Oliver wondered how the teapot got there and watched it vanish before his eyes.
Chapter 2 Excerpt: Oliver Oddsocks The Phantom Train
She turned back to the woods and put her finger to her lips. “I think that is where I have to go,” Becki whispered.
“Why? What’s in there?” Oliver whispered back. Peering into the woods, he shivered. It was all in shadows. The trees were huge, trees older than any Oliver had ever seen. He knew about the giant sequoias from his books, but these trees were different. They had huge branches and big leaves. This place felt ancient and somehow out of place. Under the trees, it was mostly bare except for a few giant ferns. In his mind, it felt prehistoric, and he knew something about that.
“My best friend, Cynthia, disappeared about three weeks ago. I have spent every day looking for her. Everybody in town gave up looking. I won’t give up.” She didn’t whisper this time, and Oliver thought that was odd.
“You think she was lost in the woods by your house and ended up here?” Oliver asked.
“Yes, she lived a few doors down from me. We had a magical place in the woods where we would have a tea party. I went a little more into the woods, like I have for three weeks. This morning I got dizzy, fell asleep, and ended up here. I’m fine now. I think the same thing might have happened to her.”
Oliver was surprised. “You think she may have gone out by herself, somehow ended up here like us, and something bad happened?”
“It happened to us. Why not her? I don’t know why she would have gone deeper into the woods, but I think she’s lost.”
Olive felt bad for her and her friend. “You think she is in there?” He didn’t mention the teapot he had seen.
“Yes, I can feel her. She is in there and I’m too afraid to go in there by myself.” Becki started crying.
“Don’t cry. I’ll go with you. We will find your friend. Was your tea set green?” Oliver offered some comfort.
“How did you know that?” Becki looked surprised.
“Lucky guess. Come on then. Let’s go on an adventure together and find your friend.”