by T. L. Clarke
They gawked nervously at the wide, steep stone staircase that spread from wall to wall.
“Do you think it’s another trick?” Gabrielle asked anxiously.
Jessica twisted her blond hair nervously. Zora adjusted her glasses. “It might be, so let’s be very careful.”
They slowly followed Zora down the stone staircase, looking around like frightened deer caught in a headlight.
Gabrielle looked around the cavern nervously. “Stop! This doesn’t feel right. Zora, do you remember exactly what the golden symbols around the entrance said?”
“Umm, let me see. Okay, it said ‘Destiny Is Right Through,’” Zora responded.
Gabrielle looked around cautiously. “It’s another trick.”
Rosalinda asked, “Are you sure it’s a trick?”
Gabrielle’s face scrunched with annoyance. “Well, no, Rosa, I’m not a hundred percent sure. Jeez, I’m not a psychic, you know.”
Zora agitatedly adjusted her glasses. “Well, we can’t go back; there’s nothing back there for us. Plus the entrance did say ‘Destiny Is Right Through.’ So, let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best. This way, Gabby Girls!”
In complete silence, they continued walking down the steep staircase. They walked for several minutes with a twinkle of uncertainty filling the air. Suddenly, a loud boom cracked through the cold, dark air; startled, they stopped and looked around with alarm.
Rosalinda jumped up and down hysterically, as if her shoes were on fire. “Oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness. Did you hear that?”
Gabrielle shot her an annoyed glare. “Of course we heard it, Rosalinda. After all, we’re not deaf, you know.”
Jessica’s eyes bulged with fear as she bit her bottom lip nervously.
Gabrielle looked around the cavern with determination written all over her face. “Zora, ignore it. Let’s just—.”
The loud boom bellowed again, which was followed by a louder cracking sound.
Their eyes widened as they watched with terror when the steps that lay before them unfolded one by one, as if banged flat by a hammer.
Gabrielle looked on with horror as trickles of water came down the stairs, followed by a rush of rolling water.
Jessica squealed in anguish as the cold water splashed against her ankles like the waves at a beach. “Oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness. This is definitely not good.”
Gabrielle turned around nervously. “Zora! Quick, run back up the stairs. Let’s get out of here.”
Zora quickly turned on her heels but stopped, paralyzed with fear; her feet were glued to the ground as she watched all of the steps that were above them unfold one by one. “We’re trapped. We can’t go up and we can’t go down,” she squealed in a high-pitched voice.
Gabrielle struggled to stand as the water beat against her legs. “Quick, Gabby Girls, huddle together.”
They looked around in horror, huddling together as the cold water roughly beat against their legs.
“What are we going to do now?” Jessica squealed with panic.
They huddled closer as another loud cracking sound erupted.
Gabrielle quickly spun around, eyes filled with terror. “You better brace yourselves, Gabby Girls, because this might hurt just a tad bit!”
They screamed hysterically as a huge wave of water rushed down the stairs, shoving them off their feet and carrying them down as if they were on a water-slide. They screamed as the thunderous waves pushed them further and further through the cavern, with bodies bobbing and spinning as they slid down the stairs.
Desperately, Jessica gulped for air. “Gabi! Help me.”
Gabrielle lunged for the sleeve of Jessica’s sweater but the deafening waters violently shoved her hands away. She watched with alarm as Jessica slipped further away, barreling down the stairs. She looked around frantically for Zora and Rosalinda.
Zora hugged her arms tightly against her body, bracing against the vicious waters effortlessly.
Rosalinda’s head bobbed up and down in the water, drowning her screams. In an uncontrolled motion, she struggled to rise from the water. She opened her mouth to scream again but the violent waters rushed in, silencing her screams.
The torrential waters were relentless.
Gabrielle looked on helplessly as her body bobbed up and down in the water uncontrollably. In shock, she furiously blinked away the water when she saw the thunderous waves pounding even harder, as if building into one large wave.
“Oh, no, please, no!” Gabrielle screamed.
The further they slid, the harder the water pounded against their bodies.
Gabrielle braced for the worst. “Gabi, get it together; this is easy, just think water-slide. You can do it! I know you can,” she mumbled aloud. She glued her arms against her body and quickly leaned back. The water glided effortlessly across her. The more she relaxed her body, the smoother the ride became. She barreled down the slide as if she were a rocket.
She smiled softly, now enjoying the tickle of the water as it ran across her body. Gabrielle screamed aloud with enjoyment, “Woo! Wee!”
Rosalinda’s body bounced up and down like an uncontrollable beach ball. “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” she screamed.
Jessica’s body was now in an upright position, skating stiffly from side to side through the water.
The water rushed and gushed faster and faster, forcing them quickly through the cavern. Suddenly, the roaring quieted, leaving an odd stillness in the cavern.
Gabrielle looked up with surprise at the bright golden light that suddenly appeared at the bottom of the cavern. She gulped nervously as the torrential waves of water increased again, causing a huge wave to roll over their bodies, violently pushing them through the air and out of the cavern as if they were just shot out of a cannon.
They screamed with horror as they floundered in mid-air with arms and legs flaying around like a fish out of water.
Gabrielle looked down at the massive pool of blue water that she was mere inches away from plopping into. “Gabby Girls, you better brace yourselves!” she screamed.
One by one, they splashed down into the blue water.
Zora splashed down and quickly kicked her way back to the surface. She coughed loudly as she gasped for air, paddling around in circles as she looked around for her glasses. She grabbed them with relief as they floated to the surface and quickly shoved them into her pocket.
Gabrielle burst to the surface of the water, gasping for air as she shook the water off her face. She smiled with relief when she saw Jessica sputtering to the surface. Frantically, she looked over at Zora then at Jessica.
“Where’s Rosa? I don’t see Rosa!”
Nervously, Jessica looked around. “Oh, my goodness! Don’t you remember what she said? She said that she couldn’t swim!”
Gabrielle treaded water as she looked around nervously. “She must be at the bottom of the water. I’m going down to look for her.”
Zora anxiously paddled around the lagoon. “Wait for me…I’ll help you look.”
“You better be careful; the water is deep,” Jessica said.
Gabrielle smiled confidently. “Don’t worry about me; I’m a real strong swimmer. I’ve been swimming practically all my life. My Grandma Celeste says that in my former life, I must have been a fish.” She watched as Jessica’s teeth chattered from the cold water. “Jess, this water is freezing; just head for the edge of the water, get out, and get warm. Don’t worry about a thing; we’ll find Rosa, I promise you.”
With worried eyes, Jessica smiled then quickly paddled away.
Somberly, Gabrielle nodded at Zora then dove under water. Zora gritted her teeth against the freezing water and quickly dove under.
Jessica paddled awkwardly toward the edge of the lake. Huffing and puffing with each stroke, finally reaching the rim of the water, she grasped it tiredly with her fingers. With teeth chattering from the cold air, she looked up with utter amazement, blinking rapidly at the sight of the glorious, tall, gold pillars
that surrounded the large lagoon. From the corner of her eye, she could see a small waterfall with clear glistening waters gurgling softly from the edge of the humungous room.
“This is totally awesome,” Jessica whispered.
Exhausted, she slowly looked around the room, finally dragging her body from the cold water and crawling across the shiny blue tiles. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the brightly painted ceilings.
Under the cold water, Gabrielle and Zora frantically swam around, desperately looking for any sign of Rosalinda.
Zora shot Gabrielle an anxious stare, which Gabrielle pretended not to understand. She gritted her teeth and gave Zora the sign that was she was going up for air by quickly pointing her finger toward the surface of the water. Zora reluctantly followed.
Gabrielle burst to the surface and sputtered for air. “Where on earth could she be?”
“I don’t know, Gabi, but I do know this—we can’t stay in this water any longer. It’s too cold,” Zora said in between gasps for air. She gave Gabrielle an anxious look. “I don’t want to say it but—”
Gabrielle gasped for air. “Well, don’t say it, Zora! Don’t ever say it! Rosalinda is okay; I just know she is. I can feel it in my bones. Look, I’m a strong swimmer; I know I can find her. You just get out of the water and help Jessica.”
Zora gulped anxiously. “No, I’m not leaving you, Gabi. I know you want to find her but the scientific fact is that she’s been under the water for way too long. I don’t think you’ll be able to find her. We have to leave her.”
Gabrielle bit her lip uneasily. “No, I can’t…I won’t! And I don’t care about any scientific fact! Gabby Girls don’t give up and, most importantly, a Gabby Girl would never leave another Gabby Girl, ever.”
“Gabi, please! Be rational,” Zora pleaded.
Gabrielle’s face pinched with determination. “No, I’m going under one more time. I have to; I know that she’s still alive.”
“Well, I’m not leaving you. Let’s try to find her together,” Zora said strongly.
Taking deep breaths, they quickly dove under the ice-cold water, frantically swimming around; still, there was no sign of Rosalinda.
Zora gave Gabrielle a remorseful look as she gave her the sign that she was going back up to the surface.
Gabrielle nodded her head sadly and started to follow her up to the surface when something shimmering in the water caught the corner of her eye. She blinked in awe at the huge golden bubble shimmering brightly at the bottom of the water. Fearfully, she backed up as the large bubble slowly rose from the bottom. As it rose, the shining gold light became brighter. As if by magic, tiny bubbles circled it.
As if in a hypnotized daze, Gabrielle tried to swim closer to touch it but the tiny bubbles gently pushed her away. She looked on in awe at the sheer size of the bubble. Her eyes squinted at the sight of Rosalinda’s body peacefully cocooned in the center of the circle, her eyes closed as if she were in some sort of calm sleep.
Excitedly, Gabrielle swam toward the bubble, and this time the tiny bubbles parted, allowing her to get close. She cautiously swam around the bubble, her face practically pressed against its surface as she looked at Rosalinda’s body carefully suspended in the center.
Unexpectedly, the tiny bubbles briskly encircled her body, twirling and pushing her softly around in the water. Gabrielle giggled as they softly tickled her body; all of a sudden, the bubbles increased in strength, shoving her through the water like soda bursting out of a shaken bottle.
Gabrielle burst to the surface, gasping for air.
Quickly, Zora swam toward her. “What happened? You were down there for an awful long time. How in the world did you hold your breath for so long?”
Gabrielle desperately gasped for air, silently looking at Zora with dazed eyes.
Zora’s faced pinched with concern. “What’s wrong with you, Gabi? You look spooked. Exactly what happened down there?”
Gabrielle wiped the water from her eyes. “Zora, if I told you, you just wouldn’t believe me. I just saw the strangest, most beautiful thing.”
The surface of the water rippled violently and Rosalinda’s body burst to the surface as if it were spit out with distain by the water. Her body floated for what seemed like hours as Gabrielle and Zora looked on in fright.
Suddenly, Rosalinda’s eyes snapped open, looking around in panic. “Help me! I can’t swim!”
Gabrielle and Zora froze in shock. “No way!” they said in unison.
Like a fish, Rosalinda’s body floundered and splashed around hysterically. “Help me!”
Zora and Gabrielle swam frantically over to her. Gabrielle grabbed Rosalinda’s sweater but Rosalinda struggled and splashed around too much. “Rosa! Stop panicking! You’re going to drown us both.”
Ignoring her, Rosalinda continued to splash around. “I can’t swim! Help me!”
Gabrielle gasped for air. “What do you think I’m trying to do? Relax; I’ll pull you to the edge of the water.” She gripped Rosalinda’s neck and swam strongly toward the edge with Zora swimming by her side.
They gasped and struggled for air when they reached the water’s edge.
Pulling her body tiredly out of the lagoon, Zora collapsed onto her back as she gasped for air. Gabrielle pulled her body out of the water and crawled along the floor, gulping for breath. She looked over her shoulders and saw Rosalinda struggling to get out of the water; Gabrielle struggled to her feet with wobbly legs then walked back to the water’s edge and extended her hand.
“Grab my hand, Rosa.”
Rosalinda looked up gratefully and grabbed Gabrielle’s hand as she pulled her slowly from the water. Both Rosalinda and Gabrielle collapsed tiredly on the cold blue tiles.
“Thank you, Gabi,” Rosalinda said breathlessly.
“What are you thanking me for?” Gabrielle responded gruffly.
“I’m thanking you for saving me,” Rosalinda continued.
Gabrielle rolled over onto her side and looked at her tiredly. “I’d really like to take all of the credit, but I can’t. Don’t you remember anything that happened down there?”
Rosalinda hesitated. “Kind of…I remember sliding through the cavern; I remember being spit out of the cavern by a big gush of water. I also remember floating through the air then hitting the water…but after that, I can’t remember anything.”
Gabrielle sat up. “So, you really don’t remember anything else?”
“Why? What happened?” Rosalinda asked.
Zora walked over and plopped down next to them. “Yeah, Gabi, exactly what happened down there?”
Gabrielle looked over. “I don’t think that either of you would believe me even if I told you.”
Zora looked at her anxiously. “After all of the things that happened so far today, I will believe anything at this point.”
Gabrielle breathed out anxiously. “Well, when you went back up for air, I started to follow you but something caught my eye. When I looked down toward the bottom of the water, I saw this strange thing. It was a—”
Rosalinda looked at her expectantly. “What? You saw what?”
“I saw a big golden bubble,” Gabrielle blurted out.
Their eyes were huge as saucers.
“Well, what was inside the bubble?” Zora asked.
“It was Rosa—she was stuck in the center of the bubble,” Gabrielle stated.
Zora looked at her in shock. “No way!”
Gabrielle smiled. “Yes, way.”
Rosalinda sat up and twirled her wet, black hair nervously.
Gabrielle looked over at Rosalinda suspiciously. “Are you absolutely sure that you don’t remember what happened?”
Deliberately avoiding their piercing stares, she stood up shakily, squeezing the water from her hair. “I just told you I don’t remember a thing. So stop asking me,” Rosa said nastily. She rudely turned on her heels and stormed off.
Unconvinced, Gabrielle and Zora looked at her disappearing back.
<
br /> Standing up, Gabrielle squeezed the water from her ponytails. “Frankly, I think she’s lying.”
Zora looked down at the glasses firmly grasped in her hand. “I think so, too.”
Gabrielle looked around the huge, brightly painted room in awe. “Oh, well, time’s a-wasting—and the Gabby Girls Adventure continues.”
Gabby Girls Clue #7
The end is near and crystal-clear. Just walk right through it if you dare. And if you’re feeling faint at heart, let that person make a start.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Mystery Waterfall
Gabrielle walked slowly toward the brightly painted walls, running her fingers along the carved symbols. She blinked quickly, not believing her eyes. “What in the world! What is this room doing here?”
Rosalinda nervously twitched as she stood by the small waterfall. “Look at how crystal-clear this water is.” She ran her fingers through the water, gasping deliciously. “And so cold.”
Curiously, Gabrielle looked past the mammoth golden pillars that lined the center of the room. She blinked when something strange caught the corner of her eye and she quickly walked toward it. In all its glory stood a huge, gold table surrounded by colorful, fluffy pillows. As she neared it, she could see a long, wide object lodged in the center of the table; it was a gold cylinder.
“Gabby Girls, over here. I think I found something!” Gabrielle exclaimed happily.
They all rushed over to look at the table.
Gabrielle leaned over, cautiously pointing toward the center of the table. “I think there’s something in the cylinder.”
Rosalinda rolled her eyes. “Duh! We’re not blind, Gabi; we can all see the paper in there.” She snapped her fingers in Gabrielle’s face. “Well, hurry up! What are you waiting for? Pull it out already.”
Gabrielle angrily slammed her hands on her hips, looking at her furiously. “Girl, just who in the world do you think you’re talking to like that? I am not your servant!”
Rosalinda flushed red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m just tired and I want to get out of here.”