Memories Best Forgotten

Over the mountains to the east, the sun was slowly rising into view. It's golden beams slipped past the mountains and slid across the land below illuminating the early morning dew, which still hung from the wildflowers. On a branch of a Rose of Sharon, a tiny bird was singing from among the pink blossoms, as if rejoicing in the glory of the morning. A new day had officially begun.

But there was no celebration in the small Gummi kingdom of The Sunset Cavern. As the sun touched upon the once-beautiful city, layers of ruin and destruction was all that was to be found. The white walls, which had glistened in the sun only the day before, now lay in crumpled heaps that still smoldered from the black magic that had destroyed the structures. Not a building was left standing and the bodies of the Gummies who had once lived here littered the area, their blood staining the streets. The four pillars that had surrounded the city, which had ironically been symbols of strength and protection, were only blackened stumps from which wisps of smoke still danced. Above the ruins, several buzzards circled: no doubt drawn by the smell of death. Their tiny eyes sparkled at the prospect of a good meal.

Admist the rubble, an old Gummi sorcerer stood surveying the destruction around him. His wise eyes, which looked uncommonly large from behind his glasses, filled with tears that he couldn't cry. This Gummi, who had been referred to in the village only as Elder Gummi because of his advanced years, could barely even comprehend the horror that stretched out before him. It hadn't been that long ago that he had been saddened by the fact that his time on Earth was coming to an end, but now he wished that he had died long ago so that he could have avoided seeing this tragedy. He knew that such thoughts were considered the greatest of sins for most of Gummi beliefs revolved around the celebration of life, yet he couldn't help the way he felt.

He looked up at the buzzards and winced. Soon, he would burn the bodies along with what was left of the city. Perhaps it wasn't as respectful as a burial, but at least his comrades wouldn't become food for the buzzards or other carrion eaters.

He was procrastinating and he knew it. The job that lay before him was an unpleasant one, but it had to be done and it looked as if was the one who had to do it. He turned his attention from the buzzards to the small Gummi who lay sleeping nearby.

The boy appeared to be sleeping soundly, but the pinched appearance of his face was evident that his sleep was anything but restful. His future had appeared so bright before this tragedy – he was the young prince of this kingdom. Although the role demanded certain responsibilities, this young Gummi had known privileges and freedom unheard of by others his age. But that was all before.

Elder walked over to the boy and looked down at him. His legs were long for his age: he was probably going to be tall like his father, yet there was a sensitivity in his facial features that resembled his mother's. There was a tear in the corner of his left eye, and Elder had to resist the urge to wipe it away.

Why was this so hard, Elder thought, as he raised his trembling right arm and the sword he held glistened in the sun. He knew the boy must die, but why did it have to be by his hand?

He had been mediating in one the caves just outside the city when he heard the explosion. Already, the city had been destroyed, indicating the power of the lone human sorcerer who stood in the center of the city. How this man had found this obscure Gummi city was a mystery. The Sunset Cavern Kingdom didn't appear on most Gummi maps and not even many Gummies knew of its existence. Yet, this man had found the kingdom and had destroyed it apparently with one strike.

Elder had tried to remain hidden as he made his way closer to the human had brought such tragedy to the city. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed a young Gummi – the prince no less – was standing in front of the sorcerer.

"To you, young one," the sorcerer announced in a rich and cultured voice, "I give a great gift." He smiled slightly, the warmth of the expression juxtaposing against the destruction about them, as he stretched his hand towards the young, trembling Gummi.

Elder silently cried out in horror as he watched black tentacles of evil magic stretch from the man's hand and begin encircling the boy. The young prince screamed as the tentacles pierced through his fur and flesh and seemingly slipped inside his body.

Once all the tentacles were inside, the boy fell limply to the ground as the sorcerer watched.

"Use my gift, young Gummi" he whispered as he turned away, his blue velvet cape swishing around him, "Use it well." Without another word he walked away from the destroyed city without apparently noticing Elder.

Even after the sorcerer disappeared, Elder was afraid to move. He stayed hidden until the sun had arisen and he still had never felt so exposed, but he had a job to do.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the sleeping boy, "but whatever gift he gave you can't be a good thing. I don't just do this for the good of the world, but for you as well. I have to do this."

The Gummi prince mumbled in his sleep and turned over slightly, his neck now fully exposed. "Forgive me," Elder whispered, bringing the sword down with all the strength he had.

With the arc of the sword, Elder started a story that would be all but forgotten by Gummi historians and to forget history is almost always a mistake.

**********

"So," Augustus 'Gusto' Gummi said as he made the final stroke with his brush, "What do you think?"

Artie Deco flew from the high shelf where he was sitting and landed on Gusto's shoulder. Turning his head, the toucan marveled at the massive painting before him. "Not too shabby," he remarked.

Gusto smiled confidently. "I know," he said, "It may have taken me forever, but it was worth it."

Truth was, Gusto considered the painting one his best ever and with good reason. In the center of canvas was a portrait of all the Gummies of Gummi Glen, along with Cavin and Calla. Around this central picture, were several smaller images, which portrayed each of the Gummies in their achievements, triumphs, and a few embarrassing moments.

The only Gummi that didn't have their own space was Gusto himself. His reasoning had been difficult to explain to the others, although he had tried several times. He was a good artist, and he knew it, but he just didn't like to paint himself. Other artists could do as many self-portraits as they like, but for some reason Gusto just felt vain if he painted himself.

At first, he had planned to have nothing of himself (other than his signature) in the painting. Yet, this decision had confused the others who insisted that despite he didn't actually live in the Glen itself, he was as much a part of it as any of them were. Although this place did feel like home more than any other he could remember, he tried to remain firm in his position. Finally, he did add a small image of himself in the central portrait in the lower left-hand corner. An easel was positioned in front of him and the joke was that he was just painting the portrait.

"One question," Artie spoke up, interrupting Gusto's thoughts, "How are you going to get it in Gummi Glen?"

"Well, it is big," Gusto replied, "But I'm sure if Gruffi or Tummi will help me, we can move it."

"No," Artie countered, "I meant how are going to get it inside. None of the doors or openings to the Glen are big enough."

Gusto laughed. "I never even thought about that," he admitted, "But I'm sure there's some way we can get it in." He thought for a minute as he stared at the massive canvas. "I got it!" he suddenly yelled, "I can cut it into pieces and turn it into a giant jigsaw puzzle! Oh, Gusto you're a genius!"

Artie shook his head, and opened his beak to reply, but Gusto continued before he had a chance. "No, that would never work," the Gummi artist said to himself, "What if one of the pieces got lost? The whole picture would be ruined! Besides, I really don't want to cut it up. There must be another way."

However, before another idea could come to Gusto, his stomach rumbled audibly. "I'll worry about it later," he said, "It looks like it's time to get a bite of breakfast."

"Especially now that's it's dinnertime," Artie agreed.

"Dinnertime?" Gusto repeated, somewhat perplexed. He stepped outside and noticed that the sun was definitely in the western hemisphere of the sky. "Wow!" he exclaimed, "I didn't realize how late it was. I guess time flies when you're busy creating a masterpiece!" He laughed in his good-natured way as he started towards the glen while Artie followed.

"I wonder what Grammi's making for dinner," Gusto mused aloud.

"Don't know," Artie responded, "But breakfast was pretty good."

"You went to the Glen for breakfast?" Gusto asked.

"I told you that you never notice if I'm around or not!" Artie exclaimed, suddenly, but it was obvious the toucan wasn't angry.

Gusto's smile grew. "I guess you did say that," he admitted, "but tell me: did you really leave for breakfast this morning?"

Artie nodded as they entered the glen. Grammi was just putting the first few bowls of food on the table and Tummi was the only Gummi who was already seated.

"Hi, Gusto," Tummi greeted.

"Hey!" Gusto responded as he sat down, "How are you doing, Tumster?"

"Fine," Tummi answered, "Just hungry."

"Well, dinner will be ready in a few minutes," Grammi said. She placed another bowl on the table and looked at Gusto pointedly. "So, you decided to show up. I was beginning to think we were going to have to send a search party."

Although her tone was joking, Gusto knew that she was somewhat upset. Grammi had gotten used to his infrequent comings and goings to and from the Glen, but she almost took it as a personal challenge if someone missed a meal. "Sorry about that," Gusto apologized, "I wasn't paying attention to the time."

Grammi shook her head before turning to renter the kitchen just as Sunni and Cubbi came into the room.

"And you should see Calla's new dress that she's going to wear to the festival," Sunni was gushing, "It a deep midnight blue with a light blue lace fringe on the collar and sleeves. It's so pretty!"

Cubbi wrinkled his nose slightly. "All you girls think about is clothes," He complained.

"That's not all I think of," Sunni responded, as she glanced at Gusto sitting at the table. She turned away quickly, hoping that no one had noticed, even though everyone had.

"Hey Gusto!" Cubbi cried, jumping into the seat next to him. "Did you get that painting done?"

"Sure did, Cubaroo," Gusto answered, "And you should see it. It's my greatest masterpiece ever!"

Cubbi giggled. "That's what you say about all your paintings," he said.

"Not all of 'em," Gusto replied, "Just most of 'em. Still, I think it may be the truth with this one."

"When can we see it?" Sunni asked, sitting down on the other side of Gusto.

"Well," he admitted, "I don't know how I'm going to move it down here. It's a bit too big, but you can go to my place if you want to look at it."

"Neato!" Cubbi said, just as Grammi brought the last of the food to the table. "Can I go see it tonight?"

"It's too late, Cubbi dear," Grammi spoke up. "Wait until morning. It will still be there."

"Grammi's right," Zummi said, as he walked in, "The woods at night is no place for a young cub. It's doo tangerous, er, too dangerous." He sat down at the table. "Where's Gruffi?"

"Who knows," Grammi said, "but it's not like him to be late for dinner."

"He said he was going to do some work in the quick car tunnels," Cubbi volunteered.

"I hope he's okay," Zummi said.

"I'm fine," Gruffi announced as he walked inside. He coughed loudly, which seemed to contradict his statement. From head to toe, he was covered in dirt, mud, and dust to the point his fur appeared to be black rather than brown. He coughed again, the dirt and dust he had inhaled obviously irritating his lungs.

"Oh my stars!" Zummi exclaimed, "Was there a cave-in?"

"Not exactly," Gruffi replied.

"Well, wash up your hands and arms at least," Grammi said, "And go ahead and eat. The food's going to be cold if you don't hurry and then it won't be as good."

"You mean it could taste worse?" Gruffi mumbled as he went to wash up. Grammi threw a wooden spoon at him, but her aim was off and it clattered harmlessly on the floor.

The meal went much quicker than usual. Everyone was interested in what Gruffi had to say, but he seemed more intent on eating than talking. When Gruffi finally finished, it seemed that Grammi wasn't prepared to wait any more.

"So what happened?" she demanded.

Gruffi took a long drink of water and set his glass slowly on the table. "I was working on the quick car tunnels," he began.

"I told them that," Cubbi interrupted.

"Sssh, dear," Grammi softly reprimanded.

"But I kept noticing something odd," Gruffi continued, "In one part of the quick tunnels, the echo sounded wrong. It's kind of hard to explain, but it just was wrong somehow. I ignored it at first, but I kept hearing it. Finally, I gave up and began to investigate. I found a wall that sounded as if there was a large open space on the other side. I was worried it might weaken the structure of the tunnels, so I decided to see if I could look behind the wall."

He paused as he used one hand to knock some of the dirt from his clothing: an action, which drew a stern look from Grammi because they were still at the table. "Let me guess," she said, "the dirt wall fell down easier than you expected.

"That's putting it mildly," Gruffi said, coughing a bit, "but that's not half of it. There wasn't just an open space back there – there was another quick car tunnel."

"No way!" Cubbi cried, "Where does it lead to?"

"I don't know," Gruffi answered, "but someone closed that tunnel off on purpose. That wall was build to hide its location. After I found it, I took a good look at the main tracks but I couldn't tell if the main tracks were ever connected to this tunnel. But, just inside the tunnel I did find this." He reached inside of his shirt and pulled out a small book. The cover may have been blue or green at one time, but time had faded it to a soft, almost colorless gray.

"What's that?" Sunni asked.

"I think it's a journal of some kind," Gruffi replied, "It was setting on an a pile of smooth stones just on the inside. I think it was meant for someone to find."

"What does it say?" Gusto asked.

"I don't know. It's written in some sort of language I can't read."

"Let me see it," Zummi said and Gruffi handed him the book. "It looks like an ancient Gummi language," Zummi commented, "I've seen some like it in the Great Book. I might be able to translate this."

"Do it if you can," Gruffi commanded, "I'm going to go back to the tunnel tomorrow and see where it leads."

"Is that a good idea?" Grammi asked, "Maybe you should wait until Zummi translates the journal."

"We shouldn't wait," Gruffi responded shaking his head, "That tunnel was closed off for a reason. What if it was to keep something out of the Glen? Now that the tunnel is open again we need to find out what is at the other end. I'm going and I want Tummi and Gusto to go with me."

"Me?" Gusto asked.

"Know any other Gustos?" Gruffi responded sarcastically.

"Can I come?" Cubbi asked.

"No," Grammi said, "It's too dangerous. You should stay here."

"You think everything's too dangerous," Cubbi pouted.

"Listen to Grammi," Gruffi said, "She's right." He smirked slightly. "For once."

Grammi smacked Gruffi on the back of the head before turning back to Cubbi. "Besides, we'll need someone to watch the Glen," she said. Cubbi mumbled something in response, but no one could understand what he said.

"We'll get started early," Gruffi announced, "And Gusto, show up on time for once."

"'kay," Gusto said gloomily. He didn't want to go trekking down some dark tunnel into the unknown – he wasn't really the adventure seeking type. Still, when Gruffi decided you were going to do something, Gusto had learned you might as well do it.

Gusto sighed as he thought that he would have to tell Artie to wake him up. He had never really been a morning bear. Still, he was curious about what he would find waiting at the end of the tunnel.

*********

"This bag is heavy," Tummi complained as he put the bag on his back.

"A responsible bear is prepared," Gruffi responded sternly, "There's no telling how long this tunnel is or what we might find. That's why we have to bring so many supplies. It may take more than a day to reach the end."

"More than a day?" Tummi sounded concerned, "Did you pack enough food?"

"I packed plenty," Gruffi answered, "Now, let's get going." He started down the tunnel, a lantern in his right hand and his own bag hanging on his bag.

Gusto yawned as he fell into step behind Gruffi with Tummi bringing up the rear. It was too early to be awake, much less tramping about in the unknown with a heavy bag on your shoulders. Gusto had been slightly interested in this expedition the day before, but now he was too tired to be interested in anything except a nice, soft bed and a good nap. Uncharacteristically quiet, he followed Gruffi without really talking much.

At first the journey was more a job than an adventure. Gruffi had a sheet of paper in hand just in case there were any other tunnels so that he could make a map, but so far it had just been this one tunnel. He had also been checking the rails of the track as well as the overall structure for any signs of weakness but so far that had also been negative. In fact, he had commented that these tracks appeared newer than the quick car tunnels back at the Glen.

Behind Gusto, Tummi was following along slowly as he occasionally reached into the bag on his back for a snack. He no longer seemed worried about running out of food and even said that there was so much food in the bag than whenever he reached inside it was as if the food was 'handed' to him. He hadn't even had to look in the bag so far when reaching for an apple or an orange.

They traveled on and on for quite some time. Just when Gusto felt like he was about to collapse, Gruffi stopped suddenly. "I think that we should take a break," Gruffi announced, sitting his backpack on the cavern floor.

"Thank goodness," Gusto exclaimed, dropping his own bag unceremoniously and Tummi did the same.

"I don't know if I can move any more," Tummi said, as he sat down, breathing heavily.

Gruffi was the only one who didn't really seem tired as he began to rummage in his backpack. "There should be some sandwiches in here," he said, "Grammi made them before we left."

Gusto found his sandwich easily, but Tummi so far hadn't made a move towards his bag. "Did you already eat his sandwich?" he asked.

Tummi shook his head. "I'm just trying to catch my breath before I move again," he said, motioning to the bag, which sat a couple of feet away.

He must be really worn out if he's too tired to look for food, Gusto thought as he walked over to him. "Here," he offered, "I'll find it for you."

"Thanks," Tummi responding, smiling, "I wonder what kind of sandwich it will be."

"Well," Gusto began, as he started to open Tummi's bag, "Mine was – CUBBI?" There inside of Tummi's bag Cubbi sat looking up at Gusto, a mischievous smile adorning his young face.

"I think I'd prefer a ham sandwich," Tummi announced slowly.

"Cub," Gusto said as he lifted the young Gummi from the bag, "What are you doing here?"

"That's exactly what I'd like to know," Gruffi stated, crossing his arms across his chest. "Didn't I tell you to stay at the Glen?"

"I just wanted to go with you," Cubbi explained, as Gusto set him down. He smiled, giving Gruffi his most innocent expression.

"Don't give me that look," Gruffi commanded, "You're in a lot of trouble. Everyone in Gummi Glen is probably worried sick about you."

"I know but," Cubbi started, turning towards Gusto, who had defended him against Gruffi before, but now Gusto just laughed.

"Don't look at me," Gusto said, "He did tell you."

"I know. I know," Cubbi pouted.

"So what are we going to do?" Tummi asked. He looked inside of his bag. "And where's my sandwich?"

"I got a little hungry," Cubbi admitted.

Gruffi took Tummi's bag and looked inside. "And not only did you eat the sandwich, but you removed the rope, the bandages, and almost everything else. I guess that's so you could fit in the bag." He sighed loudly. "I hate to turn back after we traveled so far."

"Turn back?" Cubbi echoed.

"Maybe you should two should take Cubbi back," Gruffi continued as if he hadn't heard Cubbi, "And I'll continue. It would be a shame not to go on after we've come so far."

"But we don't have to go back now," Cubbi said, "It can't be that much farther." The young Gummi ran ahead and disappeared around a curve in the tunnel.

"Cubbi!" Gruffi called after him, "Don't run off alone!"

"I see it!" Cubbi yelled, "I see the end of the tunnel!"

"What?" Gruffi exclaimed. Both he and Gusto ran around the curve only to see that Cubbi was right. There was a quick car setting there, as if just waiting to be used, but it wasn't on the track itself. Just beyond that, there was the glimpse of what appeared to be a city.

"It don't look like they were quite finished with this tunnel," Gruffi said as he examined the car, "They were probably going to connect it with the main tracks when they were done. I wonder why they stopped." He glanced up at the sky and noticed that it was already late in the evening. No wonder they were all so tired.

"Last one in the city is a rotten Gummi!" Cubbi sang out as he ran towards the city.

"Come back here!" Gruffi yelled, but Cubbi was already gone. With a frustrated sigh, Gruffi once again ran after Cubbi as Gusto followed close behind. Tummi made it to the end of the tunnel just in time to see the others run off, so he sat down in the quick car, deciding to let them do the running for a bit.

Gruffi ran into the city, at first focused on finding Cubbi but as soon he noticed the destruction around them. He slowly came to a stop and Gusto did the same as they slowly looked around them.

Everywhere was death and destruction. Buildings lay in blackened heaps and nothing was left intact. "What happened here?" Gusto asked, his voice strangely flat, "Was there a fire?"

"There was a fire," Gruffi said, "but someone set it after this place was destroyed. These stone walls wouldn't have crumpled so badly from just a fire. This place was destroyed on purpose."

"But why?"

"I don't know," Gruffi admitted. He noticed that Cubbi had stopped in front of them and was just staring at something to his left. "Wait right there, Cubbi!" Gruffi commanded, running up to him. However, when he got closer to Cubbi, he saw was had transfixed the younger Gummi so.

There, near the center of town, someone had attempted to create a huge pyre, but the fire had not been hot enough to destroy the bones. There, among the ashes were piles of Gummi skeletons. Some were larger, but some looked as if they had belonged to Gummies even younger than Cubbi.

"What is all this?" inquired Gusto, as he walked closer.

Gruffi shook his head, as he tried to get Cubbi to look away, but Cubbi just stood there staring as tears poured from his wide open eyes. Finally, Gruffi managed to pull Cubbi away and the younger Gummi spun around and collapsed against Gruffi as he continued to cry. Gruffi picked him up and allowed Cubbi to cry on his shoulder as he carried him from the city. He started back towards the tunnel when he noticed that Gusto was not following. Turning around, he noticed that Gusto was just standing in the center, his eyes open wide but seemingly seeing nothing. "Gusto!" Gruffi said sharply, "Let's go."

Gusto looked towards Gruffi and blinked a few times before obeying. Together they walked back towards the tunnel where Tummi still sat in the quick car, unaware of their gruesome discovery. "Did you find anything?" he asked, innocently.

Gruffi shook his head. "It's just an abadoned city," he responded, "Now, let's get back to the Glen."

"Okay," Tummi said. He noticed Cubbi still crying on Gruffi's shoulder. "What's wrong with Cubbi?"

"He's just tired," Gruffi said, "It's been a long day, so let's all go home."

Tummi smiled tiredly and began following the others. Soon, however he fell behind as they walked back home.

Gruffi glanced back at him and then looked at Gusto. "Look," he whispered, "let's not tell the others how bad it really was."

"What do you mean?" Gusto asked.

"There's no reason to mention how bad the city was destroyed or anything," Gruffi continued, "What good would it be for them to know? Let me just do the talking when we get back."

"But what about Cubbi?"

Gruffi looked down at Cubbi who was now sleeping in his arms. "I don't think he's going to want to talk about just yet," he replied.

Gusto nodded. "I didn't like that place," he said, softly.

"That's just about the most sensible thing you've ever said," Gruffi responded.

"It felt wrong – evil somehow."

Normally Gruffi, who relied on the solid truths of what he could see, hear, touch etc., would have argued about how something felt. Yet, Gusto was right. There was an evil in that city that was almost tangible somehow. "I know what you mean," Gruffi agreed, "I know what you mean."

They continued the rest of the way without talking and, by the time they reached the Glen, all of them felt as if they were about to collapse. They made they way quietly into the Glen, knowing that the others were probably asleep for it was now very early the next morning, but Grammi was waiting on them.

"Cubbi did go with you!" she cried, "Oh, thank heavens. I was so worried." She took the sleeping Gummi in her arms so that she could put him properly to bed. "I've made your beds and I've even prepared a room for you Gusto. I know you usually don't sleep here but I thought you might like to considering what a day you've had."

Gusto nodded, to tired to argue. In a sleepy haze, he allowed Grammi to lead him to the room she prepared as he heard her say something about Zummi translating the journal that Gruffi found, but that could wait until morning.

Gusto was asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, but his final thoughts were that of the destroyed city. The terrors and horrors those Gummies might have witnessed – he could only imagine.