Chapter 1
It was another sunny day in Pelt. Lily, Jasper, and Katie were walking through the woods behind Jasper's house. Lily was thinking about Delaware, where they had gone on their last adventure. She had liked it there, and wanted to return soon. Katie was daydreaming about Drgnan Pghlik, a monk she had met on that same adventure. He was going to go to the school dance with her. Now, monks do not normally go to school dances, but Drgnan was different. Currently, he was inside helping Jasper's mother make lunch. "Come on, chums!" Jasper urged. He had wanted them to see one of his new inventions. They walked for a little while longer, before ending up at one of the experimental bunkers, this one looking newer than the others. Jasper opened the large metal doors and led the others into the dimly lit underground room. He flicked on the light.
Lily and Katie squinted for a second, and then looked around. There were some shelves with a variety of tools, and a long bench. A tall mirror stood in the corner. Katie looked in it and brushed her long blond hair out of her eyes. Then they both saw what Jasper was showing them. It appeared to be a large AM/FM radio mounted on a board. There was an antenna, and valves, as well as a large gearwheel with handles attached. There was a pipe coming out of one side, and a big lever on the other. Next to the lever was an arrow, pointing up and down. On top, it said ON. At the bottom it said OFF. It was currently at OFF.
"Wow." said Lily, blowing diagonally on her bangs so she could see better. "What is it?"
For a moment Jasper looked downhearted. "Well, it was supposed to be a larger version of my ray gun. And it works. Well, sort of."
Katie looked nervously at the machine. "Um, what do mean, sort of?"
"Stand back; I'll show you." Jasper walked toward the machine, turned the wheel twice, pushed up the lever, and dove behind the workbench. A huge orange laser shot out of the pipe, knocking down several tools, and blowing a hole in the wall. Then there was a bang, the antenna fell off, and a plume of smoke rose from the device.
Katie stood up, gasping. "Jasper, that could have killed us!" She helped Lily to her feet, and both girls backed away from the box.
Jasper did not seem unduly bothered by this, grabbing some wires that had sprung free, he said, "All it needs are a few adjustments, then it'll work fine! Ah, Drgnan!"
This last part was because Drgnan Pghlik had just entered. After telling them that their lunch was ready, the four trooped back to the house, where they were served bowls of steaming mac and cheese. Over their food, Jasper whispered to them, "There is something else, though. I was repairing a hole from the last test, and, surprisingly, it led into what looked like a city. Another time, it was an ocean. I think it made a hole between dimensions!"
Katie dropped her spoon. The others looked at Jasper in shock. Finally Katie choked out, "A hole. Between dimensions."
Lily asked, "Can things come into ours, through the hole?" She was thinking of a book she'd read, where just the same thing had happened.
Jasper shook his head. "Oh, no. I boarded up the holes with plywood. Nothing will get through there!" He smiled confidently, and then whispered, "I think, though, that we should perhaps go through the hole, and see what's on the other side!"
Katie dropped her spoon again. Drgnan looked delighted. "Wonderful!" he said. "When are we going to go?"
"Sometime tomorrow. Meet me here, and don't look so worried, Katie! We'll just pop in, look around, and be back before we notice we're gone!"
