The WinterWorld War: Part 6

By WES MAGEE

"Abbi, come back here!" shouted Justin, but his voice was lost in the howling wind.

"Now what do we do?" asked Rory.

"We'll have to find them," said Justin.

"But it's blowing a blizzard," protested Rory.

"I know that," said Justin, "but we can't leave Abbi and that mad puppy out there in this weather, right? They could die! We've no choice, we've got to find them, Rory.

Come on!"

The boys set off across the moor. They bent into the driving wind and battled through the blizzard. Within a minute they looked like walking snowmen.

"Abbi! Polar!" shouted Justin. "Where are you?" The only reply came from the wind. It howled like an animal in pain.

The blizzard grew worse. Rory could see nothing through his snow-covered glasses. He grabbed hold of Justin's coat.


"Rory," shouted Justin. "Hold tight. We must stay together."

The boys struggled to keep going but there was no sight of Abbi or Polar. They felt as if they were being lifted off their feet by the strong wind.

"What's happening?" cried Rory.

"I don't know," shouted Justin, "but I feel as if we're being swept away, Rory. Hang on!"

A sudden, great blast of wind threw the boys up into the freezing air. They were blinded by snowflakes, and could hardly breathe, as they were hurled high into the darkening sky. Up, and up, and up they went.

As helpless as two dead leaves, the boys twisted and turned with the force of the blizzard. The wind's howl filled their ears as Justin and Rory were swept up and away...

Up and away.

Justin and Rory were spun round and round at the centre of the blizzard. They felt as if they were being torn apart.

"Hang on, Rory!" shouted Justin.

It seemed a long time before the blizzard calmed down and the boys tumbled to earth. Landing like sky-divers, they rolled forward before ending up in a snowdrift. They scrambled up, spitting snow.

"Where are we?" wailed Rory.

Justin looked around and was amazed by what he saw. They were standing in the middle of a snowfield. The blizzard had passed, the wind had gone, and all around there was stillness and silence.

Overhead, Justin saw a pink sky. No clouds. No sun. Just smooth pinkness. Below the snowfield, a frozen lake stretched away to left and right. The ice looked thick, and was green. A dark pine forest ran along the side of the lake.

"Where are we?" Rory said again. "And why's the sky that funny colour, and why's the ice green?"

"We're no longer on the moor," said Justin.

He looked worried. "And we're nowhere near High Farm."

"Look over there," said Rory, pointing.

Justin looked across the frozen lake and saw mountains over the far side - mountains that were covered in snow.

"This is really weird," said Justin. "I've never seen a place like this before. It's as if we've ..."

"... fallen through a black hole," said Rory.

Justin looked at Rory.

"You know, like one of those black holes in space," said Rory, "where you fall into a different part of the universe. Somehow or other that blizzard's blown us into ... another world."

Justin felt worried. "Look Rory," he said, "if we are in another world, then where are we? I mean, what sort of world is it? And how, Rory, do we get back home?"

Rory pressed his glasses down onto his nose. "I don't know, Justin," he said.

A shout made the boys turn quickly. There, not far off on the snowfield, was Abbi. She was waving madly.

"Abbi!" called Justin. "You're safe!"

She stumbled towards the two boys, shaking snow from her long hair.

"Where's Polar?" asked Justin.

"No idea," said Abbi. "He's still lost."

They called and whistled, but there was no sign of the puppy.

Publisher: Barrington Stoke

Price: $17.95

Age group: 8-13 years


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