THE STAR FLOWER
By Brennan Haley
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 Brennan Haley
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Once upon a time in the Amazon jungle of South America, Jordan the Pint Sized Pirate was hired to go on a great quest along with a powerful sorcerer named Witch Doctor Aryu to find a mysterious exotic plant called the Star Flower.
Jordan nervously looked around the spooky forest filled with chattering of animals of all sorts and sizes and sliminess. "It's starting to get dark out here, Merlin. I think we should call it a day."
Witch Doctor Aryu immediately objected to the suggestion. He was a hunchback, frail man with a long stringy beard, eye patch, and the pleasant demeanour of a badger with a stubbed toe. "We are not to stop until we have found the Star Flower. And use my proper name when you address me, you addlepated cur. It certainly is not Merlin!"
Jordan nodded, making a mental note to look up the word 'addlepated' when he got home. "Alright. Which doctor are you anyways?"
Witch Doctor Aryu nodded. "That's better."
Jordan asked again with a sly grin. "No, I mean, which doctor are you anyways?"
Witch Doctor Aryu squinted, his one good eye twitching with growing anger. "I heard you quite clearly the first time, barbarian."
Jordan asked once more, with feeling. "Listen to the words that are coming out of my mouth, would you please?"
Witch Doctor Aryu growled. "I am listening, alright?. Now ask your question."
Jordan snorted, unable to keep a straight face. "Which doctor are you, anyways?"
Witch Doctor Aryu screamed and pulled at his hair, rolling his eye and waggling his tongue in frustration. "Yes, yes! My name is Witch Doctor Aryu! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
Jordan laughed and smacked his knee, never tiring of the joke. "You're supposed to be a magician, so where did you make your sense of humour disappear to?"
Aryu gestured evilly with his gnarled hands as if about to cast a spell on the bite sized buccaneer. "The same place you're going to vanish to if you don't smarten up and get back to work."
The barely teenage hero grumbled and returned to searching through the thick forest undergrowth for the elusive plant. "Don't know why you're in such a hurry, anyways. We're never going to find that stupid flower in the dark."
Doctor thumped Jordan on top of his head with his wizard's staff. "Enough of your complaining! The emperor hired me to find the Star Flower and you to help me get it safely back to him. And he's not as patient as me - Now hurry up!!"
Jordan rubbed the bump on his head and squinted at the black foreboding forest surrounding them. "Yeah, but he didn't mention anything about walking all night through a dark and scary jungle. Not that I'm scared or anything. What was that!?"
The Doctor pointed his staff at various shadows, wary of every noise. "Listen to me, you pint sized pirate. The Emperor is an extremely rich man and he wants this flower very much. If we were to actually bring one to him, the reward would be ..."