SkunkworX

“Caution: Genius at Play. Do not lick the prototypes.”

By the cliffs, tucked inside the skeleton of an old boat shed, sits SkunkworX, the island’s most unpredictable workshop. The place looks half-held together by bolts and half by hope: planks patched with tin, windows fogged by welding sparks, and a roof that rattles every time a new contraption fires to life. A crooked sign painted in black and red reads simply: “Enter at Your Own Risk.”

This is Skye the skunk’s domain, where ideas come alive in bursts of fire, smoke, and laughter. Pulleys, blueprints, and coconut-powered engines crowd the benches, while tools dangle from hooks like charms in a chaotic necklace. Skye herself, bandana tied tight and goggles pushed up on her forehead, moves with a mix of focus and frenzy, one paw scribbling notes, the other tightening bolts on a jetpack that probably shouldn’t exist.

But SkunkworX is more than a mad lab. It’s where the island’s problems, big or small, get tinkered into surprising solutions. Locals stop by for fixes, inventions, or just to watch the fireworks when something inevitably blows. Equal parts danger zone and dream factory, SkunkworX is proof that genius on Palo Miki never sits still for long.

• Weather: Indoor humidity set to “workshop sauna.”
• Vibe: Mad scientist with a heart of punk rock.
• Activities: Experimenting, yelling at robots, fixing everyone’s junk.
• Secrets: One invention is alive. No one knows which.

Regulars:

• Skye: Inventor-in-residence. Talks to machines like they’re friends, enemies, or exes.
• Tango: Pops in, to co-design aerodynamic mail drones. Insists on glitter paint.
• Reef: Hangs out while his boards get laser-waxed by Skye’s surf-bot. Pretends to understand science. Doesn’t.