Return to Underland

by Alan Nayes

  “Except for these ones,” Reglan added.

  “Yeah, except for Underland.” Ever since he could recall, Spinner had read about, dreamed of, and admired these monumental “terrible lizards” of the ancient past. Gripping his pack with both hands, Spinner told himself that all this only made his earlier decision even more important. The dinosaurs weren’t all gone. All he had to do was recall fleeing the tyrannosaur and the pile of rubble that used to be a limestone boulder to realize the huge dinosaurs and the saurids were alive, strong, and well in Underland.

  For the next half hour, the single-file line of saurids with Reglan, Spinner, and Otter in the middle slowly wound its way uphill. It was only after they climbed a short series of rough natural steps and stepped out onto a plateau that Spinner recognized where they were.

  Reglan pointed to the shallow pool.

  Spinner nodded. “That’s where we first saw the devil frog.”

  “Maybe they’re going to let us go now.”

  “If we’re lucky.” Spinner doubted it.

  The sky darkened above them as Archaeopteryx soared overhead. Spinner guessed the bird-reptile had been outside, surveying the surrounding countryside. Just ahead, on a flat limestone rock, Kali and Ebo stopped. Scroffle was with them.

  “Can you hear what they’re saying?” Reglan listened but could pick up nothing.

  Spinner shrugged. “Maybe it’s best we don’t hear.”

  “You doing okay?” Reglan asked, squeezing his arm.

  Spinner didn’t answer immediately. “Here come Ebo and Kali.”

  With three hops, the two saurids were down off the plateau and approaching the children. Otter rose to his feet. Spinner felt his own stomach muscles tense as two more saurids, which had been standing just off the path, moved closer. As their tails swished slightly, Spinner put a reassuring hand on the Lab’s back. Otter seemed to relax some.

  You are free to leave Underland. Ebo gestured with one scaly forearm toward the cave opening before them.

  Many Two-legs have been seen above. Kali reassured them. Your kind does not belong here.

  Spinner suddenly understood. The Underlanders must’ve thought he and Reglan were the last two living humans. That’s why they welcomed us, why we were granted the knowledge. They thought all Two-legs were going extinct. They even added our pictures to the wall. Until Archaeopteryx flew over the village of Maramac. Now they realize we are no longer Underlanders; that we were never true Underlanders. “So we’re free to go?” Spinner asked.

  The saurids nodded.

  “Thank you.” Spinner threw his pack over one shoulder, feeling on the verge of total success.

  “We won’t tell anyone Underland’s Secret. Promise.” Reglan took a step closer to Kali and grasped the saurid’s front claws. “And thank you both for watching over us when we acted so irresponsibly.” She stepped away and smiled. “As long as I live, I will never forget this day.”

  Otter led Spinner and Reglan up the limestone trail toward the entrance. On their right, the Little Horn meandered alongside them. Spinner was still lost in thought—something was bothering him. If humans weren’t supposed to enter Underland today, it meant that some other creature was on the brink of extinction in Echo Valley.

  And there was another worry Spinner couldn’t shove from his mind. Reglan had promised she wouldn’t tell, but weren’t the Underlanders the least bit worried about their secret being exposed to the entire world? There had to be a catch. It seemed too easy, letting them leave like this.

  Spinner hoped he was wrong.

  CHAPTER 14

  * * *

  Just inside the entrance, Spinner could see the two giant boulders that hid Underland from the clearing beyond. He took another step forward, squinting as the sunlight reflected off his glasses. He glanced at his watch. The second hand was moving normally again, just passing the twelve. It still read 10:16 AM, though. According to the watch, they’d been in Underland less than a minute. This was crazy. Checking his cell phone, he saw the signal had returned.

  Reglan shielded her eyes. “I forgot how bright it was out here.”

  Spinner walked out and looked up. The sun was higher in the sky than when they’d first discovered the mysterious cavern. From behind him, Otter trotted out and gulped down several swallows of fresh water from Little Horn Creek. Spinner rubbed his head as the Lab passed. “Heya, boy.” Finished drinking, Otter looked up and whined. They were finally going home.

  When they reached the bank of the stream, both children turned and stared back at the entrance.

  Just inside, the saber-toothed cat and a mastodon shifted restlessly, barely visible from where Spinner stood. In the pearl zone, this ancient pair were comrades, yet he could easily imagine how brutal it could be in the pearl-free zone that Ebo and Kali had called the Wild. After all, all creatures had to eat. They couldn’t survive on prehistoric ferns and limestone alone. He and Reglan had only seen a small part, he understood. Thank heavens the saurids had sent Aghh and his hominid companions after them or he, Reglan and Otter would have witnessed firsthand this animal brutality. Just thinking of the tyrannosaur’s powerful jaws sent a cold tremor down Spinner’s spine. That had been way too close!

  Spinner watched the two giant beasts a moment longer, guessing that from further out in the clearing they’d be totally invisible, lost in the gloom. Behind the two huge prehistoric mammals, Archaeopteryx, Scroffle, and at least twenty saurids, including Kali and Ebo, waited. He even spied a hominid, but this one appeared larger and older than Aghh. Spinner thought he recognized a look of sadness in all their eyes—a ghostly sadness. It made him shiver. He looked away.

  While Otter splashed through Little Horn Creek, the children stepped on several rocks to make their way to the other side.

  “This way.” Spinner pointed to the wall of trees off to their left. It was here, Spinner remembered, that he and Reglan first saw the two giant boulders from a quarter mile away. As they started across, he sensed the Underlanders’ eyes on his back.

  They walked briskly, and ten minutes later all three stood beside a pile of rotting wood next to where the creek entered the clearing.

  “Where are the…?” Reglan didn’t finish.

  Spinner turned. It wasn’t her question, but the way she had asked it that had sent a new shiver racing up his spine. He watched as she studied the ground at her feet, looking for the strange prints.

  “I know they’re here somewhere. I remember—” she stopped abruptly, staring at Spinner.

  At first, he thought she was joking. “Reglan, are you okay?” Spinner walked over beside her.

  “I remember seeing Otter and following some…” Reglan hesitated. Tears glimmered in her eyes. Something was wrong. She tried again. “Spinner, what were we following? No, we were going, no … What are we doing here?” Reglan’s voice trembled. “I know we live in Maramac, but after finding the creek, I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything! Where are we?”

  Otter whined.

  Spinner’s mouth felt dry. “Reglan, what’s wrong?” He grabbed her shoulders. “You’re scaring me.”

  “It’s no game, Spinner. I don’t remember anything!”

  Spinner gently twisted Reglan around to face Majestic Mountain. “There,” he said, pointing. “See those boulders?” The rocks were visible but not the entrance. “Between those rocks is Underland. We discovered it. Remember the tyrannosaur? We ran for our lives. If it hadn’t been for the hominid Aghh…”

  Reglan stared and shook her head. “Aghh?”

  “Try, Reglan. Try! Our pictures were on the wall. You have to try to remember.” Spinner moved her a few feet into the clearing, hoping to jar her memory. It didn’t work. She simply shook her head.

  “No, you’re not trying.” Spinner suddenly felt cold and clammy. “You have to try. We were a team in there—you, me and Otter. Please try!” He hadn’t meant to raise his voice but he must’ve because now she was frowning.

  “I am tryin
g. I’m not making this up. And I don’t remember.” Reglan chewed on her lower lip. “I don’t remember anything. Nothing.” Her last word was barely a whisper.

  Spinner adjusted his glasses and scratched his head. He felt angry, betrayed. He had wanted to tell the world about this fantastic discovery, but suddenly he wasn’t supposed to remember what he’d discovered. It was Underland. The saurids did it. They must’ve. It was their fault—some sort of trick or black magic. He sprinted back toward the boulders.

  “It won’t work,” he yelled at the mountain. “It didn’t work!”

  An eerie silence followed.

  Otter’s barking stopped him from going further.

  Spinner spun on his heels and ran back to Reglan.

  “Ready to leave?” he asked

  “I’m ready. You seem upset. Why?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t sound so fine.” Reglan looked worried.

  “It’s just that … back there … in the cave … ah, forget it.” But inside Spinner was worried, too. Something had happened to Reglan; she might even need a doctor again. Yet beyond the worry was excitement. He’d just witnessed the greatest discovery of all time. Nothing was going to spoil it for him now.

  CHAPTER 15

  * * *

  Spinner retraced their route back up Little Horn Creek. Every so often he’d check behind him to see whether they were being followed. No sign of a saurid or any of the hominids, though.

  Each time they stopped like this, Reglan would look at Spinner as if to ask what he was doing, but she remained quiet. She hadn’t said a word since leaving the clearing.

  When they reached the sand bar where the extinct devil frog’s tracks had started, Spinner’s watch read 11:00 AM.

  “Look!” Reglan pointed at the two strange sets of prints, surprise registering on her face.

  Spinner shook his head sadly. She still didn’t remember. “They belong to the devil frog. And those others to the hairy hominid boy. We named him Aghh.”

  “Aghh? What boy? Are you all right, Spinner?”

  “Never mind.”

  “They’re huge.” It was as if she were seeing the devil frog’s marks for the first time.

  Watching Otter sniff at the odd marks in the sand, Spinner could easily imagine the prints staying just the way they were for another million years, ending up as fossils.

  He squatted down to touch one; as he did, his pack slipped to the ground and opened, and the two cave pearls rolled out onto the sand. Both still glowed, but in the sunlight they didn’t appear as bright.

  Reglan reached down and picked one up, gazing into its luminous green beauty.

  Spinner picked up the other cave pearl and held out his hand. “I’ll take it. It’s nothing but a rock I found.”

  Ignoring him, Reglan took a step back. She turned the cave pearl over in her hand and a ray of sunlight passing through the crystal shone in rainbow colors, like light going through a prism. The ray instantly bent up and reflected off Reglan’s face. She closed her eyes.

  At that moment, Spinner realized that Reglan knew he was lying. He felt ashamed.

  “It’s not a rock,” Reglan whispered. “It’s … a cave pearl.” Opening her eyes, she stared once again at the crystal.

  “You remember, don’t you?” In a way, Spinner felt relief for Reglan, but in a darker way he wished…

  “These belong in Underland. What are you doing with them?” Reglan’s tone was accusatory.

  It was the cave pearl, Spinner realized, that allowed her to remember Underland. If he hadn’t taken the precious stones, he wouldn’t have remembered anything either—not the saurids, Archaeopteryx, or even almost getting killed. Underland would have simply been forgotten. The cave pearls were the key.

  “I asked what you’re doing with the cave pearls,” Reglan repeated.

  “I borrowed them,” Spinner lied.

  Reglan shook her head. “You’re taking these back to Maramac, aren’t you? But they’re not yours.”

  “Don’t you understand?” Spinner said. “We’ve just done something incredible. We discovered Underland. Think of what kind of zoo we could build—the most famous zoo in the world. Think of the crowds that would love to see what we’ve seen today!”

  “Are you nuts? We could have died in there.”

  “But we didn’t, Reglan. Underland could be the tenth wonder of the world. A wild, extinct animal zoo—”

  “A zoo? Quit being selfish! You think Underland wants to be a zoo?”

  “Give me the cave pearl,” Spinner ordered.

  “You’re not the boss of me.” Reglan took another step back. “And they’re not yours.”

  “I found ’em.”

  “You stole them!”

  “You’re wrong!” Spinner shook his head in frustration and glanced at the ground a moment. Then, looking up, said, “I needed proof that Underland exists.” He held up the cave pearl. “These give me proof. They’ll have to believe me.”

  Reglan kicked at the tracks near her feet, trying to cover them over. “Have you thought about what will happen to Underland if everybody knows? Spinner, we said we wouldn’t tell. We said we’d keep their secret. We promised.”

  “You promised.” Spinner could see the hurt in Reglan’s eyes. “Listen to me. All my life, I’ve dreamed of finding just one real fossil, even if it was just a common trilobite in some old stone. But now!” He waved his arms in the direction of the entrance to Underland. “I’ve discovered—”

  “We,” Reglan interrupted.

  “Okay. We discovered a whole cave full of living fossils. I can’t just forget this place exists.”

  “That’s just great! So all kinds of hotshot scientists can come and dissect Underland like it’s a strange bug under a microscope.”

  Spinner shrugged. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

  “Why wouldn’t I understand, Spinner McPherson? Because I’m a girl? Is that it?”

  “No.” He rolled his eyes.

  “I think it is. Well, listen to this, buster.” Reglan stepped closer. “I used to like you, Spinner. When the other kids would laugh—like at those baseball games—I supported you. But not anymore. You’ve changed.”

  “I haven’t changed. I just never had the chance to be famous before. A chance like this can’t be ignored.” Spinner picked up his pack. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too.” Reglan turned and started walking away.

  “Where are you going? Maramac’s this way,” Spinner pointed.

  “I’m not going to Maramac. I’m going back to Underland.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “I’m not crazy. I’m doing what’s right. The cave pearls belong in Underland.”

  Spinner took a step in her direction. “Don’t do this. Your … illness.”

  “I’ve been well for more than two years. Don’t use that as an excuse; I don’t!”

  “But I’m responsible for you. I even let you come with me, remember.”

  “I chose to come along. I like animals, too. And you aren’t the only one who likes to explore.”

  “Just listen … please.”

  Reglan stopped and spun around. “One more thing. You are not responsible for me. I’m responsible for me.” She flung her hair to one side. “Go right ahead, be a hero. I hope you’re happy. I hope you get everything you deserve.”

  “Reglan, they might kill you. What if they banish you into the Wild? Reglan!”

  Ignoring Spinner, she started back down the Little Horn.

  “You’ll be sorry,” Spinner called after her.

  Reglan waved one hand overhead and kept going.

  “Whaddaya think, boy?”

  Otter whined and stared after her. Spinner scruffed his neck. “I know, but I can’t tie her up and make her follow me like I can with you.” He thought a moment. “Go with Reglan, Otter. Make sure she’s okay. As soon as I’m done in Maramac, I’ll bring the whole town down to Underland. We’ll
all be famous.”

  Otter licked Spinner’s face once and dashed after Reglan. After several leaps, the Lab stopped and turned.

  Spinner waved. “Go, boy. I’ll be okay.”

  Spinner watched as his loyal pet vanished around the bend after Reglan. Then he turned and made his way back to Maramac.

  PART THREE

  RETURN TO UNDERLAND

  CHAPTER 16

  * * *

  Spinner watched the needle of his compass flicker before pointing north. He was right on course.

  Quickening his pace, he trudged up the last hill toward Dwellers Meadow on his way into Maramac. As he walked, Spinner couldn’t help thinking about Reglan. He vowed he’d make it up to her. He might even give her some of the credit. He broke into a slow jog when he reached the meadow of bluestem and buffalo grass, ignoring the gophers, rabbits, and butterflies that Otter liked to chase. He wanted to make it to City Hall before it closed.

  He passed the schoolyard, two more streets, and several more blocks, before he reached Maramac’s Main Circle Drive.

  Towering oaks, some centuries old, lined the streets that fed into Maramac’s Central Square. Actually, it wasn’t a square at all. Main Circle Drive formed a long oval that resembled a racetrack. In the center of the oval sat the courthouse and City Hall. Both buildings were constructed of stone and brick, and their entrances were marked by tall, stately white columns that reminded Spinner of fossilized tree trunks.

  Spinner saw the town’s only policeman up ahead, on patrol.

  “Hi ya, Spinner.” Sheriff Pinkerton was a big man who took his time while walking his beat. “Discover anything interesting today?”

  “No, sir.” Spinner didn’t feel like explaining to the sheriff. He’d never understand.

  He switched his knapsack to his other shoulder and raced across Central Square toward City Hall.

  Once inside, he made a beeline for Miss Wilcroft’s desk. She was old and wrinkled, and served as the Mayor’s secretary.