Balance Keepers #1: The Fires of Calderon Read Free Page A

himself. “I can do this.” He looked down at the hand-drawn map again. “The stream is next.”
    He walked on, swerving around big trees and under branches, until he reached a rise in the trail. He climbed up, grabbing exposed roots and pulling himself along, until he reached a shelf. There he found the stream, like a silver scar in the ground. And sitting patiently, wagging his tail, was Farnsworth.
    “There you are,” Albert said. He stooped down and placed his hand on the dog’s head. Farnsworth licked his hand, turned around, hopped right into the stream, and then across to the other side. Albert followed after him, leaping across the stream. The opposite bank was steep, and by the time he’d scurried up it on all fours just like Farnsworth, the dog had already raced off again through the trees.
    “Wait up!” Albert shouted, and this time, he followed even closer, keeping his eyes on Farnsworth instead of the map. After all, his dad had said the animal knew exactly where to go. He couldn’t lose him again, not if he wanted to make it to his destination before sunset. Speaking of destination . . . his dad hadn’t said where he would end up. Albert guessed it was a house sitting in the woods, with an old man like Pap waiting for him on the front porch. He decided that no matter what, he’d deliver the letter in time, then cut out quick and make it home before it got dark. He couldn’t wait to see the look on his dad’s face when he told him he’d done the job right, all on his own.
    His dad was gone the whole day, delivering mail, and at night, they always ate the same frozen dinners in front of the TV. They talked about fishing and hiking and all the things Albert wished they’d spend their summers doing, but never really did much of. Bob Flynn wasn’t remarkable, by any stretch. But he was Albert’s dad . And that was enough for him to be Albert’s favorite person in the world. He never wanted to disappoint him.
    After a while, Farnsworth barked again, drawing Albert away from his thoughts. They had almost reached the bottom of the big hill, just like his dad’s map said they would.
    “You want to race the rest of the way, don’t you?” Albert said, as he bent down to scratch behind Farnsworth’s velvety ears.
    The dog’s ears perked up, and he took off in a flash, faster than Albert had ever seen him run before. It was a wild chase, both of them running through the forest as fast as their legs would carry them. Just when Albert was about to pass the little dog, his foot got caught on a thick vine.
    Albert’s feet went out from under him. He flipped through the air and landed in a cloud of dust on the hard ground. It was awesome. He’d felt like he was flying.
    “Did you see that?” Albert shouted. He’d expected Farnsworth to be at his side, wagging his little tail.
    But Farnsworth was gone, again.
    It was then that Albert realized just how dark the woods were becoming. He looked up at the sky. It was barely visible through the tops of the trees, but Albert could see the deep-pink-and-orange swirls overhead. Sunset was here, and by the looks of it, it was almost over. How long had he been in the woods? Time passed quickly, Albert realized, without a clock to measure it by.
    “So much for delivering this letter before dinner.”
    Albert called out, hoping for the dog to come running back with a stick in his mouth. He looked down at the map again. The directions ended with the top of the hill, right where he was standing.
    Albert spun around, searching for a house, or a tent, or something in the woods. But there was nothing. Just trees, trees, and more trees.
    A half hour later, with darkness coming on fast, Albert felt like he was trapped inside a maze. He sat with his back up against a tree and really thought about his situation for the first time since he’d left the dead letter office.
    He hadn’t found the house or the person. He hadn’t delivered the letter, and by now, his dad had