fall asleep at lunchtime and sleep-walk to school.
Leif nodded his head and couldnât help but smile. This was precisely what had happened.
(â¡â ) If A.P. travels to the Boundary Waters for a canoe trip, on his fifth birthday, he shall have an ear infection.
This too had happened. âAmazing,â muttered Leif.
Leif paused and realized he could read these for several hours and just delay the inevitable moment. He sighed deeply and flipped to the end of the book. The last page was filled with row after row of what-if scenarios, but it was different than the ones before. It appeared to be written hastily, and almost in panic. At the top was written:
Addendum The Perplexons & the Shadow Tree
There was also a brief note:
Note Bene
: If the cursed Tree is allowed to grow, there will be famine, the likes of which the world has never seen. Millions will die (between 7,865,234 â 44,324,210 or so says the Pen).
â
Hmm,â said Leif. He kept reading.
If the Tree is planted, you will know, for the earth will shake with great tremors. If this happens, there are two scenarios in which it may be destroyed...
âGreat tremors?â said Leif. This made no sense, but he read on.
Scenario I. L.P. reunites with his son, M, and C.N.T at the obelisk. Together they set off for Dargora through the clouds. They arrive at the southernmost edge of the Petrified Forest where the three rivers converge, near the caves where the fog wolves live. From there, L.P., his son and M escort C.N.T. through the forest to ensure her safety. Where the forest ends, C.N.T. continues alone to Dargora. She recovers the Pen from its hiding place within the anatomical snuffbox. In broad daylight, she destroys the Shadow Tree. (â° â )
âL.P. must be me,â said Leif to himself. At a glance, this scenario seemed favorable. He and Alfonso didnât have to go into Dargora and C.N.T. took care of destroying the Shadow Tree. Still, there were so many questions. What, for example, was the âanatomical snuffboxâ?
And who in Godâs name was C.N.T?
There was nothing to do but keep reading...
Scenario II. A Perplexon will rejoice with friends in the dark of the chasm. He will then destroy the Tree by himself. A Perplexon will succeed, but he will also die. (â¡â°ââ )
â
âA Perplexonâ must be Alfonso,â muttered Leif. He recoiled. His heart was pounding and his breath seemed to stick in his throat. He struggled to regain his composure. He began to process the significance of this what-if. The prophecy was clear, in the second scenario, Alfonso died. This meant that â at all costs â Leif could not let his son enter Dargora and attempt to destroy the tree. He needed to find Alfonso and quickly. But how? And where? The prophecy. The answer had to be in the prophecy. Leif quickly took another look at what was written. The first prophecy said that Leif would reunite with his son âhereâ and then showed the following picture...
The question was: What was this thing? And, more importantly, where was it? It appeared to be a tower of sorts, covered with ornate carvings. There was nothing in the background â no context or setting at all. But what about those carvings? Leif squinted closely at the drawing of the obelisk and saw that the following pattern was repeated again and again on the obelisk itself. It appeared to be a map of sorts. It showed a bunch of islands and rivers in the form of curlicues. In the center was a small white hole. Leif stared at it closely...
Clearly this pattern meant something, but what? He simply needed more time to solve this puzzle.
Leif took the small framed canvas with nothing on it and tucked it under his arm. He was taking this with him, though he couldnât say why. Then he took hold of Alfonsoâs book, and tore out the page listing âScenario Iâ and âScenario II.â Finally, he took the book,
Leif nodded his head and couldnât help but smile. This was precisely what had happened.
(â¡â ) If A.P. travels to the Boundary Waters for a canoe trip, on his fifth birthday, he shall have an ear infection.
This too had happened. âAmazing,â muttered Leif.
Leif paused and realized he could read these for several hours and just delay the inevitable moment. He sighed deeply and flipped to the end of the book. The last page was filled with row after row of what-if scenarios, but it was different than the ones before. It appeared to be written hastily, and almost in panic. At the top was written:
Addendum The Perplexons & the Shadow Tree
There was also a brief note:
Note Bene
: If the cursed Tree is allowed to grow, there will be famine, the likes of which the world has never seen. Millions will die (between 7,865,234 â 44,324,210 or so says the Pen).
â
Hmm,â said Leif. He kept reading.
If the Tree is planted, you will know, for the earth will shake with great tremors. If this happens, there are two scenarios in which it may be destroyed...
âGreat tremors?â said Leif. This made no sense, but he read on.
Scenario I. L.P. reunites with his son, M, and C.N.T at the obelisk. Together they set off for Dargora through the clouds. They arrive at the southernmost edge of the Petrified Forest where the three rivers converge, near the caves where the fog wolves live. From there, L.P., his son and M escort C.N.T. through the forest to ensure her safety. Where the forest ends, C.N.T. continues alone to Dargora. She recovers the Pen from its hiding place within the anatomical snuffbox. In broad daylight, she destroys the Shadow Tree. (â° â )
âL.P. must be me,â said Leif to himself. At a glance, this scenario seemed favorable. He and Alfonso didnât have to go into Dargora and C.N.T. took care of destroying the Shadow Tree. Still, there were so many questions. What, for example, was the âanatomical snuffboxâ?
And who in Godâs name was C.N.T?
There was nothing to do but keep reading...
Scenario II. A Perplexon will rejoice with friends in the dark of the chasm. He will then destroy the Tree by himself. A Perplexon will succeed, but he will also die. (â¡â°ââ )
â
âA Perplexonâ must be Alfonso,â muttered Leif. He recoiled. His heart was pounding and his breath seemed to stick in his throat. He struggled to regain his composure. He began to process the significance of this what-if. The prophecy was clear, in the second scenario, Alfonso died. This meant that â at all costs â Leif could not let his son enter Dargora and attempt to destroy the tree. He needed to find Alfonso and quickly. But how? And where? The prophecy. The answer had to be in the prophecy. Leif quickly took another look at what was written. The first prophecy said that Leif would reunite with his son âhereâ and then showed the following picture...
The question was: What was this thing? And, more importantly, where was it? It appeared to be a tower of sorts, covered with ornate carvings. There was nothing in the background â no context or setting at all. But what about those carvings? Leif squinted closely at the drawing of the obelisk and saw that the following pattern was repeated again and again on the obelisk itself. It appeared to be a map of sorts. It showed a bunch of islands and rivers in the form of curlicues. In the center was a small white hole. Leif stared at it closely...
Clearly this pattern meant something, but what? He simply needed more time to solve this puzzle.
Leif took the small framed canvas with nothing on it and tucked it under his arm. He was taking this with him, though he couldnât say why. Then he took hold of Alfonsoâs book, and tore out the page listing âScenario Iâ and âScenario II.â Finally, he took the book,
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