Melville's Lost Journal

Note: This was originally my entry to the Toontown Rewritten alpha key contest they had a while back, but I decided since it actually turned out somewhat decent I would post it here. The goal of the contest was pretty much to give a background story to a shopkeeper in Toontown, so I chose Melville from Donald's Dock. The story is not too long and is done in a journal-style format, which is mainly due to lack of time to create this in time for the contest deadline (only had 1 day). For being my only fictional Toontown-related story (with my only other Toontown story being Work vs. Play), I think it actually came out quite decent. I was mainly trying to give more depth to Toontown's world and what lies outside of it. Enjoy!

Journal Entry: March 14th, 2002

                I looked over the bow of the boat and waved goodbye to the friends and family that helped get me where I am today. Trying not to shed a tear, I quickly hoisted up the anchor and made my way over to the helm. I took a great, big breath of nervous energy and before I could even think, the boat began to set sail. I gazed off into the distance, noticing my fellow friends start to fade away, slowly becoming nothing more than silhouettes and eventually nothing at all as I drifted further away. This was it, not a land mass or person in site, just me and the open sea in front. My dream had come true, I was finally setting off on my first expedition into the unknown! What adventures and memories will be made on this long and treacherous journey await me? Time to wait and see.

Journal Entry: April 7th, 2002

                It's been nearly a month now, and I'm sad to report that I have yet to discover anything of any kind of importance. I do hope this does not set a tone for the rest of my travels, as I wish to be a well-known explorer, the likes of Louie & Clink or Sir Frankie Cake. I want my name in history books everywhere, I want people shouting the name "Melville the Wonderful" and coming from all around the world just to see my new discoveries. Alas, such fame takes time to gain and at this point I don't even have an island to my name. Hopefully, I shall very soon be discovering something very soon. Just have to be patient is all.

Journal Entry:  August 26th, 2002

                Food is scarce, no land in sight, the sun beaming down on me, these are what I would use to describe the agony that has been these last few months. Maybe being a sailor is not all it's cracked up to be, but it's too late to turn back now. I'm going to "go sad" out here, so many people will be let down that I never got to achieve my very far-fetched dream: My friends, family, and myself. To make matters worse, I have been having daily hallucinations of odd looking gears flowing in the sea. Occasionally, I'll even see some arms and legs following them, which probably means I am completely dehydrated at this point. Needless to say, my days are numbered and I'll be lucky if I can last the until September. If this is my last entry, I would like to say sorry for letting you all down.

Journal Entry:  September 12th, 2002

                Faith... Faith is restored! Land ho! Eureka! Hallelujah! After more painful days of sailing, I have finally found an island to call my own. It is small, yes, but it is littered with Laff-o-Dils, What-In Carnations, and most deliciously of all: Car Petunias! It's like a jellybean-plant feast, coupled with some delicious spring water to drink. I feel like I went sad and went to my own small-scale Valhalla!  I have set up camp and plan to stay here for quite a while, to help get myself back on my sea legs. Now time to snack upon some more scrumptious Car Petunias and plan out my next route. Back to work!

Journal Entry:  January 1st, 2003

                I ended up staying on "Melville Island" much longer than I had initially planned. Call it my nervous mentality, but I was simply too afraid to leave my newfound paradise and experience more difficult days on my ship. However, I must respect my initial dream when starting this expedition: To explore, dream, and discover. I figured I should start the new-year off with a bang and begin my full-scale expedition today. I have already gone ahead and packed bags the night before, and now I'm ready to officially start. Off to visit the rest of the world!

Journal Entry:  March 14th, 2003

                Surprisingly enough, I have already discovered a new land. I've managed to stumble upon a large, dense forest filled with odd looking jellybean-shaped, multi-colored animals. I have never seen such odd animals before, but luckily they seem to be friendly and love to be scratched. I've decided to befriend the species, as they could be my key to exploring the rest of this land. Sadly, there's only one of the animals that will actually come with me but I guess it will have to do. I am both amazed and scared by the prospects the idea of this undiscovered, still-potentially-dangerous world hold, but I am willingly to give it my all to explore every last inch of it. I must stop writing now as I need to get going, but hopefully it should not be too long until I get into the heart of this land.

Journal Entry:  April 19th, 2003

                Unfortunately, I have hit a bit of a slump in my exploration as there is a large wall that I cannot get through. I have heard many noises through this wall while resting near it, so it is very possible there is a civilization beyond them. I still have my animal companion next to me, whose species I have now decided to call the "Doodle" as it's look reminds me of my old primitive sketches I would make back when I was very young. I have grown fond of the animal, it's been my only friend since I began this expedition. I have grown lonely, so it's nice to have someone to care for. Until I figured out a way past these walls, I will simply be waiting here.

Journal Entry:  June 2nd, 2003

                This has been a very eventful day, so I think it's best to start from the beginning. Earlier this morning, I was given a very shocking awakening from my slumber. I woke up to two other toons looking over me, one being a dog and one being a mouse. "Why, hello there friend! Seems like you had a good sleep" said the blue dog. I slowly got up, still unable to speak due to the sheer scariness of seeing another person after so much time of solitude. "Hyuk! You look like you need a good, clean slice of pie to help get you back on your feet. Come along with us, we're going back to the hall!" the mouse delightfully offered, as I still tried to get my bearings together. I paused for a moment, and silently  nodded my head still not completely understanding what was going on. The large wall opened up to us after the dog put in a secret code, and inside were large, bright buildings with a cartoony glow emanating from my surroundings.

                As I walked through a plaza-looking area and went inside to "the hall," which had the official title of Toon Hall, I sat down on a comfortable chair and drank a nice glass of water given to me by the black mouse. "I think it's time for a proper introduction," the dog said, "I am the official President of the Toon Council, name's Flippy Doggenbottom. This here is the Mayor of Toontown, Mickey Mouse!" Mickey replied "That's me, a-hyuk! So, how did you wind up here on Toontown, Mr. Horse?" Finally able to speak after getting past the initial shock, I stated "I go by the title of Melville, and I am an explorer who has hoped to discover a new land. "Flippy and Mickey looked at each other, and smiled. "Well, if you need a place to stay, here at Toontown we're always welcome to new friends. We could get you a place to stay a while if you would like!" Mickey said.

                Just as I began to think of the idea of living here, all of the sudden my Doodle friend came out of nowhere and jumped onto Flippy's lap and began to start licking him. "Haha, stop! You're too much, hee hee hee!" he cheerfully spoke. "Oh, that's my animal friend I met! I decided to call his kind the "Doodle," you may keep him if you like" I offered. "Hee hee, you would really let me have this beautiful creature? How wonderful! I shall call this little angel... Fluffy. Yeah, that sounds fitting!" he said as he snuggled with his new pet. "You are very welcome, sir! However, I think I'm going to have to decline your offer. I need a job where I can work with the sea, and plan expeditions."

                 I began to get up and leave, before suddenly being stopped by Flippy. "Wait, you are too good a toon to lose. Between you and me, we will be opening a new neighborhood in Toontown, themed all around the sea. We are looking for someone to help sell Mizzenmasts part-time, but more importantly help plan new routes to explore to help expand the world of Toontown. This is especially important as our Loony Lab scientists have predicted we will be under attack by some kind of evil robotic machines very soon as they have shown up on our radars. We need people to help give out missions to Toon Resistance members so we can effectively rid our lands of this potential threat. We will give you full pay and a place to live, you in?" This was a lot to take in, but I figured it was time to settle down, if just for a small while. "Mr. Doggenbottom, Mr. Mouse. I'm proud to join the Toontown team." I said as I walked over to them and shook their hands. Here I was, Melville the Wonderful, in a new and exciting land.