Once In A Lifetime Adventure

 

            Annie studied herself in the mirror. She looked ridiculous, but she knew her mother would be happy. It had been her idea to sign Annie up for this experience in the first place. Glancing once more at her leather jacket and fedora hat, she walked out of the dressing room.

            Her mother’s brilliant smile greeted her. “Oh, honey, your costume is amazing!”

            Annie tried hard not to roll her eyes. “Are you sure this is necessary? I feel a little like Indiana Jones. Couldn’t I have just stayed in my shorts and T-shirt?”

            “Of course not. The director says that the costume is part of the experience.” Her mom pulled her in for a hug. “Good luck!” She gave Annie a gentle push toward the director.

            Resigning herself to this ‘once in a lifetime experience,’ she went to stand next to the director, who brightened when he saw that she was now in costume. “Very good. Now remember, you’re an archaeologist looking for the treasure in the cursed mummy’s tomb.”

            “Cursed?” Annie asked in surprise.

            “Yes. You want an adventure, right? Well, we’ve got to make this interesting.”

            “How will I know what to do? Do I have lines to remember or anything?”

            The director shook his head and smiled. “Just go with the flow. We have all our trained actors on the other side of this door.” He pulled a curtain aside to reveal a bright yellow door with a neon green trim. “All you need to do is let yourself become a part of the adventure.” With another smile, he opened the door.

            The only thing Annie could see through the door was blackness. “Um, I can’t see anything.” She would do a lot for her mother, but standing alone in the dark wasn’t one of them.

            The director put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got to go inside for it to start. As soon as the door closes behind you, everything will become clear.” He gently guided her to the open door.

            Trying hard not to panic, Annie reluctantly drew closer to the darkness. When she reached the door, she hesitated. Could she really do this? She took a small step back, but the director was surprisingly strong. With a shove, she found herself inside the pitch darkness as the door closed behind her with a click. “Hey!” she screamed. “Let me out!”

            She ran back to where she thought the door was, but she couldn’t find it. She threw her hands out in front of her, but she didn’t feel anything. She screamed, “Get me out of here! I can’t see!”

            A blast of hot air washed over Annie. Great. Now she was blind and hot. She had to get out of there before she melted. She turned toward where the air was now blowing from. Was that a light?

            Far away, a small speck of light had appeared in the gloom. As she watched, the small dot of light got bigger. It grew brighter and brighter until she had to cover her eyes. The intensity of the light blinded her almost as much as the darkness had.

            Finally, she opened her eyes and was astounded to find herself in the middle of a blistering desert. Where was the door? She quickly spun around, but there was no sign of it. However, she did see what appeared to be a small campsite with a few tents and camels. Behind them was a massive pyramid. Her jaw dropped. Everything looked so real. Was she actually in Egypt?

            A group of people at the campsite spotted her and one of the figures ran toward her. As he grew closer, she could see that he was dressed similarly to how she was dressed. This must be the start of the adventure, then. How much had her mom paid for this? The amount of detail around her was so incredible, it all felt real. When the man reached her, he held out his hand. “Welcome to Egypt!” he cried cheerfully. “You must be Annie. I’m Cody. Are you ready for a grand adventure?”

            Sweat trickled down the back of Annie’s neck. This was too much. “I-I don’t know if I can do this.” She glanced around her. “I think I want to go back now. Where’s the way out of here?”

            Cody looked at her with compassion. “The only way out is forward, I’m afraid. Didn’t they explain anything to you?”

            Annie shook her head emphatically. “No. No one told me that it would be like this. I expected to be like an actor in a play on a stage. I didn’t agree to somehow travel to Egypt.” She was starting to get angry now. “It’s also like a thousand degrees out here!”

            Cody cleared his throat nervously. “They didn’t tell you that this was a magical adventure?”

            Annie let out her breath in exasperation. “Right, magic.” Did he really expect her to believe in magic? “I’m ready to leave now. If this is a magical adventure, then you can just magic me out of here.” She folded her arms and waited for something to happen, but Cody just watched her.

            “That’s not how it works, I’m afraid. Why don’t you follow me back to camp? Let’s figure out how to get the treasure out of the pyramid, and then you can go home.” He gestured back to the campsite.

            Annie couldn’t believe this was happening. She didn’t move for a minute as she wondered about what she should do. Realizing that she didn’t have any other choice, she took a step across the sands.

            Cody patted her shoulder as he walked next to her. “Don’t worry. This will be fun.” His smile had reappeared.

            He started talking about the expedition, but all Annie could think about was getting out of here. When this was over, she had a few things to say to her mother.

The Troubles of A Tiger

 

            Charlie was tired. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he continued to climb the endless staircase. How did he get himself into this mess? If only he hadn’t been caught and put in a zoo exhibit. The thought filled him with shame. He hoped Daniel wouldn’t find out about that.

Charlie might look like a tiger, but he had been changed by the wizard Daniel to be a magician’s companion. After undergoing several magical transformations, he was now Daniel’s most faithful companion and had been with him for decades. Unfortunately, they had been separated when they were ambushed by a rival wizard and his minions. Daniel had been whisked away, and Charlie was sent to the zoo.

            Shaking his head to rid himself of the memory, Charlie kept climbing. He could feel that Daniel was in the building, somewhere high above him. All he had to do was reach him, and they could get out of here, away from this horrible place.

            His stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since the day before. The people at the zoo had tried to feed him raw meat, but Charlie had lost his appetite for that kind of thing long ago. He longed for Daniel’s cooking now. He seasoned and roasted all of his meats to perfection. The thought of some tender roasted chicken gave him the energy he needed to keep climbing.

            After climbing several more sets of stairs, Charlie could tell that he was getting closer to Daniel. His magical senses told him that his captors were also close by. He grew quieter as he continued to pad up the stairs. This door is the one he thought as all of his stealth instincts came to the fore.

            Turning himself invisible, he stood next to the closed door, listening. Familiar voices sounded on the other side. The rival wizard and his magical companion were questioning Daniel.

            “Where is it, old man?” The rival wizard shouted the question.

            Daniel only mumbled a reply.

            The rival wizard’s companion, a large Doberman dog, sneered back in a high-pitched voice, “You expect us to believe that? We know you’ve hidden it somewhere.”

            Of course, thought Charlie. They want the ancient spellbook. Several months ago, Daniel and Charlie had come across the book filled with awful spells, most of them incredibly destructive. They had decided it was too dangerous, and had hidden it away, but of course the entire wizarding community knew about it.

            Ever so carefully, Charlie opened the door onto a scene that made his heart sink. There was Daniel, tied to a chair, bruises all over his face. Charlie barely suppressed a growl that threatened to escape and blow his cover. Instead, he eased himself inside and made himself as small as possible. The door behind him clicked shut, and the Doberman’s head snapped toward the sound.

            While he was still invisible, he knew that the dog would catch his scent in a matter of moments. Charlie bounded over to Daniel, where he immediately untied his bonds. Using his own magical powers, he transferred some of his energy over to Daniel so they could escape. Together, they raced for the door at the other end of the room.

            Bursting through it, they saw that they had run into a closet. Daniel slammed the door behind them, and Charlie used his bulk to hold it shut. Fumbling in his robes, Daniel brought out a small pouch filled with traveling dust. He smiled as he said, “Thanks for the rescue, friend.”

Charlie purred as something slammed into the door behind him. “You’re welcome, but we’d better get out of here quickly.”

Without answering, Daniel sprinkled the dust into an area in front of them, where it glowed an electric blue. Together, the two friends stepped into the magical dust and were whisked away. They reappeared a moment later on a deserted beach on a tropical island. A relieved sigh escaped from Charlie. He knew that they would have to deal with the rival wizard again, but for now, they were safe. He soaked in the rays of golden sunshine as his stomach reminded him of something. “So, Daniel, can we get something to eat?”

A Mountain Test

 

            Chloe tripped over a rock and felt herself start to slide back down the path. With her heart in her throat, she grabbed wildly for anything that would anchor her before she fell off the side of the mountain.

            Pain shot up her hand as her fingers successfully grabbed an exposed tree root. Taking a minute to catch her breath, her whole body quivered with panic. Finally daring to open her eyes, she looked behind her.

            Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she saw that she had stopped at least ten feet away from the steep dropoff. Still trembling with fear, she slowly stood up and called out, “Jameson, where are you?”

            Not really expecting an answer, she was still disappointed when only the rustling leaves sounded around her. What was she doing here? Did she really expect her spirit guide to appear before she finished the test? Jameson told her that she had to conquer her fears without him so she could get accepted to the prestigious school of magic, Lionel Academy.

            There was no question that Chloe would be able to handle all the coursework, but each applicant had to prove their bravery without the help of their spirit guides. Closing her eyes, she saw herself receiving her entrance certificate. She was not going to let her fear of heights stop her from getting it.

            Taking one more look at the yawning chasm behind her, she steeled herself and started climbing once again. The way was steep, and she found herself almost on her hands and knees. She didn’t allow herself to think about how far she had come, or how long the drop would be if she fell off the cliff. She was going to show everyone that she wouldn’t let herself be afraid.

            Each step she moved closer to the top was a small victory. She had always been afraid of heights, and even climbing a ladder scared her. She felt her mind getting pulled back to the bone-crushing fall that could happen if she slipped and fell. She started singing “Life Is a Highway” at the top of her lungs to drown out the thoughts of death.

            Two hours later, she finally stepped onto the peak of the mountain where she immediately fell to her knees and struggled to catch her breath. When she could speak, she called out, “Jameson!”

            The sight of her familiar appearing next to her filled her with immense relief. Jameson spread his great wings and landed in front of her. She was excited to see him in his dragon form. “Congratulations, Chloe!” He allowed her to hug him before continuing, “You’ve proven that you can continue moving forward even in the face of fear and danger.” He pulled away and looked her right in the eye. “You deserve your spot at Lionel Academy.”

            Chloe beamed, feeling like she had conquered a mountain, which indeed, she had. The grin that spread across her face seemed to light up her whole body. “Thanks, Jameson. It must have been hard for you to just sit back and watch. But you would have rescued me if I fell, right?”

            Jameson nervously cleared his throat. “Well, are you ready to get off this mountain?”

            Trying not to think about what would have happened if she had fallen, Chloe answered, “Of course!” She reached out to grab Jameson’s wing, and with a loud crack, they were off the mountain and back on familiar ground. After taking several deep breaths, she said, “I’m okay if I never have to do that again.” She looked forward to learning more magic at school and hoped she wouldn’t be required to climb any more mountains.

A Magical Test

 

Jordan looked hopelessly around at the endless expanse of trees and undergrowth. He didn’t want to admit it, but…

“We’re lost, aren’t we?” Johnny, the African parrot on his shoulder, cut into his thoughts.

Jordan tried to keep the fear out of his voice as he said, “Well, maybe. I just don’t recognize this place.”

Johnny clicked his beak. “Weren’t you paying attention?”

Annoyance flashed through Jordan. “What about you? We’re supposed to be doing this together.”

Jordan felt Johnny’s claws tighten on his shoulder. “Come on, you’re the wizard. I’m just your good luck charm.”

Shaking his head, Jordan said, “You know you’re much more than a good luck charm. I wouldn’t be a wizard without you.”

Spreading his wings proudly, Johnny said, “Of course. Thank you for acknowledging my importance.”

Jordan couldn’t stop the smile that crept over his face. “Well then, Mr. Importance, which way do we go?”

Johnny carefully arranged his feathers and thought. “What are we supposed to be looking for again?”

Jordan barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. “Just the magical spellbook that will teach us how to be wizards.” This was the first test to prove that they could use their new magic. If they failed, they would go their separate ways and Jordan would go back to his previous boring life. Looking over at his new friend, he felt his resolve harden. They may have only just met, but their friendship was deeper than any other he’d experienced. He was not going to lose that now.

Studying the dark trees around him, he looked for any kind of clue that would lead them where they needed to go. The strange forest let in very little sunlight, and rustling leaves surrounded them. “What do you think, Johnny?”

Cocking his head, Johnny stopped to listen. “Everything looks and sounds the same in here, but there’s got to be something we’re missing.”

An idea popped in Jordan’s head. “Why don’t you fly up into the trees and see if you notice anything different from up there?”

The weight on Jordan’s shoulder disappeared as Johnny launched himself in a burst of feathers. Jordan watched as the gray parrot flew high into the treetops. “See anything?” A shaft of sunlight blinded him temporarily, and he had to look away. He could no longer see Johnny anywhere.

After a few anxious minutes, Johnny’s gray wings finally reappeared and he settled himself back on Jordan’s shoulder. “The only things I could see were miles and miles of the same trees that surround us down here. This is obviously a magical forest, and we won’t get anywhere without cracking some kind of code or something.”

A magical forest? What were they supposed to do? How were they going to find a magical book in an ocean of trees? “Maybe we’ve got to use magic?” Jordan had no idea how to use his new magic, but it seemed the obvious answer to their problem. “You know how it felt when we connected? That felt pretty magical. Let’s try that again.”

“All I know is that you’re the one that drew me to you. Just do that for the book.”

Jordan thought back. How exactly had it happened? He had so desperately wanted to be a wizard. When he finally had a chance to call a companion, he had no idea how to do it. As the minutes passed, he’d grown more and more worried until finally he noticed something different. It was as though an invisible string had been tied to him and someone was pulling on it. Intrigued, he pulled back on the line and was astounded when Johnny came and landed gracefully on his shoulder.

Could he do the same thing again, but with the book? He looked within himself and saw his connection to Johnny. It already seemed stronger than when he’d first felt it. He kept searching and found… nothing.

“Why don’t you try calling out loud for the book?” Johnny’s sudden question made Jordan jump.

“Okay.” Feeling slightly foolish, he called, “I need the magic book!” Absolutely nothing happened.

“You should try that again, but feel for it with your magic this time.” Johnny’s eyes shone and Jordan wondered if he was laughing at him. But no, it was excitement in his eyes, and Jordan felt it too.

“Where is the magic book?” This time, when Jordan called out for the book, he looked within himself and waited for some kind of magical feeling.

At first, he didn’t notice anything different, but then a thought shot right to him… from the woods. Now he knew what to do. “This way.” Confidently, he followed the feeling, and he could tell immediately that he was going in the right direction.

Johnny flapped his wings in excitement, saying, “There we go! I knew I made the right choice when I came to you!”

Continuing to follow the magical pull, the two friends strode deeper and deeper into the woods. The feeling grew stronger as they walked at least a mile. Finally, they reached a small clearing, and Jordan knew this was it. Pulling aside some branches, he looked into a beautiful, grassy area and saw a book, sitting on a tree stump. Without any hesitation, he picked it up and knew it was what they’d been looking for.

The feeling intensified as he opened the book and a beam of light shot straight into the sky. A mighty wind built and grew and he threw up his hand to protect himself from the sudden tornado.

When the wind subsided, he was surprised to see a man standing in the clearing next to him. “Oh, well done Jordan and Johnny!” He shook Jordan’s hand while Jordan just gazed back, dazed.

“You two were the first ones to find your book. Congratulations on recognizing your new magic!”

At these words, Jordan found his voice again. “Thank you!” He grinned from ear to ear and felt the excitement from Johnny, too. They had done it! He was going to become a real wizard!

As he followed the man out of the clearing, Johnny whispered in his ear, “Good job, partner! I’m proud to be on your team!” The bird squeezed his shoulder affectionately.

Still grinning, Jordan reached up to softly stroke Johnny’s gray feathers. “Thank you for your help, friend.” For he knew that he wouldn’t have been able to find the book without Johnny. This was going to be a great friendship.