Pan's Realm Read Free

way, would they?”
    The dwarfs glanced at one another, then back at Adam. Clearly the little guys didn’t understand English. Adam spoke in Watch’s ear.
    â€œWhat language do dwarfs speak?” he asked.
    Watch shrugged. “They probably have their own language.”
    â€œI think they’re cute,” Cindy gushed.
    â€œWait till they cut off one of your legs with an ax,” Sally muttered.
    â€œIf they’d wanted to hurt us, they would have done it by now,” Adam said. He turned his attention back to the dwarfs, who continued to stare at them with their tools in hand. Adam had on a green shirt, so he pointed to it, then made a scurrying motion with his hands, trying to describe how quickly the leprechauns moved. He wasn’t sure if he conveyed what he meant, but one of the older dwarfs pointed farther into the cave. Adam paused. “The leprechauns went that way?” he asked.
    The old dwarf nodded.
    â€œHe doesn’t know what you’re saying,” Sally muttered.
    â€œHe might,” Adam said hopefully. “We probably should keep going. It couldn’t hurt.”
    â€œThat’s what we said about the Haunted Cave,” Sally warned.
    Since the dwarfs ignored them and went back to work, they did continue into the tunnel. But now it began to curve, and then forked in several places. Just as they were worried they were lost, the cave suddenly ended and they were back in the forest. But not at the same place they had entered the cave.
    The forest had changed.
    Now it was filled with more than trees.
    There was a palace dead ahead, but not a palace in the usual sense of the word. This palace was made of grass and sticks, of bark and leaves. Yet it was so huge, so elaborate, that it resembled a castle more than a hut. The whole structure stirred as the wind swept through the trees. The building didn’t look as if it had been there long, nor did it look as if it would last. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
    â€œCould the dwarfs have built this?” Cindy asked.
    â€œDwarfs work with stone and metal and jewels,” Watch said. “They like to be underground. They’d never have built this.”
    â€œWhat about the leprechauns?” Sally asked.
    Watch shook his head. “Leprechauns try to stay hidden so no one can find them. They wouldn’t build such an obvious and big place.”
    â€œBut it’s empty,” Cindy said.
    â€œIt might just appear to be empty,” Adam warned. “I don’t see anyone but I feel like we’re being watched.”
    Sally nodded. “So do I. I think we should get out of here.”
    â€œAnd go where?” Cindy asked.
    â€œLet Watch and me explore the palace,” Adam suggested. “You girls stay here.”
    â€œNo way,” Sally said. “We go where you go. Right, Cindy?”
    Cindy nodded without enthusiasm.
    They crept into the palace, actually into a courtyard. It was as wide across as a football field and lined with branches and vines and decorated with multicolored flowers. There was a fountain in the center of the courtyard, and the water splashed out of a block of stacked stones and then collected in a sunny pool. They sat beside it and had a long drink. They were all so thirsty.
    Then everything changed.
    First the sky dimmed and took on a greenish hue. Then they heard a faint whistle echoing in the various rooms of the palace. The sound came at them from all sides. It was definitely not caused by the wind because there was a rhythm to it. Also, its source seemed to shift as they tried to pinpoint it. Then it was as if the very air itself began to change, to fill with faint figuresthat seemed to be made of sunlight and mist. It was ­impossible to focus on them, to be sure they were there.
    â€œWhat’s happening?” Cindy asked, nervous.
    â€œThey look like ghosts,” Sally said darkly.
    â€œThey’re not ghosts,” Watch explained.