Chapter 9
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Kon looked up at the bugly, white clouds floating in the blue sky and sighed. More than ten minutes had passed since Sany and Mr. Peru disappeared inside the forest.
"Don't tell me they are playing hide and seek behind those trees," Kon said and crossed his arms. "Or maybe Mr. Peru went invisible... Or..."
He gazed down at the violin case Sany had left behind. There was a small pouch in front of it, and this small space seemed to full of stuff of which Kon had no knowledge. He again sighed and again looked in the direction of the forest. The trees of the forest were so densely packed that it felt as if he were looking at the entrance of a cave rather than at a path going across woods.
Kon again folded his arms before his chest, cocked his head in one direction, and started thinking about his next move.
"Damn those two. Mr. Peru knows well that I don't like being alone..." Kon turned around, lifted Sany's violin case, and started his boring trudge into the heart of the forest.
A walked for another ten minutes.
"This place is too quiet," Kon muttered, looking around.
A chill went down his spine, and Kon stopped dead in his tracks. He was suddenly having this feeling of being close to something when there was nothing near him. The closest tree was at least two feet away from him. He blinked his eyes twice, without moving, yet that feeling of being inches away from something persisted.
Kon raised his hand and started moving it forward as if trying to catch an invisible butterfly wandering before him. Something tingled his finger, and Kon tried to jerk his hand back, but it refused to move.
"What the hell..." Kon pulled with all his might but his finger stayed glued to the air. "So, there is a wall here!"
Kon raised his right foot and kept it on the invisible wall to give himself more power, but, to Kon's surprise, his right leg went through. "Gah!"
Now the fingers of his right hand and most of his right foot were stuck in this invisible wall. "Who is doing this?" Kon screamed at the top his voice, red-faced.
It was now apparent to him that there was something that was allowing his body to move in but was not letting him move out. Kon stood there in this awkwardly uncomfortable position for more than five minutes, thinking. And suddenly, something in his pocket started ringing.
"Crap. It's time for my punishment." Kon gritted his teeth. He looked up at the portion of the sky that was visible through the maze of snaking branches. "Sorry, Granny, but I'm in a little trouble right now--Wait. I could use this as my punishment." He started grinning. "Okay. It has been decided. I'm going to stand like this for the next two hours."
***
While Kon punished himself for his past sins, not too far away from him, a man in his early thirties, marched back and forth before a throne inside a big hall. The crown on his head shimmered in the colorful light that flooded in through a high, mosaic glass pane behind him.
Two people wrapped in purple robe and hood were standing below him. The throne room was lavishly big and long.
"I'm really sorry, my lord," one of them said. This person's voice seemed artificial yet feminine.
"Sorry?" the king said. "How could you let some inside my kingdom? I was paying you lavishly, wasn't I?"
"You still are, Darold," the other hooded figure spoke up.
"Call me king, Dev," King Darold snapped and sat down on the throne. "Don't forget that I'm a king know, okay? Someone crossed the barrier, and we don't know where that person is. If he is someone from the government than all my efforts will be doomed."
"Don't worry," the hooded figure with the artificial voice said. "We all know well that no one here can break through that barrier."
"I know that! But what if he ends up walking into my kingdom and starts telling people--"
He was cut off by the whining noise that was coming from a ring in Dev's right hand. "Another one is crossing the barrier. Jan, go and catch him."
"Okay," Jan said in her artificial voice. "But why won't the alarm stop ringing?"
"It's because that idiot is standing right under the barrier. Between our side and their side," Dev said.
"Huh." King Darold got up from his throne. "This is bad. Another intruder on the same day! We are--"
The door at the far end of the room banged open, and a soldier scuttled in. "My lord! My lord. Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know the wizards were here."
"What is it?" King Darold snapped at the little man. "You look too excited..."
"My lord, a girl in weird clothes was spotted at our town square," the soldier said breathlessly. "And she has been going around, saying that she is from the future..."
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Kon looked up at the bugly, white clouds floating in the blue sky and sighed. More than ten minutes had passed since Sany and Mr. Peru disappeared inside the forest.
"Don't tell me they are playing hide and seek behind those trees," Kon said and crossed his arms. "Or maybe Mr. Peru went invisible... Or..."
He gazed down at the violin case Sany had left behind. There was a small pouch in front of it, and this small space seemed to full of stuff of which Kon had no knowledge. He again sighed and again looked in the direction of the forest. The trees of the forest were so densely packed that it felt as if he were looking at the entrance of a cave rather than at a path going across woods.
Kon again folded his arms before his chest, cocked his head in one direction, and started thinking about his next move.
"Damn those two. Mr. Peru knows well that I don't like being alone..." Kon turned around, lifted Sany's violin case, and started his boring trudge into the heart of the forest.
A walked for another ten minutes.
"This place is too quiet," Kon muttered, looking around.
A chill went down his spine, and Kon stopped dead in his tracks. He was suddenly having this feeling of being close to something when there was nothing near him. The closest tree was at least two feet away from him. He blinked his eyes twice, without moving, yet that feeling of being inches away from something persisted.
Kon raised his hand and started moving it forward as if trying to catch an invisible butterfly wandering before him. Something tingled his finger, and Kon tried to jerk his hand back, but it refused to move.
"What the hell..." Kon pulled with all his might but his finger stayed glued to the air. "So, there is a wall here!"
Kon raised his right foot and kept it on the invisible wall to give himself more power, but, to Kon's surprise, his right leg went through. "Gah!"
Now the fingers of his right hand and most of his right foot were stuck in this invisible wall. "Who is doing this?" Kon screamed at the top his voice, red-faced.
It was now apparent to him that there was something that was allowing his body to move in but was not letting him move out. Kon stood there in this awkwardly uncomfortable position for more than five minutes, thinking. And suddenly, something in his pocket started ringing.
"Crap. It's time for my punishment." Kon gritted his teeth. He looked up at the portion of the sky that was visible through the maze of snaking branches. "Sorry, Granny, but I'm in a little trouble right now--Wait. I could use this as my punishment." He started grinning. "Okay. It has been decided. I'm going to stand like this for the next two hours."
***
While Kon punished himself for his past sins, not too far away from him, a man in his early thirties, marched back and forth before a throne inside a big hall. The crown on his head shimmered in the colorful light that flooded in through a high, mosaic glass pane behind him.
Two people wrapped in purple robe and hood were standing below him. The throne room was lavishly big and long.
"I'm really sorry, my lord," one of them said. This person's voice seemed artificial yet feminine.
"Sorry?" the king said. "How could you let some inside my kingdom? I was paying you lavishly, wasn't I?"
"You still are, Darold," the other hooded figure spoke up.
"Call me king, Dev," King Darold snapped and sat down on the throne. "Don't forget that I'm a king know, okay? Someone crossed the barrier, and we don't know where that person is. If he is someone from the government than all my efforts will be doomed."
"Don't worry," the hooded figure with the artificial voice said. "We all know well that no one here can break through that barrier."
"I know that! But what if he ends up walking into my kingdom and starts telling people--"
He was cut off by the whining noise that was coming from a ring in Dev's right hand. "Another one is crossing the barrier. Jan, go and catch him."
"Okay," Jan said in her artificial voice. "But why won't the alarm stop ringing?"
"It's because that idiot is standing right under the barrier. Between our side and their side," Dev said.
"Huh." King Darold got up from his throne. "This is bad. Another intruder on the same day! We are--"
The door at the far end of the room banged open, and a soldier scuttled in. "My lord! My lord. Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know the wizards were here."
"What is it?" King Darold snapped at the little man. "You look too excited..."
"My lord, a girl in weird clothes was spotted at our town square," the soldier said breathlessly. "And she has been going around, saying that she is from the future..."
Kon looked up at the bugly, white clouds floating in the blue sky and sighed. More than ten minutes had passed since Sany and Mr. Peru disappeared inside the forest."Don't tell me they are playing hide and seek behind those trees," Kon said and crossed his arms. "Or maybe Mr. Peru went invisible... Or..."He gazed down at the violin case Sany had left behind. There was a small pouch in front of it, and this small space seemed to full of stuff of which Kon had no knowledge. He again sighed and again looked in the direction of the forest. The trees of the forest were so densely packed that it felt as if he were looking at the entrance of a cave rather than at a path going across woods.Kon again folded his arms before his chest, cocked his head in one direction, and started thinking about his next move."Damn those two. Mr. Peru knows well that I don't like being alone..." Kon turned around, lifted Sany's violin case, and started his boring trudge into the heart of the forest. A walked for another ten minutes."This place is too quiet," Kon muttered, looking around.A chill went down his spine, and Kon stopped dead in his tracks. He was suddenly having this feeling of being close to something when there was nothing near him. The closest tree was at least two feet away from him. He blinked his eyes twice, without moving, yet that feeling of being inches away from something persisted.Kon raised his hand and started moving it forward as if trying to catch an invisible butterfly wandering before him. Something tingled his finger, and Kon tried to jerk his hand back, but it refused to move."What the hell..." Kon pulled with all his might but his finger stayed glued to the air. "So, there is a wall here!"Kon raised his right foot and kept it on the invisible wall to give himself more power, but, to Kon's surprise, his right leg went through. "Gah!"Now the fingers of his right hand and most of his right foot were stuck in this invisible wall. "Who is doing this?" Kon screamed at the top his voice, red-faced.It was now apparent to him that there was something that was allowing his body to move in but was not letting him move out. Kon stood there in this awkwardly uncomfortable position for more than five minutes, thinking. And suddenly, something in his pocket started ringing."Crap. It's time for my punishment." Kon gritted his teeth. He looked up at the portion of the sky that was visible through the maze of snaking branches. "Sorry, Granny, but I'm in a little trouble right now--Wait. I could use this as my punishment." He started grinning. "Okay. It has been decided. I'm going to stand like this for the next two hours."***While Kon punished himself for his past sins, not too far away from him, a man in his early thirties, marched back and forth before a throne inside a big hall. The crown on his head shimmered in the colorful light that flooded in through a high, mosaic glass pane behind him.Two people wrapped in purple robe and hood were standing below him. The throne room was lavishly big and long."I'm really sorry, my lord," one of them said. This person's voice seemed artificial yet feminine."Sorry?" the king said. "How could you let some inside my kingdom? I was paying you lavishly, wasn't I?""You still are, Darold," the other hooded figure spoke up."Call me king, Dev," King Darold snapped and sat down on the throne. "Don't forget that I'm a king know, okay? Someone crossed the barrier, and we don't know where that person is. If he is someone from the government than all my efforts will be doomed.""Don't worry," the hooded figure with the artificial voice said. "We all know well that no one here can break through that barrier.""I know that! But what if he ends up walking into my kingdom and starts telling people--"He was cut off by the whining noise that was coming from a ring in Dev's right hand. "Another one is crossing the barrier. Jan, go and catch him.""Okay," Jan said in her artificial voice. "But why won't the alarm stop ringing?""It's because that idiot is standing right under the barrier. Between our side and their side," Dev said."Huh." King Darold got up from his throne. "This is bad. Another intruder on the same day! We are--"The door at the far end of the room banged open, and a soldier scuttled in. "My lord! My lord. Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know the wizards were here.""What is it?" King Darold snapped at the little man. "You look too excited...""My lord, a girl in weird clothes was spotted at our town square," the soldier said breathlessly. "And she has been going around, saying that she is from the future..."
