Lost Worlds (Keeper of the Emerald Book 1)

by B. C. Harris

  Sadly missing is Squirt who never returned with us. Although I’m relieved to be safe and to be a part of this special occasion, I’m also saddened to lose my little purple friend. He risked his life by attacking Tarcharon.

  As we were blown upwards by the blast in the canyon, the strong winds from the explosion must have ripped Squirt from my shoulders without me realizing this. Squirt must have plunged to his death in the fiery canyon. I will always remember his bravery.

  “Today,” Capurni continues, “we honor five brave inhabitants from the planet Earth, a courageous doadling, and a group of daring kabingas. We also honor a valiant little zakabibble, named Squirt, who fought the Shadite army leader and was instrumental in causing the defeat of the Shadites. Although Squirt did not return from the battle, he is a true hero. Let us honor him with a moment of silence.

  I recall Squirt’s love of water fights. I remember his big silly grin that always brought a smile to my face. In the end, Squirt was instrumental in saving my life. If he hadn’t attacked Tarcharon when he did, the gargantuan creature would have hurt me. Squirt’s actions contributed to the confusion that saved all our lives.

  Capurni continues once again, “These brave earthlings, along with a doadling and a zakabibble, ventured into Shade as our spies,” Capurni states. “They were captured by the Shadites, locked in a cage and threatened with torture and death.”

  There’s a collective gasp from the audience in reaction to Capurni’s words.

  “They discovered that the Shadites had drilled a tunnel through one of the mountains that surrounded them.”

  I see the grave concern on many of the audience members. Up until now, they probably didn’t realize how close they came to being attacked by the Shadite army.

  “The enormous Shadite army and a vast array of powerful weapons began their march towards us through a valley in the mountains. Yesterday, the courageous kabingas that you see beside me attacked the huge Shadite army using only stones against powerful weapons that could have easily killed all of them. As the brave kabingas tumbled rocks from high in the mountains towards the Shadite army, this started a rock slide. As more and more rocks fell onto the Shadite weapons, this caused a fire in one of their ammunition trucks.”

  Capurni pauses before continuing.

  There is pride mounting on the faces of all my friends.

  “When the Shadites realized that their ammunition trucks were going to explode, they began to flee the valley in panic. At this very dangerous moment, some daring kabingas, led by a brave doadling, rescued the earthlings. As they flew away from the valley, the ammunition trucks exploded with such fury that this caused a massive earthquake that collapsed the walls of the nearby mountains. As the huge walls of rock broke apart, the Shadite army and their weapons were crushed. Even the tunnel that they created was destroyed.”

  The audience begins to clap and cheer. Through the deafening noise, I glance at each of my friends. Their smiles stretch from ear to ear. Looking at Frank and the other kabingas, I realize that they are all blushing in their own unique way.

  In spite of missing Squirt, I feel the growing satisfaction of what we accomplished.

  Capurni glances at me with a great deal of gratitude evident in his face.

  “I would now like to present to you the leader of this brave group who saved our world. This person has proved to be courageous beyond belief. Emily, please stand.”

  As I stand, the response is thunderous. Not only are the inhabitants of Lattisan applauding me with great fervor, I notice that my friends are cheering as well.

  Although I’m not sure how long the appreciative ovation continues, it’s overwhelming to me. Last week, I was a shy fourteen year-old girl searching through old books in my basement for a school project. Now, I’m a hero.

  I shake my head as though I’m trying to make sure that I’m not dreaming.

  The applause continues on and on.

  Finally, Capurni holds up his hand to quiet the crowd.

  “My friends, I have another announcement of great importance,” Capurni says.

  I wonder what he could be talking about.

  “The mighty emerald that once belonged to our ancestors has returned.”

  A murmur instantly buzzes through the large crowd.

  I had forgotten about the emerald necklace.

  Capurni takes the necklace from an intricate box and holds it before the crowd, their attention transfixed on the glowing emerald.

  I realize that most, if not all, of the people of Lattisan are seeing the fabled emerald for the first time. Up until now, the emerald was likely no more than an ancient legend for most of them.

  There is a reverent awe in the air as the audience stares at the emerald. The room is absolutely still as they wait for Capurni to continue.

  Capurni steps towards me and places the emerald around my neck.

  A sacred silence descends.

  It feels great to have the emerald back around my neck. As I touch the emerald, I notice a light swirling inside it. I gaze into its brilliance.

  I realize with a simple command that my friends and I can safely return back home. Before the day ends, we will return to our world, although my heart still aches for Squirt.

  A strange vortex of green light suddenly swirls in the emerald. In spite of the cheering crowd, the emerald absorbs my complete attention. In the pulsating light, I see the face of Squirt in the emerald.

  Am I really seeing him? Is he possibly still alive?

  In the emerald there is a picture of Squirt running along some rocks.

  “Squirt,” I mutter. “He’s alive.”

  Capurni edges beside me and gazes into the emerald.

  “Yes,” says Capurni, “it looks like he is still alive. Somehow he must have survived when he fell from your shoulders.”

  “We must save him before some terrible creature in the mountains gets him,” I say anxiously.

  “I agree with you,” Capurni says. “Use the emerald to rescue Squirt. We will wait for you.”

  Looking into my emerald, I say, “Sandarium, Squirt.”

  I find myself on a barren rocky path. Something is pinching into my shoulders.

  “Emily, Emily, Emily,” a tiny voice squeaks.

  It’s Squirt. I’ve found Squirt

  I pull him from my shoulders and hug him as though I will never let him go again.

  Squirt gives me a big silly grin.

  “Sandarium, ceremony in Lattisan,” I say.

  Tiny claws clutching my shoulders confirm that squirt is still with me.

  A huge audience stretching before me tells me that we’re back at the ceremony.

  The audience explodes with cheers of appreciation.

  Squirt bounces up and down on my shoulders.

  As I look out over the vast crowd, I realize something else. Capurni once said to me that when the emerald taught me a new way to use its powers, this would prove that I am the Keeper of the Emerald. I have my proof. The emerald just taught me that I could use it to see things that were happening far away from me which helped me to rescue Squirt.

  Capurni raises his hand once again.

  The huge crowd grows silent.

  “As I was saying before, I have another important announcement to make.”

  The crowd breathlessly waits to hear what Capurni has to say.

  “The emerald has chosen a new Keeper.”

  A murmur drifts through the large crowd.

  “I would like to present to you the new Keeper of the Emerald.”

  Capurni turns to me and smiles. He holds out his hand acknowledging that I am the Keeper of the Emerald.

  The crowd goes wild.

  The applause and cheering go on and on.

  If only my mother could see me now, I think. If only my father was here.

  Capurni raises his hand for silence once again.

  “I would like to acknowledge all our heroes,” Capurni says.

  My friends are beaming.
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  Capurni approaches a table where there are objects that look like medals. Each object is blue with a white ribbon attached.

  Turning to the audience, Capurni says, “To show our appreciation, we would like to honor our guests by presenting to them one of the highest awards in our world – the Peace Stone.”

  Capurni looks at each of us and continues, “Peace Stones come from the ancient world of Shinti. They represent our dream to create a world free from wars and suffering.”

  The audience cheers as Capurni places a Peace Stone around each of our necks.

  I laugh as Capurni tries to position one of the ribbons, with the stone dangling from it, around Squirt’s neck. The ribbon keeps sliding off Squirt’s thin neck and body.

  Finally Squirt holds the stone high above him in his tiny paws.

  I’m the last person to receive my Peace Stone.

  I look at the polished blue stone. Running through the gorgeous stone is a vein of brilliant red. I notice that when I move, the colors in the stone change their shade in the same way that the celleria in the walls of the sphere around us are constantly pulsating with different colors.

  Our mission is complete.

  I’m thrilled by what we have accomplished, although I can’t wait to go home.

  - 43 -

  HOME

  As soon as we arrive back in my basement, we hug. It’s as though we just won the Super Bowl. It’s a tremendous feeling to be safe. There’s laughter. There are even a few tears of happiness.

  We have completed our mission on Tamor.

  We look like we never left my basement.

  The only visible reminder that we have been to another planet are the Peace Stones we are wearing.

  “It’s still today,” Jamie announces as he looks at his cell phone that he left sitting on a chair in my basement while we were on our mission. “We have arrived back at almost the same time that we left.

  It takes a second for Jamie’s words to sink in.

  Our parents wouldn’t have even missed us.

  “How’s that possible?” Jasmin asks.

  “Time travel,” Michael smirks.

  None of us make any effort to argue with him.

  “Where are we going to go on our next adventure?” Jamie asks.

  “Actually,” I reply, “I think I’m going to wait a year before using the emerald again.”

  “A year?” Michael says. “I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

  “Me neither,” Jasmin laughs.

  *****

  It’s a great feeling to be safely in my own bed once again. Thirty minutes ago my friends left, but not before Jamie and I finalized our project on the lost world of Atlantis. Fortunately, we had already completed a lot of the work before tonight.

  I wonder if Jamie and I will manage to get though our presentation tomorrow without getting sidetracked and talking about what happened on Tamor.

  Less than ten minutes ago, my mother returned home from work.

  As I snuggle under the blankets I hold Patches tightly against me. He now reminds me of Squirt.

  On the back of Patches is a small zipper. A few minutes ago, I took the Peace Stone that I was given in Lattisan, opened the zipper on the back of Patches, and inserted the small rock and the white ribbon in the stuffing inside Patches.

  As I touch Patches, I feel the Peace Stone.

  I smile.

  My mother enters my room and asks, “How was your day?”

  “Not bad,” I say as though it had been my normal mundane day at school. “Some of my friends came over tonight to help me organize my basement library.”

  The moment these words leave my mouth I realize we didn’t move a single book.

  “We had so much fun that we didn’t get anything done.”

  “Maybe some other time,” my mother says.

  “How was your day?” I ask.

  “Lots of work,” my mother replies.

  My mother’s face is lined with stress. She looks older than she did last week, although it could simply be the darkness in my room.

  She leans over and kisses my forehead.

  As she steps away from the bed, she hesitates. It’s almost as though she wants to tell me something.

  I tremble with anticipation.

  “Sweet dreams, Emily.”

  My mother slowly exits from my room. I detect some sadness in her stride, or is it fear?

  Once she is gone, I wonder what each of my friends is now thinking about. I’m sure they’re thrilled to be home. On the other hand, I wonder if Jasmin is already missing Drew. Are Jamie and Michael wishing they were solving puzzles on strange doors? What about Drew? Is he thinking about Jasmin, or is it possible he’s thinking about me?

  My thoughts drift back to Tamor. What’s happening in the Land of Limnits? Does Squirt miss me as much as I miss him? What about Radwin? Is he darting here and there as he attempts to avoid a sethaurus? And Frank? Has she returned with the other kabingas to the mountains?

  I think of Capurni. Before I left Lattisan, I told him that I had made a decision not to use my emerald for one year. He supported my decision.

  At the time when I said this to Capurni, I thought I needed some time to recover from our mission to Shade. I thought it made sense to wait a year before getting involved in another expedition. Now, I’m not so sure.

  I’m already beginning to miss the excitement. I know I certainly miss being with my friends.

  Can I wait a whole year before using my emerald again? Can I wait three-hundred and sixty-five days before returning back to Tamor?

  Before we came back home, Capurni told me that the inhabitants of Lattisan needed me to do one more thing for them. Although he didn’t explain what they wanted me to do, I could tell from the tone of his voice that it was something very important.

  A year from today, I will return back to Tamor. I will be ready for whatever new adventure Capurni has waiting for me.

  As my fingers cradle the powerful emerald, there’s something else on my mind. During the celebration in Lattisan, my emerald found Squirt when he was missing. Is it possible that my emerald can also find my father?

  TO BE CONTINUED . . .

  Keep reading for a sneak peek

  at the next book in the

  Keeper of the Emerald Series!

  FIERY

  ILLUSIONS

  - 1 -

  ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

  It was exactly one year ago today that my friends and I completed our mission on Tamor. Tonight we are getting together at my house for a one year anniversary party.

  Jamie and Michael are already downstairs. I expect that Drew and Jasmin will arrive shortly.

  I hear Jamie and Michael laughing as I peek at some chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. The sweet aroma of the cookies fills the air around me.

  My mother is working late tonight. I’m sure she’s well aware that it was exactly one year ago when my life changed forever. Although she has never let me tell her the details of what happened, she has likely picked up enough from my occasional nightmares to understand some of the horrors that I faced.

  Opening the oven door, it’s hard for me to believe that so much time has passed since returning home from Tamor. Although the days sometimes seemed to go by slowly, overall as I look back, the twelve months have passed fairly quickly.

  During the past year my life has pretty much been that of a normal teenager, except of course for the emerald necklace that I wear. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of the incredible power I could harness at any moment, although the mighty emerald’s magic has remained idle during this time.

  It was a year ago tonight that I decided to wait for a year before using my emerald again.

  For the past three-hundred and sixty-five days, I have methodically crossed each day off my calendar until today finally arrived.

  Now, I’m ready. It’s time for my next adventure.

  I can’t wait to visit the planet Tam
or to see Squirt and Radwin again. Perhaps I will even see Frank and her band of daring kabingas. And most exciting of all, I can’t wait to visit Capurni to learn more about his new mission for us.

  During the past twelve months my friends and I rarely talked about our expedition on Tamor. I think we all felt we were part of a strange dream, an experience that if we told anyone else about it, they might think we were crazy. We pretty much walked around our school as though nothing had ever happened, although every once in awhile I would catch one of my four friends staring at me in class. Sometimes when our gaze met, there was a look that suggested we shared a secret, a secret that no one else could ever know. I think we all instinctively realized that no one would ever believe our story, so why bother telling it.

  The closest I came to talking to anyone about our mission to Tamor was with my mother. One evening, a few days after returning home from Tamor, I tried to tell her what happened, but she kept changing the topic. Finally she came right out and said there were some things that she didn’t want to know.

  My mother has treated me differently since I took possession of her emerald necklace. There are times when I see fear in her eyes as she looks at me. At these times I feel like she wants me to protect her, but I don’t know what I’m protecting her from. At other times I see what appears to be hope in her eyes. Overall, my relationship with my mother continues to be confusing.

  Throughout the year, Jasmin and I have remained best friends. Every once in awhile she tells me she suffers horrible dreams related to our mission on Tamor, but I assure her that I sometimes experienced the same problem. For the most part we simply talk about boys or school.

  We have both noticed that Michael no longer follows us at school. We have also noticed that he’s less of a class clown. Something about our experience has changed him, but then again whether we realize it or not, what happened on Tamor has changed all of us.

  There are times when I catch Drew looking at me, but there are also times when I see him looking at Jasmin. It’s almost as if he can’t decide between us, a feeling that I remember having sometimes during our expedition to the Land of Shade.