Home Alone in Pure Heart Valley

Chapter 12

One late day in another aeroport, a public aero-transport had just landed on the runway.

"I'm sorry, but everything's full," a desk assistant said after typing on a keyboard and examining the database.

"Everything?" Mao Mao groaned. Eugene was at the edge of the desk next to the sheriff, looking and feeling just as disappointed.

"It is, I'm afraid, but it is Snowfest Eve."

Mao Mao hung his head as he let out another growling sigh of frustration. "What about another airline?"

The desk assistant typed on the available computer again to search another page. "Nothing available," the assistant sighed, then switching to a more cordial accommodating tone representative of typical customer service, "I can book you a hotel room somewhere in town, though. By tomorrow afternoon, we can get you a flight to Pure Heart Valley."

Mao Mao was furiously shaking his head at hearing that, trying his best to keep his cool. "We can't wait that long."

"I'm sorry, sirs. But we're doing the best we can right now." The assistant then ushered a pointed hand over Mao Mao's and Eugene's shoulders to a couple other people behind them. That action was simultaneously letting those people know they can come next while telling Mao Mao and Eugene that they were holding up the line. Mao Mao didn't want to move, but Eugene did so for the strangers while pulling Mao Mao along with him.

Mao Mao wasn't done, but to his surprise, he saw Eugene beat him to the punch by hearing him speak first. "Sorry, you can go." Eugene said to the lady behind him, but then continued after a pause. "Nice ticket you got there," the bat complimented her ticket she held in her hand, "I'm sure you're in a hurry, needing to go places." Eugene was practically spouting filler as concluded by everyone around him who was listening.

Mao Mao would have surely interrupted Eugene to get to the main point, but the bat wasn't done. To everyone's shock, Mao Mao included, Eugene turned back to the counter and leaned over to try and get in the assistant's face, even looking as though he slapped his wings on the counter in the process.

"Look, buster," Eugene said in a low gravelly tone that Mao Mao thought sounded threatening even for himself, "My friend here and I have been awake for almost 60 hours. We're exhausted. We're dirty, thirsty, and famished. We've been on flights from Pure Heart Valley to Lunarton City to Queen's Puddleland to...where are we?"

"Conifer Island," the assistant answered.

"I am trying to get home to my 5-year-old daughter!" Eugene let out words louder than how he normally spoke, at that moment no longer caring about his usual need for politeness. "Now that me and my friend are this close, you're saying it's hopeless!?"

The assistant, being a little overwhelmed by the bat's words, tried to say something but fumbled over what words to use. It was enough time for Mao Mao to get in on Eugene's speech. "No! No, no, no, no, no!!" he interrupted. He was already starting to pound the counter. "This is Snowfest! The season of perpetual hope!" The assistant tried to get another word in, but Mao Mao didn't leave any room for them. He was on a roll, continuing his tirade at such a rapid pace that he nearly got to the point of outright climbing over the counter to get nose-to-nose with the assistant. "You heard what my friend here said! In fact, I don't care if we have to get on your runway and hitchhike! If it has to cost us everything, our health, our sanity, even the clothes on my back, we are going to get home to our little girl!"

"Sirs, if there's anything I can do for you," the assistant said, "I can –"

"Do it!" Mao Mao interjected once again. "Do anything!"

"Well, I can get you both a hotel room for tomorrow afternoon –"

Those same words instantly got Mao Mao outraged once again, feeling recharged and ready to blow up at the other person across the counter, this time full force. But he only managed to get the first sound up his throat when he and Eugene were suddenly interrupted by someone speaking from behind.

"Um, excuse me," the voice cordially addressed the terrorized desk assistant, "I just need to speak with these two gentlemen here. Can you excuse us?" The assistant nodded hard and fast, eager for this current customer service episode to be over already.

Mao Mao and Eugene turned to look at who the source of the mysterious sudden voice belonged to, feeling themselves being pulled away by a familiar sight. Eugene wasn't as quick to react, but Mao Mao widened his eyes upon seeing who it was. The person's purple robes along with the loopy eyes and hanging pendulum tongue was a dead giveaway.

"Camille?" Mao Mao gasped. "You're here? Why are you here?" Gone was his frustration, replaced with surprise and curiosity.

Not that it prevented Camille from replying in her own signature carefree disposition. "Well, in case you didn't know, the king's been ordering some Sweetypie groups to go on mandatory overseas vacations for Snowfest this year." Behind her, there was a small number of adult Sweetypies sitting together. When they saw Mao Mao, they waved at him in a friendly getting. Mao Mao recognized them from visiting the king's palace. "Naturally, me, Honey, and some of the palace guards were one of those groups sent to go to...Loonies Glen, I think...to perform a magic-powered light show there for Snowfest Eve night. Tell me, you've seen combustive magic potions in action before, haven't you?"

"No," said Eugene hesitantly, "I've only ever seen fireworks from a distance."

"Well, you should know that the process behind potions being launched into the air timed with other magi-technics concentrated on their points is fascinatingly complex," Camille clarified with pride.

Mao Mao, on the other hand, wasn't as interested or keen to take time to exchange trivia facts. "Never mind that! What's that gotta do with you pulling us away to talk with us right now?"

"Well, I heard you were having travel problems with getting back to Pure Heart Valley. Me and Honey over there," she pointed to the yellow-dressed squirrel a few meters away, "are in a dilemma ourselves. Our flight got cancelled, so Honey's arranged to hire a driver to take us to Loonies Glen by bus."

Eugene, on the other hand, opted to get to the bottom of the matter on the sheriff's behalf. "So, what's your ride gotta do with us?"

"Why, it just so happens that Pure Heart Valley is one of the stops on our way to Loonies Glen. Since you're both trying to get here, well..."

Eugene's face perked up. "Really?" he gasped, "You'll give us a ride?"

Camille shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why not. In all likelihood, if I said no, Honey would say yes. She can be pretty insistent." She turned to look at Honey from across the waiting area, waiting until Honey saw her too. When they made eye contact, Camille pointed to Eugene and Mao Mao as to silently tell Honey that she was inviting the two into their group. Honey silently nodded in agreement as usual.

Eugene was giddy. "Thank you!" he cried in tearful joy. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!" He swiveled over to Mao Mao. "This is it! We got a straight way back to Adorabat!"

Mao Mao was just as vibrant as Eugene at the same moment. "Yes! Yes! This is an absolute miracle!" He turned to Camille. "So then...You said you were going by bus. How fast does this aerobus go?" Mao Mao asked wishfully.

"Aerobus!?" Camille laughed. "What aero? We're riding a bus on tires!" She leaned over to the two guys like she was trying to whisper a secret. "We're going traditional as part of our enchanting act. What do you think?"

Whatever elated jubilation Eugene and Mao Mao felt a few seconds ago fizzled out instantly and completely. Eugene looked at her blankly like he heard something just unbelievable. Mao Mao briefly stood still before letting his knees buckle, sending him crumpling to the ground with sobs.

Even Camille had to acknowledge that the sheriff's reaction was a little rather overdramatic. "Hey, what's with the breakdown?"

Mao Mao didn't respond right away, opting to repeatedly mutter the word "tires" nonstop to no one while curled up in a ball on his side, rolling left and right.