The sun was rising on a chilly morning as I flipped through the pages of my Creation Book. It was April 1st and I was looking for a bit of inspiration to test the gullibility of my fellow denizens of the great town of Cratersville.
I knew all of the tried and true pranks that got wheeled out every April fools day, but I was looking for something more attention worthy.
Fortune smiled upon me when I alighted upon an entry in the Celestial Warehouse* that great cloudy web where all the information of the known universe is kept. My Creation Book had a whole section dedicated to quick links arranged by interest.
I had quick links to animals, architecture, genetics, ecology. I also had a slew of languages, religions, cultures and esoteric miscellanea duly noted and organized. There was also a robust section on history, cosmology and landmarks—especially landmarks known to have existed on Earth in the distant past.
This last section being the place where I made my lucky break. My initial idea had been to create a small landmark of some kind like a kitschy building you would see along the famed Route 66 and place it near the Desert Oasis Motel.
Blueberry’s grandma was looking for a way to boost business for her motel* and I thought she wouldn’t mind if I added a roadside attraction to help her out.
I was trying to decide between the dinosaur cafe and a flowerpot donut shop when I stumbled upon something that made me totally forget my “small l” landmark idea and go for the glory of something much, much bigger.
Apparently, in the very distant past, there was a notable landmark
located smack dab in the middle of the desert somewhere in that fabled land of endless sunshine known as California.
This landmark was none other than the crazily painted tourist destination known as Salvation Mountain. The name came from the fact that there were biblical references along with hearts, flowers and other fun stuff adorning it. Apparently, at one time, people liked having quirky landmarks to look at while meditating.
Of course, all the hearts and bible stuff reminded me of the Magic, which is kind of godlike in the way that it is all powerful but is generally ignored by the general population—my best friend Blue included.
So, I decided that since there was so much empty space in Cratersville and its surrounding environs, surely no one would mind if I put a modest-sized mound somewhere in amongst the usually deserted desert and melted a rainbow on top of it.
Now, I admit that I made several errors in calculation when I created my Magic Mountain. For one, I didn’t realize how gargantuan my “modest mountain” would look sitting out there in the desert all by itself or that it would somehow continue to grow in size long after I had placed it there.
I also didn’t realize how eye-catching my edifice would be—especially with the rainbow of vivid hues melted on top like the topping for a unicorn sundae.
Thirdly, I didn’t realize how many people habitually flew their starcars outside the normal sky routes on their comings and goings from Cratersville, thus allowing them to catch sight of my gloriously garish monstrosity and to stop and take pictures.
My final oversight, was not realizing how such a vibrant mark on the sparse landscape would draw the creatures** my sister and I had been creating for the past some odd years like moths to a neon beacon.
If there’s one thing you need to know about the little creatures it’s that they love putting on a show, and the denizens of Cratersville were always more than happy to indulge them in their vice of “self-expression”.
I know you can probably see where this is going—especially with all the rainbow vibes going on.
Pretty soon the little creatures were wearing weird clothes, banging tambourines and handing out pamphlets saying, “The Magic Loves You!”
Next, a giant stage went up next to the mountain where the little creatures could be seen handling legless reptiles and participating in vigorous singing and dancing.
Everyone who attended, raved about the entertainment the creatures proffered. They couldn’t stop talking about how reviving it was and how it made them feel like they were born again.
The little creatures knew a good thing when they saw it. They started passing around felt-lined plates where the depositing of coinage*** by the eager audiences was actively encouraged.
I even started seeing advertisements along the skyways for “services” every Sunday.
I would have gone for myself to see what all of the fuss was about, but, as far as the Magic was concerned, I had already been saved.
—Jellybean Reds, Creator of Little Creatures
*It was a couple of weeks later that Mrs. Fields sprung on my sister Poppy and I what her big, hairy, audacious dream really was. Read Technicolor Sheep for the details.
**Since neither Poppy nor I knew the gender identity of our creatures we tended to use the pronoun “they” when referring to them despite their outward appearance.
***Later, the coinage went digital and only tokens representing crypto assets were accepted
