Bubbles Popping

“George, please step into the circle,” the old monkey woman said. The creature went into a daze. George walked up to a circle of white mushrooms.

“George?” Anna Jane asked. The creature stood in the middle of the circle.

“Gather around,” the old monkey woman said. Anna walked forward first. The rest followed behind. They all circled the mushrooms. The bears and children linked hands on instinct. Teddy and White Bear held Anna Jane’s hands. The elderly monkey woman held out her hands. She closed her eyes and dropped back her head.

“Stay in the circle no matter what,” she commanded. The old monkey chanted in tongues. A gust of wind blew over their heads. Bursts of heat blew up around them. Anna Jane heard the faint beeping again. She wrinkled her nose.

“Look! She’s floating off the ground!” Logan said.

“Huh?” Anna Jane asked. She looked down at her feet. The girl really was floating off the ground.

“Wow!” she said.

“Don’t lose focus,” the old monkey woman said. Anna Jane quickly went quiet. Vivian started to float off the ground.

“Wow,” she mouthed. Logan and the bears followed with the floating. George opened his mouth.

“Meep!” he yelled. The creature started to glow. His mouth opened wider. The lower jaw touched the ground. Vivian winced. The old monkey woman made a grand sweeping gesture with her hands. The circle rose into midair. Vivian tightly shut her eyes. She knew what was coming next. The geisha winced.

“Go!” the old monkey woman yelled. She slammed her hand down on the ground. The children and bears turned into balls of light. The elderly monkey woman swung her other hand forward. With one swoop, the lights flew into George’s mouth. Vivian screamed the whole time. She wouldn’t make a noise for long. George closed his mouth.

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Meanwhile, the panda army made it to the island. The commander of the monkey army stood on the beach, waiting.

“Welcome!” he said. The panda commander and his men marched up onto the sand.

“Where are they?” he asked.

“A neutral zone,” the monkey said.

“What?” the panda asked. The monkey lifted his chin.

“We cannot attack them,” he said. “It’s part of our treaty.”

“Treaty? Treaty? Treaty?!” the panda yelled. His face looked so red. The monkey commander put up his hands.

“Easy there,” he said. “We know how to get them out.” The general patted his commander on the shoulder.

“Calm down, sir,” he whispered. The panda commander took a breath. He snorted.

“Fine,” he said. “Get them out.”

“Already on it,” the monkey said with a salute. The panda commander just sneered. His generals would have to keep him calm for the time being.

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“Where are we?”

“I think we’re inside of George.”

“Ew!”

“But why?”

He is your gate to Chronus.

“What?”

You don’t have time. The world might be coming to an end.

“What?!”

“What does that mean?”

You don’t have time to worry about that. You all have to keep moving.

“Okay!”

“AJ!”

You have to get going. You don’t have much time. Now go! Go!

The rest of them followed Anna Jane’s light through the pink wavy lines. They seemed to be closing in on them. Anna Jane heard beeping around her. Only this time it was louder. Wait… Was it getting faster?