Lost Places by Carla Jablonski Read Free Book Online Page B

manifest. “It will work. It will . Tanger, could you find me a stone?”
    â€œMost happy to oblige, Opener!”
    Tanger searched for a stone as Tim rummaged in his pocket for his keys. Tim could see that his new resolve had galvanized the narl.
    â€œYou were right,” Tim told Tanger as he took a smooth, flat stone from the little fellow. “I am a stump head. I should have thought of this ages ago.”
    Using his keys, Tim scratched an M and an arrow onto it. “I’ve been working on this handy little trick. It’s a spell to find lost objects.”
    â€œSounds very handy, indeed,” Tanger commented.
    â€œYeah, especially since I’m always losing my keys,” Tim replied. He held out the stone for Tanger to see. “See? The M is for Molly, the arrow is for directions. It’s going to tell us which way to go to find her.”
    â€œDo you really think so?” Tanger asked.
    â€œI believe so, and since you keep telling me that we’re in a place where my beliefs become real…”
    Tim straightened up. “Okay, rock, point us in the right direction!” Tim flipped the rock into the air. It vanished in a puff of smoke.
    â€œHuh,” Tim said. “I don’t know why that didn’t work.”
    â€œPlates and pie pans!” Tanger exclaimed. “Indeed it did work. That was your answer, Opener. She’s not here anymore.”
    â€œThen where is she?” Tim asked.
    â€œSomewhere else?” Tanger offered.
    That’s a lot of help, Tim thought, but he held his tongue. He knew Tanger was as concerned as he was, and as baffled. “That spell has always worked before,” Tim said. “Maybe with a slight adjustment we can get a clearer answer.”
    Tim picked up another rock and this time he scratched Crimple’s initial and an arrow. “I’mhoping he’s with Molly,” he explained. He held the stone out in front of him. “Okay, rock. Show me where Crimple is, even if it is outside the meadow. Any universe, world, neighborhood, dimension. We want to see him in his new place.”
    He flipped the stone again. As the rock spun in front of them, it glowed pink and seemed to hesitate in the air. An image appeared inside the glowing sphere the rock had become.
    â€œIt’s them!” Tim gasped.
    Molly and Crimple were in what looked like a giant dollhouse in a bubblegum-pink world. They sat at a table set for tea, and the guests were dolls, stuffed animals—and several large pink dinosaurs.
    The stone blinked out and dropped to the ground with a thud.
    â€œDid you see that?” Tim whispered.
    â€œIndeed I did,” Tanger replied.
    The tone in Tanger’s voice told Tim that the narl knew more about the situation than Tim did. “Do you know where they are?”
    Tanger swallowed hard. “Yes, Opener,” he said. “They’re in the Demon Playland.”

Chapter Five
    â€œD EMON PLAYLAND?” TIM REPEATED. He didn’t like the sound of that. Not one bit. He cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m guessing that’s not so good for Molly and Crimple.”
    Tanger shook his head sadly. “No, it’s not, or I’m a spatula.”
    â€œSo those lizard dinosaury things are…” Tim could barely get the word out. “They are demons?”
    â€œUnmistakably,” Tanger replied. He scratched the top of his head. “Although I didn’t know they came in pink.”
    â€œYou’ve seen demons before?” Tim exclaimed. He couldn’t imagine the sweet little narl facing down something as terrifying as a demon. “When?”
    â€œWhy, when my place was different, Opener,” Tanger explained. “I haven’t always been a narl, you know.”
    â€œNo, I didn’t know,” Tim said.
    â€œYou’re not the only Opener I’ve had dealings with. Every one of you has imagined things quite differently. I’ve