My Book's First Chapter

Prologue

          “We should be arriving shortly to the underwater world of Celestia,” said expedition leader Thurston Plunkett, “so start getting the landing gears ready.” “Aye-aye, Captain,” said Plunkett’s right hand man, Captain Sylvester Fogg.

          Captain Fogg went down to the engine room to discover a huge surprise. Edith Benchley, the expedition’s leading engineer, was hard at work fixing the landing gears. “Edith,” said Fogg, “what on earth are you doing?” “Captain Fogg!” Edith exclaimed, “The landing gears are broken, I’m trying to fix them now. How long until we land in Celestia, do you know?” “I don’t know,” Captain Fogg said, full of despair and disbelief. If the landing gears have gone down this close to Celestia, Fogg thought, there must be a horrible danger or problem waiting once we land.

          Just then one of the expedition’s golems, Gearwise, came down the ramp into the engine room. “Captain Fogg,” the golem said, “some of the other golems are going bonkers, and I can’t stop them!” Gearwise said. “What?!” exclaimed Plunkett from upstairs. Fogg went running up the ramp from the engine room.

          “Fogg!” Plunkett shouted, “Send out a distress call and send it quick, I no longer have control over the blimp!” “Right away, Sir!” Fogg said and was gone.

          “Mayday! Mayday! This Thurston Plunkett of the Spiral Geographic Society! We are under attack! The ship is going down! The Umbra Queen has returned! It is the work of Mor-” was all Plunkett was able to say before the airship’s communications went down and the blimp started to descend. “Attention crew,” said Plunkett over the loudspeaker, “this is Captain Thurston Plunkett speaking. The airship won’t be able to stay in the air for much longer so I want all of you to come to the main bridge and avoid the engine rooms. That is all, and see you all up on the bridge soon.”

          Soon, all the crew was working their way out of the wreckage of the airship. Plunkett’s idea of going to the main bridge has saved the lives of the crew, but cost them the whole communications system, except what Fogg had been able to salvage. “This was all I could find that still worked,” Fogg said, “I’m terribly sorry, Captain.”

          But Fogg looked up to find no one was looking at him, but at strange creatures that had arrived at the scene of the crash. “Fogg!” shouted Captain Plunkett, “what are these creatures that have arrived?” “I believe,” said Captain Fogg, looking over his glasses, “that the guidebook calls them ‘Water-Moles’, whatever that means.” One of the water moles wearing a mask came up and pointed his staff at Plunkett, “I Tupa- Taua, Water- mole warrior, who are you to invade water-mole village?” “Do you suppose they speak English?” Plunkett asked Fogg. “What English?” Tupa Taua demanded of the Marleybonians. “I don’t think so,” Capt. Fogg replied. “Seize them!” the water mole warrior shouted. “Let me take care of this,” Capt. Fogg said. He stepped forward.

          “No seize!” Fogg shouted. Instantly, as if they had hit a wall made of metal, the oncoming water moles stopped. Tupa Taua eyed Capt. Fogg wearily. “You show signs of promise,” he said in his water mole way, “welcome. Enter village.” The crew followed the tribe of water moles to a village some distance away. Only when the Marleybonians got there, did Capt. Plunkett notice that Capt. Fogg and several other members of the crew were missing. They had somehow gotten lost in the jungle. When Plunkett looked back everybody was gone. Then everything went black and his hope of rescue was lost. But, unknown to Plunkett, his distress call had been received by people in Wizard City.