“Teddy bear?” Bonnie studied Liz. “Wait a minute. You’re Ben James’ family. We’ve been…”
Her eyes locked with Pud’s. He squinted intently, raising and lowering his brows. Bonnie’s pupils flared. Then she snapped straight and giggled so hard she spat out her gum.
“What are you doing, Pud?” Ayita frowned.
“Nothing. Hold on,” he waved and intensified his gaze. Bonnie nodded. She stepped to the opposite wall, crouched and opened a small door. She advanced toward Pud again and handed him a sandwich.
“Aha,” he shoved half into his mouth.
“Pud! Get serious,” Ayita scolded.
“Gotta have my strength, right?” he offered the other half to any takers. When no one accepted, he shrugged and gobbled that down.
While Pud finished his snack, Bonnie pecked at her computer keyboard. She paused to watch the screen. Then she smiled at Pud, pointing to a door behind the reception area.
Buzz!
Deputy Morris hurried and gestured for them to follow. As they went inside, Amelia saw a series of large windows arranged at angles. She couldn’t tell how many there were, but it seemed pentagonal. She tagged behind, making sure nobody noticed them. She also wanted to make sure Bonnie stayed under Pud’s trance. If the spell somehow became broken now, they would be caught for sure. Bonnie acted normal, going about her business answering the phone, entering data into the computer, relaying information. She even looked at Amelia and smiled. Uncanny.
Just inside the door, they all stopped and huddled. Amelia saw what everyone else saw—a large, central guard station. Inside, two jail officers stood watch, hovering over a series of closed-circuit video systems.
Liz agonized. “How’s this ever going to work?”
Ayita stepped forward. “Don’t worry. He knows what to do,” she pointed up to Morris. “Don’t you?”
He smiled and nodded at the command center. “I know exactly what to do.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
JACK WONDERED WHAT Teresa was thinking as she searched the seemingly impenetrable forest.
“What are we doing?”
“Shhh,” she whispered. “It’s close.”
“What is? Wind Whisper Woods?”
She chuckled. “No, silly. Weren’t you paying attention to my story? We can’t just find Wind Whisper Woods. We have to follow a…” she skimmed her sights along the treetops. Jack spotted nothing unusual.
“There it is!” she pointed.
“What?” he continued searching, yet still came up with nothing. Then he felt a feathery tickle on his neck. He shivered.
“A butterfly!” she jumped and clicked her heals, reaching for the delicate, milky insect. It danced in the air, fluttering off into the forest.
“Come on!” she gave chase. He hurried after her and they traveled deep in the timberland where nothing seemed familiar. Even the trees began to appear different. Twisted, gnarly roots grew out of the earth in leering groupings like trolls huddling and conspiring against them. Moss spread from the forest floor to low hanging branches, choking the sun. Every step seemed to plunge them further into shadow. Jack zipped his jacket and put the hood over his head.
Teresa stopped. The butterfly flew in a circular pattern, climbing past the trees until it became nothing but a speck in the sky.
She raised her nose and sniffed the air.
“This forest is magical,” she leaned, peering forward through the tree trunks, which got bigger and bigger the further they went. “It’s not far now. This way.”
He followed her to a tiny trickle of a brook winding down a gentle slope. She stood at its edge. “Yes. I remember,” she pointed at the lapping water. “This is it. This is the stream I found long ago.”
“Are you sure this is the one? We’ve seen a bunch of little creeks.”
“No, no. This is it. I’m sure of it. Come on!” she skipped over a protruding root. “Right up there is the fallen log. Under that you should find the waterfall. Oh, Jack. Wait until you see it. It’s magnificent!”
She tried to hop onto a thick branch growing near the ground. The slick surface made her slip backward, sitting flat on her rear in the messy sludge. “Oh, my. See what I’ve done? What a klutz!”
Jack hurried to her aid. The harder he ran, the deeper his feet sank. She waved him away. He made it to more solid ground on the other side of the stream. Then he saw something that made his pulse race. His footprints in the mud began to emit steam. Little geysers spat and fizzed, churning up brown lava. Teresa’s expression sharpened.
“Stay away from here, Jack! Get away!”
The ground came alive. A gigantic mouth opened below, ready to suck her under. She grabbed for a low hanging bough. It helped for a second, until it snapped, sending her even deeper. He’d heard of quicksand. This wasn’t it. The bubbling and the steam. He had to believe something was lurking down there.
“What is it!” Jack screamed. “What’s going on!”
“I think it’s a Mudmaw! Get back! Don’t come any closer!”
“I’m not gonna let you die!”
Jack swallowed his fear and climbed onto a sturdy branch suspended over the mud. He leaned against the trunk for balance, picked out a long, solid limb and snapped it off. It was a struggle, but he managed to get it to Teresa. She snatched at it, missing the first time and catching it the second. A few hard tugs and he pulled her out. The dirt clung to her, stuck to her bare feet and ankles in long, thick clumps. The sudden stench made Jack cover his nose with his shirt collar.
“Gross!” he coughed, expecting her to shake free at any moment. She didn’t. The foul sewer held on stubbornly. It wanted a meal.
She kicked at it, which only made it clamp tighter. She snapped the stick and jabbed it with the sharp end. A deep roar rumbled and the muddy fingers recoiled. Teresa jumped to her feet and climbed into the tree with Jack.
“Look at me. I’m a mess,” she shook the grime from her stained shawl.
Jack scanned the muck. “What’s a Mudmaw?”
She eyed the spot where she’d nearly suffocated. “Mudmaws, like many so-called monsters, exist in other planes of reality or, as you and your dad would say, other dimensions.”
“That’s what I thought,” he said.
“Yes, well they’re not supposed to exist in our world.”
“Unless it was conjured by someone,” added Jack.
She nodded. “You may be right. Davos probably put it up to this. No telling what kind of surprises he has in store for us. What a pity, this docile creature made to do his dirty work.”
“Docile? That thing doesn’t seem too docile to me.”
“Jack, you’ve got to understand. All creatures have a purpose. A reason. In its own world the Mudmaw isn’t an abomination at all. It belongs there. It’s no more a monster there than we are here. It’s neither bad nor good. It is what it is.”
“Yeah, well it tried to eat you. In my book that makes it bad.”
She allowed her eyes to twist along with the miniature gully. “I think it’s good, you know why? Because it means we’re near.”
She climbed down and tested the ground. Solid. She tiptoed along the stream bank. Jack followed closer this time. They reached an area ruled by a family of ancient firs, some more than two hundred feet tall.
“Just wait ‘till you see the waterfall—oh, what a grand spectacle! I’ll never forget the first time I saw it!”
“Where?”
“It’s up here,” she squinted through a thicket. “It marks the entrance to the home of the Tanakee.”
After negotiating some rather dense brush, they reached a place where a huge fallen log blocked the path. Behind that, a sheer rock face went straight up. The stream poured over a pebbly, one-foot drop through a gap under the collapsed tree, a tiny waterfall rimmed by toadstools, lichens and mossy stones.
“Here it is!” she put her hands on her hips.
“This?” Jack looked at the trickle of water, then at Ter
esa. “You were talking about this? This isn’t some grand waterfall. It’s barely a dribble.”
She glimpsed up at the tremendous rock wall looming over them. “Yep, this is it. This is the waterfall.”
He bent down with his hands on his knees and studied closer. “Maybe it just seemed bigger to you when you were a little girl.”
She chuckled. “No, no, no. Not this. You have to go through there,” she pointed to the opening under the log. The minuscule flow came from somewhere inside the rock, a fissure forced through by a natural spring.
“Through there? It’s too tiny. I’ll never make it. And you—there’s no way you’ll fit.”
“Oh, I’m not going.”
“What! What’re you talking about?”
“I can’t go, Jack. Humans, at least adults, aren’t allowed in Wind Whisper Woods. Only children can understand Tanakee magic.”
“But you understand magic, and you understand the Tanakee.”
“I’m here to guide you, that’s all. You have to take the next steps by yourself, with Takota protecting you, of course.”
“No,” he crossed his arms. “I won’t go without you.”
She knelt to his level. “Jack, you have to go. This is your path. Your journey. You don’t need me anymore, but you do need Takota. He’s the only one who can protect you from the Nagas.”
Jack sighed. “He doesn’t believe in himself.”
“He will,” she nodded. “You must hurry, though. They have Enola. If Davos gets control of even one Tanakee, he could become unstoppable. It might very well be over for all of us.”
He shivered. It still hadn’t all sunk in yet. Just a few days ago, he was a semi-normal ten-year-old. Now he was expected to help confront an evil force with the powers to destroy the universe. He rubbed his eyes, hoping to awake and find himself in his own bed, in his own house.
“I know,” she broke the silence. “I know how you feel. Why me, huh?”
He nodded.
“You know something else, though, don’t you? You’ve felt it all your life, haven’t you? Jack, you’re one of a kind. Your soul has been sent on a unique journey, and you know it, don’t you?”
He sighed again. “Yes. I don’t know why I’ve always denied it. I guess I was trying to fit in with other kids. It’s hard, though. I’ve always felt so different.”
“That’s okay. You can be the same and different. The one thing you must never do, though, is deny yourself your gift. You must not turn your back on your calling, since that will certainly spell doom not just for you, but for all of us.”
“I do need Takota.”
“There’s no doubt.”
“Okay. I’m doing it. You sure you can’t come?”
“This is your path. Don’t worry. You won’t have to go far.”
He stepped into the stream, cold wetness invading his Vans. He tucked under the fallen tree, peering through the murky opening from which the water fell. The hole scarcely seemed big enough.
“You sure this is it?” he asked. “Seems awful snug.”
“You’ll make it,” she prodded. “Just remember. When you come back, there might be creatures like the Mudmaw that want to do you harm, creatures under the evil spell of Davos. Be extra careful.”
He nodded.
“Okay. Here goes,” he squatted and pushed his head through. Gentle lapping gave way to a deluge of sound.
He crawled out again, fighting for breath. “What was that?” he searched. “Teresa?” no trace of her. His stomach dropped. Alone, he considered running to civilization and forgetting all about this craziness. However, his yearning to find Takota won out over his fear. No going back now. Not even if he wanted. He took a breath and pushed through the ridiculously tiny opening.
THIRTY-NINE
AMELIA’S HEARTBEAT RACED as they approached the county lock-up control station, an angular space fortified by thick glass. Holding Ayita, she glanced at Lily. Pud sat in her arms, unconscious except for a giant smile. She nudged him and cleared her throat. He straightened up. Liz walked between the children, keeping them close. Deputy Morris led them up the two steps into the room.
Buzzing and clicking and chattering. All around, video monitors flickered, tinny voices squawked over unseen speakers, panels flashed with all kinds of colored lights. Two men sat in squeaky chairs. They eyed Morris and the group behind him.
“What’s up, Morris?” the bigger man asked. Amelia gasped at his vivid spirit clothes. “Got a field trip with you?”
Morris answered. “No. Just some family visiting. Thought I’d show them the control center. You guys don’t mind, do you?”
The shorter guard squinted at Liz. He tried to seem intimidating, yet his deep blue aura told Amelia he had a warm heart. For a second, he stared at Ayita, then chuckled to himself. He nudged his coworker and nodded.
The larger man nodded back. “No, don’t mind at all. Be our guests,” he stood. “I’m Ronny, this here’s Kevin.”
“Hey, there,” Kevin perked up for Lily. Brows high, he let his mouth fall open in an enormous, goofy smile. “Is that your teddy bear?”
Lily squinted up at her mom, then tucked behind Pud while glimpsing Kevin out of the corner of her eye.
“Don’t be shy, honey. The man asked you a question,” Liz nudged her.
Amelia saw Pud’s grin creeping back.
“Yeah,” Lily muttered. “You, you wanna see him?”
“Sure,” Kevin pulled a chair next to him. He adjusted its height for the little girl. “Come on over.”
Lily skipped to her seat and hopped up. Leaning forward, she rested Pud on the control panel. “Wow, check out all the gadgets. My teddy bear thinks gadgets are neat.”
“He does?”
“Yeah, and he thinks you’re neat, too. See?” she held Pud close to him. Kevin blinked, then blinked again. His neck loosened, his shoulders fell, and he wilted to the desk.
“Hey! Kev! You okay, man?” Ronny shook his shoulder. He frowned at Morris. “What’s wrong with him?” he studied Liz, then Amelia, then Lily. She cradled Pud and batted her lashes. He pointed. “Those things. They’re the…the things, aren’t they? This is Ben James’ family, isn’t it?”
Morris pointed his gun at Ronny and motioned for him to put up his hands. Ronny obeyed, not before shaking his friend once more. “Kev, wake up, man!”
Kevin stirred, sitting straight. He focused into empty space.
“Kevin? You there?” Ronny studied his partner. “You don’t look so good. Can you hear me?”
Kevin didn’t answer. He typed on the keyboard, his fingertips flying.
“What, what’d you guys do to him!” Ronny shouted. Hands up, he turned to Morris, to Kevin, then again to Morris. “What’s he doing!”
A large monitor came alive with a three-dimensional display of the entire jail structure, bright green graphics showing a virtual, five-sectioned model. Kevin hit a few more keys and a blinking graphic indicated one of the units. The display zoomed in on the area. A picture and some text dissolved on the screen. Ben’s picture. The text: A-Pod 107.
“It is him. It’s Ben. You’re here for Ben James, aren’t you? And those teddy bears—they’re real aren’t they? I can’t believe it. I can’t…”
Morris came down hard with the butt of his gun, knocking Ronny in the head. Ronny’s eyes rolled and he hit the floor.
“Ow!” Liz barked. “Why did you have to be so rough?” Morris didn’t respond. She asked Ayita, “Did you have to make him so rough?”
Ayita protested. “That wasn’t me. That was his personality coming through. He’s slipping out of my eyecatcher, we’d better hurry!”
Kevin banged on the keyboard. The display of the section containing Ben’s jail cell enlarged.
Beep!
The image flashed from red to green. Amelia peered out the large windows.
“There it is!” she shouted. “A-Pod! Come on!” she put Ayita down and led them to the main passageway. Turning right
, she sprinted to A-Pod’s door. She twisted the handle and pulled. Though bright and clean, the room was a dungeon. Two levels with long rows of single cells set in pairs back to back. The cell doors were all closed, except for one, A107. The doorway was empty, shadows inside, the sound of voices, low and guarded.
Liz strode in behind Amelia. With her came Lily, Ayita and Pud. She skimmed the first level quickly and spotted the open cubicle.
“That’s it!”
She sprinted right for it, then stopped cold. One of the largest men Amelia had ever seen stepped into the frame, his spirit clothes midnight blue.
Ayita dashed to Liz’s side in one leap. Pud did the same, flanking her and crouching, focused on the big man.
“Where’s Ben James?” she asked.
The man scowled. He gave the Tanakee a curious look. Then he fixated on Liz and instantly his aura eased to a rich sapphire. “You wouldn’t be…”
“Liz?” Ben peeked from behind the man. He wore the orange material clothes of a prison inmate and the purple spirit clothes of a person in love. “Liz, is that you?”
“Ben?”
The hulking fellow stepped back, allowing Ben to squeeze past and fly into his wife’s arms.
“Daddy!” Lily wrapped herself onto his legs.
“Oh, Liz! It’s so good to see you!” he kissed her cheek, then fell to his knees. “And Lily, my love. How’s my little Lilypad? You’re okay?” he squeezed her until she squealed.
“Listen, Liz,” he cried. “I really blew it. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Ben,” she answered. He didn’t seem to hear.
“I should have listened to you. If I had, then this whole mess never would’ve happened.”
“Ben. It’s okay,” she repeated.
“I’d never be in jail and you wouldn’t be…”
“Ben! It’s OKAY!”
While still embracing his daughter, he opened his eyes.
“And Amelia. Hi, there. Good to see you, too,” his attention roamed to Ayita and Pud. He blinked. “Hello,” he blinked again.
Ayita grinned and raised her fuzzy eyebrows.
Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear Page 28
