The Heath Cousins and the Moonstone Cave by Eileen Hobbs

Author:Eileen Hobbs [Hobbs, Eileen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781543454239
Publisher: Xlibris US
Published: 2017-10-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

The Wrong Way

They had walked only a few minutes on the stone path when Bodie yelled, “Let’s try this one!” He was running toward a huge gold door with a large lion-head knocker on the front. There were knights and queens and kings carved all over the door. Before they could catch up with him, he reached up and grabbed the knocker. He could barely reach it, but even with slight pressure, the massive door began to creak open.

Addie was the first to reach Bodie. She glanced at the knocker and quickly read the inscription above it. “Via errata,” she read then repeated it. “Via errata. . . Bodie, no!” she screamed, but it was too late. With the opening of the door, a great wind began to pull at Bodie’s small arms and legs. “Quick!” Addie screamed. “Grab him!”

“Help!” Bodie cried. Jack reached out and grabbed him by the waist, trying to pull him back in. The wind began to suck Bodie’s legs out the door.

Jack was losing his grip on Bodie. “Help me pull him in!” Jack screamed. Addie grabbed Bodie’s legs, trying to bring them back in. It seemed impossible. The wind began to pull at her arms with such great force she thought they would all be lost. Through the opening, she caught a glimpse of storm clouds with funnels reaching down from the dark sky. Sand swirled around them, stinging her arms. She felt Beanie grab her around the waist. Together, inch by inch, they brought Bodie back in. “Push!” Jack yelled as they all put their weight against the heavy door. At last, they heard a click, and the golden door closed. The fierce wind was also gone. Only the peace and quiet of the garden remained.

Addie looked around, breathing heavily, her heart pounding. Bodie sat on the ground, his hair standing straight up like he had been shocked, his legs and arms covered in red dirt. Tears ran down his face, making little clear rivers down the mud on his red cheeks.

“You’re okay, buddy,” Jack said. “We got you.”

Bodie leaned against his oldest brother and buried his head in Jack’s chest and began to sob. “It … it … was going to … take me …,” he stuttered. “What … was that?”

“I don’t know,” Jack said. “But you’re safe now.”

Addie plopped down beside them. She rubbed her arm. A long scratch ran the length of it where the door almost closed on it. She shuddered to think what might have happened if they hadn’t saved Bodie. “It was the wrong way,” she said.

Jack glowered at her. “No kidding!” he said crossly.

“I mean, that’s what it says on the door. The inscription. In Latin.Via errata. It means ‘the wrong way.’”

“It would have been nice to know that before he opened it!” Jack said in a stern tone. “He could have been killed!”

“I know!” Addie said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get here on time.”

Bodie lifted his head. “Don’t fight. It wasn’t Addie B.’s fault.”

They sat in silence for a moment, thinking about their next move.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.