The Seventh Crystal (2 page)

Chris had one leg through the hole in the
fence. He looked up. Shawn had stepped from behind the oak tree and was standing over him, smirking. Chris pulled his leg back and turned to run.

“Now, don’t do that.” Cliff had already swung around the fence and cut off Chris’s escape. “We have some business to take care of, remember?”

Chris took a step backward. Cliff grabbed the front of his T-shirt and pushed him into the fence. “You better have something good for us after keeping us waiting all this time, shrimp.”

“Look, guys,” Chris said, gulping, “I’m not carrying anything you’d want. My grandmother forgot to give me my lunch money. All I had for lunch was an apple left over from yesterday.”

Shawn picked up Chris’s backpack and rummaged through it. “You know, Chris, it looks like you may be telling the truth this time.” The hulking boy turned the pack upside down and dumped Chris’s books and papers on the sidewalk. “But since we know
how much you hate to disappoint us, we’ll just take this fine backpack your granny bought you.”

Cliff laughed. He twisted the collar of Chris’s shirt even tighter. “Thanks, Chris.”

“What’s going on here?”

Chris felt Cliff release his grip. The bigger boy stepped back and put his hands innocently into his pockets.

Chris wheeled around. He couldn’t believe his luck. Mr. Higgins had driven up beside them.

Shawn knelt and started putting books back into Chris’s bag. “There’s nothing going on, Mr. Higgins. Chris here just dropped his backpack, and Cliff and I were being neighborly. You know, helping him pick up his stuff.”

Mr. Higgins’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Is that right, Chris?”

Chris nervously scratched the back of his neck. “That—That’s right. They were helping me.”

Shawn handed him the backpack. “Here you go, Chris.” He slapped Chris hard on the
back. “We like helping out our good friend Chris. Don’t we, Cliff?”

Cliff nodded, and the two bullies sauntered down the sidewalk. Shawn looked back over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Chris, we’ll always be around to
help
you.”

Chris breathed a sigh of relief as he watched them leave. He picked up the rest of his papers and had started to cram them into his pack when he noticed that Mr. Higgins was still there watching him, waiting for an explanation.

Chris gave the teacher a halfhearted smile, backed down the sidewalk a few feet, shrugged—and ran.

“I’m home, Grandma.” Chris dropped his backpack onto one of the kitchen chairs and took the lid off the cookie jar. It was full of freshly made chocolate chip cookies. He put one in his mouth and scooped up a handful to take to his room.

From the living room he could hear the television blaring. His grandmother was watching her favorite soap opera. He decided not to bother her and instead went straight upstairs to get down to business.

Business consisted of trying to find the secret path to the ancient palace in the Valley of
Zon. He’d been working on this particular computer game for almost three days and had made it only as far as the River of Storms.

It was unusual for Chris to have trouble with any video or computer game. Most of them were too easy for him. His mind just seemed to know what was going to happen before the computer made it occur.

But this game was special. It had come in the mail three days ago with no return address and very few instructions. The first night he worked on it until two in the morning. The graphics looked so three-dimensional that when he turned it on, it almost seemed as if the people and places were real.

The game opened with a medieval scene—a huge castle shrouded in fog. Then words scrolled up the screen, telling the mysterious legend of a beautiful princess with magical powers. This princess ruled her people well until a disloyal knight kidnapped her. Using black magic, he turned her into a statue so that he could steal her kingdom.

The object of the game was to make it through all the traps and hazards the black
knight had laid for those who might follow him, and then discover a way to free the princess.

The first time Chris played the game he was chased by creatures that spit fire. Then he’d gone in circles for hours until he’d stumbled on a magic compass, which led him to the river.

The next day he had found a hidden cave in a forest. But the cave didn’t lead anywhere and there didn’t seem to be a way out of it.

Chris sat down at his desk and switched on his computer. He took a deep breath. “No game is gonna get the best of me.”

The title screen lit up in an array of dazzling color. The words
The Seventh Crystal
appeared in bold print, followed by the picture of the castle. Chris pushed the Start button. A young boy wearing a ragged brown peasant’s costume ran down a dusty path. The boy passed several village people coming and going near a grassy meadow. Suddenly two thieves jumped in front of him and tried to block his path. Chris pushed the Jump button
and sailed over the attackers. They were chasing the boy, and he had no weapon for protection.

Chris paused the game. He knew how to get to the forest, but he didn’t want to get stuck in the cave again. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what he would do next if he had created this game.

Suddenly his bedroom door flew open with a bang. “Hey. Are you getting anywhere with that?”

Chris spun his chair around. Standing in front of him was a stocky redheaded boy whose face was covered with freckles.

“I just got started, Jimmy. I’ll beat it, though. You know they haven’t made the game that can stop me.”

Jimmy Johnson was Chris’s next-door neighbor and best friend. Jimmy was a year younger than Chris and still went to Taft Middle School.

“You were late coming home, Chris. Did they get you today?”

“Yeah. But it worked out all right. A teacher
drove up just in time.” Chris turned back to the game. “You want to watch?”

“Maybe for a while. My mom says I have to be home early. My dad is coming to get me for the weekend.”

“Where’s he taking you this time?”

Jimmy sat on the edge of the bed. “Who knows? Did you get out of the cave yet?”

Chris shook his head. “I started over. I figured I must have missed something along the way that would let me out of it.” He studied the computer screen. “I don’t see anything. Do you?”

“Why don’t you ask some of those people on the path?”

Chris looked up and smiled. “Jimmy, you’re a genius.” He started the game again and used his mouse to maneuver the peasant boy so that he made contact with the images of the villagers on the path. Nothing happened until he came across the image of an old woman.

She was waiting in the meadow, not scurrying around like the rest of the people, just sitting patiently under a tree. When the peasant boy stopped in front of her, she gave him a
toothless grin and put something round in his hand.

“What is it?” Jimmy asked. He moved closer to the screen.

“I can’t tell for sure. But I hope it helps me get out of the cave.”

“What’s she saying?”

Words appeared in a green box at the top of the screen. Chris read them aloud. “ ‘The lion’s mouth at the Palace of Zon is the only way to save the princess.’ ”

Jimmy looked puzzled. “What’s Zon?”

Chris paused the game and took an envelope out of his desk drawer. He opened it and showed Jimmy the letter inside. “This came with the game.”

Chosen One
,

The ancient palace lies in the Valley of Zon. It is imperative that you come immediately. You are my last hope. Look for the secret path. The stars will lead the way. Take care. The eyes of Mogg are everywhere.

Darvina

Jimmy moved back. “Those are weird instructions. Have you figured out who sent the game to you?”

“Nope. But I’m glad they did. It’s been a long time since I’ve played anything that was this much of a challenge.”

“Jimmy, are you up there?” Chris’s grandmother shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

Chris went to the landing. “He’s here, Grandma.”

“Tell him his mother wants him to run down to the store for her before his father comes to get him.”

Chris turned and was about to repeat the message. Jimmy held his hand up. “I heard. Want to come with me? I hate crossing over those old subway tunnels. They give me the creeps.”

Chris glanced at the game. He hated to waste precious time that could be used to defeat it. Then he looked at Jimmy. It was obvious that his friend wanted him to go. The shortcut over the tunnels saved time, but it was dangerous. The city had put up No Trespassing signs and an old chain-link fence
blocking the tunnels off from the general public, but everyone still cut across them.

Chris walked to the computer, saved his game, and turned it off. “Sure, I’ll go with you. I can work on this old thing anytime.”

“Don’t forget to get skim milk, Jimmy. The cheap brand.” Jimmy’s mother looked at Chris and raised an eyebrow. “And don’t waste any time at the arcade.”

“Okay, okay.” Jimmy took the money she handed him and waved for Chris to follow him out the front door.

“She treats me like a baby,” Jimmy complained when they were outside the fence around the yard.

“Don’t worry.” Chris kicked a rock down
the sidewalk. “They seem to grow out of it when you get to junior high.”

“Can’t be too soon for me.” Jimmy stuffed the money in his front pocket. “Want to cut through the park?”

“Why not? Race you to the fountain.”

Chris gave Jimmy a small head start and then sprinted after him. They made it to the fountain at the same time. Jimmy was breathing hard and sat down on the concrete edge.

Chris looked up at the statue in the middle of the old fountain. It was a girl holding her hands out. No water flowed out of the fountain now. It was covered with rust, and a bluish green slime had started to form where the water used to be.

He had never really looked at the girl before, but for some reason today he couldn’t take his eyes off her face. She looked so sad, almost as if she would cry if she could manage it.

“Come on.” Jimmy pushed him gently. “We better get to the store or I’m gonna be in trouble.”

Chris backed away from the statue and reluctantly turned to follow his friend. He shook his head. What was the matter with him today? Three steps later, he tripped on something in the grass and almost fell.

“Are you okay?” Jimmy asked, picking up a dirt-covered metallic gadget from the grass. He started to throw it back down, but changed his mind and slid it into his jacket pocket.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Chris scrambled to his feet. “I don’t know what’s wrong with—” He stopped. Directly in front of them was an elderly woman sitting under a tree. Chris blinked. It couldn’t be. She looked exactly like the woman in the video game.

The woman beckoned him with her long, gnarled fingers. Chris didn’t move. Then she gave him a toothless smile.

“It’s her!” Chris whispered.

“What are you talking about?” Jimmy pulled on Chris’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”

“In a minute.” Chris shrugged him off and moved closer to the woman. She was holding something out to him. He hesitated, then
stepped up and took it. The small object was round and black with age.

“Uh … thanks,” he said, stepping back. The old woman just nodded and smiled serenely.

“What did she give you?” Jimmy whispered.

Chris handed it to his friend. “I don’t know. It sort of looks like an old subway token.”

Chris turned back to ask the woman why she had given it to him.

She was gone. His eyes scanned the park. She had disappeared.

Jimmy gave the token back to him. “Come on, Chris. I’m gonna be busted if I’m late.”

Chris closed his hand around the token. He walked along beside Jimmy in silence, thinking. What a weird coincidence, if it was a coincidence. The odds of something like this happening were pretty small, impossible in fact.

They were walking over the old tunnels and Jimmy was mumbling something about the city needing to fill them up before somebody got hurt again. He and Chris used to play in
them when they were younger, until Jimmy fell through some boards and the fire department had to come get him out.