Spell of the Crystal Chair Read Free

Nuworld, and her hair waslong, coming halfway down her back. She’d dried it by simply sitting out in the sun. For supper, she tied it into a long braid. She ate little and said almost nothing.
    Then, Reb and Dave got into an argument. Dave had acted as the cook that night, and when Reb tasted the meat, he said, “Dave, you’re the worst cook I ever saw. Why, this meat’s raw!”
    Dave, who did not like to cook anyway and was, in fact, not very good at it, said, “If you don’t like it, don’t eat it!”
    Reb was quick to take offense. “I’ve seen cows hurt worse than this and still get well,” he said. “It ain’t fit to eat.”
    “Will you two calm down?” Wash put in quickly. “Dave did the best he could, Reb.”
    Josh said little. His eyes kept going to Sarah, as though he was expecting her to apologize or to at least say some kind of thank you. But she sat with her head down, saying nothing.
    Finally Josh sat down beside her. “Are you still mad at me?”
    Sarah looked up and felt tears coming to her eyes. “I’m—I’m not mad at you, Josh. I just felt so stupid. Imagine, just falling in the river like that! I’m the dumbest girl that ever lived!”
    “It could happen to anybody,” he said.
    She blinked her tears away then and managed a smile. “You’re the sweetest boy, Josh.”
    He lowered his head and said, “Aw, shucks! It wasn’t anything!”
    “It was, too. I really would have drowned if I couldn’t have gotten those old boots off. I guess you saved my life.”
    “Well, what would I do without you, Sarah?”
    At that moment, a voice outside caught everybody’s attention. Instantly, the Sleepers jumped to their feet. Nuworld was a dangerous place, and they all grabbed weapons—swords, knives, anything. Josh seized a staff with which he had become quite handy. “Who’s out there?” he called.
    “Why don’t you open the door and find out?”
    The voice was rough and sounded vaguely familiar. “I know that voice,” Josh said. “I just can’t place it.” He opened the door and gaped in amazement. “Mat,” he said, “it’s you!”
    “And me. Tam. Can we come in? We’re starved to death.”
    Grinning, Josh stepped back. The two strange looking individuals who entered were identical twins. They were not more than three feet tall and were fat as sausages. Their bellies gave promise of exploding any minute were it not for their broad, black leather belts with shiny brass buckles. Both had round red cheeks with small black eyes peering out from under impossibly bushy eyebrows. Both also had bushy beards that covered their chests.
    “Well, I don’t see much improvement around here,” Mat said, scowling. But Tam was going about greeting everyone with a happy smile.
    Mat and Tam were Gemini twins, a strange mutant form that had occurred in Nuworld. The Gemini mothers gave birth to twins every time, and the strange thing was that these twins were usually as different inside as they were alike outside. Mat, for instance, was grumpy, always complaining, always seeing the dark side of things, while Tam was the cheerful optimist who saw good in everything.
    Mat and Tam were scarcely inside when Tam said,“Oh, we forgot someone!” He went back to the door and said, “Come on in.”
    The room suddenly seemed to be filled, for an enormous man stooped and came through the door.
    “Volka!” Sarah cried. She ran to him and reached up her arms for a hug. She could not reach the neck of the giant, who stood well over eight feet tall. “Ho,” he said, his eyes twinkling, “my Sleeper friends.” Volka’s voice was as big as his body.
    “Here, sit before you knock the ceiling down,” Josh said. He waited until Volka was seated on the floor and Tam and Mat were sitting at the table. “Now let’s give these fellas something to eat.”
    The three visitors ate like starving sharks.
    After they were finished, Mat said, “Well, it’s happened again.” His eyes were gloomy, and he