As the minutes began to tick away to the opening time of the mall. All the Arcadians were chatting amongst themselves! Rumor has it the toys of Mr. Wonder’s Toystore have secured the first Spark of Wonder….they were all arguing amongst themselves about what they should do next.
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Shouted Rapid the Porcupine as he crossed his arms and impatiently tapped his feet.
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Retorted Ultra Marco as he jumped up right into the air.
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Snack-Man roared as his mouth opened and closed with an audible sound cue!
All the Arcadians surrounding them started cheering at the idea of just storming the place….But the three TVs began to turn on in the center of the store. Each TV switched on to the iconic three colors. The logos for each respective console flashed on their screens.
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“SILENCE!” The three angrily shouted in unison. All of the Arcadians quieted down.
“It appears that this threat isn’t just some passing glitch…this toy might even become a full-on game crashing bug…We cannot let it ruin our E for Everyone ratings!” The Retendo shift inquired as its controller’s thumbsticks turned in a thinking motion.
“Agreed…perhaps it is time to dispatch one of our arcadian brethren with New and Improved HD Graphics and new and improved haptic feedback. I have many Arcadians with many wonderful stories to tell….” Said the RecStation V. Its Rectangle, Oval, Trapezoid, and plus buttons push themselves in a circular pattern.
“Or perhaps…we could just employ our newest recruit?” ZCube inquired.
Recstation and Shift pondered the suggestion….and if they had mouths. They would be smiling wickedly at the idea….
“He is Multi-Platform…and could easily smash this toy before he could become a true threat….” Redtendo Shift muttered as they weighed the pros and cons of the idea.
“But if he decides to revolt…what do we do then?” Recstation V pondered.
“If he truly wishes to stay in our good graces…he would be wise to not cross us…and do what the inputs tell him to do….” Shift warned.
After a few more seconds of deciding…they finally gave the conclusion. Their newest member will watch and wait, and when the time is right…. Dispose of the one they call…Handyman Hank.
“POWER FROM OUR PLAYERS!” Chanted the three consoles. The Arcadians surrounding them began to repeat the chant.
“POWER FROM OUR PLAYERS!”
“POWER FROM OUR PLAYERS!”
“POWER FROM OUR PLAY-”
They all immediately scatter back inside the TVs from once they came from and all three consoles immediately shut down as they heard Amalgam Electronics's store Manager unlock the shutters and the front door. It was opening day once again.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
It was another morning for Mr. Wonder as he drove into the parking lot of the Mall. Another day, another day of smiles to bring to many children….He just wished he could open at a later hour, he could not wake up as easily as he used to.
He parked his Classic Buick in his designated parking spot. He grabbed his cup of coffee and his strawberry-filling doughnut and walked inside the mall. The security guard greeted him at the door.
“Mornin’ Thomas.” The security guard yawned as he tipped his hat and held the door open for Mr. Wonder.
“A good mornin’ to you Chuck.” Mr. Wonder replied as he raised his Coffee cup in greeting. But as soon as Mr. Wonder was out of sight from Chuck. He rolled his eyes, every store owner in the mall knows Chuck sleeps on the job and he still gets a paycheck for it.
As he walked towards his Toy Store. He said good morning to a few more workers and patrons of the Mall’s economy. Each of them gets ready to open for the day.
Darcy, the young college student who works at the Jumbo Juice. He wouldn’t get past the holiday shopping rushes without a Strawberry Banana Smoothie on occasion.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhao, Co-Owners and workers of the InfinityG Smartphone store. He still needs to finish that Chess game with Mr. Zhao on his break today. The score was still Twenty-two for Mr. Wonder and Twenty-five for Mr. Zhao.
Megan, owner of the White Lotus Boutique a few stores down from his Toy Store. He knows for a fact her business is gonna pick up in a few short weeks because if he recalls correctly, Homecoming season is coming up soon.
But right before he walked into his store, he once again walked past the display setup for the X-Station Unlimited and looked at the digital countdown clock.
5 Days
23 Hours
45 Minutes
33 Seconds
He took a deep sigh through his nose in annoyance at how agonizingly grand this countdown was. He still remembered when Amalgam Electronics was still Amalgam Arcade back in the 80’s. Seems like his old friend forgot one thing when they both started to become entrepreneurs.
He forgot to stay humble, and now the rest of the Mall’s economy is starting to pay for it. Nobody in the Mall knows how this console’s launch is gonna affect the mall’s economy. But one thing they all agree on, it’s not gonna be good. Especially for him because so many kids are switching to video games.
Mr. Wonder then set his coffee down for a moment to lift the shudders to his toy store. He picks up his coffee and sips the last lukewarm gulp of it. Before he could toss the empty coffee cup in the garbage…he noticed something different in the room. He quickly scanned the main sales room. The old store owner quickly walked through each aisle and checked every section of the toys. He couldn’t help but feel that there was something out of place……He’s been feeling that a lot more in his Golden Years. But he couldn’t put his finger on it… No money is ever missing or any toys out of place…He then looks at Handyman Hank in his display and realizes something is out of place!
He picks up Handyman Hank and inspects him……He was still in the same heroic pose he adjusted him into last night….But then realized what was wrong!
Mr. Wonder quickly adjusted Hank’s hard hat back in the correct position and placed him back on the display shelf. As he finished the last bit of his doughnut, he switched the Closed sign to Open.
……………………………………………
As the hours ticked away for Handyman Hank. He remained perfectly still, unmoving and unblinking. He saw everything. It was like he was looking at an entirely different world, the quiet of the mall corridors was now replaced by the constant chatter of people from all ages and the quiet, distant sound of music from the radio being played over the PA system. Occasionally the music would get interrupted by a womanly sounding voice announcing a big sale happening at a certain store or a missing child being found.
He saw the elderly taking a normal stroll through the mall, to adult men and women carrying shopping bags from various stores. A few logos on the bags he recognized by seeing them when meeting the Founder with Dorothy yesterday. But there were still many he still didn’t recognize. Like ‘Cold Subject’ or ‘Eternally 25’.
Then in the late afternoon, he saw teenagers being the rambunctious sort. They mostly walked past him without noticing. Some were too busy talking with their friends or romantic interests, or their eyes were hyper-fixated on their smartphones in front of them. He even saw one teenager walk directly into one of the pillars of the mall itself. He’d wince if he could move.
But a few hours until closing time, he had one encounter with two people. A Father and a Son. The Father pointed at Handyman Hank through the glass and the kid looked interested in what he had to say…..unfortunately he couldn’t hear what they were saying because he was behind thick glass. But judging by the father's face…he was excited to see him, and even more excited to share it with his son. But then, Handyman saw something appear over his head….it was Mr. Wonder taping a piece of paper to the glass of the display window…..He couldn’t make out what it said. But he can barely see the lettering on the other side of the paper.
‘!htnom siht ht51 eht no elbaliavA’
Both father and son looked disappointed after reading the paper sign….and walked off. But the look of excitement from the father stuck with him. As if he had seen him before….maybe Greenbolt was right? Maybe his origin does come from a cartoon series of some kind? He couldn't wait to tell Dorothy about this new clue…..come to think of it…Where did Dorothy go when it was time to open again? She didn’t go back up onto the shelves of Wonder City…nor did she leave the toy shop. He would just have to see for himself when it’s closing time again.
…………..
After the clock finally struck 10 PM, the patrons began to leave the now-closing Mall. The Janitors were riding across their floor buffers and sweeping any debris. One of them he recognized as the very same floor buffer the Cryptid Critters hijacked last night. Then the Security Guards began to do one final sweep before they punched out for the night. Then finally all the lights dimmed down. Before turning on again…..
Handyman Hank finally decides to move again and take a closer look. He touched the storefront window as he looked to his left, then his right. Greenbolt and Dolly both told him it was the Storefront Toy’s duty to give everyone the all-clear…so…
“A-….all clear!” He meekly shouted.
No toys began to move.
He cleared his throat and shouted again with a little more power.
“ALL CLEAR!”
All the toys began to move once again and began to go about their day. Some gave a good stretch as they had been standing for 12 long hours, while others spread the word of Handyman Hank’s all-clear.
Before he went to see Dolly Dorothy, He had to see if that catalog was still there. He jumped down from the storefront shelf and ran towards the backroom door. The Doughboy Jack soldiers quickly gave him a salute and opened the door for him.
As he ran to the other end of the room, he then realized that the rat king’s whole beanbag body was missing….only a few foam beans were left and clung to the floor via static where his body once was the night before. Could the Rat King have survived the fatal and admittedly brutal wound from Dolly Dorothy? Did he escape somewhere and was now getting stronger to later come back for revenge?!
Hank then looks and sees some of the Doughboy Jack Soldiers patrolling the area. He ran to the one leading the patrol and asked in a panic tone. “What happened to the Rat King?!”
The patrol leader told his platoon to TEN HUT, and said “Private Hank! The Rat King’s carcass was swept up and promptly discarded by Mr. Wonder around 0700 hours!” He points to the garbage bin by one of the shelves near the wall…the Rat King’s tail is sticking out. “Mr. Wonder was exceptionally confused about why the Rat King was cut open and in the middle of the floor! But he just chalked it up as actual rats!” The Patrol leader concluded.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Oh….Thanks.” Handyman Hank mumbled as he breathed a sigh of relief. The Patrol Leader moved out and resumed his patrols with his platoon mates. Handy Hank quickly ran to the desk and jumped back onto the top…..But the catalog was nowhere to be seen, the only thing there on that desk were piles of receipts that needed to be filed away...He sighed in disappointment.
“HA! Get a load of this boys! Builder Boy here thought he could learn his story by reading a catalog!” A familiar voice boasted.
Hank looked down at one of the shelves, specifically one of the shelves that was lined end to end with metal frame baskets. He jumps down and walks to the source of that voice and peers into one of the darkness…..and sees three familiar eyes, but then giant palms try to grab onto him from the darkness! Hank was quick on his feet and backed away!
“If it ain’t Builder Boy! Come to see your old friends in the slammer huh?” Gigafoot asked. Handy Hank noticed he was still missing his arm after Dolly Dorothy blew it off.
“What? Here for the other one!?” He asked, outraged.
“‘No! I’m here to find out my story! Now, where does Mr. Wonder keep all the catalogs?!” He demanded.
“Psh. Like we’d tell you after you did all that uncool shit to us?” Jersey Dave answered as his tiny clawed fingers held onto the bars of the metal basket.
“Not that it matters….Those catalogs only tell you the bare minimum anyway…the only thing they give you is a suggested price….I remember Mr. Wonder murmuring something though ... .You're a little more on the expensive side…” Mothdude Ranted in a mocking tone. “A solid thirty big ones in adult money!” He added.
“Good luck getting a kid with that price tag on ya head!” Gigafoot Concluded!.
Handy Hank grew frustrated with the Cryptid Trio’s jabs at his predicament. He made the mature choice and turned around and walked away….but the leather of his gloves tightened with his grip in anger as he walked away. But not before adding one last thing.
“Greebolt himself became Charity Trash! So did Dearie Dorothy! And it’s gonna happen to you too eventually! We’re all gonna be charity trash! I hope you’ll join us pretty soon!” Jersey Dave warned as he let out a hardy and venom-filled laugh.
As Handyman Hank exited the Storeroom. He began to walk directly under the hole in the ceiling tiles where Dolly Dorothy disappeared. He pondered to himself….how is he gonna get up there?
As he continued to ponder….a long string of yarn began to fall from the hole. He looks up and sees Dolly Dorothy signaling him to climb up. He was quick to understand and grabbed hold of the yarn string….he was then pulled up at a quick but steady pace, and soon he was right inside the ceiling tile hole.
Handyman Hank quickly scanned the inside of this new area and looked around. The floor..or…opposite end of the ceiling was completely covered in dust, except for a few specific areas that had been carefully dusted….but he could make out strange shapes in the dark.
But the darkness Hank was viewing was quickly replaced by very bright lights by a series of LED light strips adorned across the insulation above them. He was quick to cover his eyes due to all the sudden brightness. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the new brightness, he saw Dolly Dorothy in a new outfit. Instead of her cyan-looking pantsuit from yesterday, she was now wearing a black turtleneck sweater and white bell-bottom jeans, an artful rose pattern going on the bottom of the left side of the leg. Her left foot was on the switch that controlled the lights.
Hank had to admit….despite all the marker marks and her warped arm, she had serious style.
“Go on, make yourself at home.” She commented as she walked towards one of the more furnished parts of this new place. Now that Hank has a better-luminated look, he sees a ton of plastic furniture that looks like it was broken and glued back together. Considering how all these items are organized he could tell there was some kind of theme with each area.
An assortment of items covered with old sheets and blankets.
A Pencil sharpener, presumably to sharpen the colored pencils she uses for spears.
A Living Room area
A Kitchen
A Dress Rack that featured over 10 different outfits, each one having different themes or occasions.
Even a Dining Room Area, but sitting in the chairs of this dining room were three different hastily drawn cutouts of three different characters. A girl with long smooth hair, a mean-looking girl with her tongue out, presumably blowing a raspberry, and finally a guy with perfect hair and an inviting smile….
“Is….Is everything alright?” Hank asked as he examined the three cutouts.
Dorothy quickly collected all three of the cutouts and hastily rolled them up into a single roll!
“That was nothing! You saw nothing! What do you want anyways!?” She demanded going on the conversational offensive.
Handyman Hank paused for a few seconds and pondered just what the hell was that all about….but he chose not to ask about it….not yet at least. He cleared his throat and answered:
“Uh….before the Mall opened…I saw in the catalog pages that talked about me that said I was ‘One of Five’...can you tell me what that means?”
The tension left the dining area and she then took a quick sigh. “From what I know…that can mean one of two things…One, there are four more of you walking around in the Mall Storeroom somewhere. But that probably isn’t the case because Mr. Wonder doesn’t just sell 5 of one toy unless they’re over 200 Dollars.”
“Well…according to some other toys my price is around ‘Thirty Solid Big-Ones!’” Hank added as he tried to mockingly mimic Mothdude’s speech mannerisms.
“Well, I'll be damned…I was around Thirty Dollars too….” Muttered Dolly Dorothy as she briefly remembered her days as the storefront toy. Handy Hank noticed her non-deformed hand’s grip tighten around the rolled-up cutouts.
To break the awkward silence. Handy Hank then added “Oh! I also saw two people walk by, A father and son…they looked kind of excited to see me…mostly the dad…”
Dolly Dorothy snapped back from her reminiscence from hearing that disclosure. “You see? You do have a backstory…of some kind. If a Dad recognized you. Chances are you’re a toy from way back when to give a new generation of kids the power to be inspired and to wonder.”
Handy Hank didn’t think of it like that…..now this new revelation was beginning to fuel his mission to find out who he is….
“Alright! We got the first Spark of Wonder last night! All we need to do is give the founder proof we have it….but how?”
“Leave that to me.” Dolly Dorthy walked over to one of the items covered in a small blanket and pulled it off with a quick jerk. The quick pull sent dust floating in the air causing Handy Hank to sneeze and cough. But under that old blanket, was an Instant Camera.
……………………………………
“Alright, everyone! We only have a few shots on the roll! Let’s do this right!” Dolly Dorothy shouted as she set the camera’s timer to take a picture in under a minute.
“MEN! FALL IN!” Doughboy Jack commanded with gusto and authority.
All of Doughboy Jack’s soldiers fall in and stand behind Hank and Dorothy, who are posing in the foreground with the first Spark of Wonder. Dolly Dorothy was sitting on top of it with her legs crossed and arms behind her back while Hank was leaning on its side with his wrench over his shoulder.
3…
2…
1…
“AH-CHOO!”
The photo was printed out and it revealed that the photo came out just perfect…..except for Hank being nothing but a motion blur because the camera snapped Hank in mid-sneeze.
Dolly Dorothy looked at it with a deadpan expression and said “Well…..It's good enough. You’re grays and blues are there. So the Founder should know you’re there too.” Dorothy turns to Doughboy Jack and shouts in an authoritative tone “Can We trust you to hide and Guard the Chroma Sphere until we need it?!”
“MA’AM! YES MA’AM!” The action figure soldiers gave a salute to Dolly Dorothy…and surprisingly Hank too. This confused Hank for a second. But Doughboy Jack came forth and presented Hank with a new emblem.
“For defeating the Rat King. I Sergeant Major Doughboy Jack hereby promote the two of you. Corporal Dolly Dorothy, you are hereby promoted to Sergeant…and Private Handyman Hank…you are promoted to Private First Class!”
Dolly Dorothy gave a salute, and Handy Hank did the same a second later.
“We won’t let those Pixelated Polygonal punks lay a finger on the Chroma Sphere…Move out and find the next Spark of Wonder!”
As Hank and Dorothy began to move out of the toy store, riding inside Ol’ Betsy once more. As they drove to the mall center once more, Handy Hank saw that the promotions for the X-Station Unlimited had spread a little more, covering up more of the mall’s normal advertisements. Even the mall’s ambient music was then cut sort and bombarded with a message advertising said console.
‘X-STATION UNLIMITED! THE ULTIMATE HYBRID CONSOLE! DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL VARIANTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! LAUNCHING IN 5 DAYS! GET YOURS AT AMALGAM ELECTRONICS WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!’A Dynamic voice recording said over the P.A. System.
Handy Hank looked quite intimidated.
“Daunting isn’t it? That started playing all over the mall this morning. It started as a simple poster taped to the glass to the window of Amalgam Electronics over a year ago…and it all spread like a plague….” Dorothy recalled.
“....Dorothy…do you move around during the daytime?” Hank asked as they drove past the X-Station Unlimited’s display once again.
“Yeah. ‘Dolly Dorothy’ the toy hasn’t been popular with children in over a decade. I often go all over the mall and stay out of sight of the adults. When you’re perfectly still you tend to hear things from all the adults….I hear things here and there from petty gossip to useful information. One of them is the fact that all the adults are worried about this X-Station stealing revenue and business from everyone in the mall. Even all the food stand owners are worried…” Dolly Dorthy kept her eyes on the road ahead as she explained this. But Hank could tell that she shared the same worries.
Handy Hank pondered this information as they passed the X-Station’s display. He knew the stakes of what would happen to Mr. Wonder’s Toyshop…But he didn’t even realize what this console’s launch would do to the rest of the Mall….
But Hank couldn’t ponder on this thought for long, they had already arrived back at the Founder’s Fountain. Luckily for them. He was awake this time around.
As Hank and Dorothy both climbed up to the Fountain’s edge. Hey could hear the founder humming a jaunty tune. Hank decided to get into practice again to raise his voice.
“D-Down here founder sir!” He shouted. But the founder didn’t even hear him.
Dorothy Rolled her eyes at Hank’s wishy-washy attempt and shouted “HEY FOUNDER! DOWN HERE!”
The Founder jolted as he looked down at the source of the sudden disturbance…and there he Saw Hank and Dorothy. He adjusts his glasses and realizes it is them. He quickly reached down with both of his hands and picked up both of them, bringing him up to his eye level.
“Ah! It appears my visitors from last night have come back eh? I’m so glad to hear another voice after listening to the P.A. System play that damned console recording for the hundredth time! Have you gained the first Spark of Wonder?” The Founder asked as he squinted at Dolly Dorothy, then realized she was wearing a different outfit than yesterday.
Before Dolly Dorothy could show him the photo….The Founder looked away from Hank and Dolly and immediately gained a serious look on his face.
“Don’t move.” He tells them both in a deadly serious tone.
He then hides them both inside his now cupped hands and sits perfectly still in his iconic statuesque pose.
Hank and Dorothy look through one of the holes in between the Founder’s fingers and see two Arcadians on patrol.
One of them looked like a cartoony-looking anthropomorphic marsupial wearing pants, while another looked like a quadrupedal yellow dragon with cartoonish-looking eyes.
They both stood and stared at the fountain for a few seconds…and resumed their patrols.
As they patrolled past the Fountain, Dolly Dorothy could deduce that those two were part of the older Arcadians from a few generations back.
Once the polygonal duo disappeared around the corner. The Founder began to move once more.
“Sorry, those blasted Arcadians have been doubling up on their patrols. Chances are they did that because word got out that you managed to defeat Grumpybear. He is one of their top Arcadians….”
“....How do you know this?”’ Hank asked, recalling that the Founder couldn’t leave his fountain.
“When you’re a statue. You tend to hear things when you blend into the background. A lot of the arcadians out on patrol are all pretty chatty. Especially one they call Herbie, but all night you hear him say the same word over and over again. All he says is ‘Gallo! Gallo!’
Dorothy cleared her throat to get the Founder to focus. She held up the taken photo. The Founder adjusted his glasses and squinted as he looked closer….Handy Hank noticed something peculiar…..the Founder doesn’t have lenses in his glasses….so him just adjusting his glasses was just…confusing.
“Ah! I see you perfectly in this shot Hank…But why is Dorothy and the Chroma Sphere all blurry?” He asked. Dolly Dorothy looked mildly annoyed at the founder’s description when the exact opposite was true.
“Uh….I’m not sure sir. But the fact of the matter is the fact we found the first Spark of Wonder and we’re ready to find the next one…” Hank replied. Trying to sound more professional, much to Dolly Dorothy’s dismay.
The Founder gave a sincere smile gave a hearty chuckle and said “Very well…you both have earned it.” He clears his throat.
………………………………………...
This is the tale of the Spark of the Storyteller. He was a boy who appreciated the written word, the teller of the story, and of course, delicious hot cocoa. In the moments when he told regaling tales to all his friends. He let them hang on to his every word with his narration voice and many tales to tell. The Spark of the Storyteller was a storybook containing 1,001 Tales from all over the world! Now it rests in a place where the written word is worshiped with a bow and a prayer!
……………………………………………….
“The Written word…..” Then Dorothy Realized… “That’s Inkwell’s Bookstore!”
“Precisely Dorothy but unfortunately I have good news, and I have bad news….” The Founder declared. He raised his right arm to point directly at the southern wing of the Mall, which was blocked off by a mass of metal shutters.
“The Good news is: There aren’t any TVs for the Arcadians to appear from inside Inkwell’s Bookstore!”, The Founder excitedly exclaimed. “But unfortunately as you can see, the bad news is…Chuck the Security guard finally remembered to close all the mall’s shudders…”
Dolly Dorothy sighed as she pitched her plastic forehead. “God Damn it….” She said in mild irritation.
“....That sounds bad….is it bad?” Handy Hank inquired. But quickly understood that Dorothy’s reaction meant…it was a bad thing.
“Yeah Hank…..That means we need to go….”, Dorothy gave another deep sigh. “To the Security Office…”