47 - Legend of the Lost Legend Read Free Page B

We turned and hurried to the tent. I glanced back to make sure the dog wasn’t leaving. Silverdog had
walked over to a clump of tall weeds and was sniffing around them.
    “Hurry,” I whispered to Marissa.
    We both made our way to Dad’s sleeping bag. He was sound asleep on his back,
making soft blowing sounds through his lips.
    I dropped to my knees and leaned over him. “Dad? Dad?”
    He didn’t stir.
    “Dad? Wake up! It’s important! Dad?”
    Marissa and I both shouted at him. But he’s such a sound sleeper, he didn’t
hear us.
    “Tickle his beard,” Marissa suggested. “Sometimes that works.”
    I tickled his beard.
    Nothing. He snored away.
    I brought my face down to his ear. “Dad? Dad?”
    I tried shaking him by the shoulders. But it was hard to get a good grip
under the sleeping bag.
    “Dad? Please! Wake up!” Marissa pleaded.
    He let out a groan.
    “Yes!” I cried. “Dad?”
    He rolled onto his side. Sound asleep.
    I turned and saw that Marissa had crawled back to the tent opening. She
stared out. “The dog is heading toward the trees,” she reported. “What should we
do?”
    “Get dressed,” I urged. “Hurry.”
    We both pulled on the jeans and sweatshirts we’d been wearing. I got one
hiking boot on, then discovered I had a knot in the other shoelace.
    By the time I pulled the second boot on, Marissa was already back outside.
“Where is Silverdog?” I asked, hurrying up beside her.
    She pointed through the thickening fog. Clouds had rolled over the moon. The
heavy darkness made it almost impossible to see.
    But I spotted the big dog loping slowly toward the trees.
    “He’s leaving!” I gasped. “We have to follow him.” I started jogging across
the dirt.
    Marissa hung back. “Not without Dad,” she insisted. “We can’t.”
    “But someone is trying to help us!” I cried. “Someone knows where the Lost
Legend is. They sent the dog to bring us.”
    “It may be a trap,” Marissa insisted. “Some kind of evil trick.”
    “But, Marissa—”
    I searched through the fog. Where was the dog? I could barely see him. He had
reached the trees on the far side of the clearing.
    “Remember the story Dad tells about the forest imp?” Marissa asked. “The imp
puts out a trail of flowers and candy in the forest. And when children follow
the trail, it leads them into The Pit With No Bottom. And the kids fall and fall
for the rest of their lives. Remember?”
    “Marissa—please!” I begged. “No more stories. Silverdog is getting away.”
    “But—but—” she sputtered. “Dad wouldn’t want us to go wandering off on our
own in the forest. You know he wouldn’t. We’ll be in real trouble.”
    “What if we found the Lost Legend?” I replied. “Then what? Then we wouldn’t
be in trouble— would we!”
    “No! No way!” Marissa protested, folding her arms over her chest. “We can’t
go. No way, Justin.”
    I sighed and shook my head. “I guess you’re right,” I said softly. “Let the
dog go on its way. Let’s get some sleep.”
    I put my hand on her shoulder and led her back to the tent.

 
 
8
     
     
    “Are you crazy ?” Marissa cried. She spun away from me. “We can’t let
the dog get away! It may lead us right to the Lost Legend!”
    She grabbed my hand, gave me a hard tug, and started to run, pulling me
across the clearing.
    As I ran after her, I tried hard not to let her see the big smile on my face.
I knew my little trick would work with Marissa. It always does.
    If I ever really want to do something, all I have to say is, “Let’s not do
it.”
    Marissa always disagrees with me. Always.
    That makes it very easy to get her to do what I want.
    “Dad said we weren’t being helpful,” she murmured. “He was giving us a hard
time because we wouldn’t find firewood. What if we find the Lost Legend? Then
we’ll be helping him—big-time!”
    “Big-time,” I repeated.
    I pictured Marissa and me handing Dad the silver chest containing the Lost