talk about your tree climbing abilities.”

            “Pardon me for not being part squirrel,” I muttered under my breath.

            “Come on anyway.” She said as she took off into the forest. I got down as fast as I could and took off following her. I saw that she had stopped at the path. I realized that the path headed straight in the direction that we needed to go.

            “Well, that’s convenient.”

            “Yeah let’s go.” She said as she slid her roller blades on her feet. Cool, we’re going to ride. I pulled my board out of my pack and strapped my helmet on. Soon we were on our way. Turns out she is pretty fast on those skates; I had to lean down close to the ground just to keep up with her. On the way, we made small talk. She told me about how she goes to school in the next town over. Well, technically it isn’t school. She goes to a one roomed building and is taught along with six other kids by a friend of her mom. When I mentioned that I go to public school, she shuddered.

“Public School is where the government drains away the creativity of all the beautifully souled children of the world.”

            “Yeah and the food sucks too.”

            “My parents are boycotting public school. Maybe if I pull some strings I can enroll you in my school.”

            “Maybe…” And maybe vending machines will take over the world. I realized soon that the sun was setting fast. Like real fast. I was getting nervous. This place is weird enough during the day and I can’t imagine what’s going to happen at night. “Hey, I think we are going to have to set up camp somewhere soon.” I called out to Whinny who had rolled ahead. Suddenly, I heard a hugely loud growl from somewhere. It was like really freaky. I mean it was piercing loud and sounded kind of like a werewolf mixed with an elephant. I really wished that hadn’t happened because I stopped paying attention. And when I stopped paying attention, I rammed straight into Whinny. And when I ran into Whinny, before I knew what was happening, I was drowning in water.