Presently an electric bus powered entirely by a mixture of solar panels and biomass was carrying one of the thousands of daily visitors to a site which had formerly been one of the largest hidden nuclear testing ground on the planet.
There were three sites in total, two others were also located in other environmentally hostile regions on the planet and had made all other forms of life uninhabitable to live after decades of nuclear testing.
All three original sites had been transformed after the original founders had visited, entered the site as massive impossible dust storms and cloud cover encroached on each site and revealed a transformation into a paradise of eternal greenery after all access by foot, vehicle, plane or even observation by satellite or other means of detection had failed.
Inside the electric bus a young woman with mid-length hair, light skin and dark brown eyes was trying to peer out of the blackout windows of the vehicle. Inside there was fresh plants and flowers giving a large variety of smells and the scent of lemons and oranges but to her surprise not a single one of her allergies were acting up. There was a thin layer of dust which covered every single inch of the vehicle, the seats, the above head storage areas and it even floated in the illuminated lights above each seat and along the aisles.
She had suffered from hay fever for most of her life and despite repeated attempts at medication, all it had done was made her feel physically worse until she had decided to grab her long-term boyfriend Nishi, make him understand her feelings and then book a holiday to the Park of Gaia.
Next to her seat with his head resting on her shoulder was a young man with scruffy hair wearing an outfit more suited to a board room than sitting on a tourist bus heading to one of the miracles which had sprouted on the planet Terrus over seventy years ago.
He was gently sleeping but murmured a little as he shifted and his folded arms opened and he woke up with a large yawn and a quick stretch before his eyes fell onto his long-term girlfriend Cosette.
His hair was coated in a layer of the dust and he brushed it off much without much consideration as he saw the look on her face as she was gazing out of the window.
‘Did I miss much? The advance guard giving the usual tourist speech on the Greenest Place on the planet? I mean, I read it all before I booked the tickets and got our place on the transport but they must be joking. Basically, we’re going to a giant botanical garden. I’m missing out on the annual shareholder meeting for this? Uh, I’m still sleeping. Yeah, I’m talking in my sleep about how much of an idiot I am for talking about work and not how...beautiful you look right now Cosette. Ah...I got dust on your hair, uh..’ said Nishi.
Cosette continued to try and look out of the blacked out window as she breathed in though her nose and mouth and her lungs and immune system showed absolutely no signs of allergic rhinitis. She knew the taste of pollen, she had been in fields of the stuff back home before she had finally grown up and made it to a major city and began her adult life.
The dust in the air was clearly pollen markets but it did nothing to her. Not a single reaction, in fact, her body was increasingly refreshed the more that she breathed in the stuff.
‘Smooth. Really smooth Nishi. I beg you to take a break from your work and take a trip with me to the closest thing we have to a miracle since Carissa Acqua and her husband Liam Acqua became major celebrities and two of the richest people on Terrus for fixing our ocean pollution problems. And you dream about work? On a vacation with me?’ said Cosette.
For some reason she didn’t feel anxious or stressed about the fact that they were in an entirely self-driving bus with blacked out windows where it had been entirely impossible to make everything outside. The ride had been smooth with several times the vehicle had slowed down or made minor turns but she had felt relaxed the entire journey.
Even her long-term boyfriend Nishi talking about his day job when he just woke up wasn’t even annoying her.
‘Not your fault. You’re a career man, you want the money to marry, buy a big house by the coast or close to the ocean now the waters are being cleaned up and then find yourself a dozen cute ladies to share it all with. Answer a single one of those and your beautiful girlfriend who you truly do not deserve will make this bus turn around and we end our trip. Sorry Nishi, I’m not annoyed at you, it’s just strange. The entire process to enter the Park of Gaia is strange. Why can’t we look out of the windows? Why is the bus filled with plants and fauna which are growing without water, sunlight or even soil? I’m pretty sure not of it is fake. Not to mention the pollen in the air,’ said Cosette.
She turned her gaze from the blacked out window to the rows of seats, each person was either excited, listening to the ongoing commentary coming from the speakers on the ceiling or asleep as Nishi had just been. She saw that not a single person was using any form of electronics. Not because it was banned, she doubted that any of them would have forgotten their phones or tablets but the fact that they were just sitting there chatting to the people next to them.
Nishi gave a sigh as he loosened the deep purple tie hanging around his neck and loosened his expensive black collared shirt.
‘Cosette. Happiness from within, happiness from..come on. Say it with me. Please.’
The young man took the hands of his long-term girlfriend and gazed into her eyes. Pollen dust which had spread on their seat sifted down as he took both of her hands in his and gave her a light squeeze.
Cosette smiled as she turned to face him and gave Nishi a quick peck on his cheek before she squeezed the hands holding hers.
‘Happiness from without. Happiness from within. I am happy, this is just...odd. Everything about this is odd. We’re on a bus filled with plants which are thriving without growing in soil, sunlight or any source of water and basically everyone is covered in feel good pollen which is either a drug or a genetically altered form. Do you feel normal or is it just me?’
Nishi smiled and squeezed the hands of Cosette once more.
‘I love your inquisitive nature. You are an amazing person with an amazing mind but not everybody has to be the ultimate power couple like Carissa Acqua and Liam Acqua. Tell you what, you invent something to fix the problems with the oceans and I’ll retire from the firm and spend my days buying fish. I mean fishing. Fishing.’ said Nishi.
As though in perfect timing the various plants on the bus began to bloom as flowers emerged from them and the lighting above and on the aisles began to dim. The entirety of the people aboard the bus fell entirely silent as a light show began and the walls of the bus flourished as the lights began to emit ultra violet light and the flowers produced fluorescent patterns in orders sequences.
The bus began to slow down and came to a complete halt as the blacked out windows began to fade and a massive tree which reached above the eternal cloud cover which encompassed the entirety of the land on which the Park of Gaia appeared shining in the difference.
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A greenery larger than any forest or jungle and composed of multiple biomes had appeared before them as had a carpet of pure green short grass stretched out in every single direction as far as the eye could see.
Nishi looked at the site of the enormous tree which dominated the landscape and towered over the various biomes which comprised the site. The sight of it reaching up into the cloud cover above which never shifted was enough to make him jealous of Cosette for coming up with the idea of coming her and only made him love her more.
A nudge at his shoulder made him realise that he had been staring with my mouth stuck open and he was close to drooling as he wiped his face with a suit jacket sleeve. He pulled off his tie and stuck it into a pocket as he turned to Cosette and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
‘This is going to be amazing. I mean, you obviously didn’t only invite me because you love this handsome and talented face of mine. You have leads don’t you? But I’m thinking whomever can make a tree that large grow must have the power of the gods at their disposal. That is is we still have gods, religion is a little unclear on that and I’m not to get into a discussion about it. Myths and rumours make it just that little bit more exciting you know?’ said Nishi.
Cosette just smiled as the electric bus drove over the endless plains of grass not leaving a single mark behind or causing any damage to the green grounds which made up the outskirts of the Park of Gaia.
A sign came on to buckle on their seatbelts and the passengers did so as the light show from the plants was largely ignored as their colours began to fade and the ultraviolet lights from the roof and aisles of the bus returned to normal.
Finally, she had arrived as her next big project. An investigation into the truth and creation of one of the so-called miracles of the planet of Terrus. And she got to do it all with her long-term boyfriend and previous teenage crush Nishi as well.
‘I think we need to actually enter the place itself before we can make any decisions. Let’s both put work on hold for a little bit and just enjoy ourselves a little, and you heard the announcement. Free food and drinks all home-grown.’
The bus began to slow down and parked alongside a dozen others as the passengers disembarked and grabbed their belongings and possessions. Herself and Nishi had packed rather plainly and it had close to a last minute decision but she had brought along her laptop, recording tools, writing stationary, emergency battery chargers and plenty of notepads.
***
The sign above the entrance to the Park of Gaia was a minor miracle in itself. Every single visitor who passed through was treated to a sudden growth of flowers, plants and fauna which reflected the clothing they were wearing and even matched their makeup.
A young couple walked through and had their mandatory photo taken by a series of green drones covered in living vines and flowers which were designed in the shape of bees and other pollen harvesting insects.
‘Nishi, we need to go again. I want to go again!’ said the young woman.
She was in her early twenties but looked far younger and was thin with short-cut black hair and light brown eyes.
The young man stopped his posing for a moment and put his arm around the young woman pulling her in tight for a final photo as the insect-style drone swarm pulled together into the image of a smiling face.
‘Uh...Cosette. We waited for a long time in the queue to even come here. I don’t think it’s a good idea that we take more than our allocated opportunity. I mean, we can just order the photos as soon as we actually enter the park. Besides, we literally just went through the entrance. We haven’t even seen anything yet. Or are you just looking for more credit from your professors for business opportunity loopholes involving a bunch of bee drones who take selfies for you?’ said Nishi.
‘I don’t like those costumes, they’re too real. Did you hear the rumours about how they have to sleep and even go to the bathroom in them?’
The young man was holding on tight to the arm of the girl next to him as they passed through the front gates of the Park of Gaia.
A staff employee appeared walking up to them in the form of a cute looking giant cactus complete with bright pink flowers.
‘Heya! Welcome to the Park of Gaia!’
‘Look! Let’s take a photo with Cathy Cactus. She’s so cute!’ said Cosette.The amusement park employee whose face and body aside from legs was completely hidden beneath the giant bright pink cactus simply moved towards them and stood in a posing posture ready for photos.
As the young couple moved forward for a further photo opportunity as a nearby cute insect style drone hovered above their heads when the pink cactus shifted slightly and one of the spikes poked the hand of the young man drawing a drop of blood.
He reeled back slightly and raised his voice.
‘That hurt! Why did you just poke me?’ said Nishi.
Cossette woman looked at im with mild surprise as she rolled her eyes.
‘What? Quit making such a fuss, look the spines may look all pointy and sharp but Cathy Cactus is all fun and safe. Check it out.’
She reached out her hand as the young man shuddered slightly but his face soon dropped in mild surprise as she grabbed a handful of the spines and clutched them in a closed hand. They bounced and released as she opened her palm and pushed against them a few times.
‘Sorry Cathy, my boyfriend worries too much about spiky things. Can we please touch your spines? You are so cute! So, so, cute!’
The pink cactus dressed employee simply nodded forward and then jumped into another pose for a photo. If the young man had excellent hearing and vision, he would have noticed the tiny slurping noise that the spine that had drawn a drop of his blood had made and how a patch of Cathy Cactus pink costume deepened in colour slightly.
The young couple took the photo with the pink park employee before they decided to move on with their trip at the park.
‘See you, Cathy! Thanks for the chance for a photo!’
The park employee Cathy Cactus simply nodded her form in a friendly manner before moving onto the next batch of park tourists who were entering the gate of the Park of Gaia.
The young woman nudged her boyfriend who was scratching at his hand.
‘You got bit by a mosquito or something? Quit scratching. I grabbed Cathy’s spines and they were all bouncy.’ said Cosette.
Nishi simply nodded his head..
‘Yeah, I got kinda worked up about nothing. Say, what ride do you want to go on first?’
‘Oooh, how about the Yggdrasil? If we get there early enough the queues won’t be too long. I heard that it reached the clouds and you drop all the way down to the ground. You can even see it from space!’‘Yeah, that’s got to be a myth. I mean the Park of Gaia is big and all but still. Kinda sounds like the one where the founders of this place are all buried under the rides.'
’Uh, ew. This is meant to be a fun date, not one of your creepy stories. I’m not your audience for your stories right now. You want to work on them you can go home right now and take your own time.'
Nishi hesitated for a moment before he reached out, took both of Cosette's hands in his own and gave her a kiss on her cheek.
‘I’m sorry. We’re here together right now. Hey, can you see that the show is beginning? I am not missing the opening. No way. Let’s go!’
He grabbed the young woman's hands before rushing forwards to a massive square surrounded by four different biome types where a crowed was beginning to gather in anticipation.