Tess Thistleberry and the Doom Machine Adventure
By Marius Visser — Rewritten for TaleTreasury.com
“Oh, what a beautiful morning,” said Tess’s father cheerfully as he adjusted the wings on their glider. “Tess, we should glide past the city gates before it gets busy. Come on, we’ll make it quick and be back in time for breakfast.”
Tess Thistleberry, still wrapped in her blanket of dreams, rubbed her sleepy eyes and replied, “I was having such a nice dream. Why do you always wake me up so early?”
Her father chuckled. “Because the world doesn’t wait, my dear. Adventure is out there, and the morning wind is perfect for flying!”
With a sigh and a smile, Tess hopped into the glider beside him. As the gears clicked and the wind caught their wings, they soared high above the city, sunlight bathing the land in gold.
Below them stretched green valleys, silver rivers, and, far on the horizon, the ruins of the Forgotten District. Tess always felt uneasy near those ruins. They weren’t marked on any map, and even the birds avoided flying over them.
“Dad,” Tess asked, “what’s that place with the black smoke?”
Her father followed her gaze and frowned. “That,” he said, “is the edge of the Old Quarter. No one goes there anymore. It was abandoned long ago after a great fire.”
“But why is there smoke now?” Tess pressed.
“I… don’t know,” he said uneasily. “We should turn back.”
But as they turned the glider, a sudden gust of wind surged, snapping one of the wings. The glider lurched, spiraling down. Tess clung to her father as the world spun beneath them.
They crashed just outside the charred remains of the Old Quarter. Miraculously unharmed, they dusted themselves off and looked around. The air was thick and heavy, and a distant thumping echoed through the empty streets.
Tess’s father inspected the glider. “We’ll need metal to repair this. Stay close.”
They walked deeper into the ruins. Tess’s curiosity burned brighter with each step. Strange signs were carved into walls. Pipes twisted through buildings like vines, and the closer they got to the center, the louder the thumping became.
Eventually, they stumbled upon an enormous metal gate, rusted yet pulsing with energy. Against her father’s protests, Tess pressed a lever nearby. The gate groaned open, revealing a monstrous machine the size of a mountain.
A single word was etched across it in a forgotten script: DOOM.
The machine hissed and clicked to life. Belts rolled. Gears spun. Flames shot from chimneys. At its center, a red glow pulsed like a beating heart.
A voice crackled through the air. “Power levels at 78%. Awaiting final activation.”
“What is this?” whispered Tess, eyes wide with fear and awe.
Her father’s face had gone pale. “It’s the Doom Machine. I’ve read old tales of it—built to produce infinite energy but abandoned when it began to drain life from the earth itself. It’s alive again.”
Suddenly, shadowy figures emerged. They looked human but moved mechanically. Their eyes glowed red. One approached.
“You do not belong here,” it said in a robotic monotone.
Tess stepped forward. “We crashed. We didn’t mean to—please, we’re just trying to get home.”
The figure stared at her, unblinking. “All who witness the Doom Machine must join the Circuit.”
Her father grabbed her hand. “Run!”
They sprinted through dark alleys as alarms blared. Steam hissed from walls, and metal doors slammed shut around them.
Tess spotted a narrow shaft in the ground. “Down here!”
They slid into a forgotten tunnel beneath the city, lit by flickering tubes. As they ran, Tess noticed blueprints etched into the walls. She stopped. “Dad, wait. These look like schematics… to shut it down.”
He studied them. “You’re right. If we can overload the coolant system, the machine will overheat and shut down.”
Tess nodded. “Then let’s do it.”
They navigated through tunnels until they reached the base of the Doom Machine. Huge vats of liquid coolant churned nearby. Using tools from her father’s glider kit, Tess began rerouting pipes and rewiring valves.
The red-eyed figures had found them. “Cease resistance.”
Her father blocked the entrance. “Just a little longer, Tess!”
With a final twist, Tess pulled a lever. The vats boiled over, steam filled the chamber, and the machine roared.
“System failure… core destabilizing…” the voice crackled.
They ran as explosions burst behind them. The machine groaned like a dying beast. One final flash of light, and the Doom Machine fell silent forever.
Outside, dawn was breaking again. The smoke had cleared. Birds returned to the sky.
Tess looked back at the ruins. “Do you think it’s really gone?”
Her father smiled. “With courage and a bit of cleverness, anything is possible.”
🧠 Moral of the Story:
Even the most dangerous creations can be undone by bravery, intelligence, and teamwork. Never let fear stop you from doing what’s right.
