Chapter 1: The Sit-down

   One day, it was time for the monthly sit-down where the legend would be discussed. The king of the Rainbow Castle was King Goldstar. King Goldstar was a tall, slender man with a blond mustache and a long beard. He was a strong leader, but also humble. Even though he was very wise, he never bragged about it. Weeks before the sit-down, he had sent out invitations to everyone who needed to attend. Everyone who was invited had come. Queen Skylar, King Goldstar’s wife, usually helped with the organization of every sit-down. She was an attractive woman of a medium build and had brown hair. She had a fiery temper, and her comments were not always very tactful. The king and queen were the only people who lived in a castle, instead of a palace. This castle had many colors on the outside with a blue shimmer. Everybody who came to the castle sat at a huge, fancy table. There was a lot of talking going on before the sit-down started.  

    Suddenly, everybody jumped when the queen shouted, “Okay, settle down! The sit-down is about to begin!”

    After everybody quieted down, the king explained what the sit-down was about. “I’ve called you all here so I can tell you the legend behind the Black Cloud Valley,” he declared. “Some of our people are disappearing, because they refuse to believe it. Most of Sky Lagoon is good, but the Black Cloud Valley is a terrible place. There’s a cloud tunnel located above Misty Mountain. Because there’s a north and south side of Sky Lagoon, people have to take this tunnel to get from one side to the other. We live on the south side.”

    “Going from one side to the other,” Queen Skylar added, “the tunnel is a straight path. However, there are four tunnels that branch off within the main tunnel. Those are the tunnels that lead to the Black Cloud Valley. Master Shadow is behind all the disappearances. He preys upon those who don’t believe the legend.”

    King Goldstar said, “The four tunnels promise great things according to a victim’s weakness. Master Shadow has a machine that produces black cloud forces. When a person goes through one of the tunnels, they think they’re getting whatever is promised at the end. But instead, the black cloud forces wait for them when they get there. Once a person is in the Black Cloud Valley, these forces merge into a thick, black cloud, smothering that person. This cloud releases a strong sleeping agent that puts them in a deep sleep, meaning they can never return home.”

    “If people would just stay on the straight path in the tunnel and not stray, this wouldn’t happen!” Queen Skylar retorted. “But some people are so hard-headed. What morons!”

     “Any questions so far?” asked King Goldstar.

    There was a moment of silence. Among everyone who came to the sit-down, there were four adolescents named Blue Moon, Star, Cloud, and Candy. Blue Moon was seventeen. He was slender, had jet black hair, and was very handsome. At one point, he raised his hand. “What does Master Shadow look like?” he asked.

    King Goldstar replied, “He’s a shadowy figure with green glowing eyes. Even the black cloud forces have glowing eyes, but theirs are white.”

    Blue Moon listened intently as the king spoke. He always took important matters seriously. Star, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. The sixteen-year-old thought that everything was a joke and was boy-crazy. She was a very attractive girl of a slim build and had blond hair. She was becoming restless. “When is this sit-down gonna end?” she blurted out.

  Queen Skylar was annoyed by this question. “Excuse me, young lady!” she replied, sharply. “If you don’t have anything to say about what we’re discussing, then you need to keep your mouth shut!”

    But little did she know that Star was anxious to leave, because she wanted to go to the north side of Sky Lagoon to meet boys. Like Star, Candy was also waiting to leave, but for a different reason. “I’m starving,” the chubby thirteen-year-old girl mumbled. “I need some food.”

 “Candy, do you not realize the importance of what we’re discussing?” King Goldstar demanded.   “How can you think about food right now?”

    Candy loved to eat and thought about food constantly. She had short brunette hair. Queen Skylar was getting fed up with the complaints and finally addressed everyone, saying, “Anyone thinking about anything other than the legend should not speak at all. Plain and simple.”   

    The sit-down continued with everyone asking questions and making comments having to do with the legend. King Goldstar said, “Cloud, I haven’t heard from you.”

    Suddenly, everyone heard loud snoring and turned around to see that it was Cloud. The fourteen-year-old had dirty blond hair and was very heavy. Sleeping was his number one hobby.

    When Queen Skylar saw that Cloud had been sleeping, she became very angry. “Young man, wake up!” she screamed, slamming a book down in front of him. Cloud was shaken out of his sleep. “What’s the matter with you?” the queen continued in her fiery manner. “Just because you’re fat doesn’t mean you can sleep during this sit-down! If you end up in the Black Cloud Valley, then you’ll really be sleeping! You understand?”

    “That’s why you must pay attention, Cloud,” King Goldstar interjected.

    Cloud said, "I don't get it. What's so bad about sleeping?"   

    “I’m afraid Master Shadow has a much more sinister plot in store,” the king replied. “The Black Cloud Valley is part of Sky Lagoon, but it’s in the outer area of it. The place is dark all the time. It’s a vacant area, and the sky is midnight blue with black clouds. Because Master Shadow is in control, there’s never any daylight. And he’s trying to do the same thing to the rest of Sky Lagoon. But over the years, our people have managed to keep the darkness back before it was cast everywhere. However, as of lately, there have been a good amount of non-believers on the north side, so some areas are in darkness.”

    “How does that happen?” asked Blue Moon.  

    Queen Skylar replied, "Anytime a person wonders into the Black Cloud Valley, the black cloud forces put them to sleep. When that person starts dreaming, Master Shadow uses his machine to capture the dream waves. Then he releases them into the air, and they go directly to the person's home, casting a dark shadow over it. Anybody who lives in the same palace will notice the darkness."      

    “So really, Master Shadow’s goal is to take over all of Sky Lagoon,” added King Goldstar. “All he needs are people who don’t believe the legend and the dream waves they put out while they sleep. Darkness is cast over any home of a resident who ends up in the Black Cloud Valley. Eventually, every home will have a dark shadow over it until all the uncovered areas of sky in a particular region turn midnight blue. If that happens, Master Shadow will have complete control of that region. Then he’ll make everyone become wicked, while the Black Cloud Valley victims sleep forever.”

    Queen Skylar said, “In other words, when a whole region is in darkness, he will use his machine to release a black mist, which will turn everyone against each other. If he takes over all of Sky Lagoon, no one will be good anymore, except for the people he’s captured. Thank goodness the black mist has no effect in the light.”

    King Goldstar said, “In order to keep Master Shadow from succeeding with his plan, people need to believe the legend. The king and queen on the north side hold monthly sit-downs as we do, but some people choose to ignore the legend and fall victim to the Black Cloud Valley. The darkness in certain areas is obvious proof that the legend is true. Unfortunately, non-believers are blind to it. I mentioned earlier that the north end has some dark areas. Our region has a few dark areas as well. Fighting the darkness is a constant battle. Now, if no one has any more questions at this time, we can dismiss.”

    No one raised their hand so the king ended the sit-down, saying, “Well, I hope this discussion has made you understand more about what’s going on. I’d like to thank everyone for coming. You are now dismissed.”

    With that, everybody left the castle, talking amongst themselves. They were all deciding whether to believe the legend or not.