cheese15

Chapter Fifteen: Bronze Bowl

   "Wow, that didn't take long to get here," Florence commented as the group halted in front of a large, bronze structure. It looked like a large bowl, with several other bowls attached to it. There was some odd object sticking out of the centre bowl, but it was too high up to make out just what it was.
   "Welcome to Bronze Bowl!" a squeaky feminine-like voice exclaimed. The group turned to find someone in fancy, sequin lined blue cloth, with a long, silky piece covering the lower part of the face. The person sat before a small table with a lovely satin cloth, and a cloudy, crystal ball was sitting in the centre of it. "My name is Madame Kevinda Devereux. Allow me to tell your future!"
   "Ooh! Fortune telling!" Jim jumped up and down, and ran to the fortune teller. The others followed closely behind, also a little bit curious.
   "Maybe she can shed some light on what we're supposed to be doing," Jessica muttered.
   "Are you sure she's a she?" Florence asked quietly, as the got closer. "She kind of looks like a man."
   "Oh, you guys are just seeing things. Holy smokes, it is a man!" Harry exclaimed.
   "I am not a man!" Kevinda snapped. "Now, everyone be quiet as I look into the crystal orb to see your futures!"
   "Isn't it called a crystal ball?" Jim inquired, silently.
   "No! It's a crystal orb! The term 'crystal ball' has been trademarked by the Guild of Fortune Tellers and Gypsies, so I can't call it that."
   "But... Shouldn't you be a part of that guild? I thought fortune telling was illegal in this state unless you were part of the Guild of For-" Harry began.
   "Shut up! Shut up! I am seeing something!" shouted Madame Kevinda, angrily. "Yes... I see.. I see pain... And.... Suffering... I see the ocean, a boat... A large fish... And... Spoons? I think I need a new crystal orb."
   "I think we should get out of here, Jim," Jessica stated, tugging at Jim's forest green shirt.
   "But I want to have my fortune read! Oh fine," he sighed. Jim turned and began to walk back towards Bronze Bowl.
   "No! No wait! I'm seeing something else!" Kevinda exclaimed, waving her hands over the crystal ball. "I see a rag tag band of people, all travelling together with one cause, one purpose.. Drawn together with a common friendship.. But... One of them will.. Take a train? Oh, this stupid thing!" She grumbled.
   "Okay then, we'll be on our way. It was nice meeting you." Jessica smiled politely at Kevinda, as she started shoving Jim towards Bronze Bowl.
   "Wait a second! Y'know, I have to go get a new crystal orb, and you seem like a bunch of nice folks so.. I'm coming with you guys!"
   "Woa woa woa! We don't need any more people on th-"
   Harry cut Jessica off, "Great! We'd be delighted to have you on our journey. We're trying to save the planet!"
   "Yeah!" Jim piped in. "And I'm the Chosen One. Pretty cool, huh?"
   "Oh sweet Lord..." Jessica planted her face in her hand. "I suppose we have our group then. We have the 'Chosen One' who can't keep his hair in working order, our guide who has no clue why he's taking us to where we're supposed to be going, a chocobo saleswoman, the sensible one, and a transvestite. This is just perfect!"
   "Hey, I'm all woman!" Madame Kevinda countered, gruffly.
   "Sure she is, and I can talk to the planet," Harry whispered sarcastically to Florence.
   "But, uh, Harry," she whispered in reply. "You keep saying that you can talk to the planet, remember?"
   "Oh yeah!"

   Jim, Sarah, Florence, Jessica, Harry, and the newest addition, Kevinda, travelled through the rusted wreckage of Bronze Bowl. Long have the ticket booths been empty, and long has it been since the smiling faces of people graced the passageways of the old amusement park.
   "Where is everybody? What happened to the rides?" Harry questioned, as he looked around, astonished.
   "I told you before Harry, this place shut down five years ago," Jessica sighed.
   Florence walked around, wandering away from the group to explore the rusted ruins.
   "Hey Sarah, want to go ride on roller coaster!" Jim exclaimed, seeing a large roller coaster cart and set of tracks not far away. He instantly ran off towards it, Sarah just bleated and sat down.
   "Jim, do you really think that's a smart idea? Jim? Oh great, now he's going to get himself decapitated." Jessica ran off after Jim.
   "This place certainly looks like fun," Kevinda said with a smile, and skipped off after Jessica and Jim.
   "Well Sarah," Harry said with a sigh, "it looks like it's just you and me. We never get to talk that much. How's life with Jim?" Sarah stared at Harry blankly, then walked off. "Oh well. I was really hoping that this place was still open. There are just so many fond memories that I have of Bronze Bowl." He was talking to himself, with a lack of anyone else nearby. "I always used to come here and play, and the-"
   A loud, ear piercing scream interrupted Harry's monologue. Florence came running back, and the others rushed up to meet her.
   "What's wrong?" Jim asked, worriedly.
   "That guy are sick!" Florence shouted in response.
   "What?" Jessica looked confused.
   "I mean, there's someone down there. He had some kind of warped pink bunny. He was just standing there, staring at me!"
   "I think if there was anyone else here, I would have sensed it with my psychic powers. Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Kevinda inquired.
   "No offence, Madame, but I think we all kind of doubt these great 'psychic powers' you claim to have. I know what I saw."
   "A bunny?" Harry questioned, curiously. "Come on, let's go investigate." He began to walk down the hallway where Florence had so quickly escaped from.
   Harry walked with quick, even strides, as the rest of the group moved cautiously behind. They came to a crossroad, of five different paths. Each lead to various attractions, such as Chocobo Alley, and Weasel-Bops Extravaganza.
   "It was right here," Florence informed as she looked around.
   "Hello," said a raspy voice in the darkness. "Welcome to my home."
   "Who are you?" Jim questioned the darkness.
   "I am... Duffy!" the voice exclaimed cheerfully, as a man moved out into the light. He was quite dirty, with patchy clothes, and a scruffy beard. His left arm, however, was quite odd. It was a neon green rectangular prism. At the end of the "arm" was a large, cartoonish, pink rabbit's head. "I've been living here since Bronze Bowl closed down. I'm sorry if I scared you before, miss. It's just that I don't get many visitors here, especially ones as lovely as yourself."
   Florence blushed. "Why thank you."
   "Another mystery solved, thanks to Jimlock Holmes!" Jim exclaimed. "Now let's go ride that roller coaster."
   "I'm sensing..." Kevinda began. Her eyes were closed, and had been the entire walk to the crossroad. "There's someone here! Right in front of our path!" She opened her eyes and saw Duffy. "Oh... Well... I guess you all already knew that. I uh... I think I'll go ride that roller coaster with Jim."
   "You do that," Jessica said with a sigh.
   Harry looked at Duffy closely. "Is it really you? Don't you recognize me Duffy? It's me, Harry!"
   "Harry? Harry Bartholemew Smith... You have some nerve to show up here," Duffy responded with a scowl. His expression changed from a scowl to a grinning face filled with joy. "It's great to see you buddy! Oh, it's been a long time, hasn't it, pal?" He wrapped his one real arm over Harry's shoulder and hugged the big chocolate marshmallow.
   "What are you doing all the way out here, Duffy?"
   "It was the call of the planet, Harry. It told me to come here... That was five years ago, just before Bronze Bowl shut down. I've been here ever since, waiting for the planet to tell me more."
   "Really? The planet came to me in a dream, and told me that I should come here too... I think. Perhaps it was just the nostalgia; it's hard to tell, really. Hey, maybe there's something special about this place. Maybe it's a key to saving the planet! With the two of us together, we can restore it and save the planet from any evil!"
   Duffy raised his bunny arm high. "Yeah! Let's do it Harry! Duffy and Harry: the ultimate companions! We are together again to save the planet!"

   "This is great!" Kevinda exclaimed as she and Jim were sent in circles on the old, rusted roller coaster. "In all my days, I've never been on a roller coaster."
   "To think, everyone is missing out on all the fun!" Jim exclaimed. His cheerful exclamation soon changed to a shout of terror as the roller coaster came to an end.
   The rest of the coaster track had collapsed a few years ago. The two were about to be launched through the air, and launched they were. The roller coaster flew across Bronze Bowl, through several weakened walls, and crashed into Chocobo Alley, exploding in a ball of flame.
   Bronze Bowl shook furiously, and the entire structure was beginning to collapse.
   "Let's get out of here!" Jessica shouted, filled with sudden panic.
   "Hurry up Harry! We have to get out of here!" Florence called back to Harry and Duffy over the loud rumbling. Pieces of old signs and the ceiling were already starting to cave in.
   "We have to stop this! Bronze Bowl is our last hope of saving the planet! We can't let it collapse!" Duffy cried out, urgently.
   Harry looked back at Florence, then at Duffy. He yelled out, "Go on without me!" to the young chocobo saleswoman, then looked back at his friend. "Let's do it!"
   Kevinda soon appeared, dragging Jim behind her. Both of their faces were covered in ash. "Don't go back there! It's too late!" she coughed out. "Let's get out of here while we still can."
   "No! We have to save Bronze Bowl," Duffy replied, filled with determination and still keeping a cheerful tone in his voice. He and Harry rushed into Chocobo Alley.
   Looking up, Harry saw an odd cone shaped piece of metal high above the flaming Alley. "What's that?"
   "It's a rocket. It crashed here five years ago. It's because of that rocket that the whole place started to shut down."
   The two looked around. "What can we do to save this place?" Harry asked frantically. Time was running out, and the fire was getting worse.
   Duffy thought for a moment. "Wait, I know! All we have to do is go up to-" he was cut short by a sudden shake of the Bowl. Duffy was knocked back against a wall, and it suddenly began to collapse. On the other side was The Amazing Spikinator Maze. He screamed, and was impaled by one of the deadly spiked. The entire maze then collapsed.
   "Duffy! Duffy!" Harry screamed as he ran to the hole that was once The Amazing Spinkinator Maze. "No!" He pounded his fist on the metal floor. Harry looked up, tears streaming down his face. Fire was surrounding him; there was no hope left. Then, he heard something. The bleat of a goat. "Sarah!" He began coughing, he was growing weaker.
   Sarah leapt through the flame and took Harry by the collar. Looking up at the goat, Harry smiled warmly as he was pulled away to safety. When they were away from the fire, he realized he was no longer being dragged. He looked to see Sarah chewing on his shirt.
   "Hey! Stupid goat!" He shouted as he pulled himself away from the hungry creature. He looked around. "This place is going to fall any second. Come on Sarah, let's get out of here." He picked up the goat and ran as fast as his legs would take him. Great steel beams were falling behind him. Then they came to a large hole in the wall. "We have no choice," Harry said slowly, as he looked down. He closed his eyes and jumped as far as he could. Behind him, Bronze Bowl was collapsing. He looked up at the sky, and thought he saw Duffy's warm face in the clouds, smiling down at him from heaven. "I'm coming Duffy. I'll be with you soon." Then, there was only darkness.