By the stalk of night, the surviving potatoes had finished creating a small shelter made in enough for everyone, it didn't have a cozy hearth but it was warm enough to sleep in. Our peculiarly brave potato had risen from its slumber beneath her birth soil. It was amidst the night guided by the silver light of the moon shining sheens and lusters to bounce off the river near the tender soil of the farmland.
Potato led out a sigh before stretching her tiny arms and legs. She went back beneath the ground to pull out her seed's shell. What is our brave potato oath to do this time? I wonder. She peeled two strings off her shell, gathered a handful of soil then placed it near the edge of the farm, watered them by the cold touch of the river.
Potato, mashed and mixed the wet soil thoroughly. Once the soil was dry and compact enough, she combined the mud to the two strings to effectively strap the mud against her back. For warming purposes, she whispered.
" Potato, no protection, die. Hmmm... " She muttered while setting her sight to the surplus of mud and seed shell.
" A-HA!!!... "
Potato peeled off as many strings as her hands can muster then placed them in rows of horizontal and vertical lines passing under or above each other. She scurried to the surplus of mud grabbing another handful and scattering them all over the strings until the face of the strings ar entirely covered with hardened mud.
How I carry? This heavy for me. She might've wondered as she muttered another " A-HA!!! "
Potato peeled off one last string from her seed's shell then pasted it with mud on both ends behind the face of the strings to carry her improvised shield. Quite a shield our peculiar potato had made, for protection indeed.
With both heating equipment and protection at the ready, Potato left Potatopia in search of her abducted race. Well, I can't tell if our heroine is simply naive or bold at this point, but certainly peculiar nonetheless.
Our brave potato had quietly ventured off into suburban forest littered with tall bleak trees and small puddles of water amidst the cold of night. Potato traversed to the north where she last saw the humans with their squirming sacks.
Everything was indeed going according to plan, " The operation save other potatoes and beat-up humans " but then the brushes rustled along with the branches of tall trees as another cold breeze ushered from the East. Potato's peaceful traverse had come to an end.
In an instant, hundreds of Giant mosquitos and flies swarmed high and low creating a chaotic scene, much like the humans back in the village, but the only difference is that they were slow, and this one...is overwhelmingly rapid.
But our courageous potato stood her ground and sprung her shield with a firm grip amidst the ravenous scene. Slow and quiet, our heroine proceeded with utmost caution. Behind the brushes lies a human with its eyes peered open.
But this human lack movement, it wasn't moving at all. Why is that? Potato wondered. There appears to be some kind of puddle covered in red, lots of it too. She inspected the scene as much as her little feet could lead her without ever dropping her guard. But her efforts ended bitterly when she came to a dead end.
" Hmm... No potatoes or sacks... I continue North. "
And so, our cautious little potato continued without ever dropping her guard until she reached the next part of her journey where no more rapid buzzings bothered her. But alas, her little feet reached an embossed willow tree where it meets a small stagnant puddle. A nice place to spend the night she thought.
At the foot of the willow tree lies dirt, moist at the surface yet wet underneath, good for making mud, and lastly, the soil at the foot of the willow tree is surrounded by water from the puddle, perfect protection over grubs, beetles, and crickets. Well, well, well, I see that our peculiar potato isn't only brave and bold, but also clever.
Potato dropped her bag of mud and shield next to the foot of the tree while she burrowed herself next to the roots of the tree.
Dawn came in a form of smoldering heat, moist soil, and something most...peculiarly unexpected.
Once Potato had unburrowed, a startling surprise made her almost jump off her skin. It was a yellow duck!...of all things, with an orange beak. It was about an inch or two taller than Potato, its round eyes were keenly fixed upon her while its right hand clutches a knife perfect for its size. She swiveled back grabbing her shield in the mix then falls to one knee all in a smooth succession.
Together they exchanged an unwavering look, both unmoving.
" Duck... " Potato murmured as it answered with a nod failing to reveal any signs of expression.
" I, Potato. Search for humans. " This time, the Duck didn't reply even with a nod, instead, it started walking East.
The bold potato was baffled and amused at the same time. She planned to make another warm mud for her current one grew stale, but under the circumstances, she was forced to leave her bag of mud behind for something abruptly important came to her liking.
Well, I guess our bold potato never heard of " Don't trust strangers " yet, or " Don't go following a bizarre duck while a knife is mysteriously stuck between its hands, especially when it doesn't speak!" *Sigh* potatoes nowadays am I right.
But nonetheless, our peculiar potato had found herself a new companion that's more likely to murder her... Looking on the bright side, Potato now has a knife clutching duck as a guide! Her journey continues as they traverse to the Eastern side of the forest where more and more puddles litter the scene, our weary heroine and oddball of a guide now encounter a small patch of running river straight to the East.
The small patch of river eventually became littered with stones in all shapes and sizes as the tall trees turned to be less dense, there were no brushes nor dirt path to be seen, only the stones accompanied by the running river with puddles lying here and there together with occasional thin tall trees.
Soon, the brave potato and her guide had found themselves standing upon a precipitous downhill as they loomed over the clearing which was filled with humans of all shapes and sizes. Potato was amazed by how distinctively different each of them was from the other.
Some appeared to be tall, others seemed normal, and a few were apparently short. Potato's eyes twinkled for a short while, she was mesmerized by the wooden structures that formed as their homes, the dark clouds of smoke that the humans conjured out of mere branches of wood with dead leaves, and the strange sound called music had captivated her most.
The duck pointed at the wooden fort with its knife and gestured something insidiously sinister with its knife and eyes.
" We?... Kill?... " The duck noded with the same expression smeared across its face then pointed at the fading light of the sun.
" We, kill...dusk! " Roared our little potato as quietly as she could.
The sun had set beyond the horizon of the forest until there was no more light to be seen. The moon on the other hand had just begun to reach its peak. Dusk had finally arrived, and as it did, two tiny silhouettes sprung across the open field after it rolled down the hill.
Yes, you read it right, our peculiar heroine was rolled down the hill by the duck, I assume that everything up to now is going perfectly as planned...
The two tiny silhouettes ran past the field and secretly entered the huge wooden wall with a help of a distinctive knife. The duck knifed its way through the wall while the potato dug her way through the otherside. Still according to plan I suppose?...
Together, they passed house after house to find the abducted potatoes. But potatoes were nowhere to be seen. Instead, they found something more...alarming, before discovering something prodigiously frightening.
Potato and Duck found themselves inside a butcher's disgusting abode. Our capable heroine had yet to deter her high hopes, she searched from top to bottom but once more came to a dead end. No squirming sacks nor potatoes to be seen, Potato might've thought. She gestured to search the last house that resides to the next one at the edge of the human fort.
" Duck...? " Potato whispered, Duck stood frozen with its back turned. A butcher's room was uncovered at the left door of the living room, adult ducks of various sizes hanged by their necks impaled by iron hooks, some laid long dead at the table, plenty was...beyond recognition as parts of their body were left exposed.
Potato saw Duck flooding in tears as its grip from the knife's handle tightened. Duck's brows were furious, his round eyes continue to burst into a cry, and a snot erupted from its nasal.
Sorrow had filled the room enough for our sympathetic heroine to bear portions of Duck's grief. She placed a hand on Duck's shoulders then motioned for an embrace as Duck did the same liberating every pain it felt for as much as it could.
But then, the ground rumbled as if a titan's stomach calls for a mighty feast. A harrowing of the wind calls somewhere to the East. A screeching bellow followed as cries of humans roared to the moon. Bells rang in discord with the deafening bellow and dreadful cries.
" DRAGOOOOOONNN!!!... " The humans yelled.
Our peculiar heroine and her griefing guide found themselves amidst an invasion of a great fire drake from the East. Duck bulged its round eyes as it clasped Potato's hand gesturing to run out of the fort. But she pulled back Duck and pointed at the last house where her abducted potatoes might be imprisoned.
For a moment their eyes locked, uncertain of whom's desire to follow, I guess things didn't exactly go as planned *Sigh* as if butchering humans weren't bad enough for our little queer adventurers, now a dragon!?
Will Potato ride her boldness to check the last house for her potatoes amidst the great fire drake's wrathful inferno? Will Duck be able to overcome such grief and convince Potato to safety? Or would they both die from the carnage that's been brought upon? ( Hopefully not ) Tune in next time to find out their judgment.