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Chatterbox: Pudding's Place
You’re sitting on
You’re sitting on your couch, bored out of your mind. Suddenly, you hear the clatter of the mail slot in your door and the light thud of letters hitting the floor. Slowly, you stand up and trudge over to the front door of your house. You vaguely survey the mail through tired eyes. Only when you bend down to pick it up do you notice anything out of the ordinary: a small package made of a material similar to shimmery silver foil that, despite its size, is quite heavy. You set down the other letters and bring the package over to a table and slice it open with a pair of scissors. Inside is a small, black device that doesn’t look unlike one of those artificial intelligence Alexas. You reach out to touch it and as soon as your fingers graze the black metal, you withdraw your hand as though electrocuted. A small, hologram of a woman has appeared on top of the device, flickering in and out of focus. The woman is short, with dark brown skin and aviator goggles perched in her shoulder-length dark hair. You strain your ears to listen.
“Congratulations, CBer,” the woman says in a cool and slightly melodic voice. “You and nine others have been invited to join the Starry Dragon on a star cruise across the solar system. I am the captain, Andromeda Callisto. If you would like to attend, reply no later than April 30th by filling out the form.”
You furrow your brow, confused. What form? But your question is soon answered as a buzzing sound comes from the device and a piece of paper materializes in front of you. You pick it up, reading the delicate silver letters:
Name:
CBer, AE, CAPTCHA:
Companions (please fill out a form for them as well):
Gender/Pronouns:
Age, or the Age You Appear to Be:
Appearance:
Personality:
Packing List:
Pick a Number:
Other:
“Up to three of your AEs and/or CAPTCHAs are welcome to come,” Andromeda continues. “If you do decide to take part in our star cruise, we will pick you up on May 3rd.” She nods curtly, and with a “bloop” sort of noise, the hologram blinks out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my first time doing a ski lodge! I honestly hope I’ll be able to finish this, unlike all those stories I’ve written....*looks regretfully at my writing notebook*
You’re welcome to guess me, but I don’t think you will >:)
Oh yeah, I would have posted this sooner but I was having serious trouble coming up with a name for the space ship. “The Starry Dragon” is probably the best I’ll come up with.... But if anyone has any better ideas for the name of the ship, I’d love to hear them. :)
@Admins, Castillo is a fake last name! :)
submitted by Andromeda C, age ski lodge!, ski lodge!
(April 8, 2021 - 3:34 pm)
(April 8, 2021 - 3:34 pm)
AND THE MURDERER HAS BEEN CHOSEN! Wonderful work, can't wait to see where it goes!
(May 5, 2021 - 10:20 am)
Huh, no hints as to who the murderer is yet... Anyways, good writing! I like your style!
(May 5, 2021 - 6:48 am)
Here is a picture of Lio, once this posts Ill reply with a picture of Jubi.
Star Princess, we can't post pictures with website names on them. --admin
(May 5, 2021 - 11:19 am)
Oof sry abt that. Here's Lio, with the name cropped out.
(May 5, 2021 - 2:09 pm)
And here's Jubilance (they have matching necklaces)
(May 6, 2021 - 7:23 am)
Day 2, Part 1
The second after Summer opened her eyes, she screamed. The rest of the CBers, AEs, and CAPTCHAs in the Moon Cabin woke up at the ear-splitting shout.
“What is it?” Leo asked groggily, shoving her face into her pillow.
“I...it’s...Topaz!” Summer stammered, pointing. Everyone followed her finger to see the AE on the floor, lying in a puddle of their own blood.
“Oh my goodness,” Firelily murmured, covering her mouth with her hands.
“But...what happened? How did they, um, die?” Zealatom wondered.
Hesitantly, Leo and Summer decided to approach the body. “Look.” Leo carefully lifted up Topaz, and a Swiss Army knife was revealed, stuck in their side.
Summer let out a strangled gasp. “That’s...that’s mine! I brought that knife!”
Firelily opened her mouth to say something, probably about how it wasn’t Summer’s fault, when the door opened. Aquila and the Sun cabin members stood in the hallway.
“Good morning, Moon Cabin!” Aquila said cheerfully, not noticing Topaz. “Today, we’re going to-”
She was cut off by a shrill scream, this one from Silver Crystal. “TOPAZ! TOPAZ! WHAT HAPPENED?”
Summer and Leo took a few steps back to give Silver Crystal some space as she knelt next to her AE’s lifeless body. “No....” Silver’s tears fell, splattering all over Topaz’s blue, green, and yellow tye-dye T-shirt.
While all the guests had their eyes on Topaz, Aquila grinned. Her plan was going perfectly.
~~~~~
The guests ate breakfast in silence, except to offer their condolences to Silver Crystal, who didn’t touch her food at all. Aquila pretended to be upset. If only she could figure out who the murderer was....
“Ahem. Ms. Crescent?” Lyron asked, snapping her back to reality.
“Yes, Lyron?”
“Shall we continue the course to the moon?”
“Yes,” Aquila decided. “These people came here for an adventure, and we’re going to give it to them.”
~~~~~
The guests gathered in the main room, where they donned specially fitted space suits and helmets. With a slight bump, the ship touched down on the surface of the moon.
“Remember your oxygen tanks, guys,” Lacerta instructed, “or you won’t be able to breathe in space.” They picked up a tank leaning against the side of the ship and demonstrated how to attach it to your suit.
~~~~~
The murderer’s eyes sparkled and their ears perked up as soon as Lacerta said “you won’t be able to breathe.” The murderer grabbed their oxygen tank, stealthily released the oxygen from the tank next to theirs, and followed Aquila and the rest of the guests who had their oxygen tanks out of the ship.
~~~~~
Star Princess strapped on her oxygen tank and called to her AEs, “Guys, put on your oxygen tanks. Then I’ll meet you outside.”
Lady Jubilance ran forward and grabbed an oxygen tank. “Lio, your turn.”
Maybe it was bad luck, maybe it was fate, or maybe the murderer had planned it that way, but Lio grabbed the empty tank.
~~~~~
“Whoo! This is so fun!” Kitty Cat laughed, jumping into the air, staying up for a long time, and falling lightly back to the surface of the moon. “Quinn, you gotta try this!” they called to their AE.
Quinn rolled her eyes. She was too old for this. But Kitty Cat did look like they were having a lot of fun. “Fine, whatever.” Quinn bounced and she had to admit, it was a lot of fun.
Kitty Cat noticed Silver Crystal just standing there, and they ran over. “Hey Silver. You okay?”
Silver Crystal bit her lip inside her helmet. “Not really.”
Kitty looked around. “Wanna race to Quinn?” they suggested, hoping to get Silver’s mind off Topaz.
“Um, okay, I guess,” Silver Crystal gave in. The two CBers ran and jumped to Quinn. Silver touched the AE’s shoulder first. “I win!” she laughed, then remembered Topaz, her AE, and fell silent.
“Hey!” Quinn exclaimed, and she jumped into the air away from Silver Crystal and Kitty Cat.
Kitty Cat put her arm around Silver, and they just stood there, staring into space.
~~~~~
“C’mon Lio! Why aren’t you laughing?” asked Jubi as she glided through the air. She let out a giggle.
“I don’t know,” Lio said absentmindedly, jumping up and down next to Lady Jubilance. “Something feels weird.”
“Weird how?”
“I said, I don’t know. Just...weird. Like, hard to breathe, I guess.”
Jubi’s brow furrowed, and she looked a teensy bit worried. “You have your oxygen tank, right?”
“Yeah,” responded Lio, her brow furrowed.
“Maybe there wasn’t enough oxygen? We should head back to the ship so you can replenish.”
The two AEs half-ran, half-jumped back to the ship. Jubi opened the door and ran in. The door shut behind her. She picked up another oxygen tank. “Here. This one says it’s full. Hand me your old one?” Jubi paused, but Lio didn’t answer. “Lio? Take this oxygen tank.” Lady Jubilance took her helmet off and looked around. Lio wasn’t in there. Putting her helmet back on, Jubi opened the door to the ship again and looked out. There was Lio, limp floating through the air, as if she were a marionette. “Lio?”
Jubi ran up to her fellow AE. “Lio? Lio?” she asked frantically.
The commotion had drawn the attention of Star Princess and NiteSkiies, who both ran over. “Jubi? What’s wrong?” Star Princess asked, placing a hand on her AE’s shoulder.
“Lio is...she’s...Lio...,” Jubi stuttered, before breaking into sobs.
Star Princess and NiteSkiies exchanged glances, and NiteSkiies said, “We should get Aquila.”
~~~~~
“Attention guests. Please report to the ship’s common room immediately,” Aquila announced into her walkie-talkie. The walkie-talkies in the guests’ spacesuits echoed her message.
“Aw man,” moaned Quinn, who had been about to start a tag game with Tealeaf, Lindel, Summer, and Willow.
All the CBers, AEs, and CAPTCHAs made their way back to the ship, most of whom were protesting about their time on the moon being cut short.
Aquila cleared her throat. “There has been another death.”
“A...a murder?” Thorn squeaked out.
“We don’t know for sure,” Lacerta explained.
“Who was it?” asked Summer, her voice soft. “Who died?”
“It was Lio,” answered Aquila.
The guests all turned to look at Lady Jubilance and Star Princess, who, they could see now, were both crying (Jubi more dramatically).
“So...what are we going to do now?” asked Zealatom.
“I’m going to take Lio’s body and seal her in a cryo chamber, like I did with Topaz,” explained Lacerta. “That’ll preserve the body.”
“Are we going back to Earth?” asked Tealeaf.
Aquila plastered a smile on her face. “You guys came here for a star cruise, didn’t you? Do you really want to return home so soon?”
“Well, I guess not, but-” started Summer.
“Then it’s settled,” Aquila said, still grinning. “We’ll continue the course to Mars.”
~~~~~
Dead: 2 (Topaz and Lio)
Alive: 21
Suspects: Well, who do you guys think the murderer is?
••••••••••
Author's Note: If anyone feels I am not portraying them or their AEs and CAPTCHAs accurately, or would like to be mentioned more, please speak up! With so many guests, it's a lot to manage, so I know I'll make some mistakes sooner or later, and I appreciate any help you have to offer! :)
(May 6, 2021 - 10:34 am)
Dear Diary,
I ask myself why this trip started like this. Lio is gone, and Silver's AE, Topaz, is too. Jubilance is the incarnation of my joy, but now, she is anything but. She stopped crying about an hour after life left Lio's body. Some might see this as a good sign, but I know better. When Lio left the world of the living, she took a little of Jubilance with her.
When I received the invitation I was so happy. I never dreamed of something like this. I want more than anything to leave, to take Jubilance and Lio's preserved body back to Earth. But I know that now that I'm here, Aquila will do everything in her power to make sure I don't leave. Trouble is brewing on hovercraft, and us CBers have to get away from it as soon as possible.
Side note: Make sure to heighten all security on the star tablet, Aquila cannot know I suspect her.
(May 6, 2021 - 1:29 pm)
Dear Diary,
Topaz is gone. They were found with a knife in their side, and I know for a fact that she didn't accidentally stab herself. Someone would have to have killed her, though I cannot fathom why anyone would do it. Suddenly, I'm very glad I left my other AEs at home, especially after what happened to Lio, which I don't think was coincidental.
I hope I wasn't the only one to notice how insistent Aquila was on keeping course to Mars, and I think something is going on with her. Perhaps it was her? I don't know.
Something tells me that this isn't going to be a regular vacation.
[end diary entry]
TOPAZZZZZZZ
... Oh no.
It seems we have a rather unfortunate problem with being the first ones to die in Ski Lodges
Well at least we know that you're probably not the murderer!
But wouldn't that be the perfect cover for the actual murderer?? Anyway, I think it's too early to guess who it is, but this is wonderful as always! I'll try to do diary entries more, if you'd like that :)
(May 7, 2021 - 8:32 am)
Aquila and Lyron sat in the control room. Aquila brought up a glowing screen. On the screen were plain headshots of all the CBers and AEs. Two X's crossed over Lio and Topaz's faces. "Two eliminated, twenty-one left to go. Your off to a good start," came a metallic, melodious voice, the same voice that had issued from the Alexa-like devices. "All that remains is to find the killer, and make things easy for them."
PS: Is it okay for me to write about this? Ive never really done a ski lodge before.
(May 7, 2021 - 10:51 am)
Usually people just read along and comment or something, but they're not really allowed to actually contribute to the story. This isn't meant to be mean or anything, just wanted to let you know, I totally get it though, ski lodges are confusing :)
(May 7, 2021 - 12:12 pm)
Kay thanks :)
(May 7, 2021 - 12:35 pm)
I'd rather you just posted diary entries, comments, and suspicions.
(May 7, 2021 - 12:29 pm)
Note: I won't be posting this weekend. Sorry!
••••••••••
Day 2, Part 2
The Starry Dragon lifted off the surface of the moon. Inside the Sun Cabin, NiteSkiies was playing Uno with Winter and Silver Crystal, and winning.
“If you make me draw four one more time, I’m going to kill you!” Winter said jokingly, but realised his mistake just as the words left his mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way! I just meant....”
“We know what you meant,” NiteSkiies muttered quietly, biting her lip. Silver Crystal looked forlorn.
“Guys, we’ve got to do something about these murders!” Silver Crystal said, standing up. The rest of the Sun Cabin turned to look at her, and she turned red. “I mean...well....”
“Silver’s right,” Tealeaf spoke up. “Two AEs have died so far, and if there really is a murderer, they won’t be the last ones.”
“But what should we do?” Winter asked.
“We could sign a petition asking the captains to bring us back to earth,” suggested NerdFace.
“But what would we do about the murderer once we got back to earth?” Willow asked. “Would they just go around murdering people there?”
“Well, who do we think it is?” questioned NiteSkiies. “We could make a list of suspects.” She took a sketchbook and pencil out of her suitcase.
“I bet it’s someone from Moon Cabin, since that’s where Topaz died, and members of the Sun Cabin aren’t allowed in,” said Summer. “As for Lio, she wasn’t killed in her cabin.”
“I guess that does narrow it down a little,” NiteSkiies said. She jotted down “A member of the Moon Cabin?” on a blank page.
“Um, guys?” said Star Princess hesitantly. “I think...I think Aquila’s got something to do with it.”
“But she seems so nice,” Winter said, though he couldn’t ignore the fact that something was up with her.
“She didn’t want us going back to Earth,” reasoned Tealeaf, “so I think she’s either the murderer, or working with them.”
“She’s definitely suspicious,” NiteSkiies said, writing “AQUILA” in big letters on the paper.
There was a rap on the door, making all the Sun Cabin members jump. NiteSkiies managed to shove her sketchbook into her back into her suitcase before Aquila walked in.
“Hey guys! Come on down for dinner!”
~~~~~
In another part of the ship, Firelily and Adrian were walking down from the observatory because they had heard it was time for lunch. They passed the Moon Cabin, where all the guests but one had just departed.
One guest was, of course, the murderer, and they had doubled back to retrieve a mug from Zealatom’s duffel bag. Not much, sure, but one should never underestimate the damage a mug can do....
As Firelily and Adrian turned the corner, the murderer jumped out, and the mug came crashing down on poor Adrian’s head. They crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Taking advantage of Firelily’s shock, the murderer crept back down the hall and joined the rest of the group.
~~~~~
Upon hearing Firelily’s surprised scream, NiteSkiies, Kitty Cat, Summer, and Star Princess came running down the hall.
“Firelily! What happened?” Summer gasped, out of breath. She spotted Adrian on the floor.
“Another murder?” NiteSkiies spun around and grabbed Firelily by the shoulder. “Who did it? Did you see them? Did you do it?”
Firelily recoiled from NiteSkiies’ touch, but NiteSkiies had her by an iron grip. “N-no! I didn’t do it!” Firelily whimpered. “But I saw them! It was...it was....” The other CBers waited expectantly to hear the murderer’s name, but Firelily’s face clouded with confusion. “It was...um....How did I forget something like that?”
“Yeah, how did you, murderer?” NiteSkiies spat the word like it was a curse.
“I swear! I didn’t do it!” Firelily moaned. And her distress looked so genuine, everyone had to believe her. But NiteSkiies promised to herself that she would write Firelily’s name in her suspects list as soon as she could.
“What’s going on down here?” Aquila’s silver heels clacked against the metal flooring.
“Ma’am, there’s been another murder,” said Summer in the politest voice she could muster.
Aquila’s gaze fell on Adrian. “Very well then. You five, down to the dining hall. I’ll deal with them,” she said rather grimly. The CBers exchanged glances. None of them liked the sound of “deal with them”.
~~~~~
Dinner was cold by the time Firelily, Kitty Cat, Star Princess, NiteSkiies, and Summer got there. They had taken the long way to make sure they were not overheard as they discussed the murderer. NiteSkiies was still accusing Firelily, but kept it to herself, because her suspect was right next to her. The other CBers thought it was Aquila, but the whys and hows were still mysteries. And then there was the topic of how they would present the news to NerdFace and Evan, Adrian’s CBer and fellow AE. Star Princess thought they took it very well, when they told them, seeing as she and Jubi had burst into tears when Lio was killed. But as she and the other CBers turned to eat their food, it was clear that they were holding back tears.
~~~~~
Dead: 3 (Topaz, Lio, and Adrian)
Alive: 20
Suspects: Aquila and Firelily
(May 7, 2021 - 7:58 am)
Oh nooooo, poor Adrian :( RIM (rest in mugs) Can't wait to see what happens next! I have a terrible feeling that I'm a few minutes away from being killed...
(May 7, 2021 - 12:20 pm)
Log Number One
From
Three people dead already. Killer seems to be going for AEs before going for the CBers. We have will be assigned to groups of three, so a double kill may be in sight. Either Firelily is the killer or the killer gave her short time amnesia somehow. The former seems more likely, but you never know. The killer is creative in their methods, so I will draw up a list of the past few murders for clues.
First kill- Topaz was killed in the morning with a Swiss Army Knife.
Second kill- Lio was killed due to a lack of oxygen, the killer replaced the full oxygen tank with an empty one.
Third kill- Adrien was killed by a sneak attack, the weapon being a mug.
That is all for now, but I will update the log when something comes up.
(May 7, 2021 - 12:34 pm)