Distress from the boardwalk once more
I still needed to know what happened with Coast and Surfside so we continued on. When we arrived at the Boardwalk the ocean was upset and there were large waves crashing on the beach. There was nothing around just the Sky cabin still resting in the sand.
“That’s how I got here.” I said pointing to the sky cabin.
When we got to the cabin we found Coast inside. She was very distressed and she wouldn’t come out of the cabin, so Westwood and I went inside.
Once inside Coast grabbed me hugging me as tight as she could.
“It took him!” She cried. “Michael… it took him!”
“What happened?” I asked, my hands on her face rubbing away the tears.
Coast calmed herself as much as possible beginning to explain. “After I left you with Mr. Knott I came back here to make sure Surf was okay, I had a horrible feeling that something was wrong. When I got back everything seemed fine and for a few days everything was normal, but then that storm came, like the one you and I saw… it brought ravens with it. They engulfed me and Surf fought them off, but they wouldn’t quit, those birds kept coming. He put me in here and told me he loved me…”
Coast began to sob.
“It’s okay.” I said.
“That’s what he said.” Coast replied. “I love you is what he said. He used his glider to lead the flock back into the storm… and then he was gone.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I am, because of him.” Coast replied. “I didn’t know he loved me. He never told me that before.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
Coast seemed to be trembling, her hands were clammy and cold.
“Here.” Said Westwood throwing me his trench coat. “Try and warm up.”
“Thank you… Mr.?”
“Westwood.” He replied. “You hold onto that until you feel better.”
Coast put on the coat and began to calm down enough to meet the rest of our group outside the cabin.
“I am sorry for your friend.” Said Montezuma.
Coast looked over at Montezuma in awe. Apparently she had never met him before.
“Are you who I think you are?” She asked.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Montezuma replied.
“Michael!” Said Coast. “Remember that letter?”
“Yes.” I replied.
“Well, that’s the guy that wrote it.”
“I know.” I laughed.
“I like meet you too!” Bigfoot introduced himself shaking Coasts hand. “Michael talk lots about you and Surfside.”
“It’s nice to meet you too Mr.?” Replied Coast, her voice trembling, her body semi petrified at the sight of Bigfoot yet trying her best to be as polite and open minded as possible.
“I Bigfoot!” Bigfoot replied letting go of her hand then handing her Dodo. “This Dodo....He last Dodo.”
“Oh...Well it’s nice to meet both of you...” Replied Coast as Dodo happily squawked in her arms. Coast seemed to calm down a little more once she held Dodo. Dodo had a warmth about it that made her feel less uncomfortable.
“Michael?” Coast asked.
“Yes?” I replied.
“You seem different… like you’ve grown up.”
“What do you mean? I’m still the same age.”
“Yes, but you were more childlike when we first met.”
“His memory.” Montezuma weighed in. “He remembers everything now.”
“You do?” She asked.
“Yes.” I replied. “Montezuma helped me to regain my memory.”
“That’s good!... but.”
“But what?”
“I kind of liked the way you were, looking at the world through fresh new eyes. I liked all the questions you would ask.”
“Well…” I laughed. “That’s not over, there’s still so much about this world that I still don’t know.”
“So you ARE from the other world???”
“I’m from here.” I replied. “Montezuma is my brother, he sent me away to the other world to protect me years ago. I came back here in the sky cabin by accident.”
I could tell Coast was extremely happy to see me. She wouldn’t stop with the questions now… It was like she was the child and I the adult. Our roles had been reversed.
We decided to take Coast with us. Surfside had saved her, and it was our job to keep her safe now. We began to leave the boardwalk, but then Coast stopped.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I can’t go with you.” She said. “Surf and I were supposed to protect the boardwalk.”
“Protect who?” Westwood asked. “There is no one here to protect anymore.”
“But what if he comes back?”
“He’s not.” Montezuma Replied. “Nefarious took him. If you want him back, you need to take him back. Come with us. Help us stop Nefarious.”
“If we stop Nefarious we can bring him back?”
“Yes..." Montezuma answered. “...but we have to hurry before Nefarious wakes and begins to consume everyone he’s taken.”
Coast agreed to go with us. But first she had to grab some of her belongings. She led us to a small 50‘s style diner. There was a big sign above the diner that read “Coasters Drive-in."
“Is this your place?" I asked.
“It was my Mothers." Coast replied. “Back when people would visit the boardwalk, she would sell burgers and milk shakes. It was a very happening place."
Coast led Montezuma and I behind the kitchen and through a door where there was a small apartment. The place was cute. We entered her room and from her closet she pulled out a wooden box.
“I can barely use these." Said Coast as she opened the wooden box. Inside were three operator’s bands, one was larger than the others and there was also a strange pair of boots with metal X symbols engraved on their sides.
“Our operator’s bands.” Declared Coast. “These are the bands Surfside and I have found over the years… Surf has the rest.”
Coast began to put the bands on. She fastened one of the bands just above her ankle. It was inscribed with the word “Vertigo”. She put another around her wrist that was inscribed with the word “Corkscrew". The last and largest of the bands she fastened around her neck which read “Supreme scream”. She didn’t put the Boots on saying that she was unable to use them.
“Michael can use them.” Montezuma declared. “He’s a Zuma.”
“You’re a Zuma???” asked Coast with a surprisingly impressed look on her face.
I rolled up my sleeves showing her my operators bands. I even showed her my Boomerang, I made it appear in my glove.
“No Operator has ever been able to use these.” Said Coast handing me the boots. “Not even Surfside.”
The boots looked a bit small, but they changed size as I put them on. They fit perfectly and were extremely comfortable.
“Well, that’s that.” Declared Coast. “Let’s go get Surfside back.”
“You two are still untrained.” Montezuma warned. “You two need to learn how to use those bands just in case we need to go up against Nefarious. We don’t have much time but I know someone who can teach you a thing or two along the way.”
We left her apartment and joined the rest of the group in the diner. Westwood, Bigfoot and Dodo were sitting side by side at the bar giving each other a hard time.
“Westwood.” Said Bigfoot. “You get really old!”
“You smell really old.” Westwood joked leaning over sniffing Bigfoot then swatting the supposed stench away from his face.
“Time to go.” Said Montezuma.
“Where we go now?” Asked Bigfoot.
“Fiesta village.” Replied Montezuma.
“I thought we were going to the Jaguar temple?” Asked Westwood as he stared at my new boots. “Nice boots by the way.”
“Thanks.” I replied.
“We are." Replied Montezuma. “Fiesta village is along the way, and that’s where we’ll find our final seal.”
I placed my old boots in my backpack then put it on.
“Okay we go now.” Replied Bigfoot grabbing Dodo and placing him in my backpack also. “You take Dodo so he no gets cold.”
“Okay.” I replied seeing as I really had no choice, Bigfoot had already put the Dodo bird inside. It was amazing how lightweight the Dodo was. I almost didn’t feel the weight on my back.
We left that Diner, I called on 340 and we all hopped aboard the locomotive.
“Take us to the Fiesta Village.” I asked and once again the locomotive let out two peppy toots and we were on our way. It was a long way off, even by train. As we traveled on the locomotive, everyone grew tired and most slept atop the water tender in shifts, because there wasn’t enough room. Dodo slept in my backpack.
Montezuma, Westwood and I handed over our jackets so that Coast was able to sleep on something soft.
That night we saw buffalo grazing in the plains. There were thousands of them. Westwood woke Bigfoot and Coast showing them the massive herd that moved out of the way letting the locomotive pass. It was an amazing sight. We could see the cold breath from their nostrils.
“Tribe Chief say Buffalo very wise.” Said Bigfoot. “Buffalo live long time.”
“Yes.” Replied Montezuma. “Chief Speaks with stories is very wise too, the entire tribe is.”
“You think we ever get tribe back?” Bigfoot asked.
“We will try.” Montezuma replied.
We passed the herd of Buffalo and continued on and everyone continued their night watch while the others slept.
Once I had gotten some sleep I told Montezuma that he could rest now, but he wanted to stay awake. He wanted to make sure everyone was protected through the night. I had to convince him to sleep. Saying that if something bad were to happen he’d need his strength. He finally got some rest with the promise that I’d wake him if anything out of the ordinary were to happen.
We traveled all through the night and half of one more day before we saw fiesta village.