The Gift of the Quoxxel, Chapter 1, Page 1

his is the story of a place that you don't know. Some say it was intentionally overlooked and ignored. Most will tell you it never existed.

As for the people that lived there, they had no desire to be noticed. They were quite content to live in the middle of who-knows-where, occupying a speck of floating grit in a lost corner of an endless sea. The people of this tiny island called their home "Nibb." You've never heard of it, of course, and now you will find out why.

The peaks of Nibb rise above beaches of volcanic sand and coral churning over bright, clear waters. The climate is moderate and the island's abundance of natural resources has always provided the islanders whatever they need. As in the case of all civilizations, lack of strife has resulted in the advancements of a society. So it was that the Nibbians took advantage of leisure to develop their abilities in every creative pursuit imaginable.

They created for themselves a high standard of living. Scientists engaged in arts and artists incorporated the sciences into their work. The island became an expression of choreographed nature and technology. Often it was indiscernible where the man-made terminated and nature began. The island became the Nibbians' unending masterpiece in progress.

Among the many accomplishments, their greatest pride was their architecture. They created unwieldy, impossible structures that seemed to defy gravity as they launched towards the sky. Nothing like them has ever been created on the planet before or since. Towering high above the island, they could be seen many miles across the horizon. Ironically, it was this handiwork that kept the island in isolation.

Foreign seafarers would catch a glimpse of the Nibbian skyline from time to time. If they weren't immediately terrified, they might creep a bit closer for a better look, fearful all the while of what horror might befall them. What manner of creature would occupy or build such structures?

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