Woody's Course

Back at the course, only the Grey Lizards hung around. The group asked me whether I was alright and whatnot, they were genuinely concerned. "I'm sorry for bursting out like that, this wasn't my intention. I'm fine now, you don't have to worry. I'll apologise to Ama as well. She did nothing wrong, while me acting like this was out of order", I reassured them.

"Yea, she really panicked when you did that. Though we were surprised too. I mean, your eyes changed and all…", Liby said. "Yea, I know. Fortunately, nothing bad happened. Anyway, where is Ama?", I asked. "She's probably in her office. She mumbled something to herself before leaving, though I didn't catch what she said…", Hilan stopped for a moment, then continued.

"We also understand where you're coming from. You came here to make something for Drak and other kids. Give them something fun to do. We agree with you as well. You worked really hard, and even refused money for your work. How could we ask you to pay us back? Don't worry about the money, and let the kids enjoy this course… We are friends, right?".

"You have good friends, Anna. Though there is no need to worry, you will get paid. Sedon is not going to leave you empty handed. This was a simple misunderstanding between Ama and Anna. We will not charge anyone for using this course. Besides, why charge people when you can gather much larger crowds for free, right?", aunt Lira said. "I don't mind, as long as people can use it for free… You'll need a team to inspect the course once in a while. Safety of kids is involved, so regular checkups would be a good idea", I proposed.

"Stop worrying about it already, let us handle things from now on. Now, Drak is becoming impatient. Look at him staring at the course, barely able to hold himself in place", aunt added. "Mom!...", Drak protested, but everyone could see how badly he wanted to have a go. "Alright, we came here for you to have fun. How about you, aunt Lira? Want to have a go as well?", "Haha, I'm too old for that, but maybe later. I have to find Ama and speak to her. We don't want her to do something stupid, like leave the city. You guys have fun, and take care of Drak for me, alright?", she replied then left.

"Are you ready?", I asked. "Yes! Let's go already!", he exclaimed full of anticipation. With Drak seated on the slide, I explained to him the rules. Rather the rule, because there was only one of them. "The whole course doesn't require anything from you. All you have to do is enjoy it. Don't try to get away or do something. We tested everything and tried it ourselves, is all of that clear?". Once he nodded, I activated the Formations.

"Swoosh! WHEEE...EEE..", He flew down the slide, and into the wind Formations of the Wall Jump Section. He really enjoyed himself, as the happy and surprised screams never ceased. I doubted anyone before us experienced such a course. The rush of emotions was something else, this really was an unique place to have fun. While Drak flew from one section to the other, we made our way towards the finishing point.

"Vooom!... Vooom!... WA.. HA… HA... That… was... AMAZING", he exclaimed after landing on the wind cushion. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Which section did you like the best?", I asked him with a smile. Instead of answering, he ran over to hug me. "You are the best, Anna. This is the best gift I ever received… Thank you". "Hey, hey, it's fine. I promised, right? Remember that this is for others too. For now though, you can use it as much as you like. Anyway, which section did you like the best? I'm curious", I replied.

"All of them were great… Though if I were to choose… The tunnels and that tube over there. They were the best!". "Heh, that tube was really difficult on us, but I'm happy you like it so much. Alright, another go?", I asked. "Of course! Ten… no hundred more!", he replied before rushing towards the slide.

"Have you seen his face? We worked so hard, but the best payment is that smile. Kids and even adults will love it, I'm so glad we could take part in this project", Liby said. "Yea, makes a tear swell up my eye. He was so happy to have used our course… Imagine the others. This course will be very famous in the North, I can tell", Ilina added. "..Hey guys, why don't we leave our names on each part of the course? We are the ones who made it, so leaving a sort of signature on it wouldn't be wrong, right?", Sam suggested.

"Hehe, not a bad idea, Sam. I'm surprised you were able to come up with it", Jerim teased him a bit. "Get lost, my ideas are always good!", Sam protested, but others chuckled in response. "How about we name our course too? You know, there's Sedon's Grand Stage, or the Arena in the Land of Sands. All great places have a name, why shouldn't our course have one?", Felix proposed.

"That is a good point… There's a name in my mind already", I replied. "What's that?", the other inquired. "Woody's Course!", I exclaimed. "Hehe, well… I can't really fault that logic. Woody is sort of a member of our team too. That puppet helped us test everything out. The amount of times we had to put it back together… Though, it's still with us. I'd that is a good name, I agree", Jerim agreed, but others had a say in this too. "I agree. Woody helped us a lot, without the puppet, we wouldn't have a safe course", Sam chimed in. Others agreed to that name as well. "Hence from this day forth, the biggest attraction course in the entire Great North, shall be known as Woody's Course!", I announced.

"Hehe, we will be famous! Anyway, I'm off to write my name! If you guys are too slow, I'll take all the best spots!", Hilan exclaimed before rushing to one of the sections. "Oi! Wait a minute, we want to leave our names too!", Jerim and others chased after him. I had to take care of Drak though, who waited at the top of the slide. 'He's probably dying from waiting right now… Hehe, I'm not gonna lie, this is enjoyable too', I thought while rushing back.

"Sister Anna, you are slow!", Drak complained. "Have some patience, remember? Patience is a very good trait to have in your life. Besides, you can go as many times as you want today, so don't complain", I replied. He stopped complaining and sat there quietly, waiting for me to activate the Formations. 'I wasn't really scolding him… Though kids can act. He's so docile now, since I'm the one who activates the Formations for him', "Cheer up, sister wasn't berating you", I said before activating the Formations.

In the meantime, my aunt returned with Ama. "We cleared up the misunderstanding, so everything should be alright now", my aunt said. I apologised to Ama for bursting out like that. Even if we had a disagreement, that didn't mean I could treat her that way. "You had me scared for a moment there, you know? To think your eyes would change. There's no doubt you are their daughter. Anyway, let's forget about that. The past is the past, right?", Ama said. I agreed, there was no need for hard feelings between us.

"Now that everything's cleared up, we can open this place to the public. Have you named it yet?", aunt asked. "Yes, we actually did name it. This course shall be known as Woody's Course", I replied. Both aunt Lira and Ama looked at each other, a bit confused by the naming sense. "Woody is the puppet we used to test everything. Without that puppet, we wouldn't be able to accomplish what we did. Hence, this is kind of an homage to Woody's efforts", I explained.

"I see, that makes sense. As of today, the Woody's Course is open to the public. We will announce that inside the city as well. I'm sure people will be interested", my aunt added. Just as we conversed, the others from my team joined us. "Great that you are here. The project is completed, therefore it's time for me to pay you. Here's the money for your work. Make sure to check the amount, I insist", Ama said, while handing them a pouch each.

"Ma'am, this is too much. We agreed on one Black Hal per day of work. In that case, we should receive around 60 Black Hals. There's almost a hundred here", Felix said. "That's your bonus, keep it. Anna didn't want her share, and you guys deserve more. Don't try to hand me this money back, you've earned it", aunt explained. The Grey Lizards looked at each other, then thanked both my aunt and Ama, then me for working with them.

"You guys did really well in this project, and a lot of people are impressed. If you are interested, I have a new job for you. Your pay will be better, and you'll be working on the Grand Stage. If you are interested, follow me. We can discuss the details at my office. Anna, thank you for working so hard. I hope we can see each other soon. Who knows, maybe you'll have another project in mind. We can always help you realise it", Ama said. "Hehe, perhaps. Though, I'm going to leave the North for a while soon. Anyway, take care of yourself, and please treat them well", I replied.

We bid each other farewell, but promised to meet up again when we had a chance to. "They are good kids. Who knows, they might become a backbone of this or any other city. You are not so bad yourself, you know? The ability to pull off something like this, with a few people no less is really commendable. Are you sure about the money? I can still give you a nice sum", aunt asked. "Heh, I might look like my mom, but I'm not going to charge for this. Besides, you guys took care of me for over two months. You already spent enough money on me, I appreciate that much more", I replied.

Aunt Lira patted my head, "Yes, friendship and family are more important than money. So, what's your plan now?". "Well, I should go back home. This project took a lot of my time, making me neglect my sword training. Moreover, uncle Ulon is probably dying of boredom… We left him all alone there. I'm not sure whether my parents are back either", I said.

"Who knows, they had loads of places to visit", aunt replied. "Anyway, I just need to get back home now… Going alone would be a bit dangerous though...". "You worry too much, child. We have that covered, a few Shades will escort you back home. They'll wait for you at the north-eastern gate. We won't see each other soon, I suppose. Though make sure to visit us again when you have a chance", my aunt explained.

"Really? Thank you. This makes things a lot easier. Yes, I'll try to visit as soon as I can. The Grand Stage is something I'd like to view once it's done. Oh yea, one more thing before I leave...", I replied, then headed towards the stairs and the slide. "Swoosh.. Tsum, Tsum, Swoop…", my sword carved a large "ANNA" into the side of the stairs. I figured that others left their names, therefore my name should be on the course as well.

"Hehe, the author of the course, eh?", aunt asked with a smile. "I guess you could call it like that. Others left their names somewhere on this course too, seems appropriate for me to do it as well. Anyway, thank you for everything", I said then hugged my aunt and Drak. "Please say farewell to uncle Crow for me… Drak, remember that this is for others too. Play to your heart content today, but let others have a go too. Alright?", I asked. "Yes, sister An".

My small adventure and project in Sedon was completed, it was time for me to return home. Before that, I wanted to say farewell to Daw, but unfortunately she wasn't around. "Oh well, in that case please say goodbye to her for me. Stay well ma'am, I promise to visit when I can". Though Dawn wasn't around, I said farewell to her mother, then headed towards the gate to collect Turry

My stay in Sedon was very long, but I made frequent visits there so that he wouldn't feel lonely. "Hey Turry, you missed me?". I asked from outside the wooden pen. "Moo!", he exclaimed. "You came to pick him up?", the owner asked. "Yes, how much do I owe you?". "Nothing, it has been paid already. I was told to prepare at least three weeks worth of plants for your Taurus, and here they are", he replied while handing me a bag full of plants.

'That's probably my aunt's work… Well, I'm not gonna complain', "Thank you for taking care of him. We will probably see each other when I visit again. Take care until then, alright?", I bid the owner farewell. Just like my aunt said, there were a few Shades with Tauruses, waiting outside the gate. "Princess Anna, we are here to escort you. Are you ready to go?", a female Shade asked. "Yes, just call me Anna. There's no need for any titles. Anyway, thank you for doing this, I will help out during the journey as much as I can", I replied.

"Please, we can take care of everything. Just sit back and relax", she replied while mounting her Taurus. 'Well, this trip was indeed something else. I wonder whether they finally returned home?… We haven't seen each other for about three months'. Of course I missed them, they were my family. Especially my father, who's been missing for so many years. "Let's go!", the female Shade exclaimed, before we headed towards the Wilderness.