The Spirit of Adventure

I stare at the letter in my trembling hands, my mouth open in shock. My small, drab cottage glows in the presence of the smooth, milky sheet of paper. Finally, the day had come.

Grandma-

I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, but don’t think I forgot your birthday! All these years I’ve only ever sent you little trinkets, so this year, I wanted to do something special to celebrate. Curious Critters Industries has been keeping me busy, so I can’t visit you as often as I would like. So, why don’t you come visit me in the city? Bao Cheng is the city of spirits and humans, and it’s a magical place to live. I know you don’t like traveling to unfamiliar places, so I’ve sent a special guest to accompany you. This letter should have arrived with a Brisk Bus ticket and a box- hopefully the escort didn’t escape. I’m so excited to show you around! The city’s big, but it’s quite the adventure! I’ll see you soon.

Lots of love,

Mei

Beside me sat a giant empty box, horridly torn and crumpled. The packing peanuts had been chewed roughly and there was slobber in all corners of the pitiful box. I let out a long, shaky sigh. How should I navigate into a world I’ve never been to? Gently, I fold the letter and bus ticket into my yellow raincoat pocket and pack a few goodies for the trip.

I’ve never done much because the world outside of my comfy cottage is perilous and unpredictable. What’s wrong with experiencing life through books, anyway? It’s much safer and convenient. I’ve met the wild beasts of Bao Cheng, I’ve tried virtual reality, and I’ve even raced in derby cars through reading books.

A decade ago, Mei and I discovered Bao Cheng in the guest room of my mini cottage. There was a curious dark spot on the ceiling, but we didn’t think much of it until a glittery braided rope appeared in the center of the spot one night. Mei climbed the rope and disappeared into the ceiling. That afternoon, she climbed back and told me about her discoveries. I didn’t dare climb the rope. Until now.

Now, I stand under the rope, looking at the dark spot. I take a deep breath, puff out my chest, and grasp the rope. I have to do it for Mei.

A cool shock passes through my body, and when I emerge from the ground, I stand at a dull bus station. A red double decker bus waits for a line of impatient bus riders. I jump into line and try to avoid contact with spirits and strangers, which includes the ticket collector. He eyes me as I hold out my ticket with the tips of my fingers. I choose a seat near the back of the bus and push my luggage under my seat. 

I think this will be my second favorite part of my whole trip to the city, my first being able to see my granddaughter after years, of course. I can watch the pastures and sheepcows outside the bus while being perfectly protected from the debris of nature. 

Exhaling a long breath, I let myself relax into my seat and watch the green of the grass and the blue of the sky. Colorful peahawks fly past, their green tails waving in the wind. A dragondog chases an owlcat. My eyelids droop heavily and I flutter my lashes to keep myself awake. I can’t possibly fall asleep to such beauty outside! I must stay awake… I must remember this moment forever…

Reowr.

What was that? I jerk from my slouched position in my seat, my eyes darting around the bus. The spirits around me are immersed in the world of virtual reality, unbothered by the strange sound I had just heard. Too bad they’re missing out on the wonders outside the bus. I gradually begin to relax in my seat again when I see a peculiar face looking at me through my seat window. It’s an odd-looking thing; it has the tail of a beaver, the face of a chubby bison, and flabs of skin on each side of its limbs that reminds me of my own flabby arms. I suck in a sharp breath and recoil to the edge of my seat.

The thing licks the window and smiles at me. 

It nimbly leaps into the rushing wind and lets its flabby arms carry it through the sky. I press my face as close to the window as I dare, watching it disappear past a herd of grumpy sheepcows. I release a slow, shaky breath and close my eyes.

The Brisk Bus enters an underground roadway, blocking my view of the pastures. At least I won’t have to see that strange-looking creature again.

I lean back in my seat and wonder what adventures Mei will take me on once I arrive in the city. Sticking my hand into my raincoat pocket, I make sure the steamed pork buns I packed are still warm. Mei loves them, and I love her.

When the bus exits the underground roadway, I get a glimpse of the glittering city straight ahead. The seat in front of me blocks half the view, but a smile breaks across my face anyway. It’s beyond anything that I could imagine, and Mei’s hybrids from Curious Critters Industries are everywhere. Suddenly, a spike of nervousness shoots from my stomach. Mei didn’t give me an address!

The bus stops at the central city bus station, so I collect my luggage and walk off the bus.

The view leaves me gasping for breath. Magnificently tall skyscrapers, vibrantly painted stores and restaurants, and shiny marble statues surround me on all sides. Graceful peahawks and mighty lionswans swirl in the sky in such sync that it makes me dizzy. My eyes water and my jaw won’t close with the beauty of it all. I feel like I’m in a fictional book. Quickly, I brush the bus stop sign with my fingertips to confirm my reality.

But where do I go from here? 

I stumble to a nearby city directory, but it bursts with so much color and symbols and lines and… oh, it’s making me dizzy again! Don’t they have any easy-to-read directories for old ladies like me? I grip my luggage harder and stare out at the large buildings. I wish my escort hadn’t escaped from the box.

A faint whooshing sound above me brings my attention to the sky.

Reeoowwr!

It’s that thing again! I duck quickly as it comes swooshing for my head. The steamed pork buns drop from my raincoat pocket, rolling towards strangers that confusedly look in my direction. 

Ah! No, no, no…

I stumble to my feet and gather as many little bags as possible, but the half-bison, half-beaver, half-flabby armed creature snatches away the precious bags from my arms. 

“Oh, you little…,” I begin. I’ve drawn too much attention to myself; people and spirits stare at me left and right. 

The creature doesn’t leave. It flaps its flabs in the sky, flies in a circle, and looks back at me. Then, it glides through the sky for another street to the right of the bus station. I run as quickly as my legs can carry me, pushing into people in virtual worlds and mumbling squeaky apologies that wouldn’t be heard anyway. The creature flies slow enough for me to see it but fast enough that I can’t catch up. Finally, it drops my pork buns in front of a traditionally styled virtual reality shop. Out of breath, I lean heavily on the open wooden doors. 

“Aah, another future fan of virtual reality? Come on in, come in! Where would you like to go on this fine day?” 

I spin quickly on my heels to stare right into the eyes of a smiling, plump man with two thin, black mustaches and shiny, rosy cheeks. He’s lavishly dressed in a fine green silk robe, completed with gold trimmings. I squint at him. Is he the spirit of a man or an actual man?

“Owlcat got your tongue? No worries, no worries! How about I choose for you?” he says.

He plops a bulky device on my head, and a new world comes to life. Suddenly, I hear groaning sounds from somewhere in the distance, and the skies are gray and smoky. From the corner of my eye, I see bloody, hideous creatures scrambling towards me.

Uh oh.

“ZOMBIES!” I scream. 

I can feel myself bumping into shelves and tables as I run, but I can see a street ahead, my only chance at escaping the blood-thirsty monsters behind me. The world seems distorted and the colors clash so that it makes my eyes hurt. Glass shatters, people yell, and zombies snarl.

“Wrong setting! Wrong setting! Oh, what have I done?” the plump green man’s voice mixes with the zombie’s groans. Finally, I feel him yanking the horrific device off my head, and I clasp my trembling hand on the wooden doorknob, my face hot with sweat. The shop is a chaotic mess; there are overturned tables and virtual reality headsets and joysticks littering the ground. My heart is still racing.

Reeowrr!

The flying bison beaver clutches my wrist and quickly leads me away from the state of disarray that I had caused. As we run away from the shop, I turn my head slightly to see the red hot face of the plump green man.

The flying bison beaver guides me to a dirt track stadium in the heart of the city. There’s a crowd of people in the stands, cheering and eating baked seaweed chips. A slender young woman with jet black hair and jade green eyes hands me a red racing helmet. She’s dressed in a red racing uniform with her name stitched in gold letters- Janbing. 

“Yvonna, the race is about to start! How come you’re not in your racing uniform yet?” she says.

My eyes dart to the shiny red racing cars parked near the dirt track and I stutter a few weak words.

“You...you must be m-mistaken, I’m -”

She raises a perfect eyebrow and pushes me towards the locker rooms. 

“Yvonna, I know we’re up against some tough competition today, but I also know our team can do it. You’re the oldest member on our team, but you’re also the fiercest. Where’s that attitude now?” she whispers into my ear.

She hands me a racing uniform and flashes me a mischievous smile.

“We’re going to crush the Green Dream today,” she says.

Minutes later, I’m being introduced to the crowd in the stadium as Yvonna Bureizu from the Red Rhinos team. My racing uniform chokes me, but I maintain a straight face. I follow the Red Rhinos into a racing car with a sleek Y painted on the front. There are so many multicolored buttons and pulls, my hands start to quiver.

The starter raises a gun to the sky, but I want to cry.

Boom!

The cars around me zoom away, and I push and pull as many buttons and levers as possible to start up my car. Finally, I press a faded green button and pull a mini joystick that rockets my car to the other racer cars. My foot is planted firmly on the accelerator, and there’s so much wind, tears form in my eyes and my body is pushed back against the seat. I can feel my cheeks flapping around and my spit flying everywhere. 

I’m so numb with energy I press more buttons and spin the joystick vigorously. A childish giggle escapes my lips, but the race makes me feel so young and alive that I don’t care. My race car slams into other cars, knocking them off the course or into other cars. I’m reminded of my childhood days when I played bumper cars with my siblings, but this… this is so much better!

A Green Dream grazes the back of my car, and an awful screech erupts. I look in my back mirror at the rival driver, who wears a snarky smirk. Narrowing my eyebrows, I slow down my speed and jerk my car away from his so that he slams into the green car in front of me. 

I’m lapping the track seven, eight, nine times before I hear the Red Rhinos calling out to me. The Green Dream team is splattered around the track, their cars steamy and whacked out of shape. The race is over.

I slow down my car, but I don’t know how to make it stop. 

“Yvonna! Yvonna!” my team shouts.

On the tenth lap, I slow down my car enough for me to tumble out safely, but the car continues rolling straight towards my teammates. Gasping, they scramble away, but my car drives directly into their cars. I release a breath of relief and stand to my feet. All the eyes of the crowd, my teammates, the Green Dream are on me. Silence stops time.

“AAAHHHHH!”

The crowd erupts into a frenzy of excitement, and my teammates rush to my side. 

“That was incredible! We defeated the semi-finalists! We’re heading to the championships!” they yell.

My heart beats fast and my hands tremble, but not from fear or nervousness or even worry. The team carries me to the awards stand, and I stand proudly before the delighted crowd. 

The tearing of wood and a shriek of frustration catches everyone’s attention. Standing before the mens’ locker room was an old, wrinkled, furious little lady holding a dented, red racing helmet. She had fluffy gray hair, full, flushed cheeks, and eyes so icy blue it made me nervous. 

She points a raggedy finger at me, her chest heaving with fury.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?” she screams.

I want to shrink in my place. The flying bison beaver emerges from the womens’ locker room and flies towards me. Everyone watches as it drops my yellow raincoat and luggage into my arms. 

The old lady directs her finger away from me and towards the creature in the sky.

“There!” she shrieks, “That thing locked me in the mens’ locker room! I missed the whole race!”

People gasp and people lunge at me. I stagger off the awards stand with my belongings and run as fast as I can. Suddenly, I feel my legs give out from under me, but I clutch onto the back of the bison beaver. We glide through the sky, away from the dirt racing track.

From the back of a large, furry animal, the city seems so small. The same feeling I had on the dirt track returns. The bison beaver swoops low towards the city and then high towards the clouds. Behind the city, the sun begins to set.

A mile away, I see a tall, glittering skyscraper that carries the golden statue of a dragondog. The beast descends from the sky to the glamorous red doors and releases a low growl. Nervously, I avoid eye contact with the spirits and people passing me on the street.

Then, the heavy red doors slowly creak open to reveal a smiling Mei. 

“Grandma!” she yells and embraces me in a tight hug.

I hold onto her and close my eyes. She’s taller than me now, and her hair has grown out to fall around her in waves. It’s been far too long since I’ve last seen her. I pull out the pork buns from my raincoat pocket and drop them in her hands, and she smiles so bright that the apples of her cheeks glisten in the setting sunlight. The beast grumbles behind me, and Mei turns to face the hairy thing. 

“Bowi!”

The beast gives Mei a slobbery lick that makes me shiver. She pats it on the head and rubs its ears.

“You know it?” I ask.

“Bowi? He’s your escort! Did Bowi escape from his box? Oh, I’m so sorry grandma!” Mei says. She glances at Bowi with her lips downturned, but the beast paws at his head. Curiously, I shuffle towards Mei and Bowi.

“What is he supposed to be, anyway?”

“He’s one of my newest lab creations here at Curious Critters Industries. A combination of beaver, bison, and sugar glider, he’s the first animal to ever possess the traits of three different species. I knew he’d be a good escort for you because he’s the spirit of adventure. I bet you two had quite the experience getting here,” Mei laughs.

“Oh, we sure did,” I say, “He took me to a virtual reality shop and I ended up ruining the whole store. The animations were blurry and discolored like a nightmare! Then, I participated in a derby car race thanks to Bowi who locked the authentic racer in the mens’ locker room.”

Mei giggles her girlish laugh and rubs Bowi on the snout. Then, she digs in her pocket and pulls out the letter she had sent me.

“You dropped this at the derby car race, but Janbing sent it to me. She said the Red Rhinos would really love to have you on the team and that you’re a fanominale racer.”

“Really? I suppose I did enjoy the race… it was so thrilling! It made me feel so...so..”

“Alive?” Mei suggests.

“Yes! Oh, Mei, it was amazing! I want to do it again! Oh, I would love to join the team!” I shout in excitement.

Mei smiles and takes the luggage from the ground. 

“Well grandma, the city still awaits your exploration. You’ve barely scratched the surface of what Bao Cheng has to offer! How about we start early tomorrow morning?”

“Yes! Oh, I can’t wait!”

Mei opens the red doors for me and guides me inside her company and home. I might be hard of hearing but I catch the words she whispers to the spirit of adventure.

“Thanks for returning her boldness, Bowi.”