wider one was beyond anyone’s guess.
After following the alley for a while they ended up face to face with a stone wall. There were no doors to buildings, or windows, just plain, old stone. Confused, a bit annoyed and frustrated they decided to walk back again and try a different alleyway, but the same thing happened again, with the alley ending with a stone wall.
They tried this a more few alleyways but more often than enough they ended up heading down one, and finding that it was a dead end too. Having to walk back up it again was beginning to cause a tiring effect on the friends.
By the fifth dead end, they decided that maybe it was time to take a rest and head back to the main street. It was like being in a maze, and although Jason thought about making jokes about trails of breadcrumbs, the look of irritation on Emily’s face made him bite his tongue. Eventually, they found their way back to the fork at the end of the main street. They could see the blue dome. It really wasn’t that far away. It was just a matter of getting past the row of shops and houses that lay in front of it. But no matter what they tried, what road or alley they took, they always seemed to reach a dead end.
“ Oh this is absolutely useless” Emily said as she sat her exhausted body down on the side of the road, “We are never going to get to the Library at this rate, someone or something is obviously trying to stop us”
“Maybe you could go talk to that guard again, and see if he could tell us how exactly we could get to the Great library” Jason said as he sat down beside her trying to sound as optimistic as possible.
“ Jason that’s not funny. Do try and be serious for once” She settled into what Jason thought of as a ‘classic huff position’, with her arms crossed over her knees, and her chin resting on them, morosely.
“ I am being serious. You should go and talk to the guard again. He must know how to get to the library – he just took it for granted that we knew the city’s shortcuts and everything. Maybe if you explain to him that it’s our first visit? Besides, it beats sitting here doing nothing.”
Emily raised her chin to look at him, and nodded slightly.
“ You’re right. I’ll go ask him”
She walked slowly over toward the guard who was still standing smartly to attention. “Excuse me.” she said, waiting through the helmet-fixing ritual until she had the guard’s attention, “we tried to get to the Library, but every road or alley we took led away from it. Can you please tell us which way we should go?”
The guard chuckled “of course, like I said just head directly towards the dome, don’t change direction, just go straight ahead from where we are standing”
“ But there is a row of shops there’ Emily said, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice. The guard wasn’t listening to her at all.
The guard smiled a mysterious smile.
“Just look closely at those shops” he said quietly “one of them is bound to help you out”
Then he straightened up, fixed the helmet, and stood to attention again.
Emily looked at him for a moment, and turned to walk back to her friends.
“Well? Did you find anything out?” Jason asked as soon as she returned.
“ Not much. He just said that we should head straight towards the dome and not change direction.”
“But the row of shops...” Jason interrupted.
“ I know. I did say about that, but the guard just said there was bound to be one that could help us, and that was it, that’s all he would say.”
Jason looked at Sherbit, who just shrugged his shoulders. There was a rumbling noise.
“What was that?” Emily asked.
“My stomach!” Jason said, with a laugh.
“Trust you to be thinking about food, especially at a time like this!” she exclaimed.
There was a second rumble, and Emily’s face went red.
“Looks like I’m not the only one…!” Jason laughed again.
“ Let’s go get something to eat, before we starve away to
After following the alley for a while they ended up face to face with a stone wall. There were no doors to buildings, or windows, just plain, old stone. Confused, a bit annoyed and frustrated they decided to walk back again and try a different alleyway, but the same thing happened again, with the alley ending with a stone wall.
They tried this a more few alleyways but more often than enough they ended up heading down one, and finding that it was a dead end too. Having to walk back up it again was beginning to cause a tiring effect on the friends.
By the fifth dead end, they decided that maybe it was time to take a rest and head back to the main street. It was like being in a maze, and although Jason thought about making jokes about trails of breadcrumbs, the look of irritation on Emily’s face made him bite his tongue. Eventually, they found their way back to the fork at the end of the main street. They could see the blue dome. It really wasn’t that far away. It was just a matter of getting past the row of shops and houses that lay in front of it. But no matter what they tried, what road or alley they took, they always seemed to reach a dead end.
“ Oh this is absolutely useless” Emily said as she sat her exhausted body down on the side of the road, “We are never going to get to the Library at this rate, someone or something is obviously trying to stop us”
“Maybe you could go talk to that guard again, and see if he could tell us how exactly we could get to the Great library” Jason said as he sat down beside her trying to sound as optimistic as possible.
“ Jason that’s not funny. Do try and be serious for once” She settled into what Jason thought of as a ‘classic huff position’, with her arms crossed over her knees, and her chin resting on them, morosely.
“ I am being serious. You should go and talk to the guard again. He must know how to get to the library – he just took it for granted that we knew the city’s shortcuts and everything. Maybe if you explain to him that it’s our first visit? Besides, it beats sitting here doing nothing.”
Emily raised her chin to look at him, and nodded slightly.
“ You’re right. I’ll go ask him”
She walked slowly over toward the guard who was still standing smartly to attention. “Excuse me.” she said, waiting through the helmet-fixing ritual until she had the guard’s attention, “we tried to get to the Library, but every road or alley we took led away from it. Can you please tell us which way we should go?”
The guard chuckled “of course, like I said just head directly towards the dome, don’t change direction, just go straight ahead from where we are standing”
“ But there is a row of shops there’ Emily said, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice. The guard wasn’t listening to her at all.
The guard smiled a mysterious smile.
“Just look closely at those shops” he said quietly “one of them is bound to help you out”
Then he straightened up, fixed the helmet, and stood to attention again.
Emily looked at him for a moment, and turned to walk back to her friends.
“Well? Did you find anything out?” Jason asked as soon as she returned.
“ Not much. He just said that we should head straight towards the dome and not change direction.”
“But the row of shops...” Jason interrupted.
“ I know. I did say about that, but the guard just said there was bound to be one that could help us, and that was it, that’s all he would say.”
Jason looked at Sherbit, who just shrugged his shoulders. There was a rumbling noise.
“What was that?” Emily asked.
“My stomach!” Jason said, with a laugh.
“Trust you to be thinking about food, especially at a time like this!” she exclaimed.
There was a second rumble, and Emily’s face went red.
“Looks like I’m not the only one…!” Jason laughed again.
“ Let’s go get something to eat, before we starve away to
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