Chapter 3 (Josh and Lindsey Cross the Creek)

According to the polls, the title of Book #2 is "The Return to Elandai".

Chapter 3

"What?" Josh squealed. "We're going out in the woods?"

The cousins were all standing on the porch. Kaela and Ben had just told Josh and Lindsey that they would be taking a short walk. They hadn't told them, however, that they would end up in another world, knowing that if they did, their cousins would completely refuse to go. As it was, they weren't showing much enthusiasm.

"Yuck!" exclaimed Lindsey. "What about the spiders! And mud! And snakes! And mosquitoes!"

Kaela looked at Ben. Uh, this might be a mistake, she thought. What will Klii or Learka or Yev think of them. And we're related to them! Yikes.

Apparently ignoring their negative remarks, Ben stepped down off the porch. "Well, no need to waste time, guys," he said. "Josh, Lindsey, it'll be really fun. It's not at all what you think it'll be. At least give it a try." He looked pleadingly at his cousins.

Josh refused to budge an inch. "No way. We're the visitors. That means you got to treat us nicely. We don't want to go. Right, Lindsey?"

"Right. We don't want to go." repeated Lindsey. "And you can't make us."

Kaela massaged her forehead wearily. If this is what it's going to be like for the entire visit...we'll be lucky to get out alive. She was interrupted from her thoughts when Josh said, "Well, guess what. Me and Lin are going inside. So too bad for your little plan."

We tried, Adonai. But I guess me and Ben are going alone.

Then, completely out of the blue, Lindsey spoke up. Her words astonished Ben and Kaela. "But Josh, maybe all along they want us to say no. Maybe their tricking us. I wouldn't put it past them."

Josh turned around. "Right." He marched off the porch. "See, we're smarter than you take us to be, Benjamin Matthew Wilson. We know your tricks too, Mikaela Abigail Wilson. We fooled you into thinking we fell for it, didn't you." So, on full name terms, are we?

Lindsey followed her brother off the porch. "Don't think you can trick us again. Now lead on, and no backing out of it!"

They all turned and walked down the hill, through the back yard and into the woods, with Kaela in the rear, shaking her head wonderingly. Wow, Adonai, that was...pretty nifty.
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They continued until they reached the creek, where Ben stopped. "Now we have to cross that." he said as he pointed to it.

Lindsey's reaction was instant. "Ewww, all that muddy water! You're trying to drown me, Ben!"

"No, I'm not."

"The water's probably really deep, and then you'll tell a snake to come and bite me! And then I'll swell up and die!"

"Actually, this is a ford. It's meant for crossing, and in the dry spell we've been having its probably up to your ankles." Kaela pointed out. "See, I'll even go first to demonstrate. It might be a little deeper on me, but that's because I'm a bit shorter."

Stepping into the water, she started to slowly wade across. She had to be careful not to lose her footing or Lindsey and Josh would probably chicken out. Only once did she wobble, and she only did that for a second. Then she was on the other side.

Looking over the water, Kaela could see what she could last time she was in this position. True, Josh and Lindsey hadn't been there before, and Ben had already crossed the time before, but she couldn't see any modern things. They had just simply disappeared.

Now Josh and Lindsey were crossing the creek, going even slower then Kaela had. When Lindsey first touched the water she had squealed, and she still whimpered a little, but at least she wasn't full-out bawling. Josh looked a little like a ballerina, or at least Kaela thought, with his arms spread and his wobbly steps looked a very little like dance steps. She stifled a giggle.

When the cousins reached the shore, they stood around, to dull to immediately notice the change. Then Josh suddenly said, "Hey, what happened to the houses? You could see them a little while ago!"

"That," answered Ben, climbing up the bank. "Is the amazing thing about this. Would you believe me, Josh and Lindsey, if I told you that we, by crossing the creek, had stepped into a completely different world?"

Lindsey stared at him wide-eyed. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that it's true. Welcome to Elandai."
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I would have posted this three days ago, but now we have our house on the market, and with all the rushing around, cleaning the house up, sports, visiting friends, and etc. the computer has been sitting dejected in a corner.

Izori