Chapter XXIX:
Explosions in the Woods ~Oedipus
As they traveled
further into the fields, they suddenly heard explosions. They jumped with
surprise.
"What was that?!" said Nubi nervously.
"It came from the deep woods," said Oedipus. He pointed to a forest
not far away, where amidst the multitude of trees a small patch of fire could
be seen.
"What could be causing it?" asked Nubi.
"Only one way to find out!" shouted Kaye. "Let's go see!"
Kaye spread her wings and took to the skies, heading towards the forest.
Oedipus unsheathed his broom. After he and Nubi both hooped on to it, they took off to follow Kaye.
"Wait for us!"
Once they caught up, they circled over the woods and searched for the source of
the explosions. Suddenly loud blasts were heard everywhere, and patches of
forest were being set on fire.
"What's going on?!" shouted Oedipus.
Suddenly a louder explosion erupted in a single position, and a peach-orange
fire spread throughout the entire forest.
"Gaah!" Kaye flew
higher. "Get away!"
Oedipus and Nubi followed Kaye and watched as the
gigantic fire spread faster and higher.
After that one gigantic explosion, the forest was devastated. They could only
see a single figure below.
"There's something down there!" said Nubi.
"I'm surprised anyone could live through that explosion," said
Oedipus. "Who is that?"
Oedipus and Nubi descended on their broom, hoping to
catch a better glimpse of the strange figure below. Suddenly the figure flung
several sparkling objects at them.
"BOMBS!"
They maneuvered as best they could around the barrage
of red bombs that were heading their way. Kaye helped to maneuver
the bombs away from them using special wind forces. Soon Oedipus and Nubi landed, and they stared in disbelief at the stranger.
It was a tiny bird, only a foot and a half tall. He was wearing a pair of shiny
red boots and holding a red bomb in his wings.
"Stay back!" the bird threatened. "Don't make me use this!"
Oedipus and Nubi stood motionless as the bomb's fuse
grew shorter. The bird also stood motionless. The fuse was gone, and the bomb
exploded. Nubi shielded Oedipus with her power to
protect them from the explosion. The bird, however, was not so lucky, as he
wobbled around dizzily, scorched in black after the bomb blew up.
Oedipus tried to comprehend all this. "What in the world..."
Kaye descended and looked at the somewhat dazed bird, covered in smoky ash. "Birdie!"
The bird shook himself out, removing the ash and returning to his original colors. His head was the color
black, and his body was brown, with the exception of his white stomach. "I
meant to do that."
Oedipus and Nubi looked at each other. They gave each
other funny looks.
"Who are you guys?" said the bird.
Kaye approached. "I'm Kaye. These two are Oedipus and Nubi."
She pointed to Oedipus and Nubi as their individual
names were called. They bowed. "Who are you?"
"I'm Jamal," said the bird.
The name rang a bell. Oedipus looked at the bird with interest. "Jamal?
Are you related to someone named Jamal-2?"
Jamal looked at Oedipus funny. "Sure. Jamal-3 and Jamal-4 are down in
Oedipus stepped back after the bird's reaction. "Your reminded me of
someone."
"I never saw you in my life!" said Jamal. "Anyway, where am I, and what am I doing here?!"
"You're on the planet Zolott," said Kaye.
"A lot of folks get trapped here when the planet grabs folks from other
dimensions."
Jamal looked around. "Weird."
"Do you throw bombs like that all the time?" asked Nubi.
Jamal nodded. "Call it a weakness."
"You really shouldn't do that," said Oedipus. "This place is
dangerous enough already."
"Sorry."
"Oh well," said Kaye. "No harm done, I suppose. Let's tell the
others who killed Mr. Boddy..." She pulled out
her radio and called up the others. "Guys! Guess
what I found out!"
"Who's Mr. Boddy?" asked Jamal.