by T. L. Clarke
They walked over to the correct chairs, sat down, and waited silently for something to happen.
Rosalinda wailed, “Great, just like I thought. Nothing is—” She squealed with surprise as their chairs quickly spun around sideways and then abruptly stopped.
Jessica gripped her armrest so tight that her knuckles turned a deathly white. “Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness! What’s happening? I’m getting off this chair,” she screamed nervously.
“No, don’t move,” Zora instructed.
The chairs spun around again; this time they stopped to face the bookcase.
Zora looked around nervously. Rosalinda’s eyes were squeezed tight with fear. Jessica’s chest heaved in and out, and Gabrielle gripped her armrest tightly. They looked at each other nervously.
“I think it’s all right to get off the chair now,” Zora said breathlessly.
Rosalinda opened her eyes slowly. “This is crazy; I’m getting out of—”
“Quiet, Rosalinda. Did anyone else hear that?” Zora asked as she looked around the room anxiously.
Jessica’s eyes bulged nervously. “Hear what?”
“There it goes again. Can’t you hear it? It’s faint but I definitely hear something clicking,” Zora whispered as she looked around the room uneasily.
Rosalinda looked at her angrily. “I don’t hear a thing. I think that this—” She jumped nervously at the loud clicking sound.
Unexpectedly, a small section of the bookcase slowly swung open, revealing a dark entrance. Their mouths dropped open with shock.
“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about,” Gabrielle exclaimed happily. She clapped her hands excitedly. “Awesome! I knew it. It’s some sort of secret passageway,” she screamed as she jumped up from her chair. She ran over and peered boldly into the secret passageway. Turning around, she looked at them with an excited sparkle in her eyes. “Isn’t this great? Wow, I knew it, I just knew it...”
Rosalinda, Zora, and Jessica sat paralyzed with shock, looking at the secret passageway from afar.
Gabrielle tapped her foot impatiently. “What’s the deal, Gabby Girls? Why are you still sitting there?”
Incredulously, they looked at her.
Gabrielle propped her hands on her hips and gave Zora an annoyed glare. “Come on, Zora, this is what we’ve been looking for.” She turned back around and peered excitedly into the passageway. “Zora, take out your flashlight because I think we’re going to need it. It’s real dark in there,” she stated matter-of-factly, her voice echoing as she leaned in.
Zora snapped out of her stupor, shrugged her shoulders with defeat, and hopped up from the chair. She quickly dug through her backpack as she walked over to the dark passageway.
Gabrielle looked over her shoulder, giving Zora an excited smile. Zora smiled back as she handed the flashlight over to Gabrielle.
“Here, Gabi, take the flashlight,” she said elatedly.
“Thanks, Zo,” Gabrielle said as she shined the flashlight through the doorway. “This is definitely the way; I can just feel it in my bones,” she mumbled. She turned around and smiled. “Let’s go, Gabby Girls.”
Rosalinda and Jessica just sat in their chairs, gawking nervously.
“Um, I-I don’t know about this. It might be dangerous,” Jessica stuttered nervously.
Gabrielle gave her an annoyed look. “Come on, Jess, we’ve come way too far to stop now. Don’t you see? We were brought together for a reason and I’m determined to find out why. Are you with us or not?”
Rosalinda clutched her designer purse tightly as she daintily stood up from her chair. “I know that I will regret this later, but Gabi is right. My father always says that your destiny cannot be denied and that you must follow it at all costs. So, I’m with you, Gabi.”
Zora adjusted her glasses. “I’m with you, Gabi. We should follow this passageway to wherever or whomever it might lead us.”
Jessica looked over at them nervously. “To be honest, right now I’m a little scared, and weird things always happen to me when I’m afraid. But if we all stick together, I guess we’re bound to be okay. So, yes, I’m with you, Gabi.” She stood up and shakily walked over to meet Gabrielle, who stood impatiently at the passageway.
Gabrielle patted Jessica reassuringly on the back. “Well, what are we waiting for? Our destiny is only a few steps away,” she said as she stepped through the threshold with Rosalinda and Jessica following close behind.
Zora looked around the room quickly, spotting the paper with the second clue and the gold key on the floor. She ran over, picked them up, and shoved them into her backpack.
“Something tells me that we just might need this later,” she said to herself as she adjusted her glasses and ran quickly through the secret doorway.
Gabby Girls Clue #3
First step on blue then step on green, reverse it back and count two three. At the wall you multiply, ten times two then add a five.
Gabby Girls Clue #4
The night sky is full of shining points that twinkle in your eyes. Twinkle five and twinkle four. Work together, use your gifts, turn clockwise, and do it quick.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Twinkle Twinkle
Gabrielle pointed the flashlight down the length of the secret passageway. “Is everyone here?”
Jessica nervously looked around. “I don’t see Zora. Where is she?”
Zora breathlessly ran over to where they were standing. “I’m here! I just had to get something that I think we might need later.”
Gabrielle flashed the light in their faces. “Look, Gabby Girls, please stick together. We definitely don’t want to get lost in here.” She quickly turned on her heels and they slowly walked away from the entrance.
A loud click echoed through the passageway. Startled, they huddled together, looking at each other with obvious panic in their eyes. They watched in horror as the door to the entrance slammed shut.
Rosalinda ran over to the now-sealed entrance and banged on it frantically. “No, please, no,” she wailed frightfully. She quickly spun around, looking at them accusingly. “Great! Do you see what you’ve done? Now we’re trapped in here,” she screamed hysterically.
Gabrielle slowly pointed the flashlight at the entrance. “You’re right; the only way out now is down the passageway,” she responded coolly.
Angrily, Rosalinda wagged her finger in Gabrielle’s face. “You do realize that this is your fault, Gabi. After all, we wouldn’t be stuck in this horrible place if it weren’t for you and your dumb Gabby Girls Adventure.”
Menacingly, Gabrielle stepped toward Rosalinda, “Look, Princess Rosalinda, I didn’t drag your butt in here. In fact, no one did. So, you better get your bony little finger out of my face.”
Jessica bit her lips nervously as she looked at Rosalinda and Gabrielle, who were circling each other. “Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” she mumbled helplessly.
Zora quickly stepped in between them, gently placing a hand on each of their shoulders and forcing them to step apart. “Stop it! Stop the fighting. We are never going to get out of here if we don’t stick together. Besides, I’m positive that there’s another way out of here. There’s got to be.” She adjusted her glasses as she quickly looked over at the entrance. “Wait a minute! What’s that? Quick, Gabi, shine the flashlight up toward the top of the entrance. I think there’s something stuck up there.”
Gabrielle quickly shined the flashlight, squinting at the barely visible object. “You’re right; it looks like there’s something stuck up there. What is it?”
“Hmm, it looks like some sort of paper. Gabi, hold the flashlight steady while I grab it.” Zora reached up, wobbling unsteadily on her tiptoes as she snatched the paper that was wedged at the top edge of the entrance. Her eyes flashed with excitement as she held up a yellowed envelope for all to see.
Gabrielle glared angrily at Rosalinda. “See, Princess Rosalinda? There was no need to throw a tantrum; there was another clue stuck in the wall,” she said smugly.<
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Rosalinda rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Ignoring them both, Zora anxiously ripped open the envelope. “Okay, listen up, Gabby Girls…it’s another clue:
First step on blue then step on green, reverse it back and count two three. At the wall you multiply, ten times two then add a five.”
Zora looked up. “Hmm, I’m drawing a blank here. I have no idea what the clue means.” She took off her glasses and wiped them on the front of her shirt then tiredly handed the clue to Gabrielle, who quickly read it then shoved it into her jean pocket.
“I’m with you, Zo. I have no idea what the clue means,” Gabrielle said sadly as she blew out with frustration and quickly looked around the passageway. “But I do know this—we’re wasting time, so I guess we better keep going. I’m sure whatever the clue wants us to do is somewhere at the end of this passageway,” she said confidently.
Jessica looked over at them anxiously as she bit her fingernails.
Gabrielle looked over at Rosalinda. “So, Princess Rosalinda, you know what that means—more walking and less yapping,” she said as she sharply turned on her heels and stormed down the dark passageway.
Defiantly, Rosalinda crossed her arms across her chest as she tapped her foot angrily.
Jessica smiled as she timidly walked over to Rosalinda. “Come on, Rosalinda, we have to go.”
“I guess since we’re stuck in here, I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Rosalinda said nastily. She huffed as she brushed rudely past Jessica and stomped off down the passageway after Gabrielle.
* * *
With the secret passageway leading them into another passageway, and with the only light coming from the flashlight that Gabrielle held tightly in her hand, they cautiously marched through the passage with tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife.
None of the Gabby Girls uttered one single word; they were each lost in their own thoughts as they flicked away the thick cobwebs that stretched across the ceiling, blocking their path. Rosalinda squealed with anguish each time they walked through a cobweb, frantically pulling and blowing them from her hair and face.
Zora stopped suddenly, pointing down to the stone pathway that lay before them. “Wait, Gabi, shine the flashlight down at the floor.” She adjusted her glasses as she looked down suspiciously at the stone pathway.
They stood silently, marveling at the strange pathway. Half of it was paved with old, large, stone gray squares, but even more oddly, the middle section was paved with new, large, colorful squares in beautiful bright shades of green, gold, and blue. The even stranger thing was that at the end of the beautiful, colorful pathway, the stone gray squares appeared again, laid out in all their glory, winding all the way down to the end of the pathway.
Zora adjusted her glasses. “Gabby Girls, this just doesn’t feel right. There’s something really odd about this.” She pointed toward the colorful squares. “What’s the deal with the colorful squares in the middle section of the pathway? I mean, why is it so different from the gray squares in the beginning and at the end of the pathway? And look at the weird pattern that the blue, gold, and green squares are making. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something not quite right about it.”
Rosalinda gave Zora a defiant stare. “Who asked you for your opinion? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be stuck in this dirty, awful place! Get out of my way; I’m out of here!” she said loudly as she pushed them aside, stomping across the gray squares. She started muttering loudly in Spanish as she marched angrily across the colorful squares.
Abruptly, the silence of the passageway was pierced by an awful, loud cracking sound, like a lightning bolt hitting a tree. They screamed with terror as they watched the entire section of the colorful pathway sharply collapse, taking Rosalinda with it. Quickly, they sprinted to the edge of the stone pathway.
“Oh, no, I just can’t look! She’s dead, I just know it,” Jessica wailed with tears welling up in her eyes.
They peered down cautiously, breathing out with relief when they saw a very alive but quite shaken Rosalinda trying to scramble to her feet. Nervously brushing the dust off of her clothes, she looked up at them with fear-filled eyes. “Well? Don’t just stand there; help me get the heck out of here,” she screamed hysterically.
“Don’t move an inch, Rosalinda! Gabi, let me see that clue again,” Zora instructed anxiously.
Gabrielle quickly pulled the clue from her pocket and handed it over to her.
Zora quickly unfolded the clue and read it aloud:
First step on blue then step on green, reverse it back and count two three. At the wall you multiply, ten times two then add a five.
Her forehead crinkled with concentration as she looked up from reading the clue; her eyes pleaded with Jessica and Gabrielle for help.
Gabrielle carefully backed away from the edge of the pathway, pacing in a slow circle as she repeated the clue aloud:
First step on blue then step on green, reverse it back and count two three. At the wall you multiply, ten times two then add a five.
She stopped mid-stride, looking over at Zora. Their faces lit up instantly with shared excitement. “It’s the blue and green squares,” they screamed at the top of their lungs.
Jessica gave them a baffled stare. “I don’t get it. What are you talking about?”
“The clue says to first step on blue then step on green, reverse it back and count to three. Don’t you see? Rosalinda stepped on the wrong color square,” Gabrielle stated matter-of-factly.
Jessica looked at her bewildered.
“Don’t you see? It was a trick. The clue specifically says to first step on blue then step on green,” Gabrielle said slowly.
Rosalinda looked up unsteadily. “So, exactly how do I get out of here?” she screamed anxiously.
They peered down at her silently.
“Okay, Rosalinda, listen carefully. Turn around and stand in the direction as if you were still heading down the pathway. Then carefully hop onto the blue square and then hop onto the green square,” Zora instructed patiently.
Rosalinda carefully hopped over the gold square and wobbly landed on one foot on the blue square.
They all exhaled with relief.
Rosalinda clinched her face with determination as she hopped onto the green square.
Slowly, the pathway started to inch its way up. They all laughed with nervous relief, but their laughter stopped cold when the pathway stopped moving.
Rosalinda looked up at them nervously. “You guys, it didn’t work. What do I do now?” she wailed.
“Rosa, you’re not done. You have to hop your way down the pathway. First on blue then on green until you get to the end of the pathway,” Gabrielle instructed anxiously.
Rosalinda nervously wiped the dust from her face, leaving a long streak of dirt across her cheek. “You have got to be kidding me?” she asked nervously.
“Gabi’s right. You have to keep going, Rosa,” Zora instructed.
They looked on expectantly as Rosalinda mumbled something angrily in Spanish and hopped onto a blue square.
The pathway suddenly plummeted and Rosalinda wobbled violently, crashing to her knees. With horror, they screamed hysterically.
Jessica turned away in fright. “Oh, no! Oh, no! I can’t look! She’s dead this time. I just know it,” she wailed.
Zora and Gabrielle peered over the edge, breathing out with relief when they saw Rosalinda nervously dusting the dirt off of her sweater, as if nothing had happened.
“Wait, wait, wait, this is all wrong,” Zora said anxiously.
Rosalinda looked up, frozen with fear. “You think?” she asked scornfully.
Zora adjusted her glasses. “Okay, wait a minute. Let me read the clue again. Somehow, we must have missed an important step. Let me read it again:
First step on blue then step on green, reverse it back and count two three. At the wall you multiply, ten times two then add a five.”
Her face lit up w
ith excitement. “Okay, I got it. It’s a trick. The clue wants you to reverse your steps. The first part of the clue said to step on blue and then green, but now it wants you to reverse it back.” Zora adjusted her glasses. “But, wait, here’s the twist; the last part of the clue says to count to three, which means that when you reach the last square, you must stand on it and count to three.”
Jessica looked over at Zora like she was a lunatic that escaped an asylum.
Gabrielle clapped her hands gleefully. “Brilliant, Zora, you’re right. Okay, Rosalinda, listen carefully. I’ll help you through it. Now, hop on green then on blue,” she shouted confidently.
Rosalinda shakily got up from the floor, dusting off her clothes self-consciously. She carefully hopped on a green square and then on a blue, and the pathway slowly inched its way up. She breathed out with obvious relief as the other girls clapped happily. But their happiness was short-lived; the pathway stopped moving.
“What’s wrong now?” Rosalinda wailed.
“Don’t worry about it; you have to continue hopping all the way to the end of the pathway,” Zora said reassuringly. “Okay, now hop on blue then on green,” she instructed.
Rosalinda carefully hopped on blue then on green; the pathway slowly inched up again. She wiped away the beads of sweat that dotted her forehead as she waited for further instructions.
“Okay, so now you’re at the last two squares. Hop on green then on blue,” Gabrielle instructed. “Blue is your last square, so remember to stand on it and count to three. Then and only then can you hop off.”
Rosalinda stood frozen with fear.
“C’mon, Rosalinda, you can do it. Remember, Gabby Girls can do anything,” Gabrielle said reassuringly.
Rosalinda nodded her head in agreement as she clenched her teeth in determination and hopped on green then on blue.
Gabrielle encouraged her. “Okay, you’re almost done. Now, you have to count to three,” she instructed.