CHAPTER 1 - SPAGONIAN PROLOGUE

It’s mid-afternoon on the outskirts of Central City. The suburbs are close enough to the city for residents to be able to work there, but not so close that they must deal with constant car honking and pollution. At this distance, all it does is provide a beautiful skyline. The roads wind up from the city through various hills, all dotted with rows of houses.

Children play outside with their families, laughing. The animals don’t seem to mind, as evidenced by the birds happily chirping along, forming a song with the children’s laughter.

One child, however, chooses to stay inside her room, adding her own instrument—the sound of a pencil scratching away on paper.

"Hello honey, I was helping little Maria with her diary here." The girl’s father proudly pats his daughter's head as she sits on his lap.

"Hi Mommy!" Maria finally tears her eyes away from her diary and waves to her mother. She carefully grabs it, shows it off, and then quickly places it back on her desk.

"How wonderful! Oh! Maria! You haven't even packed your clothes! Honey, I thought I told you to help her with that!" Despite her exasperation, the mother can't help but smile at her family. She notices the setting sun and turns the lights on. "Maria, make sure you always have proper lighting when you're writing, or else you'll need to wear glasses like your father!" She says as she wags her finger.

"What!?" The girl reacts as if hearing the worst news of her life, curling into herself as she looks up at her father.

"Oh-ho-ho! Helen, dear, don't tease little Maria like that!" Thomas laughs, comforting his daughter. "My eyesight didn't get this bad from writing in the dark; it was digging in the dark that did it! And you're not doing archeological digs in the dark, aren't you, Maria?"

"No! I'm not doing ar... ar-che-o..." Maria twists her head to the side with each syllable until she sighs and gives up. "I'm not digging in the dark!" She finishes with a smile, instantly relieved.

"Well, how about you two help me with the archeological dig that is Maria's closet and pick out some clothes to pack?" Helen says, with her arms on her hips.

"Okay, Mommy!" The girl excitedly hops off her father's lap and skips over to where her mother is waiting for her.

"Now, Spagonia is warmer than Central City this time of year, so let's not pack any long-sleeved dresses, okay? You can wear one of those cute blazers we bought you if you get cold." The mother says while picking out clothes from the hangers and drawers.

"Okay! Can you pack my blue dresses, please?" Maria looks up at her mother pleadingly.

"Sweetie, there are other colors than just blue. You have this cute yellow dress we got you for your last birthday, look! It's got sunflowers on it!" Helen manages to look back pleadingly at her own child.

"Okay..."

---

"Maria, here is the menu; you have to tell the nice lady there what you want to eat, okay?" Helen says as she hands over the pamphlet.

Maria carefully scans over the menu, mouthing each word until she finds... "Strawberry shortcake!" She shouts, excitedly, practically shaking in her seat.

"Oh-ho-ho! So that'll be the baked potato for me, crab salad for my lovely wife, and strawberry shortcake for the little lady." The father completes the order, gesturing at each of his family members in turn.

"Thomas! Really?" Helen's frizzy and curly blonde hair manages to frizz up even more.

"Oh, come now, just this once, right, Maria?" Thomas glances conspiratorially at his daughter.

"Yes, Mommy! Just for today!" The girl beams at her mother.

"Alright, alright. I'll allow it." She replies with a smile.

Later, the family of three enjoys their food as they watch the Spagonian countryside from their section of the train car. As the train crosses a bridge, Maria hides halfway under the table and fearfully peeks out the window, angling herself to see the body of water below them.

"Mommy... we won't fall, right?" She murmurs.

"Of course not, sweetie! The train is going very slowly right now, and it follows the rails. The conductor has done this trip a lot of times, so he definitely knows what he's doing." Helen says as she pets her daughter's head.

This seems to calm Maria down a bit, who carefully crawls under the table to sit beside her mother. Helen pulls her into a hug, and as they finish crossing the bridge, the little girl falls asleep.

---

The chiming of the train's bell coming into the station wakes Maria up; she groggily blinks out the window and fully wakes up once she notices the drastic change in architecture around her, fascinated by it.

Her mother pokes her and says, "Maria, sweetie. We're here."

Without a word, the child jumps up onto her seat and starts reaching for the overhead shelves where they've stored their luggage, a fruitless endeavor as Maria is too short to reach.

Both parents laugh as they get Maria to sit back down and they pick up the luggage themselves, handing Maria a small backpack to carry.

The family makes their way out into the crowded station, and Maria excitedly looks around, carefully trying to read all the signs before her mother helpfully points out that there's smaller English text below the larger Spagonian.

Thomas branches off from the group to ask for directions to the nearest hotel from one of the station staff members, who helpfully directs him to "El Rincón de Pocky".

"We have a place to stay! That young man there told me of a nearby hotel that'll have a vacancy for us." Thomas says while gesturing at the staff member, who smiles and waves back.

"Well, we better hurry, right, Maria?" Helen replies as she looks down at her child, who is currently trying to escape her grasp to run off and explore.

"Yes! I wanna see!" Maria beams while jumping up and down, unable to contain her excitement.

Maria and her parents step out into the nighttime streets of Spagonia. Crisscrossing cobbled paths warmly illuminated by streetlamps and fairy lights. Sidewalks are dotted by street vendors, some of which have packed up for the day and others who remain. There seems to be mostly humans living around here, just like in Central City, but Maria spots a couple of Islanders now and then. She wonders if they live here or if they’re visiting like she is.

"Dear, there don't seem to be any hotels around this area; are you sure we're going the right way?" Helen inquires.

"Er, yes, well, the young man told me it was easy to miss, but he assured me the service was fantastic!" Thomas nervously reassures, glancing back and forth at the different buildings.

Just about as the husband and wife are about to give up, Maria shouts, pointing, "Look! It says Pocky! I think..."

"Oh! Well, there it is! Look, honey, 'El Rincón de Pocky'." Thomas hoists Maria up into a hug. "Good job, Maria!"

Maria replies with a giggle as her father carries her into the hotel, which to Helen looks just like a hole in the wall.

The place looks completely empty, which doesn't matter to Maria as she spots a very comfortable-looking couch and squirms her way out of her father's embrace to sit on it with gusto, bouncing slightly. "Mommy! I really like it here!"

"Yes, well, we still don't know if we can stay here, sweetie." Her mother replies, doubtfully.

She watches as her father carefully walks up to the front desk and rings the service bell. Silence follows, quickly interrupted by something falling in the background as a young woman hurries to the front and starts speaking rapidly in Spagonian.

"Disculpadme. Estaba limpiando algo en la parte de atrás. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?" The young brunette woman asks something.

"Un jóven en la estación central me dijo que aquí había buen servicio. ¿Nos podríamos quedar aquí por las próximas tres semanas?" Maria's father asks something back. She still doesn't understand but notices that the way he's pronouncing the words is very different.

"Un joven... Ah! ¡Debe de haber sido mi hermano pequeño! Ese gilipollas... No recibimos muchos clientes así que..."

The young woman seems to be going on a tangent, so Maria stops paying attention and begins to look around the lobby. It's very small, mostly decorated with browns and other warm colors, but she can see a set of stairs going up, presumably to where the rooms are.

Her father seems to have come to an agreement with the young woman, who hands her father a key.

"Looks like we're on the first floor! That nice young lady over there is Rosario; it seems like her younger brother wanted for her to get some customers, oh-ho-ho!" Thomas says, showing off the key.

Rosario offers to help the family of three carry their luggage up the stairs, but before she gets the chance to do anything, Maria runs up to her and says, "Hello! I'm Maria!"

Rosario smiles and waves at her, but says, "Sorry... Don't know English."

This doesn't phase Maria at all as she prepares to proudly show off the one word of Spagonian she knows, "¡Estrella!"

The young woman stares back at her for a second and then bursts out laughing and gives her a thumbs up and says "¡Excelente!" which Maria can guess the meaning of.

---

Both mother and father begin to unpack as soon as they enter Room 1A. It's a small room with a large bed, a drawer, a closet, and a radio. While small, it makes up for it with its large balcony with curved iron railing.

While her parents take care of things, Maria immediately runs off towards the balcony and sits down on its floor, watching the people of Spagonia go about their night. She looks at the people closing down their shops for the night, and people going on late walks, and even manages to see a pair of Chao.

She begins to fall asleep while leaning on the railing until her father comes by to gently pick her up and get her ready for bed.

---

As the days go by, Rosario informs Maria and her family about the yearly "Feria de Mayo" festival, which is set to take place the first few days of May. A yearly event where the town sets up a fair near the town center by the Spagonian Clock Tower.

Maria can barely contain her excitement for the Feria de Mayo and refuses to go near the town center, saving it for the festival.

Instead, she and her family take a day trip to the Spagonian coast, where Maria excitedly collects seashells and builds sandcastles. Sadly, she never mustered up the courage to go for a swim, even with the cute duck floaties her parents bought for her.

The rest of the days pass by as the family tries out Spagonian cuisine at various restaurants and goes shopping at the many shops the city has to offer.

Thomas buys several books for himself, all non-fiction but all in the regional Spagonian dialect, to serve as a learning tool. Helen purchases several knickknacks for the home, including a miniature replica of the Spagonian Clock Tower. Maria runs around several stores and picks up hair clips and some cute patterned headbands. She also insists on buying a storybook in Spagonian, and gets gifted a bookmark with a pressed flower inside of it.

---

Maria happily finishes writing her journal entry, runs to the hotel room's bathroom door, and knocks, "Mommy! Are you ready yet?"

"Just a minute, sweetie! I'm almost done." Her mother replies through the door, her voice slightly muffled.

"It's been 'just a minute' for the past... forever," Maria says, quietly, pouting.

"Oh-ho-ho! Well, you know how your mother is. Now, why don't you change into that nice yellow dress to surprise her?" Thomas suggests as he digs out the dress from one of their suitcases.

"Aw... okay..." Maria sulks as she gets into the dress, and her father helps her with the buttons at the back.

"Alright, I'm ready now." Helen says and then interrupts herself with a gasp. "Maria! You look adorable in that!"

"Really...? But it's not blue..." She replies, looking down at her dress.

"One of the headbands we bought for you is blue; why don't you wear that?" Gerald says, trying to appease his daughter.

"Oh! The blue butterfly one would match perfectly with the yellow sunflower dress!" Helen agrees as she walks off to grab the headband and give it to Maria. "Look! Perfect."

Maria walks into the bathroom, and her mother lifts her up so she can see herself in the mirror. A nervous expression turns into a small smile, and then a grin. "Yay!"

The family steps out of the hotel, waving to Rosario as they do, and heads off to the festival.

---

The Feria de Mayo exceeds all expectations. The festival atmosphere is perfect, with multicolored confetti falling from the sky as the people of Spagonia happily walk through the town center. The crowd's chatter is accompanied by the sounds of an accordion and people's cheers as others dance.

Maria stands stock still as they reach the main part of the town center and looks up at the Spagonian Clock Tower, mesmerized by its appearance. The Clock Tower's hands are decorated with colorful lights, and the air balloons around the whole city frame it beautifully.

"-aria? Maria?" Her mother is lightly tapping her on the elbow.

"Oh! Yes Mommy?" The little girl focuses back on her parents.

"It's a nice view, isn't it? Your father saw a nice gentleman with a camera; would you like to take a picture?" Helen says as she crouches down to Maria's height.

"Yes!" Maria replies, excitedly skipping off towards where her father is, her mother hurrying behind.

She hears her father say something to the Spagonian man, and he walks back to pose with his family. He lifts Maria up with his arms and holds her at his side, while Helen stands beside them, with Maria in the middle.

The man gives a thumbs-up and presses a button. A few seconds go by, and he hands over the photograph as Thomas pays him.

"Look, Maria." The father says with a smile as he shows her the photograph.

Maria looks and sees all of her joy and happiness in just a single image.

---

Maria and her parents wander around the festival and buy some handmade crafts to take home with them. The little girl tries to convince her parents to let her go up on one of the air balloons, but they refuse, opting to go for the nearby small Ferris wheel instead. Maria protests but gets a churro as a consolation prize, so it's not so bad.

The setting sun signals the fair slowing down to a low murmur. While there are still people around, many street vendors are going away for the day to return tomorrow. Maria curiously watches them until she spots a carnival game, the type with milk bottles. She doesn't think much of it until she sees that one of the prizes is a Chao plush almost as tall as her.

"Daddy! Mommy!" She excitedly exclaims while jumping.

"Yes?" "What is it?" Mother and father reply, respectively.

"Look! There's a Chao! Daddy, can you get it for me?" Maria asks.

"Of c-" Before Thomas can say anything, he's interrupted by Helen.

"No, he can't." Maria's mother says, with a serious look on her face. A look that slowly turns into a smile: "Because I'll win it for you! Your father has no skill in these games."

Maria laughs as her father sighs.

Helen walks up to the booth, determined to win. Thomas serves as her interpreter, and she gets to work. She takes a deep breath and quickly and effortlessly knocks down all the milk bottles, netting her the grand prize.

Helen hands her daughter the Chao plush with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Mommy!" Maria says as she hugs the plush tightly. The Chao is mostly white, with long cyan and blue ears, slightly webbed feet, and a pale halo.

She begins to examine it and asks, "What kind of Chao is it?"

"That, dear Maria, is a benevolent Chao with excellent swimming and running capabilitie-" Thomas begins to explain.

"It's blue!" Maria says with a smile.

"That it is." Her father replies, patting her on the head.

---

The small family begins to make their way back to the hotel in relative silence, accompanied by Maria's happy singsong humming.

"So, Maria, what did you think of the first day of the Feria de Mayo?" Her mother asks.

Instead of immediately replying, Maria skips a few paces ahead and says, "It was the best! Day! Of my! Life!"

And faints.

---

Maria wakes up, unsure of where she is. She can feel soft bedding underneath her and something soft pressed against her side. She slowly opens her eyes and looks. Maria is back in her hotel room, and the Chao is right beside her. She sees her parents with their backs turned to her; they're worriedly talking about something, but she can't tell what it is. Her brain feels like it’s wading through mud.

She calls out to them, but the only thing that comes out of her mouth is a small whimper.

"Maria!" Both of her parents turn around immediately, scared.

"You're awake!" Thomas says as Helen moves her hand to Maria's forehead.

"Looks like she has a bit of a temperature. I think we had too much excitement today, right?" Helen smiles at Maria, but her unease is still obvious.

Maria weakly nods.

"Why don't you go back to sleep, Maria? We'll get you some medicine right after the pharmacies open tomorrow." Her father says as he readjusts the bed sheets.

Without getting the chance to reply, Maria falls back asleep.

---

The next day, Maria is woken up by her parents, who explain they'll be away for a bit looking for medicine and that if anything happens, to call Rosario. They hand her the book and journal so she doesn't get bored and quickly leave, hurrying to get her the medicine she needs as soon as possible.

Maria drops her pen as she enters a coughing fit, her nose beginning to drip blood.

---

The trip to Spagonia is over.