𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃 | 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢

𝐗𝐈𝐈. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬

As Danny tried to follow after Spencer's group, Matt grabbed his arm and pulled him in the other direction. Additionally, he hushed his cousin before he could protest. Matt then returned to the task of following after Martha and Fridge who had managed to locate Bravestone's ex.

"Why'd you stop me?" Danny asked in a harsh whisper.

"Because I can't trust you to stay out of trouble," Matt retorted, "We're both down a life thanks to your antics."

"I didn't ask to get stuck here." Danny crossed his arms as if preparing to pout, which looked utterly ridiculous on the face of his full-grown avatar.

Matt inhaled to keep his composure before replying with a pained smile. "You were the one that snuck away from your aunt, so don't go blaming me."

"Cut it out," Martha whipped her head around and snapped.

Matt and Danny both froze, caught entirely off-guard by her hostility. Even Fridge flinched. Satisfied with the following silence, Martha opened the gate that blocked their path. Matt winced as the gate creaked, but Martha pushed forward without a care. Danny shrugged and followed her, leaving Fridge to close the gate behind them as Matt rushed ahead to keep his cousin in his line of sight.

"Woah," Martha muttered under her breath as she paused in front of an archway.

The four slowly entered the room and Danny whistled, expressing how impressive each thought the layout to be. In the center of the room was a large tree whose roots curled around the stone pedestal on which it had planted. Some of those roots even exceeded the length of the pedestal and ran down into the murky water that served as a moat around the base of the tree. The walls were chipped, and moisture clung to them as a mist floated above the surface of the water. As if that weren't eerie enough, the torches in the room lit up the second they crossed the hearth of the archway.

"Creepy." Danny's eyes held a glint of excitement.

"Why did you say that with a smile?" Matt asked only growing more uneasy.

Fridge also eyed the kid and leaned closer to Matt as he whispered, "Your cousin's a little weird."

"You can say that again," Matt agreed under his breath.

Martha's eyes glanced down and noticed the sign engraved on the post before them. She tilted her head and her brows knit together as she read off the information given. "Jumanji Berry Tree."

"Jumanji berry?" Fridge scoffed. "That's a desert fruit?"

"The Jumanji Berry," Matt nodded and began to spout off a surplus of information that he didn't even know he possessed, "One of the largest berries found in Jumanji, often confused for a small melon due to its size. Although its vibrant exterior may appear tempting, it's been discovered that the human body has a difficult time digesting the pulp of the fruit. Additionally, it requires an arid climate mixed—"

"I think we got the idea," Fridge interrupted.

Matt slowly shook his head as if exiting a trance. "What was that?"

"When did you become a plant expert?" Danny cocked his head in confusion.

"Plant expert?" Martha considered Danny's word choice before snapping her fingers together with a solution. "Dr. Oberon's both a medic and a botanist, remember?"

Matt slowly nodded his head. "This never happened before though."

"Maybe we just didn't need that specific skillset until now?" Martha suggested with a shrug.

"I guess that makes sense," Matt agreed.

It was Fridge who noticed that there was something else engraved in the post. "In the moment of need, remember the seed." He frowned; it was clear that he was entirely over the moment. "A little bit of Jumanji wisdom there."