PARADISA LOST

I'm all... dizzy an'... stuff. An' I smell like Ken-nii-chan.

[He burps right into the journal.]

S'the milk gonna be funny forever? 'Cuz... 'cuz...

[Pause.]

I forgot.

Can I have more hot cocoa now?

[Filtered to... everyone, since his 'Santa Claus' filter fails so bad.]

Dear Mister Santa Claus!

This guy told me ya give out presents an' stuff. I was gonna write a letter an' put in his box, but now we ain't in the castle any more, so I hope ya can hear me anyway.

I'm safe an' I'm happy, so I don't need anything. Can ya give gifts to my friends instead?

Can ya tell Konzen I'm not dead an' I'll come back as soon as I can?
Can ya give Ten-chan a new library, since he burned his down t'save us?
I think Ken-nii-chan will be happy with a lotta wine an' girls an' seein' Ten-chan happy.

And fer Nataku... um... I dun remember what happened any more, but I hope he's safe. Can ya tell him my name? It's all I ever wanted, cuz' he's my first friend.

[Pause.]

Um... an' fer my friends in the castle... art things fer Nora so she can make a lotta pretty things, an' maybe a movie fer Mark that he's never seen? Maybe the Doctor would like another bow thing? It's pretty cool, but I gotta think about it.

Maybe a detective glass thing that makes thing real big fer Conan? An' Hiccup...let Hiccup have Snoggletog an' give him loads of coal so he can draw more an' get his loss back!

...an' Apollo. Can ya make it so he can see his daughter? I think he'd like that.

If ya can't make anythin' of this happen... I'll find a way.

That was the worst adventure ever! People got hurt an' I never saw any treasure. Plus it was real heavy out there for some reason. Not like here.

Aren't adventures supposed t'be fun? I'm never goin' on one ever again!

Is this Halloween thing supposed t'be fun or scary? 'Cuz I don't really get it. People are talkin' about candy an' dressin' up, which sounds fun, but then there's zombies and the castle doin' bad things?

[Sigh.]

Can't we just have some sweets an' be friends?

Hey... can I sleep with someone else?

'Cuz my room is real weird an' I don't like bein' in it right now. It kinda looks like home but there's a big black hole in it with bad stuff. Konzen an' Ten-chan an' Ken-nii are there, but they ain't speakin' with me an' they smell wrong.

I can't find Nataku anywhere in it. But I don't dare lookin' in the hole.





[If you would step into Goku's room, it looks like a beautiful garden with bright cherry trees and a perfect sky. There's a group of men resting in the garden, drinking sake and smiling - but they seem frozen in place and there are some strange dark stains on their clothing. Around the garden are flawless, white Chinese buildings with curved roofs and perfect golden reliefs.

As pretty and perfect as it looks... there is a dark, black hole in the ground at the back of the garden. It is hiding a spiral staircase, winding its way down into a dangerous abyss. Should anyone dare to use the stairs, they'll soon end up seeing dead bodies and unspeakable gore. At the end of the stairs, there's a huge black gate chained together with what looks like a giant version of Goku's circlet...]

[There's some fumbling, and then the journal opens to reveal the voice of a very young boy, trying to sound brave but failing.]

Um... can anyone hear me?

My name's Goku. I fell down and now I can’t find Konzen anywhere. People were tryin' t'catch us and I'm real worried. He’s real tall and gots hair like the sun. He jumped down after me when I fell, an'I don’t want him t'get hurt.

Ken-nii-san and Ten-chan should still be on the stairs, but I can't find those either! Just this thing that I heard sounds from.

I ain't scared or anythin'... but they promised t'stay with me. Really, really promised. If yer a nice person that ain't gonna kill us, can y'help me find them?

Please?



[People around the castle might find a small boy hiding behind the nearest couch, wearing a way too big button-shirt and chains around his wrists and ankles.]