Breaking Through the Surface

Something isn’t right. The beeping grew louder and faster. The thin hot air made her lungs ache.

“Are you alright?”

“No.” They couldn’t stop moving. The pink waves closed in tighter.

“I think I’m going to be sick!”

“Don’t stop! We have to keep going!” The whimpering got lost with the beeping. Anna Jane closed her eyes. Come on, Linda! Please don’t die! You have to finish this story. Hang in there! Her light flew faster.

“Wait up!” Logan, Vivian, and the bears flew to keep up.

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Meanwhile, the panda army advanced on the island. The monkey commander led the way. He clicked on his radio.

“Sergeant, do you copy?” he asked. The other line crackled on.

“Hello?” the monkey asked.

“Sir!” a voice on the other line said.

“What’s your twenty?” the monkey commander asked.

“We’re on the south side of the island. Over,” the sergeant said.

“Any progress?” the commander asked. “Over.”

“Half of the unit is in front of the hut. Over,” the other monkey said.

“Why aren’t you in there? Over.”

“The barrier.”

“What do you mean? Over.”

“There’s some sort of a spell here. Over.”

“You haven’t broken it?”

“No.”

“And why is that?” The monkey commander heard nervous laughing.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Uh…” the sergeant said.

“What?”

“Well, you see…” The sergeant mumbled out the rest.

“What?” the monkey commander asked.

“The spell is different sir, over,” the other monkey admitted. His boss clenched his teeth.

“What?!” he asked.

“I’m so sorry over!” the sergeant said. The monkey commander groaned.

“Keep working on it! Don’t let them get away! Do you hear me, damn it?! Over!” he yelled.

“Yes sir! Over and out!” the sergeant said. The radio clicked off. The monkey commander groaned aloud. He turned to the panda commander.

“Is there a problem?” his comrade asked. The monkey cleared his throat.

“No,” he lied. The monkey marched forward. The panda commander said nothing.

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Sergeant Ripley stood up.

“What is it?” Patel asked.

“They are coming,” she said. Her comrade jumped to his feet.

“How many?” he said. Ripley counted with her hearing.

“Twelve… no, twenty,” she said.  Patel clicked his tongue.

“Think they we can take them?” he asked. Ripley gave him a dry smile.

“We can try,” she said. They walked up to the door of the hut.

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“What? What is this?” Anna Kane felt her body being sucked upwards. She couldn’t even scream out.

“AJ!”

She could barely hear them. The walls grew tighter. The beeping was loud around her head. She clinched her teeth. The girl’s screams got lost in the pressure and foreign noises. The others couldn’t keep up. It felt like her ears were going to pop.

“I can’t take this!” Suddenly, it all went white.

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Anna Jane broke through the surface. She let out a loud gasp. Silence. Absolute silence. No screaming. No beeping. Just absolute silence. Anna Jane had to thread whatever she was in.

She wasn’t going to be alone for long.

Anna Jane looked around as more bubbles surfaced. Logan, Vivian, and the bears all surface. The geisha let out a loud gasp.

“I am not doing that again!” she wailed.

“Where are we?” Logan asked. Anna Jane turned her head forward.

“Look!” she said, pointing. Everyone looked out where she was looking. In the distance stood a giant white rainbow castle. In front of it stood a city of gold. Even the trees were glittering. Everything looked so bright that they needed shades.

“Is that…?” Vivian started to ask.

“Chronus!” the children said in unison.

“Hey!” someone yelled. The crew looked up. A girl in white robes stood on the shore. She held out her arms. Anna Jane’s eyes widened.

“It’s you!” she said.

“Welcome to my kingdom!” the girl said with a smile.