War of the Worlds, Chapter 4
By Lucky_Ladybug
"Oh, there's Dr. Sloan!" Mr. Jones announced suddenly, jolting Mr. Smith out of his thoughts.
They hurried over to him. "Hello, boys," Mark greeted them.
"Hi," Mr. Jones returned the greeting. "Hey, we heard you were wondering if anyone else had seen those little green men your attorney friend saw."
"Well, yes, that's right," Mark confirmed.
"We encountered them," Mr. Smith spoke up. "They said they wanted us for observation."
"Observation, huh?" Mark paused. "How did you get out of that?"
Smith and Jones turned to look at each other. They had forgotten they'd have to explain that.
Finally Mr. Jones turned back to face Mark. "Uh, well, they concluded that we were stronger than they were and that they wouldn't bother with us," he said truthfully.
"If they were really aliens, surely their technology would be more advanced than ours," Mark mused. "I suppose they could just be troublemakers who heard the story of the green light hovering over the hospital and decided to stir up some trouble."
"Yeah, I guess so," Mr. Smith said hurriedly.
******
Meanwhile, Jack and Amanda were driving out to check out Dr. Winfield's address.
"Now, we're looking for 332 Rosebud," Amanda said.
"Hey, isn't that it back there?" Jack pointed to a street about half a block back.
Amanda backed up the car and looked at the street sign. "Yes, this is Rosebud," she said.
Rosebud Avenue was in a very classy part of town. All the houses were fancy, and many of them looked like museums on the inside.
"This Winfield guy must be loaded," Jack commented.
"Here's 332," Amanda said, pulling up in front of a ivy-covered manor that seemed to go on forever.
"Do you see something wrong with this picture?" Jack asked, glancing around.
"You mean the fact that there's a buggy in the driveway instead of a car?" Amanda said.
"Well, yeah," Jack said. "I mean, doesn't that strike you as a little strange?"
"Maybe he collects them," Amanda suggested with a shrug.
By now they had come to the porch. Jack knocked on the door. Silence.
"I don't think he's home," Amanda decided.
"He's supposed to be working at the hospital," Jack muttered. He reached out to turn the doorknob, then gasped. "Amanda, do you see that?"
The modern wooden door had suddenly morphed into double doors that looked like the entrance to a medival castle.
"I did," Amanda said in a strange voice. "And the door wasn't the only thing that changed."
"Huh?" Jack looked around . . . and gasped. The entire manor was now an ancient castle, and thick fog was all around them. "Something tells me we're not in L.A. anymore," he muttered.
"Jack, I think we're on the English moors!" Amanda declared.
"The English moors?" Jack repeated. "Don't be ridiculous, Amanda!"
"Well, just look around," Amanda replied.
Jack had to admit it looked like the English moors. "Oh, this is nuts!" he exclaimed. "This has to be the craziest mystery we've ever tried to solve!"
"Jack, look over there!" Amanda said in hushed tones. "There's someone over there."
Off in the distance, a hooded figure walked aimlessly through the mists. When it saw Jack and Amanda, it started to head in their direction.
"Oh, great, now what?" Jack muttered.
The figure got closer. Amanda could faintly see them now. They had sandy colored hair that nearly came to their shoulders and hazel eyes with an evil look in them.
"Jack!" Amanda nearly shrieked.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Jack demanded of the figure.
The figure did not reply. He raised his hand as if to reach out and grab them. Jack tried to grab the figure's wrist, but it suddenly vanished.
"That was a weird experience," he exclaimed, a little in shock.
"I'll never forget that face," Amanda said with a shudder. "If I ever see it again, I'll know it."
Jack glanced around. "Hey, what's that?"
"What's what?"
"This mirror." Jack walked over to a mirror hanging on the wall of the castle.
"This wasn't here a minute ago," Amanda observed.
Jack reached out to touch the glass. Without warning, he suddenly was pulled into the mirror. Amanda looked on, appalled. She went over to the mirror and looked through it. Her own reflection stared back at her. "Jack!" she called. "Jack, where are you?"
Suddenly an overwhelming force was grabbing her, pulling her into the mirror. Amanda screamed. She felt herself falling . . . falling . . .
By Lucky_Ladybug
"Oh, there's Dr. Sloan!" Mr. Jones announced suddenly, jolting Mr. Smith out of his thoughts.
They hurried over to him. "Hello, boys," Mark greeted them.
"Hi," Mr. Jones returned the greeting. "Hey, we heard you were wondering if anyone else had seen those little green men your attorney friend saw."
"Well, yes, that's right," Mark confirmed.
"We encountered them," Mr. Smith spoke up. "They said they wanted us for observation."
"Observation, huh?" Mark paused. "How did you get out of that?"
Smith and Jones turned to look at each other. They had forgotten they'd have to explain that.
Finally Mr. Jones turned back to face Mark. "Uh, well, they concluded that we were stronger than they were and that they wouldn't bother with us," he said truthfully.
"If they were really aliens, surely their technology would be more advanced than ours," Mark mused. "I suppose they could just be troublemakers who heard the story of the green light hovering over the hospital and decided to stir up some trouble."
"Yeah, I guess so," Mr. Smith said hurriedly.
******
Meanwhile, Jack and Amanda were driving out to check out Dr. Winfield's address.
"Now, we're looking for 332 Rosebud," Amanda said.
"Hey, isn't that it back there?" Jack pointed to a street about half a block back.
Amanda backed up the car and looked at the street sign. "Yes, this is Rosebud," she said.
Rosebud Avenue was in a very classy part of town. All the houses were fancy, and many of them looked like museums on the inside.
"This Winfield guy must be loaded," Jack commented.
"Here's 332," Amanda said, pulling up in front of a ivy-covered manor that seemed to go on forever.
"Do you see something wrong with this picture?" Jack asked, glancing around.
"You mean the fact that there's a buggy in the driveway instead of a car?" Amanda said.
"Well, yeah," Jack said. "I mean, doesn't that strike you as a little strange?"
"Maybe he collects them," Amanda suggested with a shrug.
By now they had come to the porch. Jack knocked on the door. Silence.
"I don't think he's home," Amanda decided.
"He's supposed to be working at the hospital," Jack muttered. He reached out to turn the doorknob, then gasped. "Amanda, do you see that?"
The modern wooden door had suddenly morphed into double doors that looked like the entrance to a medival castle.
"I did," Amanda said in a strange voice. "And the door wasn't the only thing that changed."
"Huh?" Jack looked around . . . and gasped. The entire manor was now an ancient castle, and thick fog was all around them. "Something tells me we're not in L.A. anymore," he muttered.
"Jack, I think we're on the English moors!" Amanda declared.
"The English moors?" Jack repeated. "Don't be ridiculous, Amanda!"
"Well, just look around," Amanda replied.
Jack had to admit it looked like the English moors. "Oh, this is nuts!" he exclaimed. "This has to be the craziest mystery we've ever tried to solve!"
"Jack, look over there!" Amanda said in hushed tones. "There's someone over there."
Off in the distance, a hooded figure walked aimlessly through the mists. When it saw Jack and Amanda, it started to head in their direction.
"Oh, great, now what?" Jack muttered.
The figure got closer. Amanda could faintly see them now. They had sandy colored hair that nearly came to their shoulders and hazel eyes with an evil look in them.
"Jack!" Amanda nearly shrieked.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Jack demanded of the figure.
The figure did not reply. He raised his hand as if to reach out and grab them. Jack tried to grab the figure's wrist, but it suddenly vanished.
"That was a weird experience," he exclaimed, a little in shock.
"I'll never forget that face," Amanda said with a shudder. "If I ever see it again, I'll know it."
Jack glanced around. "Hey, what's that?"
"What's what?"
"This mirror." Jack walked over to a mirror hanging on the wall of the castle.
"This wasn't here a minute ago," Amanda observed.
Jack reached out to touch the glass. Without warning, he suddenly was pulled into the mirror. Amanda looked on, appalled. She went over to the mirror and looked through it. Her own reflection stared back at her. "Jack!" she called. "Jack, where are you?"
Suddenly an overwhelming force was grabbing her, pulling her into the mirror. Amanda screamed. She felt herself falling . . . falling . . .