Chapter 5 - Meeting Adventure
Becca rummaged through the pile of books and found a strange animal. It was a light brown beaver that had a hook on his front right paw, and a peg on his left hind leg. He was wearing a red and yellow polka-dotted bandana and a black eyepatch over one eye.
"Aarrgh!" said the beaver, getting up and pointing a sword at the frightened girl and her kitten, "Are ye the ones who threw me from the poopdeck?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Becca.
"What's yer title?"
"Becca," stammered the girl, "Becca Ridges!"
"A very odd title for a book, I must say," replied the beaver.
"I'm not a book, and I can prove it!" Becca dug into the pocket of her skirt and picked up a plastic card. "See?" she said, "This is my name!"
"A library card?!" gasped the beaver, "Shiver me timbers! I didn't know ye was a customer!"
"Well, actually, I was part of a school field trip," explained Becca, "It's a long story, but your Pagemaster said that I'm supposed to help save a kingdom from an evil curse until the Pagemaster's granddaughter comes and saves the day!"
"Ye mean Bethylasia?"
"Yes. But I don't know who Bethylasia is or what she looks like!"
The beaver didn't answer. He just stared at Becca as if she were a magical creature. "Excuse me," said Becca, "But why are you staring at me all of a sudden?"
"Oh, beg pardon!" said the beaver, "It's just that you look an awful lot like⦠never mind. Me title is Adventure! I'm the guardian of the Isle of me own name!"
"You mean you're one of the talking books the Pagemaster was talking about?" asked Becca.
"Of course! That is, until the wretched sea dragon Malaria turned me into a beaver!"
"Oh no!" said Becca, "But first thing's first! Where do I begin my quest?"
Adventure started thinking. "Maybe," he said aloud, "We could go down this hallway, and then turn left? No! What about going down the hallway, and just keep going straight? No!" While Adventure was contemplating which direction to go, Becca began to have a strange feeling inside. She picked up Sheila and said, "I don't know, Sheila. Something tells me that I know this place, I just don't know what it is." Becca's thoughts were interrupted when Adventure said, "I've got it! We'll journey up this ladder here, and you can get a look around!"
"Okay," said Becca, "Would you mind watching over my kitten, please?" She handed Sheila to Adventure while she climbed up a nearby ladder. Immediately, Sheila started playing with Adventure's mustache. "Stop that!" said Adventure, but the kitten toyed around with the ends of the beaver's mustache with her paws.
Meanwhile, Becca had made her way up to the top of the ladder. She climbed onto the top of a bookshelf and looked around. High above her were clouds, rainbows, and colorful birds flying and chirping; there was even a silver flying saucer and a blue and red hot air balloon with a couple riding in its basket. In the distance, a knight was battling a fire-breathing dragon while a fair maiden was gazing out of her tower. There was also a pirate ship, leaping dolphins, a haunted house, and an enchanted forest. Becca turned around and saw something that was the total opposite. Behind her, there was nothing but dark clouds, a purple sky, and menacing creatures. The sight of it made her scream! Back down below, Adventure heard Becca screaming and bumped into the ladder. The ladder then toppled over and fell to the ground!
"Adventure, help!" screamed Becca.
"Hold on, lassie!" called Adventure, as he pulled some books off the shelf to make a cushion for Becca to land safely on. "Don't tell me I have to jump down!" cried Becca.
"Tis the only way!" said Adventure.
Instead, Becca slowly began to climb down from the shelf. She placed her feet one by one on the lower shelves while she used her hands to hold onto a shelf above her head. Just when she was two shelves above the ground, one of her feet slipped off, and Becca began to lose her grip! Quickly, she grabbed onto a shelf with both her hands. Sheila and Adventure gathered more books for Becca to land on. At last, the poor girl couldn't hold on anymore; she lost grip and fell into the pile of books! Becca rubbed her sore backside, but then she heard more muffling underneath her!
