Chapter 4: Chapter 004 – That’s Not a School Bus!

The sound of Micro’s bare feet splashing through puddles echoed endlessly down the twists and turns of the cave as he walked, following the pixie’s guidance whenever he came to a branch in the rocky corridors.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Micro asked the pixie doubtfully.

“Why do you ask?” She replied curiously.

“There are no signs anywhere…” He spoke politely, but was clearly concerned.
“Is this… are we not on a road…?”

The daunting realization brought him to a sudden stop.

He looked around at the cave, dimly lit by the blue light of the caged pixie.

“What are you talking about now?” She laughed.
“Do they not have caves and mountains in your world?”

The shock on his face only multiplied at her confirmation.

“I thought this was a tunnel…” He gasped.
“I can’t drive in caves… My tires…”

His shock evolved into panic as he once again fell to the ground grasping his head.

“I can’t do this anymore!” He cried.
“This is wrong! I’m not a bicycle, Blue. I need tires!”

He gestured to his bare feet in distress as the confused pixie tried to make sense of his dilemma.

“Listen, Micro.” She said while stifling her laughter.
“Listen, I know this is a lot to take in. How about this? Tell me more about your world. Who is the old man you mentioned earlier? Was he your master?”

Her soothing words did little to comfort him, but mention of the old man caught his attention.

“Who was he? Did he train you?” She asked again.

“He was my driver…” He lamented.
“He fueled me, drove me, fixed me… We travelled everywhere together…”

Blue wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, but the warmness in his eyes when he spoke of the old man made her smile.

“He sounds like a wonderful fellow.” Blue went on.
“How about you tell me more about him while we move, and we’ll see about getting you some tires or whatever as soon as we’re out of this mess?”

Her reasoning proved effective, and the boy seemed to be coming to terms with his situation.

“Thanks…” He smiled sadly as he picked up the cage.
“You’re a good passenger.”

They continued on down the cave, guided by Blue’s self proclaimed expert sense of direction, but Micro eventually grew tired from the long walk, and his feet were cut and bruised.

He came to rest in a large cavern by a pool of clear water. He placed the cage at the water's edge so Blue could scoop up tiny handfuls, which she did with great satisfaction. She didn't drink seem to drink any of it though.

“Aren’t you going to drink?” She asked the boy who seemed completely uninterested in the water.
"Humans still drink, don't they?"

“I don’t run on water.” He explained patiently.
“That would do terrible things to my engine.”

“I’m not sure what you drank in your world, but that body is obviously in need of water.” She argued.
“What’s an engine, anyway?”

“Like I said, I don’t run on water.” He laughed.
“After all, I’m a-”

He paused and looked down at his body.

“Oh…” He spoke mournfully.
“I don’t have a gas tank anymore…”

“Enough about gas, you silly child.” Blue chuckled.
“Just try some and you’ll see. If you can't take the energy out of the water, drinking it is the best you can do anyway.”

He hesitated for a while, but after some careful consideration, he did realize he felt thirsty. It was a new sensation, but when he looked at the water, he had to admit it was calling to him the same way an oil change would have in the past.

He knelt beside the pool and copied the pixie’s method of making a cup with her hand and placing it in the water to fill it. He looked down at the water in his hands, then brought it to his mouth.

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However, his first attempt ended with him coughing and spluttering as the pixie laughed.

“You look like you’ve never had a drink before!” She giggled and pointed at him.
“Come on, tilt your head back a little. Honestly, you’re too much.”

Enduring her laughter gracefully, he did as she described and was able to successfully transfer the water in his hands to his newly acquired stomach, a strange but satisfying feeling.

“That’s not bad.” He smiled, and returned his hands to the pool.

After taking a few more sips, feeling refreshed, he lowered his aching feet into the pool.

“Ah, that’s even better than a cool breeze through the grill…” He closed his eyes and smiled.

“Well, that’s because it’s not air… It’s water…” The pixie shrugged.

“Does this mean I’ll also need food?” Micro asked the pixie.

“I don't know, maybe.” She crossed her arms nonchalantly.
“You do already have a core, so you could probably get by on the energy of the world around you if you practiced…”

“And what is that?” Micro pointed at the surface of the water.

“What are you talking about-” Blue’s eyes widened.
“What is that?!”

A large pair of glowing eyes looked up at Micro from beneath his feet, deep in the water.

“Is that a pixie?” Micro asked curiously.

“No, that’s-”

Without warning, the pool of water erupted with a gigantic splash that swept Micro and the pixie violently back to the edge of the cavern. The pixie coughed and sputtered as the water slowly receded.

Micro rubbed a steadily bleeding gashed on his forehead, his eyes slightly crossed.

“Why is skin so soft…?” He complained.
“Humans have it rough.”

As he regained his senses, he realized that the pixies light was no longer illuminating the cave. In its place, an ominous glow was radiating out from the bright yellow scales of what could only be described as the biggest lizard he had ever seen.

“You come here to drink my water!” The giant yellow creature roared, exposing long sharp fangs that could easily puncture the tire of any vehicle, big or small.
“And then you put your dirty feet in it?!”

Micro stood up and walked over to the cage holding the panicking pixie and picked it up carefully.

“You should really be wearing a seatbelt.” He spoke with concern..

“Don’t worry about my belt right now!” Blue screamed at the top of her little voice.
“That’s a Yellow Dragon!”

“Not a school bus?” Micro looked back at the creature, whose long body was writhing in anger.

With the cage in hand, he walked back to the edge of the pool and looked up at the great beast.

“Human child…” The dragon grumbled through its teeth.
“I sense no fear in you…”

Though its eyes were wide with anger, the dragon was intrigued by the lax demeanor of the boy standing before him.

“I’ve never had a problem with a school bus in the past.” Micro smiled.
“I’ve never talked to one before though.”

 

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