Home Again

Big Nate

Fierce Fox's magnificent blimp landed on Big Nate Island. The first thing I noticed was the art style. It's hand-drawn, monochromatic and oldish. Definitely not Poptropica style.

I held out my feet, landing on a wooden surface. Right next to me is an old, pale blue building with a dark blue, tiled roof, sitting on cement ground. I walked up to a boy, who has spiky, black hair and was standing near a bench. He wears a yellow t-shirt, with the top part highlighted in blue, stretching across the tips of his shoulders. He also has jean shorts and white sneakers. He was staring at me like I was some sort of god.

"I'm supposed to be on my way to school, but I'm hoping to find some clues about the capsule here on Main Street." The boy- Nate- explained, gazing at me with starry eyes. It made me feel a bit odd. Someone gave me a tap on the shoulder. That someone was Fierce Fox, giving me a 'what now?' look. I gestured her to follow me, and we entered the old building- the Pop In Shoppe.

Nate followed us inside, smiling at me. Not really paying attention to him, I hopped up a few red platforms to the attic. Only then did I take in the shop's surroundings- most things are very simple. They seem to be stripped from a comic book, like the rest of the island. The attic's kind of cosy, with a plump green couch and lots of junk surrounding it. I walked up to the couch and picked up a piece of illustrated paper on it- part of a Big Nate comic.

"What's that?" Fierce Fox asked, entering the attic.

"Part of a comic. There's more parts we need to find," I answered. "We can start by getting out of here." We exited the Pop Shoppe together. Fierce Fox faced me.

"Okay, so what's the deal with this island?" she asked.

"In a nutshell, we're doing a variety of activities to find a time capsule for Nate." I explained, with a small grin.

"Who's Nate?" Fierce Fox asked.

"The guy who wants to find the capsule and become rich. However, everyone else wants to fix the school," I said, with a chuckle. Then, I pointed to electric wires, which are high above our heads. "Go up there and find a piece of paper. Meanwhile, I've got some photography to do." Fierce Fox gave me a weird look. "Just go."

I headed to a little place called the Photo Studio. It's literally shaped as a camera: the lenses are the circular, blue doors. I opened them, entering a room which reminds me of the Tardis. The room's much bigger on the inside, and shaped like a box. The interior is yet again simple, with a small wooden desk; checker-designed wallpaper, and a yellow screen for taking photos. On one of the lights was a comic strip. Using my enhanced jump, I reached up and grabbed it.

After I exited, Fierce Fox and I bumped into each other.

I grinned. "Got it?" Fierce Fox nodded. "Great, now let's continue!" She followed me as we ran past the school (I could see why they wanted to fix it- it's a mess), and went into the playground. It sort of reminds me of school camp: a rock-climbing wall, monkey bars and etc. Above the great, grey climbing wall was yet another piece of flying paper.

"I'll take care of this one. Go to the lighthouse and catch the one there." I ordered. Fierce Fox nodded and rushed off. "WAIT!" I cried, before she was completely out of sight. "Don't forget to look through the telescope, get the comic on the roof- like I said- and pick up the flying picture, near the ladder." She nodded and left. I climbed the wooden frame, gazing at all the slides and monkey bars. Next to the peak of the climbing wall is a bridge, with coloured, plastic lumps. I ran up it, Nate following me with a grin.

"Hey there..." he said, in a dreamy tone. His face had a pale blush. I groaned, trying to ignore him following me like a stalker. Instead, I focused my attention on the illustrated paper flying around in the sky; I soared upwards and grabbed it. Just a few more pieces to go, I thought blithely.