The Children of the Plateau (Book 2)
The Lost World
This is a sequel to my story called The Future is Back that can be found posted on this site. It's not necessary to read the first story to understand this one, but I think it would be helpful (and very nice of you!).
I will be posting "bridge" stories that will follow the progress and setbacks of the relationships of our explorers and explain how the plateau came to be the way it was in the children's time.
I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I've enjoyed writing them. Any reviews, critiques, or detailed analysis, either positive or negative, will be greeted with delight. I value your opinions and look forward to hearing from you.
Disclaimer: I don't own the TV characters. I make no profit from this story. I do own the children of the plateau and any other character that comes from my imagination.
The Five Keys
By The Inner Genie 9/2/02
Chapter 1: The Double-Digit Day
Margaret Rose Roxton sat at the kitchen table in a well-used, handmade highchair. Her bright gray-blue eyes shifted back and forth between her brother William and her sister Summer, who were sitting at the table on either side of her. A grin was hiding in her chubby little cheeks just waiting to break free. The eleven-month old found her older brother and sister very entertaining.
Seven year old Will was eating a bowl of cooked cereal with berries. He was eating steadily, staring down at his food, seemingly oblivious to his sisters. He kicked his feet, which sported a pair of brand new leather boots, against the chair leg in time to his chewing.
Summer's bowl held a sliced banana covered with milk. It was one of her favorite things to eat, mainly because she could fix it by herself. Four- year old Summer longed to be treated as a big girl like her sister Tori and her friend Alice were. She was sick and tired of everyone treating her like a baby. Even Alice held her hand when they crossed the brook. As if she couldn't hop from stone to stone on her own! Summer's temper started to rise at the thought of her best friend's condescension. She gripped her spoon tightly in irritation and spooned a gigantic bite of banana and milk into her mouth.
Will, who had been covertly watching for the perfect moment, pick a ripe, juicy berry out of his cereal and threw it.splash.into her bowl, which caused Summer to immediately forget her grumpiness. She gave a very unladylike giggle-snort, and milk shot out of her nose and ran down her chin.
"Ahhhh!" crowed Rose in admiration, banging her hands on her tray. Her eight little teeth gleamed as a grin bloomed across her face like a morning glory. Her patience had paid off. They hadn't let her down.
Grinning menacingly, Summer wiped her nose on her sleeve and quickly retaliated by fishing a slice of banana out of her bowl and heaved it across the table at her wildly laughing brother. Will, an old hand at this game, easily dodged the dripping fruit and turned to see it land with a soggy plop right at the feet of his older sister Victoria who had just come into the room.
Victoria stepped back with disgust and opened her mouth to call for her mother, but, instead, she sighed, shook her head, and picked up the banana. Walking over to the balcony of the treehouse, she threw the slice of fruit over the railing, then leaned her arms on the top rail and stared out at the dense, surrounding jungle.
"It just isn't fair," she whispered. Here it was her tenth birthday and her brother and sister couldn't behave even for this most important occasion.
She heard her mother come into the kitchen area and turned around. Her mother gave her one of her beautiful smiles.
"How's the birthday girl?" she asked, as she busied herself fixing Rose her breakfast. "I hope you had a good night's sleep. We have a big day planned for you."
Victoria had to grin at that. She might have known that her parents wouldn't let her birthday, her double-digit birthday, go uncelebrated. A double-digit birthday. That's what Grandpa Challenger had called it. Victoria felt the importance of reaching such a milestone. All of the adults were double-digit, and now she was, too.
Victoria was brought out of her reverie by her mother's sharp tone.
"Wipe your face, Summer. Will, one more slurp out of you and we'll consider your breakfast over."
Victoria hurried over to stand behind Rosie's highchair so that she could talk to her mother as she fed her baby sister.
"Where are you taking me, Mom?" she asked excitedly.
It was a tradition in the Roxton household that on each child's birthday, their parents would take him or her on a "lonely trip," which meant that none of the other children could come.
Victoria would have her parents all to herself for her special day.
Before her mother could answer her, her father came into the room buttoning his shirt. Will and Summer called out, "Morning, Dad," and went back to eating breakfast.
"Hey, Birthday Girl," he said as he gave Tori a hug and kiss. Then he bent down and kissed Rosie on top of her short, brown hair. "How's Daddy's Birthday Surprise?" he asked her.
Distracted from her exciting thoughts, Victoria frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Why do you always call her that, Dad?" she asked in vexed tone of voice. "She wasn't born on your birthday."
With a twinkle in her eye, Marguerite shook her head at her husband. "I'll have to agree with Tori on this one, John. Hmm, let's see," she said thoughtfully. "Rose was born almost nine whole months after your birthday."
John threw back his head and laughed. "That was the surprise part!". He raised one eyebrow at Marguerite and smirked until she blushed.
Marguerite hastily spooned the last bite of cereal into Rose's mouth and wiped off her chin.
Damn, the man.still making her blush after all these years.
"Will, Summer, get dressed quickly," she ordered. In her confusion, she spoke a little too sharply. She took a deep breath and said in a calmer voice, "You're going to spend the day at the Malone's, remember?"
"Yeah!" shouted Will. His spoon clattered into his bowl as he jumped down and ran to get dressed.
Marguerite put her arm across Tori's shoulder. "Get dressed, too, Tori.and bring something warm to wear," she advised.
"Warm?" Tori asked in surprise. "I don't think I have anything warm but my blanket."
Her mother raised her eyebrows. "That's a great idea. Bring all the extra blankets, Tori. We'll be glad we have them where we're going."
Victoria's eyes widened with excitement. "Please, Mom, tell me where we're going. I can't wait any longer!"
Marguerite glanced over at Roxton. He nodded his permission, and smiling, she told the exciting secret they had been preparing for her.
"We're taking you all the way to the mountains...in the balloon. Dad and Uncle Ned and Grandpa have been repairing it for weeks. We all agreed that you are old enough now to behave responsibly and not fall out!"
She laughed as the memory of the time they had tried to take five-year old Tori, four year old Edward and two-year old Will for a balloon ride. Will had nearly fallen out three times before they had even left the ground, and Tori and Edward had managed to dump out the sand bags and were happily playing in a big pile of sand before the grownups could finish loading the basket.
The adults had decided at that time that the children wouldn't ride in the balloon, unless it was an emergency, until they were a good deal older. It wasn't long after that that the balloon had suffered a bad crash that put it out of commission. The explorers had been disgusted that they had to fix the bloody thing again and turned their energy to building roads and putting up an electric fence around a larger and larger area. It wasn't until just recently that the men had taken an interest in fixing up the balloon again. Challenger had come up with the idea of taking the children up on their tenth birthday as a special treat.
"Hooray!" shouted Tori. She sprinted to her room to pack.
Summer wasn't as enthusiastic. "How come I can't come with you, Mommy?" she pouted.
Marguerite glanced at Roxton and then sat down next to her daughter. She put her arm around the little girl's shoulders and pulled her close.
"Summer, do you remember when you turned four years old?" At Summer's nod, she continued. "Can you remember what we did on your "lonely trip"?
Summer's funny, little face suddenly glowed as she recalled her special day.
"You and me and Daddy went for a picnic in the meadow, and we played chase, and blew bubbles, and picked flowers for crowns." She giggled. "Daddy wore a crown, too!"
Marguerite and Roxton smiled at the child's delight. "And what else did we do?" Marguerite prompted.
Summer frowned in thought, then grinned. "We went to the river and you and Daddy teached me to swim. And I got on Daddy's back and he dived under the water, and I had to hold my breath for a very, very long time." Her face was aglow with the memory.
"Hmm," mused Marguerite. "We did have a good time, didn't we? Maybe we should have taken Will along to share the fun?"
Summer pulled herself out of her mother's embrace and turned a fiercely frowning face towards her.
"Oh, no we shouldn't have. It was MY "lonely trip" and he would have spoiled it."
Marguerite looked down at her second daughter and, not for the first time, wondered how she and John had produced such a remarkably precocious, intelligent child.
"Well," she said gently, "today is Tori's special day and we don't want to spoil it for her do we?"
"Oh, I wouldn't spoil it, Mommy," Summer assured her, deliberately missing the point. "I'd be verrrry quiet, like a teeny, tiny, little bug.
Summer held her thumb and finger close together and squeezed her eyes almost closed to demonstrate just how quiet and unobtrusive she would be.
"Good try, Summer," John said as he scooped her up into his arms. "But you're too little to go up in the balloon." Summer clamped her lips tightly together at this. Her father didn't notice the gathering storm and continued persuasively. "And, besides, Alice is waiting for you to come over to play. Assai and Jarl are coming this afternoon and bringing Atoo and Demila. You're going to have a great day."
"Demila is coming?" Summer asked excitedly despite her irritation. She and Alice loved playing with Demila, who was twelve and knew all kinds of fun games.
Suddenly Summer realized what her Dad was doing. He was trying to distract her, just like they all distracted Rosie when she crawled too near something she wasn't supposed to have. But Summer wasn't going to be distracted this time; her quick mind was already forming a plan.
"It would be fun to play with Demila and Alice," she said slowly. She wrapped her arms around her father's neck and rubbed her cheek against his.
"But first, could me and Alice go and see the balloon, Daddy?" she wheedled. "Just a little peek? Pleeeese."
Roxton looked over at Marguerite. She bit her lip to keep from grinning and nodded her head. She knew that he wouldn't be able to say no to their natural born manipulator.
Roxton put Summer down and stooped down to look her in the eye. "All right, Summer," he said sternly. "But you must not throw a temper tantrum when we leave. Promise?"
Summer threw her arms around him and said between kisses, "Oh, thank you, Daddy. I promise. No fits."
Roxton hugged her to him and smiled up at Marguerite with a look that said, "There, I handled that one well, didn't I?
"Old Softy," Marguerite murmured. John was a wonderful father, but he was a real pushover where his daughters were concerned.
"All right, Summer," she said. "You hurry and get dressed, now. I'll send Tori over to the Malone's with a note to meet us at the meadow." She hoisted Rosie higher on her hip.
As Summer ran to get dressed, shouting to Will the good news, Roxton stood up and snapped his braces with a little sigh of satisfaction. He put his arm around Marguerite and ruffled Rosie's hair, before pulling them both into an embrace.
"There you are, sweetheart. All is calm in the Roxton household once again." He looked around the treehouse with pride and smoothed his mustache with his finger. "I think I'll go help George with the balloon. Don't bother sending Tori over," he said over his shoulder as he started towards the elevator. "I'll stop by the Malone's and let them know the plan. Ned will probably want to help with the balloon, too."
He stopped when he heard a voice like a rumble of thunder behind him.
"John Richard Roxton, come right back here if you value your life!"
He turned to his fuming wife.
"You called me, my love?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Don't you raise your bloody British eyebrow at me, mister," she whispered in a dangerous voice. "You're not leaving me here to dress four children, pack a picnic lunch, and clean up the breakfast dishes.
She paused for breath, readying herself for the next tirade, when Roxton took two steps forward, and plucked the baby from her arms.
"You're absolutely right, my sweet. How absolutely thoughtless of me. I'll take care of getting Rosie and Summer ready, and then we can deal with the dishes and lunch."
Humming against Rosie's forehead, he carried the giggling baby back to her bedroom.
Marguerite, hands on hips, looked down at the floor. A smile spread across her face as she shook her head. After eleven years of marriage, she should know that John never shirked his job as a father, but he could still take her by surprise with his good-natured cooperation.
Her own good nature restored by his, she headed for the kitchen calling for Victoria so that she could send her on her errand.
**
An hour later, the Roxton family was walking towards the meadow where the balloon was waiting. Will and Victoria were in the rear, carrying a large picnic basket between them. Will kept sneaking his free hand over to lift the clean cloth that covered it, and Victoria kept slapping his hand away.
"Stop that, Will," Victoria hissed at him. "This is my picnic, so you stay out of it!"
"Aww, I just wanted to see if there was any cake in there," Will explained. "I wasn't going to eat anything."
"Humph," Victoria snorted skeptically. "I saw you eating Rosie's crackers.right off her highchair tray!"
"She was FEEDING them to me," he insisted. "And, anyway, she said she didn't want them."
"Liar! Rosie can't talk!
"She talks to me!" Will said triumphantly.
Victoria knew better than to get into this argument. She gave a long suffering sigh, and shaking her long, dark braids behind her shoulders, picked up the pace.
Summer led the group along the shadowy jungle path. On her back she carried her small backpack. It was stuffed with a packet of carefully wrapped cookies for her to share, her hairbrush and a change of clothes, and, of course, her Dolly.
She skipped, twirled and sang with excitement. She had many reasons to be happy. She was going to see Alice, who was her very favorite friend in the world; she was going to get to see the balloon, which figured in many stories the adults told to the children; and she knew that her plan, which had been forming in her sharp, devious mind all morning, was going to work perfectly.
Roxton, Marguerite and Rosie made up the middle of the group. Roxton carried Rosie in a specially made backpack that had leg holes cut in the bottom. Her chubby little legs kicked her father's back as she squealed with delight at being outdoors. Under his left arm he carried a pile of blankets. It got cold high up over the jungle mountains and he didn't want his ladies to get chilled.
Marguerite walked beside her husband. She was really looking forward to a day off.well, a day with just one child, anyway.
She reached out and took John's hand. From under her down turned lashes, she looked over at him. He was gazing down at her with a very familiar smirk on his face.
"What?" she asked.
"Oh, I was just thinking about our honeymoon," he answered. His smirk was joined by a wicked twinkle in his eye.
Marguerite laughed out loud.
"Our great sightseeing tour in the balloon?" she cackled.
"Some sightseeing.we didn't look over the side for two days!" He laughed along with her at the memory.
"Two days!" It was her turn to smirk. "It was more like three days.and we got so far off course that we were four days late getting home. Very embarrassing. Veronica teased me for weeks!"
Roxton pulled her into a one armed embrace and whispered in her ear. "Let's do it again sometime."
"Deal," Marguerite whispered back.
Their romantic mood was broken by the reality of a crying baby. Margaret Rose was the most even-tempered of all their children, but when she saw something she wanted, she wanted it now.
Rosie had been content watching Summer dance around ahead of them. But when she saw her sister snap off a small branch with a switch of leaves on the end and wave it around in the air, Rosie wanted it. She reached out her greedy little hands and howled.
Marguerite looked to see what Rosie was crying about and knew immediately what she wanted.
"Summer Leigh," she called. "Please come here."
Summer's shoulders slumped as she turned and stomped back to her parents. She screwed up her face and whined, "I don't have to give her my magic wand, do I?"
Roxton looked sternly down at his daughter. "No fits, now," he reminded her.
Summer, reminded of her promise and thinking of her plan, aimed a charming smile up at her father.
"No fits. See?" she said, pulling her smile even wider with her fingers on her cheeks.
"Sweetheart," Marguerite said. "I'm going to distract Rose with one of her toys, so would you mind walking behind us for a while?
Summer, her fingers still stretching her mouth wide, answered slowly, "Oh- kay, Mom-mee."
Marguerite rolled her eyes, but clamped her lips tight so that she wouldn't laugh. Summer didn't need any more encouragement.
She rooted in her backpack and pulled out a toy for the baby. It was a stuffed dinosaur Grandma Tilly had made for her. Rosie's tears dried on her face as she grabbed the toy and shoved its head in her mouth.
With peace restored, Roxton and Marguerite smiled at each other and reached out to hold hands. Before their hands could meet, a pair of small, none- too-clean hands slipped into theirs.
They looked down and met the grinning face of Will.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," he smiled lopsidedly up at them. "Can I walk with you?"
Roxton smiled and squeezed his hand. "Sure, son. We're happy to have your company."
Marguerite looked back over her shoulder and saw Summer helping Tori carry the picnic basket. Although she had to use both hands, she seemed to be doing all right. She and Tori were in a deep discussion about magic.
She sighed in relief and smiled down at her only son. He was an adorable copy of his handsome father.
"Well, Will, tell us what you, Edward, and Atoo have planned for today," she asked.
The rest of the way to the meadow passed in happy conversation.
**
As the Roxton family walked into the meadow, they saw the basket, with its huge balloon inflated above it. The children stopped in awe. They couldn't remember ever seeing something so big. It seemed to hover high over them like a captured cloud.
Most of the former Challenger expedition party stood around the basket talking and making last minute preparations for the flight. George Challenger was in deep conversation with Ned Malone. He was gesturing with his hands and talking a mile a minute. The thirteen years that had past since the explorers had first become stranded on the mysterious plateau had changed him very little. His hair and beard had turned a soft white that glinted pink in the bright sunlight. He was still tall and thin. His only complaint about aging was that his eyesight wasn't as keen as it had been, but he was just as enthusiastic and curious as always. His mate Tillaka was a Zanga native. They lived in the Zanga village where they had founded and now taught in the village school. The young Malone and Roxton children went there for schooling, as did the Zanga children. Although Grandma Tilly was at least fifteen years younger than her husband, she didn't mind the nickname the children had given her. She doted on the Malone and Roxton children, probably because she didn't have children of her own.
Will spotted Grandma Tilly and broke away from his parents to run up and give her a hug. There was a strong bond between Will and Grandma Tilly. They, like Roxton, were interested in weapons, and hunting and tracking. Often the three of them would spend the day in the "hunting grounds", a place where small mammals and reptiles nested and burrowed among the fallen trees, moss covered rocks, and the banks of a meandering stream. The hunting ground was within the safety of the electric fence, but was not a popular place among the Zanga. A belief that this area was a place of mystery and danger kept them away. However, the three pragmatists had no patience with this nonsense. They just knew that it was a great place to hunt for rabbits, or squirrels, or turkeys.
The Roxton's joined the others around the balloon's basket. As Victoria set the heavy picnic basket down beside a pile of other supplies, she glanced around for her friend Edward Malone. She smiled as she saw him come from around the side of the basket.then she blinked her eyes in disbelief as another Edward came around behind him.
"Edward?" Victoria said.
The second-Edward smiled. "Hi, Tori. You're so lucky to be going up in the balloon. I can hardly wait 'til I'm ten."
As the first-Edward got closer, Victoria was stunned to see that it was Alice Malone, Edward's sister. Veronica (or Ronee, as she was called outside their little circle) Malone followed her children and caught Victoria's expression. She shrugged and walked over to talk to Marguerite.
"Hi, Tori," the dramatically-changed Alice greeted her.
"Alice," Victoria asked, aghast. "What did you do to your hair?" She looked from Alice to Edward. Alice was wearing an old, outgrown pair of Edward's pants and one of his shirts. They were practically identical.
"Oh, I had my mom cut it," Alice said in an offhand manner, running her hand through her short, curly locks.
"But why?" asked Tori, while, just at the same time, Marguerite was asking Veronica the same question.
Veronica sighed in exasperation.
"She insisted! She said she HAD to have it cut." Veronica signed again. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she was so adamant. Well, I finally decided that it was her hair, and it would grow back, so I cut it the way she wanted it." She paused to draw in a deep breath. "And then, if you can believe it, she wanted to dress in Edward's old clothes. You know Alice. She's always been so quiet and, well, timid. I couldn't believe it was the same girl!"
Marguerite looked closely at her friend. She saw that the worry lines that had formed at the corners of Veronica's eyes eight years ago were deeper and that she was rubbing her arms nervously.
She pulled her around the backside of the basket and a little way away from the others.
"All right, Veronica. What has you so worried? And don't tell me 'nothing'," she warned, as Veronica started to shake her head.
"It's Alice." Veronica began reluctantly. "She's.changing. She has an opinion about everything, now. A strong opinion. Why, yesterday, she, Edward and I were out planting in the garden and she insisted that we plant some seeds she had. I asked her where she had gotten them, and she said that she and Edward had found them and they needed to grow." Veronica shook her head in frustration. "Now, this thing with her hair and clothes.I just don't know what to do.or am I overreacting because it's Alice."
Marguerite was silent for a moment, deep in thought.
"What do Ned and Edward make of this new behavior?" she asked.
"Well, you know how Ned is about Alice. She can do no wrong in his eyes. He thinks she's just going through a phase and it has nothing to do with the danger. As for Edward, he's been wonderful with her. He and Alice have always gotten along really well, as you know, but lately, they've been together every minute." She paused in thought. "We've always told him to look out for his sister, but, well, he's taken it much too much to heart. They go out in the mornings and sometimes don't come home until late in the afternoon." She laughed lightly. "I hope they haven't been eating you out of house and home, because they haven't been coming home for lunch."
Marguerite frowned. "I don't think they've been around too much, lately, Veronica," she said slowly. "I've been keeping my three pretty close to home. It seems they need to relearn the necessity of doing their chores."
Seeing the stricken look on her friend's face, she put her arm around her shoulder and hastily added, "You know that we've made this part of the plateau as safe as possible so that the children can have a normal childhood. No one can get in without our knowing it.and no one can get out."
"Then, if they weren't with you, I wonder where they've been?" Veronica's voice bespoke the worry about her children that was never very far from the surface.
"You could ask them," Marguerite said gently.
"I will," Veronica assured her.
They both turned when they heard Roxton call, "Marguerite, can you come here and take the baby. We're about ready to pack up the basket and Challenger wants to go over the valve system with me again."
While the women had been talking, Victoria and Edward sat in the shade of the basket, their backs against the woven side. They spoke in low tones so that they wouldn't be overheard by the grownups.
"You didn't tell me that Alice was going to have to cut her hair," Victoria whispered indignantly.
Edward answered defensively, "I just found out late yesterday. I couldn't have let you know."
"Okay," she said somewhat mollified. "Did you learn what we're supposed to do next?"
"No, not really." A troubling thought caused him to frown. "I think that Alice is in some kind of danger right now, that's why she has to look like a boy. We'll have to keep a close eye on her." He paused. "Have you said anything to Will or Summer?"
She signed. "No, Mom's kept us so close to her that I haven't had a chance. Anyway, don't you think they're a little young to know?"
"Will's older than Alice and Summer's really smart. I don't think Rose would understand though, since she can't talk yet."
Victoria went suddenly still remembering an earlier conversation.
"Will says that Rosie talks to him. I thought he was just making that up, but."
She grabbed hold of Edward's arm and said with sudden excitement.
"What if Will is like my mom? What if he can understand every language, too?"
"Baby talk?" Edward questioned, raising skeptical eyebrows.
"Mom says that babies have a language all their own. She certainly understands what Rosie says, I just never realized it before."
"Well if that's true, then Will can be very useful." He leaned forward to look intently into her face. "I think we aught to tell them all just as soon as you get back from your trip. Can you get Will, Summer, and Rosie to come with you to the place?"
"You want me to bring Rosie, too? She's just a baby. She won't understand."
"Hey, she's in this just as much as we are. Maybe Will can explain it to her. Anyway, why don't we meet at four-thirty?"
Victoria bit her lip in thought.
"I don't think today is a good idea, Edward. We aren't getting home from our trip until late, and then we have to collect all the little kids and have my birthday party at home. I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow."
Edward took a deep breath. "Okay, if we have to wait then we will. But we shouldn't wait too much longer. We're going to need all of us when the time comes."
"I know," Victoria said quietly.
She shook her head and changed the subject.
"Let's go ask Grandpa George to tell us about the gas he's using to inflate the balloon. He said it was very interesting and he would teach you and me how to do it someday."
Edward, always interested in learning new things, jumped up when she did and followed her over to where the men were gathered.
Meanwhile, Summer and Alice were in a little conclave of their own. Alice was shaking her head as hard as she could. She was letting Summer know that she disagreed with her plan, but she was also enjoying the feel of her short hair bobbing on top of her head. Her head felt lighter and her neck was so much cooler. Maybe she wouldn't go back to long hair afterwards, she mused.
"No, Summer. I won't do it. We'd get into a lot of trouble. Your mom and dad would be very mad."
Summer wasn't upset by Alice's reaction. In fact, she had expected it. However, it wouldn't do for Alice to know this, so she put on a very sad face. If her father had been there, he would have recognized it immediately. His advice to Alice would have been to give in right away and save herself a lot of trouble.
Summer's lip trembled. "Gosh, Alice, don't yell. We won't do that if you don't want to. All I wanted to do was to get inside of the basket just once." She blinked her eyes. "I won't get my ride," --she counted on her fingers-- "for six more birthdays."
Pausing to let that fact sink in, Summer played her trump card. "Everyone thinks I'm just a baby and won't let me have any fun. But you don't think I'm a baby. Do you Alice? You're my bestest friend." She let a tear run down her cheek. "I just wanted one teeny, tiny little peek, but Daddy said I couldn't throw a fit so I have no one to help me."
Alice was smart enough and had been around Summer long enough to know how dramatic and manipulative she could be. But softhearted Alice loved Summer and, really, what would it hurt to take one little peek inside the basket? Truth be told, she was a bit curious, too. And she was still mad at her mother for thinking that she was too young to decide how she wanted her hair cut. It was her hair, after all. Summer was right; everyone did treat them like babies!
"All right, Summer, we'll take one look and then get right out. I can't get into trouble right now."
Summer's funny little face broke into a wide grin as she flung her arms around her friend. "Thank you, Alice! I love, love, love, love you!"
She abruptly broke the embrace and became all business.
"Now, do you see those two boxes over there? You move them over to the basket and stack them up. We'll climb up that way. I have to tell my mom something, but I'll be right back."
Alice nodded and Summer, with a smile of satisfaction, went over to where her mother, with Rosie leaning sleepily on her shoulder, was talking to Grandma Tilly. She stood at a distance and watched as Grandma Tilly took Rosie from Marguerite.
"Nonsense, Marguerite, I don't mind missing the send off. I'll just take Rosie back to your treehouse and put her down for a nap."
Marguerite smiled at the older woman and kissed Rosie's fuzzy head.
"Thank you so much, Tilly. She really is very sleepy. The milk jug is in the spring house and her favorite blanket is in her crib."
"Don't worry so, girl, I helped you with every one of your babies. Do you think I've forgotten how?"
Marguerite laughed. "I haven't forgotten. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to help. I'd no sooner think I was done with childbearing, then here would come another one!"
"I think your John Roxton had something to do with that," Tilly said with a twinkle in her eye.
"You're right. We would have a dozen kids if it were up to him. I'm very happy at stopping with four."
Tilly laughed with her and then, securing Rosie into a sling of colorful cloth that she had tied around her neck and shoulder, she started down the path to the treehouse.
Summer saw her chance and ran up to her mother. A worried frown made her small eyes even smaller.
"Mommy! Is it all right if me and Alice go with Grandma Tilly? I forgot my Dolly and me and Alice want to play dolls today. Besides, me and Alice don't want to see that silly balloon go up, 'cause we're too little to go." Summer's frown had turned into surly discontent as her voice mimicked her father's words.
"Alice and I," corrected Marguerite automatically. She frowned. Summer looked on the verge of throwing a fit, so maybe it was better is she wasn't around when the balloon lifted off.
"Okay, Summer, but you and Alice stay with Grandma until Aunt Veronica or Uncle Ned come to pick you up. Understand?"
"Yes, Mommy. I'll get Alice. Me and Alice.Alice and I.will catch up with Grandma Tilly."
She ran off to carry out the next step of her plan. Her mother looked after her with a familiar feeling of being had by her enigmatic daughter.
Summer found Alice hoisting the second box on top of the first one. She wiped her hands on her pants and turned to her friend.
"Okay, Summer. I'll keep a look out. Go ahead and climb up. Then I'll come as soon as no one is watching."
Summer wasted no time in scampering up the boxes and, sitting on the basket's edge, she fell rather than jumped in. Luckily, she landed on the pile of blankets that Roxton had stacked in one corner. Even standing on the blankets, she couldn't see over the side.
Suddenly, there was a big commotion in the meadow. Summer was scared that she had been spotted and was about to get hauled out by a furious father. Instead, Alice's head popped over the rim.
"Move out of the way, Summer. I'm jumping down."
Alice landed neatly on the blankets and sank to the floor, pulling Summer down with her.
"What.? Summer started to say, but Alice clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Shhhh! It's the Zangas. I guess they came to see the balloon go up."
Just then they heard people coming nearer. They heard their fathers' voices explaining to someone, who sounded like Jarl, Demila's father, how the balloon was inflated.
Alice looked at Summer. Summer looked at Alice. They knew they would be in deep trouble if their dads found them in the basket. Without a word, they both crawled under the pile of blankets and lay perfectly still.
It seemed to the two little girls like they had been under the scratchy, stuffy blankets forever. They could hear different people talking and laughing. They held their breath and lay as still as they could as Grandpa George showed Roxton and Marguerite, one last time, how to open and close the valve that controlled the flow of gas. They heard Roxton grunting as someone handed him a heavy box that he set down with a loud thud next to the blanket pile.
Familiar voices checked off supply lists. Unfamiliar voices shouted and cussed as viewing stools were strapped against the inside struts. They heard Marguerite's voice telling someone about the journal books and the new ink filled pens that Challenger had invented. Her voice was filled with excitement as she explained how they were going to record, in words and pictures, whatever they saw of interest. Lastly, the picnic basket was secured to keep it from tipping over.
The little stowaways were lulled by the muted voices and the warmth of their snug little nest. It wasn't long before their eyes closed and they drifted off into quiet sleep.
If they had been awake, they would have heard Victoria giggle as Roxton lifted her into the basket and they would have heard Marguerite laugh and squeal as Roxton helped her in, as well. They would have heard the calls of farewells and happy birthday wishes that were shouted out by the people who stood around the meadow as the balloon rose from the grass. They would have felt the basket move jerkily at first and then sway smoothly as it reached the air above the jungle canopy.
But they weren't awake. If anything, they were lulled more deeply asleep by the gentle swaying of the basket as it became a small blot in the sky to the people below.
**
Sighing with a little touch of envy, Veronica tore her eyes from the sky and called to Edward and Will who, along with Challenger, were still looking at the balloon as it got smaller and smaller overhead.
"Come on boys, we have to go pick up Alice and Summer. They went back to the Roxton's with Grandma Tilly."
Will walked over and stopped in front of her, a puzzled frown on his face.
"No they didn't. I saw them getting into the basket. Are they in big trouble?" He asked hopefully.
"Are you sure, Will," Challenger asked sharply.
"Sure. I just wish that I'd thought of sneaking inside. Summer and Alice are lucky."
Veronica turned and called out to the thinning crowd..
"Did anyone see Alice and Summer get into the basket?" she asked in the Zanga's language.
No one had seen them. The Zangas at the edge of the meadow stopped, sensing trouble. Jarl and Assai came over to Ned and Veronica. Their children Demila and Atoo came running up to them, along with Edward.
"Mom, Dad! Is it true? Did Alice go up in the balloon?" Edward asked sharply.
Ned put his arm around his son's shoulder. "We aren't sure, old man. But if the two girls are up there, they're perfectly safe. Uncle John won't let anything happen to them."
Veronica looked up at the sky nervously.
"Why didn't we see them when we loaded the basket?" she asked. "How could they hide in such a small basket?"
"Maybe they're didn't," Ned said hopefully. He turned to the children.
"You four run to the Roxton's treehouse to see if they're there. If they aren't, hurry back."
With a nod from Jarl, Demila and Atoo ran after Will and Edward and were soon out of sight.
The stunned adults gathered closer together. They had been through so much together, had worked so hard to assure a safe and danger free environment for their children, that this unexpected event brought all of their fears to the surface.
"Why haven't John and Marguerite brought them back?" asked Assai.
Ned shrugged. "Maybe they're on the way or maybe they haven't discovered them yet."
"We will go after them," Jarl announced. "Our children must be kept safe. They must not venture into the jungle."
Assai looked up at her warrior husband and reminded him gently, "They're not in the jungle, Jarl. They are over the jungle, well out of danger's grasp."
"The jungle's dangers do not stop at the tree tops, my Assai," Jarl argued. "I did not think this balloon idea was a good one, and now, I have been proven right."
He folded his arms across his chest. "I have been thinking that it is wrong for warriors to cower behind a fence. We have grown wiser since the danger came. We have stronger weapons and have trained our young men and women well. Maybe this is a sign that we should go and defeat the danger that has held us prisoners for so many years."
Challenger cleared his throat. "Let's get everyone back safe and sound and then we can discuss Jarl's idea."
"Challenger, is there anyway we can signal the balloon?" asked Ned. "Maybe we can use the mirrors again."
"That's an interesting idea, Ned. However, I am sorry to say that I have forgotten how to interpret the flashes. If you think that you other four have a better memory than I, then, perhaps your idea has merit."
Ned looked at Veronica and they both shook their head.
"Well then, it seems we must wait until Roxton and Marguerite return with the children." Challenger paused, then went on. "Remember, we did discuss the danger of taking Victoria away from the safe zone, and we decided that the danger was minimal. After all, from the ground, there is no way to tell who is in the balloon."
Before anyone else could speak, Edward, closely followed by Atoo, Will, and Grandma Tilly carrying Rose, came running into the field.
"Dad! They weren't there! What are we going to do?"
Ned put his hand on Edward's shoulder as he came to a stop in front of him.
"It's all right, son. I'm sure they'll be back any time now." He laughed lightly. "Who wants to bet that this was Summer's idea?"
Edward didn't laugh. He spoke urgently, but in a low voice.
"Dad, please listen. You don't understand. Alice is."
Just then a great shouting arose from the Zangas at the edge of the meadow, "Balloon! Balloon!"
Sure enough, floating over the tree tops, the familiar balloon, with its basket swaying beneath it, hovered over the meadow and slowly began to descend.
"How odd," muttered Challenger. "The wind is coming from the other direction."
As soon as the basket settled softly in the short grassy meadow, it was quickly surrounded by curious but anxious people. The tallest of the group looked over the rim and gasped. The shorter ones shouted, "What do you see?"
Challenger shouldered his way through the crowd and peered down into the basket. He seemed to freeze. "Incredible," he whispered.
He turned to the Malones, who were standing behind him with the children and Tilly. Ned and Veronica were terrified, yet had to know. They looked at Challenger with beseeching eyes.
He put his hands on their shoulders. "I don't understand it," he told them gently, "but.it's totally empty,"
With a cry of anguish, Veronica rushed to the basket to look for herself. What George had said was true. There was not a thing left in the basket, not a stool, not a box, not a blanket. Ned came over more slowly and put his arm around his wife as they stood, puzzled and distraught, looking for any sign that the basket had, so short a time ago, held their best friends and their much cherished children.
Ned was the first to notice a small piece of white paper tucked behind one of the struts. He scrambled into the basket and carefully pulled the paper from its hiding place. Turning it over, he saw the word "EDWARD" printed crookedly across it in Victoria's distinctive handwriting.
He jumped out of the basket and held the paper for Veronica to see, then called Edward over.
"This seems to be for you, Edward," he said as he handed the mysterious note to his son.
His parents and grandparents hung over his shoulders as, with a puzzled look and slightly trembling hands, Edward took the note from his father and, taking a deep breath, opened it.
Written, clearly in haste, were the cryptic words.IT'S BEGUN!
(to be continued)
This is a sequel to my story called The Future is Back that can be found posted on this site. It's not necessary to read the first story to understand this one, but I think it would be helpful (and very nice of you!).
I will be posting "bridge" stories that will follow the progress and setbacks of the relationships of our explorers and explain how the plateau came to be the way it was in the children's time.
I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I've enjoyed writing them. Any reviews, critiques, or detailed analysis, either positive or negative, will be greeted with delight. I value your opinions and look forward to hearing from you.
Disclaimer: I don't own the TV characters. I make no profit from this story. I do own the children of the plateau and any other character that comes from my imagination.
The Five Keys
By The Inner Genie 9/2/02
Chapter 1: The Double-Digit Day
Margaret Rose Roxton sat at the kitchen table in a well-used, handmade highchair. Her bright gray-blue eyes shifted back and forth between her brother William and her sister Summer, who were sitting at the table on either side of her. A grin was hiding in her chubby little cheeks just waiting to break free. The eleven-month old found her older brother and sister very entertaining.
Seven year old Will was eating a bowl of cooked cereal with berries. He was eating steadily, staring down at his food, seemingly oblivious to his sisters. He kicked his feet, which sported a pair of brand new leather boots, against the chair leg in time to his chewing.
Summer's bowl held a sliced banana covered with milk. It was one of her favorite things to eat, mainly because she could fix it by herself. Four- year old Summer longed to be treated as a big girl like her sister Tori and her friend Alice were. She was sick and tired of everyone treating her like a baby. Even Alice held her hand when they crossed the brook. As if she couldn't hop from stone to stone on her own! Summer's temper started to rise at the thought of her best friend's condescension. She gripped her spoon tightly in irritation and spooned a gigantic bite of banana and milk into her mouth.
Will, who had been covertly watching for the perfect moment, pick a ripe, juicy berry out of his cereal and threw it.splash.into her bowl, which caused Summer to immediately forget her grumpiness. She gave a very unladylike giggle-snort, and milk shot out of her nose and ran down her chin.
"Ahhhh!" crowed Rose in admiration, banging her hands on her tray. Her eight little teeth gleamed as a grin bloomed across her face like a morning glory. Her patience had paid off. They hadn't let her down.
Grinning menacingly, Summer wiped her nose on her sleeve and quickly retaliated by fishing a slice of banana out of her bowl and heaved it across the table at her wildly laughing brother. Will, an old hand at this game, easily dodged the dripping fruit and turned to see it land with a soggy plop right at the feet of his older sister Victoria who had just come into the room.
Victoria stepped back with disgust and opened her mouth to call for her mother, but, instead, she sighed, shook her head, and picked up the banana. Walking over to the balcony of the treehouse, she threw the slice of fruit over the railing, then leaned her arms on the top rail and stared out at the dense, surrounding jungle.
"It just isn't fair," she whispered. Here it was her tenth birthday and her brother and sister couldn't behave even for this most important occasion.
She heard her mother come into the kitchen area and turned around. Her mother gave her one of her beautiful smiles.
"How's the birthday girl?" she asked, as she busied herself fixing Rose her breakfast. "I hope you had a good night's sleep. We have a big day planned for you."
Victoria had to grin at that. She might have known that her parents wouldn't let her birthday, her double-digit birthday, go uncelebrated. A double-digit birthday. That's what Grandpa Challenger had called it. Victoria felt the importance of reaching such a milestone. All of the adults were double-digit, and now she was, too.
Victoria was brought out of her reverie by her mother's sharp tone.
"Wipe your face, Summer. Will, one more slurp out of you and we'll consider your breakfast over."
Victoria hurried over to stand behind Rosie's highchair so that she could talk to her mother as she fed her baby sister.
"Where are you taking me, Mom?" she asked excitedly.
It was a tradition in the Roxton household that on each child's birthday, their parents would take him or her on a "lonely trip," which meant that none of the other children could come.
Victoria would have her parents all to herself for her special day.
Before her mother could answer her, her father came into the room buttoning his shirt. Will and Summer called out, "Morning, Dad," and went back to eating breakfast.
"Hey, Birthday Girl," he said as he gave Tori a hug and kiss. Then he bent down and kissed Rosie on top of her short, brown hair. "How's Daddy's Birthday Surprise?" he asked her.
Distracted from her exciting thoughts, Victoria frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Why do you always call her that, Dad?" she asked in vexed tone of voice. "She wasn't born on your birthday."
With a twinkle in her eye, Marguerite shook her head at her husband. "I'll have to agree with Tori on this one, John. Hmm, let's see," she said thoughtfully. "Rose was born almost nine whole months after your birthday."
John threw back his head and laughed. "That was the surprise part!". He raised one eyebrow at Marguerite and smirked until she blushed.
Marguerite hastily spooned the last bite of cereal into Rose's mouth and wiped off her chin.
Damn, the man.still making her blush after all these years.
"Will, Summer, get dressed quickly," she ordered. In her confusion, she spoke a little too sharply. She took a deep breath and said in a calmer voice, "You're going to spend the day at the Malone's, remember?"
"Yeah!" shouted Will. His spoon clattered into his bowl as he jumped down and ran to get dressed.
Marguerite put her arm across Tori's shoulder. "Get dressed, too, Tori.and bring something warm to wear," she advised.
"Warm?" Tori asked in surprise. "I don't think I have anything warm but my blanket."
Her mother raised her eyebrows. "That's a great idea. Bring all the extra blankets, Tori. We'll be glad we have them where we're going."
Victoria's eyes widened with excitement. "Please, Mom, tell me where we're going. I can't wait any longer!"
Marguerite glanced over at Roxton. He nodded his permission, and smiling, she told the exciting secret they had been preparing for her.
"We're taking you all the way to the mountains...in the balloon. Dad and Uncle Ned and Grandpa have been repairing it for weeks. We all agreed that you are old enough now to behave responsibly and not fall out!"
She laughed as the memory of the time they had tried to take five-year old Tori, four year old Edward and two-year old Will for a balloon ride. Will had nearly fallen out three times before they had even left the ground, and Tori and Edward had managed to dump out the sand bags and were happily playing in a big pile of sand before the grownups could finish loading the basket.
The adults had decided at that time that the children wouldn't ride in the balloon, unless it was an emergency, until they were a good deal older. It wasn't long after that that the balloon had suffered a bad crash that put it out of commission. The explorers had been disgusted that they had to fix the bloody thing again and turned their energy to building roads and putting up an electric fence around a larger and larger area. It wasn't until just recently that the men had taken an interest in fixing up the balloon again. Challenger had come up with the idea of taking the children up on their tenth birthday as a special treat.
"Hooray!" shouted Tori. She sprinted to her room to pack.
Summer wasn't as enthusiastic. "How come I can't come with you, Mommy?" she pouted.
Marguerite glanced at Roxton and then sat down next to her daughter. She put her arm around the little girl's shoulders and pulled her close.
"Summer, do you remember when you turned four years old?" At Summer's nod, she continued. "Can you remember what we did on your "lonely trip"?
Summer's funny, little face suddenly glowed as she recalled her special day.
"You and me and Daddy went for a picnic in the meadow, and we played chase, and blew bubbles, and picked flowers for crowns." She giggled. "Daddy wore a crown, too!"
Marguerite and Roxton smiled at the child's delight. "And what else did we do?" Marguerite prompted.
Summer frowned in thought, then grinned. "We went to the river and you and Daddy teached me to swim. And I got on Daddy's back and he dived under the water, and I had to hold my breath for a very, very long time." Her face was aglow with the memory.
"Hmm," mused Marguerite. "We did have a good time, didn't we? Maybe we should have taken Will along to share the fun?"
Summer pulled herself out of her mother's embrace and turned a fiercely frowning face towards her.
"Oh, no we shouldn't have. It was MY "lonely trip" and he would have spoiled it."
Marguerite looked down at her second daughter and, not for the first time, wondered how she and John had produced such a remarkably precocious, intelligent child.
"Well," she said gently, "today is Tori's special day and we don't want to spoil it for her do we?"
"Oh, I wouldn't spoil it, Mommy," Summer assured her, deliberately missing the point. "I'd be verrrry quiet, like a teeny, tiny, little bug.
Summer held her thumb and finger close together and squeezed her eyes almost closed to demonstrate just how quiet and unobtrusive she would be.
"Good try, Summer," John said as he scooped her up into his arms. "But you're too little to go up in the balloon." Summer clamped her lips tightly together at this. Her father didn't notice the gathering storm and continued persuasively. "And, besides, Alice is waiting for you to come over to play. Assai and Jarl are coming this afternoon and bringing Atoo and Demila. You're going to have a great day."
"Demila is coming?" Summer asked excitedly despite her irritation. She and Alice loved playing with Demila, who was twelve and knew all kinds of fun games.
Suddenly Summer realized what her Dad was doing. He was trying to distract her, just like they all distracted Rosie when she crawled too near something she wasn't supposed to have. But Summer wasn't going to be distracted this time; her quick mind was already forming a plan.
"It would be fun to play with Demila and Alice," she said slowly. She wrapped her arms around her father's neck and rubbed her cheek against his.
"But first, could me and Alice go and see the balloon, Daddy?" she wheedled. "Just a little peek? Pleeeese."
Roxton looked over at Marguerite. She bit her lip to keep from grinning and nodded her head. She knew that he wouldn't be able to say no to their natural born manipulator.
Roxton put Summer down and stooped down to look her in the eye. "All right, Summer," he said sternly. "But you must not throw a temper tantrum when we leave. Promise?"
Summer threw her arms around him and said between kisses, "Oh, thank you, Daddy. I promise. No fits."
Roxton hugged her to him and smiled up at Marguerite with a look that said, "There, I handled that one well, didn't I?
"Old Softy," Marguerite murmured. John was a wonderful father, but he was a real pushover where his daughters were concerned.
"All right, Summer," she said. "You hurry and get dressed, now. I'll send Tori over to the Malone's with a note to meet us at the meadow." She hoisted Rosie higher on her hip.
As Summer ran to get dressed, shouting to Will the good news, Roxton stood up and snapped his braces with a little sigh of satisfaction. He put his arm around Marguerite and ruffled Rosie's hair, before pulling them both into an embrace.
"There you are, sweetheart. All is calm in the Roxton household once again." He looked around the treehouse with pride and smoothed his mustache with his finger. "I think I'll go help George with the balloon. Don't bother sending Tori over," he said over his shoulder as he started towards the elevator. "I'll stop by the Malone's and let them know the plan. Ned will probably want to help with the balloon, too."
He stopped when he heard a voice like a rumble of thunder behind him.
"John Richard Roxton, come right back here if you value your life!"
He turned to his fuming wife.
"You called me, my love?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Don't you raise your bloody British eyebrow at me, mister," she whispered in a dangerous voice. "You're not leaving me here to dress four children, pack a picnic lunch, and clean up the breakfast dishes.
She paused for breath, readying herself for the next tirade, when Roxton took two steps forward, and plucked the baby from her arms.
"You're absolutely right, my sweet. How absolutely thoughtless of me. I'll take care of getting Rosie and Summer ready, and then we can deal with the dishes and lunch."
Humming against Rosie's forehead, he carried the giggling baby back to her bedroom.
Marguerite, hands on hips, looked down at the floor. A smile spread across her face as she shook her head. After eleven years of marriage, she should know that John never shirked his job as a father, but he could still take her by surprise with his good-natured cooperation.
Her own good nature restored by his, she headed for the kitchen calling for Victoria so that she could send her on her errand.
**
An hour later, the Roxton family was walking towards the meadow where the balloon was waiting. Will and Victoria were in the rear, carrying a large picnic basket between them. Will kept sneaking his free hand over to lift the clean cloth that covered it, and Victoria kept slapping his hand away.
"Stop that, Will," Victoria hissed at him. "This is my picnic, so you stay out of it!"
"Aww, I just wanted to see if there was any cake in there," Will explained. "I wasn't going to eat anything."
"Humph," Victoria snorted skeptically. "I saw you eating Rosie's crackers.right off her highchair tray!"
"She was FEEDING them to me," he insisted. "And, anyway, she said she didn't want them."
"Liar! Rosie can't talk!
"She talks to me!" Will said triumphantly.
Victoria knew better than to get into this argument. She gave a long suffering sigh, and shaking her long, dark braids behind her shoulders, picked up the pace.
Summer led the group along the shadowy jungle path. On her back she carried her small backpack. It was stuffed with a packet of carefully wrapped cookies for her to share, her hairbrush and a change of clothes, and, of course, her Dolly.
She skipped, twirled and sang with excitement. She had many reasons to be happy. She was going to see Alice, who was her very favorite friend in the world; she was going to get to see the balloon, which figured in many stories the adults told to the children; and she knew that her plan, which had been forming in her sharp, devious mind all morning, was going to work perfectly.
Roxton, Marguerite and Rosie made up the middle of the group. Roxton carried Rosie in a specially made backpack that had leg holes cut in the bottom. Her chubby little legs kicked her father's back as she squealed with delight at being outdoors. Under his left arm he carried a pile of blankets. It got cold high up over the jungle mountains and he didn't want his ladies to get chilled.
Marguerite walked beside her husband. She was really looking forward to a day off.well, a day with just one child, anyway.
She reached out and took John's hand. From under her down turned lashes, she looked over at him. He was gazing down at her with a very familiar smirk on his face.
"What?" she asked.
"Oh, I was just thinking about our honeymoon," he answered. His smirk was joined by a wicked twinkle in his eye.
Marguerite laughed out loud.
"Our great sightseeing tour in the balloon?" she cackled.
"Some sightseeing.we didn't look over the side for two days!" He laughed along with her at the memory.
"Two days!" It was her turn to smirk. "It was more like three days.and we got so far off course that we were four days late getting home. Very embarrassing. Veronica teased me for weeks!"
Roxton pulled her into a one armed embrace and whispered in her ear. "Let's do it again sometime."
"Deal," Marguerite whispered back.
Their romantic mood was broken by the reality of a crying baby. Margaret Rose was the most even-tempered of all their children, but when she saw something she wanted, she wanted it now.
Rosie had been content watching Summer dance around ahead of them. But when she saw her sister snap off a small branch with a switch of leaves on the end and wave it around in the air, Rosie wanted it. She reached out her greedy little hands and howled.
Marguerite looked to see what Rosie was crying about and knew immediately what she wanted.
"Summer Leigh," she called. "Please come here."
Summer's shoulders slumped as she turned and stomped back to her parents. She screwed up her face and whined, "I don't have to give her my magic wand, do I?"
Roxton looked sternly down at his daughter. "No fits, now," he reminded her.
Summer, reminded of her promise and thinking of her plan, aimed a charming smile up at her father.
"No fits. See?" she said, pulling her smile even wider with her fingers on her cheeks.
"Sweetheart," Marguerite said. "I'm going to distract Rose with one of her toys, so would you mind walking behind us for a while?
Summer, her fingers still stretching her mouth wide, answered slowly, "Oh- kay, Mom-mee."
Marguerite rolled her eyes, but clamped her lips tight so that she wouldn't laugh. Summer didn't need any more encouragement.
She rooted in her backpack and pulled out a toy for the baby. It was a stuffed dinosaur Grandma Tilly had made for her. Rosie's tears dried on her face as she grabbed the toy and shoved its head in her mouth.
With peace restored, Roxton and Marguerite smiled at each other and reached out to hold hands. Before their hands could meet, a pair of small, none- too-clean hands slipped into theirs.
They looked down and met the grinning face of Will.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," he smiled lopsidedly up at them. "Can I walk with you?"
Roxton smiled and squeezed his hand. "Sure, son. We're happy to have your company."
Marguerite looked back over her shoulder and saw Summer helping Tori carry the picnic basket. Although she had to use both hands, she seemed to be doing all right. She and Tori were in a deep discussion about magic.
She sighed in relief and smiled down at her only son. He was an adorable copy of his handsome father.
"Well, Will, tell us what you, Edward, and Atoo have planned for today," she asked.
The rest of the way to the meadow passed in happy conversation.
**
As the Roxton family walked into the meadow, they saw the basket, with its huge balloon inflated above it. The children stopped in awe. They couldn't remember ever seeing something so big. It seemed to hover high over them like a captured cloud.
Most of the former Challenger expedition party stood around the basket talking and making last minute preparations for the flight. George Challenger was in deep conversation with Ned Malone. He was gesturing with his hands and talking a mile a minute. The thirteen years that had past since the explorers had first become stranded on the mysterious plateau had changed him very little. His hair and beard had turned a soft white that glinted pink in the bright sunlight. He was still tall and thin. His only complaint about aging was that his eyesight wasn't as keen as it had been, but he was just as enthusiastic and curious as always. His mate Tillaka was a Zanga native. They lived in the Zanga village where they had founded and now taught in the village school. The young Malone and Roxton children went there for schooling, as did the Zanga children. Although Grandma Tilly was at least fifteen years younger than her husband, she didn't mind the nickname the children had given her. She doted on the Malone and Roxton children, probably because she didn't have children of her own.
Will spotted Grandma Tilly and broke away from his parents to run up and give her a hug. There was a strong bond between Will and Grandma Tilly. They, like Roxton, were interested in weapons, and hunting and tracking. Often the three of them would spend the day in the "hunting grounds", a place where small mammals and reptiles nested and burrowed among the fallen trees, moss covered rocks, and the banks of a meandering stream. The hunting ground was within the safety of the electric fence, but was not a popular place among the Zanga. A belief that this area was a place of mystery and danger kept them away. However, the three pragmatists had no patience with this nonsense. They just knew that it was a great place to hunt for rabbits, or squirrels, or turkeys.
The Roxton's joined the others around the balloon's basket. As Victoria set the heavy picnic basket down beside a pile of other supplies, she glanced around for her friend Edward Malone. She smiled as she saw him come from around the side of the basket.then she blinked her eyes in disbelief as another Edward came around behind him.
"Edward?" Victoria said.
The second-Edward smiled. "Hi, Tori. You're so lucky to be going up in the balloon. I can hardly wait 'til I'm ten."
As the first-Edward got closer, Victoria was stunned to see that it was Alice Malone, Edward's sister. Veronica (or Ronee, as she was called outside their little circle) Malone followed her children and caught Victoria's expression. She shrugged and walked over to talk to Marguerite.
"Hi, Tori," the dramatically-changed Alice greeted her.
"Alice," Victoria asked, aghast. "What did you do to your hair?" She looked from Alice to Edward. Alice was wearing an old, outgrown pair of Edward's pants and one of his shirts. They were practically identical.
"Oh, I had my mom cut it," Alice said in an offhand manner, running her hand through her short, curly locks.
"But why?" asked Tori, while, just at the same time, Marguerite was asking Veronica the same question.
Veronica sighed in exasperation.
"She insisted! She said she HAD to have it cut." Veronica signed again. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she was so adamant. Well, I finally decided that it was her hair, and it would grow back, so I cut it the way she wanted it." She paused to draw in a deep breath. "And then, if you can believe it, she wanted to dress in Edward's old clothes. You know Alice. She's always been so quiet and, well, timid. I couldn't believe it was the same girl!"
Marguerite looked closely at her friend. She saw that the worry lines that had formed at the corners of Veronica's eyes eight years ago were deeper and that she was rubbing her arms nervously.
She pulled her around the backside of the basket and a little way away from the others.
"All right, Veronica. What has you so worried? And don't tell me 'nothing'," she warned, as Veronica started to shake her head.
"It's Alice." Veronica began reluctantly. "She's.changing. She has an opinion about everything, now. A strong opinion. Why, yesterday, she, Edward and I were out planting in the garden and she insisted that we plant some seeds she had. I asked her where she had gotten them, and she said that she and Edward had found them and they needed to grow." Veronica shook her head in frustration. "Now, this thing with her hair and clothes.I just don't know what to do.or am I overreacting because it's Alice."
Marguerite was silent for a moment, deep in thought.
"What do Ned and Edward make of this new behavior?" she asked.
"Well, you know how Ned is about Alice. She can do no wrong in his eyes. He thinks she's just going through a phase and it has nothing to do with the danger. As for Edward, he's been wonderful with her. He and Alice have always gotten along really well, as you know, but lately, they've been together every minute." She paused in thought. "We've always told him to look out for his sister, but, well, he's taken it much too much to heart. They go out in the mornings and sometimes don't come home until late in the afternoon." She laughed lightly. "I hope they haven't been eating you out of house and home, because they haven't been coming home for lunch."
Marguerite frowned. "I don't think they've been around too much, lately, Veronica," she said slowly. "I've been keeping my three pretty close to home. It seems they need to relearn the necessity of doing their chores."
Seeing the stricken look on her friend's face, she put her arm around her shoulder and hastily added, "You know that we've made this part of the plateau as safe as possible so that the children can have a normal childhood. No one can get in without our knowing it.and no one can get out."
"Then, if they weren't with you, I wonder where they've been?" Veronica's voice bespoke the worry about her children that was never very far from the surface.
"You could ask them," Marguerite said gently.
"I will," Veronica assured her.
They both turned when they heard Roxton call, "Marguerite, can you come here and take the baby. We're about ready to pack up the basket and Challenger wants to go over the valve system with me again."
While the women had been talking, Victoria and Edward sat in the shade of the basket, their backs against the woven side. They spoke in low tones so that they wouldn't be overheard by the grownups.
"You didn't tell me that Alice was going to have to cut her hair," Victoria whispered indignantly.
Edward answered defensively, "I just found out late yesterday. I couldn't have let you know."
"Okay," she said somewhat mollified. "Did you learn what we're supposed to do next?"
"No, not really." A troubling thought caused him to frown. "I think that Alice is in some kind of danger right now, that's why she has to look like a boy. We'll have to keep a close eye on her." He paused. "Have you said anything to Will or Summer?"
She signed. "No, Mom's kept us so close to her that I haven't had a chance. Anyway, don't you think they're a little young to know?"
"Will's older than Alice and Summer's really smart. I don't think Rose would understand though, since she can't talk yet."
Victoria went suddenly still remembering an earlier conversation.
"Will says that Rosie talks to him. I thought he was just making that up, but."
She grabbed hold of Edward's arm and said with sudden excitement.
"What if Will is like my mom? What if he can understand every language, too?"
"Baby talk?" Edward questioned, raising skeptical eyebrows.
"Mom says that babies have a language all their own. She certainly understands what Rosie says, I just never realized it before."
"Well if that's true, then Will can be very useful." He leaned forward to look intently into her face. "I think we aught to tell them all just as soon as you get back from your trip. Can you get Will, Summer, and Rosie to come with you to the place?"
"You want me to bring Rosie, too? She's just a baby. She won't understand."
"Hey, she's in this just as much as we are. Maybe Will can explain it to her. Anyway, why don't we meet at four-thirty?"
Victoria bit her lip in thought.
"I don't think today is a good idea, Edward. We aren't getting home from our trip until late, and then we have to collect all the little kids and have my birthday party at home. I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow."
Edward took a deep breath. "Okay, if we have to wait then we will. But we shouldn't wait too much longer. We're going to need all of us when the time comes."
"I know," Victoria said quietly.
She shook her head and changed the subject.
"Let's go ask Grandpa George to tell us about the gas he's using to inflate the balloon. He said it was very interesting and he would teach you and me how to do it someday."
Edward, always interested in learning new things, jumped up when she did and followed her over to where the men were gathered.
Meanwhile, Summer and Alice were in a little conclave of their own. Alice was shaking her head as hard as she could. She was letting Summer know that she disagreed with her plan, but she was also enjoying the feel of her short hair bobbing on top of her head. Her head felt lighter and her neck was so much cooler. Maybe she wouldn't go back to long hair afterwards, she mused.
"No, Summer. I won't do it. We'd get into a lot of trouble. Your mom and dad would be very mad."
Summer wasn't upset by Alice's reaction. In fact, she had expected it. However, it wouldn't do for Alice to know this, so she put on a very sad face. If her father had been there, he would have recognized it immediately. His advice to Alice would have been to give in right away and save herself a lot of trouble.
Summer's lip trembled. "Gosh, Alice, don't yell. We won't do that if you don't want to. All I wanted to do was to get inside of the basket just once." She blinked her eyes. "I won't get my ride," --she counted on her fingers-- "for six more birthdays."
Pausing to let that fact sink in, Summer played her trump card. "Everyone thinks I'm just a baby and won't let me have any fun. But you don't think I'm a baby. Do you Alice? You're my bestest friend." She let a tear run down her cheek. "I just wanted one teeny, tiny little peek, but Daddy said I couldn't throw a fit so I have no one to help me."
Alice was smart enough and had been around Summer long enough to know how dramatic and manipulative she could be. But softhearted Alice loved Summer and, really, what would it hurt to take one little peek inside the basket? Truth be told, she was a bit curious, too. And she was still mad at her mother for thinking that she was too young to decide how she wanted her hair cut. It was her hair, after all. Summer was right; everyone did treat them like babies!
"All right, Summer, we'll take one look and then get right out. I can't get into trouble right now."
Summer's funny little face broke into a wide grin as she flung her arms around her friend. "Thank you, Alice! I love, love, love, love you!"
She abruptly broke the embrace and became all business.
"Now, do you see those two boxes over there? You move them over to the basket and stack them up. We'll climb up that way. I have to tell my mom something, but I'll be right back."
Alice nodded and Summer, with a smile of satisfaction, went over to where her mother, with Rosie leaning sleepily on her shoulder, was talking to Grandma Tilly. She stood at a distance and watched as Grandma Tilly took Rosie from Marguerite.
"Nonsense, Marguerite, I don't mind missing the send off. I'll just take Rosie back to your treehouse and put her down for a nap."
Marguerite smiled at the older woman and kissed Rosie's fuzzy head.
"Thank you so much, Tilly. She really is very sleepy. The milk jug is in the spring house and her favorite blanket is in her crib."
"Don't worry so, girl, I helped you with every one of your babies. Do you think I've forgotten how?"
Marguerite laughed. "I haven't forgotten. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to help. I'd no sooner think I was done with childbearing, then here would come another one!"
"I think your John Roxton had something to do with that," Tilly said with a twinkle in her eye.
"You're right. We would have a dozen kids if it were up to him. I'm very happy at stopping with four."
Tilly laughed with her and then, securing Rosie into a sling of colorful cloth that she had tied around her neck and shoulder, she started down the path to the treehouse.
Summer saw her chance and ran up to her mother. A worried frown made her small eyes even smaller.
"Mommy! Is it all right if me and Alice go with Grandma Tilly? I forgot my Dolly and me and Alice want to play dolls today. Besides, me and Alice don't want to see that silly balloon go up, 'cause we're too little to go." Summer's frown had turned into surly discontent as her voice mimicked her father's words.
"Alice and I," corrected Marguerite automatically. She frowned. Summer looked on the verge of throwing a fit, so maybe it was better is she wasn't around when the balloon lifted off.
"Okay, Summer, but you and Alice stay with Grandma until Aunt Veronica or Uncle Ned come to pick you up. Understand?"
"Yes, Mommy. I'll get Alice. Me and Alice.Alice and I.will catch up with Grandma Tilly."
She ran off to carry out the next step of her plan. Her mother looked after her with a familiar feeling of being had by her enigmatic daughter.
Summer found Alice hoisting the second box on top of the first one. She wiped her hands on her pants and turned to her friend.
"Okay, Summer. I'll keep a look out. Go ahead and climb up. Then I'll come as soon as no one is watching."
Summer wasted no time in scampering up the boxes and, sitting on the basket's edge, she fell rather than jumped in. Luckily, she landed on the pile of blankets that Roxton had stacked in one corner. Even standing on the blankets, she couldn't see over the side.
Suddenly, there was a big commotion in the meadow. Summer was scared that she had been spotted and was about to get hauled out by a furious father. Instead, Alice's head popped over the rim.
"Move out of the way, Summer. I'm jumping down."
Alice landed neatly on the blankets and sank to the floor, pulling Summer down with her.
"What.? Summer started to say, but Alice clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Shhhh! It's the Zangas. I guess they came to see the balloon go up."
Just then they heard people coming nearer. They heard their fathers' voices explaining to someone, who sounded like Jarl, Demila's father, how the balloon was inflated.
Alice looked at Summer. Summer looked at Alice. They knew they would be in deep trouble if their dads found them in the basket. Without a word, they both crawled under the pile of blankets and lay perfectly still.
It seemed to the two little girls like they had been under the scratchy, stuffy blankets forever. They could hear different people talking and laughing. They held their breath and lay as still as they could as Grandpa George showed Roxton and Marguerite, one last time, how to open and close the valve that controlled the flow of gas. They heard Roxton grunting as someone handed him a heavy box that he set down with a loud thud next to the blanket pile.
Familiar voices checked off supply lists. Unfamiliar voices shouted and cussed as viewing stools were strapped against the inside struts. They heard Marguerite's voice telling someone about the journal books and the new ink filled pens that Challenger had invented. Her voice was filled with excitement as she explained how they were going to record, in words and pictures, whatever they saw of interest. Lastly, the picnic basket was secured to keep it from tipping over.
The little stowaways were lulled by the muted voices and the warmth of their snug little nest. It wasn't long before their eyes closed and they drifted off into quiet sleep.
If they had been awake, they would have heard Victoria giggle as Roxton lifted her into the basket and they would have heard Marguerite laugh and squeal as Roxton helped her in, as well. They would have heard the calls of farewells and happy birthday wishes that were shouted out by the people who stood around the meadow as the balloon rose from the grass. They would have felt the basket move jerkily at first and then sway smoothly as it reached the air above the jungle canopy.
But they weren't awake. If anything, they were lulled more deeply asleep by the gentle swaying of the basket as it became a small blot in the sky to the people below.
**
Sighing with a little touch of envy, Veronica tore her eyes from the sky and called to Edward and Will who, along with Challenger, were still looking at the balloon as it got smaller and smaller overhead.
"Come on boys, we have to go pick up Alice and Summer. They went back to the Roxton's with Grandma Tilly."
Will walked over and stopped in front of her, a puzzled frown on his face.
"No they didn't. I saw them getting into the basket. Are they in big trouble?" He asked hopefully.
"Are you sure, Will," Challenger asked sharply.
"Sure. I just wish that I'd thought of sneaking inside. Summer and Alice are lucky."
Veronica turned and called out to the thinning crowd..
"Did anyone see Alice and Summer get into the basket?" she asked in the Zanga's language.
No one had seen them. The Zangas at the edge of the meadow stopped, sensing trouble. Jarl and Assai came over to Ned and Veronica. Their children Demila and Atoo came running up to them, along with Edward.
"Mom, Dad! Is it true? Did Alice go up in the balloon?" Edward asked sharply.
Ned put his arm around his son's shoulder. "We aren't sure, old man. But if the two girls are up there, they're perfectly safe. Uncle John won't let anything happen to them."
Veronica looked up at the sky nervously.
"Why didn't we see them when we loaded the basket?" she asked. "How could they hide in such a small basket?"
"Maybe they're didn't," Ned said hopefully. He turned to the children.
"You four run to the Roxton's treehouse to see if they're there. If they aren't, hurry back."
With a nod from Jarl, Demila and Atoo ran after Will and Edward and were soon out of sight.
The stunned adults gathered closer together. They had been through so much together, had worked so hard to assure a safe and danger free environment for their children, that this unexpected event brought all of their fears to the surface.
"Why haven't John and Marguerite brought them back?" asked Assai.
Ned shrugged. "Maybe they're on the way or maybe they haven't discovered them yet."
"We will go after them," Jarl announced. "Our children must be kept safe. They must not venture into the jungle."
Assai looked up at her warrior husband and reminded him gently, "They're not in the jungle, Jarl. They are over the jungle, well out of danger's grasp."
"The jungle's dangers do not stop at the tree tops, my Assai," Jarl argued. "I did not think this balloon idea was a good one, and now, I have been proven right."
He folded his arms across his chest. "I have been thinking that it is wrong for warriors to cower behind a fence. We have grown wiser since the danger came. We have stronger weapons and have trained our young men and women well. Maybe this is a sign that we should go and defeat the danger that has held us prisoners for so many years."
Challenger cleared his throat. "Let's get everyone back safe and sound and then we can discuss Jarl's idea."
"Challenger, is there anyway we can signal the balloon?" asked Ned. "Maybe we can use the mirrors again."
"That's an interesting idea, Ned. However, I am sorry to say that I have forgotten how to interpret the flashes. If you think that you other four have a better memory than I, then, perhaps your idea has merit."
Ned looked at Veronica and they both shook their head.
"Well then, it seems we must wait until Roxton and Marguerite return with the children." Challenger paused, then went on. "Remember, we did discuss the danger of taking Victoria away from the safe zone, and we decided that the danger was minimal. After all, from the ground, there is no way to tell who is in the balloon."
Before anyone else could speak, Edward, closely followed by Atoo, Will, and Grandma Tilly carrying Rose, came running into the field.
"Dad! They weren't there! What are we going to do?"
Ned put his hand on Edward's shoulder as he came to a stop in front of him.
"It's all right, son. I'm sure they'll be back any time now." He laughed lightly. "Who wants to bet that this was Summer's idea?"
Edward didn't laugh. He spoke urgently, but in a low voice.
"Dad, please listen. You don't understand. Alice is."
Just then a great shouting arose from the Zangas at the edge of the meadow, "Balloon! Balloon!"
Sure enough, floating over the tree tops, the familiar balloon, with its basket swaying beneath it, hovered over the meadow and slowly began to descend.
"How odd," muttered Challenger. "The wind is coming from the other direction."
As soon as the basket settled softly in the short grassy meadow, it was quickly surrounded by curious but anxious people. The tallest of the group looked over the rim and gasped. The shorter ones shouted, "What do you see?"
Challenger shouldered his way through the crowd and peered down into the basket. He seemed to freeze. "Incredible," he whispered.
He turned to the Malones, who were standing behind him with the children and Tilly. Ned and Veronica were terrified, yet had to know. They looked at Challenger with beseeching eyes.
He put his hands on their shoulders. "I don't understand it," he told them gently, "but.it's totally empty,"
With a cry of anguish, Veronica rushed to the basket to look for herself. What George had said was true. There was not a thing left in the basket, not a stool, not a box, not a blanket. Ned came over more slowly and put his arm around his wife as they stood, puzzled and distraught, looking for any sign that the basket had, so short a time ago, held their best friends and their much cherished children.
Ned was the first to notice a small piece of white paper tucked behind one of the struts. He scrambled into the basket and carefully pulled the paper from its hiding place. Turning it over, he saw the word "EDWARD" printed crookedly across it in Victoria's distinctive handwriting.
He jumped out of the basket and held the paper for Veronica to see, then called Edward over.
"This seems to be for you, Edward," he said as he handed the mysterious note to his son.
His parents and grandparents hung over his shoulders as, with a puzzled look and slightly trembling hands, Edward took the note from his father and, taking a deep breath, opened it.
Written, clearly in haste, were the cryptic words.IT'S BEGUN!
(to be continued)