Chapter Four: Where are we?
April 23, 2024 at 3:39 AM
The children were sitting somewhere in an alley. More precisely, it was the elder gray hedgehog, the younger sisters and the two-tailed fox who were sitting, who was trying to figure out this new watch. The brown grumpy hedgehog was at this time walking from wall to wall back and forth, holding both hands folded behind his back. Sammy got tired of watching this sometimes and said:
β Benny, would you sit down, would you? Are your eyes hurting already?
β I can't sit. I have got pins and needles in my legs. β the grumpy whined. β And in general. It's boring here.
β I know, but we have nowhere to go. I don't even know how to use it. What if I click somewhere in the wrong place and send us somewhere to Hell or somewhere else where we can die. β Tails says, trying to figure out the clock. β These buttons are not even labeled. I can't make out anything!
β What's the difference? The main thing is that we are already convinced that we are not in the forest, but somewhere in some city... With people... And... Aliens? β Benny asks himself.
An old Scotsman in a wheelchair with a bagel walks past them. Instead of one leg, he had a machine gun as a prosthesis. He was clearly old, judging by his gray beard. He noticed the children in the alley and addressed them:
β Hello children. Why are you sitting in a dark alley? And completely alone? he asks them a little loudly.
β Why is this old man shouting? β Tiny doesnβt understand.
β He doesn't scream. He just has a high voice. β Sammy suggested.
β We got lost. Do you know where the road to the giant forest is? β asks Nelly.
β A giant forest? Yes, such a place on our planet does not exist at all. β the Scotsman answers.
β How does it not exist? β The little fox widened his eyes and stood up. β You donβt even have nagas?
β No... Who are they? These nagas? β the old man asked.
The children were shocked by what they heard. Now they were sure where they had ended up.
β We found ourselves in another universe! β the little fox says to himself.
β It's your fault! β Benny pushed his two-tailed brother.
β Me?
β Sure wasn't me. β the brown hedgehog asks the fox. β It was you who opened that portal and because of you we got here.
β No, Benny. It's your fault that we all ended up here. If you hadn't jumped through the portal, we wouldn't have jumped after you. β Tails spoke up.
β That's it! β Sammy stood up for Tails. β Who asked you to run into this portal? All our troubles most often happen because of you. Do you remember how you were once almost eaten by someone you trusted? And when you offended the dragon Blackie! And when did you accuse Tails in exactly the same way, after which he got offended and left? A!
The Scotsman intervened and spoke calmly:
β Sorry! I don't want to disturb you, but... Don't blame each other. If you are lost and donβt know how to get back home, then I can recommend you my best friend. I think he will help you.
β What kind of friend do you have? β asked Nellie.
β Samurai Jack! β the old man answers. β Fifty years ago, he first appeared in our world and destroyed the great demon Aku, who had captured our entire world. And now everyone has forgotten about him and honors Jack himself as a great hero and savior of our world. Thanks to him, our whole world has become a better place, there is no more crime, hunger, hard work and other political problems, and in all cities and countries it has become safe to walk along the streets and alleys even at night.
β Do you know where we can find him? β Tiny asks.
β Why are you listening to him? Maybe he's a crazy old man? β He folded his hands on his chest in disbelief.
β WHAT??? β the Scotsman was indignant and, smiling slyly, began to yell at the hedgehog: β LOOK AT YOURSELF!!! YOU ARE JUST A PATHETIC NOBILITY WHO LOVES TO HUMILIATE EVERYONE AROUND YOU SO YOU CAN SEEM COOL!!! EVEN I WASN'T LIKE THIS!!! I AM NOT A CRAZY OLD MAN!!! I AM DIFFERENT FROM SOME, I AM A GREAT WARRIOR, A FAMOUS SCOTCHMAN WHO EVEN HELPED SAMURAI JACK HIMSELF TO DEFEAT AKU!!! WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT AN EVIL AND SCARY DEMON IT WAS!!! EVEN JACK AND I WERE AFRAID OF HIM, BUT WE DID NOT GIVE UP!!! YOU, JUDGING BY YOUR EYES, AS I SEE, ARE ONLY A MENTALENTED, NASTY, DISGUSTING, ILL-BORDERED AND SMALL HOLIGAN WHO LOVES TO SHOW OFF!!! EVEN MY DAUGHTERS ARE BETTER EDUCATED THAN YOU, YOU PATHETIC COWARD BAG!!!
Benny was a little frightened by the Scotsmanβs screams, his right eye was twitching, and the icon of his left one was increasing and decreasing. The rest just stood aside in shock with bulging eyes, not expecting such a reaction from such a brutal grandfather. Fortunately, he noticed how they stood aside and what their reaction was, although they themselves, unlike the distrustful one, did nothing bad to him.
β Sorry, did I scare you? I did not want. β he calmly answers them.
Sammy, Nelly, Tails and Tiny calmed down, but Benny still stood still, scared and offended.
β But I wasnβt afraid. I was just a little surprised. β the little fox answers, and then apologized for his brown brother. β Please forgive him! He's always like this with us.
β Okay, you're forgiven. β says the old man and tells them the way to Samurai Jack. β Go east through the forest with vines and you will come to Jack. He lives there in one large mansion, far from civilization, closer to animals and nature. I myself sometimes come to visit him there and visit him. Surprisingly, they say that he arrived thanks to Aku himself from the past and because of this, time ceased to have power over him, that now he is forever young compared to all of us. Never gets old. At the same time, he still almost died a couple of times, as I remember. That is, he is not completely immortal.
β Clear. Thank you. β Sammy thanked and they all went on their way. Everyone except Benny, who stood there in a stupor. Sammy returned, picked up his brown brother, threw him over his right shoulder and carried him with him, feet first and head back. The Scotsman waved goodbye to them with his hand.
***
And the children headed along the path that was indicated by that same Scot. The forest was smaller and narrower just their size. For them, this was already a little more convenient, although they had already become accustomed to living and hiding in giant forests. All the children walked forward and looked forward. Benny, on Sammy's shoulder, was only looking back the whole time. By that time he had already come to his senses and was looking at the city, from which they were moving further and further away. β Itβs so nice to be in a forest your size. I don't feel so small anymore. β Tiny says to herself happily. β And we are so glad, Tiny! β Nelly agreed. β Maybe we shouldnβt return home, but stay here? What do you think? Of course I say this as a joke. I hope this Jack or whatever his name is will really help us, figure out this wristwatch and help us return back to our universe. β Tails suggested, looking at the watch itself on his hand. β They are so modern and technologically advanced. They stuffed so much necessary and unnecessary junk into them, but for some reason they donβt show the time. Although we left the alley about half an hour ago where that grandfather showed us the way here. β I still donβt trust him and I think heβs just crazy. Yelled at me, and he probably lured us into a trap. β Benny answers, and Sammy in response only slightly throws him up and holds him on his shoulder again. β Oh! Hey! β You always suspect everyone and are always dissatisfied with something! Maybe you will finally shut up and be silent for at least five hours! β the little fox politely asked, rolling his eyes. β Well, don't grumble, Tails! We don't need another Benny. β Sammy joked and laughed with Nellie and Tiny at this very phrase. Tails and Benny were the only ones who didn't laugh at this and were still more serious. Benny continued the conversation: β I wonβt shut up. And I'm not whining at all. I'm just trying to protect all of you, and you don't even see the danger in advance, even where it seems that there is none. I know that it exists. She's just good at hiding. β Well, here you are again. Tails replies, rolling his eyes. β Maybe we are all dangerous in your opinion too? And now you'll have to be just as suspicious of all of us? Well, you never know! What if we are all not really your brothers and sisters, but for example... Aliens who kidnapped them and replaced them. β Hee! Don't make up nonsense! β the brown hedgehog said incredulously. Gray smiled slyly and decided to play him in the same way. β Really? β He said slowly and discreetly winked at Tails, Nelly and Tiny so that they would play along with him. They took the hint and smiled slyly. Sammy took Benny off his shoulder and placed him on the ground, holding him by the shoulders. Benny looked at Tails, Nelly and Tiny, who were smiling and moving with their arms outstretched forward, like zombies. β Maybe we replaced your brothers and sisters a long time ago, and you yourself never suspected us. And in vain! β Tiny said slowly and in a scary voice. Benny's eyes widened and his teeth clenched in fear. I even lost the ability to move. β That's it, that's enough, that's enough! I got it! I won't do this again! I promise! The brothers and sisters laughed. β Come on! We were just joking! Sammy replies, removing his hands. He walked forward and turned sharply, raising his hands and growling. Benny, not expecting this from his older brother, gets so scared that he jumps back and accidentally hits a scarecrow with a pumpkin head in samurai armor. Benny turned around to see who he hit. The scarecrow fell and broke. Sammy laughed, walking forward. β Well, why destroy monuments? A? The brown hedgehog was indignant at this and examined the stuffed animal. He turned it over and saw the creepy face on the pumpkin and almost screamed. On the chest of the armor was an inscription in blood: βAbandon all hopes of all who enter here! Get out of here if you're not afraid!" Benny swallowed and ran after his siblings. β Wait! Let's go back to the city after all! β Don't be a coward, Benny. β Sammy joked. β That old Scot said that his friend lives here and that he will help us. This means we have nothing to fear! Or did you, the cunning one, suspect something again? β Yes, I suspected it. That scarecrow that I touched because of you was terrible and there was an inscription on it. We can't go any further. The children rolled their eyes and turned to their brother. Tails was the first to speak. β Listen, Benny! You're already tired of your suspicions. If you donβt want to, you can return to the city and stay there to wait for us, and we will move on. And it doesnβt matter: with or without you! They walked on, but Benny remained where he was. He was outraged by this answer and a little upset. Out of resentment, he already wanted to turn around and go back. On the road to the city he walked and walked. He did not see a button on the ground hidden under the leaves and stepped on it. At that moment, a new scarecrow burst out of the ground in the form of a horned demon with a green face and red eyes. Benny screamed, frightened by such a scarecrow, deciding that it was alive and suddenly stood in the way. The hedgehog turned and ran back to his brothers and sisters. β SAMMY, NELLY, TAILS, TINY!!! WHERE ARE YOU??? WAIT FOR ME!!! The scarecrow behind him fell to the ground at that time. Benny returned to his brothers and sisters, began to catch his breath and now walked only with them. β Benny, you are such a coward! β says Nelly. Having overcome a couple more trees, they came out onto a large field, where everything was in fog and in this very fog a large mansion was located. There were forbidden gates on the way. Tails carried each of his siblings through the gate from above, as he could fly on his tails. Having entered the territory of the mansion, they walked forward along a path made of cement slabs. On the way, in the center between the rounded road, there was a monument to the samurai himself in a robe, with a sword and short hair. He also wore slippers. On the pedestal was the inscription βSamurai Jack. A great warrior, hero and savior of planet Earth from the great and cruel tyrant demon dictator named Aku. Blessed memory to you!β β Bright memory? β Nelly asks after reading. β What is he? Died? β This is impossible! The Scotsman told us that he is forever young and immortal. This means he is probably alive and is somewhere inside. Maybe he just erected his monument in advance? Tiny wondered out loud. β It is unlikely! β the fox waved his hand. β So, thatβs it! There's no one here, so let's go back! β says Benny and just turned around when Sammy grabbed his hand. β Do not rush! We donβt know even more precisely whether there is definitely no one here or whether there is? β he explained to him. β Besides, we have no way back! β Went! I will show. β the brown hedgehog made excuses. Tiny could not stand such whining and, despite the fact that she is the youngest among them, shouted: β BENNY, YOU'RE ALREADY TIRED OF WHINING AND BEING SUSPICIOUSLY AFRAID OF EVERYTHING HERE!!! β WHO ARE YOU TO YELL AT ME??? β he immediately shouted at his younger sister, and she dared to hit him on the cheek and shouted: β SHUT UP!!! WELL YOU SHUT UP!!! CAN YOU HEAR!!! ONE MORE WORD WILL COME OUT OF YOU AND WE WILL TIE YOU IN THE FOREST TO ONE OF THE TREES, LEAVING YOU THERE ALONE FOR A DAY!!! YOU UNDERSTOOD ME??? Benny was clearly outraged and at the same time surprised by such a violent reaction for such a child. He did not argue with her further and simply nodded silently in agreement. The gray hedgehog sighed heavily, almost crying from what she had just done. Tails hugged the youngest and stroked her head. β Calmly! It's all nerves! Have a rest! β Yeah, Tiny. So you screamed at him. β Sammy admired, smiling, and at the same time surprised. He himself did not expect such a reaction from her. The girl calmed down a little and even fell asleep without noticing it. Tails himself took her into his arms and decided to carry his little sister while she slept. Sammy was the first to go this time and everyone followed him. They entered through large wooden doors. The doors to the mansion, unlike the gates, were open. Everything was so perfect inside. A beautiful staircase upstairs with turns to the left and right on the second floor. The mansion itself was three stories high. There were also perfect white columns and samurai armor with helmets. β Wow! β Sammy says, and Benny canβt download anything. β How much armor? Apparently this Jack, with whom that grandfather is friends, has very large capital. β Nelly suggested. β Such people can often afford anything besides a mansion and butlers. This Samurai Jack must be a very rich man, and not just a warrior. β Tails answers. Benny first wanted to ask out loud that this Samurai Jack could be like Batman. That is, he has two personalities, in one of which he is rich and lives an ordinary life, and in the other he is a hero and helps good people. However, remembering Tinyβs screams, he decided to remain silent on this topic. Itβs even a shame that they will never know his opinion on this topic. Nelly took his sword from one of the knight's armor and, being far from her brothers, so as not to hurt them, began to swing her sword, imagining herself as a knight in some kind of war or in battle against some kind of sworn enemy. β Great! β she says to herself and hangs the sword back. β SAMURAI JACK!!! SAMURAI JACK, YOU'RE HOME!!! β Sammy shouts, but the resident of the mansion does not respond. Suddenly some noise was heard from pots and pans to the right. There must have been a kitchen there. Without hesitation, they decided to run there. When they arrived, they found themselves in the kitchen, where a couple of pans and pots just fell on the floor. But at the same time there was no one here. The kitchen itself was perfectly clean and sparkled like a mirror. β Itβs so clean here, but we burst in here with dirty shoes. β Nelly said a little sadly. Benny found shoe covers nearby in the corner and handed them to his brothers and sisters. β O! Thanks Benny. β Yes, at least you are of some use! β the little fox answers a little rudely, to which the brown hedgehog turned away offendedly and folded his arms over his chest. They put shoe covers on their feet and began to walk along the perfectly clean kitchen floor. Even the table was perfectly clean and silver. β This is beauty! Lepota! β Tails admired. β Silver would love it! β Sammy suggested. Nelly noticed a glass of water on the table. There were ice cubes inside the glass of water. β Look! The ice cubes inside the glass are intact and have not yet melted in the water. This means that there is someone here besides us. After all, someone had to leave a glass with cubes inside here? β Maybe! They did not even suspect that behind them someone had crept very slowly on tiptoe and, taking his samurai sword, swung at them. Tiny, lying with her head on Tails' shoulder, woke up in time, opening her eyes and saw a man with long black hair and a black beard, who was looking at them menacingly and was preparing to kill them with his sword. She immediately shouted in time: β GET DOWN!!! Out of fear, the elders, still cries, ducked down and the Samurai in the robe swung and missed. Tails manages to kick the samurai sword out of the hands of the bearded uncle and it flies, piercing the wall like a dart in a dartboard. The bearded man jumps onto the chandelier and spins around on it, also extending his right leg, trying to knock down the uninvited guests. The hedgehogs and the little fox manage to jump back a step. The samurai lands on the table, picks up one frying pan and throws it at Benny. The latter, standing with his feet straight on the floor, ducks his body back, like Neo from the Matrix. The frying pan flies over his head, narrowly missing his nose. Then the brown hedgehog stands up straight. The stranger then picks up a rolling pin in his right hand and a bottle of lemonade in his left. Having quickly finished the rest of the lemonade, he throws it at the brown hedgehog. This time Benny did not have time to dodge and was hit on the head with a bottle. Fortunately, the bottle was plastic and its impact on the head felt like an ordinary finger poke. The man with the beard threw a rolling pin at the little fox, but the latter managed to dodge. Tiny was in his arms at this time, as if by luck she managed to grab the rolling pin in her hand. β I caught it! β Enough! I'm fed up with this! β Tails said, placing his little sister's feet on the floor. The little fox picks up a mop, armed with it, and the stranger with a beard picks up two more frying pans, armed with them. While the little fox was swinging the mop, pretending to be tough, the stranger suddenly swung one frying pan and cut the mop into two halves. β It's not fair! The bearded man did not listen to him or explain anything, but only waved the frying pan again and hit the little fox in the face, knocking him to the ground. And then he threw them towards Bunny and Nelly. The latter also managed to evade and even picked them up into their hands. The stranger ran to the wall where his sword grabbed hold of him and grabbed it. Sammy tried to intervene and stop him. He managed to grab the stranger by the waist and lift himself above himself. The bearded man grabbed the shelf from the top and, lifting it, deliberately dropped it on the floor, hoping to crush the pollen from the gray hedgehogβs feet or at least scare him so that he would let him go. The second option worked and Sammy, afraid that the shelf would pinch his legs, let go of the samurai. The latter flew over the hedgehog's back, grabbed him by the neck, threw him to the floor and, raising his sword, prepared to plunge it into him. β NO!!! β all the children shouted. Even Benny, having forgotten about Tinyβs request this time, could not resist and shouted as well. They ran to help their older brother, but it was too late. The bearded man looked at Sammy angrily and prepared to plunge the sword into his heart. The gray hedgehog, realizing that there was apparently no point in running and resisting, closed his eyes and prepared for his death. However, when the stranger quickly lowered his sword, trying to press it right through the hedgehogβs chest, nothing happened. The sword only lightly touched the chest and stopped, as if it was touching a hard and impenetrable wall, making a metallic sound. The stranger immediately widened his eyes, realizing that this hedgehog was innocent. At that very moment, Tails himself jumped over the table and flew and struck the bearded man with both legs, pushing him. Then Benny and Nelly came running armed with frying pans and Tiny a rolling pin. They started hitting him from the back and on the knees, knocking him to the floor. At one point, the man with the beard swung his sword. The children did not have time to dodge this time, but fortunately the sword could not hurt them either, although it still touched them with its tip, but did not leave a wound. Then the man with the beard immediately realized that these uninvited guests were innocent. When they prepared to beat him again, he removed his hand and said: β Stop! Stop! Don't hit! β Don't hit? You attacked us first! β Benny was indignant out loud, and then remembering that he forgot, promising Tiny, his eyes widened and he covered his mouth. However, Tiny just looked at him sternly and looked back at her uncle. β Who are you? Why did you attack us? β I am the one who lives here. I attacked you because you are uninvited guests who entered my house without my permission. I thought you were evil robots or assassins disguised as ordinary civilians who previously served Aku and are still serving him even after his death. But my sword showed me that you are all alive and innocent. β Your sword? β asked Nelly. β My sword is magical. He is capable of killing demons and evil creatures, and those who are innocent, he cannot even hurt. β And I thought that it was you who managed to save me at the last moment. β Sammy said to his siblings. Nevertheless, the children did not hold any grudge against this stranger. Anyone can make a mistake, even if he is trying to protect his home himself from those who enter his home without asking. β Forgive us for sneaking into you without asking. We are looking for a certain person named Samurai Jack. An old Scot told us that only he could help us. β Tails explained and took off his wristwatch, showing it to the bearded man. β Deal with this. The stranger took the wristwatch and examined it. Of course, he immediately understood who they were looking for, because the same Samurai Jack they were looking for was himself. True, instead of introducing himself, he asked them a simple question: β Do you want something to eat?
