Felix: The Turkish Adventure/Diary

Caper

Diary

Dear Diary,

It's very strange being in Turkey without Felix along to be by my side, helping me out. I never really realized how much he helped me until he wasn't there. Like today, I was wondering around the streets of Bergama, and I got utterly, completely lost. Things like that don't happen with Mr. Felix The Directionally Competent on the job. I was looking for someone who could give me directions when I overheard some voices.

Unfortunately, I couldn't track down the voices. Applesauce. At least I know how to get back to that part of Bergama. I think. I hope.

So there I was, still in Bergama, still utterly lost, when I overheard those voices again.

I followed the voices to a woman using some sort of wooden apparatus to weave... the clacking noise reminded me of the sounds of some of Felix's inventions when he was young.

There was someone else with the woman... good old Rashad. Not only was he kind enough to help guide me through the city, but he also offered to take me to some ruins just outside of Bergama where the woman's brother found an ancient vase. He dropped me off at the house I was to stay at and promised to see me the next day.

Aaaaand my host turned out to be Lorelei, still pissed off about the whole thing with Sterling and Ruddy. Still, she promised to be civil, so that was something.

Aaaaand my host turned out to be Lorelei. How wonderful. I wonder what her latest discoveries in backstabbing techniques will yield?.

My host was none other than Lorelei Krause, who seemed perfectly happy to play the polite host. I hoped this would be a more pleasant meeting than some of our previous encounters.

My host was a German woman known as Lorelei Krause, a correspondent of Professor Hemsworth.

It's strange, but listening to Lorelei speak in her German accent, I started thinking about Felix again. Why has he been on my brain so often? I need to focus while I'm in Bergama... Lorelei and I need to discuss the upcoming dig.

I met with Lorelei and her team about the Pergamon dig in the evening; according to her, we would have permission to visit the site in a few days. We spoke briefly about the library, about how all the scrolls were burnt and the legends about some surviving, but I assumed it would all have to wait until the dig itself. In the meantime, she suggested I visit the Asclepion while I was in town. I thanked her and turned in for the night.

Yet I kept tossing and turning and thinking about Felix. Argh, why couldn't I get him out of my head? I gave up on sleep eventually and decided to go and check out this Asclepion.

I was so excited about those ruins Rashad was talking about that I couldn't sleep. Instead, I decided to go check out that Asclepion.

On the way to the Asclepion, I was waylaid by some Turkish thugs, which was... odd. I mean, not that being approached by thugs is unusual for me, but this time I was just sightseeing. What's so important that they had to keep me away?

I found myself at the Asclepion, and it was beautiful - all large white marble - and yet I couldn't stop remembering that time Felix saved me in the factory. That boy is very inconsiderate, invading my archeological moments like this!

I asked the state of Asclepius, god of healing, why I was having all these visions, but as expected, he didn't answer. I left a coin by his foot out of respect and headed back to Lorelei's house. I should be back at the outskirts of Bergama tomorrow to go with Rashad to the ruins.

I got up early to go join Rashad's convoy of horses on the outskirts of Bergama. I was really looking forward to visiting these ruins, particularly when he mentioned that barely any non-native people had visited it. I was anticipating a full day exploring the site and was passing the ride by dreaming of new discoveries when we were suddenly attacked by bandits! Worried for my safety (and for the fact I didn't have a weapon), Rashad asked me to lay low.

In the excitement, my horse and I galloped away and ended up coming almost upon the ruins Rashad mentioned almost by accident. I figured that since I was stuck there until Rashad came to guide me out of the desert (did I mention I get lost easily?) I may as well check it out.

While I was waiting, though, those goons who chased me earlier showed up with a lot of wagons... and a lot of guns. My only option was to hide in one of the tunnels of the ruins... and oh goodness, what I found at the end of that tunnel could not be believed!

In a large underground room stood the last remnants of the great library of Pergamon! I don't know whether they were just saving some of the scrolls from destruction or whether they were trying to found another library, but either way, this was the find of the century!

The only thing that would have made it perfect is for Felix to have been there...

While I was considering all this, however, a horse passed the ground above me and dislodged a stone with its footbeats. It hit me in the head and knocked me out.

As I lay unconscious, I had a dream... or vision, possibly... of Asclepius, the god of healing, who finally helped guide me through the strange thoughts and memories I'd been having as of late.

He showed me a memory that had almost faded... a promise to Felix that we would always come back to each other... and a confession from Felix that I never heard. Why didn't he ever come right out and tell me that he loved me?

He showed me a memory of myself just as I was starting school... but all alone, longing for my parents to come back, and afraid that I'd lose myself by following in their footsteps.

Asclepius reminded me to keep these memories in my heart, not to forget them but to rise to their challenge, before letting me wake up. I came to and found Rashad and some of his men hovering over me. They'd been rather busy themselves dispensing judicious amounts of violence. Apparently the 'bandits' had been smugglers using this as a base and trying to find the scrolls... too bad I beat them to it. Wait until Lorelei hears about this when I get back to Bergama!

After discovering the lost scrolls of Pergamon in the ruins, I had to tell Lorelei about it. She was extremely impressed, not just with the find but with my accomplishments. I think she might actually want to work with me now!!

But before I can do that... there's something else I need to do first. Something that's been in the back of my mind since Asclepius showed me the memory of Felix... no, maybe since I saw Felix again that first time at the University. I have to tell him how I feel, even if it means heading back to New York early. Some things are just more important than dust and scrolls.