He gazed at the stalactites and stalagmites that dotted the walls and ceiling like active volcanoes. “Ohhhhhh,” he breathed as he ventured further into the darkness. There was not a sound but Banjo’s heart pounding in awe. In the distance, something shiny caught his attention. He ran like mad, eager to see every bit. There sat a small egg, green like the grass in summer. It was carefully stamped with ? marks. “Wow!!! An egg!! It reminds me of....spring!!” Banjo remarked as he picked it up and put it in his backpack, which held all of his belongings.

The next morning, he yawned as he struggled to get on his feet. The outdoors were beutiful that day, like there was no storm in the first place, like....spring. He hurried home to show Tooty and Bottles what he had found. He ran over the path, nearly slipping, but scurrying on and on.

Nobody was home. He looked around the house a bit, thinking the whole thing was a joke. No Tooty in the bathroom. No chirpy mole in the kitchen. Even the game room was empty. He gave up easily, thinking they had gotten into mischief again. He trudged outside, eager to show this green, sparkling treasure to anyone who passed by. Bottles burst up right in front of Banjo, earning a suspenseful yell out of them both.

“Hey, Banjo!! Did you find your bee friends’ hive again?” Bottles chirped. “No, but I found this.” Banjo replied proudly, plucking the egg from his backpack. Suddenly, Bottles’ look of happiness faded. “That egg...” he gasped. “Yeah, what about it, mole head?” Kazooie insulted. “It— it’s one of the mystical eggs.” he talked on. “Huh? Did I miss something?” Banjo asked, confused as a Psyduck. “The mystical eggs, the very most powerful items on planet jiggy, they have powers.” Bottles seriously said. “Huh? What powers?” Banjo scratched his head. “Blue is waterWar, pink is mindwave, yellow is sunlight, orange is fireball Flares, and green is spring freshness.” Bottles lowered his voice.

“Right, that’s it, you’re to much!!” Banjo cackled. “It’s true!! The mystical eggs!!! Belive it!!” Bottles yelled over Banjo’s intense laughter. With that, Bottles burrowed down to the faraway place he rose from. “Mystical eggs!! Oh poospanker!! What a joke!!” Banjo giggled on. He decided to take a walk trough the worlds that the jiggies had unlocked. At the top of the Spiral Mountain, a sign stood, and it hadn’t been there the night before. He decided to take a look. He knelt down, to read the text inscribed. He read it aloud, gasping at practically every word.

“In the midst of devastation, the unknown have resurrected.” Banjo was puzzled. What did it mean? There was no end!! How was he supposed to figure this out? He shook his head in disbelief, as the thought of mystical eggs floated back to his mind. It was hopeless, he thought. So he hurried up to Click Clock Wood, his favorite resting spot.

The waterways trickled as the water ran over the pebbles, and the sun shined as if to say, “Good morning, sleepyhead!” Banjo planted his rear on a rock, and watched the dragonflies battle. He was being baked by the sun. He didn’t want to get burned up, so he dove down into the cool, deep lake. The light flap of Kazooie’s wings propelled him gently through the water. He spotted Knawty’s cave not far away, so he decided to drop by.

It WAS Knawty’s cave, but it was empty. The little purple beaver wasn’t there. He spotted a beutiful yellow glow up on a shelf. He flipped up there with ease, and stared at what lay ahead of him.....

“Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts!! Another egg!!” Banjo yelled with excitement, as he jumped wildly. But then he remembered the words of the tubby rat (Bottles) and how maybe the little earth digger wasn’t lying.....

Banjo hurried outside to show Nabnut, who was up in the trees like normal. As he exited the cave, he noticed that the water had been drained. A bright flash of sunlight blinded him. Fortunately, a laughing gremlin had dropped hiss sunglasses. A wave of relief washed over Banjo, like when the tide rises to the shore. He picked the sunglasses up, put them on, and hurried back to the exit.

Banjo didn’t get it. He had walked into the spring door, but the season changed while he was in the cave. He decided to take a peek at the summer door. Inside, snowflakes fell heavily onto the sheets of slush that had already been formed. “I-I-I—” Banjo stammered, as he stood there, speechless. “Let me guess, you packed tropical?” Kazooie teased, spitting out oodles of snowflakes out of her beak. Banjo bonked her on the head, just to call it even. He ran back to the season room, and selected winter....

Leaves. Leaves everywhere. They were scattered about, here and there. The trees were starting to look like monster arms, now that they were departing with their leaves. Banjo took no time. He ran back to season select. He staggered over to autumn. He was so used to the door being open, so he ran at top speed. Boom!! He knocked himself out instantly. When he woke, he stared at the door for a long time. It was barred shut. He tried everything. Beak barge. Ground pound. Punching. Rolling. Even the rat-a-tat-tap was useless. The door was closed, and all of his moves couldn’t open it. He was so dazed and confused. He was still going to show Bottles and Tooty his 2nd treasure, though. He hurried home, to the Spiral Mountain. Things were rainy again. “Rainy, rainy, you’re such a painy...” Kazooie squawked. “That’s not how the poem goes, Kazooie!!” Banjo replied, rolling his eyes. He ran for cover, just like the night before. He slid down the spiral path that led down the mountain.

“That’s gonna leave a BIIIIIGGGG stain!!” Kazooie cackled. “Shut up, bird!!” Banjo yelled, brushing grass and dew off of his butt. “I meant GRASS stain!!” Kazooie corrected. “Whatever.” Banjo said in disbelief. Banjo ran and ran, and finally he decided to spend the night under a giant toadstool.

He woke the next morning, and rubbed his eyes wearily. He was in a whole different place. Lava boiled rapidly, and bubbled nastily, as if to whisper, “Get out of our cavern!!” There was no sound except the sound of lava dripping and bubbling. Banjo tiptoed across a weak bridge. When he was right in the middle, the ropes tying the bridge together, started to fray.

Soon the bridge stated to fall apart. Banjo ran as fast as possible, and made it safely to the other side. Banjo’s teeth were chattering rapidly. The bubbling soup of flames forced a sick feeling up from Banjo’s tummy. Banjo ventured off to see Cheato, hoping to get an explanation for this.

No big flapping book. Just a small note that said: Out for lunch. “Oh, man!!!” Banjo moaned angrily, as he leaned against a wall. Suddenly, Banjo felt himself spinning around. The wall that he had perched himself on, just HAD to be a turn-table. “I’m cursed.” Banjo groaned as he tried to shake the dizziness out of himself. Up ahead, something shined, just like a glaring fireball. It was another ? marked egg, a sparkling orange one. Banjo picked it up. Kazooie was as amazed as he was, as her gaze locked onto the sparkling treasure. They spun around on the turn-table again, hoping for the best.....

“Huh??” Banjo asked, hoping not to faint. “K-k— Kazooie? Why are we back in..... the Spiral Mountain?” Banjo questioned. “Beats me,” squawked the small bird. “Why don’t we ask old JamJars?” Kazooie cackled. Banjo just stood there, as if he had been frozen in a Medusa’s stare. “Helloooooo? JamJars? Ask him?” Kazooie taunted, waving her wing in front of him. Banjo just swatted it away, still seeming quite hesitant. “Fine, you flapping goose.” Banjo agreed finally. “I’m no goose!!” Kazooie protested.

“Goggles— I mean, Bottles, are you home?” Banjo asked and yelled at the same time. He walked into the kitchen, hoping to see a fat mole at the table. Instead, when he stared over, he saw.....someone else....

“B-b—Bottles? Is....that....you?” Banjo shakily asked. “I’m not Bottles.” The beautiful voice whispered, like the pale moan of a ghost in the fog and wind. “I’m someone you forgot about, a long time ago.

TO BE CONTINUED........