TAOH 2

The man stood there at the cliff, staring upon the beautiful night sky. Dim stars sparkled in the distance, the moon barely visible, and a supernova of red, blue, and green in the sky, watching down below.

One day, this explosion would disappear. Everyone would forget about the lost souls that resided on that island.

The man clenched his fist. He would avenge him. His father.

“Father…” he growled, “I’ll make those scholars pay for what they did to you. You didn’t deserve to die.”

A tear tribbled down his cheek. The man turned away from the cliff and began to walk away, his plan already set in motion.

“I promise.”

~

Rolling hills, twisting roads, and the blazing sun. Neddy and Ruby were singing a tune as they drove along the road, their truck bouncing around as they made their way to their wedding venue.

“Who’d you manage to invite?” Neddy asked Ruby, “I bet ya’ a kiss I invited more people.”

“Ha! Yeah right,” Ruby laughed, “I invited our neighbor Norman to come.”

“Lords of the Ring fanatic? That’s it?”

“Nope. I managed to get some old friends who went to another school too. Omar and Sage. They’re both historians now. I also invited my parents.”

“So five people. Hey, we tied!” Neddy cackled, “I invited my cousin, Daisy, too. She’s a paleontologist. And I even managed to invite some of our old pals too. Paige, Chris, Simon, and Bobby!”

“Aw, I guess that means we both have to smooch each other now,” Ruby pouted. The two pulled over to the side of the road.

~

There was a cacophony playing, and many of the guests were seated at the benches outside. Soon, Neddy, dressed in a black suit, and Ruby, dressed in a wedding gown, were walking down the corridor arm in arm. All of the guests cheered, whistling and clapping as they did so. Chris was sitting near the front with Sky and Paige, smiling as the two made their way down the corridor.

Some people didn’t seem so happy, however. One man, near the back, and wearing no formal attire whatsoever, had a scowl on his face and squinted eyes. It was as if his heart was filled with some sort of darkness that nobody there could describe.

Regardless, Neddy and Ruby had picked up some random strangers off the street to join their wedding (for funsies). He was probably just some sort of party pooper.

The priest was standing at the altar. It was Alan. He looked between Neddy and Ruby, with a soft smile, a golden cross necklace around his neck.

“Welcome, everyone! We are gathered here today to join Neddy and Ruby in holy matrimony!”

Everyone began to cheer.

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Bobby cheered. Sunny was near the middle with her brother Gary, smiling as the two lovers stared into each other’s eyes. Rick and Calem were watching silently, making no noise, though they seemed just as happy for them as everyone else.

“Do you, Neddy, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and health, in sorrow and joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?” Alan asked Neddy. Neddy nodded intently.

“I do.”

Alan turned to Ruby.

“Do you, Ruby, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and health, in sorrow and joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

Ruby nodded.

“I do.”

Neddy nodded at Bobby. He squirmed around, before reaching into his pocket and taking out a case. He and Sage headed up the hallway and down to the two, where they presented the rings to them. Ruby took the gold ring from Sage.

“I promise I’ll always be there for you,” Ruby whispered, slipping the ring on his finger. Neddy smiled, taking his own gold ring from Bobby, and putting it on Ruby’s.

“I promise I’ll never let you down,” Neddy smiled.

There was silence and tension all across the corridor. Alan shuffled in his feet, looking on at the spectators. Things were getting awkward, especially with the presence of new people.

“Before we continue, does anyone object to this?” Alan coughed, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“I OBJECT!”

There were murmurs and gasps all across the corridor. Their heads turned to see the shady man stand up from the pew. He stormed down the hallway, his fists clenched and his eyes bloodshot.

“Who invited this guy?” Omar chuckled. Norman shrugged.

“Who knows.”

“None of you deserve to be happy!” the man shouted, “I, John Wonker, have fallen victim to your crimes! I, son of Dan Walker, have been objected to the worst pain of all! The loss of a father!”

“Dan Walker has a son?” Rick murmured, “I thought it was Mr. Ma…”

“Everybody here deserves to die!” John Wonker howled, looking back and forth, “Nobody here deserves to be happy! For that, I spit on your corpse! DIE!”

John Wonker suddenly rushed toward the stage, and everyone gasped. Headed for Ruby first, he was quickly interrupted by a punch to the face by Neddy. John Wonker fell to the floor, and Neddy stood above him, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at him.

“I dunno what your problem is bro,” Neddy said, “But you’re gonna have to take it somewhere else.”

John Wonker didn’t move. It was then they realized he was unconscious, based on the foam frothing at his mouth. There was a bit of silence, as everyone awkwardly sat there, watching. Neddy turned to Sage and Daisy.

“Uhhh, can you two get this guy out of here?”

Should we call the police, Neddy?” Daisy asked with a raised eyebrow. Neddy shook his head.

“Nah. It ain’t that big of a deal. He’s probably just off something. Let’s continue the wedding.”“

Soon, Daisy and Sage returned from throwing the unconscious body out, Alan cleared his throat and continued.

“With that, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You two may now kiss!”

Neddy and Ruby leaned forward and shared a kiss, and everyone began to holler in happiness, the stars sparkling in delight.

Once the two pulled away, Neddy turned to his guests.

“We’re done, now let’s PARTAY!”

“WOOOOOO!”

They all began to filter out of the church and to the main venue, where there were tables littered all about with tons of foods to enjoy. There was one small, circular table near the middle. Neddy and Ruby sat there. Everyone else sat at the tables all around.

As Chris was feeding Sky some berries, Norman gawked.

“Y-Y-You guys have dodos?!” Norman gasped, “I didn’t know! That’s so cool! I’m Norman by the way.”

“Uhh, thanks I guess?”

Meanwhile, Ruby and Daisy were talking.

“So you’re the one who got him into dinosaurs?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah, I’ve always been into the prehistoric when I was a kid,” Daisy explained, “Crazily enough, my favorite isn’t even a dinosaur. It’s an amphibian called the Diplocaulus.”

Sage and Omar were talking in the corner.

“Long ago, there was a legend of a land called the Sonar Zone. Mythical beasts hundreds of times larger than us resided there,” Sage said.

“Well, from what I can tell, there may have been a Tyrannosaurus so large that no dinosaur could ever challenge it. They called it Omega-09.”

As the conversations heightened, and as the chatter continued, the night never seemed to end. Neddy and Ruby both smiled as they looked on at their crowd of guests.

“I’m glad we managed to reunite most of them,” Ruby said.

“Yeah. The time of that island is gone now. We’re free and safe. We shouldn’t let any of their deaths be in vain,” Neddy looked up at the stars. The supernova still remained, “When we look up at the stars, we should smile and cherish the times we had with those who passed.”

Ruby’s smile slowly began to fade,

“I know. But I still can’t stop thinking about Aurora.”

Neddy nodded. He thought about those who didn’t make it to the wedding either. Tiffany was a no show. So was Nova, and Ben, and Ian and Patricia, and Carlos, and Paul.

“Me too, Ruby, me too. But progress is progress.”

Ruby rested her head on Neddy’s shoulder as the two watched the stars.

Good times were upon them all, and nobody would be able to stop that.

~

Nova watched the wedding from a distance. Noticing all of the scholars together, she smiled, turning away. Her dream was complete.

“Have a good life, all of you.”

~

Doesn't it already feel complete? Hmmm

I've learned a lot in my years of living. Like how unnecessary sequels are a waste of everybody's time and effort,

So...

April Fools!

TAOH 2 is not real. Never was real. Such a thing never existed. It was all a joke. Yes. There is no sequel to TAOH. That will never change. TAOH will stay as is.

Hmm, am I forgetting anything else?

Oh yes. TAOH 2 will be returning next year...