"Hi, Craig!" He said. "I have bad news for you: I told Laura about your mission, and she already told your parents and sister." Craig frowned upon hearing that. "They also want to speak to you once you settled somewhere."
"Alright." Said Craig, walking into the airport so he could leave.
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When Craig got out of the Billings Logan International Airport, he saw a hotel right across the street. It was 7 PM at night, and he needed dinner and a place to sleep. He walked over to the hotel, and when he entered the building, the innkeeper noticed something strange.
"Aren't you a little young to stay at a hotel unaccompanied?" He asked.
"Yes, I am." Said Craig. "I would like to sleep here for the night and, if I can, have dinner." Craig then reached into his sack and poured out some Patuxent River Gemstones, and the innkeeper was astonished.
"Where on Earth did you get this?" He asked.
"I can't say." Replied Craig. "It's private."
"Well, no matter!" Said the innkeeper. "At the North Keystone Hotel, the customer is always right! With these valuable gemstones, you will have yourself a luxurious room all to yourself, complimentary healthcare products complete with a brand-new toothbrush, maid service every six hours, and one full night of free Netflix!" Craig was astonished, himself.
"Wow!" He said. "That's awfully generous of you."
"Just don't expect it to happen again." Replied the innkeeper. "What would you like for dinner tonight?"
"Do you have apple, chestnut, and radish stew?" Craig asked.
"No," Said the innkeeper. "But I'll see what our chefs can cook up for you." He then handed Craig a key. "Your room number is B107. I hope you enjoy your night!"
"I will!" Said Craig, and he walked into the elevator to his room.
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At the same time, Wildernessa and Cheesesticks have arrived at the Edmonton International Airport in Canada. When the forest girl got out of the box, she found herself in the baggage claim area on a conveyor belt. She got herself and Cheesesticks out, but they didn't know where Nova was. Suddenly, Wildernessa heard two employees outside talking.
"Can you believe what the cat dragged in?" One employee asked.
"No!" Said the other employee. "I can't believe that a zoo is actually releasing an animal back in the wild! Where is it going, eh?"
"I think it's going to the Yukon Wildlife Reserve." Said the first employee. "That's a full day of driving." After eavesdropping on the two workers, Wildernessa and Cheesesticks snuck their way into the 'Employee's Only' room, where items were being shipped off or dropped off. A large pet crate with a 'live bear' sticker was on a forklift. They followed the forklift to a truck.
"Where is this going, eh?" Asked the truck driver.
"To the Yukon Wildlife Reserve." Answered the second employee.
"That's our stop!" Said Wildernessa. When no one was looking, Wildernessa and Cheesesticks went inside the back of the truck, where Nova was in his crate.
"We're going to get you home, big buddy." She told the bear. Soon, the man got back in the truck and started the long drive to Yukon.
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Back at the Keystone Hotel in Montana, Craig was having an apple-radish-chestnut stew with some chicken nuggets while watching Rhino Racers: The Movie on Netflix. Suddenly, his phone started ringing. Craig answered it, and it was his parents.
"Craig!" Said his mother. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am, mom." Said Craig, pausing his movie.
"Is it true that you released animals out of the Maryland Zoo?" She asked.
"Yes." Craig answered, and soon, his dad joined the conversation.
"You released animals out of the zoo?!" He asked. "That's illegal! We all thought you were going to Washington DC!"
"I know." Said Craig. "I was afraid that if I told you, you'd be crazy upset." Soon, Jessica, Craig's younger sister, joined the conversation.
"Why did you free animals from the zoo, Craig?" She asked.
"I have this friend who cares about animals and the environment." Answered Craig. "She used to hate humans, even though she's human herself. After beating up Jason and being banished from the Creek for four weeks, she enlisted me, Kelsey, and JP to free some animals back in their natural habitats worldwide. Because captive predators don't do well in the wild, me, Kelsey, and Wildernessa all went to different countries. Kelsey's going to an African country called Congo to release a leopard and okapi, Wildernessa's in Canada right now to release a bear, and I'm in Montana to release a badger and some prairie dogs."
"Craig, my sweet baby." Said Nicole, his mom. "If you care about the environment so badly, why don't you ask Grandma Jojo for advice? She works at the city council, you know."
"Alright." Answered Craig. "But I promise I'll be home some time tomorrow afternoon."
"And we'll explain your punishment when you get home." Said Duane, Craig's dad.
"Alright!" Said Craig. "Bye!" He hung up the phone and continued watching his movie.
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Meanwhile, the boat heading to Matadi was now off the coast of Morehead City, North Carolina. Kelsey had three vaccine shots, and had to take three more tomorrow. She was in her own bedroom with some of her favorite books borrowed from the ship's library, a birdcage for when Mortimer came, and a radio. Kelsey was texting JP to see what was up back in Herkleston.
Kelsey: Hi, JP! Our captain says that we're off the coast of North Carolina.
JP: Wow, that's far! I told your dad about what happened today.
Kelsey: What did he say?
JP: He said that he hopes you're okay. Also, Mortimer is now flying to Guyana, where you're heading.
Kelsey: I hope he makes it. I can't lose another Mortimer. JTLYK, the captain says that once the boat is 100 miles away from the Florida Keys, we have to refrain from using our cellphones.
JP: Okay! Good night!
JP: Good night, JP.
Kelsey then turned off her cellphone and started rereading one of the Dragonmancer books.
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After a series of events, Mortimer flew with a flock of blue jays to Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Once they reached their destination, the blue jays returned to the Myrtle Beach State Park in South Carolina. Since it was late out, Mortimer decided to find a birdhouse to sleep in for the night. Once he found a birdhouse in someone's backyard, the parakeet went inside and fell asleep.
Author's Notes: JTLYK is text lingo for just to let you know.
The hotel that Craig stays at in this chapter is named after the Keystone Motel from Steven Universe.
The movie that Craig is watching in this chapter, Rhino Racers: The Movie, is a reference to the Craig of the Creek episode 'Dog Decider'. In that episode, an indecisive Craig meets a group of kids called the Freddites. They are indecisive like Craig, so they rely on a dog named Fred to choose what to do. However, it causes Craig to rely too much on Fred, interfering with his friendships with Kelsey and JP. Craig later admits that he relies on Fred because one night with his family, it was Craig's turn to rent a movie from the BreadBox (a spoof of the Redbox). He had to choose between Rhino Racers: The Movie or Burning Justice.
Craig, thinking that Burning Justice would be an epic action movie, instead chose a boring movie about a man who sues another man for burning his tongue on a tamale.
In the end, Craig quits the Freddites and becomes friends with Kelsey and JP again.The apple-radish-chestnut stew that Craig eats in this chapter is a reference to the episode 'Dinner at the Creek'. In that episode, Craig is upset that Bernard has to cook dinner while their parents Duane and Nicole go to a concert, so he decides to escape to the Creek to make his own dinner with the help of his friends. However, it proved easier said than done.
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| Kelsey having trouble breaking an acorn. |
I was originally going to have an entire sub-plot about Mortimer getting lost at sea and finding his way back to Kelsey in Guyana, but I felt it would stretch the story longer than it needs to be.
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