End of the Quest

 “Linda” Anna Jane shouted. She sawm to the shore. Logan and Vivian looked at each other. Anna Jane jumped out of the water. The other girl smiled.

“You found me,” she said. The two girls hugged. Teddy swam forward. Anna Jane had to help him up.

“Come on, guys!” she shouted. “Are you going to stay in there forever?” Logan swam to shore. Vivian and White Bear followed behind.

“You alright?” Logan asked.

“Uh-huh,” Vivian said. They all turned to Linda.

“I’m sure you have many questions,” she said. “Come with me.” Linda turned and walked down the streets of golf. Everyone looked at each other before walking forward.

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By now, half of the barrier spell had been lifted. The monkeys stood ready to charge. From the west, the pandas and monkeys marched. Alistair opened her eyes.

“Ma’am!” Patel shouted. The elderly monkey woman turned her head.

“Please come inside. It’s not safe out here!” he shouted.

“No,” she said.

“What?” the sergeant asked. The old monkey woman reached into her cloak.

“Miss?” Patel asked. She pulled out three stones.

“You shall not pass!” the old monkey woman yelled. She threw the stones to the ground. Black smoke erupted from the ground. Patel covered his nose and mouth. Ripley started shooting in the distance.

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“What is this place?” Logan asked. “Is this Heaven? Are we dead?”

“No,” Linda said. “You are still alive. This isn’t heaven or hell. This is Chronus.” They sat in a lush green garden. A small marble fountain ran in the background. The grass felt like a plush green carpet. They sat under a cherry tree full of pink blossoms.

“Wow!” Anna Jane said.

“Is it just you here?” Vivian asked.

“No,” Linda said. “There are others here.”

“Where are they?” the geisha asked.

“Around,” the other girl said. Anna Jane turned to Linda.

“No wonder everyone wants to be here,” she said. Birds sang in the background. Linda reached up to let a butterfly land on her fingers.

“What about George?” Anna Jane asked. “Will he be okay?”

“Don’t worry. He’s going to be fine. He’ll be reborn soon,” Linda said. Anna Jane looked confused.

“What do you mean?” she asked. Linda began to look sad.

“Linda?” the little girl asked. Her friend sighed.

“George doesn’t have long, I’m afraid,” she said. The butterfly flew away from her finger.

“You see,” she said. “George is the secret gate to this place. We can’t have too many people coming here. It’s rare for him to be opened.” Linda put her hands in her lap.

“We can’t have too many people here,” she said. “They come here for peace. Because of that, we don’t allow many outsiders.” Vivian blinked as she looked confused.

“Then why are we here?” she asked. Linda perked up.

“We’ve had two more openings,” she said. Linda stood up.

“However, you can’t stay,” she said. She pointed at Anna Jane. The little girl looked confused.

“Me? But why?” she asked. Linda walked over and took her by the cheeks.

“This isn’t your world,” she said. “You have to go back.”

“But…” Anna Jane said. Linda shook her head. She pressed her forehead against her.

“Please,” she said. “Go back home.” Anna Jane closed her mouth and lowered her head.

“Fine,” she muttered.

“Thank you,” Linda said. She let of Anna Jane’s face.

“Hey, what about us?” Logan asked. Linda turned to him.

“You could stay,” she said. “Only if you want to.” Teddy walked over to Anna Jane. Vivian put up her hands.

“I’m staying,” she said. “I mean… I’ve got nothing else.” Logan turned to Anna Jane. He had a desperate look in his puppy dog eyes.

“It’s okay,” Anna Jane said. “Stay.” The cowboy bowed his head.

“I will stay,” he said. Anna Jane smiled. They all looked at White Bear.

“What about you?” Linda asked. “Will you stay or go?” The little white bear walked over to Anna Jane.

“Very well,” Linda said. “It is settled.”

“Wait!” Anna Jane said. All eyes fell on her. Linda raised her eyebrow.

“Yes?” she asked. Anna Jane stood up.

“What about George?” she asked. “And Ripley and Patel? And everyone else? Will they by okay?” Linda gave her a clam smile.

“They will be okay,” she said. “This world will still be here.” Anna Jane gasped.

“You mean---?” she began to ask.

“Yes,” Linda said. The other girl’s eyes lit up.

“Can we meet again?” she asked.

“Of course,” Linda said.

“Can I come back here?” Anna Jane asked.

“Yes,” the other girl said. “Now you have to go. I will wake up soon.”

“What are you talking about?” Vivian asked.

“I will explain later,” Linda said.

“What do I need to do?” Anna Jane asked.

“Turn on your radio,” the other girl said. Her friend reached down and turned on her radio which appeared at her feet.

“Wow, thank you for getting it back from George,” Anna Jane said. Linda smiled.

“Turn to your favorite station,” she said. Anna Jane turned the dial to her favorite station. Teddy and White Bear clung to her legs. The girl hit the right frequency. At first, white noise came through.

“Now what?” Anna Jane asked. Linda, Logan, and Vivian gathered around to watch.

“Goodbye,” Linda mouthed. Her friend and the bears vanished into thin air.

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Anna Jane got to see the world. Ripley and Patel fought off the monkey and panda armies. George’s body broke down into dust. Kats sat on the train tracks playing his harmonica. The world looked so bright. Anna Jane about drowned in the sensations. She let out one scream and her body broke down into tiny stars.

When she opened her eyes, Anna Jane found herself in front of her bedroom window. It was still dark outside and her bed was empty. Anna Jane covered her mouth as she squealed to herself. That was one hell of an adventure! Too bad her dad and his girlfriend wouldn’t believe her. Somehow, it didn’t matter.

Anna Jane looked down at her radio and her two teddy bears. Teddy and White Bear didn’t move in this world, her world. This didn’t bother her. The girl crawled into the window and quietly closed it. She climbed into bed and went to sleep.

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Anna Jane got up in the morning and smiled to herself. A nice trip down to the lake sounded like a great idea. After all, the summer was still young. She had time.

“Good morning!” Anna Jane said at the breakfast table. Charlie and his girlfriend, Roxanne, looked up.

“You’re in a good mood today,” Charlie said.

“Uh-huh,” his daughter said. Charlie and Roxanne looked at each other.

After breakfast, the family went down to the lake. Anna Jane marched ahead humming to herself.

“Where did she ger that other bear?” Roxanne asked. Charlie shrugged. But then he paused.

“Aw crap,” Charlie said. “I left my watch in the cabin.”

“What?” Roxanne asked. He handed her the picnic basket.

“I’ll be back,” Charlie said. He jogged back to the cabin.

“Honey!” Roxanne said. He was already gone. She turned back to Anna Jane walking down the trail.

Meanwhile, Anna Jane walked further to the dock. She turned and looked among the trees. The girl couldn’t sworn that she saw a giant yellow creature running through the trees. It was only for a flash. Anna Jane smiled to herself. She continued to walk with a purpose. There was one more person she needed to see. Anna Jane picked up her pace.

She came down next the lake. Anna Jane froze in tracks. She saw a girl with long dark hair to her shoulders sitting in a wheelchair. A nurse was tending to her. Anna Jane smiled and marched up to them.

“Anna Jane! Where did you go?” Roxanne asked. “AJ! AJ!” She ran down the path, swearing to herself.

“AJ!” Roxanne yelled. The woman huffed as she came down the path. But then she paused at what she saw. Anna Jane was talking to another girl her age in a wheelchair. Roxanne’s jaw dropped.

“Honey! Honey!” she yelled. “Come look at this!” Roxanne turned and ran back up the path.

Meanwhile, the girl in the wheelchair and the nurse looked up to see a girl with light brown pigtails, a yellow tank top, and jean shorts. She had two teddy bears to her chest. The girl grinned.

“Hello,” she said. “My name is Anna Jane.” The girl in the wheelchair smiled.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “My name is Linda.” Anna Jane grinned.

“I finally get to meet you in this world,” she said. The girl giggled.