All references are to [#99 Once Upon A Time] unless otherwise stated.

5. HOLOPROGRAM CHAPTERS

The holoprogram does not run as an evolving program, but rather is separated into a number of chapters each with its own educational theme. Themes range from friendly and comforting, to ones with a programmed surprise element, or ones with a frightening feature (e.g. Flotter, Trevis, and the Ogre of Fire, described below), to ones with a challenge such as a castle inhabited by a giant beetle. When a player enters the Flotter holoprogram, a computer voice (on Voyager it is the LCARS computer) sets the scene for the particular story chosen, beginning in traditional fashion with the words "Once upon a time..." When Naomi and Neelix start the chapter Flotter, Trevis and the Ogre of Fire the computer says: "Once upon a time in the Forest of Forever, Flotter and Trevis encountered a strange element they'd never seen before."

USS Voyager's holodeck doors - the Forest of Forever can be seen through the doors 'Flotter, Trevis and the Ogre of Fire'

When the player(s) enter the holoprogram, they immediately enter the enchanted Forest of Forever and must walk a short distance further into it before encountering the adventure. This gives the player(s) a chance to orientate themselves and to enjoy the beauty of the Forest before embarking on adventures.

In Flotter and the Tree Monster, Flotter sets a trap for the Tree Monster, but when he and Naomi meet the "monster", Trevis, they find him to be a likeable personality. However, Flotter says that Trevis steals his water. Flotter and Trevis start fighting but Naomi stops them. She points out that they both need each other:

"Flotter, your water helps his trees grow. And Trevis, your branches shade his pond from the sun. It's a well-known fact that the sun makes water evaporate."
Flotter to Trevis: "She's got a point."
Trevis to Flotter: "The girl's a thinker."
Naomi: "Shake hands and make up."
They do so.

Part of the story is depicted below:

PICTURE A	PICTURE B
Flotter takes Naomi into the forest. "I've laid a trap. When he climbs this tree, he'll trip the alarm." He pulls the rope-creeper and little high-pitched bells ring. "Tree Monsters are terrified of high-pitched noises." Naomi: "I've never heard that."	Flotter: "Ah! It's a well-known fact. The bells'll scare him high into those branches, where counterweights will pin the tree-top 'til it springs back, catapulting him pondward and....splash! He'll sink like a log." Naomi: "But Flotter, logs float." Flotter: "Details, details."
PICTURE C	PICTURE D
"That is a terrible plan." Naomi and Flotter look up. A tree-creature is looking down at them from the branches.	Naomi is rather frightened. "It's him!"
PICTURE E	PICTURE F
The tree-creature introduces himself. "The name's Trevis. And you are?" Flotter: "Flotter, Flotter T. Water III." Trevis: "Well of course you are, Drippy." To Naomi: "You!" Naomi, who is no longer scared of the Tree Monster (it is, after all, only a holoprogram): "Naomi Wildman, but my friends call me Naomi." Trevis: "I don't recognise your element. You're not Earth or Water or Plasma." Naomi: "I'm human." Trevis: "Where do you live?" Naomi: "In space."	Trevis: "Nobody lives in space!" Flotter: "She does. On a starship, called Voyager." Naomi, proudly: "I'm an explorer." Trevis: "Really!" He is fascinated. "An explorer!" Now down from the tree, he lets himself flop into a comfortable position on the turf, saying as he does so: "Timber." He is very interested in this young explorer. "What's that like?" Naomi: "Well, you know: space battles with aliens, strange anomalies..." Trevis: "May I visit your starship?" Naomi: "Well, I'll have to ask my Mom." Flotter: "You know, for a monster you're very polite." Trevis: "That's because I'm NOT a monster." He pulls the rope and rings the bells. "You see that? I'm not scared one bit. My bark is worse than my bite."
PICTURE	PICTURE
Naomi to Flotter: "Maybe we jumped to conclusions about him." Flotter: "Well, he may not be a monster, but he is stealing my water with his roots."	Trevis: "Stealing?! Absurd. Why, I ought to dry you out-" Flotter: "And I ought to chop you down!" Trevis: "You want a piece of me?" They start pushing at each other.
PICTURE G	PICTURE H
Naomi interrupts before the fight gets serious: "Excuse me!" She pushes them apart and addresses them both. "Sounds like you two need each other. I mean, think about it."	Flotter, your water helps his trees grow. And Trevis, your branches shade his pond from the sun. It's a well-known fact that the sun makes water evaporate." Flotter to Trevis: "She's got a point." Trevis to Flotter: "The girl's a thinker."
PICTURE I	PICTURE J
Naomi: "Shake hands and make up." They do so.	Trevis, commenting on Flotter's handshake: "Ugh, moist palms." Flotter, trying to wipe his hands, comments on Trevis' handshake: "Sappy fingers."

In another story, name unknown, Flotter comes to suspect Trevis of being a rubber tree, resulting in repeated attempts to trip him up in order to see if he will bounce. The Flotter stories are remembered with great fondness by Harry Kim, particularly this one.

In another story, name unknown, Flotter leads Trevis and the player(s), in [#99 Once Upon A Time] Naomi and Samantha, on an exciting new adventure, telling them: "Now that you mention it, there is a castle I've been meaning to explore. .... I hear a giant beetle lives there."

Flotter leads Trevis and the players on a new adventure

In the story Flotter, Trevis and the Ogre of Fire, in which the Ogre of Fire arrives in the Forest of Forever, and burns it to the ground. Earth-elemental Trevis, being a walking tree, is susceptible to the fires started in the forest and when he puts his finger into the flames on one of the branches of a tree his finger catches fire. After Naomi reminds him that, "Water puts out fire." Flotter puts his hand over the flames and puts them out, and then sends a jet of water from his finger to extinguish the fire on the tree branch. This reduces his water volume. He is unable to withstand the Ogre of Fire whose extreme heat causes him to evaporate. (TOSTFF implies that the reduction of Flotter's water volume is what results in him being unable to survive the Ogre of Fire, but personally I believe the extreme heat generated by the Ogre of Fire is such that Flotter could not avoid evaporating. Indeed, I believe the point of that particular story is to encourage the child player to research evaporation in order to find a way to reliquify Flotter, which means that whatever Flotter does the story requires him to evaporate when attacked by the Ogre of Fire.) The Ogre of Fire burns down the Forest of Forever, and although Trevis himself survives, all that is left are the charred remains of vegetation and smouldering tree remnants, and the once bright sunny sky is replaced by an oppressive dark orange-tinged sky.

the Ogre of Fire as a huge fireball 'Flotter, Trevis and the Ogre of Fire'	the Ogre of Fire attacks Flotter 'Flotter, Trevis and the Ogre of Fire'
Naomi: "What caused the fire?" Trevis: "It came from up there." Flotter: "In a flash." Naomi: "Lightning. But the sky is clear. Doesn't look like a thunderstorm." Neelix: "What's your theory, Naomi?" Naomi: "There's only one other explanation: the Ogre of Fire." Flotter: "The Ogre?" Trevis: "Of Fire." Flotter: "Who's he?" Ogre of Fire: "He is me! And I'm going to burn this Forest to the ground!"
the Ogre of Fire burns the Forest of Forever 'Flotter, Trevis and the Ogre of Fire'	Neelix and Naomi in the charred, devastated Forest left behind by the Ogre of Fire 'Flotter, Trevis and the Ogre of Fire'

Flotter can be reliquified, but it requires knowledge and thought by the player, and it is probably to encourage such thinking that the Ogre of Fire behaves as he does because otherwise he seems to have no particular motive for his hostile action. Naomi does research and informs Neelix: "Water just doesn't disappear when it's heated. It turns into invisible gas. So, if we could get the Forest to cool down enough Flotter might reliquify." She is later successful in restoring Flotter.

In one story, name unknown, Flotter claimed they were in for a spell of dry weather.

The story Trevis and the Terribly Twisted Trunk is Samantha Wildman's favourite. The story content is unknown.

In late 2376, in [#145 The Haunting Of Deck 12], Neelix suggests that he tell the children who were formerly Borg (namely Icheb, Mezoti, Azan and Rebi) the story Flotter Meets the Invincible Invertebrates, i.e. tell it to them rather than them participate in the holodeck adventure itself, because the ship's power is down at the time. The story content of that particular adventure is unknown.