in her living room. She had just come home from grocery shopping and was looking forward to her usual quiet afternoon. Suddenly, the doorbell rang repeatedly, and her door was assaulted with loud knocking. Cautiously, she peered out the peephole. Laura was pacing on the front step. Kathy opened the door wide.
“I’ve been trying to call you,” said Laura.
“Oh, I just got home. What’s the matter?” asked Kathy.
“Are my kids here?” asked Laura.
“Uh, no,” said Kathy. “I thought they were all over at your place.”
Laura and Kathy stared at each other for a moment. Somehow, they both knew something was terribly wrong.
“Please, come in,” said Kathy urgently. “Let’s figure this out.”
The man in the cloak stalked through the forest, his head lowered, his left arm hanging behind him. A glowing line of molten amber trailed from his fingertips, creating a supernatural leash running from his fingertips to a glowing ball of translucent amber. The glowing ball slid along the ground, leaving bits of the amber substance in its wake. Two children were trapped inside, their silent screams lost in the night.
Inside the ball, Amy tried to push her way out. Her hands slipped into the gooey walls of the glimmering ball, and they gave but did not break. Sam turned to face the man as he dragged the ball of light deeper into the forest. The man in the cloak looked at Sam. His hood was pushed back, revealing a grotesque pale face with glassy, opaque eyes and hideous red scarring running across his face like the veins of a leaf. The man smiled a ghastly grin. Sam’s eyes widened in terror, and he panicked. He banged against the walls of the amber ball with the full force of his shirt-enhanced strength. But his hands plopped into the goop with no effect.
Twenty feet behind the glowing amber ball, Mike moved invisibly through the forest, following the bits of amber goop left behind on the ground. The man in the cloak was moving fast, and Mike was breathing heavily to keep up. Though he was fatigued, his worry for Amy and Sam kept him moving forward. He hoped that they knew he was following them.
27
KATHY SAT ON a padded chair facing the couch where Laura sat nervously, her rapidly bouncing leg revealing the tension she felt inside.
“I really don’t know how to say it,” Laura tried to explain. “I mean, things that shouldn’t be there are there, and things that should be there aren’t. Something very strange is going on,” said Laura. “And now they’re all missing.”
“I’m sure they are fine,” Kathy reassured unconvincingly. “They probably went to the library to do their homework. Let’s call over there and see.”
Laura nodded, trying to shake off the worry that had engulfed her for the past half hour. “You’re probably right. Maybe they went back to Sam’s grandma’s to finish their service project.”
Kathy stood up, startled. “What did you say?”
Mike ran through the forest, his footsteps crunching through the forest floor as he rustled past leaves and branches. In the distance, he saw the man in the cloak dragging the glowing sphere toward an enormous spruce tree.
The tree was almost fifty feet tall with a base diameter of nearly fifteen feet. The normally bright green leaves were stained a dark black, and glowing amber sap oozed from the bark.
The tree hulked over the man as he pulled the glowing ball toward it. He held his hand out toward the tree, and a flicker of molten amber shot from his fingertips into the center of the base of the tree. The tree’s bark began to swirl as if it were made of worms. The slithering pieces of bark shifted, and a hole opened—a dark, pulpy hole, like a sucking wound in the side of the tree. The hole widened into a passageway.
Mike stared in horror as the man flashed a freakish smile at Sam and Amy and disappeared inside the hole, pulling the glowing amber ball behind him. The spherical prison stuck in the hole for a moment before
“I’ve been trying to call you,” said Laura.
“Oh, I just got home. What’s the matter?” asked Kathy.
“Are my kids here?” asked Laura.
“Uh, no,” said Kathy. “I thought they were all over at your place.”
Laura and Kathy stared at each other for a moment. Somehow, they both knew something was terribly wrong.
“Please, come in,” said Kathy urgently. “Let’s figure this out.”
The man in the cloak stalked through the forest, his head lowered, his left arm hanging behind him. A glowing line of molten amber trailed from his fingertips, creating a supernatural leash running from his fingertips to a glowing ball of translucent amber. The glowing ball slid along the ground, leaving bits of the amber substance in its wake. Two children were trapped inside, their silent screams lost in the night.
Inside the ball, Amy tried to push her way out. Her hands slipped into the gooey walls of the glimmering ball, and they gave but did not break. Sam turned to face the man as he dragged the ball of light deeper into the forest. The man in the cloak looked at Sam. His hood was pushed back, revealing a grotesque pale face with glassy, opaque eyes and hideous red scarring running across his face like the veins of a leaf. The man smiled a ghastly grin. Sam’s eyes widened in terror, and he panicked. He banged against the walls of the amber ball with the full force of his shirt-enhanced strength. But his hands plopped into the goop with no effect.
Twenty feet behind the glowing amber ball, Mike moved invisibly through the forest, following the bits of amber goop left behind on the ground. The man in the cloak was moving fast, and Mike was breathing heavily to keep up. Though he was fatigued, his worry for Amy and Sam kept him moving forward. He hoped that they knew he was following them.
27
KATHY SAT ON a padded chair facing the couch where Laura sat nervously, her rapidly bouncing leg revealing the tension she felt inside.
“I really don’t know how to say it,” Laura tried to explain. “I mean, things that shouldn’t be there are there, and things that should be there aren’t. Something very strange is going on,” said Laura. “And now they’re all missing.”
“I’m sure they are fine,” Kathy reassured unconvincingly. “They probably went to the library to do their homework. Let’s call over there and see.”
Laura nodded, trying to shake off the worry that had engulfed her for the past half hour. “You’re probably right. Maybe they went back to Sam’s grandma’s to finish their service project.”
Kathy stood up, startled. “What did you say?”
Mike ran through the forest, his footsteps crunching through the forest floor as he rustled past leaves and branches. In the distance, he saw the man in the cloak dragging the glowing sphere toward an enormous spruce tree.
The tree was almost fifty feet tall with a base diameter of nearly fifteen feet. The normally bright green leaves were stained a dark black, and glowing amber sap oozed from the bark.
The tree hulked over the man as he pulled the glowing ball toward it. He held his hand out toward the tree, and a flicker of molten amber shot from his fingertips into the center of the base of the tree. The tree’s bark began to swirl as if it were made of worms. The slithering pieces of bark shifted, and a hole opened—a dark, pulpy hole, like a sucking wound in the side of the tree. The hole widened into a passageway.
Mike stared in horror as the man flashed a freakish smile at Sam and Amy and disappeared inside the hole, pulling the glowing amber ball behind him. The spherical prison stuck in the hole for a moment before
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