Part Six: Recap: Discovering and exploring a tunnel under the bed, Tweak and Riordan find themselves caught in a series of events leading them on a grand adventure with the destination of China. After a long hike with their Guide Nid, they finally come upon some other travelers. Rio finds a playmate in one of those travelers and their journey becomes much more interesting. It's filled with stories of far off lands and pranks from Rio and his new friend Sam. Finally the group reaches the Wurm Express. Station Number Twenty-seven to be exact, and what they see is amazing. We reenter right after they walked into the station. A line of shops and hotels (much bigger than the unmanned re-supply stations along the tunnel) filled one side of the cave like station. Critters of every shape and size bustled back and forth between the ticket booths, platforms, hotels, and shops. Tweak saw a mother rabbit counter her children while standing next to a large orange tabby cat, whom was wearing a bowler hat and a monocle on one platform and a preying mantis chatting with a butterfly on another. "How do they keep the peace around here?" she questioned still amazed. "Well, there are strict rules here and in all the tunnels. You're not allowed to eat anyone else, all food must be pre-prepared and either bought or carried. If you'll look over by that lamp post over there, do you see the Tasmanian devil dressed in dark red?" Nid pointed across a few platforms. "Yes" "He's part of station security. Australian freelance agent I think. If you ever get lost or need help, just find one of those guards in red with a conductor's hat and he'll help you out. They're not always as intimidating as they look, only when the need calls for it. So don't be scared of them. You could also find one of the Tunnel Mice, they'll help you too, but they're often hard to come across." "Wow" Tweak whispered. "Just, wow" Riordan, Sam, and Frank were all talking to Kipling. They were discussing the rules and the best places to eat. Tweak and Nid joined their conversation and soon they had all settled on where to stay for the night. They were going to stay at Bugly Bug's Tavern. It was the best eatin' in town and it had decent rooms too. As they walked over to the Tavern, Rio, Sam, Tweak, and Frank's heads were turning every which way trying to see everything at once. The scenery was amazing. There were shops that sold anything and everything, from beetle eye necklaces (artificially raised) to Tunnel Gem souvenirs to Coon Skin Caps (from Coons who've signed donor cards.) Exotic scents wafted on the air. Incense and new foods all mingled together, at one point it got so strong that it made Riordan and Tweak sneeze. When they reached the Tavern the opossums and ferrets were pleasantly surprised to find that the tavern was not dark and smoking like some of the others they had seen. In fact the place smelled subtly sweet, a sort of fruity floral smell. "Greetings and Welcome to Bugly Bug's Tavern" said an interesting sort of critter. You couldn't quite tell what sort of insect it was. It almost looked like a cross between a spider, a moth, a caterpillar, and a beetle. "I'm Bugly Bug and it is my pleasure that I should be your server this evening!" The food they had was wonderful and Bugly Bug (who had heard of Nid's coming and had desired to meet him, hence him being their server) was warm and friendly despite his odd appearance. A charming Luna moth provided live music in the background as Bugly explained that his appearance was due to the fact that his mother was a Tiger Moth and Swallow Tail butterfly cross and his father was the offspring of a tarantula who fell in love with a scarab beetle. Since he was not one certain type of insect, he was simply a bug and that was that. The conversation flowed and the hour grew late. With good food in their bellies and good music in their ears everybody was getting drowsy. With the promise of warm, soft beds the desire for a good nights sleep finally overcame the desire to watch the goings on of the tavern. Tweak headed off to a room all her own, while Kip and Nid shared a suit next to hers, Frank, Sam and Rio shared a third room. The beds were as warm and soft as promised, and Tweak was thoroughly grateful to have a room to herself. She indulged in a bubble bath before slipping into bed. Then, in the safety of her room (with no boys to steal them) she slipped her beloved Warty and Fish out from a safe spot in the bottom of her pack. After a good chomp on both, she placed them gently on the pillow next to her and drifted off to sleep without hearing the excited yips of the boys as they jumped on their beds and had a pillow fight before falling asleep themselves, exhausted from another exciting day. The next day was very busy indeed. Everybody was running back and forth buying Express Tickets, packing supplies, rechecking release times, and everything else. On top of all their other errands, Nid and Kip were filling out papers and talking to the Guard Company about Nid's new post. Finally the time came to head to platform 8 1/2 to board Express 71. When they saw their first wurm, they were reminded of a pill bug with no legs. Behind the worm were train like carts attached by a special harness. "Hello there," said the friendly sounding worm to its passengers who were lined up on the plat form. "I'm Charlie. I'll be taking you to China over the next 8 days. It's almost timed to head out, so I'll let you say all of your goodbyes before I tell you about how the journey will go." "Good-bye, Nid, thank you so very much for being our guide," Tweak said with a sniff. "I'll miss you so much. I'll send you lots of post cards!" Nid bowed deeply. "Fair thee well My Lady, My Lad" he said to the both of them. Then with a tear in 6 out of 8 of his eyes, he pulled both of the fuzzies into a very awkward hug. Which is understandable when you're trying to hug an 8-legged spider. Kipling was saying goodbye to Frank and Sam, and then they switched. Finally, the bittersweet and tearful farewells were over with and Frank, Sam, Rio, and Tweak were boarding Charlie's Express Carts. Seven pairs of legs (and one reptilian tail) waved goodbye to each other as the Express pulled away from the platform, and then with a burst of speed they were off, listening to Charlie's pleasant voice explain the rules and regulations for the trip! What awaits Rio and Tweak on the final leg of their journey? Will the Wurm Express make it to China? What awaits them across the border? Join us tomorrow for the conclusion of Riordan & Tweak In: Under The Bed (Digging to China) [Posted in FML issue 4618]