“Look for a tombstone, or a rock that sticks up, or something like that. It opens the doors.”
“I think I found something, give me that climbing ax,” said an excited J.R.
“Let me do it, you don’t want to break something off,” insisted Mark.
“Dig around this, it looks like an upside down pyramid, with some more of the cave carvings on it.”
They worked for a few minutes pushing away the dirt, until they were able to get a closer look. Helaina bent down, and sat in front of it, and then she took about 10 digital pictures of the front, than crawled around to the back and did the same.
“These are our instructions, see. It tells us that we are supposed to push the stone down. That’s you, and that’s me,” she said as she pointed at the two figures.
“How do you know that’s us?” demanded J.R.
“Not us dummy. That’s a symbol for girls, and that one is for boys, and that is the Unity crest, so I guess it has to be someone from our family. And since we are the only ones from our family here, than that means US.”
“What happens next?”
“Two doors open, somewhere. See right here? Those look like little doors.”
“She right,” Mark exclaimed. “I think it is saying something about two boxes, and that they should stay horizontal at all times, one above, and one below.”
"Where have I heard that from?” wondered J.R.
“Let’s do it. Let’s push the stone down and open the doors.”
Helaina stood up, and she and J.R positioned themselves in front of the upside down pyramid. Putting both hands on the stone they pushed.
“I think it’s moving, push harder!” urged Mark.
“I said, harder, put your backs into it!” he urged again much more excitedly.
Finally the large stone was lying on the ground. When they took a look at the base the exposed bottom revealed that the stone had been hinged to the floor, when pushed down, a bottom panel rose up. Then they saw them, two little doors had opened on what they assumed had been a solid wall of rock. J.R reached into the bottom chamber and pulled out old cloth bag, inside he found a one foot square crystal box, inside was a round object that looked to be green. On top of the crystal box, cut into the crystal was the Unity crest. The three of them looked closely admiring it.
“How is that ball just floating in there?”
“I have no idea. You?” J.R asked Mark.
“None.”
“Helaina, let’s put this in my back pack. Can you get the other one? We will put it on top of this one. We have to get out of here, time’s running out.”
Helaina pulled out the second bag, took a quick look inside, smiled and placed it on top of the one J.R had just put in his back pack. Then following the rope the three spelunkers made their way out of the cave, and safely returned to their other friends. As they made their way out J.R and Helaina had a silent conversation.
“I thought you said they glowed?”
“Well, in my dream they did. Whatever you do don’t lay that bag down, keep it up right at all times. Okay?”
“Sure thing. Maybe we have to have all four before they glow.”
“We have to tell Mark, not to tell anyone what we found.”
“That’s good thinking. He’s behind me, I will tell him.”
J.R told Mark that what they found would be a secret between the three of them. That they would just share the pictures of the cave drawings and carvings with the others, and tell them they had found nothing but rocks. As he did this Helaina climbed back over the rock, and excitedly told Kellie, Emma and Dylan all about the drawings. She would show them the pictures during lunch. The two boys were in agreement, and then followed Helaina over the boulders. After taking a whole bunch of pictures of the waterfall, the group then made their way out of the grove of trees, then hiked back to get their lunch and to play on the tire swing.
William and Mason had backed away, out of sight, waiting for the kids to pass them by. Since they now knew they were out of harm’s way, they themselves could now go and take a closer look at that cave. They also took pictures of every symbol, every marking on the cave walls, and made notes as to where they had been placed. They found the pyramid and documented that also. Before leaving they took soil and water samples, and GPS readings, this was a place that needed to be studied by their Scientist, and Aerologist. The two men also took many pictures of the beautiful waterfall, and the surrounding area. They then left the kids to enjoy the remainder of their day, and headed back to town with the information they had collected. Unknown to the group of adventurers that they had ever been under their watchful and protective eyes the entire time they were exploring the waterfall.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
FUN AT THE LAKE
The girls walked just a few feet in front of the three boys; they listened intently to Helaina as she told them all about the cave. Blueberries where everywhere, and as planned everyone stopped, each hiker filling up an empty grocery bag until it couldn’t hold not one berry more. By the time they got back to the picnic area, near the lake, they were ready for lunch. Everyone spread out their beach towels, than sat down to enjoy the ham and cheese subs, chips, and cupcakes that Jennifer Unity had packed for them, they especially enjoyed the thermoses filled with iced cold lemon aid. Which, they appreciated after their long hike on this hot summer day.
J.R found an opportunity to ask Helaina a question that's been heavily on his mind for a few days. Since it was a question that the others wouldn't understand he used Mind Speak.
“Helaina when you talk to the animals why can't I hear you do it?”
“I don't talk to them, not with words anyway. That's why you can't hear. You know that we can only speak to each other when we both agree, or opened to it. That we can't read each other's mind, like those mind readers at the fair last year.”
“That's just a trick! And besides, I don't think I like the idea of you reading my thoughts, and I certainly wouldn't want to read yours all the time. You think too much about fashion, and make-up! So what's it like?”
“It's like I am connecting to them on a thin wire of energy. I feel how they feel, I feel what they need, and I feel what they want. And they do the same with me. Then I picture in my mind what I would like for them to do.”
“That's really cool!
“J.R, I have only been able to do this since that dive down to that old wreck. That was the very first time. Before then I just talked to my pets the old fashion way. It kind of scared me.”
“Scared you! We thought you would be eaten by those sharks. I have something to tell you. I have been having dreams that I have been floating, and then I crash to the bedroom floor, and wake up. Helaina, I think those weren't dreams. I think it was really happening.”
Helaina thought about this for a few seconds. “Why are we changing? I think there is something very different about us, and the Elder's know about it. But they aren't ready to tell us.”
“Not only us. Haven't you noticed, everyone on Hope Island is smart, and has advanced skills? Just look at Emma at eleven she draws like a master, Mark is an accomplished outdoors man, Dylan is fast, and Kelly has already written four bestselling books. I don't think we are living in the real world.”
“Sometimes it feels like that! Doesn't it?” J.R and Helaina then sat quietly finishing their lunch and thinking about the things they just discussed.
After she ate her lunch Emma got out her sketch pad to show everyone the work she had done at the waterfall. Emma had sketched three different scenes. The first was the view from where they had first come upon the waterfall; the second the view from the waterfall looking back at the tree’s that hid it from those who were walking by. The third was a map to the secret waterfall that she thought might come in handy, just in case they wanted to go explore that area in the future. Each sketch was detailed, and exact, each a masterpiece worth framing. As her friends admired her work, Emma worked on yet another sketch, this one special; she worked
for about twenty minutes, and then closed her sketch book. She wasn’t ready to show it to anyone yet.
“Look over there?”
Mark pointed in the direction of the sunflower field, where standing in the middle were two deer, a buck and a doe. Knowing that his new brother was a very fast runner, Mark decided to challenge him.
“Hey little brother, I bet you my cupcake that you can’t run up to one of those deer, and touch its nose, before they see you and run off.”
“I bet you I can.”
Dylan was always up to a challenge to his speed, especially on Hope Island where he didn’t have to hide who he was.
“Everyone has to be quiet. Now watch.”
Dylan got up and waited until the deer were looking away from them. Then he dashed through the field. Not only did he touch one deer, the buck, he had time to give the little doe a hug, kiss her nose, and then run back. Having done this so fast the deer didn’t know what had happened; they just stood there, shocked and confused for a minute before they ran off. Dylan had done that so fast the kids had to watch the video that Mark had taken on his camera phone several times to catch all the action.
“Well big brother, I think you owe me that cupcake,” Dylan bragged.
“Next time we have track at school, you really must try out. Here’s your cupcake, you earned it.” After giving his brother the cub cake, Mark gave him a pat on the back.
While everyone was distracted watching Dylan, Emma had finished what she was working on. Everyone gathered around her to have a look. She had sketched a group portrait of them all, even little Peanut was in the picture, even though she was home asleep in her nest. They were all standing on the beach. She added each of their names under their feet, and on top of the page in bold letters she had wrote, " NEW FAMILY, NEW HOME, and NEW FRIENDS."
“I think this is my best work,” Emma said proudly.
“I think you are right little sister,” said Mark.
“I’m speechless. It’s so perfect,” Kellie said choking on her words.
“We have a problem, that’s one portrait each one of us would love to have.”
“Well, we can have copies made,” J.R suggested.
Kellie came up with another idea. “I know something special we can do after we make copies, I can make six picture frames to put them in. Then I can take the image and put them on tee-shirts, so everyone can see Emma’s work.”
Everyone thought that would be a grand idea.
“When I ran out to the deer, I saw something out near the tree line; let’s go see what it was,” suggested Dylan.
“Cool.” And then off the boys went to investigate Dylan’s sighting. The girls stayed behind, to talk about, whatever girls talked about. It didn’t take long to find out what Dylan had spotted on his run.
“It’s just an old motorcycle.”
“I think I can fix it,” said J.R
“You can fix anything,” Mark commented.
“I’ll make it even better, maybe even faster. You guys don’t want it do you, Dylan did find it?”
J.R held his breath, wanting the two boys to say no. Dylan and Mark exchanged a look that said they were thinking about it. Teasing J.R, they took their time answering him.
“No you can have that piece of junk, only if we can help fix it up. Then you have to teach us how to drive it,” Dylan told his new friend.
“Deal! Now can you two help me drag it to the picnic area, Please! Then me and granddad can come and get it tomorrow.”
“Oh, alright! Then can we play on the swing? Please?" Dylan was anxious for a cool dip in the lake. Running that fast could really make his body temperature rise.
The three girls watched as the boys struggled to drag the old bike to the picnic area. They were quite content in watching them, and didn’t offer any help. After all they didn’t want to even touch that rusty old thing, so they just sat and made fun of their efforts. They finally were able to park that motorcycle, and lean it against a big oak tree, but not without getting extremely greasy and grimy in their efforts. It was differently time for a cool swim.
As promised Dylan and Emma were the first to get to use the tire swing. For the next hour and a half the kids took turns swinging from the tree then dropping into the cool water of the lake. The boys took turns seeing who could shoot themselves further into the lake than anyone else. J.R was able to fly off the tire, and land about 5 feet from the Bowie that marked the middle of the lake, Mark got about ten feet from it, him being the heaviest of the boys. After getting the hang of using the swing Dylan, being the lightest was able to fly over the Bowie and land about four feet on the other side, and he was the clear winner of their little game.
The girls preferred just swimming out to the middle of the lake, and back at a more leisurely pace. They also enjoyed walking along the bank finding small turtles and frogs. When each girl had found a frog they drew two lines in the mud, a starting line, and a finish line. They had great fun trying to get the frogs to race, but they didn’t cooperate, always going in the wrong directions. They had better luck with the little turtles they found, except they all looked the same and the girls couldn’t figure out whose turtle had won, but it really didn’t matter to them anyway, it was just fun to play with the little animals. Helaina, Kellie, and Emma soon got tired of watching the boys’ antics, and the little creature's they had captured had now wondered way, so they decided to go apple picking. They managed to pick another six bags of apples, two bags a piece, to take home. They talked about all the apple pies they might make with them the next day, and discussed entering the pies, and jams in the fair. The fair was a big summer event on the island and would be arriving the next week.
Soon the boys where tired. When they dried off and put their clothes back on, the group got back on the ATV’s and went back to the Unity’s home. The kids were loaded down with the fruit that they had picked; it took all of them to take the fruit into the kitchen, putting everything on a kitchen counter. Jennifer was overcome with the amount they had brought home, and learned of the girls’ plans to can some jam, and bake some pies the next day. Naturally, just now learning how to cook and bake, they would need Jennifer and Sophia’s help and included them in their plans, which the two women didn't mind at all. Since they were not sure on how to make jam, and only had just learned how to make cookies, and cakes the girls would need the women guidance. Their plans made for the next day Mason than drove the tired adventurers back to their homes.
Soon after getting home Helaina had taken the back pack containing the two balls, with their cases to her room. Carefully she placed one on the top shelf of her closet, and pushed it as far back as possible to keep it out of sight. She then placed a few purses in front to hide it from anyone who opened the closet. Helaina than moved her collection of shoes, that were on the floor of her closet to one side, then placed the second ball on the floor, then moved the shoes again to hide that box. Satisfied with her hiding skills, she then went down stairs to the kitchen.
At dinner that night J.R and Helaina talked about all the things they did that day. J.R was most excited about the motorcycle, and discussed getting it back to the garage and what fun it would be to fix it up with his friends and William, of course. They had brought their cameras to the dinner table and they proudly showed them the pictures of the secret waterfall, and the cave with the cave pictures and carvings. Jennifer told them she was impressed with them, being brave to go into the cave; and how smart J.R was to use a rope, and assign jobs to everyone, just like a true leader. J.R and Helaina told them everything, everything except having found the two boxes with the balls inside.
The kids were very wound up about their day. Helaina and Jennifer discussed plans to make pies and jam tomorrow with the other girls. Helaina and her grandmother spent an hour looking at the cave drawings then they copied each symbol onto a writing tablet. Jennifer and Helaina made sure that each symbol and each marking stayed in the order that the camera had recorded it, starting from
the front of the cave then moving to the back. Jennifer didn't tell her Granddaughter that she knew those symbols, she just didn't know what they said.
J.R and William talked about motorcycles. J.R had forgotten to take pictures of the bike. When J.R couldn’t describe the bike with words, he sat down and drew a picture of it, exactly as he had left it by the tree. Every pipe, every wire, every dent was drawn with great detail. William was very impressed with this new talent but didn’t say a word. The two of them had made a list of things they would need to get the motorcycle into shape. When Jennifer walked by the table the list was already two pages long. At eleven p.m. the kids went upstairs. Before going to his room, J.R went to his cousin’s room.
Helaina first took Peanut, who was riding in her shirt pocket, and placed her in her cage. It was time for the little animal to eat, then spend the rest of the night playing on her wheel and the other toys she had in her cage.
“Let’s get the balls out, one at a time of course; I want to see what they look like. It was too dark in the cave to get a good look.”
“Alright, I’ve wanted to look all evening. First the top one, get it down for me.”
J.R then reached to the back of the closet shelf and pulled the bag containing the box, with the ball, down. Placing it on the floor, Helaina opened the bag and took out the box.
“It looks like a blue crystal.”
“How is it just suspended in air like that?” Helaina inquired.
“Don’t know! I don’t see any way to open the box either.”
“Put that one away, and let’s see what the other one looks like.”
Helaina put the box back into its bag, and returned it to its hiding place. Then she got out the second; this one was identical to the first but green.
“What do you think they do?” she asked.
“I guess we will have to build the machine to find that out. Keep them here, when we get the other two. I will hide them in my room.”
“I’m tired.”
“Me to, see you tomorrow.”
Adventure to Destiny: The Unity Objective Series Page 14