by Gloria Gage
“Don’t worry, Amy. We’ll make it!” Josh assured her.
“Poor Marty! He looked really frightened,” Chris said. “What did he mean about ‘Tabs’?” she asked me. “Your cat’s name is Murray, isn’t it? What was he talking about?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “There was a computer game we used to play that he called ‘Tabs’. I think maybe he was just confused and scared.”
“He could have been trying to tell us something, don’t you think?” Josh asked.
“Maybe he was. I’ll have to think about it.”
We studied the map again. “We need to follow Beachwood Road until we find an old house with a fountain in front. The next key is hidden there. Just past that is a cave, and beyond the cave we’re looking for the Castle—looks like that’s where they’re holding Marty,” I suddenly felt discouraged again that we still had so far to go.
Chris tried to help, “Let’s see if we can get some of those scooters? We could move a lot faster on those.”
“Good idea, Chris,” Josh agreed. “Let’s see if there’s a way we can rent them.”
The old man at the scooter shop had a white beard and a mass of hair sticking out in all directions. He wore a black suit, with a narrow tie, and thick glasses perched on his nose, as he smiled widely and said, “Well, hello, Logan! We’ve been expecting you and your friends. I have saved the perfect vehicles just for you.”
“You have?” I asked in surprise. “You know we’re searching for my brother?”
“Why, yes, of course. We’re very glad you’re here. Such brave children to come so far! But where are my manners! I’m Mr. Trabboli. Your vehicles are ready and waiting for you right here. And since I know you’re in a hurry, maybe I can help. There’s a shortcut that parallels Beachwood Road. It will save you a lot of time. Oak Trail, just to your left there beyond the park, will get you to Beachwood, but much faster.”
Mr. Trabboli reached up to smooth down his white hair, which didn’t help at all as it popped right back up, like the ears on a cat. “I’ll just scan your wrists and you can be on your way,” he said, smiling.
Just as he leaned over to scan Josh’s arm, Chris thought she saw a reflection in the window behind him. It was so quick, she wasn’t at all sure she’d even seen it. But—just for a second—it was, after all, a very blurred image. Was it a blank face? Was it just too fast and she missed it? She stared, but he had moved away and there was nothing to see. And he seemed so nice. She shook her head. I must just be getting tired, she thought, with so many strange things happening all at once. And he was too friendly and helpful to be one of the Faceless Ones.
He patted her shoulder gently. “Such brave children you are.”
“Thank you,” Chris said, smiling and sending the dark thoughts right out of her head.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It took only a few minutes practice and we were able to handle the scooters easily. “These things are amazing,” Josh exclaimed. “If we could take one home—we’d be rich!” He couldn’t resist trying a few stunts on the scooter, but quickly discovered that they would not fly higher than three feet above the ground. He could sway from side to side, but try as he might, he could not do a flip, or even turn it over. “Maybe these things are a little too safe!” he grumbled.
“Our parents would love them,” Chris decided, “because it’s almost impossible to get hurt.”
“Sort of takes the fun out of it though, right, Josh?” I said, grinning.
“Yeah! But at least we’re making good time.”
The controls were easy to maneuver, and we sailed along Oak Trail toward the location of the next key. We were obviously in a neighborhood, with trees and houses on either side of the street, but there were no people in sight. And the houses were quite different from any in our own neighborhoods at home. Some were very tall and straight, three or four stories high and made of that strange metal-looking surface like the buildings in the city, with only a few narrow windows here and there. Others were all on one long level and looked almost like concrete bunkers. After a few blocks, we slowed down, and then stopped.
“Are you sure this is the right way, Logan?” Josh asked.
“It’s got to be. It’s the way the scooter man suggested,” I answered, pulling the map from my pocket and unfolding it so we could look at it together. “See,” I said, “here is where we left the park, but—that’s funny—I don’t see Oak Trail anywhere on the map now.”
“Something just doesn’t feel right,” Josh said.
Chris was frowning. “I didn’t say anything, Logan, but I had a funny feeling about Mr. Trab—whatever his name was…the guy at the scooter shop.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” she went on, “I saw something, just a glimpse really, in the window of the shop behind him. I’m not sure…but I think he might be one of the ‘Faceless Ones’.”
“Really?” Josh was shocked. “But he was so friendly and helpful.”
“Yeah! He may have just helped get us lost again!” I said angrily.
“I’m sorry,” Chris said. “I should have paid closer attention. I’ll watch better from now on.”
I spoke up quickly, “It’s not your fault, Chris. We’ll have to be more careful, but there’s really no way to tell who we can trust. I wish we had a mirror so we could be sure.”
“Look at this.” Josh pointed to a spot on the map. “If we cut across on this next street, I think it will take us back to Beachwood.”
“That looks like our best chance,” I agreed.
Chris sounded less than sure. “Okay, but it sure is a spooky-looking neighborhood. Doesn’t anyone live here? The houses all look deserted.” We stared at the strange-looking houses along both sides of the street. There was no sign of life anywhere. They all appeared to be in need of repair, and the yards were overgrown with weeds.
A noise caused Josh to look behind us. “Oh, no!” he yelled. “We’ve got to get out of here.” The ‘nice’ man from the scooter shop and two others were behind us, approaching fast on scooters of their own. And they did not look at all friendly now.
We raced down Oak Trail as fast as our flying scooters would go. “Look!” I shouted pointing ahead. “It’s a dead end!” We had to swerve at the last second to avoid a brick wall that closed off the entire end of the street. There was nowhere to go…we were trapped!
I was horrified as we turned and watched the three men closing in fast behind us. In the narrow window of the nearest house, I spotted a reflection of the three men—and all three faces were blank. They really were the Faceless Ones who would stop at nothing, not even murder, to claim the treasure for themselves.
Chapter Twenty-Three
We have to do something, I thought. We can’t let them take the map or the keys. Marty’s life depends on us… “We can’t let them win,” I whispered boldly to my friends. But I knew realistically that we had no weapon to fight these bigger and stronger opponents, nothing but my tiny pocketknife that seemed rather useless as I stared at our rapidly approaching enemies… Or, come to think of it…maybe we did have some weapons…
“Amy,” I called out. “You know what to do!”
In the next instant, the three men stopped, laid down their scooters, and stepped forward staring at us. “We’ll take those keys now,” Mr. Trabboli said harshly, then stepped forward, and grabbed Chris by the arm, intending to twist it behind her. But Chris wasn’t about to go down easily. A second after Amy pressed the F keys, Chris felt strength flow into her body. She suddenly felt like a 200-pound weight lifter. She didn’t hesitate, just swung her arm and punched her attacker in the face. He let go of her with a shocked expression and grabbed his face where blood was beginning to pour from his cut lip, but she was still angry and emboldened with her new sense of strength. She kicked him hard in the shin and he fell to the ground, howling in pain.
A second later, Josh glanced over to see my scooter still running, but with an invisible rider. “Let
’s do it,” he shouted, and we both aimed our scooters straight ahead at full speed directly at our opponents. I collided with the first one straight on, knocking him sideways where he lay shocked and surprised, wondering how I could have disappeared before his eyes, and how a unmanned scooter could slam into him so hard.
Josh, two seconds behind, hit his target too, but his foe was able to grab hold of one of his handlebars. He held on with one hand, his other struggling to grab hold of Josh who fought to keep his vehicle upright, and managed to drag him forward several feet until they collided with a mailbox at the curb. The Faceless One fell hard onto the street, shouting angry obscenities at us.
Both of us were now free, at least for the moment, and looked back to see Chris hop on her scooter and race to catch up with us. We were a mile away before we allowed ourselves to breathe again and share a grin of relief.
“These new powers sure saved us that time,” I said, thankful for our escape. In just a manner of moments, they faded away and both Chris and I were back to normal. “I just wonder how often we can use them.”
Josh shrugged. “They really saved our bacon this time. I just hope we don’t need them too often. We might not always be so lucky.”
We soon found our way back to Beachwood and were on our way to locating the next key. We had won another small battle, but there were four more keys yet to find and time was running out!
The further we went along Beachwood, the fewer houses there were. Soon, there were none at all, and the road stretched ahead with only rocky ground, and occasional stubby trees.
“Look, there’s another house way up ahead,” I shouted.
“And it has a fountain in front!” Chris added. “That’s where the next key should be, right?” When we reached the house, we stopped, laid down our scooters, and entered the yard through a heavy iron gate. The grounds immediately around the house were lush and a brilliant green, a startling difference from the areas nearby. And in front was a beautiful old stone fountain, with vines growing wildly all around it.
“This place looks haunted,” Chris said, shivering. “And it’s weird to have a fountain out here in the middle of nowhere.” The house was very old and shabby. Six tall spires stretched upward from the roof, like bony fingers reaching for the sky. The windows in the front were dark, and oval in shape, like ghosts yawning an eerie welcome.
“It looks just like a cartoon house in a Disney movie. I hope we don’t have to go inside. It looks too spooky to me!” Josh admitted.
I walked all around the fountain. “There must be a spring nearby to supply this water,” I mumbled to myself, “and since the grass is so green.”
We searched all over the fountain, but couldn’t find anything resembling a key. We looked for hidden crevices or secret buttons but came up with nothing. Discouraged, Josh and I sat down on the concrete edge to consider where else we might look
“Where else could it be?” I asked in frustration. “The map shows that it’s somewhere right on the fountain, but it’s not here!”
While Josh and I sat on the side of the fountain feeling tired and disheartened, Chris walked a few yards away toward a fence enclosing some goats that were busy munching on a patch of dry grass. She gazed at the dozen or so goats grazing peacefully in the pasture. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” she called back to us. “Nothing is normal in this strange world.”
“What now?” Josh asked.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“These goats are all pastel colors, see? Some have pink wool, or yellow, or blue.” Then, she noticed another even stranger site at the edge of the field. A different animal appeared to have his head wedged between the bars of the iron fence.
The animal looked strangely like a tiny dinosaur—an unbelievable miniature replica of a Brontosaurus. He was just over two feet tall, struggling to free himself from the bars of the fence where he had obviously stretched out to reach a more appetizing bit of grass on the greener side. Chris walked closer, certain that her eyes were playing tricks on her. His head was small, but he must have pushed through so far that the thicker part of his neck was trapped between the iron bars.
“Well, don’t just stare! Can’t you see I require a bit of assistance?”
Chris was so startled she almost jumped out of her skin. “Did you…did you just say something?”
The little dinosaur twisted his head to look up at her in exasperation. “If you don’t mind, would you please stop stammering and give me a hand?”
“Well…yes, of course,” Chris managed. She reached out hesitantly and pushed on his head, as gently as possible.
“Ow! That hurts! Would you please be more careful?” He was really stuck. Suddenly, the whole idea made Chris giggle out loud. Josh and I turned quickly in her direction.
“What’s going on?” Josh asked.
“Come here and look at this,” she shouted. “You won’t believe it!”
“What in the world is that?” I asked as we came close enough to see.
“I think it’s a…a baby Brontosaurus—and he talks!”
“You’re not serious,” Josh said, laughing.
“Excuse me!” the dinosaur shouted. “I am quite fully grown! I realize this is a most unusual predicament. And I am extremely embarrassed that we should meet under these circumstances. However, my immediate need is for some assistance—if you don’t mind!”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Dinosaur, sir.” Chris apologized. “We don’t mean to laugh. It’s just that we have never met a real dinosaur. Especially one of your unusual…ah…size and…ah…speaking ability.”
“Humph! I suppose not. Well, my suggestion is that one of you try to pull the bars apart enough for me to remove my head.”
“How in the world did you ever manage to get your head through that far in the first place,” I asked him.
“Pleeeeasssse! Could we just get on with it? I’ve had quite enough humiliation for one day, thank you!”
“Sorry!” I said apologetically. “Say, there aren’t any larger ones like you around, are there?” I asked, looking around cautiously.
“No, there are not! And I am quite fully grown, as I’ve already mentioned. Now, would you please just get on with it?” he answered sharply.
Josh and I both pushed against the bars as hard as we could, with no results. We all studied the situation for a moment. “I think one of us will have to climb over the fence and pull from that side. I guess I can do that,” Josh said, climbing up and swinging one leg up over the top of the fence.
Amy’s voice startled us all as she suggested, giggling, “There is a gate just down there…in case you’d prefer to ‘walk’ rather than ‘climb’ over.”
Josh blushed, but quickly made his way over the fence, and approached the Brontosaurus from behind. Just as he bent over to grab the ‘back end’ of the little animal, the goats in the pen became alarmed at the intrusion, and one charged directly at Josh.
“Look out!” Chris yelled, but too late. The frightened goat butted Josh from behind, knocking him headfirst into the fence, and on top of the Brontosaurus, who immediately began to complain more loudly than ever. Somehow through the force of Josh’s head striking the bar, or the little dinosaur’s fear of being crushed, he managed to free his head from the fence, and stood shaking himself indignantly.
“Well! That was not exactly what I had in mind,” he muttered. “Nevertheless, I do appreciate your efforts on my behalf.” And with that, he turned and marched swiftly away.
Chris and I fell over laughing, as Josh rubbed his backside and groaned. “Darn goats and dinosaurs!” he mumbled, and limped toward the gate.
Chris sat up suddenly. “Logan! Look at that blue goat over by the tree,” she said excitedly. “He has something around his neck. Do you see it?”
“You’re right,” I agreed, staring. “It looks like a chain. Do you think it could possibly be…?”
Chris smiled. “Only one way to find out, I guess. Josh, wait a minute. There’s one
other thing while you’re still in there.”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Josh called out. “If it involves stinky goats, count me out!”
“You’re just chicken,” Chris teased. “C’mon, Logan. I guess it’s up to us.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chris and I went through the gate and into the pen, leaving Josh to gingerly rub his backside. However, catching a goat, when he’s not that eager to be caught, proved a harder task than we had anticipated. When we had chased the skinny goat around for five minutes trying to pen him into a corner with no luck, we paused a minute to rest.
“We’ll never catch him this way,” I decided breathlessly.
“Not quite as easy as it looks, is it?” Josh taunted from outside the fence.
Chris tried walking very slowly toward the goat, talking soothingly as she got closer. But by now, all the goats were wary and definitely unfriendly, and scattered when she came near. Finally, Josh came back into the pen and the three of us attempted to corner the skittish goat.
After a few more tries, we managed to get him away from the other goats, and I made a lunging grab and caught him around the neck. The goat, however, was still not in the mood to cooperate, and began to run and kick with all his might. I made a valiant effort to hang on as I was dragged about the pen on my stomach. After one final vicious kick that caught me hard in the stomach, I let go and lay panting in the dirt.
By this time, the little goat was also exhausted, and so glad to be free of the clutches of a madman trying to hold him that he stopped dead still, gasping for breath himself.
At that moment, the small Brontosaurus reappeared. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” he said, shaking his head. “Such incompetence!” He walked right over to the goat, mumbled something in his ear, then reached over and with his teeth gently slipped the chain from around the goat’s neck. Then he walked calmly up to Josh and dropped it into his hand. Dangling from the chain was a dirty, but still very precious golden key. “Consider us even,” the dinosaur said calmly! “But if you ask me, you’ll never succeed in your mission unless you have a little FAITH!”
