resembled a pile of refuse. But when they heaved it into the water and shoved it to the deep region, it floated. They climbed aboard, with Esk and Chex wielding long poles, and by dint of pushing at the nether muck caused it to travel out toward the center of the lake.
"An island!" Volney exclaimed. "A floating island!"
"So it seems," Chex agreed.
"Shouldn't that be 'ivland'?" Esk asked.
Both stared at him. "Whatever for?" Chex inquired.
"Uh, no reason," he said, embarrassed. What could he have been thinking of?
The monster of the lake coursed close. "Go fry in the sun!" Chex called to it impolitely. "You can't get near us!"
The monster, irritated, charged the raft. Its bulk loomed huge. But Chex simply poked at one of its eyestalks with her pole, and it retreated. "Bullies have no courage when they face anything as large as they are," she remarked with satisfaction.
"OoOoOo," Volney moaned.
"What's the matter?" Esk asked. "That monster can't touch us."
"I feel ill," the vole said. Indeed, his fur seemed to be developing a greenish tinge.
"You're seasick," Chex said. "Here, I have a pill for that." She produced a green tablet from her knapsack.
Volney swallowed the pill. In a moment his fur turned gray again. "Much better," he said. "I don't like being veavick."
They continued poling, and made steady, slow progress across the lake. They paused midway for a lunch break; Chex had thoughtfully
harvested some fruit and put it aboard. Then they completed the voyage, bumping up against the far shore. They splashed to land and hauled the raft as high as they could, so that it would not drift away. They knew that they might need it again.
They resumed travel along the path, heading for the mountain. But the building of the raft and the voyage across the lake had taken much time and strength, and they decided to spend another night on the road before tackling the mountain. They were now becoming seasoned travelers, and no storm approached, so they had no significant problems this time.
Chapter 4. Mystery
1 hey arrived at the mountain. It loomed as massively as before, with its deep dark tunnel through.
Chex shuddered. "I dislike confessing this, but I am slightly claustrophobic. I don't think I can walk that passage even if it is guaranteed safe. I'm afraid the mountain will collapse on me."
Volney sniffed at the rising bank. "But there iv no mountain," he protested.
"You can't see the mountain?" Esk asked, surprised.
"I vee it, but it ivn't there."
"You're not making sense."
"I will vhow you." The vole moved forward, into the bank—literally. His body disappeared into it.
"What?" Esk and Chex said together.
Volney's snout poked out of the slope. "It iv illuvion," he explained.
"Illusion!" Chex exclaimed. She reached out with one hand, and the hand passed into the apparent substance of the mountain. "Why so it isl"
"We never touched it!" Esk said, chagrined. "We just assumed it was real!"
"That explains why it wasn't on my dam's map!"
"What type of map?" Volney asked, confused. "An evil one?"
"Never mind. I just knew there wasn't supposed to be a mountain here —and there wasn't! What a relief!"
"Does this mean we can walk right through it?" Esk asked.
"Evidently so," Chex said, walking into it. For a moment her equine forepart was hidden, while her human upper portion remained in view, and, disconnected, her equine rump. Then the rest of her disappeared, and the shaggy slope of the mountain was unbroken.
Esk reached out to touch the visible surface. His hand encountered nothing; it vanished in the rock.
This was one persistent illusion! They knew it for what it was, yet it remained as clearly as before.
"But it's dark in here," Chex's voice came.
"Darknevv divturbv you?" Volney asked. "I have no problem with it."
"Suppose there's a wall or something?" she demanded. "I'm not worried about a mountain of illusion falling on me, but I don't want to bang my face."
"I can lead you," Volney said.
"An island!" Volney exclaimed. "A floating island!"
"So it seems," Chex agreed.
"Shouldn't that be 'ivland'?" Esk asked.
Both stared at him. "Whatever for?" Chex inquired.
"Uh, no reason," he said, embarrassed. What could he have been thinking of?
The monster of the lake coursed close. "Go fry in the sun!" Chex called to it impolitely. "You can't get near us!"
The monster, irritated, charged the raft. Its bulk loomed huge. But Chex simply poked at one of its eyestalks with her pole, and it retreated. "Bullies have no courage when they face anything as large as they are," she remarked with satisfaction.
"OoOoOo," Volney moaned.
"What's the matter?" Esk asked. "That monster can't touch us."
"I feel ill," the vole said. Indeed, his fur seemed to be developing a greenish tinge.
"You're seasick," Chex said. "Here, I have a pill for that." She produced a green tablet from her knapsack.
Volney swallowed the pill. In a moment his fur turned gray again. "Much better," he said. "I don't like being veavick."
They continued poling, and made steady, slow progress across the lake. They paused midway for a lunch break; Chex had thoughtfully
harvested some fruit and put it aboard. Then they completed the voyage, bumping up against the far shore. They splashed to land and hauled the raft as high as they could, so that it would not drift away. They knew that they might need it again.
They resumed travel along the path, heading for the mountain. But the building of the raft and the voyage across the lake had taken much time and strength, and they decided to spend another night on the road before tackling the mountain. They were now becoming seasoned travelers, and no storm approached, so they had no significant problems this time.
Chapter 4. Mystery
1 hey arrived at the mountain. It loomed as massively as before, with its deep dark tunnel through.
Chex shuddered. "I dislike confessing this, but I am slightly claustrophobic. I don't think I can walk that passage even if it is guaranteed safe. I'm afraid the mountain will collapse on me."
Volney sniffed at the rising bank. "But there iv no mountain," he protested.
"You can't see the mountain?" Esk asked, surprised.
"I vee it, but it ivn't there."
"You're not making sense."
"I will vhow you." The vole moved forward, into the bank—literally. His body disappeared into it.
"What?" Esk and Chex said together.
Volney's snout poked out of the slope. "It iv illuvion," he explained.
"Illusion!" Chex exclaimed. She reached out with one hand, and the hand passed into the apparent substance of the mountain. "Why so it isl"
"We never touched it!" Esk said, chagrined. "We just assumed it was real!"
"That explains why it wasn't on my dam's map!"
"What type of map?" Volney asked, confused. "An evil one?"
"Never mind. I just knew there wasn't supposed to be a mountain here —and there wasn't! What a relief!"
"Does this mean we can walk right through it?" Esk asked.
"Evidently so," Chex said, walking into it. For a moment her equine forepart was hidden, while her human upper portion remained in view, and, disconnected, her equine rump. Then the rest of her disappeared, and the shaggy slope of the mountain was unbroken.
Esk reached out to touch the visible surface. His hand encountered nothing; it vanished in the rock.
This was one persistent illusion! They knew it for what it was, yet it remained as clearly as before.
"But it's dark in here," Chex's voice came.
"Darknevv divturbv you?" Volney asked. "I have no problem with it."
"Suppose there's a wall or something?" she demanded. "I'm not worried about a mountain of illusion falling on me, but I don't want to bang my face."
"I can lead you," Volney said.
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