Enter a Glossy Web

by McKenna Ruebush

  “Excuse me,” George said. “I don’t mean to be rude, but we really are in a hurry.”

  Mr. Neptune visibly deflated. “Very well. Come along.” He scurried back to his desk.

  Mikal looked up from the globe and frowned. “He hasn’t answered our questions yet.”

  “What? Oh yes. Your questions. What questions were those again?” Mr. Neptune asked.

  “How did you know to expect us?” Mikal asked.

  “And why did it seem like you were hiding when we came in?” George asked.

  “I knew you would be arriving because I was told by the Timekeeper to expect you. I was instructed to help you on your way.”

  “And the other question?” Caleb asked.

  Mr. Neptune sighed. “It seemed like I was hiding because I was, indeed, hiding.”

  “Why?” Mikal asked.

  “Because important people have been disappearing! You should know. George’s own aunt was abducted just yesterday.”

  “So you were afraid that someone had come to kidnap you?” George asked.

  “Yes, I was much relieved to see that it was only you,” Mr. Neptune said, and then looked chagrined. “I’m only slightly ashamed to admit that I’m something of a coward.” Then he nudged Mikal with an elbow and said, “But we cowards have to stick together, don’t we?”

  Mikal recoiled with indignation. “I am not a coward!”

  “Apologies, I didn’t mean to offend. You just seem rather afraid, that’s all.”

  “Mikal is afraid,” George said. “But that doesn’t make him a coward, because he still tries to do the things that scare him. He’s getting braver.”

  Mikal looked at the ground. He didn’t speak, but his ears turned just the slightest bit pink.

  Caleb cleared his throat. “Back to the topic. Aunt Henrietta is important, so I can see why she might be abducted. She’s the Innocent. Why would anyone want to take you?”

  Mr. Neptune frowned, trying to decide whether this was an insult. “I’ll have you know that I too happen to be a very important person!”

  “We’re kind of important too, you know,” Mikal said.

  “Yes … you do seem to be our only hope.” He looked at them doubtfully.

  “We’re a pretty good hope, if you ask me,” Caleb said.

  “Of course, my boy. Of course. But you are just children, after all. Forgive me for being blunt, but children aren’t good for much.”

  “I thought that too at first, but the Hag said it didn’t matter. Look at Joan of Arc; she wasn’t much older than we are when she led the French,” George said.

  “Pharaoh Tutankhamen was younger than me,” Mikal said.

  “Alexander the Great established his first city when he was only three years older than I am,” Caleb said with a shrug.

  Mr. Neptune took a step back, blinking and flabbergasted. “Yes, of course. You’re all right. However, those are examples of the exception, rather than the rule.”

  George narrowed her eyes. “Anybody can be an exception if they try. If you don’t think we can do it, why don’t you go yourself?”

  “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly! No, never,” he said, the color draining from his face.

  She nodded as if she had expected this answer. “Then, that’s enough about children not being good for much.”

  Mr. Neptune cleared his throat and gestured to his desk. “On to more pleasant things, then, shall we?” He dropped to his knees, crawled under the desk, and dragged out a large safe. He began to turn the dial, but then glanced up at them before leaning over it to block their view as he continued.

  They averted their eyes and waited for him to finish.

  “Two … ninety-seven … three … don’t you look now!” he said irritably as Mikal leaned over the desk.

  Mikal growled and turned his back. George grinned at Caleb as Mr. Neptune continued muttering the combination aloud. “Eighty-nine … five … eighty-three.”

  “Here we are!” he said, carefully placing a small square object wrapped in linen on the desk. He removed the covering to reveal a white rectangle roughly the size of a book and with a dark screen. The sides were decorated with intricate designs. He looked up at them expectantly, his face glowing with pride.

  George tapped her fingers on the desk. Caleb chewed a thumbnail. Mikal shuffled his feet.

  “What is it?” Mikal asked.

  “What is it?! Why, it’s a map, obviously! The very best map you can possibly find. The absolute height of technology. I should know. I designed it.”

  “How does it work?” George asked.

  “You just enter the combination right here.” Mr. Neptune pointed to a series of silver digits on one end. “And voilà!”

  “Why does it have a combination?” Caleb asked.

  “This map contains the location of every world, dimension, time period, and street address of anyone who ever did, or ever will, live. If it should fall into the wrong hands, mayhem would surely ensue! You must be very careful with it,” he said, holding the map protectively to his chest.

  “We’ll be careful,” George said. “Can we turn it on?”

  “Yes, of course. The combination is two, ninety-seven, three, eighty-nine, five, eighty-three.”

  That’s a long combination. How are we supposed to remember it?” George asked. “Should we write it down?”

  “No! Are you insane?” Mr. Neptune asked, horrified.

  “If we wrote it down and lost the paper and the map, anyone would be able to access it,” Caleb said.

  “Precisely,” Mr. Neptune said.

  “What if we each memorized two numbers,” Mikal said. “Then when we need to turn it on, we’ll go from oldest to youngest so we don’t get them mixed up. Caleb, George, then me.”

  “Brilliant notion!” Mr. Neptune.

  “Great idea, Mikal,” George said.

  “Thanks. Can I carry it?”

  Mr. Neptune beamed at them. “Perhaps you children will save us after all! Once you’ve entered the combination, simply command the map to turn on, then ask for your directions!”

  “It responds to voice commands?” Caleb asked, intrigued.

  “Yes, it is the most modern technology available,” Mr. Neptune said smugly. “And it’s just been newly programmed, and updated with a really interesting device that—”

  “Show us,” Mikal interrupted.

  “Certainly! Map, wake up!”

  The screen flickered.

  Mr. Neptune tapped it firmly on the side. “Map, I said wake up!”

  The screen slowly lightened to reveal a background that was white except for blinking red numbers and letters: The time is now 5:00 PM DWT. You currently have 54 hours, 11 minutes until the destruction of all worlds.

  The children exchanged a nervous look.

  “I’ve already programmed your journey from this location according to Constantine’s research and specifications, so the map knows every place you need to stop along the way. You just ask it to tell you where to go next, and it will! Marvelous, isn’t it?”

  They nodded as Mr. Neptune returned his attention to the map.

  “Now, map, show the Snaffleharp Company the location of their first key to Astria.”

  The voice of a young man drifted from the map’s speakers. “What’s the magic word?”

  “Oh!” George gasped in surprise.

  “Oh is not the magic word!” the map said in a snooty tone.

  “I haven’t quite fixed all the bugs yet,” Mr. Neptune said sheepishly. “Please, map.”

  He leaned back to Caleb and whispered, “The magic word is please, by the way.”

  A picture slowly formed on the screen. It was a doorway with a sign above it that said LAND OF DREAMERS.

  “Daniel would never believe this,” George said.

  “So we’re supposed to go to that Moor?” Caleb asked.

  Mr. Neptune nodded. “You’ll find the first of your three keys to Astria in the Land of Dreamers. Map, off.”
>
  The map faded out and clicked off.

  “Every time you turn the map off, it locks again. You’ll have to reenter the combination whenever you wish to use it.” He gave the map to Mikal, who held it reverently in both hands.

  “Thank you, Mr. Neptune, for all of your help, but we really have to get going now,” George said as she started for the door.

  “What? Yes, of course you must be on your way, as must I.”

  “You? Where are you going?” Caleb asked.

  “To the safest place of all! Where no one knows!” He ruffled Mikal’s hair, grabbed a suitcase, gave a jaunty wave, and disappeared into the closet.

  Mikal scowled and attempted to smooth his hair back down.

  George shook her head. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

  They left through the door they had entered, and shut it tightly behind them.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The children stood on Mr. Neptune’s doorstep as the traffic rushed by.

  “Any idea where to start?” George asked.

  “Mr. Neptune said we would find our first key to Astria in the Land of Dreamers, which has to be through one of these Moors,” Caleb said.

  “Then we’ll just ask some Touries to take us there,” George said, hailing three.

  The children mounted their rides carefully and then stated their destination.

  “Daniel would love this,” George said as they drifted through the orderly traffic. “He’s obsessed with airplanes and magic carpets. He’d go bonkers for flying doors. I’ll have to bring him down here when I find him.”

  “But the Mapmaker said there are dangerous people about,” Mikal said nervously.

  “Speaking of, look at that,” Caleb said as they passed several dark tunnels leading off to the right. “I wonder where those lead.”

  “Those are the rough neighborhoods,” George’s Tourie said. “If you want to go there, you had better get a different ride, because I won’t take you. That’s a bad place.”

  They passed through several intersections before coming to a stop in front of a lilac Moor. The sign above declared 3RD DIMENSION, THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 5:17 PM DWT, LAND OF DREAMERS.

  Caleb dismounted first and offered George and Mikal each a hand as they climbed off their Touries and onto the doorstep.

  “Are you okay, Mikal?” George asked, noticing he looked a bit jostled.

  Mikal clutched his stomach. “I’m okay. I just wish we could walk instead of ride.”

  “It’ll probably get easier the more we do it,” George said as she rang the doorbell.

  The Moor responded immediately in a feminine voice. “If you are not sleeping, you do not belong here. Go away.”

  The children exchanged an uncertain look.

  “This is our stop. I say we go for it,” Caleb said.

  George nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped through the door into a dark rolling meadow. Rows and rows of little cots stretched as far as one could see, rising and falling with the hills. Two fat yellow moons hung overhead, and the air was warm and smelled of freshly washed linen. It was perfectly quiet but for the occasional snore and mumble coming from one of the many figures resting beneath their covers. Despite the fact that it was obviously nighttime in this world, it was surprisingly bright out.

  “Look at that,” Caleb said, gesturing upward.

  Stars were streaking across the sky in a frenzy of trailing lights.

  “They’re even worse than last night,” George said.

  “Do you think they’ll hit us and smash us into the dirt?” Mikal asked nervously.

  “Don’t worry, Mikal,” George said, placing a hand on his narrow shoulder. “It’s still only the fifth night. We have two more days. We should be okay.”

  “If you say so.…”

  “How about we find whoever’s in charge here. They might be able to tell us where to look for our first key to Astria,” Caleb said.

  “I don’t see anyone who isn’t sleeping,” Mikal said, squinting through the darkness.

  “Me either, and I’d rather not disturb them,” George said, and then tried to smother a yawn behind her hand. “This place is making me feel tired.”

  “It makes me feel … weird,” Caleb said. “I don’t like it. Let’s break out the map. Maybe it can lead us to a supervisor or president or something.” He took the map from Mikal and removed the linen wrapping. Then they each entered their numbers. “Map, turn on.” When nothing happened, he looked at George and Mikal.

  “Try tapping it, maybe?” George said.

  Caleb thumped it soundly on the side, and it hummed on.

  “I said tap it, not hit it!”

  “It worked, didn’t it?” Caleb asked.

  Red words blinked threateningly against the white screen. The time is now 5:25 PM DWT. You currently have 53 hours, 46 minutes until certain death.”

  Mikal sighed at this and shook his head. “He isn’t very cheerful, is he?”

  “Map, where do we go to find someone in charge?” Caleb asked.

  “Why should I tell you?” the map asked churlishly.

  George glanced around in alarm. “Shh! Not so loud!”

  “Keep your voice down. We don’t want to wake anyone up,” Caleb told the map.

  “Why don’t we?!” the map asked.

  The children looked at each other.

  “Yeah, why don’t we want to wake anyone up?” Caleb asked.

  Mikal scratched behind one ear. “Maybe they’re cranky when they get woken up?”

  “Because it would be inconsiderate,” George said nervously as the sleepers began to stir. “Can you please help us? We need you.”

  “Really?” it asked, screen turning pink with delight. “Why?”

  Mikal rocked back and forth on his heels, obviously thrilled to be having a conversation with a talking map. “Because you’re the only one who knows where we’re going or how to get there.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” the map said. “But that means I’m important, and if that’s the case, there are going to have to be some changes!”

  “What kind of changes?” Mikal asked.

  “For starters, I’m tired of being referred to as map. I have a name, you know.”

  “Mr. Neptune didn’t tell us that. What is your name?” George asked.

  “Hmm. Perhaps I don’t actually have a name.”

  “We don’t have time for this,” Caleb said, glancing at the meteors above.

  “Make time! I’m important!”

  “What would you like us to call you?” George asked.

  “No. I’m not telling you until he apologizes for rushing me,” the map said.

  Caleb’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “Apologize to something that runs on batteries? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  The map gasped. “I do not run on batteries!”

  “Really?” George asked. “What do you run on? Solar power?”

  “Try to stay focused, George,” Caleb said.

  “I just thought Daniel would want to know. He’s a total geek for all things techy. But I think you’d better apologize to the map. We do need him.”

  “Okay, okay. Sorry,” he said, and then added very quietly, “that you run on batteries.”

  “I heard that!” the map shouted, causing the dreamers to stir and toss in their beds.

  “Shh!” Caleb whispered, shoving agitated fingers through his hair. “That was the last one, I promise.”

  “All right then,” the map said. “Now you must pick a name for me. I can’t do it myself. A person cannot choose their own name.”

  “I chose my own name,” Caleb said nonchalantly. “I liked the sound of it.”

  “That solves it! You must give me a name I like the sound of.”

  “Okay. How about Mary?” George asked.

  “Mary? That’s a girl’s name! I am not a girl.”

  “You’re an inanimate object, and the height of technology,” George said. “You’re not a boy or a g
irl.”

  “That’s true … but I don’t want a girl’s name.”

  “Okay. What about Cavendish? He was an explorer, and you’re a map. It works on some weird level, and it sounds very dignified.”

  “Caaaavendishhh,” the map said. “Hmm. I think I like that!”

  Caleb sighed with relief. “Cavendish it is.”

  “And who might the three of you be?”

  “That’s Caleb. The girl is George. I’m Mikal, and it’s very nice to meet you.” Mikal’s black eyes were wide and sincere.

  “How splendid. I’m Cavendish!” he said proudly.

  “Yeah. We know,” Caleb said. “So, Cavendish, we need to find whoever’s in charge here so they can tell us where to locate a key to Astria. Can you help with that?”

  “No. Definitely not. The person in charge is the Keeper of Dreams, and from what I’ve read, you do not want to vex her.”

  “Who is the Keeper of Dreams?” Mikal asked.

  “The person who looks after the Dreamers, and I wouldn’t want to be you if she catches you in here. She’d probably set your shoes on fire, with you still in them.”

  “Well, that’s just delightful,” George said. “Do you know anything else that might help? For starters, what is this place?”

  “It’s the Land of Dreamers, goofball,” Cavendish said.

  “That isn’t very nice,” George said.

  “Okay, okay,” Cavendish said. “Slightly longer version it is. This world is filled with Dreamers. They can be human, beast, or any type of creature who is capable of dreaming, because their purpose is to dream of the most wonderful things. Their dreams become your dreams, and as a result, you come up with all of the astounding things that make life grand. The dreams are eventually recycled, and the Dreamers dream them again for another person. So, there’s that.”

  “That’s good to know,” Mikal said. “Anything else?”

  “I’m getting to it! Just give me a moment to access the Door Way’s daily newspaper. It should give us the most up-to-date information. Searching, searching. Here we go. Oh my. Well, that’s off-putting.”

  “What is it?” George asked.

  “Apparently, the Dreamers have been besieged. It says here that a horrible monster has invaded this world and begun wreaking havoc.”