Prince Adam's Big Adventure, Part One

Once upon a time, Prince Adam embarked on a grand adventure to visit his distant friend, Father Michael. The two friends had not met face to face in many years. Father Michael was a religious man, to be sure, and guided his flock of devoted followers in the ways of Lehi and the Grand Nagus.

Prince Adam assigned his best slaves to the task of assembling a caravan for the journey. Foods and trinkets from his native land in the Sonoran Desert were stocked, camels were prepared for the long journey, and a small harem of barely legal boys- a gift for Father Michael.

The trek began in the waning days of winter. The blowing desert wind carried a chill and left many of the entourage longing for chapstick and hot cocoa, but they pushed through the difficulty and eventually emerged into the Valley of the Shadow of Death, where Father Michael lived.

Descending through the thickly forested mountainside, Prince Adam halted the caravan at the sight of a grove of coconuts. One particular coconut tree looked almost as though it were beckoning to him, and on that very tree, one particular coconut looked especially beautiful. Prince Adam's best tree-climbing slave climbed the tree and fetched the coconut, after which they continued into the city below.

Father Michael heard a rap at the door. Ashamed of his nudity, he quickly covered himself in his priestly robes and shouted, "Just a moment!" He pulled at the heavy brass door handle and nearly fell back when he saw the smirking face of Prince Adam waiting there to greet him.

Prince Adam clapped and said, "Michael! It is so good to see you!" They exchanged gang signs appropriate to the Valley of the Shadow of Death and embraced. "I come bearings gifts of the bounty of the Sonoran lands and ask for nothing but your company in return." Father Michael welcomed the prince into his home and the two sat and spoke for hours, sharing stories and playing innumerable games of rock, paper, scissors.

At last Father Michael became impatient and steered the conversation back to the gifts of which the prince had spoken. "Oh, yes yes!" Adam replied, and snapped his fingers at his best gift-fetching slave. Moments later he returned with the coconut, which still seemed to shimmer in the light.

"The first of my many gifts," Adam began, "is not from my land, but rather from yours. Its beauty was so overwhelming that I could not resist bringing it for you to enjoy." Father Michael gasped and said, "Prince! You have been fortunate enough to discover a very rare Enchanted Coconut!"

Raising an eyebrow quizzically, Prince Adam took the Enchanted Coconut in his hands. "Truly? Tell me more."

Father Michael took the Enchanted Coconut and walked to the kitchen. "Let me show you, instead." He removed a RonCo Coconut Cracker™ from his pantry and set it on the heavy mahogany dining table. He beckoned to Prince Adam, "Please, open the Coconut. You discovered it, the treasure it holds should be yours."

Prince Adam walked up and pressed the "Set it and forget it!" button on the Coconut Cracker™. The machine whirred to life, powered by the magic of fairies and those little flying pixies, too. It suddenly pierced the outer skin of the Enchanted Coconut, which split into four perfectly even segments. From the center rose a small, shimmering jelly bean. Spears of light shot from its surface, reminding Prince Adam of good times spent in many a discotheque.

Father Michael spoke in a hushed voice, "At the heart of every Enchanted Coconut exists an Enchanted Jellybean. Eat the Jellybean and picture in your mind any destination, and you will instantly be transported there." Prince Adam looked at Father Michael with a worried look. "Don't worry," Father Michael whispered, "You will be returned to your original location precisely seven days after you depart."

Prince Adam watched the Enchanted Jellybean continue to spin in place, enshrouded by better visual effects than any motion picture of the time. "It's almost too lovely to eat, isn't it?" he mused. Taking the Jellybean between his fingers, he took Father Michael's hand and popped the Jellybean into his mouth. He shot a quick glance to his best care-taking slave and said, "Tend to the caravan and you will be well rewarded. We shall return in seven days."

The slave nodded but immediately looked away as he was shaken by vertigo. The house began to shudder and groan as it reverberated with the energy of the cloud surrounding the two men. The slave dragged himself on his hands and knees away from the blinding light, and just as he reached the door, the shaking stopped. He blinked his eyes several times and rubbed them, and looking back toward the previous source of the brilliant light, saw that the Prince and the Priest were nowhere to be seen.

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