by Gloria Gage
Chapter Forty-One
I was allowed five minutes to rest before the third challenge. Josh brought me some water, and Chris wet a cloth to wipe the sweat and dirt from my face. I reached up and stopped her hand. I had something more urgent on my mind than even the contest.
“Whatever happens, guys…you have to promise…” I began.
“You can take him, Logan. The last round is easier!” Josh was trying to be positive.
“Maybe,” I went on. “But whatever happens, Amy is ready with Plan B. If things don’t go well, or if I…”
Chris was on the verge of tears. “Logan, don’t talk that way!”
I waved her concern away. “Listen, I want you both to promise me! We have to be realistic. We’re at a real disadvantage. If things don’t go our way, you two are to get Marty out of here! You have to make sure you take him home—no matter what happens to me. I want you both to promise!”
“Sure, Logan,” Josh said at last. “But you’re going with us. We all came together, and we’re all going home together!”
A shout interrupted us. “Time’s up! Contest Number Three is ready!”
None of us had ever seen anything like this contest. At first glance, it looked like some sort of maize built of wood and metal, almost like the inside of a giant clock. There was a huge wheel with laser beams spinning through it like spokes. And a dozen swords suspended from a rod swinging back and forth, their sharpened edges flashing in the light. All I had to do was walk through the maze, avoiding the lasers, swords, and other Taser-striking obstacles.
We tossed a coin and by chance, Tnedor had to go first. I watched very closely as my opponent made his way across. He made it easily through the lasers, grabbed a rope, and cautiously swung across a gap between plunging swords that alternated with piercing bursts from what looked like a stun gun. Then, at the very end, Tnedor seemed to lose his concentration. Or perhaps his chest was too thick, for he barely escaped the bolts of electric current that crossed in front of him. Then finally, as the last steel hammers crashed down from above, he started forward and a heavy steel hammer caught him on the side, knocking him into a water trough below. He had failed.
Now it was my turn, and I realized that if this giant, who had likely practiced this game before, still could not succeed, then I had little chance to make it. Still, I could only do my best. I moved cautiously, timing my steps as the laser beams spun madly just inches in front and behind me. Once past that point, I felt intense fear envelope me as I saw the flashing and heard the hiss of the razor sharp swords slicing the air ahead of me.
I felt a sudden chill and began to shiver. For a moment, everything went dark before me and I felt dizzy with terror. In that moment of darkness, I prayed for strength and courage. There was no turning back now. I had to make it. Marty was depending on me. I started slowly, stepping between each blade, pausing to judge the rhythm and avoid the sharp slicing edges as they whirled past only two inches from my nose. I didn’t dare even breathe. A minute later, I was through and heaved a great sigh of relief.
Now I approached the gap where I had to grab a chain and swing between two burning pendulums, while avoiding the stunning Tasers that crossed randomly in front of me like lightning bolts streaking from one side to the other. My legs felt like Jell-O as I paused and took a deep breath. Then, trying to count the rhythm of the Taser strikes, I grabbed the rope and swung across, my right foot just catching the edge of an electric pulse.
I clutched at a wooden beam for support and held on tightly while the pain slowly eased and the feeling slowly returned to my foot. All that remained was to pass through the giant hammers that crashed downward in uneven sequences. It seemed impossible to judge the erratic timing. My foot still tingled and I wasn’t at all sure it would support me when I moved. One stumble would mean the end and failure!
Keenly aware that Tnedor had failed this last test, I watched and tried to count the beats between each crash of the hammers. One, two, crash! One, two, three crash! One, two, crash! One, two, three crash! Once I started through the solid wall of hammers, I realized I couldn’t stop, but had to continue through the whole sequence, or be crushed. I would have to move with the count.
There wasn’t a sound to be heard in the castle. I took one last deep breath. Slowly, rhythmically, I stepped across. Step—one, two. Step—one, two, three. Step—one, two. Step—one, two three. When I reached the last hammer, my leg began to quiver and I felt myself begin to fall, but I forced my body one step more. And all of a sudden, I was through and it was over!
I half slid, half fell down the final ladder, and collapsed on the floor—but I had won!
Tnedor was furious and immediately started a fight with some of the other Rats. But Gniktar quickly settled the dispute, banishing Tnedor to the back of the room. Josh and Chris jumped up and down in excitement, while I lay exhausted on the floor. At last, they helped me to my feet, patting me on the back and congratulating me. But my job wasn’t finished yet. I walked boldly over to the sullen Gniktar. “Release my brother, and I will give you the location of the keys, and your flash drive.”
“Very impressive, my young friend,” Tnedor said with a sneer. “But now that you’re all here in our ‘nest’, we’re in no hurry to send you back. No one else knows where you are, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
“You’re mistaken, Gniktar,” I said firmly. “We left a friend behind. And she knows everything and will send help if we don’t return.”
“Ah, yes. Amy, isn’t it?” The Rat’s leader looked up at the window floating above. “We can take care of her with the press of a button.”
I looked up in alarm. Amy’s face in the window was flushed red. “You slimy rodent!” she shouted. “You can’t get away with that.” She moved the cursor right on Gniktar and pressed the Tab key several times. Then she quickly moved on to the others, pressing the same key each time. The Rats began to jump about, squeaking like angry mice as Amy’s keystrokes caused electric shocks to jar them repeatedly until they all began to fall to the floor in agony.
In the confusion, I dashed over and grabbed Marty’s arm, pulling him back between Josh and Chris. “Stop them,” Gniktar yelled at his guards. But Amy was keeping them all busy as they squirmed and yelled out in pain.
As soon as all four of us were together, I gave quick orders, “Hold onto me, everyone. Now, Amy! Bring us home!”
A bright flash blinded us for a mere second. Then all four of us tumbled into a pile onto the floor of the tree hose, struggling to separate our arms and legs from each other.
“You did it! I can’t believe you actually did it!” Amy was ecstatic. But I still wasn’t ready to celebrate yet.
“Did you find the program like we planned?” I asked Amy.
“I sure did,” Amy assured me.
“Then do it quickly before it’s too late!” I urged her.
Chapter Forty-Two
Amy turned back to the computer screen and with her cursor, drew a large box around the entire picture of the castle and the Rats gang. Then she clicked on ‘Format picture’ and chose a heavy woven pattern to fill the screen. “It’s ready, Logan,” she said.
“Good! Then hit ‘Delete’ now!” I shouted. Instantly, the screen flashed brightly, then went to solid blue.
“Logan, did you do it?” Marty asked his brother.
“Yeah, kiddo! Your idea worked,” I answered, wrapping him in a bear hug.
Josh was confused. “What idea?” he asked. “What just happened?”
I explained to the others. “Marty doesn’t have a pet named Tab. He gave me a great idea for a way to trap the Rats in a cage. There’s a computer game we used to play sometimes that uses the Tab key to stun the villains. That’s what Marty was telling me to do. When Amy and I talked just before the obstacle race, she put the cursor on me and tried pressing the Tab, and it gave me quite a shock. Remember when she accidentally shocked Chris earlier? So we knew we could use that if the gang refused to let us go
. Then I asked her to check out how to create some kind of cage to trap the Rats. And she did! Amy and Marty are the real heroes!”
I leaned over and gave Amy a kiss on the cheek, which really made her blush. Then I gave Marty another big hug and said, “Welcome home, pal!”
“Well, I’ll be!” Josh grinned. “Marty aced the biggest challenge of all! We’d never have gotten away from those Rats without his help!”
We all turned as the computer began to beep loudly, and suddenly the screen was filled with smiling faces—it was all the friends we had met on our journey. Mayor Quest was there, and Dr. Philadelphia, Mrs. Bathelwaite, and even the beautiful Princess Nala. Only Mr. Trabboli from the scooter stand was missing, gone with all the other Faceless Ones and members of the Rats Gang.
Mayor Quest stepped forward. “We all want to thank you for freeing us from this awful gang of criminals. You have managed to delete them from our world, and wherever they have gone, they can’t come back here ever again!”
“Thank you for your help,” I said, smiling. “We’d never have made it without you.” I paused for a minute, as I considered… “I still can’t believe the Rats Gang caused all this trouble looking for a treasure that wasn’t really there.”
Princess Nala answered, “I know, Logan. Anyone who seeks treasures above all else winds up with little of true value in his life. My father taught us long ago that real value is only found in the people we love, and in their love for us.”
“You have done extremely well, all of you!” Mrs. Bathelwaite chimed in. “You accomplished all your goals so bravely, and the keys were lessons you learned along the way. Will you remember all of them?”
“You showed real Determination,” Mayor Quest said proudly.
“And Honor, in everything you’ve done!” the Princess said.
“And each of you displayed great Courage,” Dr. Philadelphia added.
Princess Nala spoke again, “You never lost your Faith—you believed you could succeed, and you did! But not alone…you worked together as friends to accomplish your mission. You proved your Loyalty to each other.”
“And most important of all,” Mrs. Bathelwaite added, “you proved your Love—for Martin, and for each other. Those are the real treasures in life. And those very keys are yours forever. They are what make each one of you so special.”
Princess Nala smiled and spoke again, “Don’t ever forget these lessons, my friends, and they will guide you well wherever you go. And thank you for rescuing all of us. We’ll never forget you!” They all waved goodbye and the screen was suddenly black once again.
Chapter Forty-Three
All of us in the tree house were suddenly overcome with emotion. I grabbed Marty and gave him another big hug. “I knew you’d find me,” Marty said solemnly.
“I couldn’t let anything happen to my favorite brother!” I answered. Josh and I both grinned happily at the girls. Chris gave Marty a hug too, but then noticed that he had grown very serious, his face filled with concern as he looked around the crowded clubhouse and the book shelves in the corner.
“What’s wrong, Marty? You’re safe now!” she told him.
“Yeah, but…” Marty said slowly.
“What is it, Marty?” I asked, concerned that he might still be frightened.
“We’re all out of peanut butter…and I’m starving!”
The neighbors probably wondered at all the laughter coming from the tree house that evening, as the five of us celebrated being home safe and sound—but most of all—being together. We had shared quite an adventure, and learned some valuable lessons in the process.
I was so grateful to my friends, and knew at that moment that the five of us had forged a friendship that would last forever.
What Is Autism?
There are thousands of children and adults in our country who have some form of Autism disorder. It is something a person is born with. You cannot ‘catch’ it. The Autism ‘Spectrum’ (which just means a range or series) covers a wide variety of cases from severe, when someone may not speak at all, to someone who has only minor social difficulties.
A diagnosis of Autism is usually made by the time a child reaches three or four years of age. While doctors are not certain of the cause, and have not yet found a cure, there is a lot we can do to help anyone we know who has this disorder. Because of their differences, it is very hard for these children or adults to make friends. We can all reach out and show courtesy and friendliness to everyone, including all people with special needs. Don't hesitate to say ‘hello’, smile and include them in any activities where they can participate.
Remember that individuals with Autism are often highly intelligent, but must deal with a variety of symptoms, such as:
Communication Issues – Some individuals never speak at all, while others have highly developed oral skills, but often fail to understand facial expressions or jokes.
Emotions – Most children and adults with Autism show little or no common emotions. Some children do exhibit anger or have tantrums, mostly from their own frustration.
Compulsive Behavior – Order and repetition are often comforting for these individuals. The same kind of food at the same time every day or items arranged in perfect order can be very important to them.
Obsession with Things or People – Many focus on a particular activity to the exclusion of everything else, but they also have great powers of concentration.
Natural Abilities or Talents – A few rare individuals show real genius in certain areas, such as music or maths. (The movie Rain Man was the story of such a man with Autism.)
Just as Logan mentioned in Star Seekers, anyone with a disability, whether physical or mental, deserves our kindness and understanding. By recognizing that we are all individuals with our own distinct personalities, we can, and should, make allowances for someone who is a little different. By giving someone a chance who is not exactly like us, we may discover for ourselves a very special key to success in the challenges of our own journeys.