... they thought the shelter was not far inland, but apparently the Agency's mapping information was a bit outdated. Sometime between the date the island area was mapped and the current time, a volcano had erupted and sealed off access to the safety of the inland area.
While Bugs paused to contemplate this new situation, Muffy caught her breath. From a few steps away, she admired the outline of her hunk of a man, her super-hero ... her Bugs!
She realized then that they hadn't even spoken since they were re-united just a little while ago. She so longed to tell him what a swell dude he was for saving her. But, she had to be careful not to interrupt Bugs Pond (our hero!) while he was in deep-think mode. Bugs didn't like being interrupted.
Just then, the nuclear device on the submarine detonated, causing a huge tidal wave (I would have said "Tsunami", but I don't know how to spell that).
The wave hit the beach, right where they were standing, and picked them both up and flung them against the now hardened lava flow of the volcano. Bam! It knocked Muffy out cold. Not Bugs, though. Nosirree .... No simple tidal wave can be the undoing of our Bugs ... our super-hero!
Bugs fought to gain a footing on the slippery surface. Finally, his feet touched hard ground again and he regained his footing. He turned around, looking for Muffy. But, (as you probably already guessed) she was gone!
Oh, heartbreak ... to have finally found her after all this time, and she just disappears again.
Bugs looked skyward, just in time to see what looked like a huge bird carrying Muffy off in its beak. "Say what? A pterodactyl? No way!", shouted Bugs. "Those birds died out during the Ice Age". He watched as the bird carried his true love away. It disappeared over the very hill that he was standing on.
With a heavy sigh, Bugs began climbing the residue left by the volcano. It was slow going in the soft ashes, but he moved quickly on the hardened areas. Huffing and puffing ("I've just gotta' get back in shape", mutters Bugs), he finally made it to the peak of the hill he was climbing.
He stood there, dumbfounded by what he saw in the lush valley below ... |
