"Lines drawn in the sand
Keep the sun at your back
Keep your feet firmly planted in the sky
Just ride"
_________
"The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!" Aang says as he points to a valley in front of us. A walled city rests atop a huge rock promontory and is accessible only by a narrow, switchback road. The city looks both impressive and impregnable.
"I used to always come here to visit my friend, Bumi." Aang tells us
"Wow. We don't have cities like this in the South Pole." Katara tells us
"They have buildings here that don't melt!" Sokka swoons as I laugh
"Well, let's go slow pokes! The real fun is inside the city!" Aang launches himself into the air and lands farther down the hill.
"Wait, Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."Katara says
"You need a disguise." Sokka adds
"So, what am I supposed to do? Grow a mustache?" He ask us
Aang grabs a bunch of appas fur and puts it on a huge fake head of hair and mustache made out of some of Appa's hair. He is scratching underneath the wig.
"Ohh, this is so itchy! How do you live in this stuff?" Aang says to Appa
"Great! Now you look just like my grandfather." Sokka tells him as I giggle
"Technically, Aang is 112 years old."I add in
"Now let's get to skippin', young whippersnappers! The big city awaits." Aang says is an old accent
Aang begins to walk hunched over, using his staff as a walking stick.
"You guys are gonna love Omashu. The people here are the friendliest in the world." Aang says
We stop right up at the city gate just up ahead. A merchant is trying to get into the city, but the three guards are giving him trouble.
"Rotten cabbages! What kind of slum do you think this is?"One of the guards say
The guard is holding one of the offending cabbages. He crushes the cabbage in his hand, knocks those in the merchant's arms over the side of the access road.
The guard then earthbenders a lump of the ground, knocking the merchant's cabbage cart high into the air and over the side of the access road. The cart and all the merchant's cabbages plunge hundreds of feet to the valley floor below.
"Noo! My cabbages!" He screams out The merchant looks over the side of the road as he laments.
"Just keep smiling..."Aang says.He walks forward with a big smile. We follow. The guard who has just obliterated the cart walks forward to meet Aang. He earthbenders a huge boulder out of the ground and holds it over Aang's head.
"State your business!" The guard yells at us Aang rushes forward out from under the rock in a move much too sprightly for his supposed age. He points an accusing finger at the guard and using his old man voice begins to speak.
"My business is my business, young man, and none of yours! I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!"Aang yells out The guard drops the stone behind Aang in surprise.
"Settle down, old timer. Just tell me who you are." The guards ask him
"Name's Bonzu Pipinpadaloxicopolis, the Third, and these are my grandkids."Aang says as he points to us
"Hi, June Pipinpadaloxicopolis. Nice to meet you." Katara steps forward towards the guard
"You seem like a responsible young lady. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!" He says
"We will." Katara says The guard motions us to pass.
"Wait a minute! You're a strong young boy. Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag." The guards yells at Sokka
"Good idea!" Aang throws bag to Sokka.
There are chutes all over the city with crates and packages sliding along them. Aang explains the mechanics of the system to us
"This is the Omashu delivery system. Miles and miles of tubes and chutes. Earthbending brings the packages up and gravity brings them down." Aang tells us
"Great, so they get their mail on time." Sokka says
"They do get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes..." He says
We find one of those shoots we all get in ready to ride down.
"One ride, then we're off to the North Pole, Airbender's honor."Aang tells us
"This sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second thoughts!" Katara screams As she finishes, the bin drops into the chute and we rocket away. As the accelerate down the chute, a neighboring chute becomes visible.
It is clearly going to merge with the chute our group is in. A rack of spears was dropping down this other chute and after the two paths merge, Sokka is soon ducking to avoid getting killed. We start making distressed noises as they try and avoid the spears.
"I'm on it! I'm on it!" Aang starts rocking the bin back and forth in the chute. He soon derails them out of the chute and the bin free falls onto a rooftop below. Aang has grabbed the front of the bin and is apparently trying to pull it up, his foot in Katara's face.
Sokka is panicking in the back. The frame rate speeds up again as Aang airbends to propel the bin back into the air. Within a shot or two they have managed to drop back into a chute and are rocketing down once again.
"Aang, do something! Use your airbending!"I yell at him
"Yeh! Good idea! That'll make us go even faster!"Aang yells back.
"Whooo!" I yell as I raise my hands in the air.
Aang blasts air behind us, making them speed up. As we approach the drop down of the last major chute, we all scream as we see the off-load point just in front of us.
The off-load has a package on it that they will hit. An earthbender next to it moves the package. Rather than hit the package, we hit the side of the trench and run off the track again. We all fall out of the bin, but Aang airbends us each back into the bin. We bounce off a roof and into a man's work room, destroying his pottery.
We bounce of his floor and out the window opposite the one they came in.
"Sorry!" Aang yells out to the man
We drop into someone's living room and fly through their house. Outside we crash through the wall of the balcony and drop again, screaming. the bin falls onto the cabbage cart, totally destroying it, blowing cabbages all over the place. We land in a heap and Aang's disguise is now gone.
"My cabbages! You're gonna pay for this!" A man yells at us We are quickly surrounded by soldiers.
❅
We entered a room well more like a throne room. It is decorated in shades of Earth Kingdom green. An aged King sits on his throne in the distance, for it is a large room. The King looks upon us four, and the guards behind us force us to kneel.
"Nice place you got"I tell the king as I grin
"Quite" The guards nudges my back forcefully
"Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses and malicious destruction of cabbages." A guard informs the king
"Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!"The merchant says beside us
"Silence! Only the King can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, Sire?"The guard tells him
Several second later the king speaks
"Throw them... a feast!"
❅
A table loaded with food, Is brought to us as we sit down glancing at each other
"Heheh! The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin." The kings says as he puts a chicken wing up to Aang's face
"Thanks, but I don't eat meat." Aang says
"How about you? I bet you like meat."The kings says to Sokka as he puts the meat in his mouth
"Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked? " I whisper to Aang
"So, tell me young bald one. Where are you from?"The kings sits back down
"I'm from... Kangaroo Island."Aang says to him
"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hoppin!"The King says
As he ends his sentence, he suddenly throws another drumstick at Aang, who airbends it to a standstill, though he is very surprised. It spins in the air in front of him.
"There's an airbender in our presence and not just any airbender, the Avatar! Now what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Pipinpadaloxicopolis?" The Kings yells
Aang stands and spreads his arms wide in a gesture of defeat.
"Okay! You caught me. I'm the Avatar, doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out, no firebenders here. So, good work everybody. Love each other, respect all life and don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!" Aang grabs us and makes it to the door until the guards stop us.
" You can't keep us here. Let us leave." Katara yells at him
" Tomorrow the Avatar will face three deadly challenges. But for now, the guards will show you to your chamber." The king's demands
" My liege, do you mean the good chamber, or the bad chamber?" the guard ask
"The newly refurbished chamber." The king repeats
"Wait, which one are we talking about?" The guard ask again
"The one that used to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing that is. Of course, we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them. Uh, take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"The kings informs
❅
We were being led out by guards, a wall that is torn open by earthbending. We are thrusted in and the "door" is closed by earthbending. The chamber is beautiful, spacious and furnished with four comfortable beds.
"This is a prison cell? But it's so nice."Katara says
"He did say it was newly refurbished." Aang tells me
"Nice or not, we're still prisoners." Sokka says
"I wonder what these challenges are gonna be." Aang says
"We're not sticking around to find out. There's gotta be some way outta here." I tell him
"The air vents!"Aang yells
"If you think we're gonna fit through there then you're crazier than that king." Sokka tell him
It is a small circular hole in the wall Aang was pointing to
"We can't, but Momo can." Aang says
"Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here!" Aang tells him
Aang stuffs Momo face first into the vent. Aang stuffing the little animal into the vent and having some trouble.
"Go on, boy, get Appa!" Aang says He stops, only to have Momo's behind dangle from the vent. He is stuck.
" Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?" Sokka says as I gently get Momo from the vent
"Appa is a ten ton flying bison, I think he could figure something out." Aang says
"Well, no point in arguing about it now. Get some rest, Aang. Looks like you'll need it for tomorrow." Katara says Aang walks dejectedly over to the one unoccupied bed.
❅
I wake up to a loud rumble in front of me. I guess Sokka and Katara heard it too because we all look at each other
I rub my eyes to see 3 guards.We were thrusted out of the room
"What do you think is gonna happen?"I ask Katara
"Not sure. I just hope Aang's okay"Katara responds
We heard a groan behind us we looked behind us to see sokka moaning and holding his stomach
"Sokka what's wrong?" Katara ask him
"I'm so hungry" Sokka spits out.
"Tell me something I didn't know" I tell Sokka with a grin
The "door' is opened by guards. The guards place small rings on one of my finger which contract to fit snugly as soon as they are worn. I try to take off the rings, but can't.
"...so I will give your friends some special souvenirs. Those delightful rings are made of pure genemite, also known as creeping crystal. It's crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate, really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate." The king says
"Ah! It's already creeping!" Sokka screams
"I'll do as you want." Aang surrenders to the king
❅
We get shoved into a huge room next to the king. Aang standing on a small stone parapet with a waterfall in the background. The cavern floor is covered in stalagmites. Crystal already covers our forearms
"It seems I've lost my lunch box key and I'm hungry." the king yells at Aang
A key is hanging by a long chain in the middle of the waterfall. A ladder reaches up from the ground of the cavern to about where the key dangles.
"Ooo, there it is. Would you mind fetching it for me?"The king hollers at him
Aang jumps into action. Using his airbending skills he bounces from stalagmite to stalagmite. He charges into the waterfall, and begins to climb the ladder. The force of the water stops him from making progress, though.
"Ooo, climbing the ladder. No one's thought of that before."The king says sarcastically
Aang loses his grip and is shot out of the waterfall.He looks up at us and regains his determination. This time he flies up to the stalactites on the ceiling and is soon looking down at the key. He concentrates, jumps into the waterfall, and is shot right back out, managing to grab onto a stalagmite. The crystal now covers my up to the shoulder.
"That's right. Keep diving head in, I'm sure it'll work eventually." The kings says again
Aang breaks off the top of the stalagmite he is holding and throws it at the chain holding the key. Using his airbending skills he makes sure it breaks the chain and carries the bottom part of it along with the key up to the balcony. The tip of the stalagmite embeds itself like a spearhead into the top of the doorway. The key now dangles just over the surprised King's head.
" There, enjoy your lunch! I want my friends back, now!" Aang yells
"Uh, not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet Flopsy." The king says
❅
We go outside of the castle to a small barrier with a fluffy bunny sitting on a rock.
"Okay, found him!" Aang yells as he lands behind it
"Bring him to me! Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsy!" The king orders
"Come here, Flopsy!" Aang says
Aang turns around to face a monster while the bunny squeaks and runs off. The monster crushes a huge boulder in front of Aang. He flips backwards and lands as the bunny runs by him, squealing in terror.
"Flopsy, wait! Flopsy! Flopsy!" Aang chases the bunny while the monster chases Aang.The bunny runs into a rabbit hole in the wall of the arena.
Aang slides up next to it and sticks his hand in the hole. He rummages around, but finds nothing. Meanwhile, the monster closes in. He stands up and faces the monster just as it arrives.
"Flopsy?" Aang questions
The monster stops instantly and wags its tail. Flopsy picks Aang up tenderly, making gentle noises. Aang is surprised and starts screaming. He stops when Flopsy gives him a huge lick.
"Flopsy! He rubs Flopsy's head. Flopsy's drops Aang and scales the arena wall in response to the King
"Awww, that's a good boy! Yes, who has a soft belly? " The king swoons
"Guys, are you ok?" Aang ask us
"It's a little hard to breath in here but other than that were fine"I tell him
A new length of crystal grows on the left side of Sokka's head. He loses his balance and keels over.
"Come on. I'm ready for the next challenge." Aang yells
❅
The challenge is in an earthbending arena. It is ill-lit and largely featureless except the dirt floor.,
"Your final test is a duel and as a special treat you may choose your opponent. Point and choose."the king told Aang
Two enormous gladiator type characters show up to flank King Bumi. The champion on the left is a muscular man with a nasty smile and a huge axe. The champion on the right is a mammoth fighter who looks like he relies upon brute strength. Aang looks terrified.
"So, you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?"Aang asks again
"Choose wisely."The King answered back
" I... choose... you!" Aang is pointing at the King
"Haha! Wrong choice!" The king says with some effort, he corrects his lumped posture. He dumps his robes to reveal a surprisingly muscular physique for such an old man. He is clearly formidable and Aang recoils, realizing his mistake. The King is also apparently a master earthbender, for he immediately stamps the ground, blowing Aang far out into the arena. He lands in the dust. King Bumi launches himself off the balcony and lands close to Aang.
"You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see."The King yells
King Bumi motions to a guard who throws Aang his staff. King Bumi immediately launches several boulders at him which Aang dodges.He launches another boulder at Aang, who dodges and launches himself into the air.
The King launches another stone at Aang which misses, The debris knocks Aang to the ground. Aang gets back up as the King begins walking around. With each turn he makes a huge pillar of rock block Aang's path. One of them catches Aang in the gut as it rises into the air. Riding one of his famous airballs.
He rides the wall of the arena and approaches the King from his right. He launches a huge gale at the king who blocks it with a sheet of stone raised from the floor of the arena. With tremendous effort, the King tears the entire gate area of the arena out of the ground and holds it over his head. Aang begins to run in circles, creating a tornado.
The King throws the massive earth mound, but the tornado grabs it and throws it back at him. Aang appears between the rock pieces and pins the King with his staff. Aang also looks overhead hovers one of the two halves of rock, ready to him. "Hehe! Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart." The king says
The King throws the rock to the side of the arena. He then falls backwards into the floor, disappearing and leaving a Bumi shaped hole. Aang is flabbergasted.
"what's happening?" I ask Katara and Sokka
"Sshhh"Katara tells me.I look back to the arena
"You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question." The king tells us at this point my eyes are covered and I can't see a thing. Just great
"That's not fair! You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests." Aang yells
"Oh, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?Answer this one question and I will set your friends free. What... is my name? From the looks of your friends, I'd say you only have a few minutes." The kings exits to so Aang can decide
"How am I supposed to know his name?" He ask
"Think about the challenges, maybe it's some kind of riddle." Katara told Aang
"I got it!"Sokka says cheerfully
"Yeh?" Aang ask
"He's an earthbender, right? Rocky! You know, because of all the rocks?" We all look at him
"We're gonna keep trying, but that is a good backup." Katara tells him
"Okay, so back to the challenges. I got a key from the waterfall. I saved his pet and I had a duel."
"And what did you learn?" She ask
"Well, everything was different than I expected." Aang admits
"Well you've been here before what was one person who seemed out of the ordinary?"I tell Aang hopefully that helped.He takes several seconds to process what he just said
".......I know his name!" Aang says cheerfully
❅
"I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities. Bumi, you're a mad genius!" Aang says
"Oh, Aang. It's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally."Bumi says
"Uh, over here!" I hear Katara say
"Where are we?"I ask
"Little help?" i hear Sokka also say
I hear two glass sounding noises.A second later the tight hold the crystal had around me was gone.I look up to see we're back In the throne room And see king Bumi
"Genemite is made of rock candy. Delicious!"Bumi says as he takes the crystal and eats them. eww
"Why did you do all this instead of just telling Aang who you were?" Sokka groans
"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people, , but I do have a reason. Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord, and when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius! And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help defeat the Fire Nation. And you'll need Momo too." The king snorts
"Thank you for your wisdom." Aang bows and we head out to meet up with Appa as the pretty sunset sets behind us.