Quest of the Dark Lands

Chapter Four

 Night came, and so did two lightly dressed girls, creeping towards the CHS garden each holding a flashlight in one hand.

'So we're examining the old walnut tree for any signs of...magic?'

'Precisely.' Seleina nodded in the dark. 'Any writing, any oddities, or just anything worth noticing to tell you the truth.'

They reached the garden's entrance, and, after standing still to make sure they weren't followed, clumsily inserted the key towards the walnut tree.

They trampled through tin cans, dirty wrappings and plastic junk to reach the trunk of their target. 

'You go clockwise, I go counter.' Seleina ordered, feeling the tree's rough bark with her fingertips.

They went on that way for half an hour or say, sensing their way around the tree, occasionally shining a flashlight here and there, before Evangeline uttered an audible gasp: a find.

'Keep your voice down, or they'll come running.' Seleina hushed her.

'No, I found it. I found the riddle.'

'What riddle?'

'There's a riddle carved on the bark of the tree, come here for a look.'

Her heart beating furiously against her rib cages, Seleina made her way towards Evangeline, who shone a light on several strangely shaped carvings on the bumpy tree trunk.

'It spells something out.' Evangeline pointed out.

'I know.' Seleina muttered. 'But I can't figure out what it is.'

Evangeline rolled her eyes.

'What?' Seleina said defensively. 'I've never learned to read cursive like you!'

'It's not cursive.' Evangeline said, 'but look.' She pointed again, and by the dim light of the flashlight, Seleina made out the words 'Dark lands'

'Here you have come, and here you have arrived.' Evangeline read. 'To the Dark lands that separate our universe from yours. Solve this riddle, to prove yourself worthy, and then we might let you in our secret land.'

'So it is real after all?' Seleina asked, half disbelievingly. 'Just like I imagined?'

'Yes.' Evangeline said, sounding equally excited yet incredulous. 'It says: What will come but never comes?'

'And?' Seleina prompted.

'That's it.' Evangeline shrugged. 

'alright, now,' Seleina said after a brief silence. 'all we've got to do is find out the solution to that riddle.'

'what will come but never comes. Is that...let me see.' Evangeline was after all, the smartest kid in fifth grade. 'could it be...nothingness?'

'not real possible.' Seleina was maybe not as intelligent as Evangeline, but she was still witty. 'nothingness, that's like the typical answer to so many questions, but I don't think it's the case here.'

'let's try it, remember, we do have three chances.'

'okay, but how will the tree know that we are giving an answer?'

'try to say it real loud.' Evangeline suggested 'maybe the echoing and air vibrations would activate the tree.'

'nothingness.'Seleina said into the still night air, no reaction.

They waited another few seconds, no reply came.

'let's try curving the answer into the tree trunk.'Seleina suggested 'I guess that may work.'

She walked to the tree, and picked up a sharp stone lying at its base. She used the keen edge to carve out the word 'nothingness' in the wood.

For a tense silence they waited, then the word seemed to sink into the tree, vanishing. As though an invisible person was silently erasing it

The girls stood there in shock, then something appeared at the same place. Seleina went over, and touched the tree gingerly. Where the mark '1 out of 3 wrong' was curved in.

'we didn't write that.' Evangeline breathed 'I can't believe it's happening.

'neither can I.' Seleina said, her voice was once again, deadly calm.

Someone behind them yelled in a distance. 'nothingness! My stylish American Kungfu baseball cowboy captain boots are worth more than a hundred dollars.'

Seleina and Evangeline froze, they knew that voice, it was oddly familiar. 'Mr. Yucksonage.'they said in unison.

'we've got to be quick.' Seleina said 'the faster the better. Let me see if 'everything' would work.'

She drove the stone through to spell out her answer. The answer disappeared once more.

They held their breath, the footsteps of the science teacher were drawing closer, and Seleina could see that the company making expensive hair-clippers had not lied about their products being able to 'glow in the dark.'

They as though a giant invisible hand was writing, the words 'two out of three, wrong' appeared in place.

Evangeline groaned 'only one chance left.'

'I know.' Seleina said 'or else we never find out what's going up down there and get booby-trapped by Yucksonage.'then her eyes brightened up, they were sparkling. 'I know it!'

Evangeline stared into her eyes, she shook her 'what?!'

'the answer to that riddle!' Seleina didn't care about Yucksonage. ' it's'tomorrow!' she cried

'Seleina, I'm wondering if you're over hyper-active today.'

Seleina's voice became serious and calm once more, that spooked Evangeline out 'no, Eva, I am serious, the answer is tomorrow.' that girl was scary sometimes.

Evangeline pondered this, 'perhaps, but choose your answer carefully, this is our last chance'

Seleina smiled 'I know it's the right answer, trust me, will you?' she walked to curve it in.

The answer disappeared once more, and then something appeared in its place. Three out of three, correct.

Mr. Yucksonage was right behind them, he was dialing a number on his phone.

Seleina recognized it 'Conté's!' she exclaimed, they were trapped.

Then the porthole swung open, without a moment's hesitation, they leaped in, and shut the door behind them, leaving Mr. Yucksonage yelling for them to come out of that damn hole.

There was only one chance left, to go into the tree, the friends looked at each other, not sure what to do.

Finally, Seleina spoke, her voice was shaky, not like her, 'we'll have to go in.'