Finders Creepers by Derek Fridolfs

Author:Derek Fridolfs [Nguyen, Dustin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2020-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

After leading them here, Maxwell sat proudly in front of the strange structure in the Mordred house.

A large obelisk loomed before them.

“It kind of looks like a grandfather clock,” noticed Atticus.

“Not any grandfather I know,” said his sister.

It was very tall and made from stone. Possibly granite. With two closed vertical panels leading up to a round clock face. There were four curved “hands” on its dial with a unique twisted design, but no numbers or Roman numerals of any legible kind. And it was surprisingly smooth in the front and cold to the touch. It was definitely not like anything they’d seen before.

Atticus stood on his tip toes, staring up, to try to get a closer look.

“What time is it?” asked Esmeralda.

“I’m not sure it tells time,” answered Atticus.

“Maybe it just needs to be wound up,” she offered.

“I don’t think you should touch that thing,” warned Atticus. “We don’t know what it might do.”

Taller than her brother and able to reach the arms, Esmeralda began to turn them in clockwise fashion. The rotation of its gears made a clicking sound.

Maxwell now faced the clock. He raised one paw to press against the front of it. And when he touched it, the two vertical panels opened out like doors, to reveal a hidden compartment inside.

With its stone doors open wide, Atticus stared into it. Hesitant. While his feet remained firm and unmoving.

Using his thick neck and strong nose, Maxwell nudged the twins forward to enter the clock. It was large enough to accommodate all three of them, so they entered inside of it together.

“Why are we in here?” asked Atticus, starting to panic.

“I blame the dog,” she said with a grin.

Without warning, the stone doors closed shut behind them, leaving them in darkness. Atticus reached out to try to push the doorway open, but couldn’t touch it. Or any of their surroundings. Whatever they were inside now apparently didn’t have walls anymore. But the darkness was getting to him, even after his sister put her arm around him.

“Breathe, Atty. It’s okay. We’re right here with you,” assured Esmeralda.

“But where is here, exactly?!” Atticus cried.

“Use your flashlight,” Esmeralda recommended.

“I—I—didn’t bring one!” stammered Atticus.

He could feel her shaking her head in the darkness next to him. “So unlike you, little brother.”

The floor beneath them hummed.

“Do you feel that?” asked Atticus. “I think we’re moving.”

“It feels like an elevator,” she guessed, making her brother gulp in dread. “Except we’re not going up or down. It kinda feels like we’re shifting sideways.”

Maxwell barked in agreement.

Suddenly the darkness around them was getting brighter. A bright light was racing toward them that couldn’t be avoided. The twins passed through it and fell into …

… somewhere …

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