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The Invisible War: Chapter 11
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when he reached the bottom, Tom stopped to look around. The hole was about as wide as his bed and covered with soggy leaves. They may have saved Sasha's life when she fell, he thought.
His wet feet shuffled through the leaves, pushing some aside. This couldn't have been dug too long ago, he thought, looking at the shovel marks. Then he walked through an opening on one side of the hole. It was just a little shorter than an ordinary doorway. Now he stood in a tunnel. Along the rugged ceiling hung small round lamps.
He heard footsteps come up behind him, so he turned and asked, "Why are these lights here? Who puts oil in them?"
"Beats me," answered Colin. "They look like the ones we use in my country, but I sure don't know what they're doing here."
"Where are we?" Tom started walking again. "Did you know about this tunnel?"
"No, but I wish I knew where it ends up."
"So do I," said Tom. "At least it's dry in here."
The tunnel suddenly opened up into a wide room. In spite of the dark brown clay walls, it seemed bright with light. Shelves lined the walls and they were piled high with boxes. Peter was already checking them out.
Sasha came bouncing toward him, joyfully wagging her tail.
"Hi there, funny pup!" Tom laughed as she leaped up to lick his face.
"Come here, you guys! Look what I found. A box of crackers." Peter's words were muffled by all he had stuffed into his mouth. "And here's a big bag of peanuts!"
"What's in these cans? Something to drink?" Tom 's pocketknife had a an opener, and it didn't take long to make a hole big enough for drinking. "It's grape juice," he shouted. "It's great! Have some."
The juice and snacks tasted so good the boys forgot about their wet clothes and being lost. Actually, their clothes were beginning to dry, for the tunnel was nice and warm."
"Those lamps give off heat," explained Colin.
"This box is filled with books," shouted Peter. "Strange books, I'd say, with wizards, trolls and monsters on the covers."
"This box has books and charts on astrology," shouted Colin. "Medicine wheel astrology, Babylonian astrology, Aztec calendars..."
"These shelves are loaded with toys and games," said Colin. "I've seen these dolls before. This one with the stars on her head and a magic wand has special power. And these others change into all kinds of animals. We call them shape-shifters. This big beautiful one tells fortunes." Colin lifted up a big box. "It comes with crystal balls, Tarot cards, charts for astrology and numerology...."
"Numer what?"
"Numerology. It uses numbers to tell who you are and what is going to happen to you. Just like astrology."
"This thing looks like a spider web decorated with feathers. What is it, Colin?"
"Oh, that's dreamcatcher. It has magic power to stop bad dreams. It only lets good dreams and spirits speak to you."
"What's this word, Colin? The one that starts with Oui...?" Peter pointed to a big flat box.
"Wow, that's just what we need! A Ouija Board!"