Gaal the Conqueror by John White

Author:John White [White, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian, fantasy, inspirational, children's, S&S
ISBN: 9780830868926
Google: 0MRlkXoUN1IC
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2011-06-27T05:58:12+00:00

Any reasonable boy or girl would have had to struggle with aching bones and weariness after the grueling march of the previous day and night. But such was the strength that fear put into their limbs, that they seemed to walk with the vigor of young mountain goats-at least for the first two hours. Or perhaps it was that their eager and excited discussion of what had happened distracted their minds from their weary muscles. However, after two hours not only their muscles, but also their stomachs cried with loud and protesting voices and were heard.

"You know my legs are like lead. In fact every muscle in my body-"

"And I'm hungry!"

"That's right! I completely forgot that since we didn't sleep in a Gaal tree we wouldn't be able to make our daily ration of sandwiches. What on earth are we going to do?"

For the previous half-hour John's anxiety had been rising steadily. Their danger was becoming painfully clear. Without food they would be unlikely to travel fifty miles in time to escape from the enchantment. Even with food they would face an exhausting ordeal. But he did not want Eleanor to share or even to know about his growing panic. "In books they look for wild berries and roots, or else they hunt game with bows and arrows," John thought aloud.

"Hm! I'm not sure I'd trust the fruit in an enchanted forest. And I don't like the idea of killing and skinning animals. Eeugh! Dad does it and I hate it."

Eleanor seemed light-hearted, and John struggled to match her mood but failed. "We don't have time to do anything like that anyway," he said nervously. "Hunting takes time-to say nothing of making bows and arrows. We've only got till midnight tomorrow to get out of here, and we still don't know how much farther we have to go." Fear like a steel band tightened round his heart.

John tripped over a root. For the first time in his life he swore. In fact a stream of curses flowed from his lips with a fluency that shocked him. Some boys at his Canadian school swore, but this was the first time he had ever done so. Eleanor's eyes widened as she stared at him. "I never heard you talk like that before. It-it doesn't suit you. You sounded like my dad when you did that."

John said nothing. His legs felt more like lead than ever, but he struggled on grimly for several more minutes. Then he tripped again. This time he stopped walking, turned and sat down deliberately with his back to a red cedar, muttering curses under his breath. Eleanor sat down wearily beside him. She could see that his face was pale and that his hands trembled.

"Do you often swear?"

John shook his head. "I never did till now," he said quietly. Panic was still rising inside him.

"Are you scared?"

Suddenly John threw aside all attempt to conceal his feelings, and exploded with a yell of rage. "How can I be expected

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