WORLDS WITHIN
Copyright 2006 by Steven & Margaret Larson
Smashwords Edition
Published by Margaret Larson at Smashwords
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold. Thank you for respecting the work of the authors.
Other books available by these authors
CHILDREN’S FANTASY BOOKS
Murky Manor
Cave of Discovery
The World Beyond the Door
A COLLECTION OF WRITINGS
Thoughts on the Wind
Print versions available at: www.lulu.com/larsonworlds
Visit us at our web site www.home.earthlink.net/~larsonworlds
CONTENTS
1 The Edge of Discovery
2 Nitika
3 Book Possession
4 Catch a Falling Star
5 St. Elmo
6 Dinosaur Dreams
7 Encountering the Hulk
8 Alarming Events
9 Ghouls and Specters
10 Score! Score! Scorpions
11 Ressa
12 Lost Kingdom
13 Honored
Epilogue
Notes
CHAPTER 1 - THE EDGE OF DISCOVERY
The bell rang, and all the students headed to the cafeteria in a vast, jumbled mass. Being shorter than many of the other kids, Toby Traverse disappeared quickly in the crowd. They swarmed into the lunchroom, and Toby was squeezed into line. Numbed by the chaos around him, he opened the book he was carrying and tried to escape into the story. Bumped and jostled he gave up and reluctantly tucked the book into his backpack. The classic two-dimensional story of Flatland would have to wait until he was out of this three-dimensional nightmare.
Across the room he spotted the hulking figure of Buz and his sinister shadow Arnie, leaning against the wall. Magnus soon joined them. Even from across the room his face had a menacing leer. Buz, Arnie and Magnus - he just thought of them as BAM.
Turning away, Toby glanced at the back of the line and recognized Ressa by her short dark hair. She was entertaining a group of laughing girls who surrounded her like adoring fans. As she turned to face his way, her hair swirled around her face in loose curls. He sighed. It must be nice to be popular.
He read the menu for Monday – spaghetti. As he picked up a tray he tried not to think about the boys across the room. Maybe they wouldn’t notice him this time.
The plump elderly woman behind the counter dished up a glob of spaghetti and slid it towards him. He placed it on his tray and added a salad. It wasn’t salad as he’d come to know it since staying with his grandmother. Her salads were always an exotic mixture. She added bean sprouts, seaweed, goat cheeses, strange mushrooms, and other vegetation that most people would only eat on a survivor show. After the first month he had stopped asking about the strange plants that inhabited his bowl from places he couldn’t pronounce and couldn’t find on a map.
Reaching for a bowl of pudding, he was jerked back to the present as a hand darted past him. “I believe this one is mine,” said Magnus.
“Filling my tray for me Tobias?” said the oily voice of Buz. Looking up, Toby was dismayed to see the three of them. The older boys from 7th grade towered above him.
Arnie picked up the salad. “I don’t much like salad Tobias, why don’t you just keep it?” He thrust the bowl at Toby spilling lettuce down the front of his shirt.
Startled, Toby cried out, “Hey!” and stepped back, pulling on the tray. But Buz was still holding the other end.
“Where you going with my food, kid?” Buz sneered. He jerked on the tray. The sudden movement knocked the bowl out of Magnus’s hand and pudding splattered everywhere. The empty bowl spun noisily on the floor. Spaghetti flew across the room in a solid lump with the sauce separating like the saucer section of the Starship Enterprise. It landed in two separate spots on the floor and slid, leaving a greasy trail behind. The plate skidded across a nearby table spilling drinks. Chairs toppled backwards as kids jumped up in alarm.
There were shouts from the cafeteria staff. Kids were screaming. The sound of the salad bowl dropping from Toby’s shirt to the floor was barely heard.
He brushed the lettuce off his shirt. As he bent down to pick up the bowl, the noise faded. The room became deathly quiet. He felt a chill down his spine as he stood up. Closing his eyes, he wished desperately that he could turn invisible. He stiffened as he felt the iron grip of fingers pinching his shoulder. A cold voice said, ‘What’s going on here?”
Opening his eyes he noticed that BAM was nowhere to be seen. Somehow they had managed to pull off the invisibility trick. They had left him in the middle of this wreckage with his life in havoc. The fingers, of course, belonged to the Principal, Mr. Carson.
In a commanding voice he ordered several of the boys to clean up the mess. Everyone else immediately took their seats. All that could be heard was the soft sound of forks scraping across plates as everyone pretended to eat. No one wanted to be singled out by “Kick” Carson. It was a nickname that he had earned as a star player on his college football team. Although he no longer kicked footballs, the students at Sierra Middle School thought it still fit his style.
“Come with me young man.” Toby winced as the fingers bit deeper into his shoulder. Carson turned him around and maneuvered him down the hall. They walked past a table full of girls, and Toby saw Ressa staring wide eyed at him. His face flushed as he realized she had finally noticed him. Too bad she probably would never have anything to do with him now. At the doorway, he met the sympathetic gaze of a tall lanky kid. Jason was a transfer from out of state, and one of his few friends at this new school. Jason smiled and Toby tried to smile back.
He had managed to make it though Christmas before having this encounter, but the New Year wasn’t starting out so well. Being at a new school was more difficult than he had thought it would be.
They passed a glass case filled with trophies won by the school’s Scorpion Soccer team. It was no use trying to explain about Buz and the others. Carson thought all athletes were ideal students, and Buz and the others were star athletes. They entered the office, and Carson pushed him into a faded green chair.
“I’m disappointed in you Toby. If you’d show half that much energy in your gym class you’d go a lot farther. You should channel those destructive impulses into sports. Learn some teamwork and you could get along better with others instead of causing this kind of scene.”
There was a knock on the door, but Carson’s stare never wavered. The overhead light glinted on the closely cropped silver hair at his temples. Toby waited, not knowing what to say. There was another knock, and he began to squirm under the scrutiny. At the third knock, Carson’s secretary, Mrs. Hightower, looked in and said, “Sir?”
Carson finally said, “Don’t leave that chair. Sit there and think about it till I get back.”
He left the room. There were muffled voices, and then Toby could hear footsteps echoing down the long, tiled hall. Her chair squeaked softly as Mrs. Hightower sat down. Then there was only the steady clicking of the computer keys.
Toby leaned back in the chair. The books in his pack pressed into his shoulder blades. He brushed the damp hair off his forehead. Here he was in Kick Carson’s office while those jocks were loose. Life was so unfair. If he had to sit here in this office, why couldn’t it at least have been during his hated gym class instead of having to miss lunch?
He pulled Flatland out of his backpack and tried to read. It was a classic science fiction book about a two-dimensional world. But the book required too much concentration. He put it back in his pack.
I shouldn’t even be in this position, he thought. If my parents hadn’t gotten that promotion, the University would not have sent them to Antarctica for a year. They were there now studying penguins with other scientists, while he was stuck here living with Janie, his grandmother. He felt as out of place here as a penguin. The only claim to fame that this small town in the southwestern desert had going for it was the DNA institute. The Family Ancestry Studies and Testing Institute, known as FAST, was the nationally acclaimed lab where his grandmother worked.
Then again, things were not too bad. Living with Janie was an adventure in itself. She certainly kept things from being boring. He sat up and checked out the office.
The carpet at his feet was worn from years of kids sitting where he was now. On Carson’s desk was a paperweight. It was a scorpion sealed in Lucite. Fascinated, Toby was drawn out of the chair towards the desk. He leaned closer to see all the details of the imprisoned creature. Its eyes stared back at him menacingly.
He reached out to pick it up. The sudden ringing of the phone shattered the silence making him jump and jerk his hand back. Mrs. Hightower answered it from her office. The tension eased from his back as he slowly relaxed and looked around the room.
He was surprised to see a bookcase. Unable to resist the attraction of books, he glanced quickly at the closed door. Moving around the desk he began to read the titles. Baseball Greats, Football Heroes, Wrestling Superstars, How To Be A Marathon Winner. Figures, he thought. On another shelf were assorted autobiographies of sports heroes.
He should have known there wouldn’t be anything worth reading in this office. Football trophies from various years were used as bookends. They were all engraved “Will ‘Kick’ Carson.”
He was just about to return to the chair, when he noticed a small, leather bound book. It was sandwiched in between the autobiographies. Gold lettering on the spine read “Worlds Within – A Traveler’s Journal.” On impulse he pulled the book out. Listening carefully for returning footsteps, he opened the book.
He couldn’t believe that Carson would own a book like this. It looked like some kind of travel book, but he couldn’t figure out what country it described. It wasn’t like a Frommer’s guide with listings of hotels and restaurants. Instead it gave information on plants and animals, and there were short descriptions of different people’s travel experiences. But he was strangely draw to the pictures.
He paused at one of an ancient arena with a dark, starless sky. Thin clouds covered a gibbous moon giving it an eerie glow. Crumbling stone walls surrounded an open field like bleachers at a racetrack. He could almost hear rats scampering through the debris. He quickly turned the page.
A red sandstone arch filled the frame. It would have looked more natural in a desert setting, but instead was surrounded by tall pine trees. Yellow flowers poked their heads through the thick grass that completely hid the base of the arch. A petroglyph of a lizard was carved into the rock just above the tall grass. Looking closely he saw a bee perched on a flower petal. He heard a faint buzzing and rubbed his ear. The buzzing stopped. The view on the other side of the arch was in shadow, but there were shapes that might have been short dumpy trees. The opposite page had facts about the size and habitat for the lizard, and height and growing season for the flowers.
He flipped several pages and came to a section titled Rock Marmots. They were described as small animals that could pull in their heads and legs so they resembled rocks when frightened or threatened. It listed foods they ate, how long they lived, their limited eyesight and keen sense of hearing. He felt prickles on his skin and the feeling that someone was watching him. Looking up he glanced around the room, but he was still alone. He skipped over the rest of the details.
On the next page was a picture of a primitive hut with several tall trees. For a moment the leaves blurred as if they were moving. He blinked and wiped a hand across his eyes.
The hut was made from pine logs covered with daub. A dirt path led up to the door where an old man sat on a stone bench. He was leaning against the wall and holding a book. The writing on the cover was too small for Toby to make out.
He dug out his house key from his pocket. On the key ring were two of last year’s birthday presents from Janie, a tiny flashlight and a magnifying glass. Using the magnifying glass he focused on the book cover in the picture. Long fingers with neatly trimmed nails zoomed into focus. He scanned up to the title of the book and read “The Fall of the Tyrant.”
Hearing a rustling of paper, he dropped the magnifying glass. When he bent down to pick it up, he saw dirt instead of the worn carpet. Suddenly the air felt cooler. With shaking fingers, he grasped the key ring and looked up fearing to see Carson. To his amazement he was standing on the path outside the hut. The man in the picture was looking at him questioningly.
“Hello traveler,” the old man said. His voice was rich and smooth. A slight breeze stirred the thick white hair, which fell to his shoulders. The corners of his clear green eyes crinkled into a multitude of lines as he smiled.
Toby hesitatingly smiled back. “Where am I?” he asked.
“You are on the edge of discovery,” he replied.
Toby raised his eyebrows and nodded, “Yeah, okay…but does this edge have a name?”
“Like me, it has many names, but you can call me Caedman. What name do you go by traveler?”
Toby stared at him and thought, why me? This day is just getting stranger and weirder. Out loud he said, “Toby.”
Caedman smiled. “Well, Toby, welcome to my home.”
Could be it’s like the Wardrobe thing, he thought. He turned around and looked behind him half expecting to see the school office. But the road wound off into the distance and disappeared over a hill.
“I see you’ve brought a book,” Caedman said.
Spinning back around Toby said, “What?”
Caedman nodded at the book in Toby’s hand. “Many books have found their way to my door,” he said.
Toby looked down. “Oh, the book. Well, it’s not actually mine. I just, um, I was just, ah, looking through it.”
“Does any book really belong to just one person? Do not the ideas within the pages belong to the greater world and to those who embrace them?”
As Toby tried to comprehend this strange question, he was distracted by sounds from inside the hut. There was a shuffling noise and the soft thud of a heavy falling object.
“Are you hungry? I was about to take some nourishment.” Caedman stood up, opened the door, and looked back questioningly.
The mention of food made his stomach suddenly feel very empty. The idea of eating was enticing.
He shrugged. “Sounds okay, I guess,” he said and followed Caedman into the hut. He could always change his mind if the food looked funny.
After the bright sunlight, it was dark inside. As his eyes adjusted, he saw shelves of books lining the walls of the round room. At the top of the shelves the walls curved inward forming a domed ceiling. In the middle of the room was a fire pit encircled by a low stone wall.
Movement caught his eye. He turned to see a girl about his own age. She was replacing a large book on one of the shelves. Two long braids of dark red hair hung down her back. A camel colored tunic was belted at her waist and hung down below her hips. Dark brown pants covered the tops of her leather boots.
She turned around and stopped suddenly when she saw Toby. They stared uncertainly at each other.
“Marnie, we have a visitor. Toby is joining us for our meal.”
Toby smiled shyly, and Marnie’s face broke into a grin.
They sat on the dirt floor next to the wall surrounding the fire pit. It was about a foot and a half tall, making a convenient table. Caedman sat on a small stool. A hammered copper tube fanned out in a funnel above the fire forming a chimney that directed the smoke up and out through the roof.
Caedman brought out a bowl filled with small loaves of bread about the size of muffins. Thick slices of cheese filled another plate. There were small cups of steaming tea and goblets of water.
Picking up what he thought was a grape, Toby was surprised to find it tasted more like a plumb. He bit into the bread. It had a crunchy crust coated with a honey glaze and encrusted with nuts. Inside it was soft and sweet. The cheese crumbled in his fingers when he picked it up. It had a sharp tang, and the tartness lingered on his tongue. Caedman was eating small, wrinkled, purple peppers with his cheese. Toby decided not to try them.
Taking a sip of the hot tea, he grimaced at the strong, bitter taste. It was even worse than the strange herbal stuff that Janie bought at Alice’s Food Emporium. He managed to swallow it down to be polite. Living with Janie had given him a lot of practice in being polite when it came to eating. The water was much better. It was cold and refreshing, and had a faint fruity flavor.
“Your book has a fine cover,” Caedman said. “It looks much like a book I had when I was just a few years older than you. It appears to be bound in sheepskin.”
Toby studied the hermit. The old man was relaxed and comfortable in his humble surroundings. Green eyes looked steadily at him from a face wrinkled and brown from the sun. His presence gave the room a safe and comfortable feeling. Without hesitation he handed him the book.
Caedman smiled and tenderly stroked the cover. “In my book,” he said softly, “the inside cover had an inscription. He closed his eyes and slowly recited:
Upon each page a world awaits,
Not merely what it seems.
Explore and visit for a time
Where waking blurs with dreams.
Within are worlds, to be revealed,
Some set a time apart.
May it be, that you will see,
The dreams within your heart.
A faint smile touched his lips, and he opened his eyes.
“What happened to your book?” Toby asked.
“It was passed on to my daughter.” He handed the book back.
As they ate, Toby found himself telling Marnie all about his life with Janie and his problems at school. Marnie told him that she and her older brother, Berren lived in the village with their uncle.
Their talk drifted, and soon they were discussing their favorite stories and books. Before Toby realized how much time had passed, Berren arrived to take Marnie home.
He was a couple years older than Toby and at least a foot taller. He was carrying a massive wooden staff. Its top had been carved into a ram’s head with sharp horns. The middle was smooth, dark wood, and the bottom had been shaped into a ram’s hoof.
As he leaned the staff against the door, the muscles in his arm rippled under skin that had been tanned a golden brown. His tousled hair was the same dark red as Marnie’s. It was wavy and looked uncombed.
Caedman introduced them and the older boy held out his hand in greeting. Toby’s small hand was swallowed up in the friendly but powerful grip. Berren’s light brown eyes sparkled, and his voice was deep and quiet. Toby liked him immediately.
When they left, Berren carried the heavy staff in one hand and a book he had borrowed in the other. As he watched them walk together down the road, Toby suddenly felt very lonely. He shivered and wondered how he was going to get home. He felt fingers on his shoulder. Unlike Carson’s harsh grip, this touch was warm and comforting. Turning around he looked up at Caedman.
“Probably time you were heading back home too,” the old man said.
“But how? I don’t even know how I got here!” Toby said.
Caedman chuckled. “There’s only one road. You need merely retrace your steps. The book will show you the way.”
Toby ran inside, grabbed his backpack, and snatched up the leather book.
“This is a traveling book,” the hermit said as he opened the cover. “Your heart led you to the picture you chose to follow.” He turned to the picture of the hut, and drawing Toby close he pointed. “There are two books in the picture. The one in my hands brings you here. The one on the bench takes you home.”
Toby now noticed the second book in the picture. “You’ll need your eye piece,” Caedman said.
Pulling the key ring out of his pocket, Toby adjusted the magnifying glass. He focused on the second book in the picture. On its cover was a building that looked like the library at home. He could see a bush covered with purple flowers swaying gently against the wall. He took a deep breath. The air was filled with the strong perfume of lilacs. He looked up. To his great relief, the massive stone structure of the library stood firm and solid in front of him. He glanced up at the turret where a clock was surrounded by elaborate carvings in the stone. If he hurried he could make it home just before Janie did. Hopefully the mess at school would be forgotten, and she wouldn’t have to find out.
He didn’t notice that he was being watched from a dimly lit upstairs window. The slim figure of a woman stood framed in the opening. She watched as Toby turned and ran home. For several moments she stood motionless. Then she moved, and a small glint of light twinkled briefly at her neck. A cloud of long dark hair flowed out behind her as she turned and melted into the shadows of the room. The light went out. Above the darkened window, a stone gargoyle leered at the parking lot below where a mud-spattered jeep was parked.
Back at the school, Carson was just returning to his office. The buses had all left, and most of the teachers had gone home. He was not surprised to find that Toby was not there. Mrs. Hightower probably sent him home, he thought.
That was the least of his concerns. When the former principal had retired at the end of the last school year, the board had told him to be patient while they went through the process of filling the position. That was over six months ago. He was so certain they were going to offer him the job today when they asked him to come to their meeting. But they passed him over! He burned with the indignation of it. Not only was he not given the promotion, but they had the nerve to ask him to do the work until they filled the spot. He had to find a way to get that promotion!
It should be easy to intimidate the head of the school board. Morris Simmons was a spineless jellyfish. He must have a weakness to exploit. All he had to do was find something to use against him.
CHAPTER 2 - NITIKA
Janie had overslept. She rushed around the kitchen. Although she would probably be late for work, she was determined that Toby would have a good breakfast before school. He had seemed so distracted last night. Hopefully school wasn’t getting harder for him she thought. It worried her that he was burying himself in books like a hermit instead of making new friends at school. The only friend he seemed to have made was Nitika, who worked at the public library.
As Toby sat down, she pushed yesterday’s paper aside to make room for his plate. He picked it up and said, “Look, there’s a story about Nitika.”
Janie flinched, “What does it say?”
He read:
…A local librarian, known only as Nitika, is waiting for results from the DNA lab at the Family Ancestry Studies and Testing Institute, known as FAST. She is hopeful that the tests will prove her claim that she is in fact one quarter Navajo. Over thirty years ago, the woman she claims as her mother disappeared for six years. When she reappeared, she had a husband and a little girl she called Nitika, but there was never a birth certificate…
Toby paused. “Wow, I thought I had a hard time fitting in. Are you doing this one at work?”
Janie nodded, “But I can’t talk about it you know.”
Toby rolled his eyes, “I know.”
They ate in silence. Janie thought about the team at work that was assigned to the case. They all wondered about the young woman’s history. Her life was clouded in mystery. People were naturally drawn to her, but she kept to herself a lot. The team would be finishing up the report today, and Janie was hoping for positive results.
After breakfast, Toby went to school. He waited with dread for a summons from Carson about leaving the day before. Several of the kids asked him about Kick Carson’s office. His status at school had definitely improved. If he survived this, he might actually become popular.
He didn’t tell anyone how he had gotten out of the office. The book was tucked deep in his backpack. He knew he had to return it. But taking the walk down that hall was more than he could face.
At the end of the day he felt nervous relief. Perhaps this whole thing would blow over. Maybe Carson had forgotten him. As he closed his locker, he overheard two girls talking. It was the Davis twins from his science class.
“I know why she doesn’t have a birth certificate. It’s because she’s an alien,” one of them said.
“You mean like from Mexico?”
“Nooo,” she giggled. “Like from outer space, you silly.” She blinked her eyes rapidly, wiggled her fingers at the sides of her head like antenna, and made weird noises.
Her sister sputtered and snorted as she suppressed laugher. Doubled over they giggled their way down the hall.
Toby took a deep breath and tried to “consider the source” like his mom was always telling him.
On the way home he decided to stop at the library. The building fascinated him with its antique stone architecture and gargoyles perched on the top of the drain spouts. During one of his first visits to the old building he had discovered a little used alcove. The tiny room was hidden at the end of a hallway behind the stacks of books. It soon became his secret place to get away from the world. He had spent a lot of time reading in that room.
Part of his fascination with the library was Nitika. She had introduced him to a lot of different books. When she talked about a story, it seemed to come alive no matter what the time period or subject. It was almost like it was history instead of fiction, and she was a character in the plot.
As he entered the library, Nitika emerged from behind a stack of books. Her dark gray skirt flared slightly, and the air stirred the fringe of the scarf tied around her waist. Light reflected off the delicate necklace that stood out against her dark blue T-shirt. It was a silver owl pendant with eyes made of pink quartz and a body of turquoise. Toby recognized it as the one she always wore.
Her feet made no sound as she lightly stepped across the floor. With slender brown fingers she pushed back her long dark hair. Her smile hinted at some secret, and her voice was musical as she said, “Hello Toby.”
She sat down with him at one of the tables.
“How are you enjoying Flatland?” she asked.
“They’ve been visited by a creature from another dimension,” Toby replied.
“I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be the invading creature instead of one of the other characters,” she said.
Toby squirmed. He had been so caught up in his own feelings of being displaced it hadn’t occurred to him to wonder how Caedman and Marnie felt about him dropping in on their world. Nitika’s green eyes narrowed slightly as she studied him carefully.
“Perhaps you think there aren’t any other worlds but this one.” Her smile taunted him.
Almost against his will he whispered, “Have you ever traveled to another world?”
She seemed to look through him as if she were seeing something far away and said, “Some people believe this world is merely a shadow of another. Each person’s world is different, even though we may be in the same place. We each have our own worlds to explore. It is what makes us unique.”
Loud whispers and giggling made Nitika turn to look behind her, breaking the spell. The Davis twins stood huddled together laughing and rolling their eyes. Getting up, Nitika excused herself. Toby was left to ponder her cryptic remarks and wonder about the sanity of the twins.
When he got home that night, he checked his e-mail. First he deleted the spam and the advertisements. Then he read an update from his dad. The weather was very cold. They were doing fine. The penguins were fascinating. They sent their love and hoped he was making new friends. Toby grimaced. Yeah, right. Making friends everyday.
There was also an e-mail from Pete, his best friend from back home. His class had been on a field trip to the Very Large Array, a group of large antenna dishes used for collecting radio waves from space. Toby felt a twinge of jealousy. Pete was exploring the universe without him while he was stuck dealing with monsters at school. Sometimes he thought Buz and his friends must be invaders from outer space. Probably sent here to take over the world by terrifying the population – starting with him.
He wanted to tell Pete all about Caedman, Marnie, and the book. But Pete always laughed at stories about space aliens. He certainly wouldn’t believe in a book with pictures that took you to another world. Toby didn’t understand it himself. So first he wrote about his encounter in the cafeteria. Then he added….
You’ll never believe how I got out of Carson’s office. There was this book on his shelf…. Toby then told him the whole story. He ended with…Well, what do you think? Better than the Roswell alien stories?
He signed off and went to bed.
CHAPTER 3 - BOOK POSSESSION
The week crawled by, but Friday finally arrived. Janie had asked him to stop by Alice’s Food Emporium after school and pick up her order. Fresh mysteries for tonight’s salad, he thought.
The day started the same as every other day at school – with science class. In Toby’s mind it was the best part of the day. Settling back in his seat, he forgot all about the book and the other world. BAM was only a dim memory. All his thoughts were concentrated on the wonders of the natural world.
Mr. Hernandez droned on about the mystery of St. Elmo’s fire, an eerie weather related phenomenon. He told about ancient sailors and their superstitions about fireballs and strange lights that looked like flames traveling up the masts of their ships. Some of the other students were bored, but Toby was fascinated. He imagined the ship rocking beneath his feet. The wind blew harder making bigger and bigger waves on the sea. Lightening flashed, and the sky darkened. He felt the fear of the sailors as they cringed in terror of a natural spectacle they didn’t understand. The hour passed all too quickly.
The only bad thing about Fridays was that after science class he had to go to gym. He hid the book in his locker before going to the dreaded class. Basketball today. Great. Wasn’t it obvious he was short? Did he have to face the further humiliation?
Jason met him on the gym floor. It was good to have a friendly face in the confusion, but it was still hopeless. He could never remember the rules to these stupid games. Three steps, four steps, dribble the ball, and pivot on one foot. It was worse than learning to dance. He felt as short as a two dimensional Flatlander. He could never tell when the three dimensional monsters were going to suddenly appear in front of him and stomp on him. The game was just dumb.
He suffered through the ordeal, managing to avoid the ball most of the time. Finally it was over. As they left the class Jason said, “Why don’t we get together Sunday afternoon, and I’ll help you get the hang of this.”
“I was that bad?”
“You were pretty bad. But nothing we can’t fix.”
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the class feeling relief. Weaving his way through the other kids as he headed to his locker, he thought about the weekend ahead. His spirits began to rise, but as he rounded the corner he was confronted by Buz.
“What’s your hurry, Toe-bias?” Buz drawled. Toby’s shoulders slumped. First basketball, then this. He took a step back and bumped into Magnus.
“Watch where you’re going squirt,” Magnus said as he pushed him back toward Buz.
Toby looked around for a way of escape. Dismayed he saw a shadow move away from a dark corner. It was Arnie, of course. Trouble comes in threes.
Buz looked over Toby’s head and said to Magnus, “What do you think of someone who tries to get his friends in trouble? We wanted to have lunch with him, and he made a mess of the place.”
Magnus shrugged. “Not very sociable.”
Arnie slipped up silently behind Buz and said, “Probably just needs a little instruction on his manners.”
Seems like everyone wants to teach me something today, Toby thought.
A boy passing by them bumped into Arnie. He snarled and the boy stepped back quickly. Seeing the opening, Toby ducked between them and squeezed his way into the crowd. Being small was now his advantage. He squirmed and wriggled his way through the mass of bodies. Suddenly there was an opening before him and a clear path. He ran for it.
Maybe he could escape into the book. If only it would work again. He slid to a stop at his locker. With fumbling fingers, he turned the dial on the lock. His mind froze. What was the combination? All he could think about was Magnus reaching out to grab him. He heard his name being shouted. Think. Think. He forced himself to relax. The numbers came back to him, and he spun the lock. It opened, and he grabbed the book. As he fumbled through the pages, he could hear running footsteps. He focused the magnifying glass. Please work. Please work. The title on the book came into focus…
Buz and Arnie ran up to the locker. Arnie jerked back the door expecting to see Toby cowering inside. It was empty. Buz slammed the locker and kicked it leaving a large dent. “Where did the little runt go!”
Toby looked up and saw the hut. He collapsed on the path breathing heavily. After a minute he caught his breath, and his muscles relaxed as he realized he had once again escaped BAM. Looking around he saw the door to the hut was open. The hermit was nowhere to be seen.
He started to get up, but suddenly froze. Golden eyes were looking at him. They appeared to be part of the wall next to the door. The eyes blinked, and part of the wall moved. Then Toby realized it was an animal lying on the rock bench. Its fur was the same mottled beige color as the wall. It blended so perfectly that it was invisible until it moved. Why, it’s only a cat, Toby thought. He walked over to the ledge and sat down. The cat sat up watching him.
“Hello kitty,” Toby said. He cautiously extended a hand. The cat sniffed his fingers. Then slowly it reached out its paw and laid it on Toby’s palm. His fingers tingled, and he felt a little dizzy. In his mind he saw a picture of Caedman walking through a maze of giant boulders. He pulled his hand back. The cat shook itself and began washing its face.
“Toby!” Marnie said as she stepped out of the hut.
He jumped at the sound of her voice. Her face looked worried and tired. There were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn’t been getting enough sleep. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
She flopped down on the bench with the cat between them. “Berren has been arrested.”
“Arrested?” Toby said, thinking he must have heard her wrong. “What for?”
“Book possession,” she said glumly.
“What do you mean book possession? He stole a book?”
“Don’t kid around, Toby. This is serious.”
“I don’t understand. Why would he be arrested for having a book?”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Toby said, “Where I come from they bribe kids to read books. What’s the deal?”
“Well, I guess you wouldn’t know,” she said.
“So why don’t you tell me? What’s going on?”
Marnie paused and then began her story. It started when the old governor of the village retired. The King sent word that a new governor would be appointed. Everyone waited wondering what he would be like. Several months passed. When the replacement arrived, he was not at all what they expected. His hair was streaked with gray hinting of age, but his strong and muscular body suggested youth. The journey from the King’s City in the south had been a long one. His clothes were strange. He spoke with an odd accent as he told the story of how road bandits attacked them. Although he had escaped with two of his men, they didn’t know what had happened to the others.
For his first act as governor, he posted a guard on the road to watch for the bandits. No one ever showed up.
He had many new ideas and made many improvements. There were new ways to irrigate crops, and safer ways for the miners to tunnel. That was all good, and after awhile everyone forgot about his strangeness.
Then he moved into the village library and made it his office. At first he just limited who could come in and look at the books. Then he setup his two companions as his personal assistants. They soon became the Literary Council. Then he started monitoring who was reading books and what they were reading. The Literary Council became the Literary Security. They posted laws that banned having a book that was not on the approved list. Anyone who was caught with an unauthorized book would be locked in the mining shed. They would then have to appear before the Governor and would not be released until he was satisfied they were not dangerous.
“After you left, Berren and I went home with books. He was caught and is locked up waiting to be taken before the Governor.”
“But what about Caedman?” Toby asked. “Surely all those books he has can’t be on the approved list.”
“Oh, the Literary Security would never come here. Everyone just thinks Caedman is a crazy old hermit, and they don’t give him much thought. I don’t think there’s too many people who even know that he has books. There’s only two paths that lead to Caedman’s home. One is through the Valley of Rocks and the other goes past the haunted racetrack.”
“Haunted racetrack? You mean with ghosts?”
“Well, maybe not real ghosts,” she smiled, “but it’s not anyplace you want to go. Just outside of town is the road that leads over the mountains to the sea. Thieves, robbers and smugglers come in on that road and meet at the old racetrack. Stories are told about how they capture ships and steal the gold, silver, jewels and other stuff. Then they haul the loot over the mountains down to the racetrack where they set up camp and divvy up the loot. Sometimes they spend several days fighting and quarreling over the treasure and planning their next raid.”
“But why would they hang out at a old racetrack? Isn’t that just a big field with a circular track on it?”
“Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. Old stone terraces surround the track, if that’s what it really is. The structure is so old no one is really sure what it was originally used for. Some people think it was a place for people to sit and watch whatever was happening on the track. The stone is all crumbling now, and there are piles of rubble where whole sections have collapsed. Underneath the terraces there are lots of rooms and holes where the bandits hide out, but it can’t be very safe. I’d be afraid the roof would fall on my head while I was sleeping.”
Toby said, “Hey, wait a minute,” and started flipping through the travel book. “Here, look at this.” He showed her the picture of the arena he had seen while looking through the book in Carson’s office.
“That’s the place,” she said. “You never know when it’s going to be deserted and when it’s going to be full of outlaws. You don’t want to go there.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. It gives me a bad feeling with or without ghosts.” He closed the book. “So tell me about the path through the Valley of Rocks.”
“Do you have a picture of that too?” she said curiously.
He shook his head.
“It’s a valley filled with lots of huge boulders. There are plenty of paths that twist and wind around the rocks, but only one path takes you through. It’s easy to get on the wrong trail and just walk in circles. Only the rock smiths go there, and that’s because they want quartz and turquoise. No one would go there just to come out here and bother Caedman.”
Toby felt a chill as he remembered the image of Caedman walking among the boulders. “Where is Caedman now?”
“Now? Probably in the Valley of Rocks. He used to be a smith, and he still collects quartz for his work.” Toby looked startled and she said, “What’s the matter?”
“I saw him. In the rocks,” Toby whispered.
“Who?” Marnie whispered back as she glanced around.
“Caedman. I saw him in my head. He was walking around the boulders.”
“Oh,” Marnie laughed. “You must have touched Sirius.”
“Who?”
“The sentinel.” She pointed to the cat. “Did you hold your hand out to him?”
Sirius stopped washing his face and stretched.
“The cat? Oh, well…yes…but…”
“Sirius is a sentinel. He has a link with Caedman. When you held out your hand, he responded by reaching out his paw, and giving you an image of Caedman. At the same time, he sent Caedman an image of you so he knows you are here.”
Toby looked at her suspiciously, “You’re making this up aren’t you? Cats don’t think pictures in your head.”
Marnie frowned. “I don’t know about cats. Sirius is a sentinel,” she said indignantly. Sometimes a sentinel will link with a person, and then they can share images.”
“You mean they talk in your head?”
“No, not in words. Just images. It’s like hearing a bird and knowing what the bird looks like. They send pictures. Caedman says no one can sneak up on him because Sirius would let him know who was coming.”
They both turned as they heard the sound of soft footsteps. Caedman came around the corner of the house. “Ah, Toby. Welcome back. I see you have met Sirius. A most worthy companion.” He reached out and scratched the sentinel’s ears.
Toby had not noticed before, but they were rounded at the top like the ears on a teddy bear. As the sentinel stared at him, he realized that except for the color, the eyes were more like a dog’s than those of a cat. Now that he looked close he could see it was not like any real cat he had ever seen. It reminded him of the ceramic cat that Janie had made in that senior class she had taken at the college. It had weird ears too. Janie loved art classes, but sometimes Toby thought she didn’t have a lot of talent. Some of her stuff looked pretty abstract.
They went inside. Caedman put a kettle of water over the fire, and began slicing up fruit. Marnie filled Toby in on the week’s activities. After she and Berren had left the hut they hurried home to do their chores. Everything was normal until yesterday, when Berren was caught reading an unauthorized book. He was taken to the old mining cabin and locked in the utility shed.
“He’s been there since yesterday afternoon,” Marnie said. “They let me take him some food and a blanket, but we have to get him out.”
“Didn’t you say the Governor would have to question him before they would let him go?” Toby asked.
“Yes, of course. But who knows how long it will be before that happens. We can’t wait. And what happens if the Governor decides Berren is dangerous? No one has been accused of book possession before. We don’t know what the Governor will do.”
“Aren’t there laws? What about a trial?” Toby said.
Marnie sighed exasperated.
“The Governor has ultimate authority, Toby,” Caedman said. “He speaks for the King. Whatever he says is the law.”
Toby shuddered. “That’s not a good system.”
“Perhaps you are right. But that is how it has always been,” Caedman said.
He set a bowl in front of each of them that contained a small crunchy biscuit. On the top was a clear golden pool of honey that dripped down the sides of the biscuit. Sliced fruit floated around the bottom of the bowl in a moat of cream.
“The old governor was kind and fair,” Caedman said. “He let us elect a council of village elders, valued their wisdom, and accepted their advice. But the new Governor only listens to the men who came with him. No one can understand why the King sent us this man for our leader.”
Toby hesitatingly tasted the mixture. It was delicious. He took another large bite. This was nothing like the stuff they served in the school cafeteria.
“You could rescue Berren,” Marnie said softly.
Toby choked and looked up to see Marnie staring at him. He swallowed hard. “Me?” he squeaked.
“You’re not from here,” she said.
“What does that have to do with anything?” he asked. His appetite had left him.
“You have the ability to travel back to your world. You could sneak into the shed and take Berren back to your world with you,” she said excitedly.
Toby looked appealingly at Caedman, hoping for a way out.
Caedman sadly shook his head. “You cannot go in pairs. Only one can pass through the portal at a time.”
He relaxed, and took another bite. Marnie slumped back disappointedly.
“How many people are guarding the shed, Marnie?” Caedman asked.
“Two at a time. They stay in the cabin. I’m afraid that the Governor will question Berren and send him away.” Her voice trembled and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Caedman put his hand on her shoulder. “Do not fear. Your friends will help you. It is getting late. You must both go home, or you’ll be missed. After dark, we can meet and discuss our plans. Come back here two hours after sunset. I have a plan that I will share with you then. Are we agreed?”
Marnie said, “I’ll be here.”
They both looked at Toby. He slowly nodded.
“Then it’s settled,” Caedman said.
Toby once again found himself outside the public library breathing in the pungent perfume of the purple lilacs. It was still early enough for him to stop by Alice’s and pick up Janie’s order.
Unnoticed, a slim shadow with long hair stood watching from the upstairs window. There was a faint twinkle at her throat as something caught the fading rays of the sun. Her long skirt brushed against the casing as she turned and slipped between the stacks of books.
Questions swirled through Toby’s mind as he raced up the street and around the block. Why did I agree to go back tonight? I was looking forward to a weekend without worrying about BAM, and now this. What am I going to do now? How do I get out of this?
He slowed to a walk as he came around the corner. In front of him was an old adobe building that had once been a saloon. On the roof was a large fiberglass mushroom. It was tilted towards the street with the store’s name on the top.
Alice’s Wonderland Cafe & Food Emporium
Better Living through Better Eating
Well, that’s a matter of opinion Toby thought.
In the side yard there were several round tables where the lunch patrons hung out. In keeping with the wonderland theme, they too were painted to look like mushrooms.
Swinging doors had been replaced with a real door, and the entire structure was painted the typical salmon color of the southwest. White patches showed through in several places where the façade had crumbled off. An overhang extended over the doorway supported by evenly spaced wooden beams.
As Toby entered the store a metal bell clanged noisily on the inside of the door announcing his arrival. He passed by the bins along the wall that were filled with an assortment of strange mushrooms. Fungus among us, Toby thought. Cheeses from around the world were piled haphazardly in hanging baskets.
Along the other wall in neat orderly rows were earthenware crocks of tea and small burlap bags filled with coffee beans from different countries. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room. Too bad it doesn’t taste as good as it smells, he thought.
Hanging beads covered a doorway in the back. Just in front of it was a long, highly polished counter that had once served as a bar. The front of the counter had been converted into a myriad of shelves that were now adorned with spices and exotic herbs.
Toby made his way to the counter. A bowl at one end held small purple peppers next to a carafe of freshly brewed coffee. He was just leaning over to examine the peppers when he heard the soft rustle of the bamboo beads. He looked up to see Alice standing behind the counter.
“Ah, Toby. You’re very late,” she said. “I thought maybe you forgot.” Tiny mushroom earrings wiggled as she moved her head.
“Yes, late for a very important date,” he recited dutifully. He was rewarded with a big smile and a giggle, which made her tiny mushroom earrings bounce and sway. She reached under the counter and pulled out a bag.
“Here’s your grandmother’s order. Oh, and something for you.” She opened a large cookie jar that was shaped like a white rabbit holding a pocket watch. Pulling out a large cookie, she handed it to him.”
“Thanks,” he said with a smile. “What kind is it?”
“That would be telling,” she smirked. “Let’s just call it Friday Surprise.”
More natural ingredients he thought ruefully. The bell clanged and an old man walked in. Toby saw his opportunity and said, “I gotta run or Janie won’t have this stuff for her salad tonight.” He hurried out.
There was a brown jeep and a car parked in front of the store. As he hurried around the back of the car he came face to face with a bulldog. It barred its teeth and growled. Toby stopped and tentatively took a step. The dog barked and growled again. Toby impulsively tossed it the cookie. “Alice’s Friday surprise,” he said. The dog caught the cookie in mid air and chomped it down. He then noticed with relief that the dog was tied to a pole. Probably belongs to the guy in the store, he thought. The dog wagged its tail slightly. Toby took another step and the dog let out a muffled woof. “You’re welcome. It’ll be our secret,” Toby said. He hurried past and headed home.
CHAPTER 4 - CATCH A FALLING STAR
Toby arrived home before Janie. There was a note on the table.
Toby,
Put the lasagna in the oven at 5:00. I hope you remembered to stop by Alice’s. Be sure to do your homework.
Love, Janie
He looked at the clock. It was 5:10. Well, close enough. Hurriedly he turned on the oven and slid the pan of lasagna onto the oven rack. As he set the temperature, he thought a moment, and then bumped it up ten degrees to compensate for the late start.
He rushed upstairs to his room and threw his pack on the bed. On the dresser, his latest mineral project was growing on an old dinner plate. It had a picture of a loaf of bread in the center surrounded by sheaves of wheat. Green crystals spread across the bread making it look like it had sprouted mold.
Next to the plate was a shoebox with a butterfly cocoon nestled in one corner. He looked it over carefully, but so far there was no sign that the butterfly was ready to emerge.
As he dumped the contents of the backpack on the bed, Worlds Within fell out on top. He carefully picked it up and put it on his desk.
Turning on his computer, he checked his e-mail. This time his mom had written. She wanted him to write and tell them all about school and his new friends. Was he eating well and getting enough sleep? How was he getting along with Janie? He wrote back and told her about science class, Janie’s salads, and that he was learning to play basketball. Then he opened Pete’s message.
Cute story. Giving up on sports and planning on being a writer are you? Maybe the stress of the new place is getting to you. What you need are some good solid friends to keep you straight. Someone like me. Try spending more time with Jason. He sounds like a pretty sensible kid. So what really happened when Carson came back?
Toby replied:
I did meet this guy that seems pretty levelheaded. He’s a couple years older than us and even has a job. Unfortunately he got arrested last week. It’s a bad rap though. He’s from that other world I told you about. Well they have a book ban and he got caught with a book. He borrows them from the Hermit. Oh yeah, and the Hermit has this strange cat that has round ears and can think pictures into your head. They want me to come back and help break him out tonight – but I’m not sure I’m going. Gotta run. I have homework I have to get done first.
The rest of the hour went by quickly as he whipped through the math assignment and moved on to history. He heard the lock in the front door and knew Janie was home. It was 6:00. He glanced out the window. It looked like it was getting dark out. Thoughts raced through his head. What time did the sun set anyway? And how was he to know if it was the same time there as it was here?
Why should he go back? He couldn’t even face the bullies a grade above him. Besides, Berren had so many muscles he should be able to break that shed apart without any help from him. Anyway, how was he supposed to get around the guards? They might have guns. They might lock him up too. Pete would never know what had happened to him, or would never believe it.
“Toby,” his grandmother called up the stairs.
I probably won’t get a chance to go back and help even if I wanted to he thought. It’s a silly idea for a kid. He shook off the thoughts and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. Janie was just taking the lasagna out of the oven.
“Do you think you should leave it in a little longer?” he suggested.
“We don’t want it to be mushy,” she said as she set it on the stove. The corner of her mouth twitched as she tried to suppress a smile. Toby looked at her suspiciously. When she got in one of her moods, he never knew what to expect. It might be something fun, and it might be something embarrassing. He had to keep alert.
She danced around the room as she placed the salad on the table. Toby sat down carefully keeping his eye on her. He wasn’t going to be distracted by checking out what new mysteries Alice had sent home for tonight’s salad.
The microwave chirped. Janie took out a steaming cup of coffee, and stirred in some cream. Pulling out the spoon, she watched the liquid intently.
“Something wrong with the coffee?” Toby asked curiously.
“Look,” she said. “It’s a spiral galaxy.”
Toby leaned over and looked in the cup. Some of the cream had not dissolved completely and was swirling on top of the coffee.
“Yeah….ookay,” he said.
“Wonder if that’s where scientists got their notions of how galaxies were formed….” she mused.
Toby raised his eyebrows, and settled back in his chair. Tonight was starting out interesting, he thought.
Janie turned back to the stove. When she spun around again, she had something hidden in her cupped hands and was grinning.
“What?” Toby asked.
She stood straight and commanded, “Stand, Sir Toby.”
Toby warily got up and started to smile in spite of his apprehension.
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-30 show above.)