This was the time I went with Cheyenne to go mining in Cinnaroll Cavern for some Kernelite crystals! Cinnaroll Cavern is filled with all sorts of natural cone-shaped rock columns with spectacular Kernelites of varying sizes, beauty and wonderful scents. Yes, what initially sticks out the most is the cavern’s COOOOL fragrance, which surprisingly smells a lot like Manabu’s red cinnamon color paint.
This made me wonder if Manabu had been collecting Kernelites here to make his famous Cinnamon red paint. He uses it to help create his unique invention: PoPuPaPoPi (Popular Punny Packed Positivity Pillows). Thinking of sleeping on a PoPuPaPoPi again truly makes my stress flow away. Oh, how I wish I had one right about now! I just wish Manabu gave it a different name because his toilet plunger invention is named PuPuPePe and its so similar that Punnies everywhere have ordered the wrong items. Figaro and I each have 3 extra plungers in our closet now!
To get back to the story, Cheyenne and I ventured further into the cavern and followed a winding trail filled with specks of glittering Kernelite crystals. Before long, Cheyenne came upon an interesting large rock off the trail and called, “Found a ripe one!” She pointed to the left side of the rock where Kernel crystals were growing out of the ground. I blinked. “How do you know it’s ripe?” I asked, as this shiny Kernelites didn’t seem to look any different from the surrounding others. As I came closer to examine the Kernelite, Cheyenne pointed to a few of its features. Look here, she started to explain. “The colors has to be somewhat transparent but not too clear otherwise it isn’t ripe.” She continued, “Also, just shake it a bit and if you feel or hear any squishy sounds, then it’s certainly not ready.” “Next, take a sniff. If there’s just a faint scent or no scent at all, then don’t even dream of eating it unless your life’s goal is to have the stinkiest, baddest breath in all of Punny Garden. The best crystals will be slightly firm with a touch of softness and exude a wonderful, heavenly Cinnamonly scent!”
We proceeded to take out our tools and bags to collect the newly found delectable treasure. “Make sure to hammer at the base of the crystal,” Cheyenne reminded me as we chopped it down with a shiny pickaxe. “Otherwise you won’t get all the delicious crunchy bits.” Cheyenne was your local rock expert and certainly knew a lot about Kernelite crystals. The reason may be that she grew up around these areas and had to resort to crystals when common plant food were a little scarce. However, since those olden days, these Kernelite crystals have become a rare delicacy enjoyed by many Punnies. A single one can provide a month’s worth of sustenance for a large family of Punnies.
After we collected our first set of Kernelites, we continued exploring Cinnaroll Cavern to find more to harvest. After a while, both our bags were filled to the brim with colorful and shining Kernelites! Having collected enough to feed an entire town for days, we decided to stop for a well deserved break. Cheyenne had brought some cactus juice treats that she wanted to make a special drink from.
As Cheyenne began to work on the drink, my eyes caught a shiny pink glow far off into the darkness of the cavern that quickly started fading away. Afraid to let it disappear, I jumped off the path and climbed through some tight rock columns to get there. After some time, I made it to an open part of the cavern where Kernelites were replaced by complete Zealites! Zealites are the completed version of Kernelites before they pop out of the cob. Dozens of beautiful Zealites filled this area of the cavern and there were enough to feed entire cities for years to comes. I returned to Cheyenne and excitedly brought her to the Zealites and watched as her mouth dropped in awe. After having shed a tear and saying silent words of gratitude Cheyenne decided to only pick one Zealite cob. I was already mentally prepared to grab a few dozen, however I understood Cheyenne’s motives and decides to just be happy with the Kernelites I had in my bag. Besides, I had enough to help so many of my friends in case of tough times and that’s what counts.
Manabu sounds like a very funny character. Can’t wait to read about his story.