"Master! Master!" The little creature ran up to his master's throne and bowed low.

"You bring news of the children?"

"Yes, oh great one," eulogized the creature, "They are on their way to the island of Document. They were told that their keys were hidden there."

"Your discoveries are laudable, Gazi. Now, go to the island and find my loyal servant there. She will assist you in your search for the keys. I must find them first."

"Yes sir! Right away, boss!" With that, the little creature darted out of the room, happy to have pleased his master.

"Wow, this place reminds me of a managerie I once visited," said Job.

Wha, the giant whale that had offered to give the group a ride, had just announced their arrival. He smiled at the boy's comment.

"Yes, Document is teeming with life, but don't worry, most are benign," he assured.

"That's a relief or else we may have had to leave Job behind," bantered Missy with a giggle, knowing how easily the boy got scared.

"Come on guys, let's go," urged Ty.

When all of the children had gone ashore, they waved good-bye to Wha and set off through the dense forest. But after a few hours, everyone was getting tired. Everyone except for Ty, that is.

"Look, we've been walking for hours. We really should take a break," repeated Marc for the third time that day.

"But we've gotta find our keys! Jeanie says they're important!" said the self-appointed leader, also quoting himself from earlier.

"Yeah right," replied the blonde, trying not to sound too sardonic. He glanced over at Missy who had her arms folded and was giving them both an 'I warned you' look. But before either boy had a chance to make a derogatory comment, JC walked up to his brother and gently tugged on his shirt.

"Marc, I don't feel... so..." the little boy trailed off as he fell to ground.

"JC!" cried the blonde as he knelt down next to his brother. He noticed a small half-eaten mushroom in his hand and could hear the sound of Iggy typing furiously.

The computer genius gasped. "That mushroom is very poisonous. There is an antidote, but my laptop says that it must be taken within the next twenty four hours. Needless to say, we shouldn't be flippant about this."

"Is the poison malignant?" asked Sara, worried.

Iggy looked up from his laptop, something he rarely did, and solemnly nodded.

"No," whispered Marc, not wanting to believe that he could lose his brother.

to be continued...