“Help me Wendy, you’re my only hope!” Rescue From Terra Isabella

   Walking home from the Blue Mermaid Dance Emporium is such a pleasure, in the warm Spring evenings, such as we have been having in Caledon. The crickets sing along with the cicada, croaking bullfrogs building up a bass rhythm from the Moors. Caledon On Sea has its lapping waves, and the calling gulls.  The wail of the steam locomotive  in the far off distance, “pishting” and “shushing” as it struggles up the Brigadoon Pass,  tells you exactly how far you have left. The night sky brightens with the glow of the city of Penzance, then darkens and cools with the breezes off the coast. There, by the fast currents of the Caledon-Winterfell Strait, is the train station, and just beside it, the humble Victorian home remodeled into The Hypnotic Shoppe.  Rich in scenery, anyone would enjoy the casual walk home.

   Just in the door however, I heard a voice from the Audio-Videograph, usually only secret messages from the organization Timeforce 10 come through, but there it was- a muffled, frightened voice rising up from the brass machine! I looked about, seeing nobody present, and opened the screen.

The Mesmograph at the Hypnotic Shoppe- all employees have access, and other gadgets

 

   “Help me Wendy, you’re my only hope!” Candi is a friend of mine, and occasionally works as a display for the shoppe- she loves dancing and fun places like me, though she tends to like more dangerous places than this young being of Clock-Craft cares to visit.  She knows I have been learning the mystic mantras of the Jedi at the Yavin sim. Normally she makes Star Wars comments with a giggle. Now she was terrified, and asking for my help!

   What would you do? If someone thought so highly of you, that they paid you the honor of requesting your help, would you help them? How could I not?

   She gave me coordinates, telling me to bring my machete and bug spray, and help untangle her from an evil forest.  I wrote down the flight clearances while refueling the RCAF Rescue Gyrocraft. I had a few more minutes, so  I changed into a gorgeous outfit from Gisaci, just meant for jungle adventures!

 

   “Take care of the place,, I have to help a friend in trouble!” I told Britney, handing her the keys.

   “Why? She’s never helped you, has she?” Britney  was a great businessperson, true, a fair enough human I think, and I really did not have a good answer for her. I rested my hands on her arms, shrugging and looking up at her model – like frame with a sheepish smile.

   “I guess, because that is what dolls do.”

The Forest, at Terra Isabella; Wild and dangerous (And Fun!)

 

   I landed as close as I could near the Graviton-Electro-Radio Responder which my friend Candi  had activated.  The dense trees and lush bushes were intermingled with bizarre colorations of vegetation, and twinkling, glowing, lights. Were they lanterns of wandering fairy folk? Were they glowing rock formations? I tingled  all over. How exciting this was!  Sure, you probably have this happen every day, as you head out, leaving  your favorite toy or doll in your bed or in her apartment, or in your back yard. Sometimes you played that your doll was in trouble, and you came to her rescue. But we rarely get to be the ones doing the rescuing!

 The maps from the Caledon Library System called this place, “Terra Isabella  “ with a little symbol meaning danger. How could it be dangerous? It was full of life, growth, teeming with activity. I grabbed my machete, Lasso, and medical bag, stating to the air, “How lovely, I may build a treehouse here!”

  That was when the thorn bush grabbed my medical bag and my coat! I laughed; the flowers were very pretty, it was funny that I was hung up on a few thorns. I pulled again.

Ooh, this silly rose bush! I tried to pull my medical bag and hooked my shirt! I had to smirk, it was almost comical! stuck in a dangerous place like this without my shirt! I pulled with force this time.

My gorgeous, and expensive Gisaci  shorts and shirt were snagged and totally irretrievable! Little scratches covered my arms and legs! This stupid plant deserves nothing less than the machete!

an hour later, I was dressed and little worse for wear, though I had regained a new impression on this forest- I certainly would need to transplant these bushes if I was to have a treehouse here.

   "Wendy!  Over here! Hurry,,, please,,,"
   Candi sounded tired, or drugged? What in the world was happening! I jumped up, swinging my bright pink machete  in front of me. I felt very much in control of my destiny, running thru brilliant wild flowers and around the ancient trees, hacking at the enormous spider webs,,

Most RLV traps, including the spider webs, have short timers, or puzzles to release. I found no long timers.

SPIDERS??
   Ever since that huge cave spider held me in its poisoned lair and forced me to think and do its bidding, I have had a powerful apprehension of them! There was no way I was going to be the wind up toy of a 20 foot arachnid! I kicked and swung with all my might, finally freed of the gooey stuff.

 
   "Candi? Candi!!"
   I could hear noises nearby, and without worrying you too much, they did remind me of digestive juices,,,  but the woods were so lush, and thick, and, well,, dangerous! On the ground, I found her footsteps in the soft mud, and knew she was close. I leaned against a tree, getting my bearings, looking for Candi in the safety of the Tree's shadow.

I was mistaken.

   Still, All hope was not lost! I had a machete! Wait, that was stuck in the spider web. Well the heel of my Bax boots was sharpened, a simple dance maneuver and I would be able to use the heel as a knife, or a weapon even.

Nope.
A warm, sticky sap began pouring from the tree, near my head. I leaned my head forward, but the rest of my body was quickly coated in the sweet smelling, tingling fluid.

The thick goo hardened nearly instantly, building in thickness as more of the viscuous, sickly sweet smelling sap ran over my body and down to the grass. my toes were tingling from the strange amber seeping between them, which meant of course, that once again this stupid forest had destroyed my clothes! It simply could not get worse!

 Wrong-
With a loud crack, the amber broke free from the bark and laid me on my face in the grass.

  I gasped.

  I gasped again.

  Humans, I understand, cannot hear their heart beating, but when it stops, there is a very alarming sensation of pain, a loss of pressure, loss of body muscular function, senses  dim and fail, and a difficulty and inability to breathe.

   I gasped one last time. There was no ticking.

   The amber had hardened around key shaft. My left leg jerked and my hips began bucking, barely noticeable when caught in the amber. The mainspring was being driven by the internal pressure, but without the ability to release, from the key's movement or my own, the ending would be soon, rather violent, and what would be left of me, would be very unattractive. Unable to speak, I felt one tear run down my cheek. I had learned that rescue is not a game, it has very real dangers for all involved, and those who wish to rescue others, those who would be true heroes, should know first how to avoid danger in the first place, and secondly how to rescue themselves, if necessary.

   My hips were bucking wildly now, slamming back and forth within the rock like encasement. I thought, "I shall be quite bruised," which is funny since after the hydraulic system explodes, bruises would be the least of my concerns.

   CRACK

My hips had vibrated and slammed into the amber so hard and so fast, it had cracked! Ticking heralded the return of my body functions, and I quickly gathered up the amber pieces and removed what was left clinging to me. I was left without my clothing, staring at a voodoo idol, like a teddy bear, rough material stuck full of needles, coarse thread barely holding it together. (top right of picture)

Many of the voodoo items and statuaries are RLV or scripted in some way

Hmm, material,, thread,,, needle, , , , , There are times, quite often in fact, that the many lessons I was taught, of cooking, cleaning, sewing, often seen as old fashioned, have come to save the day of rainy Sunday afternoon, or night before a dance recital, and now, a rescue mission! The worth of the old fashioned skills can not be exagerrated.

A few minutes later, I was on my way.

And there she was. I stood in shock, nearly tranced by what I saw.

   Candi was barely visible, seemingly floating within the trumpet of a large tubular plant!

Trapped, so high, there is no way to free her,, or is there?

   I watched helplessly as the large flute like plant writhed and undulated, the sound of its fluids squirting and flowing as she was squeezed and stimulated was um, sickening,,, well,, no that was not the word I was going to use, but I will.

   In moments like this, young dolls retrace their steps! But smart ones do not step on the same traps going back. Very soon after, I had the lasso from the gyrocraft!

  
   I was filled with an internal power I had not felt before- it was more than anger, more than loss of Gisaci clothing, more than nearly dying encased in amber, eaten by spiders (of which I am terrified), it was that my friend was there, going thru all this as well, and she needed to live! She deserved to live.
  I was going to invest all my skills, tissue and ticking to save her, not from the horrid end, but for the wondrous future she could, and should, have!

I lassoed her easily but that silly plant just would not budge! As the tube wavered, Candi's hair blew in the wind, her eyes glazed over with a strangely serene expression. sighing and moaning, I knew she was at least, not in any discomfort. She would not notice if I ran off for a minute,,,,

AND GOT MY GYROCRAFT! (Barbie does not possess one, so I am told!)

This trap is a puzzle, press arrow buttons, in sequence, and you crawl free

Candi's eyes opened, and she screamed in shock as the lasso squeezed around her ribs. She began kicking and squirming, throwing her arms left, then right, right again, jumping up, till finally, with a nauseating slurping sound, the plant's vacuum was broken, and the sticky, foamy body of my friend  was hoisted on board the RCAF Rescue Gyro!

The World's End cafe, in Steam Sky City, Caledon's airborne city

Candi and I cleaned up in the basement of the Hypnotic Shoppe, and while she slept there I hooked her to the Mnemonic Recorder. I cannot wait to watch the recording and see what she went thru!  I will not tell her of course, that would only upset her, and humans get so upset by things like this. I think it is because that knowledge would likely be used by other humans for their own end, and dolls,  on the other hand, are the world's best keepers of secrets.
   We went to The World's End Cafe for a drink, watching the sky catch evening fire, talking out the ordeal we both went through. The World's End is a good place for that. Much nicer than a sweaty jungle where the roses steal your clothes! I have no intention of building a treehouse there.
   She thanked me, saying nobody else would have tried to help her, and if someone would, they would have given up. I avoided that line of thought. I told her about the amber, and the spider. I showed her the bruises on my hips.
   "Yah, the spider is awful! Did you see the anaconda?"
   Um,,, no, nor do I want to!" I laughed and poured her another tea, and hugged her for almost an hour as we watched the sun set off the floating city's edge. This was just one of the future moments she would have now, it was indeed worth it.

outfits-'Uma' by !Right, Candi's by Allesandra

(Besides a RLV forest, and RLV Maze, there is a castle with fun toys, and nightly games of Strip-Greedy, dancing and other stuff. The people there were really nice to me, including Isabella, the gifted creator and fabulous person. )