Part Two
Fern rode the funicular railway up the side of the volcano where all the other new arrivals had gathered in a cavern near the top. She had arrived just in time. It was warm near the rim of the crater but not too hot that it was unbearable. A railing stopped the visitors from getting too close to the open and exposed volcanic magma shaft. The brochure said the island was built around an active volcano but that SirTech had harnessed its energy to power the island, making it safe.
Two confetti cannons suddenly fired off causing all the new arrivals to jump. A spotlight switched on drawing everyone's attention to Sir who was standing on a stage suspended above the open crater of the volcano.
“Welcome to my Island,” said Sir into a microphone.
The bass of the loud speakers seemed to cause Sir’s voice to resonate off the cave walls and vibrate in all the right places. Either that or Sir’s voice naturally had that effect on Fern.
“This is SirTech Island, the home of SirTech.”
“By harnessing the power of this volcano I can power the entire island, and all that lies beneath.”
“You can stay on my island as long as you like, you can even move here permanently if you like, but everyone contributes here.”
“You can earn Good Girl and Good Boy points to purchase rewards and other things in the shops.”
“As this is your first day you should all currently have zero points… well most of you.”
Sir seemed to have immediately spotted Fern in the crowd and grinned at her.
“Misbehaviour will result in points being deducted. Try not to get into negative points or life on the island might become slightly less comfortable.”
Fern gulped.
Sir continued to explain the various rules and perks of living on the island. Sir explained that the points system was unique to each inhabitant and at Sir’s discretion.
As the induction drew to a close Sir made one last address to the crowd and pointed up above him. Above the open crater of the volcano was a collection of small keys hanging from small wires above the open magma at the bottom of the volcano shaft.
“Here are all the keys to your chastity belts. If you earn enough points you can buy them back from me,” said Sir with a grin.
“If you break my rules I will drop them in the lava.”
“Enjoy your stay!”
Fern tried to glance up to see if she could spot her key amongst the collection that was precariously dangling above the volcano, but the lighting in the cavern was too dim and there were too many keys to make it out.
The crowd started to disperse and exited out of the volcano cavern. The new arrivals queued on the platform waiting for the single carriage funicular to arrive to take them back down the volcano.
“Uurgh that's going to be packed,” thought Fern as she looked at the crowd waiting for the train. After spending an hour at the top of an active volcano everyone would be pretty warm and sweaty.
It was early evening now and the temperature outside had cooled so Fern decided to walk down the mountain instead. A paved and lit access road snaked its way down the side of the volcano.
Fern was enjoying her quiet walk down the mountain when half way down she spotted something strange. There was an entrance into the side of the mountain with a large heavy metal door.
“Authorised Personnel Only” said the sign.
Fern couldn't resist walking up to the door and trying the door handle. To her surprise the door opened revealing a tunnel heading deep into the volcano. Fern glanced around to see if anyone had seen her and pulled the door back closed.
“Hmm interesting, I will have to explore that later” thought Fern.
Fern finally reached the hotel after a long walk down the mountain. She checked into her room and collapsed on the hotel bed. She looked over at the hotel mini fridge and was surprised to see that unlike most hotels, this mini fridge paid for you to eat snacks from it. How odd! Fern grabbed a granola bar from the fridge and her belt vibrated briefly.
“Transaction complete. Plus 1 Good Girl Point,” chirped the mini fridge in a robotic voice.
“Oooh” thought Fern.
Fern would have to discover more of the Island’s quirks, and how she could earn and spend points, but for now she just wanted to lay in bed and munch on her granola bar. As she lay in bed she couldn't help thinking about the mysterious tunnel she found leading deep into the volcano.
Note to reader: after reading part two, Sir joked that I had made him sound like a cult leader. That was not the intention. Let me clarify, SirTech is not a cult, we are all very happy here and can leave at any time. Sir is not building a secret island compound. The planet S̽̈ͤ̕͏͖̘i̷̷͕̙͇͉̠̠̺̋̈́ͦ͛̏̀ͩ͋ŗ̡͇̬͚͚̙̆̂̽̾͘t̴̤̯̹̎͒̆̀ͭ̕͝r̬̱̮̼̪̮͕̹̓͌̋͑ͩͪ̚͡o̱̖͕̯̾̌̌̀͜͜n̹͔͔̙ͭ͒͋ͩ̐͆̈́͘-̳̰͇̺̱ͬ͠9̳͙̖̳͉̬̒͒ͮ̂̓̏ͨ̊ͦͥ́̄̔ͅ͏̬͓͇͡ does not exist, stop asking!