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- Like
a lead ball exploding from a cannon, Collin shot out of the
cool, airy kaleidoscope into a turbulent swirl of green and
blue water. He tried to swim upward but the waterspout pulled
at his backpack and clothes. It dragged him down, down, down.
His eyes stung from the salty water and he thought his lungs
were going to explode.
- Horrid
thoughts about drowning rushed through his head. He wondered
where Courtney and Morgan were, too, but those
thoughts
disappeared the moment he heard that creepy voice from the void
-- the voice that whispered and laughed and told him to solve
stupid puzzles.
- It
whispers. It roars. Can you harness it?
- What on
earth did that mean? but he forgot all about the words when
Courtney and Morgan shot out of nowhere in a flurry of bubbles.
They were together again and with great effort the three plunged
out of the tornado of water and swam toward the surface.
- It seemed
like hours of swimming. He felt lightheaded and dizzy, but in
only a few seconds Collin, Courtney and Morgan splashed to the
surface, gasping for air, coughing and sputtering.
- Small
waves lapped about them, slapping gently against the slimy,
mossy wooden planks beside them. Collin treaded water trying
to figure out where they were this time. The blue and green
ocean stretched forever behind him; above him was the bright
blue sky; and the slippery wooden planks were part of a ship.
It wasn't sleek or something fancy made of fiberglass, but it
was long, maybe 50 or 60 feet. It had two rows of holes down
its side with oars sticking out. And just a few feet away from
where Collin bobbed in the water was a frayed rope ladder hanging
over the edge of the vessel.
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