I head forward into the grass, what Maplewane called "the Glass Desert". Jake scrambles after me.
"Where are you going?" He whispers to me, the agitation obvious in his voice.
"This way," I say, continuing forward.
"Why?" says Jake. "You can't trust that girl."
"I'm going this way because this is where Spindlewind's tracks lead," I say. "And why can't I trust her?"
"You don't know?" says Jake.
I stop and look at him. "What part of 'I'm not from this world' don't you people understand?”
Jake looks around cautiously then ducks into the grass, pulling me along with him.
“They’re the evil ones. The Booglens.”
“They’re the Boogies?”
“Booglens.”
“But they’re just kids.”
“They’re Booglens. They’re thieves. They stole this world from its rightful masters. Stole their voices. Stole their…”
Jake stares into my eyes.
“Glass… you haven’t eaten any of their food, have you?”
“Why?” I say. Jake looks really worried. He keeps staring in my eyes, not in the good way, more in the ‘you’ve got something on your face’ way.
I start thinking about the Tweechen’s, or Booglen’s, or whatever they are’s food. I feel my mouth salivating. My stomach rumbles. Maybe if I went back towards the forest they would give me more delicious bread, and cakes, and meats, and sweet—
I suddenly realize that I am clawing towards the forest, and Jake is wrapped around my legs trying to stop me. “Focus, Glass!” he yells.
“What?”
He slaps me across the face.
Instinctively, I punch him in the nose.
We both stagger and get a hold of ourselves. I am a serene warrior, not a wild dog. I can control myself. I don’t need delicious, delicious food. I am a serene warrior.
Jake moans.
“Oh, Jake,” I say. “I’m sorry. I don’t know…”
He nods, his hands still protecting the lower half of his face, his eyes wincing in pain.
“I just want to go home,” I say.
“I know,” he says, his voice muffled.
I hear a gigantic roar. I spring to my feet. A mass of brown springs on me, knocking me down again.
“Spindlewind?” I say.
The bear growls.
Jake and I climb on Spindlewind’s back, and he takes off running, as fast as he can across the Glass Desert.
After we get past the meadowland, we enter an area of sand.
“Now this is more like a desert,” I say, but I’m quickly struck silent. As we rush through the sand, I begin to notice that littering the landscape are various familiar small objects. Everything I had ever lost in my life is there: my favorite teddy bear I’d lost when I was six, a gameboy cartridge I’d lost when I was eight, a book, a CD, the plastic cover for the back of the remote, my cell phone charger, and oh so many socks and pens.
“It’s all here. My life…”
I want to stop to look around, but Spindlewind only runs faster and faster, Jake kicking him onwards.
After what feels like days, we finally slide to a stop. Spindlewind lifts a foot, and I see a small green head sticking up out of the sand. I leap off his back and dig up the thing.
Suddenly, I feel myself laugh. It’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pez dispenser I’d lost on vacation when I was twelve. I pick up the plastic toy and pull back on Michelangelo’s head. A static noise that almost sounds like “Cowabunga!” emits from it, along with a mouthful of sand instead of candy. It feels good to be holding on to this silly little piece of home, like home is a real place, and no matter how long it’s been lost, it can be found again.
“You won’t believe what I’ve just found,” I say, but Jake and Spindlewind are silent. They’re gazing straight ahead.
“We’re here,” Jake says in a whisper.
NEXT CHAPTER (coming soon)
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