by H. B. Bolton
He turned it over and stared. Attached to the back was a flat box. Evan slid it out of the shallow niche. Gold sparkled in the darkness. It was a ring in the shape of a serpent chewing on its own tail. He ran his finger over the tiny engravings along its skin and the two gems placed in its eyes. One was sapphire blue while the other was ruby red.
“What is this?” he wondered aloud.
“What are you doing in here?” shrilled a female voice from the doorway. Evan nearly jumped out of his skin. “You are going to be in sooo much trouble when Mom and Dad find out! You aren’t supposed to be in here. Didn’t you read the sign that said ‘Restricted Area’?”
Evan turned to face his sister and glared. She had scared him half to death, and he needed a moment to muster something clever to say.
“Let’s go,” instructed Claire. “Now!” Her arms crossed sternly over her chest and her foot made an annoying tapping sound.
“Wait a minute. Have you ever seen anything so cool in your life? Just look at this,” he said, sliding his hand through the ring. It was too large to be a bracelet and too small to be worn as a necklace; so, he placed the band around his forearm.
“Claire, the jewels on this ring are starting to glow. Way cool!”
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” said Claire, stalking over to Evan. But as she grabbed him, an electric bolt surged and passed between them. The entire room gave off a blinding white light. Its current threw Claire against a bookshelf and she fell to the floor, bombarded by tumbling objects. Evan rushed to her aid and, by pushing aside scattered fragments, managed to reach her.
“Claire, are you all right?”
“Help me up,” she said, reaching for him.
Evan extended his hand, but as he looked down toward his sister, he realized the golden serpent was still wrapped around his arm. He leaned back, missing Claire completely.
“Hello, I’m right here!” she exclaimed.
“I know, sorry,” said Evan, staring at the brilliant light coming from inside the serpent’s bejeweled eyes.
“What is that?” she asked before grabbing it. “Do you think this is real gold?” She slid the circular object over her wrist and up her arm, admiring it from every angle.
“I thought you said we needed to leave. You should probably give that to me,” said Evan, snatching it back.
“I know. It’s just … have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” she said dreamily.
All of a sudden, a loud scratching noise came from outside the secret room. It was followed by the slamming of a door.
“It must be a security guard,” Claire whispered tensely. “We’re not supposed to be in here.”
“Hurry up! We need to make tracks!”
The two rushed out of the house, but as soon as they stepped onto the front porch, they froze. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Nothing was as it should have been. The sky was orange, the ground was covered with a pale-blue mist, and there were long, colorful tubes weaving around pink clouds.
“Evan, what’s going on here?” Claire asked, staring wide-eyed at the glasslike cluster of trees.
“I have no idea. Maybe, we should go back inside the house.”
“No, we need to find Dad and Mom. They have to be here somewhere,” said Claire, grabbing Evan’s arm.
“Look, over there.” He pointed to a purple bench. “Is it glass?”
“It looks like it,” said Claire. She then turned and stared at Evan.
“What?” he finally asked.
“The bracelet, it’s still on your arm.”
“Oh man. That’s just great! Now we’re going to get in trouble for stealing!”
“Evan, I think that’s the least of our problems. How are we supposed to find Mom and Dad?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Why did you have to go into that house in the first place?” Claire yelled, pacing back and forth.
“I thought there was a monkey under the roof. I had to go back to see if I was imagining things.”
“Well, of course you were imagining things. You usually are.”
“You have to admit, all that stuff was pretty cool. Can you believe the secret room?”
“Evan, what I can’t believe is what’s circling up there!”
Chapter Three
AN IMP IS NOT AN IT
A LOUD SHRIEK CAME FROM right overhead. Evan ducked and threw his arms protectively over his head. He felt a strong tug on the bracelet and then landed back with a thud. Looking upward, he spied a large tropical bird. It had ridiculously long wings with blinding feathers, each one coated in brilliant shades of green and blue with flecks of gold. Evan watched as it flew away—its talons clutching the golden ring.
“No, no, no, no, no! Not the Serpent’s Ring, not the Serpent’s Ring!” erupted a strange gurgling voice. Evan searched for whatever made that horrible noise, but all he saw was a puffy, lavender cloud.
“Aahh!” Claire screamed. “What … what is that?”
Evan looked again; this time, he saw a green and black creature scurrying around, kicking up small gems.
“This is bad, very, very bad. Oh dear, oh dear,” said the little creature, its hands tugging at its tiny green mohawk of hair.
“Evan, Evan, um, do you see that?” Claire muttered.
“I’m not sure,” Evan answered.
“I am not a ‘that,’ nor am I an ‘it.’ I am an imp!” said the creature. “You may call me Dunkle.”
“Hey, you’re that thing I saw at Dr. Irving’s house,” said Evan.
“Excuse me, as I explained previously, I am not a thing. I am an imp! And you are being quite rude, even for a human.”
At last, the imp held still long enough for Evan to examine him. One word came to mind: pee-yew. Dunkle stood at around 21 inches, but he produced a stench that should have come from a 21-foot ogre. Evan tried to place the odor; it wasn’t a heap of decayed garbage nor that of a spoiled fish. Truth be told, it smelled like rotten cheese.
The imp had skin resembling a dart frog—mostly green with a pattern of black rings and swirls covering the parts of his body that was exposed (which was most of him). A very small portion of the imp was covered by a brown vest. Resting on his chest was a necklace of a serpent carved into the smooth golden stone. Exaggerated ears pointed straight out from the imp’s head. In fact, everything about him was exaggerated in some way or another. His belly was portly, and his head, hands, and feet were far too large for his spindly body. Plus, he had a lengthy whiplike tail.
“How long are you going to stare at me? Come on, come on, let us get over the initial shock and move forward. We are in serious trouble here. Do you realize what you have just done?” exclaimed Dunkle, his huge hands still waving above his head.
“No, I have no idea what on Earth you are talking about. Would you mind filling me in?” Evan asked, feeling a mixture of frustration and fear. He glanced over at his sister. She hadn’t moved much since Dunkle’s arrival. It was kind of strange to see her motionless—cool, but strange.
“That’s just it. We aren’t exactly on Earth anymore. Haven’t you noticed the sky is tangerine?”
“Of course I have,” said Evan.
“Well, the golden ring you found in Dr. Irving’s lab opened a portal to Sagaas, Land of the Gods.”
“Land of the Gods?” Evan repeated.
“Yes. Gods and creatures in many ancient myths are real and thriving. Just because you cannot see them does not mean they are not very real.”
“But I don’t see any gods or creatures,” said Evan. “Where are they?”
“Each myth exists in its own realm. Sagaas is what you might consider a station of sorts—a connection to all of the realms.”
“I still don’t understand why we’re the only ones here. I mean, you’re here, so where are all of the other mythical creatures? You know, like giants and dragons?”
“My dear child, we are the only ones here because the gods do not like to leave their own real
m.”
“All right, so how can we travel to one of the realms?” asked Evan. “I’d like to see a dragon.”
“Sagaas is very similar to your airports and train stations. We shall follow the signs leading to Asgard and only Asgard.”
“Um, no offense, but I don’t see any signs.”
“Do you see the sculpture over there, the one with a bird-god holding a rare jewel toward the sky?” asked Dunkle, pointing off to his left.
“Sure.”
“That is a replication of the Golden Staff of Ra. If you wanted to travel to the realm of Egyptian mythology, you would follow that symbol and the orange mist.”
“Cool,” said Evan.
“What about Atlantis?” Claire asked, awakening from her trancelike state.
“Of course there is a portal for Atlantis, but we need to focus on the Serpent’s Ring and lavender mist,” said Dunkle. “Ah, there it is.”
Evan looked over to where the imp was pointing his long, gangly arm. A glass replica of the Serpent’s Ring towered above the colorful trees. Lavender mist circled its base and continued in a straight line toward the east.
“Dunkle, what’s the big deal with the Serpent’s Ring?” asked Evan. “Why is it so important we get it back?”
“The Serpent’s Ring might be just one relic from the great Mysticus Orb, but it still contains enough power to destroy all of Terra. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, the consequences could be catastrophic.”
“What’s Terra?” Evan asked.
“Why, your Earth, of course.”
The fresh breeze cut right through Evan’s skin. He could barely move, but he managed to mumble, “Did it just fall into the wrong hands?”
“I am afraid so. The bird that stole the Serpent’s Ring is one of Aegir’s soldiers. Which means the Serpent’s Ring is on its way to the Norse sea god.”
“Wait, who’s Aegir?” Evan asked.
“Clearly, you have not studied Norse mythology, have you?” Dunkle stated rhetorically.
“Sure, a little. There’s the god Thor and Odin and some trolls with big noses or something,” said Claire.
“Oh yeah, and Loki,” interrupted Evan. “I like him; he’s funny.”
“My dear children, there are many, many gods and goddesses from Norse mythology,” said Dunkle irritably. “Aegir is the god of the sea. He has always been, shall I say, different. But after the most recent oil spill in one of his precious coral reefs, he is completely incensed. He wants to flood the entire planet and can use the Serpent’s Ring to do just that.”
“But why would he want to wipe out everybody on Earth—I mean Terra?” Evan asked nervously.
“Aegir believes, by washing away mankind, he will be able to revitalize the world,” said Dunkle. “In some ways, I agree with him. But I think there must be another way to deal with mankind.”
Evan barely flinched, barely breathed. In fact, he was barely able to comprehend all he had just heard. “Let me get this straight; what you’re telling us is that an angry sea god is trying to flood the entire planet?” Evan asked, and the imp nodded his head.
“How is the Serpent’s Ring supposed to help him with that?”
“Do you remember the shape of the Serpent’s Ring?” Dunkle asked.
“Yes, it was a serpent, circling to bite its tail,” Claire chimed.
“Right, right—only imagine a serpent so big, it’s able to wrap its body around the entire world. Now, that serpent would be Jormundgand,” Dunkle said slowly, emphasizing the last word. “Now, if Jormundgand lets go of his tail, then Terra, as we know it, will be flooded and destroyed. The Serpent’s Ring can be used as a key to unlock the giant sea serpent.”
“Slow down there. I don’t want any part of sea gods and giant serpents,” exclaimed Evan.
But Dunkle didn’t seem to hear Evan, or perhaps the imp didn’t care about what the boy had to say. Instead of listening, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Let me see; we need to fly over to Lake Huron and sail through the lavender tunnel leading into Asgard.”
“How do you suggest we fly to Lake Huron, and how are we going to sail to this Asgard place?” Claire asked.
Dunkle didn’t acknowledge her, he was too distracted. “That’ll do. Right over there, right over there.” Dunkle pointed his long, boney finger toward the Model T car.
“Are you crazy? We can’t take that car!” Evan exploded, pacing back and forth. “Besides, what is a Model T doing here? Nothing else around this place looks the same.”
“Certainly, most objects from your world disappear when you enter Sagaas. Sometimes, however, a few manmade items manage to sneak in. That Model T must have a very interesting past, indeed.”
“I can drive it,” Claire stated.
“Not likely,” said Evan.
“Hey, I’m sixteen and passed my driving test. All I have to do is figure out the gears,” said Claire, walking toward the old automobile.
Just then, Dunkle leapt in front of her, and she teetered backward. “What are you doing?” yelled Claire.
“No need to drive, no need to drive. Get in, get in. I’ll explain,” said Dunkle. He then shook his head. “Terrific. Here, I have spent a century perfecting my speech, and because of you, I have reverted back to my impish way of speaking.”
Evan reluctantly followed his sister and Dunkle to the car. Claire sat on the backseat, and Evan joined her—anything to get away from that cheesy odor coming from the imp.
Dunkle climbed behind the wheel, and turned around. “So, which one of you can make this car fly?”
Chapter Four
A MODEL T CAN’T FLY
CLAIRE AND EVAN PEERED OVER at each other and scrunched up their eyebrows in bewilderment.
“Clearly the imp is off his rocker,” Evan whispered, and Claire giggled.
“You two must pay attention. When you put on the Serpent’s Ring, did you notice anything strange?” Dunkle asked, studying the two passengers.
Claire said excitedly, “Yeah, it shocked me and made the room light up.”
“That’s not all it did,” said Dunkle. “I am afraid not only did you open a portal to Sagaas, your DNA was slightly altered.”
“How do you mean, altered?” Evan asked. “Don’t tell me we’re going to turn into mad-raving imps.”
“Not likely, I am sorry to say,” Dunkle quipped. “Both of you were given a power. Now, I am wondering, which one of you can move this car?”
Evan and Claire shrugged their shoulders. Evan leaned back, put his arms across his chest, and grumbled, “This is ridiculous.”
“How can we find out?” Claire asked, sounding sincerely interested.
“Concentrate,” said the imp. “First, concentrate on moving the wheels. Think about them and imagine they are rolling forward.”
Claire squint her eyes and pursed her lips. After a minute of fierce concentration, a rush of air released through her mouth, and she collapsed against the backseat.
Evan laughed. “Seriously, you are as loony as the imp.”
“At least, I’m trying to do something here! What about you? Aren’t you going to try?” Claire bellowed.
“No,” said Evan flatly.
“Evan, an enormous bird swooped down and stole the Serpent’s Ring from your arm. We are in a Model T with an imp, and the sky is tangerine with rainbow-colored clouds. Humor me, and try to move this blasted car with your mind!” said Claire, grabbing Evan’s shirt collar. “If you don’t, I will make your life miserable. Got it?”
Evan looked at Dunkle, then back at his sister before saying, “Fine, I’ll do it. But, just for the record, this is bizarre.”
Dunkle gave him a little smile, and Evan brought in a large breath of air. He imagined the tires turning, but nothing happened.
“See, I told you. This is ridiculous,” he sighed.
“No, try again,” encouraged Dunkle.
Evan rolled his eyes and then concentrated. Suddenly, the Model T swayed and a lavender m
ist billowed out from underneath the car.
“Whoa, what happened?” said Evan, his eyes wide.
“You, my boy, are telekinetic,” said Dunkle with obvious delight.
“Come on, Evan, try it again,” Claire encouraged.
“You can do this. Just imagine the wheels turning,” instructed Dunkle.
Evan looked back and forth between Claire and Dunkle. After careful deliberation, he decided to risk looking like a fool and try it again. He closed his eyes and imagined his hand was pushing the tires around and around. Suddenly, he felt the car rock and heard his sister gasp. He opened his eyes. Not only did the tires roll, the entire flippin’ car was floating!
“Argh!” Evan shouted, and with that, the car fell back down, producing a startling jolt.
“Ouch!” Claire yelped and swatted at her brother. “Why did you drop us?”
“Am I the only one here who finds it the tiniest bit odd that we were flying in a Model T?” shouted Evan.
Claire placed her hand gently on his shoulder. “Evan, yes, it is strange. But if we don’t get over it, then according to Dunkle, everything we care about will soon be covered in water. I’m not any happier than you are, but I’m trying to deal with it and so should you.”
Evan took another second to collect himself before sitting upright and taking hold of the front seat. “I think this will work better if I’m behind the wheel,” he said, jumping over. He looked at Dunkle, who nodded slightly.
“Ready?” Dunkle asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” said Evan, his bare white knuckles clutching the wheel.
Again, he filled his lungs with air and concentrated. To his surprise, the car lifted and hovered in place.
“Now, forward,” instructed Dunkle.
“Wicked,” said Evan as air blew through his hair and whispered into his ears.
“Be very careful; you must continue to concentrate and don’t look down,” said Dunkle.
Evan hadn’t considered looking down. But now that Dunkle mentioned it, he just couldn’t resist. Evan peeked over the car door, and the Model T fell!