Chapter 4: Pagoda in the Shadows (The Finale)

To my own surprise, I actually enjoyed the past three days on the moon! At first, I was soo looking forward to returning home again, I was complaining about every single thing there and didn't even let anyone cheer me up! Suddenly, it was completely the opposite on the last day? I felt something I never felt. I wasn't even homesick or missed any of my friends at school! I did wonder though how my friends back at school were doing... how my sister Candy was doing. She must have given birth to her baby already... whether it's a girl or a boy? Either way, she hadn't contacted us ever since we arrived here on the moon, but that's what Candy usually does anyway, so this didn't surprise me... not even a little bit!

Anyway, yesterday, when I was hanging around in the zen garden, Rhett found an old map which was apparently buried in the frontyard of some old teahouse/or wherever he was spending his time in these days. It looked like a treasure map, but this can't... just... HOWW? It doesn't make any sense, does it make sense? No, it doesn't. Get it! But my father was so keen on that map, so I just had to go along with them! Either way... the map was not even complete! It had some directions... but there were in fragments and there was no info about the exact location. Let alone where to find the treasure at all...? But for some reason, Dad and Rhett were convinced they'd find it once we arrive there anyway!


The map was seemingly leading to nowhere! We left the little colony named Moonbase Apollo (which was the only colony anyway in that area?) I didn't look like there were others... the surrounding area was completely empty, looked sad and deserted... somewhat creepy, too! For a second or two, I thought I'd hear something, but no, there was this absolute silence! Sometimes, I even had the impression, I'd hear my breath... or my blood in the veins. I tried to keep myself calm and tried to pretend that it never happened, I just kept breathing and breathing and breathing... but it never seemed to end! The "treasure hunt" was getting creepy as well! I wondered what this "treasure" is... and where all of this led to? I really began to question everything... even questions like "Are we going to make it out... alive at all?" or "What if this map is just a trap? Who buried it there at all... how did Rhett find that in the first place?" Also, we shouldn't have gone without knowing much about the place! We should have asked the locals around town!

Suddenly, we saw some creepy looking rocks and behind these rocks, there was a mysterious pagoda in a dome. The dome looked much like the other buildings downtown. But this one here was different! It was nestled in a tiny crater and it was at a quite high altitude (compared to the other places)... between the rocks, we could even spot the colony - Moonbase Apollo from the distance. This remote place was creepy indeed! I couldn't even tell whether this was a forgotten/abandoned house once... or whether some sinister organisation constructed this thing here on purpose... to spy the people around the colony, which might be a thing, since the area was covered with those large rocks!


Anyway... we entered the dome and were dazed by what we saw! There was such a dense garden and bamboo forest... with an old bridge and all... the pond surface was all filled with waterlilies everywhere!
It didn't look well-tended at all! No, much the opposite! There were weeds everywhere! The water was full of algae; the air around there felt rather humid and wild! Whoever belonged this garden to, they either did a lousy job at gardening... or they deceased a long time ago and nobody even noticed! Well, I hoped it was the first theory, because I didn't want to believe in the other one. I was really NOT interesting in seeing any ghosts!


When we had a quick look around and there... there was this shrine thingy again! I and Rhett tossed a coin once and it brought us both luck! So, Dad wanted to toss a coin as well. I wanted to warn him though, because... that shrine looked way different than the ones I and Rhett had used. Something about the shrine was odd, it didn't look cute or promising at all... this one here looked rather creepy! But Dad had the strong impression, he'd find the treasure in there... so, he tossed a coin!


I remember this eerie red-ish smoke which was emitted right away when he tossed the coin into this devilish shrine. All of sudden, he got a whole swarm of...


Moon-bees? (or how should we cal them?) chasing him! As if this wasn't enough, I heard eerie sounds from above! There... I knew it! THIS PLACE WAS HAUNTED! THERE'S A GHOST UPSTAIRS!!!! Rhett tried to calm me down and he'd say things like "Yeah, you've watched way too many of those stupid soap operas on TV..." and all... which, ehh? I didn't anyway? And they're everything but stupid! HIS... whatever he's watching on TV shows are stupid! Sheesh!


Poor Dad, though! I really felt sorry for him and was also scared of what's coming next! I remember seeing this one Horror movie where the Goths would go on vacation and then be trapped by aliens in this creepy tomb! I just KNEW the same would happen to us, too! Since... you know, we ARE on the moon and there were many, MANY aliens wandering around here! I didn't want to follow Rhett, I really didn't! But I couldn't have let him go on his own, too! He insisted on going upstairs to see what's going on... and I just couldn't leave him behind, could I? Either way... I had goosebumps all over my body! This clearly wasn't it!


"Hey, check this out! You can see all the gorgeous ladies from here above!"
"Rhett!! Stop being a jerk, this is serious! I'm scared and look what you're doing!"
"I think, you're exaggerating Goldie..."
"DIDN'T YOU SEE THOSE MOON-BEES ARISING OUT OF NOWHERE??!!"
"There were so many plants down there, I bet Dad just upset the bees, that's all! There's no supernatural things going on here.. this's just a place where you can stalk... ahem, just look at other sims... who are uhmm.. good looking!"
"Whatever... but I could have sworn, I've heard noises from above!"
"Why don't you then go explore yourself? I just don't want to be involved with this thing... count me out, really!"


Rhett was being sooo annoying again, but I noticed some hidden stairs behind the benches while arguing with him... so I went there to have a closer look! I felt... the presence! I thought there was a ghost there on the top! I could feel my heart pounding like CRAZY!!
I've never been this scared in my whole life! I was like "WHYY is this place considered as a treasure then? If it just brings misfortune and all...?"
Well, the garden was kinda beautiful, so that's the treasure? Naah, that'd be stupid! The garden only looks good NOW because it grew throughout all these years! I bet it was pretty boring when that stupid treasure was buried somewhere over here!

Though, when I finally dared to go upstairs, I saw this old man hanging around here? He wasn't an alien... so, he didn't look as if he were from here... or was he? Anyway, I should have been scared, but I was not! Not even a little bit! Or was he also a victim of some alien traps? Just like us? OMG! What if he's gone through the same as we did? Wait, no, this can't be the case! Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to find the map? If he was here before... so, he must be someone who already knew how to get to this place... without the aid of a secret map! Or was the map which Rhett's found his map? Anyway, I tried to greet him, just in the way how Q's taught me! This old man indeed looked like someone who could help us!


"Good evening, sir! I'm.."
"Hmmmm..."
"I'm..."
"Hmmm..."
"Goldie Hart... I and my family were here on..."
"Hmmm..."
"Vacation and we'd like to ask you for help? If you could help us, please?"
"Hmmm...."

Well, he was being very weird FOR SURE!!! I felt ridiculously uncomfortable standing next to him! He wouldn't even answer any of my questions... or whatever! He didn't even notice I was there? Maybe that's why! I thought, maybe the smell of good tea would literally wake him up?


"Maybe, I misjudged you! I first thought you have traveled far but not seem to be knowing!"
"What are you talking about, sir? I just asked you for help and you didn't reply!"
"Hmm..."
"Oh, NOOO!! Please, do not start with that again! Just, drink your tea, sir!"

Thankfully, I didn't have to stay alone with him all the time! Dad and Rhett got aware of the smell and came to join us!


"So, she's her daughter?"
"Yeah, Goldie's my daughter! I also have another daughter named Candy, but she couldn't travel along with us."
"I know."
"Uhmm, OK, so... why do you ask me then when you actually know my daughters?"
"I just do."

That conversation and was MORE THAN CREEPY! I don't think I've ever seen such an awkward looking sim who also behaves soo awkward? So, yeah... apparently, he lives there in that creepy pagoda in the shadows! But still, that day was SOO weird! I was tired because of the long walk; I was upset because nobody took me seriously; I was bored because I couldn't use the internet at all; I was hungry because this old man didn't even offer food to us? We were his "guests" and he NOTICED that we had a long journey behind us and that we might possibly be hungry? But he didn't even offer us anything at all... he only offered us to sit downstairs to talk a bit more in his patio... I guess we were all just being polite to him. Lol! But that day really wasn't being it!


For some reason, he'd always stare at me and sit next to me when we'd be chatting... one more reason why I found him weird? It wasn't even enough to say "he was weird" because he was literally beyond that! We kept on talking on his patio for such a long time, our stomachs growled and he'd still not be offering or let us just go? OMG, and when the sun was setting and he was right by my side...! ... OK, OK, we got it! I won't be writing a diary entry full of complaints!

At some point, he suddenly stood up and said:
"You seem to possess the charm and panache necessary to bear The Legend!"
"Uhmm, OK? I'm sorry to sound rude, but you won't give us any food? Because we're leaving!"
"You'll be awared with the biggest treasure in your life!"

So, we thought, he'd finish telling this stupid legend and then, he'd serve us some food! So, we could get away from here and especially from HIM!
We had to listen to him... unfortunately!


"... and that was The Legend! The treasure is yours now! Keep it well and farewell!" *vanishes in air
"Hey, you can't treat us like that! Come back here you fool! You can't leave us behind like this? We listened to your stupid story and you wouldn't even do us a favour in return?!"

Dad was really upset... so was I and Rhett. But we decided to just leave that place, we stole grabbed enough fruits from his garden and just went back to the suite! It was already very late in the night... almost early thing in the morning when we arrived there! We'd have to leave soon anyway, so we just packed out stuff! While this wasn't the greatest day in Moonbase Apollo, I've learned a lot from my journey during these days and overall, I still think that this vacation was a great success!

The shuttle's just arrived and it was time to say goodbye to Moonbase Apollo! I'll miss this superb place! But thankfully, I got the phone numbers of both; Qiu and Hua, so, I can still keep in touch with them back in Widespot! I'm really excited to show them my hometown one day, too! I'm sure they'd love it, wouldn't they?