Another Chapter in my Young Adult tale. When last we left off, Samantha and Doug's English teacher had mysteriously vanished, and then, inadvertently, the two kids had followed. Check here for the first two chapters
Doug ran to his backpack and saw that it was open. His school books were missing, but that did not cause him much concern. His colored pencils and pad were still tucked neatly in their pocket.
“Well?” Samantha asked, staring over his shoulder.
“It’s mine,” he said. “I think it is at least.” Doug pulled out the pad of drawing paper he always had with him. Flipping through the pages, he saw the robot he had drawn the week before, followed by the three different dragon drawings, followed by a picture of him. “I didn’t draw this.” He stared at himself in profile, looking off to the right side of the paper. His sandy blonde hair crowned his freckled brow, the lone blue eye in the drawing, his right as it were, looking down at his fist which was raised to his mouth, thumb extended, almost as if he were about to suck it.
“Do you?” Samantha asked, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle.
“What?” Doug began to ask, “Suck my thumb? No!” He said emphatically.
Smiling widely, she took the pad and flipped to the next page. It was blank. Turning back to the drawing of Doug, she began to examine it more closely. “Look at how your cheek is, all puffed out.”
“Like I am about to blow on my thumb.”
“Yeah. Are you sure you didn’t draw this?”
“No! Besides, my nose isn’t that pointy.”
Samantha giggled again.
“It isn’t!” Doug laughed. “Should I try it?”
“Try what? Oh, don’t be silly.”
Doug smiled sheepishly as he placed the pad back into his bag, “OK.” He made a fist and extended his thumb.
“Don’t you dare!” She said.
“What could it hurt?””
“Well, for one, you’ll look like an idiot.”
“So, if it means we get out of here…”
“And two…uh, it won’t work!”
“So if I do it, I look like an idiot? That’s it?” He inhaled sharply and, sticking his thumb into his mouth, blew with as much force as he could muster.
Samantha had been on a large cruise ship once, but the sound that came from Doug’s hand made the horn on the big boat sound like something a clown would squeeze. The light above them began to sway, and Samantha was knocked to the ground by the sounding blast. “Do I look like an idiot now?” Doug asked her.
She stared wide eyed as a rectangle of light slid open behind him, the shadow of the figure in the doorway falling over them both.
*****
“Ah, good. You’re awake!” The figure said as it pushed a cart into the room.
Doug spun as Samantha took a step forward to stand beside him.
“Who are you?” She asked.
“You may call me Kindrow, care for some food?” The man spread his arms over the cart in front of him before stepping out from behind it.
Samantha’s mouth dropped open. “What…what are you?” She stammered, staring at the chestnut colored hair covering Kindrow’s legs, each ending in a cloven hoof.
“He’s a faun!” Doug exclaimed.
“A faun? What are you talking about?” Samantha shot back.
“You know, like Mr. Tumnus in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, you know, Narnia!”
“You read far too much Doug!” She chided.
“And you don’t read enough!” Doug shot back.
Kindrow’s head bobbed back and forth following the conversation, shaking his long mane of hair, revealing a pair of small horns sticking out from his forehead. “Ah Master Doug, you are wrong. I’m a Satyr!”
“Like Pan!”
An exasperated sigh escaped Kindrow’s lips. “Yes, like Pan. Now, did you want something to eat.”
For the first time, the two kids looked at the contents of the cart. In addition to apples, peaches and pears, there was a sliced yellow cheese, some crackers, and what looked like pepperoni. A covered silver dish also sat on the cart.
“What’s under there?” Samantha pointed.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Kindrow lifted the lid, revealing two steaming bowls of soup. “It’s rice and partridge, my special recipe.”
Doug approached the cart and took a cracker, crunching on it noisily as he looked over the rest of the cart. Finishing the cracker, he picked up an apple and took a bite. “Mmm,” he said as juice ran down his chin.
“Wait Doug!” Samantha exclaimed, but he had already tossed the apple off to the side and picked up a spoon, scooping the soup into his open mouth.
“Samantha, try it, it’s amazing!”
Kindrow beamed at the praise for his cooking. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call again.” He made a horn with his right hand and pretended to blow into it before he walked back out the same way he had come, the rectangle of light closing behind him.
Samantha ran to where the Satyr had disappeared and pounded on the wall. “Wait! You can’t leave us in here! Doug, do something!”
Doug stood at the cart, spooning more of the soup into his open mouth.
“Doug!” Samantha pushed her friend when he did not respond, but the only reaction this drew was that he stepped around her and resumed eating.
Screaming, she tipped the cart over, spilling food every which way.
His meal disturbed, Doug finally shook his head, clearing away the fog that had come over him. “What happened?”
“He’s gone, he left us! We’re stuck again.” Samantha began to sob. “And you just stood there!”
“I couldn’t help it, the food was disgusting! It tasted like dirt, but I couldn’t stop eating it.” He shook his head and shuddered. “Did he say anything before he left?”
“He said to call if we needed anything else.”
Doug made to blow into his thumb again, but Samantha stopped him.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“We need out, I thought I would ask him.”
“Just ask him?”
“Sure, why not.” He blew into his thumb, and even though she had heard it before, the noise still startled her.
The rectangle in the wall opened again, and Kindrow’s silhouette stood before them.
“Yes?” the Satyr asked.
“We want out!” Doug demanded.”
“Oh, by all means…” Kindrow said, and stepped out of the doorway.
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