Tourist Trap

Chapter 38

There was a knock on the door and Zeke woke up with a start. He had finally gotten to sleep in the bed in the hotel room as Sarah had decided to sleep at the laboratory. "Just a minute," he called out as he pulled himself groggily out of bed. He pulled on his clothes and answered the door. 

Dr. Octavius stood there with a big smile on his face. "Rise and shine. It's about time to get going. You ready?" 

"Yeah, I guess." Zeke rubbed his eyes and yawned. 

"Excellent. Sarah's down in the lobby having a quick bite to eat. Are you hungry?" 

"Nah, let's just get out of here. I'm ready to go home." 

"We'll be there very soon now, son," Dr. Octavius patted him on the back encouragingly. 

They met up with Sarah in the lobby and headed outside where Bobby was waiting for them with his rickshaw. 

"To the Butter Moss Gardens, my good man," Dr. Octavius said as he handed him some floss. 

"Yes sir," Bobby saluted and began hauling them along at a brisk pace. 

"You know, in a weird sort of way I'm going to miss this place," Sarah said. 

"I have a soft spot for it myself," Dr. Octavius chuckled. "It does have a rather infectious quality. Don't worry, if you get the urge you can always come back and visit." 

"I think it'll be awhile before I'd want to do that," Sarah said. "It'll be nice to return to normality." 

"Ah, but what is normal?" Dr. Octavius pondered and trailed off in silence. 

"You're awfully quiet, Zeke," Sarah said. 

"Huh?" he looked up but avoided making eye contact. "Oh, I'm, uh, just thinking." He still felt embarrassed to talk to her now that she knew he had a crush on her. 

After a short while they passed through a gate into some sort of beautifully landscaped park. Small streams trickled through grassy meadows and large gem-studded fountains sprayed water into the air. Plants of every imaginable size, shape, and color were arranged in dazzling displays of artistry including hedges that had been sculpted into impossibly complex patterns such as geodesic domes and Moebius strips. 

"This place is gorgeous," Sarah gasped. "Where are we?" 

"It's called the Butter Moss Gardens," Dr. Octavius explained. "A huge park filled with countless specimens of natural and landscaped scenic splendor. It's one of the biggest draws for tourists. Trevor Mastodon probably would have torched it to the ground given the opportunity. Anyway, the pond that leads back to our world is just a short distance ahead."  

It was then that they heard the music. It was ethereal, intricate, and breathtaking... almost exactly what Zeke imagined a choir of angels would sound like. "Where's that music coming from?" he asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to miss a note of its elegant beauty. 

"Ah yes, those are the singing trees," Dr. Octavius said. "Lovely, aren't they? Our timing couldn't be any better. They're only in bloom for a couple weeks out of the year." 

"I've never heard anything so moving," Sarah said staring around her in wide-eyed astonishment. 

"Yes, well they release a recording of their entire performance every year once they're finished. They only charge a modest price for it as well. In the neighborhood of four or five strands. I own the greatest hits package volume 3. It covers the highlights from the past six million years. Quite an astonishing body of work, I must say. Sounds like this year's melodies are very nice, but who knows if they'll make the cut for volume 4? The cream of the crop tends to be simply exquisite."