When Jesse woke up, the sun had just risen above the horizon. A large reddish disk which gradually turned yellow, becoming smaller and hotter as it traversed the sky. The car was moving smoothly along a straight road that stretched far into the distance ahead of them.

After some time the road changed from bitumen to gravel, and then brown dirt. The countryside was here almost treeless, with sparse grass but hundreds of colourful wildflowers all around. At a speed of just over a hundred kilometres an hour they drove along steadily into the centre of the huge land mass that is Australia.

Jimmy was now driving. Esthia was leaning back next to him, Jimmy's arm around her. Her face looked pale and exhausted. Daniel and Lucy still seemed to be asleep.

The first thing Jesse remembered was his magic mirror. Had he still got it with him? - Yes, it was safely in his pocket. When he consulted it, he got the reassuring sentence: "This is * the start of * a proper* adventure!"

Yes, that it was for sure. It struck him that the thoughts that showed up on this screen, if they weren't already, always seemed to come true. That probably was what had saved them and let their escape be successful. So why worry?...

Jimmy at the wheel in front began to whistle a happy tune. His blonde hair was streaming in the dusty wind that was blowing in through the open windows.

Jesse softly shook Daniel by the shoulder to test whether he was really still asleep. Yawning, Daniel opened his eyes.

"Hey, want to have a go?" Jesse handed him the small computer with an expectant expression.

Daniel took a moment to wake up properly. Looking around in some confusion, he took the magic mirror and pressed.

"Our driver is a creep - I don't trust him!" they read.

In sudden alarm, Jesse peered at Jimmy who was still whistling happily as he drove. Next to him, Esthia was lying in the arm of the old Aborigine who was stroking her gently. Who were these people! And where were they taking them?!

"Hey, Danny!" Lucy too had woken up and was immediately wide awake. "Our driver looks a bit like old Tidemann, don't you think? "

Daniel didn't respond but kept staring ahead sullenly.

"That's the director of 'Happy Village'," Lucy confided to Jesse in a whisper. "Daniel always gets into trouble with him, I don't know why."

Jesse was no longer listening. Once again he pressed.

"Who knows - they might be kidnappers!" Reading this sentence on the screen increased his alarm.

Lucy who had read it too gave him an encouraging nudge in the ribs. Jesse just blankly turned and handed her the mirror. As she pressed it, he looked even more worried.

Yet before he could read her sentence he noticed the little stars between the words. So she had got a Powthie ! That's how he now called the power thoughts, whereas for the moaning thoughts - he supposed that covered all which had no stars in between - he had coined the term Moanies, for short.

In a way, he envied Lucy. "Why do I get a stupid Moanie and you a Powthie!" he exclaimed in frustration.

She gave him a blank look. Of course, he first had to explain those new words! But Lucy got it straight away. 'Powthies' and 'Moanies': - yes, she agreed, that fitted. It was straightforward and simple.

"We're* in luck, these* are really* nice people!" he now read on the mirror screen in her hand.

"Why don't I get a Powthie like this! I don't feel like moaning!" he moaned.

"Because you let yourself be infected by him." Lucy pointed to Daniel. "By how he is feeling - and you're taking that over. Probably a bit scared... is that right?"

"Could be. But - look there!" he pointed to the mirror in her hand. "With good reason. For that one never lies."

"No, not with me either. It just shows how you're feeling right now. But that may be something you can change, and make yourself feel better!"

"How come? I can't just change my Moanie into a Powthie, can I!"

"I suppose not..." Lucy tried hard to think this through. "But... what I think is ... maybe you can look where the Moanie comes from. Your last one is really one of Daniel's, isn't it? One that's got nothing to do with Now, with these people here. I know that, because I know Danny!"

"And how so, can you tell me?" Jesse still wasn't convinced.

Instead of replying, Lucy passed the mirror over to Daniel.

"Here, you! Press again!" she demanded.

Daniel followed mechanically without looking up.

"Old Tideman is a stupid bastard!" they read.

Lucy was overjoyed. "See? A real, proper Moanie! It's actually more angry than moaning, but it clearly shows that Daniel is feeling low and miserable. And you can see it comes from his time in 'Happy Village'!"

Well, that one obviously does, Jesse thought.

"I guess," Lucy continued, "all thoughts like that, wherever they come from, which make you feel bad: they're all Moanies, don't you agree?"

Jesse nodded.

She was getting excited at her own train of thought. "And look: when you're thinking one of those, how can you have a power thought in your mind at the same time? A Powthie that will make you strong and happy? There's no room for it!"

Yes, that made sense: both at the same time - that couldn't work.

Yet still Jesse had his doubts. "And how do you know for sure that Daniel is wrong and there's nothing to be scared of!"

Lucy lowered her voice. "Well, just look at these people in front of us! "It's because you've got those Moanies - both you and Daniel - that you can't even see them properly! Your Moanies won't let you! - I suppose that's what makes them Moanies," she added thoughtfully.

Jesse too was thinking about it. Maybe she was right... Maybe Moanies did that always: stop you from seeing what was really going on?...

Lucy was thrilled about having found out this connection. Placing the magic mirror on Jesse's lap, she commanded: "Now you just try thinking - without Daniel's memory of Mr. Tideman and the fright that this gave you - just try to think what could be true - for you, right now! Maybe, for instance: "These look like friendly people to me". They do, don't they? - Just try it "!"

"Okay, if you like ... Just gimme a moment ..."

"Well, Kids?" Kianga was leaning over to them from the front. "Sounds like you're really awake now! ... How about an apple before brekkie?"

Lucy happily took one he was offering whereas Daniel sullenly shook his head. Jesse looked at his friend, then at Kianga. The old man's eyes were twinkling so kindly ...

"O yes, please," he said.

"I'll have one too, then," Daniel suddenly changed his mind, and accepted his apple with a polite: "Thank you." Turning to Jesse, he explained, vaguely: "I've been eavesdropping."

As he bit into the fruit, his face brightened considerably. "Never heard Old Tideman whistle a song," he remembered. Then he reached for the mirror on Jesse's lap. "Mind if I have another go?"

For a moment he sat in silence before pressing. This time his sentence too showed little stars! "I suppose* these adults * really * look okay," was what appeared on the screen.

Lucy beamed. Jesse quickly took the mirror back and pressed. His turned out to be a Powthie as well: "Wonder what * new adventures * they're taking* us to?"

"You see," Lucy explained to her friends as though it was something she'd always known. "This must be what happens: when we feel miserable, or scared, or whatever, the magic mirror always shows us the Moanies that caused this bad feeling."

Jesse was impressed how confidently she spoke. It did sound convincing.

"And then all the Powthies we've had before - they are just like ... wiped out, yes. But what we can do then, ..." She grinned triumphantly. "I think we can still try to remember - recall Powthies which are still making sense and could help us. And if we just hang on to these, the Moanies could well go away. Couldn't they? Because a lot of times they aren't right at all - like Danny's Moanie just now, that did fit Mr. Tideman - maybe - but certainly not Jimmy!"

"But how can you be sure these Powthies are right!" Daniel objected.

Lucy gave him another of her winning smiles. "Mine always are. And I can see them, here in the mirror that never lies! You can do that too. All you have to do is: when you press, tell yourself you want to know what's now really true for you. And then you'll get the Powthies which are waiting - behind your bad feelings, of being scared and stuff ... they're there all the time, waiting for ... hang on, how d'you say? - Yes: waiting to be felt. Isn't this how it was with you, just then?"

Daniel nodded, dumbfounded at the way she seemed to make sense of it all.

Yes, and this is what I can learn from her, thought Jesse, as Lucy was already busy confirming her theory by pressing another Powthie. To look out for Powthies that fit the situation better than any old Moanie which some silly old fear has just brought to the surface.

Yet he still wasn't all too clear about this.

"We're on the other side now!" Esthia announced, lowering Lucy to the ground. Her voice sounded different, light and high like a young girl's, and at the same time full of confidence - quite the voice of a trustworthy guide.

The children, now on firm ground, looked around blinking, hardly able to make out anything in the sudden glare. None of them spoke up to ask the obvious question. They sensed that what Esthia meant was not so much: "... on the other side of the mountain," but something quite different: something important, which had to do with the question of who they really were, besides being people, or children. And for what purpose they had come into this world...

Jesse was suddenly overcome by a sense that he still had such a lot to learn. There was so much that he only knew vaguely, as a whole - like you may know it's a mountain when you see a huge shape before you on a country walk, and perhaps you even know its name. Yet to climb that mountain you'd need to know more: whether it was steep and high, bordered by rocky precipices, or leading up gently along paths that allowed you to stop and view the country around...

He was aware, however, that the adventure he had embarked upon here would give him some answers about who he really was. About who that small person was whom he could see when looking in a mirror, who was familiar to him in the shape of a growing 10-year-old. And perhaps even about what other persons, whom he could one day become, might be hidden in that boy. A clown perhaps, or a policeman, a shepherd or a pilot, a miserly shopkeeper or a wise teacher...

Confused by the onrush of thoughts flooding his mind as they were standing there, Jesse pressed his mirror and read: "I am* everyone and * everyone is* me." Was that really what he was thinking? - "I give up", he heard himself say.

"... On the other side - almost," Esthia corrected herself. "Just this second curtain we need to pass through."

"Looks like a light curtain," said Jimmy.

Still they stood waiting. Coming from the dark of the cave, they took a while to get accustomed to the brightness. Yes, blinding light this was, falling down from high above like a wide, glistening ribbon, blocking out any further view...

"It's more than a curtain," Kianga interrupted the silence. "It is an open gate. There will be others you come to which may be closed. So let me tell you a magic formula about the light which has the power to open any and all doors that need opening. Listen."

And solemnly he recited:

"The nature of light is Love

obstruction nor wall."

He repeated the formula once more, exhorting the children: "Keep this in mind as you are walking through here. Later on, the memory of these lines will be of help to you."

They were puzzled, sensing that he was trying to tell them something of great importance.

Jesse was just going to ask a question about it when they noticed a hectic movement ahead, right under the beam of light.

There was a loud yell, like a battle cry, followed by a bellowed command: "Stop! Not one step further!"

The order was quite superfluous since they were all still standing motionless.

A rather tall dwarf, almost Lucy's size, came rushing towards them out of the light. œ He was hunchbacked and very ugly. His left eye was missing, its socket sewn up. A threadbare mediaeval uniform covered his misshapen body.

"Stop!" he yelled once again, although none of them had moved. Nor did they speak: the children were numbed with fright and the adults waiting what was to come.

Jesse, swallowing hard, clutched Kianga's hand more firmly, whilst his friends also kept close to their guides.

The dwarf kept rushing to and fro before them with threatening gestures. His hectic movements were almost funny to look at.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

Into Dreamland, thought Jesse. Wonder if this is Dreamland already? The adults seemed to remain calm, so they were unlikely to be in danger. Maybe he was dreaming it all?...

He felt Kianga's big hand reassuringly pressing his own. But then ... hadn't Esthia said this Dreamland was real?

"To the Place Within," Esthia replied firmly.

The dwarf, jerkily shaking his head, gave a cackling laugh like over a good joke. "The Place Within, hehehe! I've heard that before, d'you know? Indeed many there are who intend to go there. Intend, o yes - or else, pretend, to themselves ... But --" He waved the index finger of his free hand close to Esthia's face. "But to confront and look at what's to be seen there... to withstand the inner truth, let alone be open to feeling it - that is altogether a different matter, hehehe!"

Holding up his lance diagonally like a barrier, he took a step backwards. "To be sure: this way is closed for now!"

"But it is the way!" Esthia insisted.

"The way, the way ... who can claim to know the way to the Place Within! Who is really prepared and willing to know without kidding themselves! Eh?" Lowering his lance, he stepped up close until his nose all but touched Esthia's chest, glowering at her contemptuously. "You think you are? Think you are game?"

Stepping back again he looked her over from top to bottom.

"Yes," she replied calmly. "And not myself alone. We're all in this together."

"Oh, really - the kids too, are they? Kids ... tut tut ..."

He fixed Daniel with his one eye. The boy, holding on tightly to Jimmy's hand, defiantly returned his stare.

"So ... you think kids will find this easier, do you? Good thinking, I must admit." Again that cackling laughter.

But Esthia was not prepared to enter into a debate. "Please let us pass!" she demanded.

The dwarf was about to reply but thought the better of it. "Okay, if you insist ..." Winking with his one eye, he gave another cackle. "Hehehe - see there?" Pointing with his lance to the right, to the very edge of the column of light from which he had emerged, he bellowed: "That's the way!"

All turned to look where he was pointing. The light was far weaker there. They noticed a gate-like structure composed of thorny scrub. It appeared to be the entrance into a kind of garden fenced in by a tall hedge.

Esthia shook her head. "Straight forward is where our path goes."

"Indeed? Is that your opinion?" Again the dwarf, legs wide apart, used his lance like a barrier. "Then why don't you just try? Just try going past me, straight ahead! ... Well?"

Esthia turned to the men. "A distracter," she explained. "I should have been prepared for that. How do you feel about it?"

"It's up to you." Kianga replied calmly. "As you are the leader, I cannot lead the way. My task here is a different one. But I have faith in you and will follow you."

"Me too," Jimmy agreed.

The dwarf was getting visibly impatient, jerkily moving his limbs. "So? How about it now? Thought you were in a hurry? ... Well, then, in you go! You'll receive further instructions along the way, hehehe! ..."

Esthia motioning them, the men followed her through the gate in the hedge, the children tightly clutching the adults' hands.

In here it was much darker, and pleasantly cool. They walked along a narrow passage surrounded on both sides by the high, prickly hedge. A bend ahead of them prevented them seeing further. A smell of rotting leaves pervaded the air. The narrow strip of sky they were able to see overhead was deep blue, yet the sun did not reach down to them.

Jesse was itching to ask what was going on, but he sensed he would get no clear answer. The others too kept quiet, as though struck dumb by their meeting with the distracter guard.

Directly behind the bend a second passage branched off to the right, no wider than the one along which they were walking. In front, only a few steps ahead, another bend blocked their view, and just before this there was also a turnoff to the left.

"Which way now?" Daniel asked. He for one sounded confident, obviously relishing the adventure.

"Straight ahead, I'd suggest," replied Esthia. "That way at least we won't get lost."

Yet for once she was mistaken. Just after the bend the path was blocked by the hedge. A dead end!

"We've got no choice but to turn back, and then go either left or right," Esthia said, turning to walk back. The others followed.

"And now?" asked Jimmy. "What do you think: right or left?"

Before she could reply, they heard the sound of a high, twittering voice: "This way, if I may ask!" It came from the path to the left which they were approaching.

"Gee!" Daniel laughed. "Sounds like a tape playing at double speed."

"A smurf!" Lucy giggled, as the voice continued.

"Hush!" asked Jesse. "I can't understand a word they're saying!"

"Be quiet a moment!" Esthia agreed. Now all were silent and listening.

"Come along, this way! No worries along here!" the twittering voice went on. However, much as they tried, they couldn't discern anyone to whom it might belong.

"You won't regret - all your needs will be taken care of!"

At this, another, quite similar voice chirped in from the opposite path, the one to the right: "Don't heed him, he's trying to lead you astray! Your proper path is along here!"

"Don't you believe it!" squeaked the voice to the left. "That way is a dead end, a total washout!"

"Quite the contrary!" screeched the one to the right. "Along this path your good-luck lottery is waiting for you!"

"The bad-luck lottery! Your luck lies along here! Yes, it may sound incredible, but if you follow this path, your win is assured!"

In this way the two voices continued to argue as our friends stood wondering.

"Are these people?" asked Jesse.

"No, can't you hear? I bet they're smurfs!" Lucy insisted.

"But are they real?"

"Ah, bull!" Daniel joined in. "I told you it's a tape played at double speed."

Lucy, pressing Esthia's hand, looked up at her questioningly.

"They're just what you are hearing: opposing voices," Esthia decided. "I don't think it matters where they come from. What's important for us is, to choose, one way or another. I suggest we take this one here." With this she turned to follow the left path.

"Bravo, good choice!" applauded one of the voices, whilst the other one screeched in dismay:

"Wrong, wrong! You'll be sorry!"

"And now keep heading straight!"

"No, no - this way!" a new voice joined in from another branch-off further along to the left. "No other way will you ever find a prize more worthwhile!"

"Don't listen to him!" came the squeak from the left, while the smurf voice on the opposite side continued to plead: "Keep going - just trust me! Your good luck is assured!"

Nevertheless, as they followed this path, only a short way further it also ceased. When they noticed it and had to stop, the voice broke into a gloating laughter.

Once again they stood hesitating, the children unable to control their giggling.

"I know where we are!" Esthia announced. "This is the Ponder-Maze!"

"Will we ever get out again?" asked Jesse, still suppressing a giggle.

"Oh yes. All we need do is, firmly choose one way and then stick to it. As I've said: In this case, it doesn't matter much which way. Nothing can be more deadly than to keep pondering possibilities without ever firmly making up your mind."

"That's very true," Kianga agreed.

"Okay then, let's keep going!" said Jimmy and, without further hesitation, turned into the passage on their right.

From this point on they no longer heeded the twittering voices. These kept coming from every path that branched off anywhere, trying to outdo and shout each other down.

Time and again, the passage along which the little group was walking would end abruptly, and each time they would just turn this way or that way. Soon the children began to take turns in leading the group. the only point really seemed to be that someone made a start deciding which way, and then determinedly took the lead. Invariably, their choice would be loudly applauded by the voice they happened to be following,, under warnings and shouts of dismay from all other paths.

At last the passage they were in came to a dead end without an alternative way being open anywhere near. They had just tried the only one nearby, which led to the left, but that too had proved a dead end.

Yet here they had come to a kind of rest place. Various tables, garden chairs and park benches, all painted a bright green, seemed to invite them to sit down and relax.

"Look - people!" Daniel cried out excitedly.

It was true. Two chairs and a bench were occupied by several people sitting with their backs to them.

"Are we through at last?" Jesse inquired hopefully. Yet Esthia doubtfully shook her head.

"I'll go and ask the way out of here, okay?" Daniel was already running off towards a couple who seemed to be sitting holding hands.

"Don't rush!" Esthia shouted after him, but he was too far gone to heed her. He was taking a turn around the bench to address the two from the front.

Suddenly Daniel let out a spine-chilling scream. Panting heavily, he just stood in front of the couple, pointing his finger at them as he continued yelling.

The couple seemed to take no notice of him. They remained stock-still, nor did the other two strangers sitting nearby bother to look up.

"What's wrong with Daniel?" wondered Lucy, shivering.

"Maybe they're dead?" Jesse speculated. It seemed the only explanation for Daniel's scream and the couple's immobility.

Esthia was running up to them and had almost reached the little group w -hen Daniel found back his speech.

"A skeleton!" he cried. "No, two skeletons - two corpses!" His tension subsiding, he burst into sobs.

His two friends also came running up, followed by the men. It was true: two skeletons dressed up in Sunday finery were sitting on the bench, close together like lovers.

Lucy stifled a scream whilst Jesse couldn't help shaking all over when he actually saw it. In his shock he even forgot to consult his magic mirror.

But Esthia just walked up to the couple. She reached out and took off the man's hat. "This is no skeleton!" she called to the children. "Don't worry - come closer! They're fakes made of plastic."

Now the children too ventured closer. It didn't take them long to burst into laughter again as they felt the plastic skeletons from all sides. .

Amidst their laughing one of the twittering voices made itself heard again. "Well, friends, how do you like my bugaboos?"

"You're a stupid jerk!" Daniel shouted back, a bit ashamed of the fright he had shown.

The voice was unimpressed. "I hope you'll recover quickly from this little surprise!" it giggled. "It's really you who belong here, you know? - And indeed, to wait here is the best you can do, for very soon - any moment in fact - the results of the luck lottery will be announced... in which you lucky duckies have automatically been included. Just a bit of patience is all that's required ..."

"Cool, man, we may have won something!" Jesse cried hopefully.

"Maybe first prize!" Lucy speculated. "Gee, I hope we have!"

Jesse was engaged in a detailed examination of the skeletons. "Look here - they're so much like real! We could play with them a bit till the results are out, couldn't we?"

"Hang around here with them bones - that's boring!" retorted Daniel. "If we've won a prize, they'll let us know anyhow."

Esthia shook her head. "Come along, that's all just idle talk and prattle, haven't you noticed? It's no more true than the voices themselves, or those fake bogeymen. They were only to show us what would happen to us if we followed those voices."

"You mean, we - " Lucy asked, wide-eyed. " - we'd turn into skeletons?"

"Really? We'd just rot away here?" Jesse was skeptical.

Esthia laughed. "Well, of course - if we don't make up our minds to continue along our path, then we can sit here forever and rot. So I suggest we 'd rather move on."

"But which way?"

"Well, from here there's only one direction left open to us, and that's back."

The children joined their voices in cries of protest. "All the way back?" Jesse complained, He felt much more like stopping here and playing for a while whilst waiting for a lottery prize.

"Not all the way, only up to the next turnoff we haven't tried."

The men nodded agreement and set off straight away, which left the children no choice but to follow reluctantly. They felt they'd had enough of wandering through this maze.

Yet this time, hardly had they turned into another path, they came onto a new space. This path too was soon blocked by the hedge, but at a spot where it widened into a kind of clearing. Here, just in front of them, they noticed a strange creature hopping to and fro.

"Look: Rumplestiltskin!" Jesse exclaimed in amazement.

In fact, however, its appearance was more like that of a stick-insect. It was a spindly little man, with stick-like limbs flopping in all directions. His voice too was thin and high-pitched, as he yelled: "Stop! You gotta stop here before you continue!"

"But there is nowhere to continue," Daniel pointed out.

"Oh yes, oh yes!" the little stickman shouted. "The way through is just in front of you."

"Right through this hedge?" Esthia too sounded skeptical.

Yet at a second glance they noticed that in fact just before them the undergrowth was much less dense than everywhere else.

"Yes, yes, right through - that's the way! No one who wishes to continue gets around that." The little man was still jerkily dancing up and down. "Right into the twists and tangles of the ponder brush - and through, and out the other way!"

Again it was Jimmy who in response took a determined step forward.

But the little man rushed straight into his path. "Stop, stop - not so reckless! First we undress."

Jimmy had stopped. The others came up, curious what would come next.

"Undress?"

"Exactly: naked and bare as a new-born babe! Or did you enter this world in your clothes? Those truly aspiring to go Within first have to divest themselves of all the rags and plunder they've acquired. To rid yourselves of it all and be free - isn't this what you want? Eh? Is it not?... Don't worry - once within, you'll still find plenty waiting for you to claim and oppress you ... ha! You'll soon find out!"

There was a dejected pause as the adults tried to adjust to the new situation.

"You mean we gotta go through there in the nuddy?" Lucy asked, with a hint of embarrassment in her giggle.

"Well, what's the big deal!" Daniel was already beginning to take off his T-shirt.

"Up here - all upon a heap!" the stick-dwarf instructed him. "Burned straight-away. All consumed by the flames of renewal. And you better be glad to be rid of it!"

"And then?" Jimmy inquired. "Are we to go on like that, without clothes?"

"I'm sure we'll get some new things to wear once we're through," Esthia said, beginning to undo the belt of her dress.

Daniel, already undressed, was examining the hedge. He screwed up his face. "Wow - that's full of prickles in there! What we need is some protective gear."

The little man, standing near where Daniel's few clothes lay in a heap, just nodded, gesturing to the others to follow suit.

Jesse and Lucy, at a loss what to do, looked at Esthia. She seemed hesitant herself, when Kianga stepped forward, a broad smile on his dark, wrinkly face.

"Wait - let me take care of this! After all I'm here for a reason." Gesturing to Daniel to step aside, he lit a match and held it to the hedge.

The stick- -man gave a horrified yell, covering his eyes with both hands. Yet instead of trying to stop the old man, he just began hopping up and down again, crying: "Oh no, no - that's taking the easy way out!"

Kianga grinned at him. "Don't you know yourself," he said gently, "we aren't obliged to have it difficult if there is another way?"

Already the hedge was on fire. The thin twigs burned rapidly, sending sparks flying in all directions. The intense heat forced them to step back as they watched. Very soon part of the hedge in front of them had burned down, leaving a wide breach covered in smoke.

"Oh, oh!" The stickman pointed to the glowing cinders in the middle of the breach. "Reckon you need some help there if you don't want to get burned walking through."

Seemingly from nowhere he dragged a long hose and began to spray water on the cinders as well as the still burning sides of the opening. Amidst a lot of crackling and hissing the smoke increased.

"Now it'll be safe to get through," Kianga announced at last. "You, Esthia, as our guide, lead the way! And you, kids, turn aside for a moment as is proper in front of a lady!"

The children, giggling self-consciously, turned their heads whilst Esthia stepped aside to take off her clothes.

"There - on top of that heap!" they heard the little man instruct her.

Then there was silence, indicating that Esthia had gone. Only the crackling of the fire still burning at the sides of the opening was heard, and then the hissing of the evaporating water as the stickman continued to point his hose at it.

Now the men and the other two children also began to undress.

"I'm through - you can come now!" sounded Esthia's voice from the other side of the breach through the smoky haze.

The way through the still hot ashes was easy enough, though the smoke made them cough a little and occasionally burned their eyes. It felt good, thought Jesse, to be walking through the dusty remains of the hedge. If indeed he occasionally stepped on a cinder that was still glowing, he didn't feel it.

As the smoke cleared in front of them, the light increased. And there was Esthia - dressed in a beautiful garment, of a silky, golden material trimmed with colourful stones. She looked more radiant than ever in this dress.

Next to her lay a heap of clothes which all looked quite new. Briefs, shorts, cotton T-shirts and sandals: each one of the group found something that fit. The children had great fun rummaging in the heap and then dressing again. These clothes were not only fresh and clean but also much nicer than the hospital clothes they'd been wearing.

From the distance the high-pitched twittering could again be heard through the sounds of the dying fire but the children were no longer able to make out the words.

A thick cloud of pungent smoke came wafting through the opening they had just J passed through.

"Our old clothes," Esthia explained. "He's burning them now."

"Yuck!" Lucy held her nose. "What a horrible stink!"

"Yes, a lot of nasty stuff has come to stick onto us in the course of time."

"I'm glad to be rid of those rags," Jimmy declared, smoothing his blonde hair.

As the smoke dispersed, they looked around them. Daniel was the first to give voice to his surprise. "He! Haven't we been here before?"

And so it was: right in front of them from high up descended the mysterious radiance Esthia had called the 'light curtain'.

"We could have done without that stupid detour," Jesse complained. In hindsight he found their adventure in the maze somewhat disappointing.

"And in a minute that distracter will come and send us back through!" Daniel surmised, a little worried at the prospect.

But Esthia reassured them: "I doubt it. We had to go through there once but we don't need to repeat the experience."

With an inviting gesture to them she stepped forward towards the light. The men followed her.

Daniel remained unconvinced. "You just watch," he said to his friends. "He'll send her back."

"Oh no!" Jesse moaned. He decided to consult his magic mirror which for a while he had quite forgotten. "Esthia * is the guide * whom I * trust!" he read on the tiny screen.

"Let's see!" His two friends were curious.

Lucy laughed happily. "I think I would have got the same."

With this she ran after the adults towards the light. The boys followed laughing.

The one-eyed distracter dwarf was nowhere to be seen.

The path towards 'HAS-BEEN' was narrow and stony. What would they find at its end? Esthia had only made a brief, rather mysterious, remark about this.

"In the 'HAS-BEEN' you'll be able to watch the Senties work at the Pool of Experience", she had said. When the children had wanted to ask more, she had put her finger to her lips, reminding them to keep silent. "Just watch and see. Later on you'll understand all."

So on they walked in silence, along this path which led steadily upwards, at times quite steeply. After a little while it began to be lined with thick scrub on both sides, preventing them from seeing further ahead. Birds were singing in the bushes, colourful lorikeets fluttering about everywhere, bees gathering their nectar and lizards scurrying around beneath their feet. The air was clear and filled with the scent of blossoms.

All of a sudden they found themselves in front of a large wooden gate. It looked very old, with beautiful carvings of flowers, trees and animals as well as the sun, the moon and many stars. Trying to open it, they found it to be extremely heavy. They all had to push with all their might. Squeaking and creaking, it slowly opened.

Stepping through, they saw a large plain before them. It was dotted with rocks and boulders - a desolate, brown landscape without any green plants, even more barren than the one they had traversed before. The sky was grey and the howling of the wind evoked a feeling of bleak loneliness.

"Only a little way to go now," Esthia said encouragingly.

Soon they had crossed part of the plain and were climbing up a small embankment. When they came to the top, they stopped in utter amazement.

Imagine a large crater - the inner part of a volcano which in the course of centuries has turned into a deep, circular-shaped valley. This one hadn't been spitting fire for thousands of years and the bottom of the crater was now filled with clear water that formed a large pool.

Yet was this no ordinary pool. It shone with the same kind of mysterious, golden splendour as the waterfall they had passed through earlier. But it was shimmering more intensely still, like the orange of a rainbow interwoven with the gold of morning sunshine.

The pool was quite large, the size of a small lake, right in the middle at the bottom of the valley which the crater formed. On all sides it was surrounded by green lawns that sloped down gently towards it, dotted with red, yellow and blue flowers and little flowering bushes. In between there were rocky areas covered with moss.

Further up, the lawn gave way to rock all around. This was sloping upwards ever more steeply like a slanting, circular stone wall, ending just beneath the edge of the crater on which they were standing.

In all this area a lot of activity was going on. Hordes of little men clad in white robes were busily scrambling about everywhere. They must be brownies, thought Jesse, though they didn't wear caps like he imagined brownies would. Instead they had thick, curly hair which was pitch black. Then he remembered Esthia's words. 'Senties' she had called them. So this then must be the 'Pool of Experience'. But what were they doing?

For a while he just stood there with his friends, watching in silence, taking it all in. Just beneath them many of the Senties were using picks to hack away from the rock face pieces of rock of different sizes. Others then took these over to roll them down the slope, onto the grass, where again others were gathering them up one by one. They all clearly enjoyed their work, for there was humming, singing and much merry laughter as they went about it.

Further down, running through the rocky parts that dotted the lawns, long, narrow cracks were noticeable. From these came a brilliant glow as though a large fire was burning somewhere deep underneath. It was here that the rocks were first brought to.

Yet perhaps the strangest sight of all were those taller people who were walking about on the lawns among the Senties. They seemed to be female and were wearing striking garments in subdued rainbow colours.

Whenever one of the Senties down below had gathered up a rock, he would stop to consult briefly with one of these females. Then he would take it to one of those glowing cracks and hold the rock over it.

Jesse could hardly believe it, yet when he looked more closely, he noticed there were indeed flames issuing from the cracks. But the Senties seemed quite unaffected. With bare hands they held the rocks over the flames which made them shrink and burnt the layer of mud that was covering them.

Even from this distance the pieces could clearly be seen to become smaller whilst beginning to shine ever more brightly. When the men had finished and lifted them out of the flames, they sparkled like so many pieces of gold.

Then the Senties would show them to the females with whom they'd been talking. These would respond with a friendly nod, take them and walk with dancing steps towards the pool. On reaching the water, they threw the glittering stones right into the middle of it.

One thing about all this seemed particularly fascinating to Jesse. Every such fall into the water produced a faint but clear ringing sound, each rock on its own typical note. Depending on how quickly in succession the stones were thrown in, this music would swell up, then gradually fade as new sounds arose to merge their harmonies with the earlier ones ©. It seemed like an entire orchestra was playing down there in the distance, with ever changing melodies echoing upwards.

All this was accompanied by the happy humming and singing of not only the Senties but also the rainbow-coloured women who were carrying the stones to the water. And this wasn't all. A mysterious, sweet scent as of a thousand blossoms was wafting up from the water all the way to where Jesse and the others were standing.

The pool itself was brightly illumined by the many gleaming stones in it slowly sinking downwards. The constant warm glow it emitted mirrored on the surrounding rock wall as though the setting sun were shining upon it.

Turning to question Esthia about all this, Jesse got a shock. His two friends had disappeared!. Where could they have gone?

Looking around for them he was about to ask Esthia, but she just smiled, placing two fingers over her mouth.

"Later," she reminded him.

Then she added, stressing each word: "Whatever you are witnessing, take it all in with an open mind. But don't ... I repeat: do not ever - never ever - interfere!"

Jesse thought over these strange words for a moment, but soon he was lost again in the wonder of it all. Who might be those taller, fairy-like creatures who were going about their task so gracefully in a kind of colourful dance? ...

As he took a closer look at some of them nearby, he made a startling discovery. They actually seemed to be Powthies! His own power thoughts that had been crossing his mind on the way up here! How was this possible?

Now looking around at some others, he found it to be so indeed. Written in large letters on the back of their garments were exactly the kind of Powthies he had become familiar with through his magic mirror. Sentences such as: "I'm so thrilled about this adventure!" "I've got such good friends!", or: "Even where it's difficult, there's always a way for me! ..." - "Life is bringing me so many wonderful surprises!", and so on.

Yet on the whole it was quite difficult to keep observing any one of these strange creatures. For the Powthies - he was now certain this was what they were -, once having dropped one of the cleaned stones into the pond, would straightaway disappear in the crowd. Instead, others would turn up, announcing in the same bold, colourful letters: "Life is really fun!" and: "I feel so wonderfully strong!", or: "How warm and colourful it is here!"

Just watching them appear, go merrily about their work and then quickly give way to their mates filled Jesse with a warm feeling of joy. In such company it was little wonder the Senties had fun hacking out the rock pieces and polishing them sparkling clean in the flames. He almost felt like joining in. In fact, without realising it, he had already been humming along in tune with them for quite a while. Only when he became aware of this he stopped to listen more attentively to the words of their song.

Then he remembered the magic mirror in his trouser pocket. He took it out to press it and read: "Life *is so * wonderful!"

At this very moment he noticed one of the Powthies, who had just thrown a gleaming stone into the pond, raise her face in his direction. She had evidently spotted him too and now waved a quick greeting at him. As she then turned to continue with her work, before there was time for her to disappear Jesse was able to make out on her back the words: "Life is so wonderful!"

So there was indeed a mysterious link between his magic mirror and what was going on here! The magic mirror, when he pressed it, seemed to be announcing precisely which of his own power thoughts was at work at that moment!

Jesse was quite impatient to get to the bottom of this mystery. Yet when he turned to ask Esthia, he found her also gone! He was now all alone up here at the edge of the crater.

Strangely enough this didn't worry him at all. And why should it: written on the dress of the next Powthie he noticed, was the sentence: "I can trust!" - In the company of such thoughts, how could he possibly be afraid?

Powthie 'I-Can-Trust!', having finished with the stone she had been carrying, now stopped humming her song and signalled to the others. All the Powthies stopped with whatever they had been doing, and one after another looked up. And then they all waved to him, like old friends recognising one whom they love!

At this moment an intense feeling of happiness welled up in Jesse's chest. When he opened his mouth to take a deep breath, a jubilant shout emerged, which seemed to have been waiting to be set free for a lifetime. The last trace of unease was gone, and he was filled with an almost unbearable longing to be one of them.

This feeling became so strong that he was on the point of running down the slope to join the Powthies, who were now holding hands. At the last moment remembering Esthia's warning, he checked himself. Standing in amazement again, watching, and listening...

And heard these colourful females sing to him in clear tones:

We are the Powthies - thoughts that have power!

in joy and contentment your life will flower!

In front of them opened another corridor, this one of massive stone. It was a bit narrower than the first, looking as though it had been built as a detour around the blockage. But soon it widened.

"Wow - look at this!" Daniel exclaimed.

What they saw when Lucy pointed the beam to the sides, was indeed amazing. The corridor was lined by a succession of stone statues. They stood there like trees lining an avenue - statues depicting all kinds of people of both sexes: farmers, teachers, kings, clowns, tradespeople, politicians, soldiers, businessmen and -women, labourers, and so on. They all were extremely lifelike and, since they each bore some tool or other sign of their occupation, it was fairly easy to tell what they were supposed to be.

The air here was still damp and musty yet much easier to breathe, so the children were able to remove their scarves. Slowly they walked along, trying to take it all in.

Soon they had reached the end of the walkway. They were now in the open. At a little distance in front, they saw a large building - a stone structure with a dome-shaped roof, surrounded by tall columns.

"Look! The tomb!" cried Lucy, pointing.

"Where the Quirkos are supposed to live?" asked Jesse. "Or whatever those zombies were called? The living people who are like dead? "

"That's right: Quirkos. Esthia told us we'd meet them, didn't she?"

"Okay, let's go in, then!" suggested Daniel, starting out towards the building.

"Stop! First listen where the sound comes from!" Lucy reminded him.

When they were quiet, it became clear that the ringing did come from inside the tomb. They were soon standing in front of it. Judging from the decayed masonry, the building must be ancient. There was a large stone door right in front. It was closed and they could see no handle.

"How do you open this?" Lucy asked, shining the torch around.

As if by way of an answer, they now heard the ringing coming from the side of the door. It had a new note of urgency about it. Was it trying to make itself heard - perhaps to draw their attention to some particular spot?

Yes - pointing the torch in the direction it came from, they discovered a stone missing at the side of the door. Inside the cavity thus formed, there was a small button. The first to see it, Daniel immediately reached out to press it.

"Stop!" Jesse cried in alarm. Memories of adventure stories he had read had him somehow convinced it might be a trap.

But it was too late - and anyway, it did seem to work. Slowly the door slid to the side, right into the wall.

Their hearts beating wildly, they stepped through into semi-darkness. They were greeted by an excited chattering, like from a flock of birds awakened in the night. It came from numerous shadowy shapes which were scurrying before them in all directions.

The children stood, shining their torch around, trying to see more clearly. Behind them, the door slid shut.

Jesse's first thought had been that the room must be full of animals, birds perhaps, or some bat-like creatures. Yet when the light fell on them, they noticed that these were people.

But what an assembly this was! All seemed to be dressed up, in the weirdest of costumes. All the ones they had seen as statues along that walkway were here: farmers, teachers, kings, clowns, labourers, trades- and businessmen - as well as doctors and nurses, politicians and athletes, gamblers and gypsies, mountaineers and hunters, soldiers and policemen, judges and advocates, monks, nuns, preachers, ballerinas, artists, reporters and photographers. Even some ancient gods were amongst the crowd, as were harp-playing angels, ugly trolls, a variety of fairy tale characters - and many, many more...

At this moment they were standing in little groups, each with members of their own kind or profession. The children's arrival seemed to excite them greatly; some were clearly frightened. It was as if they had never seen children before. Huddled together, they eyed their visitors uneasily, whilst our three friends, still near the door they had come through, stood staring back at them.

Lucy kept shining the torch around, eliciting wild chattering from those on whom the light fell. None of the children dared to speak.

Then one of the Quirkos - for that's clearly who they were - , who had been standing alone, did venture to step forward. Strangely familiar this one seemed, almost like an old friend. Red suit with white collar and cap, long, white beard and a kindly smile on his weather-beaten face: - of course! It was Father Christmas. None other than Santa himself!

"Ho, ho, ho - greetings!" he said, in a deep voice that had a strangely hollow ring to it, like you'd imagine the voice of a pumpkin would sound. "Who are you, and what brings you here?"

There was a pause as the children gathered up courage to speak. Many of the Quirkos were still chattering excitedly among themselves; but others seemed to be losing interest and were turning back to whatever they had been engaged in doing before. In every case this was exclusively the activity one would expect from a member of their group or profession.

Lucy spoke up first. "We've come to track down the Fear-Monsters," she said bravely.

"And chase them away!" Daniel shouted, accompanying his words with some wild punches into the air. On some Quirkos this had the effect of making them shrink and retreat further.

At this, Jesse also took heart. "And destroy their landing place so they'll never, ever come back!" he added.

But few were still listening. At the word 'Fear-Monster' there had been more excited chattering, and some began wailing or even sobbing aloud. Several Quirkos shook their ~ heads in determined denial, others covered their faces. Some started to laugh, whilst again others began to argue loudly.

"Quiet all!" a politician shouted. "People, listen to me! We have reliable information that there are no such beings as Fear-Monsters. They are a lie spread by those who oppose our political programme. We of the Progressive Fearlessness Party, inspired by the courage of our heroes who gave their lives for the Cause, stand together in unshakable dedication--"

"Don't listen to him!" cried another who was carrying a gun. "All politicians are liars. People, take the law into your own hands - join us, the Vigilantes for Clean Living, dedicated to the eradication of crime, drugs, sex, alcohol and speed limits!" He went on, but his voice was drowned in uproar, some trying to shout him down, others applauding wildly.

In general, however, everyone seemed happy to avoid ’any further thought or discussion about the Fear-Monsters. Soon all were starting again about their own business. The politician continued to talk politics. A rock singer tuned his guitar for his next number. Nuns and monks went back to praying. Teachers tried to teach what few were interested in. A stripper stripped. A guru preached his message of peace, whilst soldiers engaged in battle. Shopkeepers offered their wares, advertisers praised the qualities of junk food, pickpockets picked pockets, policemen arrested criminals as well as innocent bystanders and judges pronounced verdicts on anyone who was dragged before them.

Primadonnas sang arias. Economists ceaselessly tried to fix the economy, journalists wrote up tall stories, inventors kept inventing new gadgets and company executives merged their companies, expanded or consolidated in endless conferences.

The Santa figure made several attempts to explain more, but for a while the children were more interested in observing what was going on.

The strange thing was that all these people were doing whatever their nature or profession demanded non-stop, full- time and interested in nothing else. Time and again they would start all over as though they had no other choice. They were totally with it, heart and soul. Yet no one seemed to be really enjoying it.

Finally, when Santa was just about to walk away, Lucy took notice of him again. "Listen," she cried to the boys, "he's trying to tell us something!"

"Yes, listen to me - it's important!" Santa said gravely in his hollow voice. "The Fear-Monsters--" He paused, sadly shaking his head before going on. "Ah, children - you had better go back where you came from! For they are terrible indeed. Never has anyone won out against them."

"That's not true!" shouted Jesse. "I've seen one of them, and he didn't get me! He was only a grey little man with fiery eyes." But he wasn't really as sure of himself as he made it sound. Was he imagining it? Or was that the Scare-Tick again, now creeping down his spine?

"That's just it!" said Santa. "Those fiery eyes--! Did you look into those eyes? And stayed free?"

"No, I quickly looked away," Jesse admitted. As shaky as he had been, it surely was that alone which had saved him.

"But who are you?" Lucy asked. "And all these funny people - are they the Quirkos? Are you one too?"

"I thought you were Father Christmas," said Daniel, though of course much too old to still believe in Santa. "Is he now starting to work in October already?"

"Santa is liked by all at any time, isn't he? I always used to calm my worries that nobody liked me by constantly dealing out presents wherever I went. That's why I was given this role after those eyes burned me inwardly. Yes, Quirkos we are, all and sundry. And here's something for I you - come on, take it!" with this, he handed them a handful of sweets from his sack.

They eagerly unwrapped and ate them. They were delicious.

"You see," Santa went on, "since everyone without exception would like to believe in Christmas Ñ although nobody does Ñ, this gives me a position in which I can speak for all here in this mausoleum."

"Do you like being Santa?" Lucy interrupted him. She was dying to know what it was like to play such an important role.

"Oh, no, my child, I hate it! How I wish I could stop! Trouble is, I can't. Not only at Christmas but every day of the year I have to keep playing this accursed role - as happens to everyone who has come under the spell of those eyes. And never ever again will I get out of it..." is kindly eyes were filling with tears which he quickly wiped off with his sleeve. "Here, kids, have some more goodies from Santa - ho, ho, ho!..."

And he handed them some more of those delicious sweets.

"Can't you get out of here?" asked Jesse. "Through that door?"

"It cannot be opened from inside, not by us," Santa said. "Besides, where could we go? And what else could we do when we got there - except what we are doing anyhow? You see, we have lost our souls to the Monsters. No, no - better stay here in the mausoleum with all the others. It does feel like home..."

"You've lost your soul?" Lucy found this hard to believe.

"Look!" said Santa. As he pulled at his face they could see that it was a mask. A mask that moved and stretched as he pulled various parts of it but evidently didn't come off.

"I cannot get it down anymore," he explained. "Part of the spell the Fear-Monsters have cast on us is that we'll have to keep wearing our self-chosen masks for ever and ever. If we didn't - if we could get them off -, they would deal with us in terrible ways, I'm sure. - Just look."

He pointed around. Lucy followed his pointing hand with her torch, at which the people again scattered in all directions. Then she stopped, noticing it wasn't all that dark in here after all. The Quirkos' costumes emitted a soft glimmer, brighter still than that of the children's scarves. So once your eyes were accustomed to it, you could see them easily even without a torch.

"We're all of us here in the same boat - the same tomb, or dungeon, I should say. And there are more such tombs - thousands of them..."

Was this possible? Jesse thought. So many people under the spell of the Fear-Monsters? But then he remembered that they had been following the path marked 'ONCE-TO-BE'. All this, then, would be still in the future.

Or was it? How could one be sure? ...

"You may be wondering why people shrink and flee from the light of your torch," Santa went on, just as Lucy was thinking about that herself. "That's another reason why we'll never get out here: light will blind us. It's part of the spell. Our costumes give out a shimmer that's just light enough for us. Any more of it hurts. And this is the worst part of it all: never more will we see the light of life again." With difficulty he suppressed a sob.

"Oh yes, you will!" shouted Daniel. "That's what we've come for. Listen, all of you: once the Fear-Monsters are running, their spell is broken - and you'll be free!"

"Doubts, doubts!" cried Santa, visibly upset. And:

"Doubts, doubts!" n came the shout from others who had heard what Daniel said. Many Quirkos now joined in, shouting such phrases as: "Fear doesn't exist!" - "She'll be right, mate, just don't think about it!" - "Worry about inflation rather than such airy fairy tales!" - "Just do your work and shut up!" - "It can only get worse - so why worry?" - "Make them scared of you and you'll have nothing to fear!" - "Make yourself small and you won't get hurt!" - "Make yourself big and they won't attack you!"

What was that? Had they not noticed it earlier in the dim light, or was this something new? Among all those Quirkos the children now clearly saw a whole gang of Moanies walking around. Their bearing was that of high-ranking officers strolling amongst common soldiers. Beyond doubt they were the masters here. Occasionally they would bump into one or step on someone's toes; and in every such case, the Quirko would bow and politely apologise.

"Look!" cried Daniel. "Their own Moanies!"

It was true: all these Moanies bore on their costumes those very sentences the Quirkos had been shouting. As well as many, many others ... No wonder these poor people were convinced they had no choice but to stay in their tomb forever!

"And where are the Fear-Monsters?" Jesse asked Santa. "I can't see any. Aren't they down here, too?"

"Where they are? Who knows ... Wherever they may be: having cast their spell on us, they never show up anymore. They don't want us to even know about them, that's the secret of their power. As you'll have noticed, many of us don't even believe they exist."

"You mean they never show up? You never see them?"

"Oh no. They do leave us in peace, provided we act our parts and never think about anything else. Especially not about life, or love, and such like. To make sure of that, they have their helpers. The Moanies see to it that nothing down here will ever change."

Of course: the Moanies! "So how will we find them?" asked Jesse.

"Don't be stupid," said Lucy. "We'll find them. We follow the silence ringing, remember? That way at least, we'll get to the Heart-Realm."

"Ah yes, I forgot. Okay, let's listen!"

So the children were quiet again, listening hard. But of course there was much too much noise in the huge room.

"How can we make them shut up?" Jesse wondered.

"I know!" cried Daniel. "You watch, I'll make them. Gimme your torch, Lucy. And now: keep listening!" And, torch in hand taking a mighty jump, he shone it towards the ceiling, at the same time crying at the top of his voice: "Help! Help! The Fear-Monsters!!"

The effect was like that of a thunderbolt. All were stunned into silence, and for just one second, there was a hush in the room. Then the chattering started up again, louder than before. But the pause had been -long enough.

"I heard it - over there!" cried Lucy, and Jesse nodded in agreement: "Me too!"

They pointed to their left; Daniel followed with the torch. Because the room was so large, they had to take a few steps forward through the crowd. Then they noticed a small door in a side wall.

"It came from behind that wall, I'm sure!" said Lucy. And, turning to Santa to say goodbye: "Thank you so much, whatever-your-name-is! You've been nice and helpful."

"Yes, thanks, and cheerio!" the boys joined in.

"Not at all," said the Quirko in Santa costume. "I do wish you luck. I'm so sick of being Santa, having to make people happy all the time with my presents, whether they like it or not. This is no life for anyone."

"No worries!" Daniel assured him. "We'll get rid of those Monsters for you." the thought made him feel quite important.

As they started to move towards the door, the Quirkos readily made way for them. But when it was noticed where they were heading, some of them became really agitated.

"No, no!" came warning shouts from all sides. "Not that way!" - "That's dangerous!" - "For Heavens sake, leave that door shut!"

"What are they on about?" Daniel wondered.

As they approached the door, they saw the answer. There were warning signs plastered all over it. Signs with skull and crossbones saying: "Danger!", and: "No Entry!" - "Keep Out!" - "No Admittance!" and others more like it

"Stay away, stay away!" voices were shouting behind them. "That door is electrified!" - "You'll be killed!"

Santa, coming up, looked worried too. "Maybe you better don't?" he said doubtfully.

"Is it true? Is it really electric?" Lucy asked him.

Santa slowly shook his head. "I don't know for sure. I don't think anyone knows - but everyone is convinced that it is. This is why that door hasn't been opened all those long years I've been here. (And that's quite some time, believe you me."

A hush had fallen over the crowd of Quirkos who stood surrounding the children. They were holding their breath, like circus spectators watching a tightrope dancer in the big top. Would the dreaded thing happen?...

The children themselves were getting unsure. Yet in that hushed silence, the ringing could now be heard more clearly than ever. It did come from behind that door!

"It can't be dangerous," Lucy announced. "Or Esthia wouldn't have asked us to follow that ringing. Those Quirkos are dumb." with that, hesitating just the tiniest bit, she took another step forward towards the door.

"When I trust, then help will come," Jesse recited the Powthie which had helped him so often before. That did feel good; and he was able to follow her without being bothered again by that Scare-Tick.

But Daniel quickly overtook them. He was already touching the handle when his friends came up - accompanied by warning yells and frightened shouts from all around.