The Lost Temple
Guests enter a Bamboo hut with a Thatched Roof. In there, they watch a Wayang Kulit themed safety video. Then, they queue through a dimly lit Khmer temple as menacing taiko, gong, and roneat music plays as a giant bust’s eyes seem to follow guest motion, smaller statue heads move around, as if looking around, and cobras sway as they protect treasure. Soon, guests enter a wide chamber where they board the vehicles, similar in appearance to red, levitating junks decorated with golden Thai and Khmer motifs. An eerie silence greets their ears. They notice that the foliage looks different than Cambodia’s. The temperature is cool and breezy. There are sakura trees, bamboo, and rice. Guests are in Japan! Guests take in the surroundings: tall luminous trees, a zen garden, and a quiet river. Guests see a bridge and vehicles head for it.
Crossing the river, guests hear a splash beneath them. Vehicles turn over the side of the bridge and guests see the head of a tiny looking creature peering back at them from the water. It’s the size of a child, with yellowish-green scales, a terrapin shell, and an indentation filled with water in its head. It blocks guests from passing the bridge. Vehicles try to go left, and it goes left. When they try to go right, it follows suit. Look at this impish creature! "Hee hee hee! There's no way past me!" It snickers. Looks like guests will need to find a way to get it off this bridge so they can continue on the path.
Vehicles turn back around to the start of the bridge. Guests see a wooden sign stationed at the start of the bridge. How did guests miss that? Guests look at the sign and give it a quick read.
Japanese folklore tells the tale of the kappa. A small, green
amphibious creature with a talent for killing humans.
I heard there's a trick to getting the kappa to lose its magical
ability. I've heard kappa's are extremely polite and
respectful of etiquette. Bow to them!
Vehicles bow to the Kappa and it follows suit. Japanese etiquette really came in handy today. As the kappa bows, the water spills from its head. It cries out as it freezes in the position. Vehicles race right past the screaming kappa, across the bridge, and onto the following path.
Darkness falls on the woods. The temperature lowers to cold. The sky is devoid of stars and guests can see their breath. “Heheehe!,” says a voice. Their lungs scrape for another gasp of air. “We seeee yoooou, but you don’t seeeee usss! Heheeheehe," screams the voices. “Who’s there?!” A cocky male voice demands.
“BOO!” A paper lantern with one eye reveals itself before guests. A long ghostly wet tongue droops from its mouth. The Chōchin-obake speaks, “I need your soul to remain lit for another 120 years. We don’t see souls around here too often. Heheeheehe.” “Wait!, I can give you the light needed without you needing another soul.” A cunning female voice says. While the spirit considers, other lantern spirits appear. They all agree if she succeeds, they will light their way onward in the journey.
The cunning female voice, now with venom in her words, says, “Take the souls of these people! Ha! Ha! Ha!” She wipes off her face to reveal her true form: a faceless woman! Vehicles race out as the lantern spirits light the way, the faceless woman leading. Vehicles go toward the bright light and enter the Polish wetlands. The temperature is humid. Moving forward, vehicles immediately drop. “RAWWWWWWWWW. Who dares disturb the serpent king?!” hissssss. “That’s The Basilisk!” shouts a Polish voice. Guests close their eyes as they feel him towering over them! Hissss. “I’m not hungry at the moment,” hisses the Basilisk, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a snack for later. If you can best me, then I’ll consider you my equal. I won’t trifle with a foe as cunning and warlike as myself."
::Rumble, rumble, rumble:: The ground breaks below guests feet as they beat the basilisk. As promised, the Basilisk granted them safe passage onward in their journey. The wind spirals around guests. It becomes gradually colder and colder. In an instant it all stops. Looking around, the landscape has changed to majestic snow capped peaks in Scandinavia. The temperature is cold.!After going for a few minutes in the snow, guests stumble upon a building. It looks like a Viking castle of sorts. Nevertheless, vehicles approach the grounds and enter the residence through an opened window in the basement. The temperature is now warm. A growl greets them while in the corner guests see dwarves fast at work.
One dwarf yells out, “Ah, you arrived just in time... Keep our friend’s attention while we find the book chapter and list of ingredients to create a chain to bind him.”
A Scandinavian voice responds, “I haven’t the time. I’m in a hurry to complete the next labor from the family.”
Another dwarf replies, “Pipe down will you. Help us with this labor, and we will help you along your journey. Now keep old Fenrir preoccupied!”
“How?” The voice ask.
The oldest dwarf tosses a book. “Read him this, geez.”
Catching the book, the pages fall open. "OOOHHH!! I think this is what they are looking for?! The sound of a cat's footfall. The beard of a woman. The roots of a mountain. The sinews of a bear. The breath of a fish. The spittle of a bird.”
