In the centre of the lake, two giant snakes were splashing and rolling, throwing their shining black coils as high as the stalactites. As fast as they dared, Beth and Zane crept around and down the rocks, hurrying to the crawl-through gap while trying to hide the glowing orb from view. Zane went first. But as Beth climbed in, her foot dislodged some pebbles. They rolled down the shore before plopping into the water.
A hiss from the lake vibrated through the air, making Beth’s hair stand on end. She glanced back. A giant snake’s head reared and two glowing green eyes stared directly at her. In a split second, its body whipped free of the second smaller snake, and raced towards her.
‘Go! Go!’ Beth yelled to Zane.
She scrabbled through the gap as fast as she could, bruising elbows and knees but still grasping the orb. Zane squeezed through first, then grabbed her hand and hauled her out too.
A mighty thud shook the ground and they started sprinting down the tunnel.
Beth overtook Zane, though she was hardly able to see in the light of the glowing orb.
Rubble skittered underfoot and rocks juddered with the increasing tremors.
Zane yelled and Beth risked a look back—he’d fallen, tripped on the uneven ground. The snake’s awful face slithered into view, its emerald eyes locked on its prey. The world seemed to freeze as the monster lunged forward accompanied by the hideous sound of scraping stone.
Terrified, Zane scrabbled to his feet as the snake’s jaw yawned above him, gaping five times his size. Two glistening fangs, like metre long stalactites, unfolded.
There was nothing Beth could do except squeeze herself into a tiny space between three stalagmites, thrust the orb and her wrists under her top to hide their light, and peer out.
Zane screamed, his legs and body already in the snake’s mouth. With his back to the ground and a rock in one hand, he was pounding the snake’s giant snout. It seemed unfazed. Then, so fast Beth almost missed it, its tongue flicked once and Zane vanished.
Silence, but for the thudding of her heart.
That couldn’t have just happened. It didn’t happen.
He wasn’t gone.
Beth bit down on her lip, stifling the sobs that wanted to heave from her chest. She waited, motionless, the orb heating her belly. If she moved a single muscle, light from the egg or her wrists might escape.
The snake made a terrible hacking noise, then spat out a slimy round lump. Its snout swayed from side to side, nostrils flaring, then it slithered towards her hiding place, scraping the ground like heavy metal dragging over concrete.
Beth pressed her face against the rock until grit stung her cheek. A cold weight pressed on her back, then slid along her, softer than scales. Its tongue? Had enough dirt and rubble stuck to her damp clothes to fool it?
Eternity passed.
Finally, the creature slid past.
She waited until its scraping faded in the distance,
then raced over to the lump. ‘Mmmph...mmmph...’
‘Zane?’
His fists pushed at the hardening goo uselessly, the coating stretching over his nose and mouth. He couldn’t have much air left. She tore at it with her hands, but the goo stretched and wouldn’t break. Worse, she could see it whitening already, drying. Soon it would be as tough as the thick wrap on the mummies.
She scoured the tunnel for something, anything. A rock? No, better a piece of broken stalagmite. She hefted one in her hand.
Beneath the goo, Zane nodded frantically.
He stretched the coating clear of his chest and Beth plunged the shard down, striking point-first, then twisting it sideways to make a hole. With both hands, she yanked the shard downwards, tearing and lengthening the rip.
Zane’s fingers pushed through and stretched the opening up over his head. He took a big breath and, with the stalagmite again, Beth finally ripped the last bit free of his feet.
Still gasping, he grabbed her arm. ‘I bet the snake loops around! It could come back!’
Beth leapt to her feet. ‘Quick! We can’t be far from that rockfall.’
Zane stumbled up, his eyes wide with fear. Together, they sprinted up the tunnel, searching for the blockage to the oval chamber. The thunder of the snake’s approach filled the air again just as they stumbled across it. This time, they both scrambled up and over together, then quickly raced along the passage.
Scales scraped behind them. The creature wouldn’t fit through the rockfall, but there could be any number of ways into the chamber.
They got there first.
Beth held the orb before the carving of the sun on the circular slab, its shape precisely matched the hollow in its centre. She met Zane’s eyes. Neither of them would have made it this far alone. ‘Together?’
He lined his hand up beside hers on the smooth, hot surface and they both pushed the egg into the hole.
Something clicked. The slab gave way and they tumbled forward. There was a brilliant flash, and then they were in daylight—dry, hot daylight that reminded Beth of home. Were they home?
She blinked and looked around.
Chapter 14
Beth waited until her vision cleared and she could see. They were in a vast grassy area, fenced off by a wall so high and flat it was impossible to climb. Glaringly white, the wall shimmered in the midday sun. A familiar scent clung to the breeze, of ocean and fish, and faint sounds of waves crashed on a nearby shore. Birds tweeted. She turned around. The wall surrounded them, forming a giant circle the size of four house blocks, completely trapping them inside. The wall’s surface appeared clean and strangely smooth in appearance, unlike the scraggly green trees dotted around the clearing.
Zane stood beside her, rubbing his eyes. The cut on his neck from the rockfall already had a scab. ‘At least we’re out of the cave.’
‘But still not home,’ Beth sighed, stepping further into the grassed area before them.
Four metal fences interrupted the shining surface of the wall, reaching to the top with bars too narrow to squeeze through, but allowing them a glimpse outside. Coconut palms swayed beyond and further out, an ocean sparkled. Beth spun about to check through the other bars. Ocean sparkled on every side. It looked like they were on an island.
In the centre of the grass stood a number of strange, brightly-coloured structures made of wood, plastic, rubber and metal. Then there was a tiny wooden hut off to one side, some noisy orange parrots, otherwise that was it.
Zane wandered around the wall’s perimeter, testing each fence.
‘At least it’s warm here.’ Beth lifted her face to the sun, for once not thinking of its damaging rays. She could feel her clothes drying in an instant. She wasn’t the claustrophobic type, but it was good to be out of those caves. ‘I hope the snake gets its orb back,’ she said, closing her eyes.
‘Why?’
‘It probably needs the heat for its babies.’
‘They looked fine to me,’ he called from across the grass. ‘Besides, it got the orb from the chamber before, right?’
‘Suppose.’
‘So it will again.’ He sighed. ‘Looks like there’s no way out. Again.’
Beth glanced down at her wrists. Three segments. Surely the last segment would mean home.
She looked across the grass to where Zane was inspecting the strange structures.
‘I’ve seen this type of stuff before,’ he said. ‘This is an outdoor playground from the olden days, before the dust storms and things. Looks pretty lame, though a lot less rusty than the ones near us. Dad’s never let me anywhere near them, says the government should just tear them down.’
‘Sounds familiar.’
‘What do you reckon, wanna have a go?’
Beth puffed out her cheeks and followed him towards the objects in the clearing’s centre.
The first metal structure made no sense at all. It had steps going up to double their height, then a long narrow slope on the other side that reflected the sun. Next to that was a tyre and three hanging chai
rs. They looked pointless—one chair even had a chain across the front.
‘This is called a slippery-slide or something,’ Zane said, rapping his knuckles on the sloped object’s metal surface. It made a loud dong sound. Startled, birds flapped into the air, squawking and complaining. ‘That’s flipping hot.’ Zane examined his hand, then glanced up at the retreating birds. ‘Maybe we could use this to launch ourselves over the wall?’ He snickered at his own suggestion.
Beth rolled her eyes. ‘And die trying to fly.’ Shading her eyes with her hands, she tried to make sense of her surroundings. It was so hot. She was completely dry now and the slight breeze she’d felt before was gone. The sun beat down on her head from directly above. They were never allowed outside when the sun was this high and they hadn’t been able to reapply sunscreen since falling into the ocean. She moved to stand under the shade of a tree and glanced into the leafy palm tops jutting above the fence, unable to shake the feeling someone or something was watching her.
Zane noticed her searching the trees. ‘You get that feeling too, huh?’
Beth nodded. ‘I can’t see anything though.’
‘We couldn’t see those giant fish before they were on us either. Or that mammoth snake. We couldn’t see…’
‘Okay, I get it.’
‘Hang on. What’s that?’ Zane pointed at the grass under a tree.
Beth turned, but a movement in the palms on the other side of the wall caught her eye. She spun around. There, high up and holding a coconut, was a small creature with a feline head on a muscular body. It threw back its head in a strange high-pitched yak-yak, then glared at her with green eyes. As Beth stared, it winked and shuffled into the foliage.
‘Did you see that?’ Beth strained her eyes, but couldn’t see where the creature had gone. ‘There’s definitely something up there.’
‘Maybe it’s some sort of landmine.’
‘Huh? No, more like a cat.’
‘I’ve seen stuff like it in Dad’s old military books.’ Beth turned towards him. ‘What? I mean up there…
Hey, don’t!’
Zane was crouching in front of a flat green disc.
‘Step back!’ She rushed over. ‘It’s moving!’
The disc was, indeed, twitching. One side lifted on an invisible puff of air. Then the other side raised higher until the strange object gracefully hovered from the ground. Seconds later a green mist surrounded the disc, which then flipped over and skimmed across the grass, whirring as it travelled.
‘Run!’ Beth yelled, dashing across the grass and dragging Zane with her. When she glanced back, it was landing a short distance away.
Zane scratched the back of his head. ‘Could be a throwing weapon, or some sort of communication device.’ He stepped towards it again. ‘I don’t reckon it’s a mine or else movement would trigger it. Whoa, there’s writing on it. Can you see?’
Beth leaned forward. ‘Um, no.
‘Hold on,’ Zane grabbed a fallen palm frond and used it to flip the disc. They both read the script.
What can you have anytime, but never hold?
Resting the disc on the ground again, they stared at it for a moment. Beth chewed on a chunk of hair. More inscriptions. Why did all the worlds have one? And who wrote them? Had Kaleski left clues so those following him could find their way out?
Not everyone had…
She sighed and gazed around.
‘Phew, it’s sure hot here,’ Zane mumbled. ‘I feel my skin burning.’
Beth searched for some cover and spotted the hut. ‘Let’s sit there, in the shade while we figure out what to do.’
Zane glanced over. ‘I guess it looks safe.’
‘We’ll soon find out. Come on.’
They made their way across the grass, vigilant and alert. Then after a quick glance around it, they ducked inside the tiny shelter.
‘Wow, it’s dark in here. Is there a light?’ Zane asked. Beth ran a hand over the smooth hot wood and shook her head. ‘My gran used to tell me the sun wasn’t so hot when she was young, and kids would play outside all the time, often in small wood houses like this. She said it’s what ‘playing’ was like back then.’
Zane raised his eyebrows. ‘But there are no screens or places to charge devices. What’s the point in that? Hey, look!’
As Beth’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed them too—the walls of the hut were covered in colourful paintings of a playground like the one outside. They showed dozens of children climbing, sitting and hanging all over it. ‘What are they doing?’
‘I dunno, but it looks boring, just sitting there.’
Beth peered closer. A black-haired girl was sitting on the hanging chair, laughing. She was staring straight at them and looked extremely familiar. Beth tapped the picture. ‘Hey, I know this girl.’
Zane held up a wrist-light to see and his eyes widened. ‘Oh, it’s, it’s…’
‘Kira?’
‘Yeah, from the sheikh’s palace.’ Zane leant back with a whistle. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It means she must have gotten out of here somehow.’ She thought for a bit. ‘Looks like she might have been sitting on that swing thing before she left?’
‘Swing! That’s what those hanging chairs are called.’ Zane gazed outside, then back at the paintings. ‘And that one’s a climbing frame.’ He pointed at a dome-shaped metal frame with a complicated triangular design. ‘Still, I don’t see the point when you don’t win anything.’ He paused. ‘Do you still see your gran?’
‘My gran?’
‘Yeah, is she still around?’
‘No, she died years ago. I have some cousins, but we only talk online now. Dad doesn’t like to get out much these days.’
‘Who does?’ Zane flicked a large beetle off his leg then glanced sideways at her. ‘I’ve got no cousins. Only one uncle—Uncle Three-Fingers.’
Beth wrinkled her nose. ‘Uncle what?’
Zane smirked. ‘Yeah, Uncle Three-Fingers. He used to be a fisherman, back when people did that crazy stuff by hand. On one trip, a big fish bit him and he ended up with only three fingers on his left hand. Snap!’ Zane covered his thumb and forefinger and pushed it roughly in Beth’s face.
‘Stop it!’ she shrieked pushing him away.
Zane ignored her. ‘And after the fish chomped off his fingers, leaving two jagged bloody stumps, it jumped back in the ocean and gobbled them up! Snap. Snap.’ He clapped his hands in her face.
‘Yuk, gross. Stop!’
But Zane was grinning widely now. ‘Then, after it chomped the fingers, it saw my uncle’s big old nose and leapt clean out of the water and ripped it off, leaving two gaping holes on his face! Snap!’
Seeing Zane launch for her nose, Beth squeezed out of the little shelter and sped across the grass, laughing. He was so gross!
With a whoop, Zane gave chase, so she clambered up the steps of the slippery-slide—she knew he hated heights. But once she reached the top, the smooth descent looked too inviting. What would it feel like to slide down it? What the heck—she would!
The wind rushed through her hair as she slipped down, only to land safely at the bottom of the metal.
‘That was awesome!’ She raced around to climb the steps again. ‘You should try it!’
Zane eyed the steps warily.
‘Come on! If all the kids in those paintings did it, so can you.’
‘You sound like my dad now.’
‘Sorry. But seriously, come on—you’ll love it.’ She was already at the top again, but waited for Zane to climb after her. ‘Come on.’
Finally, he started to climb, his knuckles whitening as he clutched every bar tight.
Once he was close, Beth let herself down the slope again. ‘Woo hoo!’ She leapt up to run around again.
Zane was only just at the top. Unsteadily, he sat on the metal and, gritting his teeth, pushed himself down the slide. He said nothing as he whizzed down, only muttered as he hit the bottom. ‘Yeah, okay. That wa
s kinda fun.’
‘Watch out, I’m coming down,’ Beth yelled, racing up the ladder.
‘I’ll get your nose if you do!’ He waited at the bottom, hands outstretched.
Beth squealed and retreated back down the steps, jumping clean over the last three before sprinting towards a large circular object turning slowly in the breeze. As she jumped on, the weight of her body sped up its movement and Zane ran after her.
‘This is called a round-a-bout.You’re going to take off!’ he laughed. ‘Hold on, I think I can make it spin faster!’
‘Jump on!’
She looked back to see Zane holding the rails behind her and running as fast as he could round and round. Then with one swift leap he was on board too, and the world whipped past.
Beth laughed at Zane laughing, and at how dizzy she felt. She gasped in the fresh air and felt the sun on her face.
When the spinning finally glided to a stop, she stepped off, so giddy that her legs took her diagonally across to the swings. Zane attempted to follow, but walked like he was on a slant. She laughed again and collapsed onto the grass. Zane did too.
‘Why won’t the world stop spinning?’ The grass felt lovely and cool so she closed her eyes until the spinning feeling faded. When she opened them again, Zane was still grinning widely. She shifted onto her side, wincing at the tree-root burns under her arms, leftover from dangling above the snake’s nest.
‘Is it your sides?’ Zane asked. He plucked at the grass. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’
‘It’s okay.’ She pushed herself up feeling her side gingerly as she slowly straightened. ‘I’m all right.’
‘No, you’re not! Gotcha!’ He pinched her nose.
Beth laughed and felt her whole body relax. This was just what she needed after the ordeals they’d been through, and after everything else in her life. Still, she couldn’t let him get away with it, so she poked his shoulder with a finger and leapt up. ‘You’re dog’s buns!’ she yelled before running full pelt towards the swings.
‘Hey!’ Zane leapt after her. ‘I just got pummelled by a rockfall, you know!’
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