(8)-Dunking In The Mountains.

Up in the mountains, deep within one of the caves, Aiden hung over a large pool inside a net that was hanging over it by a hook, with Princess Langwidere, the nome, holding the silver slippers, and the children standing around the pool on bridges. After capturing him inside the other cave, the children of Ev had brought Aiden back to Langwidere, given the silver slippers back to the nome, and then brought him here and hung him up over this pool in a net on Langwidere's orders.

One of the children, a 10-year old boy, was standing by a wooden winch that held up the rope that was holding up the hook that was holding up the net Aiden was trapped in.

"Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him!" The other children chanted.

"Okay, listen!" Aiden began. "None of this would've happened if you hadn't taken those shoes." He said as the children kept saying 'Dunk him'.

"Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him!" The children said.

"You've got a real fixation on these shoes...don't you?" Said a 9-year old girl.

"Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him! Dunk him!" The children chanted over and over.

"Let's put these shoes up for sale and see if they're worth something." An 11-year old boy said.

"Sell 'em!" The children shouted.

"NO!" Aiden shouted. He knew that would be a horrible thing to do. For if these did put those shoes up for sale and someone had bought them, it would be only a matter of time before that someone realized what kind of shoes they were and used their powers for Oz knows what. The wicked witch of the East had worn the silver slippers and used them to rule over the Munchkins. Oz forbid should these kids put those shoes up for sale and the buyer was evil. It would be like a re-run of the witch of the East, and Aiden was not about to let that happen...if he could prevent it.

"Sell 'em!" The children repeated.

"Don't sell them! They're my mother's and i have to get them home." Aiden said. He knew they weren't his mother's shoes and that they were his and that they were the magic silver slippers, but he wasn't about to reveal that information. He saw a witch-namely the witch of the West-lose her mind last year over them to the point where she ended up losing her life. And that was over in Oz. He could just imagine how the people of this land would react.

"Mother? Home?" A 12-year old boy asked, confused.

"Yeah. They're suppose to stay in the house." Aiden said.

The 12-year old boy and the 11-year old boy looked at each other.

"What are you talkin' about?" The 12-year old boy asked.

"You know home. Your residence. Parents. They're like us, only taller? With jobs and responsibilities? You know, family?" Aiden said. "They care about you? They make sure you don't grow up to be a jerk. Home?" What was going on? Why were these kids acting like what he was saying was Greek to them? Surely they knew what a home was. And they had to know what parents and families were because they were kids and had them. Right?

"Dunk him now!" The 11-year old boy said.

"Silence, 11!" Langwidere ordered, addressing the 11-year old boy as 11. All of the children of Ev were named by number by Langwidere herself after she took over as leader. "So...where is this...home?" She asked the boy in the net.

Aiden wondered why this woman was questioning him, but then he realized why. She wanted to know where he came from. Another piece of information he couldn't give out. If he told her about the real world, it wouldn't be long before word got around to others like her about the real world's existence. And then they would join forces and try to conquer it. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let that happen. His only hope was to make her think-and believe-that he lived around here. "All over the place. You all have one."

"I know what a home is." Langwidere said.

The 12-year old boy looked over at the 10-year old boy standing by the wooden winch. "10...we're not dunking him!" He said, addressing the 10-year old boy as 10.

"What?!" Langwidere gasped. "What do you mean?! We've never spared anyone! We got a perfect record! That boy get's dunked! And if you don't do it, you're going in with him!" She said. "Dunk him, 10!" She ordered, looking over at 10.

10 Turned the handle on the wooden winch forward, lowering the net down some before letting go of it, allowing the net to fall into the pool below with a loud SPLASH!

Langwidere, the nome and the children, meanwhile, just stared at the pool, which was now foaming.

Beneath the surface, Aiden, trapped inside the net, was sinking deeper and deeper by the minute.

Above the surface, the children, Langwidere and the nome were still staring at the foaming pool.

"Look what he does to water." Said a 7-year old boy.

"Why doesn't he come up?" A 6-year old boy asked. They had done this to so many other children and they always managed to get out of the net and re-surface. Why hadn't this one?

"He's dead." Langwidere said before looking at the 12-year old boy. "It's your group, 12. You're responsible. I'm out of here." She said before leaving.

12 Re-focused on the foaming pool, staring at it with the other children. They were so focused on the foaming water, they didn't even notice the nome disappear with the silver shoes.

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