Two Worlds (Written by a 10-year-old author, 62,000 words, 72 chapters)

Chapter 31: The freeze dome

Lily inched forward, clutching her sword and dagger. Stacy sat up, groaning. "Why am I on the floor?" she asked. Lily helped her to her feet. "Do you remember anything?" she asked. Jake looked at the broken box. "The box was talking, and then, um ... that's all I remember." "I'm pretty sure that the box was in one piece," Tara said. The room they were in rumbled. "Guys, we should get out of here, like, now," Lily said. They exited the room as it collapsed with a BANG and a lot of dust.

***

Jake wanted a memory refresh.

He wanted to know how he had ended up on the floor with his sword in the wall. He remembered wanting to destroy the metal box and then the box had started talking ... saying something about how he was lucky it hadn't destroyed his city.

He was so confused. How could a small box destroy the elfin city? But, seriously, maybe the talking box had a knack for joking about possible impending doom.

They crawled out of the tunnel. Lily turned to Jake. "You don't remember anything?" "No," he said. "Nothing bad happened, right?" "Yeah," Lily muttered. "Nothing bad happened."

Stacy stopped in her tracks. "Wait, time out," she said. "Seriously, Lily, what happened?" Lily fell silent for a count of ten before she spoke.

"The box ... it launched gray mist through you, Stacy, and then you started talking with its voice ..." Lily said. Tara blinked. "Are you sure that happened? Because I'm positive I don't remember that." "I wish it never happened," Lily agreed. "But, yeah, I'm sure."

Jake thought about how Lily had managed to yank his sword out of the wall right before they exited the room. "How did my sword end up in the wall?" "You threw it," Lily replied. "Okay," Jake said, "so I somehow threw my sword into the wall without even knowing?" "Yep," Lily replied. "What did the voice sound like?" Tara said. "The voice was female. When the box spoke, the voice echoed around the whole room," Lily answered. "I only know one person who would be like that. Her name's Theresa. She's the queen of the dwarves, but she's been locked in a prison for decades. She's known to project her voice when she wants to," Jake speculated. "How?" Lily marveled. "Magic. Her family was born with the powerful gift," he replied.

"So ... the box isn't going to turn us into freaky zombies again?" Stacy asked hopefully. "It shouldn't," Tara said, "unless a heap of metal pieces can somehow survive having a room falling on top of it."

Lily sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to go back and fight the dwarves." Suddenly Jake said, "Wait." The others turned to face him. "Where's the fighting?" he asked. He was right. The air was unnaturally silent. Lily ran to the edge of the hill where the tunnel opening had been placed. Both armies stood still. In the distance, a new dwarf army was gathering. Jake peered into the sky and saw a thin gray dome covering the elfin city, like a picture put through a filter. A freeze dome, he thought. Confused, Stacy took one step over the hill and froze completely in her tracks.

"Stacy!" Lily cried. Tara grabbed one of Stacy's hands, which poked out of the freeze dome. She tried to pull her out of the dome without success. Stacy remained frozen, looking blankly down the hill. Tara tripped and nudged Stacy forward. "Stacy only can be moved farther into the dome," Jake realized. Lily reached out as far as she dared and pulled a stick out of Stacy's pant pocket. "What is that?" Jake asked. "A metal stick," Lily replied sarcastically. "Tara, push Stacy forward as much as you can." Tara shoved Stacy five feet down the hill. "Stand back, everyone," Lily warned. She aimed the stick at the freeze dome and pulled a yellow metal jutting out on the bottom back.

BZZZTT! The stick made a sound like a bug zapper as lightning shot out, washing over the dome and weakening its power. Elves and dwarves began to move in very slow motion. Stacy started to turn around. Lily yanked a red stick back and fire shot out, joining the lightning and turning off the freeze dome completely. Stacy finished turning around. "Wha - Lily, why do you have my sword?" Lily tossed the metal stick back. Yells of confusion and battle filled the air as elves and dwarves continued fighting. "We have to stop them!" Tara said. Jake pulled his sword out of his sheath. "Let's go, then!" Lily yelled. They charged down the hill.

Stacy fired herdangerous metal stick into the dwarf army as Lily lobbed grenades about everyten seconds. Dwarves turned in confusion and were blown into the air. Tara dida review of how to properly whack a dwarf with a sword. She swung her blade andcut down five dwarves at once. A dwarf charged her with his own sword raised,but Tara stepped on the blade, forcing it up to its hilt in the ground. Hestruggled to yank his blade from the dirt. As she prepared to take down anotherfifty dwarves, a voice shook the ground.