Do laptops always perform weaker than desktops even though they have the same specs? For example, here's the information of my brother's laptop (What I could get from dxdiag):

Fujitsu Lifebook NH751
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM CPU @ 2.20 GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM

Also a PDF link for more details:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://globalsp.ts.fujitsu.com/dmsp/Publications/public/ds-LIFEBOOK-NH751.pdf">http://globalsp.ts.fujitsu.com/dmsp/Pub ... -NH751.pdf</a><!-- m -->


And yet using it to play Skyrim on medium preset ends up with massive lagging to the point of becoming unplayable. Low preset does fine, but I'd like to experience better graphics.
Here is the page for the system requirements of Skyrim:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:System_Requirements">http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:System_Requirements</a><!-- m -->

Sorry for bothering, but I'm going to buy a new desktop soon, and I want to get it right without having my money going down the drain.

Yeah, it's the time of the year again, so Happy Chinese New Year!

This year is the year of the Snake. Ooh, Prudie will love this!

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://family-room.ew.com/2013/02/05/strawberry-shortcake-huckleberry-pie/">http://family-room.ew.com/2013/02/05/st ... berry-pie/</a><!-- m -->

Sounds legit, although I'm not exactly convinced at the series producers taking cues from, er, Justin Bieber. hock:

Quote:Final Chapter: Hope for Happy Future


The movie ended with massive applause from the viewers in the studio. I couldn't believe myself that our movie, made from mixing some points of our adventures in Oz, could receive such applause. Soon after, a girl came to me looking hesitated.

"Umm... Are you Guardian Blackberry and Guardian Almond?" she asked.

"Why, yes we are," Almond said. "May we help you?"

"Uhh... Please sign this!" she said, thrusting a notepad with pen.

"Sure! Why not?" Almond said, taking the notepad and pen, and signing it. "You too, bro!"

"Oh, alright," I said, taking both things from Almond and signing it. "Here you go."

"Thank you!" she said happily, and then she left. Just seconds later, the rest of the crowd swarmed each and every one of us asking for autograph. The autograph frenzy lasted for quite a while, and even after we were done with the crowd inside the studio, outside the theater there were more crowds doing the same. I was very overwhelmed, but there was no other good choice besides keep smiling and giving what they wanted. During the course of the swarm, Sour Grapes, who was right next to me, seemed a bit strange. She handled the crowd nicely like the others, but she seemed to be daydreaming as well. I wanted to ask about it, but with the noisy crowd around even screaming will be useless. Suddenly, she seemed very surprised. Her hands stopped signing, which confused the people around her. She then ran through the crowd in front of her, into the arms of a man only I and Almond knew: Somnus. They hugged each other warmly like a couple reunited after being separate for a long time. As this happened, the crowd went into silence and all autograph signing came into a halt as all eyes stared at the couple.

"You came for me..." Sour Grapes said.

"Yes, dear. I am here for you," Somnus said. "And I want to tell you this again."

"Oh... you mean..." Sour Grapes said as Somnus released his hug, kneeled on one knee, and presented a sparkling ring in a box. Sour Grapes covered her face from nose to chin with her hands, her eyes leaked a few tears.

"Sour Grapes," Somnus said. "I want someone to pass through life with me at her side, as her companion. Will you do the honor, to be my wife?"

There was a silence for a moment as Sour Grapes held her tears. She then reached her hand to the ring, held Somnus' hand with the other hand, and then she smiled.

"Yes... Yes! I will!" Sour Grapes said while half sobbing with tears of happiness. Somnus then put the ring into Sour Grapes' ring finger, and the couple hugged again, kissing each other's lips. The crowd around them cheered and applauded, while I looked away the moment I saw it. But I knew for sure that it was the beginning of her happy life.

Months had passed after the event, and winter had come, although not snowing yet. Sour Grapes had changed her name into Stella Grapes, and she lived with both her husband and her brother in a house not far from the theater, which was thriving well thanks to Strawberry's successful movie. Pie Man sold his pies at the theater, and Strawberryland girls happily supplied him with berries and cooking recipes to spice up his shop with variety. His shop was very successful, and everyone was happy to see him finally succeeding to fulfill his dream without damaging Strawberryland.

"Hey, Almond," I said while lying down lazily on the sofa in my living room.

"Yeah?" Almond replied while doing the same on another sofa.

"Is this what Pomegranate meant when she said that?" I asked.

"You mean when she said that Pie Man would finally succeeded?" he asked back, and I nodded. "Probably. Come to think of it, she only said that he finally succeeded, not succeeded in taking over Strawberryland."

"I still wonder, though," I said. "Judging from her looks, she was about the same age as Mango and Persimmons. She should be born pretty soon, but there's no sign of Pie Man going to marry someone."

"I think you missed something, bro," Almond said.

"Huh? What?" I asked.

"She never said how many years in the future she came from. You have been assuming that she was from seven years ahead because we had just come home from that future," Almond said.

"Come to think of it, you're probably right," I said. "I still wonder about Pie Man's wife, though."

"The Berry Princess, right?" Almond said.

"Yeah, I've never heard of a Berry Princess before Jackfruit Jam told me. I don't even know who Cranberry Crisp is," I said.

"Hey, let's visit him and try asking," Almond suggested.

"Well, why not? We have nothing else to do anyway," I said, getting up and taking my jacket, fur hat, and gloves.

So, we went to the movie theater where Pie Man opened his shop. Even though there was no snow yet, it was already cold outside so I wore my winter outfit. To save time, we went there riding Albatross. When we arrived there, it was still quite early so the shop was not open yet. We entered the shop anyway because we knew that Pie Man should be in the kitchen at the back by then. The door bell rang as we entered.

"Sorry! You came too early! We are not open yet!" Pie Man's voice was heard from the back.

"We're just visiting you!" I replied. Soon enough, he came out from the kitchen.

"Oh, hello there, boys. What brings you here? Perhaps the smell of my new recipe?" he said, grinning. "Another one from the girls actually."

"Well, it sure smells good," I said, sniffing the air a bit. "Be careful not to toast it."

"No worries. The oven has a timer," he said. "So, what brings you here, boys?"

"Well, we're just wondering..." I said, hesitating to continue.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We want to know when you will get married!" Almond said.

"Hey, don't ask right out of the bat like that!" I said, hitting Almond with my elbow.

"Hahaha! I like your style, boy!" Pie Man said. "Though I'm still afraid of you, by the way."

"Come on, I'm just like any other kids of Strawberryland," Almond said. "As long as you don't cause any threat to them, that is."

"Yeah yeah, I know," he said. "Anyway, I have no idea about that."

"Nobody in your mind yet?" I asked.

"No. I'd rather think about my pie shop than a woman," he said. "Why are you so interested in that, boys?"

"No, nothing. We're just wondering," I said, trying to avoid further discussion. From that point I started to regret coming to the shop. "Sorry for bothering. We're taking our leave now,"

"Not so fast, kid!" Pie Man said, he then went behind his cashier desk and crouched there. We couldn't see what he was doing.

"Eh, what? Are you going to confine me again?" I asked awkwardly, which was because somehow the line Pie Man had just said reminded me about the events where he had captured and confined me.

"Huh? No, of course not. Why should you think like that?" Pie Man asked, still hidden behind the cashier desk.

"It's your own fault, don't you remember?" Almond said with arms folded and slightly upset face. "Three times, almost four."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. Anyway, I want you to give this to Strawberry Shortcake," Pie Man said, standing up and putting a gift box on the desk. "I'll give you another of this later."

"Huh? What is this?" I asked.

"Let's just say that this is my apology for every harmful thing I have done," Pie Man said.

"I don't think you need to do that," I said. "And what's past is past. You don't have to give me anything too."

"Also, I don't think you owe any apology to her. Strawberry is just that forgiving," Almond said.

"But I still don't feel right if I don't do anything," Pie Man said.

"Well, I think it's better if you give it to her yourself," I said.

"I want to do that, but I cannot leave the shop," Pie Man said. "Ahh, alright. I'll close early today. But... could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm kinda... embarrassed," he said, looking away from me. "I need you two to accompany me."

"Alright, tell us the hour and we will be there," I said.

"Well, about two I think," Pie Man said while thinking.

"See you soon then," I said, and the two of us left the shop.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Almond asked. "It's still six hours before two."

"Well, how about going to a place you have never been there yet?" I said, taking Time Remote II from my pocket.

"Huh? What is that place?" he asked.

"The Land of Dreams," I said. The remote responded by creating a dimension door, and the two of us jumped in. We immediately came out right in front of PJ's cafe. Almond looked around and he seemed astonished.

"Wow, I have never seen this place! What is this place actually?" he asked.

"This is the place where dreams are made," I said, walking through the stairs to PJ's cafe.

"Dreams? What do you mean?" he asked, following me. Immediately, the front door of the cafe opened and PJ herself welcomed us.

"Welcome to PJ's! Table for two: Blackberry Bun and Almond Cookie," PJ said.

"It's been a long time! How are you?" I asked.

"I am as fine as ever!" PJ said. "Now please sit down and have your hot chocolate!"

"How did she know my name?" Almond whispered to me.

"I know many things, dear!" PJ said. "I also know that you are actually a soul fragment of a planet far, far away!"

"Well, that's right, but..." Almond said. "I'd rather be recognized as his brother."

"Don't worry, dear! You are what you want to be," PJ said as the two of us sat down. A glass of hot chocolate appeared right in front of me, probably because PJ knew that Almond didn't need to eat or drink anything.

"Bro, you haven't told me what this place actually is," Almond said.

"Just wait a minute. Someone else will come soon," I said.

"Who?" Almond asked.

"Well, it's still quite early in the morning, so it should be... Daisy Dawn," I said.

"You're wrong!" suddenly a fairy entered saying that. It was apparently Mary Midnight. "Also, Article 1C Paragraph 21. Exiled individuals who enters the Land of Dreams again are obliged to leave immediately."

"In addition, Paragraph 22. Refusal is not an option. Those who refuse will be forced to leave by all authorities of Dream Fairy Fields," another fairy, who apparently was Diana Dusk, entered.

"Fairies? And... exiled?" Almond asked, looking confused. There was a silence as the two fairies floated near my head with upset face and arms on their hip. The situation was quite awkward for me, but then both fairies hugged my face.

"It's been so long, Blackberry!" Mary said.

"We have been worried sick about you after you went into the black hole and never returned!" Diana said.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"In any case, you're now back, alive and well, and that's all that matters," Diana said.

"Where's Daisy?" I asked.

"It's her working hours now, and unfortunately there's nobody to take her place currently," Mary said.

"I see," I said. "Oh, by the way, let me introduce you two to Almond Cookie. My brother."

"Nice to meet you," Almond said.

"Nice to meet you too, Almond," Diana said. "However... what do you say, Mary? We have another outsider now."

"But looking at his origin, he can be within Deity category, right?" Mary said.

"Hey, I'm confused here," Almond said.

"I'll answer all your questions when we get back home," I said.

"Alright," Almond said.

"It's decided," Mary said. "Almond Cookie is of Deity category. Therefore, he is immune to our rules."

"Blackberry, like before, you're given until Strawberryland bed time for your visit," Diana said.

"I won't stay here for long. I only want to pass time until two, and also show Almond this place," I said.

"Ah, yes. I still don't know what this place actually is," Almond said.

"This is The Land of Dreams. A place where dreams are made, like I said before" I said.

"Yeah, I remember that," Almond said. "The thing is, I don't know what dreams are."

"Don't you dream when you sleep?" I asked.

"I don't know what it is. All I know is that whenever I fall asleep, poof! I'm already at the time I wake up, like skipping time," Almond said.

"Is it always like that?" I asked, and he nodded. I then looked at PJ, Mary, and Diana.

"Well," Mary said, thinking. "This is probably because he is not registered at the Dream Factory."

"It definitely is. The first time he came to this world, he was a sleepless spaceship. Even after having human body, he remained sleepless for a while. The automatic registration system missed him because of that," Diana said.

"Is there anything that can be done?" I asked.

"That's easy, dear," PJ said. "Take him to my brother, and he will take care of everything."

"Your brother? You mean... Sandman?" I asked.

"Why yes, haven't I told you? Or maybe I actually missed telling you? There are things I still can possibly miss, dear," PJ said.

"Let's just never mind that," I said. "So, Almond, do you want to dream?"

"Why not? I like trying something new," Almond said.

"I'll take you to the Dream Factory, Almond," Mary said.

"And I'll accompany you as your Dream Fairy, Blackberry," Diana said.

"I want to stay here now. Please both of you accompany Almond instead," I said.

"Alright if you say so," Diana said. "Let's go, Almond."

"Yeah," Almond said, and the three of them left PJ's cafe.

"So, what do you want to say, Dear?" PJ asked. "I believe you want to talk to me."

"That's right," I said. "I want to know more about... Somnus."

"Ah, my dear cousin. What do you want to know?" PJ asked.

"I just wonder, how did they meet?" I said. "I mean, an ordinary human, and someone from this land..."

"They have a long history, dear," PJ said. "All the way back to the time when she was still a little girl."

"That long?" I said.

"Both she and her brother had a troubled childhood, and my cousin felt that he couldn't just simply watch," PJ said. "On one occasion, he saved their lives from a life-threatening situation made by their own mother."

"That's just terrible," I said.

"You cannot expect any hospitality from anyone in Porcupine Peak, dear," PJ said.

"I really hope that island can finally find peace someday," I said.

"Even I am not certain about that, dear," PJ said. "I can see the future, but some kind of unknown power prevents me from seeing any future around the island."

"I feel that the island is much more than I have seen," I said.

"Indeed it is, dear!" PJ said. "And we are all the same as you, hoping that Porcupine Peak will eventually find peace."

"Blackberry!" suddenly someone said from behind me. I looked behind and saw that it was Daisy Dawn. Like the other fairies, she hugged my face. "I'm happy to see you again!"

"Me too, Daisy," I said. "And you came just at the right time. Could you bring me to Dream Factory?"

"Sure!" Daisy said.

Not much can be told after that. I went to Dream Factory, met the other fairies there along with Almond and Sandman, and then we spent time touring Land of Dreams until it was almost the time. With proper farewell, the two of us left the place and went straight to Strawberry's house. By coincidence, the two of us arrived at her house at the same time with Pie Man. The three of us then went to the front door and rang the doorbell. Soon, Strawberry came out.

"Oh, hi there, Blackberry, Almond, and Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "Please come in!"

All of us went into her guest room and sat on the sofa there. Within a minute, she came bringing drinks for all of us and after putting them on the table, she sat on a chair across us.

"What brings all of you here?" she asked. Me and Almond looked at Pie Man.

"Well, Strawberry Shortcake. I, am here, to give you this," Pie Man said timidly, putting his gift box on the table.

"Why, thank you berry much, Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "But why?"

"Well, I, it is, I mean..." Pie Man said timidly.

"Hmm?" Strawberry said, still with her usual smile.

"It's a gift of apology for all bad things I have done!" Pie Man said very fast, then he looked away.

"Well, Pie Man, I'm berry grateful for this, and I appreciate seeing you doing this berry much," Strawberry said. "But you don't need to go this far to apologize to me, and anyone else. Indeed the things you have done have been wrong, and I have been upset at times, but everything has become a past and now you have the pie shop you have been dreaming of without causing any bad things to Strawberryland! Everyone is happy, and that is all I want to see!"

"Well, I guess, thank you. That means a lot for me," Pie Man said. "Still, please accept this."

"Thank you berry much, Pie Man!" Strawberry said. "I'll get us something to eat, then!"

Strawberry then took the gift box and then she went to the kitchen. A minute later, the doorbell rang.

"I'm berry sorry, but could one of you please answer it for me?" Strawberry said from the kitchen. "I can't take my hands off right now."

"I'll get the door for you," Pie Man said, getting up and going to the door. He then opened it, and from the guest room the two of us could see that the new guest was a lady in gown whom we have never seen before. However, the color and style of her hair, and also her eye color, reminded me of Seaberry Delight.

"Excuse me, is Strawberry Shortcake here?" the lady asked.

"Uh.. yes.. this is her house," Pie Man said timidly. "And indeed she is here."

"Ah, let me introduce myself. My name is Cranberry Crisp," the lady said, which surprised me and Almond.

"P-Please come in," Pie Man said. As the two of them entered the house, both me and Almond went to Strawberry who was still in the kitchen.

"Who came, Blackberry?" she asked.

"Maybe it's better if you delay the food a bit," I said.

"Huh?" Strawberry asked. She then looked at Pie Man and Cranberry, who sat side by side on the sofa. Both of them looked timid and blushing. "Oh, I see. But who is that lady?"

"Strawberry, I need to say this to you," I said. "When destiny calls you, you must be strong. You will always have the support from everyone."

"What are you saying, Blackberry? You sound like my life is going to change forever," Strawberry said.

"You will know soon enough, Strawberry," I said. "We will just leave now. See you later."

After I said the line, both me and Almond immediately rushed out and left the place. After we were far enough, we slowed down to walking pace towards my house.

"Well, I guess we have the answer now," Almond said.

"Yeah," I said. "And this is also definitely the beginning of a drastic change in Strawberry's life."

"What do you feel about that, brother?" Almond asked.

"No matter what, I believe she will still be the Strawberry Shortcake we all know and love," I said. "I got a hunch, though, that someday she will carve a history on Strawberryland."

"Why? How do you know that?" Almond asked.

"I just know," I said. I then noticed that snow started falling. "Look, Almond."

"Ahh, snow," Almond said. "This is the first time I see snow in Strawberryland. As Almond I mean."

"I wonder how the land will become by tomorrow," I said, looking up.

At the next morning, the two of us woke up and realized that the entire land was covered in snow. As far as eyes could see, everything was white. After I had my breakfast, the two of us went out of my house to have a tour around snowy Strawberryland.

"Wow, the snow became this thick overnight," Almond said as I went down the ladder. "Wonderful."

"Everything looks so different and new," I said as we walked to where Arrowhead was parked.

"It's like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on," Almond said.

"Indeed, full of possibilities," I said, getting on Arrowhead.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Almond asked, sitting behind me.

"Let's go exploring!" I said, turning the engine on, and then we were off to explore the white Strawberryland, always hopeful for a good and happy future for all.


--The End--

Does anybody knows how to remove malware from our site? I awfully need some help. Not only exactly me, but also my brother...

Please inform me if you know!!!

'Tis such a sad loss for the music industry, as the lead vocalist for the Andrews Sisters passed away just recently:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://movies.yahoo.com/news/patty-andrews-andrews-sisters-dead-94-221121755.html">http://movies.yahoo.com/news/patty-andr ... 21755.html</a><!-- m -->

Quote:LOS ANGELES (AP) — Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the singing Andrews Sisters trio whose hits such as the rollicking "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and the poignant "I Can Dream, Can't I?" captured the home-front spirit of World War II, died Wednesday. She was 94.

Andrews died of natural causes at her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge, said family spokesman Alan Eichler in a statement.

Patty was the Andrews in the middle, the lead singer and chief clown, whose raucous jitterbugging delighted American servicemen abroad and audiences at home.

She could also deliver sentimental ballads like "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time" with a sincerity that caused hardened GIs far from home to weep.

"When I was a kid, I only had two records and one of them was the Andrews Sisters. They were remarkable. Their sound, so pure," said Bette Midler, who had a hit cover of "Bugle Boy" in 1973. "Everything they did for our nation was more than we could have asked for. This is the last of the trio, and I hope the trumpets ushering (Patty) into heaven with her sisters are playing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."

Quote:Chapter 19: Pirates of The Berryland - Beyond The Seven Seas


Once upon a time, somewhere in the ocean far, far away from land, a pirate captain and her crews were sailing with one thing in mind. They were sailing towards an island where a treasure they were searching for was hidden.

"Lands ahoy!" Orange Blossom, who were on top of the mast, shouted.

"Is that the island we've been looking for, Captain Strawberry?" Angel Cake asked.

"It berry much looks like it," Captain Strawberry said, observing the island with her spyglasses.

"Finally! We have sailed the seven seas for a very long time, and now we are going to reap our rewards!" Purple Pie Man said.

"Not so fast, Pie Man!" Sour Grapes said. "We have to find the treasure first!"

"According to the writings on this old map, the treasure is hidden inside a cave filled with traps, and guarded by The Guardian Brothers," Blueberry Muffin said.

"Challenges waiting ahead, mateys," Captain Strawberry said. "But I'm berry sure we can overcome everything if we work together!"

"Aye!" everyone else said together.

"Massive storm ahead!" Orange shouted. Indeed, all of the sudden the calm sea became a very stormy sea with heavy rain, wind, and thunders.

"Get down from there, Orange!" Captain Strawberry shouted. Orange immediately went down the mast, but halfway down she slipped and fell down screaming.

"I got you, matey!" Purple Pie Man said, catching her.

"Thanks!" Orange said.

"Brace yourselves, mateys! We're going to have a berry rough ride!" Captain Strawberry said while trying to steer the ship.

Later, the pirates found themselves on a coastline with their ship stranded and badly wrecked. The storm had disappeared right after their ship had hit the ground, as if its only purpose had been to lead them to the coastline.

"What just happened?" Angel asked.

"It looks like the Guardian Brothers knew we were coming," Blueberry said.

"What did you say? Those Guardian Brothers, they can control weather at their will?" Purple Pie Man asked. "We won't have any chance against such power!"

"Pie Man, have you actually read the writings on the map?" Sour Grapes said.

"Uhh, no," Purple Pie Man said, looking embarassed.

"The Guardian Brothers put tests and challenges to those who come seeking their treasure. The storm was one of them," Blueberry said.

"Eh? Doesn't that mean I was right?" Purple Pie Man said.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Sour Grapes said. "If the Guardian Brothers don't want anyone to take the treasure, we would have been sunk into the bottom of the ocean since the beginning!"

"That's right, mateys. The storm led the ship right into this coastline. They want to see if we have what it takes to get their treasure," Captain Strawberry said.

"But how we will get out of the island after we get the treasure? The ship is wrecked!" Pie Man said.

"We will question it later. Let's move," Captain Strawberry said.

"Yeah, the Guardian Brothers should not wait much longer," Angel said.

"Let's show them what we got!" Orange said.

The group then walked through a visible path into the island. Along the way, they could notice that the island was actually a beautiful one with a lot of trees and pretty landscape. The wildlife they saw so far were harmless and there was no danger at all.

"I honestly thought we would face a real challenge," Pie Man said.

"Keep your eyes open, Pie Man," Sour Grapes said. "We never know what tricks those Guardian Brothers have!"

"Ha! What can happen in this boring, harmless place?" Pie Man said.

After Pie Man said those, suddenly the weather changed. Heavy rain came pouring down with thunders and strong wind for just a few seconds. Then suddenly a number of plants grew around them in an instant, and once the flowers bloomed they let out deafening trumpet sounds. The pirates immediately ran away covering their ears, but they were chased by a group of butterflies which spread pollen on them. Soon, all of them felt itchy all over their body. Within seconds, heavy rain poured again for a few seconds, cleaning their body from the pollen. Right after that, the weather became sunny again.

"What... just... happened?" Orange asked, panting.

"Pie Man angered the Guardian Brothers, that's what!" Sour Grapes said. "Now you see what they can do?"

"Alright, alright. Sorry about that," Pie Man said. He then said in whispering voice to himself. "What a bunch of touchy guardians they are."

Immediately, a trumpet plant grew near Pie Man and let out its deafening sound near him. He was very surprised that he immediately jumped and ran.

"Come on, we must not make them wait!" he shouted while running away. The others laughed and then the trip continued.

Not too far later, the group met a dead end. The path ended at a cliff wall which was green with plant vines.

"Looks like a dead end," Blueberry said. "That's strange. According to the map there should be a cave entrance here."

"Let's look around for clues," Captain Strawberry said.

"Captain! Over here!" Angel Cake said from near the cliff wall. "There's an inscription on this stone."

Everyone went to Angel Cake and saw that there was a large stone with an inscription on it.

"When bathed in light, the door will open and show the path," Captain Strawberry said, reading the inscription.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pie Man asked.

"Use your head and think, will ya?" Sour Grapes said. "It's a clue. Now think!"

"Maybe the light means sunlight?" Captain Strawberry said.

"But captain, it is sunny now and the cliff is bathing in sunlight," Orange said.

"It's a bit cloudy, though. Maybe the light isn't strong enough," Angel said.

"Hmm, I think I know a way," Sour Grapes said.

"What is it, Sour Grapes?" Captain Strawberry said.

"Just a moment," Sour Grapes said, walking away a bit. She then took something from her pocket. It was a small mirror, which she then held up. The sunlight got reflected by the mirror towards the cliff wall, which immediately reacted. The vines on the cliff wall moved away from the reflected light, revealing a cave entrance.

"Berry nice job, Sour Grapes!" Captain Strawberry said. "Let's move, mateys!"

The group then entered the cave, which at the inside was very dark.

"I can't see a thing!" Orange asked.

"We need to light a torch, but we have none..." Captain Strawberry said. Immediately, they saw something bright coming to them. All of them were surprised that it was a floating fireball.

"Aaahh! A ghost!" Angel screamed. The fireball then floated around right above them. "Get away from me!"

"Calm down, Angel Cake. It doesn't look dangerous," Orange said.

"In fact, it is lighting the way for us," Blueberry said.

"Alright then, let's move!" Captain Strawberry said, and the group started walking with the fireball following right above their head.

"Are the Guardian Brothers helping us now?" Purple Pie Man asked.

"Stay cautious! And don't tempt them again!" Sour Grapes said.

"Yeah yeah, I know already," Pie Man said.

Soon, the group met a wooden door at the end. Captain Strawberry cautiously opened the door, and behind the door was a rather large room with another door at the other side. The floor of the room was made from stone tiles, and the room was illuminated by a larger fireball floating near the ceiling at the center of the room. The fireball which had been guiding them in the cave didn't follow them. Instead, it went away and disappeared.

"What is this room?" Orange said.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go to that door over there," Pie Man said, walking towards the other side. Suddenly a stone tile he stepped on shattered and he fell down into a deep hole below it. However, Captain Strawberry and Sour Grapes managed to grab his arms at the last second and pulled him back to safety.

"This is why I told you to stay cautious!" Sour Grapes said.

"This means, we have to figure out which tiles are safe to walk on," Blueberry said.

"Hey look! There's an inscription over there!" Orange said, pointing at the wall above the door on the other side. Indeed there was an inscription there, and it was large enough for the group to read from the other side of the room.

"Nature will show you the way..." Captain Strawberry said, reading the inscription. "Hmm..."

"I don't know what that means," Angel said.

"Sorry, I don't know this time," Sour Grapes said. "And my useless brother here is too shocked to think of anything."

As Sour Grapes had said, Pie Man was sitting on the ground and shivering, being shocked at the fact that he had just narrowly escaped demise. Captain Strawberry kept thinking for a moment, looking at the stone tiles. She then noticed something and smiled.

"I know!" she said.

"Did you figure it out?" Angel asked.

"Look closely between the stone tiles. Don't you see anything?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"I see nothing other than some weeds... Oh!" Orange said, realizing something.

"That's right, Orange Blossom!" Captain Strawberry said. "Tiles near the weeds are safe. Plants can only grow if there is ground beneath them! Let's move, mateys!"

"How long are you planning to sit there and keep pretending to be shocked? Move!" Sour Grapes said to Pie Man.

"All right, all right," Pie Man said, standing up. Soon, the group was at the door on the other side. Behind the door was another large room with its own floating fireball and a door on the other side. At the center of the room there were five pedestals standing on a circle stone platform in a circle formation, and on each pedestal there was a crystal of different colors floating. In clockwise order, the color of the crystals are green, red, brown, silver, and blue. Between pedestals close to each other there was an arrow mark pointing from one pedestal to the other, also in clockwise direction. In addition, there were also straight arrow marks from each pedestal to another pedestal two steps ahead. All together, the arrow marks form an image of a star inside a circle.

"We did it! That's the treasure!" Pie Man said, running to the pedestals. He then tried to take the crystal from a pedestal, but he couldn't grab the crystal. His hand were obstructed by an invisible barrier surrounding the pedestal.

"I don't think the crystals are the treasure, Pie Man," Captain Strawberry said.

"Then what are these?" Pie Man asked.

"Look at the next door here," Sour Grapes said. Pie Man then walked to the next door and saw that the door had five insertions of different colors, arranged in the same formation as the pedestals with the same arrow marks.

"It looks like we have to insert the crystals here to open the door," Orange said.

"But how are we gonna take the crystals from the pedestals?" Angel asked.

"I've searched for clues in this room, but I didn't find any," Blueberry said.

"I somehow feel that this looks familiar..." Captain Strawberry said, looking at the insertions and the circled star image.

"You too, Captain?" Blueberry asked.

"In any case, split up and examine each pedestal. Maybe you can figure something out," Captain Strawberry said.

"Aye, captain!" everyone else said, and they spread to each pedestal while Captain Strawberry stayed near the door, pondering on why there was something familiar with the insertions. The others examined the pedestals and tried to find out if there was any clue. They also tried a few physical methods such as a pushing, rubbing, or punching, but none worked.

"This is getting frustrating," Pie Man said. Out of frustration, he grabbed a nearby stone and threw it to the blue crystal he had been examining. The crystal's barrier deflected the stone, but then it shattered. "Hey, look!"

Everyone else immediately ran to Pie Man.

"What did you do?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"I just threw a stone at it," Pie Man said, taking the crystal.

Everyone else then tried throwing a stone at the other pedestals, but it didn't work the same way. Red and brown crystal didn't react at all, while the barrier of the silver crystal became solid and seemed more durable. As for the green crystal, the stone shattered when it hit the barrier. After a few minutes, the barrier of the silver crystal reverted back to normal condition.

"It seem each crystal has a different method to remove the barrier," Orange said.

"Figuring one out was already confusing. How are we gonna figure five out?" Angel cake said, being frustrated.

"Whatever. Let's just try everything with trial and error! Burn them, flush them with water, everything!" Pie Man said.

"That will probably take days! There should be a way to figure them out!" Sour Grapes said.

"Wait! Now I remember!" Captain Strawberry said. "It's the circle of five elements!"

"Oh yeah! That's it!" Blueberry said.

"What is that? I have no idea," Pie Man said.

"It's a philosophy of the Eastern land. There are five elements, and each element interacts with some others in a certain way," Captain Strawberry said.

"The elements are fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. A stone counts as earth, and earth defeats water. That's why throwing a stone at the blue crystal removes the barrier. The blue crystal represents water," Blueberry said.

"What about the others?" Angel asked.

"Earth is defeated by wood. That's why the stone shattered when it hit the green crystal, which represents wood," Captain Strawberry said.

"As for the silver barrier becoming solid, earth strengthens metal. The silver crystal represents metal," Blueberry said.

"So that means the brown crystal is earth and the red crystal is fire?" Orange asked.

"Alright, now tell us the weakness of the remaining crystals. Don't leave the rest of us in the dark," Sour Grapes said.

"Water defeats fire, fire defeats metal, metal defeats wood, and wood defeats earth," Blueberry said.

"Alright, leave earth to me," Pie Man said, approaching the brown crystal and kicking it with his wooden leg. As expected, the barrier disappeared and he took the crystal.

"I'll take the wood," Angel said, walking to the green crystal and removing the barrier with the head of her belt.

"I'll have the fire," Blueberry said, splashing the red crystal with water from her drinking bottle.

"Uhh, mateys!" Orange said while standing next to the silver crystal. "I have no fire. My matches are wet."

"What? How are we supposed to take this crystal now?" Pie Man asked.

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said, looking at the silver crystal and then at the ceiling. "Anybody got rope?"

"I have," Orange said, taking a long rope from her bag and giving it to Captain Strawberry. "For what, captain?"

"To get our fire," Captain Strawberry said, making a thick knot at one end of the rope. She then threw the knotted end towards the floating fireball at the ceiling. The knot touched the fireball and got burned. She then pulled the rope quickly and used the burned knot to remove the silver crystal barrier.

"Great job, captain!" Blueberry said.

"We all did a great job, because we worked together," Captain Strawberry said. The group then walked to the door and inserted all the crystals into the insertions. The door then let out a bright light.

"Congratulations, treasure seekers. You have passed my test," a voice said from the door.

"Does that mean we got the treasure?" Purple Pie Man asked.

"Silence! Hear the voice out!" Sour Grapes said.

"You have shown me that you all work together as a team, and I'm impressed. Behind this door you will find my brother, and he will test you like I did," the voice said. "If you can pass his tests, the treasure will be yours."

"Did you hear that? Just a little bit more and it's ours!" Pie Man said.

"Shut up and listen! He might have more to say!" Sour Grapes said.

"I must warn you. The tests my brother will give are unfair, or so it seems. Best of luck!" the voice said, and the door opened.

"Wait! What is your name?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"You will know soon," the voice answered while fading away.

"Did the voice say 'unfair'?" Orange asked.

"Does that mean we're gonna face an unfair test?" Angel asked.

"He also said, 'or so it seems'. I wonder what that means," Blueberry said.

"In any case, there's no use staying here. Let's move, mateys," Captain Strawberry said.

"Aye!" everyone else replied. Behind the door was a short cave passageway which led to another room about the same size as before. However, this time the walls on the left and right side were open like large windows, showing views to the outside. At the other side of the room, there was someone wearing robes like a shaman sitting on what seemed like a throne.

"Is that the other Guardian Brother?" Orange whispered to Blueberry.

"That is correct!" the person suddenly said. "I am Guardian Almond, and you are treasure seekers."

"Guardian Almond, what test should we do to get the treasure?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Straight to the point, eh? Mind you, I'm not as soft as my brother, Guardian Blackberry," Guardian Almond said.

"No matter how hard your test will be, we will get past it because we work together as a team!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Ha! Unfortunately, my test is made to deny that!" Guardian Almond said. "Only one person is allowed take the test! Choose wisely."

The group was surprised hearing what Guardian Almond had said. Then they all gathered to discuss what to do next.

"What should we do now? Who will take the test?" Sour Grapes asked.

"What will happen if the one taking it fails?" Pie Man asked. "Can another become a replacement and try again?"

"No! One try only!" Guardian Almond said loudly, still sitting on his throne.

"He sure has sharp ears," Angel said.

"Alright then, I'll go," Captain Strawberry said. "If something goes wrong, just leave me and run away."

"We won't leave you, captain!" Orange said. "We stick together as a team, no matter what!"

"Agreed!" everyone else said. Captain Strawberry smiled seeing the determination of her team. She then moved forward.

"I'll be the one taking your test," Captain Strawberry said.

"All right, let us begin. You see the two candles between us?" Guardian Almond said. Indeed there were two candles on the ground. One was much shorter than the other. "Pick one candle. I will pick the other one and we will lit it at the same time. If your candle is still burning after mine is off, you pass the test."

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said, thinking.

"It's logical to pick the long one, but it must not be that simple. The long one is probably rigged to burn out fast," Blueberry said.

"But it is possible to be a trap for us to think that way and pick the short one, and none of the candles are actually rigged," Sour Grapes said.

"Let's just believe in our captain," Orange said, and everyone else agreed.

"I'll pick the long one," Captain Strawberry said.

"Nice choice," Guardian Almond said. The long candle then floated to Captain Strawberry's hand. Guardian Almond then took a short candle which had been sitting on his throne's arm rest. "I have the short candle here as you can see. Let's begin right now."

Almond then shot fire from his finger to his candle, and then to Captain Strawberry's candle. Both candles began to burn, signing that the test has begun. Captain Strawberry stood still while holding the candle with one hand and covering the fire with the other hand from winds coming from both openings of the room. Suddenly, Captain Strawberry's candle burned very fiercely, consuming the candle very quickly.

"The long candle is rigged!" Angel said.

"Oh, you should have chosen the short one!" Sour Grapes said.

"No difference," Guardian Almond said. "Both candles are rigged like that. That's why I have my own candle here."

"What? You cheater!" Orange said.

"Say what you want. This is my test, and I choose the way I test treasure seekers," Guardian Almond said.

"Curse you!" Pie Man shouted.

Captain Strawberry didn't say anything. She looked at her burning candle, and then she smiled. She then put her candle to the ground and calmly walked towards Guardian Almond.

"If my candle burns like that, the wind will not put it off," Captain Strawberry said once she were close to Guardian Almond. She then blew Guardian Almond's candle, putting it off. Captain Strawberry's candle was still burning for the next ten seconds until it finally went off. The group cheered, knowing that their captain had won and passed the test. Guardian Almond smiled seeing what he had just seen.

"I'm honestly surprised that you found the answer to my test. All treasure seekers before you just threw the candle away and attaked me out of rage," Guardian Almond said. "Congratulations, you passed my test."

"So they made it huh, Almond?" suddenly another person dressed in shaman robes came from behind Guardian Almond's throne.

"Yeah, brother. After all these years, finally someone passed my test," Guardian Almond said.

"Are you the one who tested us before?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Yes, I am Guardian Blackberry," he replied.

"Are we getting the treasure now?" Pie Man asked, looking very excited.

"Actually, there is one more test," Guardian Almond said. "Come with us."

The group then followed both guardians into a cave passageway behind the throne. Soon, they arrived in another room. At the other side of the room there were two doors next to each other. There was also a large cage near the left door. After every people entered the room, the entrance suddenly closed by itself and was sealed tight.

"Behind the door on the right is a labirynth which leads to the exit of the cave," Guardian Almond said. "The labirynth will take at least three days to go through, probably more. Behind the other door is the treasure you seek and also the exit of this cave."

"Now you have to choose which door to open," Guardian Blackberry said.

"Opening the left door should be the logical action, right?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"That's right, but there is a catch," Guardian Almond said. "Opening the labirynth door doesn't cost anything, but if you want to open the treasure door, three of you must enter the cage."

"Once three persons enter the cage, it will be sealed with our magic. They will never get tired, thirsty, and hungry, but they will never get out of the cage forever," Guardian Blackberry said.

"Take your time and pick your choice," Guardian Almond said.

"What kind of choice is that?" Pie Man said. "We have no supplies. We won't last three more days!"

"I said, pick, your, choice," Guardian Almond said, emitting fire from his hands.

"What should we do, captain? Pie Man was right. We won't last three more days without supplies," Orange asked.

"That means only three of us getting out of here, or none at all," Blueberry said.

"I can't do that!" Angel said.

"Yeah, we have been through things together. We can't just throw it all away!" Sour Grapes said.

"Whatever you say, the choices are either only three of us, or we all perish together," Pie Man said.

"Hmm..." Captain Strawberry said. She then walked towards the two doors and looked at them. The doors were close to each other, the separating cave wall between the doors was maybe just about twenty inches, maybe even less. Yet what lied behind each door was so different.

"Captain!" Orange called. Captain Strawberry then walked back to them.

"We have discussed, and we have decided," Blueberry said.

"We will leave the final decision to you," Angel said.

"No matter what you choose, you will always be our captain and we will support you," Sour Grapes said.

"Yeah, I guess that's the decision," Pie Man said.

"Thank you, mateys. I'm really glad to have all of you with me," Captain Strawberry said. She then turned to the waiting Guardian Brothers. "I have made my decision."

"Speak your choice," Guardian Almond said.

"I want to open..." Captain Strawberry said. "The labirynth door."

"Are you sure with your decision? It's still not too late to change your mind," Guardian Blackberry said. "Remember, you have no supplies."

"I am berry sure!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Then, so be it," Guardian Almond said. He then waved his hand to the right door, and it opened, revealing a dark cave passageway. "Best of luck."

The group then walked into the labirynth door. Once everyone were behind the door, the door shut itself tight and Captain Strawberry stopped walking.

"Everyone, take out all our digging tools!" Captain Strawberry said.

"Huh? For what, captain?" Orange asked, taking her pickaxe which had been hanging on her belt. Captain Strawberry took hers from her belt and started hitting the left wall with it.

"What are you doing?" Pie Man asked. He then realized something. "Oh! I see!"

About one hour later, there was a large hole at the left wall of the cave passageway, large enough for a person to go through. The group had dug a hole from the labyrinth straight into the treasure room next to it. As the group entered through the hole, they noticed that the treasure room was as large as the previous test room, and at the other side of the room were two thrones with both Guardian Brothers sitting on them.

"Congratulations!" Guardian Almond said, slowly clapping his hands. "You have entered the treasure room in a way which is not supposed to exist!"

"Uh oh, he is mad," Orange said.

"Should we run away?" Angel asked.

"There's no use running away from him. Let's face it together," Captain Strawberry said.

"Smart move, captain," Guardian Almond said, standing up and approaching the group. "Do you know what you have just done?"

Nobody in the group said anything.

"Not only that you broke the wall of the room. You also broke the wall of common thought, and for that, I am impressed," Guardian Almond said as he got close to Captain Strawberry.

"What are you going to do to us?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"Only one thing," Guardian Almond said. "Giving you the treasure you seek."

"Are you serious?" Purple Pie Man asked, being very surprised.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Guardian Almond said. He then revealed a big treasure chest in the middle of the room. "Go there, captain. You have earned it."

"Not me, but we," Captain Strawberry said. "I would never get this far without them."

Captain Strawberry then opened the treasure chest. To her surprise, there was only a piece of stone tile with an inscription on it. She picked it up and read the inscription in front of her teammates.

"If you highly value your teammates and always work together with them to overcome any problem, you already have the greatest treasure of all," Captain Strawberry said.

"That's it?" Orange said.

"That's the treasure?" Angel asked.

"You gotta be kidding me! All those challenges and tests, and all we got is just a useless philosophy?!" Pie Man said.

"I don't think anybody is kidding, Pie Man," Sour Grapes said.

"But it is berry right, mateys," Captain Strawberry said. "We have gone through many things to get here, and from the beginning we always worked together and had fun together searching for the treasure. I value each and every one of you berry much, and I will never trade that for any kind of treasure."

"You are absolutely right, captain," Blueberry said.

"Of course!" Orange said.

"Together we can overcome any obstacle!" Angel said.

"I guess I can agree with you on that one," Pie Man said.

"He's still upset," Sour Grapes whispered, and the whole group laughed.

"Now that the treasure is found, we have served our purpose," Guardian Almond said.

"What are you going to do after this?" Captain Strawberry asked.

"We will soon fade away into eternal rest," Guardian Blackberry said, getting up from his throne. "And for that, we thank you."

"However, you all have come all the way here. It would be a shame to walk away empty handed," Guardian Almond said, doing a finger snap. The wall at one side of the room then opened, revealing a coastline outside. There was also a dock there, complete with a pirate ship ready to set sail. The ship was bigger and looked much more powerful than the ship the group previously had.

"Life is a journey where we keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths," Guardian Blackberry said, while walking and then standing next to Guardian Almond. "That ship is now yours. Go on and seek new adventures with your greatest treasure of all."

Right after Guardian Blackberry said that, Captain Strawberry suddenly hugged both him and Guardian Almond.

"Thank you berry much for everything," Captain Strawberry said.

"No. We thank you..." both Guardian Brothers said together, and then they faded away into light. There was a silence for about one minute as some of the group leaked tears.

"All right, mateys! Let's go!" Captain Strawberry said. "A new adventure awaits us!"

"Yeah!" The group shouted together, and they ran towards their new ship, ready for the next adventure.


-End of Chapter 19-

Quote:Chapter 18: Talk It Out


A week had passed since the day I, along with Almond and Strawberry, went into two storybooks using the new device I had made. The device had not been named that time, but later on that day I had decided to name the device as Book Diver. Speaking of Book Diver, the three of us actually had tried going into both storybooks once again at the next day. My predictions had turned out to be true. In both books the story had restarted and nobody had remembered us. In the second book, both Purple Palm Pie and my thief look-alike had not existed when we entered the book again. I had no explanation for their one time existence, and I saw no possible way it could have happened. Therefore, we had decided to keep the memories of them in our heart.

By the way, Strawberry actually had taken my idea seriously, and she really had written a story of both my look-alike and Purple Palm Pie. None of us knew the full name of my look-alike, so she made up the name Burglar Blackberry. In her story, Purple Palm Pie was the son of Professor Grapes whom she always left home alone because she was busy teaching Princess Rapunzel. One day, the two characters met by chance and eventually Purple Palm Pie convinced Burglar Blackberry to return the things he had stolen and live an honest life from then on. The End.

Of course the story is much longer than that. But this is my journal, so I have to tell my own story, don't you agree? Anyway, I will begin for real now.

Almond had been sleeping endlessly for the past three days. Turning back the time apparently had costed him more than just two weeks worth of soul power reserve. It also had disrupted the flow of energy supply from the Sun Stone to his human body. Because of that, he had fainted quite often while playing outside. Of course, it had made me worried sick about him so he had decided to hibernate until his soul power reserve is refilled. He also had convinced me that his hibernation would speed up his recovery, so I had allowed him to do it. However, I still had no idea how long he would stay asleep.

Without anything to do, I decided to visit Blueberry Muffin at her house. When I got there, I was a bit surprised to see that she was not alone. There were Strawberry, Orange, and Angel with her, and they seemed to be preparing a set of a TV studio, complete with costumes, lights, and camera.

"Hi, there," I said.

"Hello, Blackberry! It's berry nice to see you!" Strawberry said.

"Hi, Blackberry," Orange greeted. "Is Almond awake yet?"

"Not yet," I said. "By the way, what are you all doing here?"

"We're going to make a movie!" Strawberry said in excitement.

"Movie? Seriously? Why all of a sudden?" I asked. Then I learned from Strawberry about a closed down theater and their intention of reopening it by making a movie.

"I can be wrong, but I don't think we can save a theater with only one movie," I said.

"It never hurts to try, and we will never know the result if we don't try!" Strawberry said.

"Well, alright if you say so. Do you need help?" I asked.

"That will be berry appreciated, Blackberry!" Strawberry said.

"Alright, let me look around and see what you all have done so far," I said. I then walked towards the almost-finished set of a pirate ship.

"What do you say, Blackberry?" Angel asked.

"It's fine, but we're not going to make a movie with only this one set, right?" I said.

"Of course not! There will be more!" she said.

"Making other sets will take too much time and energy. I think I know what to do here," I said.

"That is gonna be great!" Angel said.

"I'll be back soon," I said, going back home. Not long later, I returned bringing a device which looked like a disco lamp along with a portable control panel.

"What is that, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"Something I made years ago," I said. Putting the control panel on the floor. "Its name is Scenery Creator."

"What does it do?" Blueberry asked.

"We're very curious!" Orange said.

"Give me a minute," I said, activating the 'disco lamp' and throwing it upwards. It then floated at the center of the room. I then sat in front of the control panel and activated it. "Listen, friends. Do not move from your position no matter what!"

"Huh? Oh, okay!" Strawberry said.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Orange asked.

"Alright if you say so," Blueberry said.

"Here goes!" I said, pressing a button on the control panel. Everything around us went static and blurry, and then suddenly we were on a beautiful coastline.

"Wow..." Strawberry said.

"What just happened?" Blueberry asked, looking around.

"Did you just teleport us?" Orange asked.

"This is amazing!" Angel said, starting to run towards the sea.

"No! Don't...!" I shouted, but it was too late. She suddenly crashed onto something hard.

"Ouch! What was that?" she asked, rubbing her nose. I then deactivated the device with the control panel, and we were instantly back to Blueberry's house.

"That's why I told you to stay put. We're actually still in this same room. Running around will cause what just happened to you," I said.

"You should have said that before!" she said, being very upset.

"Angel Cake, he told us to stay put," Strawberry said.

"He did not explain why we should stay put!" Angel said. "And what's the use of that thing if we cannot move around?!"

"Angel Cake, don't say it like that," Strawberry said.

"It's fine, Strawberry. She has a point," I said. "I guess I have to make a few adjustments to this device."

"You better do that or you will cause more accident," Angel said.

I was frankly a bit upset with Angel Cake's attitude. She could have said those with nicer way of speaking. I didn't want to repeat the averted history, though, so I just kept silent about it.

Later, the sky was getting dark and the weather was getting very windy. We have decided to call it a day and go home. I left Scenery Creator and my tools in Blueberry's house because I thought it was easier than bringing them back home.

"Be sure to close all your windows, Blueberry," I said at the front door. Everyone else were holding their hats because of the strong wind.

"Yeah, it's going to be stormy tonight," Angel said.

"It does look stormy," Blueberry said. "Don't worry. I'll do it right now."

"See you in the morning!" Strawberry said, and all of us went back home.

Later that night, I couldn't sleep. I just came to realize that it was the first time I left my device at someone else's house overnight. Would the device be okay? Had Blueberry remembered to close the windows? All my paranoia prevented me from getting any sleep at all. So, I decided to check on Blueberry's house. It was already over midnight and the weather was still very windy, so I decided to ride Arrowhead to go to Blueberry's house. When I arrived there, I was surprised seeing the window wide open. I immediately closed the window, although I knew I was too late.

"Ah well, I guess I'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow," I said before going back home.

At the next day, when all of us were back at Blueberry's house, we were horrified to see everything inside being a complete mess. What really surprised me was the fact that the window I had closed at midnight was wide open again.

"What happened here?" Angel asked, then she saw the window. "Oh, Blueberry! You didn't close the window!"

"But I did close them," Blueberry said. "Though I remember something..."

"What is it, Blueberry Muffin?" Strawberry asked.

"About midnight, a noise woke me up. I was curious, so I looked through the window in my room," she said.

"What kind of noise? Did you see anything?" Orange asked.

"It was an engine noise, and..." Blueberry said, looking at me. "I saw you, Blackberry."

Everybody was pretty surprised hearing that. I knew that I soon would become a victim of a misunderstanding.

"Is that really true, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked. "Were you really here last night?"

I was completely torn between denying and accepting. I didn't want to lie and deny, it was not a right thing to do. But accepting would put me in a really bad misunderstanding situation.

"I... Yeah... I was here," I said, deciding not to lie.

"Why did you do that?! That's just mean!" Angel said.

"I said I was here, not that I opened the window on purpose," I said, trying to hold myself from getting enraged.

"Would you explain to us, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"It's useless," I said. "Nobody will believe me."

"Of course we would! Why shouldn't we?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said with upset face and arms folded. "I did not open the window. That's all I want to say. If you don't believe me for that one, then I will just leave."

"Maybe we should just get back to work," Orange said.

"Right! We can't let something like this stop us!" Strawberry said. We all then went back to work. I was glad that I had managed to contain myself, but I still felt something burning in my chest, and it did not feel good at all. In any case, I was lucky that the storm did not cause any damage to Scenery Creator, so I didn't have much to do.

"We'll have things ready to go in no time flat! Maybe sooner!" Strawberry said once most of the mess were cleaned up.

"The costumes seem to be okay, just a little dusty," Blueberry said, clearing dust from her costumes.

"My work is done. I'm going out for now. Be back soon," I said, then I left the place. Outside, I just walked aimlessly with nothing in my mind. I still felt upset because of Angel Cake, and I had no idea where to vent it out. Without my knowing, I was already halfway home. I had nothing to do at home, so I turned around and went back to Blueberry's house. When I arrived and entered, everyone there were gathering near the costume rack and they looked at me.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Look at these messes," Orange said, showing the costume she held. It was too small for her, but maybe could fit Margalo. I then noticed that the others were also holding a messed up costume. Strawberry's pirate hat was half red and half blue. Angel's coat had an extra sleeve.

"How could this happen?" I asked.

"Well... I actually noticed something," Orange said. "I noticed at one moment that some costumes were missing from the rack, but I only thought that they were being cleaned. And then..."

"And then what?" I asked, hoping that I would not fall to another misunderstanding.

"When I looked again, I saw a hand putting these messed up costumes on the rack," she said.

"And at that time you were the only one not with us," Angel said. That was when I knew I would fall victim again. "Are you trying to ruin our movie?!"

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked with arms folded.

"I don't know, maybe you're mad because you don't get any role?" Angel said cynically.

"Say whatever you want," I said, walking away from them and getting out from the house again. Once outside, I put on Blind Spot and walked around the house. When I got close to an open window, I heard something, so I decided to stop and listen.

"We need to talk, Strawberry," a voice I recognized as Angel's said.

"About what, Angel Cake?" Strawberry asked.

"About him. Blackberry," Angel said. "He's definitely trying to ruin our movie."

"That's not a nice thing to say, Angel Cake," Strawberry said. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he doesn't get any role!" Angel said.

"He never asked for it, and if he really wants a role we can always give him one," Strawberry said.

"One more thing, Strawberry. He did not deny that he did all those. That's more than enough proof that he is not as nice as we have been believing," Angel said.

I did not hear anything more than that. I was already hurt badly by all I had heard, that I immediately left the place with major pain on my chest. After removing Blind Spot, I kept walking aimlessly without anything but grief in my mind. Without my knowing, I stumbled upon something very familiar. It was Purple Pie Man's carriage, parked at a pretty obscure place. I then examined the storage space at the back of the carriage, and I found pirate costumes which had probably been stolen from Blueberry's house. I also found a stack of paper which turned out to be the script for the movie. All things I had found were more than enough proof that our movie making had been being disrupted by Purple Pie Man. I was about to immediately return to Blueberry's house, but suddenly I was grabbed by none other than Purple Pie Man himself.

"Snooping little kid. Not so fast," Pie Man said, holding me.

"Why were you trying to ruin our movie?" I asked.

"There's no use talking about it," he said. "Sour Grapes, find me a rope!"

"Is confining me going to do any good for you?" I asked. "My friends will eventually know."

"Do you think I haven't heard everything there? They are no longer your friend. They believe that you're the one ruining their movie," he said. "And I didn't even try to frame you. You did it to yourself."

"I guess you're right," I said after sighing. Soon, Sour Grapes came bringing a rope. I knew that once again I would waste time being tied up by Pie Man. It had happened so many times that I was embarassed of myself for easily getting into this mess.

However, suddenly a very loud lightning strike occured. It surprised all of us so much that Pie Man released his grip and I fell down to the ground. I immediately stood up and realized what had happened.

"What was that? Lightning strike? How?! There is no cloud!" Pie Man said.

"Why should I know?" Sour Grapes said. Immediately, Albatross came and floated near us.

"What is that thing?" Pie Man asked.

"Remember when I said 'jet plane' the last time we met?" I asked back. "That's my jet plane. Albatross."

After I said that, the canopy opened and my dear brother Almond jumped out from it. He landed right in front of Pie Man, who was startled.

"Brother! I'm glad that you're okay!" Almond said, running past Pie Man towards me.

"Yeah, thanks for your help, Almond," I said as he hugged me.

"Hey, what happened here?" suddenly I heard Strawberry's voice. I looked and indeed Strawberry was there along with Angel Cake, Blueberry, and Orange.

"I don't know myself, but I know that Pie Man here captured my brother and I came just in time," Almond said.

"Hey, aren't those our costumes?" Blueberry said, noticing the costumes.

"And that looks like our script!" Angel said, noticing the papers.

"So you're the one who have been trying to ruin our movie!" Orange said.

"Why did you do all those, Pie Man?" Strawberry asked with slightly upset face.

"Well I... That is to say... What I mean is I..." Pie Man said in panic. "Oh, I don't wanna talk about it."

"No! Go on, tell them!" Sour Grapes said.

"Grr..." Pie Man grumbled.


Soon after, all of us were sitting on logs in a circle formation. Albatross had reverted into the necklace worn by Almond.

"So, Blackberry. Why didn't you say that you were not the one ruining our movie?" Strawberry asked.

"I just thought that talking it out was useless because nobody would believe me, and I didn't want to argue. So I thought I could just leave you all thinking that way while I look for the real culprit," I said.

"You didn't have to do that, Blackberry. You should have talked it out. We are friends, we will always believe you. Right, everyone?" Strawberry said.

"Absolutely," Blueberry said.

"Of course we do!" Orange said.

"Yeah, and... umm... Blackberry... I'm really sorry for all I have said. I should have never been so mean," Angel said.

"What's past is past," I said. "Anyway, I wonder how did you all got here."

"We were looking for you, Blackberry," Orange said.

"Although, we actually lost your track," Blueberry said.

"We found you thanks to Albatross. His lightning cannon noise was what led us here," Strawberry said.

"What did you say? Lightning cannon?" Pie Man said, probably realizing that he had been in grave danger back then.

"Only for the surprise," Almond said. "I don't want to harm anyone, unless someone has gone too far..." he continued, grinning towards Pie Man.

"Okay, Pie Man. Please tell us what happened," Strawberry said.

"I... I want to stop your movie because I want to use the old theater as a store to sell my pies," Pie Man said.

"Couldn't you sell pies at the theater if it was open?" Strawberry said.

"Ha! Now there's an idea, eh?" Sour Grapes said.

"Well, I suppose it would be a possibility. But the old theater is closed now so it hardly matters anymore, does it?" Pie Man said. As he talked I noticed his thin moustache moving and curving around, and it was a pretty funny sight.

"It will be open if we finish our movie," Strawberry said. "Pie Man, do you think you can help us?"

"Oooohh what fun that would be! Wouldn't it, Pie Man? Wouldn't it?!" Sour Grapes said, looking very excited.

"Well, guess we could help," Pie Man said. "A little."

So, our movie production continued with two new crews. We got so busy that hours and days passed without our knowing. The production went very smoothly without any meaningful obstruction, and finally we finished everything after 2 weeks. I didn't know what happened next because Strawberry was the one taking care of putting the movie into the theater. All I knew was that one week later all eight of us were at the premiere of the movie. Strawberry, Orange, Angel, Blueberry, Pie Man, and Sour Grapes came to the theater through the front door and the cheering crowds with their best formal clothes, while I who couldn't handle crowds and Almond who couldn't change outfit entered through the back door.

Soon enough, the seats of the studio were filled and the movie started...

--End of Chapter 18--

Quote:Chapter 17: Unexpected Meeting


We went out from Strawberry's storybook not long after parting with everyone in Brambleberry's house. I brought with me quite a number of Brambleberry treats which Brambleberry Fairy had given to us. The first thing I checked was the time because I needed to know how long had passed in the real world while we had been away in the storybook.

"Well, that's surprising," I said, looking at the clock on the living room wall.

"What is it?" Almond asked.

"Not even a minute has passed here," I replied.

"Are you sure, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked.

"Well, there's one way to know," I said. "Almond, please communicate with him and ask how long we have been away."

"I see. Okay," Almond said. He then closed his eyes for a brief moment, and opened them again.

"Well?" I said.

"He said that we came out of the portal just about ten seconds after we had entered," Almond said.

"How berry strange! We spent a lot of time there, right?" Strawberry said.

"Ten seconds... Hmm..." I said, thinking for a moment. "This is just an estimation, but it seems that one day in the storybook is one minute in the real world."

"That's interesting," Almond said.

"I don't know if it will be the same for a different storybook, though," I said. "Oh, Strawberrry, please take the storybook from the device and check if there's any change in the story."

"Alright," Strawberry said, taking the book from the device. She then opened the book and read it briefly. "Nope, the story here is still the same."

"Well, it's unfortunate, but if we enter the book again the story will probably restart and nobody will remember us," I said.

"Hey, it is how a storybook supposed to work!" Almond said. "After we finish reading one and then go back to page one, the story begins again without any change!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said. "Let's try the other storybook then."

"This one is more peaceful. There is no villain in this story," Strawberry said, taking the other storybook.

"Good for us," I said in low voice so only Almond could hear it.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Almond asked. Strawberry then put the storybook in the device. I activated it and it began to scan the storybook. However, suddenly the device let out black smokes right after the scan had finished.

"Something is wrong. I better turn it off," I said, but right before I could switch it off, electricity waves emerged from the device and created a dimension door. To make matters worse, the dimension door sucked all of us like a black hole.

We all fell down on an open field of grass. I immediately stood up, and so did the others.

"What just happened?" Strawberry asked.

"I honestly have no idea," I said, picking up my backpack which fortunately had been sucked in with us.

"Better make sure we can still go home," Almond said.

"Yeah," I said, taking the device's remote which I had been keeping in my pocket. I pressed a button and a dimension door appeared. "No problem here. We can go home anytime we want."

"That's a relief," Almond said as the dimension door vanished. "Let's enjoy this world then, now that we're here."

"Hey, look! Someone's coming!" I said, pointing to a direction. Indeed there were two persons walking towards us. It was a bit surprising that one of them looked like Sour Grapes, but it was even more surprising that the other person can be recognized as Purple Pie Man but younger, about Apple Dumplin's age.

"The lady is probably Professor Grapes, but I have never seen the boy with her in the book," Strawberry said.

"He sure looks like Pie Man," Almond commented.

The boy seemed to notice us, and then he talked to the lady while occasionally pointing at us. Once they were near us, they stopped and started a conversation.

"Good day. Do you know the way to the king's castle?" the lady asked.

"Umm, we are travellers from far away, so we have no idea. Sorry," I said.

"Oh dear," she said. "Better keep walking, then."

"May we walk with you?" Almond asked.

"I see no problem," she said, and we started walking. "Ah, where are my manners? I am Professor Grapes, and this is my son Purple Palm Pie."

"Uhh, hi there," the boy said timidly. "You can just call me..."

Professor Grapes interrupted by clearing her throat.

"Never mind," Purple Palm Pie said.

"My name is Blackberry Bun," I said.

"I'm his brother. My name is Almond Cookie," Almond said.

"I'm Strawberry Shortcake. It's berry nice to meet you, Purple Palm Pie and Professor Grapes!" Strawberry said.

"Why are you all here?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, we are travellers. We just happen to be here," I said.

"Oh, I see. My mother here was invited by the king and the queen to be the teacher for the princess," Purple Palm Pie said.

"That must be a very tough job. We wish you luck," I said.

"Thank you," Professor Grapes said.

"Hey, Strawberry," I whispered. "Is it written anywhere in the book that Professor Grapes has a child?"

"I am berry sure that it is never mentioned anywhere in the book," Strawberry whispered back.

"That's very strange," I whispered. "Probably the effect from the accident we had when we came to this world."

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Let's wait and see what happens next. If anything goes wrong we will immediately get out of this world," I whispered.

It didn't take long for us to find the castle because it was big enough we could see it from far away. When we arrived at the front gate, we stopped and a conversation started.

"Wait here, son," Professor Grapes said. "I'm the only one invited."

"Alright, mom," Purple Palm Pie said.

"Travellers, could you please accompany my son? This should not take long," Professor Grapes said.

"No problem," I said.

"Thank you," she said, and then she entered the castle.

"Is your mother a famous teacher, Purple Palm Pie?" I asked.

"You can just call me Pie Boy when my mother is not around," Purple Palm Pie said, which felt a bit awkward for me. "And yes, she's famous for being strict and a bit odd. And she has a very long list of references."

"Where are you from?" Almond asked.

"I don't know," he said.

"How come?" Strawberry asked.

"Mom's reputation made many kings invite her to be the teacher of their princesses. That's why she has been moving from one kingdom to another even before she had me," he said.

"Do you wish to have a permanent place to stay?" I asked.

"Yeah, kinda. All the travels are quite tiring, and having to say farewell to my friends every time mom moves..." he said.

"I see, that must be tough," Almond said.

Not too long later, Professor Grapes came out from the gate bringing a key and a scroll.

"Son, here is the key for the house the king provides for us this time, and here is the map for its location," she said, giving the key and the scroll to Purple Palm Pie.

"What about you, mom?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"I am going to pick up the princess and bring her to her study place. I will be home by nightfall," Professor Grapes replied. "Like before, I have memorized the location."

"Alright, mom," Purple Palm Pie said.

"Travellers, thank you for your patronage. I should not hold you any longer than this," Professor Grapes said.

"It was no problem," I said.

"Hey, where are you all going to sleep tonight?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, we haven't decided," I said.

"Mom, how about we invite them to stay at our house?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"I see no problem with it," Professor Grapes said. Purple Palm Pie then looked at us with delightful face.

"Well, I guess we will gladly accept," I said. "Thank you."

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said.

So, the three of us stayed in Professor Grapes' and her son's temporary house, which was a simple wooden house located at the edge of a forest behind the king's castle. During our stay, Purple Palm Pie asked a lot about us such as where we were from and places we had visited. We ended up telling him everything about Strawberryland and quite a number of places I and Strawberry had visited during our stay in Oz.

"Wow! All the places you have told me about are all amazing! As if they came out from a fairy tale!" Purple Palm Pie commented.

"They sure are pretty hard to believe, and I honestly didn't expect you to believe that we really have been there," I said.

"Why shouldn't I believe? The world is huge! No matter how much I have travelled, there must be many amazing places I have not even heard of!" Purple Palm Pie said.

"You're berry right, Pie Boy!" Strawberry said.

"But still, how far are those places from here?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well..." I said. "We were in those places years ago, and we have been travelling without map. So unfortunately we now only know that those places are very far from here."

"I see. That's unfortunate," Purple Palm Pie said.

Professor Grapes came home by nightfall as she had said, and during dinner we learned about the princess she had to teach this time. The princess' name was Rapunzel and she was a complete tomboy, which had made her parents worried that she would not become a proper princess. To remedy this problem, Professor Grapes had been invited to be the teacher of the princess so she will learn the right thing. For this purpose, a tower was provided to be used as the classroom and also the place where the princess would stay for the rest of her studies. The tower was unique in a way that the only entrance and exit was a window located near its peak, which was only accessible with a long ladder.

"I'm not sure, but putting her in a tower doesn't sound right..." I said.

"Yeah, kinda sounds like a prison to me," Almond said.

"You have a point, dear. But I have to do things necessary for achieving what I was hired for," Professor Grapes said.

"Well, I guess I'll just believe that you know what you are doing and wish you luck," I said.

"Thank you," she said. "Let us sleep now. It is already late."

"Good night," I said, and we all went to sleep.

At the next day, Professor Grapes was already gone by the time the three of us woke up. We found Purple Palm Pie in the living room, sitting on a chair and reading a book. He stopped reading when he noticed us coming.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Good morning, Pie Boy! Yes, we slept berry well! Right, everyone?" Strawberry said.

"I guess so," I said.

"Yeah," Almond said.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Purple Palm Pie asked.

"Well, this kingdom should have a town, right? Let's go there and walk around," I said.

"That's a berry good idea, Blackberry!" Strawberry said. Purple Palm Pie then took the map we had used the day before and opened it.

"According to this map, the nearest town is about 30 minute walk from this house," he said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Almond said in excitement.

"Right behind you," Purple Palm Pie said.

We then walked to the town of the kingdom. During the trip we told Purple Palm Pie more about us and he was excited to hear them. Later, as he had predicted, we arrived in town by 30 minutes. The town was about as technologically advanced as the towns in Oz, but of course only inhabited by humans without any magic present. After walking a bit, we ended up at the marketplace. The place was crowded with people shopping and trading, as expected from a marketplace. We didn't have any intention to buy anything so we just kept walking.

"It's him! He's the one!" suddenly we heard someone yelling. We looked at the source and saw a merchant pointing at us. Other citizens started looking at us immediately.

"Get him!" another merchant yelled, jumping from his stand and running towards us.

"RUN!" Almond said, and we immediately ran away from the place. The merchants, along with quite a number of citizens, chased us.

"What's the matter with them?" Purple Palm Pie asked while still running.

"I have no idea!" I said.

"Me neither! But the way they acted obviously meant nothing good for us!" Almond said.

"Hey, look!" Strawberry said, pointing forward. We then saw someone at an alleyway entrance signaling us to enter the alleyway. His face was concealed in hood. We knew that we would be caught if we kept running straight, so we entered the alleyway. The guy then led us into a small house and once we were inside, he opened a trapdoor leading to the basement of the house. All of us, including the guy, entered the basement. Not long after, we heard noises of people chasing us from the outside. Fortunately, the noises eventually faded. The guy then lit up a lantern to illuminate the dark basement. We then realized that he was as tall as us, although we still couldn't see his face.

"Thank you for saving us," I said.

"Yeah, thank you," Purple Palm Pie said. "Although I still have no idea why they chased us."

"It's because of me," the guy said, revealing his face. The rest of us were surprised because the man looked exactly like me.

"What? Two Blackberry?" Purple Palm Pie said.

"I see that we even share the same name," the guy said, looking at me.

"Wait! You said 'because of you'? Does that mean..." Almond said.

"Exactly," the guy said. "I'm a thief, and this is my hideout."

"You're a thief? That's not a right thing to do!" Strawberry said.

"Strawberry, we better let him be," I said.

"But..." Strawberry said.

"I know how you feel. But remember, Strawberry. This is not our place. We should not meddle with the affairs of people here," I said.

"Okay..." Strawberry said.

"Wait until nightfall, and you will be safe to get out of here," the guy said.

"Unfortunately, we have a problem here," Almond said. "His mother will be worried about him."

"And to make it worse, he was seen with me and he will be staying in this kingdom with his mother for a while unlike us," I said. "If someday he comes to this town again, I don't know what will happen."

"Hmm..." the guy said. "I have an idea for that."


About half an hour later, the marketplace of the town was already back to its usual activities. But the activities didn't last long because a merchant noticed the thief he knew walking at the edge of a much less crowded street carrying a large sack.

"Look! He's stealing something again! Get him!" the merchant said, jumping from his stand. The thief noticed people chasing him and he started to run fast. However, the sack he was carrying was too heavy. So, he dropped the sack and ran away really fast, quickly disappearing from sight.

"He got away again!" the merchant said.

"At least this time he didn't get to steal anything," a citizen said, crouching near the sack.

"I wonder what he was going to steal this time," another citizen said. "Let's open it."

The people then opened the sack and got surprised. Inside the sack was Purple Palm Pie, bound and gagged, and looking scared.

"What?! This time he kidnapped a boy?!" a citizen said.

"I've never seen you before. Who are you?" the merchant said, releasing the boy.

"Purple Palm Pie. Professor Grapes is my mother..." Purple Palm Pie said.

"Professor Grapes? Isn't she the new teacher of Princess Rapunzel?" a citizen said.

"I was walking around town and he said he would guide me around. But he..." Purple Palm Pie said right before he cried.

"Easy, boy. You're safe now. I'll take you home," the merchant said.


Meanwhile, back at the thief's hideout, he has returned and met the three of us who were still waiting in the basement.

"Mischief managed," he said to us, which was a relief.

"Thank you berry much!" Strawberry said.

"It's surprising that you were strong enough to carry him around," I said. "I definitely can't"

"He's not that heavy. You need to work out more," he said.

"But I wonder..." Almond said. "Why did you go this far to help us?"

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe because I just felt like helping a twin brother."

"Hey, I'm not..." I said before he interrupted.

"Of course I know that!" he said. "Anyway, as I said, wait here until nightfall and you will be safe to get out."

"We don't need to," I said, activating the remote of the device. A dimension door appeared at the corner of the room.

"Heh, you're more than meets the eye as I thought," he said. "Farewell."

"Farewell, and thank you," I said. All of us then jumped to the dimension door.

We ended up in my room, which was quite a mess because of what had happened. The clock in the room showed that only one minute had passed, proving that my estimation was right.

"Well, brother. He just told me that we have been away for only one minute," Almond said.

"The story in this book is still the same. Purple Palm Pie and the thief is never mentioned anywhere," Strawberry said, checking the storybook.

"This is sad, but probably they were somehow created by the mess that happened. We might never meet them again even if we enter the storybook again," I said.

"That's berry sad..." Strawberry said.

"Hey, they're still with us, right here!" Almond said, pointing at his chest.

"Our heart? You're right. We have good memories of them, and that's how they still live with us," I said.

"You're berry right, Almond!" Strawberry said.

"But hey, there's another way!" I said. "We can write stories about them ourselves!"

"That's a berry good idea, Blackberry! I can't wait to do that!" Strawberry said. "Thank you for all the adventures today, Blackberry!"

"Thank you for providing the storybooks too, Strawberry," I said.

"See you later!" Strawberry said, and then she went home.


--End of Chapter 17--