The young man laughed. Charles asked, “Why are you laughing?”
The young man stopped laughing and looked at Charles very seriously and asked, “Where are you from, and WHOM are you searching for?”
“I am looking for a family friend, Todd Schluter.”
The young man looked at Charles very leery of him and said, “What do you want with him?”
Charles perked up. “You know him?”
The young man asked again, “What do you want with him?”
“He’s a friend of my family and I have a message for him.”
“So, you don’t know him personally?”
“No, I don’t. I’m in a hurry. I have to return soon. Do you know of him or not?” “Who are you? Where are you from?”
“You haven’t answered any of my questions. This is a waste of time. If you know where to find Todd, let him know I am looking for him. I have a message from home.”
As Charles turned to leave, he looked back at the images around the fountain. One of the images was the young man looking at the office cuckoo clock. Charles looked back at the young man who now had his hat off.
Charles asked, “Todd?”
The young man looked at Charles with tears in his eyes. “I don’t know who you are, but you are an answer to years of prayers. I have been waiting for you for so long, so long. I thought you might never come for me.” Todd walked around the fountain pointing at the images.
Charles felt goose bumps on his arms as he watched Todd. “We’ve got to get out of here. Let’s go back the way we came. I know how to get us back home.” Charles grabbed Todd’s arm. They ran on the path until they saw three men heading toward them.
Todd said, “Now would be a good time to tell you, I’ve ran into trouble here. I had to play poker to make money, and…”
Charles got the point as he stopped and spun Todd around. “Run!”
The men spotted them and were starting to run. Charles and Todd ran through the park off the path. They used the trees and bushes for cover. They came to a rock wall, which they both climbed. They had to take a break from running so they sat with their backs to the wall.
Charles asked, “Do you know who they are?”
Todd shrugged. “I didn’t get a good look at them.”
Charles asked, “Which way should we run?”
Todd pointed. “I think we should run that way. On the other side of the fence is a busy road. I don’t know where the gate is from here.” He looked around. “We may need to climb the fence.”
Charles agreed, “I think it is our best bet. Let’s go!” They took off running. The first man spotted them and was alerting the others to their location. While the other men were climbing the rock wall, Charles and Todd wasted no time running to the fence. They just jumped down on the other side of the fence when the first man who climbed over the wall caught up. He was a pretty fast climber and in good shape. The other two men struggled with climbing over the rock wall and were quite a ways behind them.
Charles and Todd didn’t look back. They crossed the street and kept going into the darkness until they came to a brick building. Charles whispered to Todd as they had their backs pressed against the building, “We need to get our bearings and somehow make it back to the address where I first saw you. That is where the Passageway is. I’m worried about the men chasing us. We may need to look for a hiding place until they give up looking for us.”
Todd agreed and pointed. “Let’s head in that direction and see if we can spot a place to hide.” They ran through the yards and crossed several streets. Charles was concerned that they were going too far in the wrong direction and might have a hard time getting back to the Passageway. They turned down an alley that backed up to old buildings. The doors to the buildings were rickety and in disrepair. They tried to open a few of the doors but they were all locked. Charles was getting frustrated. He felt the pressure of being chased by those men. Kicking in one of the doors right now to find a safe hiding place seemed like a good idea. Todd successfully picked a lock and was motioning to Charles. He disappeared into the basement of the building.
Charles was afraid to let Todd get out of his sight for fear that he might vanish. If that was the case, at this point Charles figured he’d leave without him. He was missing home and being chased by those men wasn’t something he’d planned on. Charles clutched his leather bag. It reminded him of home. His plans were to get out of this dimension as soon as possible. He hurried to where he saw Todd enter the building. When he was inside, he closed the door. He fumbled for the lock and struggled to get it locked. The door was weathered and warped, but he managed to lock it. He looked around and let his eyes adjust. He whispered, “Todd, where are you?
All he heard was, “Shhhh, get down. I see a light outside the window.”
Charles felt his way around the wall. He felt Todd’s hand touch his. Todd whispered, “Sit on this crate and be still until they pass. We should stay here for a while. They will more than likely double back on us.”
For the longest time all Charles could hear was Todd’s shallow breaths. The light outside the window came increasingly closer. The men even flashed the light inside the basement and wiped a semicircular shape onto the dirty window so they could see around inside. Charles and Todd barely breathed for fear of giving themselves away. Charles wondered why the men looked around so long in this basement compared to the other basements along this alley. A couple of minutes seemed like an hour of probing and shining their light in the small space. Charles about jumped out of his skin when one of them tried the doorknob. He shivered thinking about what if Todd hadn’t been able to pick the lock in time.
Charles hoped at best his karate training would allow him to take out the two bumbling twins; but he could tell the man-predator was in shape. He was certain he would prove to be a little more challenging. After they moved on, Charles drew a ragged breath. He was afraid of coughing. The stale air in the basement was getting to him.
He started by saying, “We haven’t been properly introduced. My name is Charles. I am Carson Jones’ grandson.” He paused when he saw the look of admiration on Todd’s face.
“That explains a lot of why you are here. How is he?”
Charles looked down. “He’s fine. He has thought about you a lot over the years. We just recently discovered how you disappeared. It was a shock for him to learn what happened to you. He had no idea. When he figured it out he wanted to be the one to come for you. He just was not able to.”
Todd nodded and looked at Charles. “Sometimes even intelligent people make bad decisions.”
Charles looked down. Then he looked at Todd. “I’m not here to judge. All I want to do is bring you back safely. The problem is we don’t have much time. This wasn’t something I had figured into the equation. I was warned you were in danger when I came for you. I have to get you out of here tonight.”
Charles and Todd sneaked over to the door, opened it a crack very slowly and looked out. The men were diverted from looking for them by the appearance of a stray dog. For some reason it seemed to threaten them. One of the men was very afraid. They listened to the conversation between the men. It turned out that it was the big man in charge who was afraid. The other two were making fun of him. To change the conversation the man in charge said he heard something around the corner. They turned and left.
Charles and Todd discussed leaving and trying to get back to the park. Todd was sure the men would return before long, if they were going to leave they should go now. “Let’s go then,” agreed Charles. When they opened the door wider, they saw dog sitting at the end of the walkway wagging his tail. Charles shook his head. This is what the man was afraid of? Charles walked toward the dog and patted him on the back of his head.
Todd had a bit of beef jerky in his shirt pocket that he unwrapped and gave to the stray. “I sure hope we get home tonight. That was my dinner.”
They took off running toward the direction of the park. Todd said, “If we
are discovered then we should split up.”
“No way, we are too close to going home. We need to stick together… and get back to the cellar of 588 Quimby Street.”
“I will find you. I promise. You just keep going and don’t stop. They are after me not you.”
“Hopefully that won’t happen.”
They ran with their new canine friend right beside them. Todd whispered to the stray, “I’d take you if I could… I really would. I hate to leave you.”
Charles said, “I don’t think we ought to try. He might not make it.”
Once they reached the fence Todd was having a hard time leaving the dog. Charles had already climbed the fence and was jumping down the other side when he noticed Todd hadn’t even started to climb. “Come on Todd. Leave the dog. We are almost out of time.”
The dog was wagging his tail and looking at Todd with big brown eyes. Todd looked at Charles on the other side, and then looked at the dog.
Suddenly, the men who were chasing them came around the building on the end of the street. One of the twins pointed to them and said, “There they are!”
Todd said, “Go Charles! Go back the way we came. I promise I will meet you there.”
“No! Climb over the fence. We can make it!”
Todd took off running. The dog was chasing after him.
Charles had no choice at this point but to do as Todd planned. He was very angry with Todd for not climbing over the fence. Charles ran, mumbling the whole way, “If he doesn’t make it back in time, I am leaving him!”
Charles made it to the rock wall. He lost his footing at first, and then noticed that he was being chased by one of the twins. He quickly recovered and went over it quicker than he had the first time. While he ran he wondered why the man chose to follow him? He figured maybe guilt by association. Then he decided he didn’t really care. At this point he was determined to get home and this clown wasn’t going to stop him. His adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He felt as if he was moving faster than any athlete could in this race. Charles didn’t look back. He kept going, pushing ahead. His side hurt but he ignored the pain. In the distance he saw the lights on the fountain. As he ran by it he thought of Todd and hoped he would make it to the building in time. He thought about the fountain’s images of home.
Charles believed that maybe he had outrun the twin but he couldn’t take a chance. His burst of adrenaline had subsided. He began jogging at this point. Charles was disappointed. He really felt like he had been so close to achieving his goal. He may have just failed his assignment by not staying with Todd. Now all he could hope for was to return home without being hurt. He prepared himself for having to leave Todd behind, and how he would explain this fiasco to Paw Paw.
Charles was physically exhausted. He began walking. At this point he was sure he had lost the twin. He saw the entrance to the park. He tried to jog but it was no use. He was in great physical shape but his body was extremely tired. He looked around for Todd. No sign of him anywhere. “Great, just great,” Charles mumbled.
He continued walking the rest of the way and began looking for the exact door he had emerged from. Charles tried to remember the exact directions on how to get back home. It was not like the office Passageway. It had several precise steps that had to take place before the strike of the hour hand. Charles was struggling to remember the directions. He stopped to look in his leather bag. No directions. Charles threw back his head and looked at the darkening sky. He thought to himself: I am not staying here... Think what did Paw Paw say about how to get back?
Just then he heard Airabelle in his mind, “Charles you are not alone. Can you hear me?” A tear formed in the corner of Charles’ eye.
Airabelle didn’t stop. She continued, “Get back to your entry point. You don’t have long. Run if you can. Otherwise you will have another hour to wait. Run!”
He suddenly found the strength to pull it together. He saw the door he was looking for, three buildings down. He ran to the building and down the steps. He reached for the doorknob and turned it. He opened the door and left it open a crack just in case Todd happened to make it in time. It seemed unlikely to him at this point.
Airabelle said, “Don’t worry about Todd. You just come home.” Charles didn’t have to think twice about that. He’d leave no matter what.
Airabelle continued, “In your bag you have a set of jacks.”
Charles thought: What did you just say?
Airabelle repeated herself, “Jacks--you know the children’s game. Find them.”
Charles found the jacks and held them in his sweaty hand.
Airabelle said, “This is where it gets tricky. Listen closely. As soon as Todd enters the room get down on your hands and knees, gently toss the jacks as if you were playing the game.”
Charles thought: I’ve never played jacks. What in the world are you talking about? Gently toss them? What does that mean?
“Just scatter them loosely as if you had a tiny ball that you would bounce, then pick them up before the ball bounces again. Do not scatter the jacks too far apart…” Charles protested, “I don’t have a ball in the bag!”
“I know, just do as I asked and listen. When Todd comes, you both must stay quiet.”
Charles wished that Paw Paw was standing beside him right now. Suddenly Todd flew down the steps and entered the room. Charles dropped to the ground and released the jacks.
Todd said, “What is this we have here? Are you kidding me, Charlie? We do not have time for child’s play. They are after me! Is this all you have?”
Charles put his finger to his lips to silence Todd. The room turned green. Charles motioned for Todd to move closer to him. The three men entered the room. They couldn’t see Charles and Todd. They moved around the room several times getting close to them. They were searching for hiding places.
The leader said, “How could they have just vanished?”
One of the twins shrugged. “I don’t know, but they did it again boss.”
The men exited the house and began walking up and down the street searching. One of the twins said, “I know he is here, just like he was in the other basement. He has to be in the house with the opened door. I just know it. I could sense eyes on me.”
The other twin said, “Shut up! You always think everyone is watching you.”
They began to argue. The ringleader was trying to stop them from being loud, causing people to look their way.
Todd whispered to Charles, “Now what?”
“I have to think about it. Give me a minute…”
Bev and Carson sat very still. Airabelle relayed the directions to Charles as Carson read them aloud. The journal page with the directions had been in Carson’s bag, not Charles’. Charles finally remembered most of the directions, but it was good to hear them repeated again just to get everything perfect.
Carson looked at the clock. He was praying that Charles would return this hour. It was a shock for them to see the children of the clock, every time they came out of the door running around the half circle path. When Charles joined the line of children, Airasten was given strict instructions to leave the cuckoo alone. Thwarted of the chance to grab the cuckoo, he began observing the hourly ritual. When Airasten discovered the child at the end looked like Charles, he mentioned it to the others. Bev almost fainted. He was right! Airasten was sorry he had pointed it out when he saw Bev’s reaction. Everyone was on pins and needles in that office. They knew this was a now-or-never kind of situation. No one wanted to wait an extra hour.
Airabelle told Charles, “Take the marbles out of the bag and put them in a round cluster. Take the shooter marble and shoot it with your thumb into the middle of the marbles. One will emerge. That marble has a number. Find the clock in the room and set it to that time.”
Charles did as he was told. He looked at the marble that rolled out of the circle, then gathered up the rest of the game pieces and put them back in the bag. Charles told Todd to help him locate the cuckoo clock. They
searched everywhere for that clock. They searched in boxes and crates. They looked in every nook and cranny to no avail. Charles sat down with his knees bent and put his hands over his face. The realization hit him hard that he wasn’t going home. He was trapped here, maybe forever. He wasn’t even sure he knew where here was.
Carson panicked. He jumped up and said, “I’m going!” He turned to Bev. “I love you Honey, but I should have gone in the first place. It should have been me, not Charles. I never will forgive myself if I don’t go.”
Bev grabbed his shirtsleeve. “If you go, I go too! We go together.”
Airabelle was getting confused. She was losing track of Charles because she was feeling the emotions of being abandoned again. “Stop, stop!”
Carson stopped and took a deep breath. He talked to her calmly, “You’re right. Keep in touch with Charles. Be ready when he locates the clock.”
Airabelle calmed down. She told Charles to get up and keep looking. Airasten said, “There has to be a clock in there, or how did he emerge?”
When Airabelle repeated Airasten’s remark, Charles stopped to think carefully. He jumped up and looked around the room. He thought about when he first landed on the floor. He closed his eyes and thought back to that traumatic time not too long ago. Then it came to him. Just in time… Charles heard the clock chime from somewhere in the room. He looked at the marble again. His eyes searched around the room for the clock. It magically appeared from out of nowhere on the wall. He grabbed Todd’s shirt by the back and raced to the clock. He set the hands to the correct time. He shouted, “I got it! I got it!”
Just as the men raced back into the room, a flash of light exploded. One of the men tried to grab Todd. Todd kicked the man so hard he stumbled across the room.
The children came running in their magic circle with a girl at the end of the line. This time she said, “Reach out and grab my hand! Let’s go. Time to go home boys!”
Charles reached out still holding Todd’s shirt and they both screamed!
CHAPTER 86
The Xidoran Prophecy Page 64
