Discover Pemba Umoja "Global Literary Artist" Inspiring Stories of Love, Unity, and Wonder
Abe and the Tunnel TravelersBy Pemba UmojaTo the young at heart of all ages:
Never stop looking at the stars and dreamingChapter 1Abe was a peculiar child. It all started because he was named Abe. How many boys do you know named Abe? Exactly. That was Abe’s problem. The only other Abe that most people know of is good ‘ole Abraham Lincoln – the 16th President of the United States of America. Now those are some hard shoes to fill. Everyone would say to young Abe from Peoria, Illinois—good ‘ole 3rd grade Abe Saunders. “So Abe, how are you going to live up the expectations of being named after one of the best presidents of our country?” –The president who fought against slavery and helped our country from becoming two countries during the civil war. “Come on,” Abe they’d say, “you are never going to do anything as famous as President Lincoln. You are just a boy from Peoria.” Little did they know that Abe Lincoln was from a small town too. It wasn’t named Peoria, but it was named Hodgenville and it was just across the border in the neighboring state of Kentucky. So there you go, maybe good ‘ole Abe Saunders did have a chance at doing something great, something that people would remember for all time. Too bad, Abe Saunders didn’t think so. He didn’t think so at all. In fact, he hated being named Abe after Abraham Lincoln. He never thought he could live up to the name. He never thought that he would do anything special. All that changed of course, one fall day when the oak trees near Milford Court started to shake.Abe was walking home from school. If he went the long way, it would take him 45 minutes. He was just on the outskirts of the walk zone. In fact, Sally and Ritchie Pickens who lived in the house next door got to ride the bus everyday. That’s right. Sally and Ritchie could wake up a whole 45 minutes later and stroll out to the bus stop. They often peeked out of their bedroom window and snickered at Abe as he started his long walk to school.It was a Friday. Sally and Ritchie knocked on the window and snickered at him as Abe walked to school. It was a chilly spring morning. It didn’t feel much like spring. If Abe took the long way, the official way, following the sidewalks, it would take him 45 minutes, but Abe always took short cuts. He'd slip behind the rose bushes of Ms. Cole’s house, crouch down and run under the bay window of Sergeant Perez’s rancher. Sergeant Perez did not like anyone trespassing on his yard. Sometimes, he’d even stand guard. By cutting through yards and crossing through the church graveyard, Abe could make it to school in only 25 minutes. Sometimes, if he went really fast he’d even beat Sally and Ritchie. Then, it would be him who snickered in glory as Sally and Ritchie got off the bus with looks of absolute surprise.Abe was a natural navigator. Somehow he always knew which way he was going: North, South, East or West. It was like Abe had a natural compass built into his brain. Strange thing for a young boy. Abe’s grandpa had been a sailor and taught him a few things. “Look for the sun,” his Grandpa would say. “It always rises in the East and sets in the West” Abe knew his school was west of his house. On clear days, he could follow the sun.” His Grandpa also taught him how to examine trees for moss. “Moss usually grows on the north side of trees, my boy, when you are above the equator,” his grandpa would say. Grandpa’s lessons helped Abe, but Abe also had a sense of direction that went beyond this. He just seemed to know how to get from Point A to Point B.That cold spring Friday morning, the grass was still wet from the morning dew. Abe had just managed to make it by Sergeant Perez’s house even while Sergeant Perez sipped his morning coffee right in front of the bay window. Just after crossing Ringgold Street, cutting through the church graveyard and looping around the pond, Abe noticed the old oak trees near Milford Court. Abe loved these trees. No one really knew how old they were. Some said “Ah, 100 years.” Others said, “Nah, trees like that take at least 300 years to grow. Those trees are from an ancient forest that was here even before the early settlers.” For some reason, the farmers had never cut down those trees to make fields like they had through most of the mid-western states. There is something magical about those trees people would say. Abe could not agree more. He loved those trees. In fact, on some days when he was running early, he would sit down on one of the low thick branches and look up—look up and talk to the trees. Yes. He would actually talk out loud. He never actually thought anyone would be listening. On that Friday morning, Abe was running very early. He decided to rest upon his favorite thick old branch. And on that day, someone was listening. But Abe did not know it.When Abe sat in the old oaks, he didn’t care about whether he beat Sally and Ritchie to school. He didn’t care that people made fun of him because he was named Abe. He didn’t think about whether or not he could live up to the great expectations of being named after a famous President. Abe just lost himself in the towering trees. It was as if they rested their limbs down on his shoulders and comforted him. ‘Everything will be all right Abe’ the trees seemed to say. ‘You are a special child and you will do special things in this life – very special things.’Chapter 2As Abe lay down on the thick branch, day-dreaming while looking up at the towering branches and budding new leaves, he heard a very strange sound. It startled him. “Who’s there?” he called. Suddenly the branches of the trees started to shake and even some of the new leaves began to fall. Abe had to grab onto a branch to hold himself from falling out of the tree. “Who’s there?” he called once again. Then he heard it crystal clear. “Boo hoo hoo hoo. Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo.” Someone or something was crying. Absolutely sobbing. Abe’s heart sunk just hearing the painful cries. “Who’s there?” he called out again. The sobs somehow seemed to be coming from the tree. How could it be possible? How could a tree cry?“Who’s there? It can’t be so bad,” shouted Abe. “Come out and show yourself.” But all he could hear were the sobs. They seemed to be coming from deep within the trees. Abe put his hands against the thick bark and climbed across a long branch to a spot where the branches of a few trees all seemed to come together. The shaking seemed to be coming from there. As Abe approached the thicket of branches, he became frightened. ‘Whatever it is that is shaking these trees must be really big and strong. I could never do that,’ he thought. But Abe felt sorry for whoever was crying and wanted to see if he could help.As Abe got nearer to the vortex of branches, they all started to dip down- kind of like a giant slippery sliding board. Abe made his way down hand by hand and foot by foot trying not to slip, but as he got closer the sobbing became more intense. Suddenly Abe found himself sliding uncontrollably down the thick branch. He passed through a thicket of small leaves and branches. Strangely enough he even seemed to pass through the surface of the earth. He kept sliding. ‘Where am I?’ he thought. Next thing you know he fell completely off of the branch and landed in a very soft spot – a strangely soft spot. So soft in fact that it was covered in fur. So soft that the fur seemed to cover a big belly of fat! “Yikes!” screamed Abe. “Help me!” Just then a great big clawed paw came down on Abe’s shoulder. Another great big claw wrapped around his waist clutching him.This time the sobbing was intense. The giant claws grasped Abe snuggly, but without hurting him. “Boo hoo hoo hoo! Ah ha ha ha,” sobbed the strange creature from behind Abe. With each frantic sob, the creature’s belly shook and Abe bounced up and down with it. A thunder shower of tears came down on Abe’s shirt drenching him. “Hey, what’s going on here?” exclaimed Abe. “I’ve got to go to school. I can’t get soaking wet.
Let me go!” Abe tried to squirm and wriggle out of the bulky claws of this bizarre creature. He managed to break free and rolled out onto the ground. When he turned around and looked up for the first time, he gasped in sheer terror. “Who, I am mean what are you?” he cried.The creature was startled too. It covered its eyes and began to cry even more. “Hey you!” cried Abe, “I’m supposed to be the guy who is scared here. I mean you are big, hairy, and really, really scary.” “Ah ha ha ha!” cried the creature. Even louder than ever before.Abe’s eyes opened wide. ‘I think I hurt his feeling’ he thought. Coming to his senses and realizing that maybe he had nothing to fear, Abe approached the mammoth creature. It was at least five times of the size of Abe. Clearly, it liked to eat since it had a really big belly which did indeed shake like a bowl of jelly. The creature’s paws were about the size of grapefruits and his claws were really sharp.Abe could not get a clear view of the creature’s face. He was covering his eyes with his massive paws as be bawled in tears. “Show me your face,” Abe demanded. “What’s your name anyway? And what are you doing in my neighborhood under the old oak trees?”Abe began to look around. He was no longer in fact under the old oak trees. He seemed to have slipped into a strange hole—a tunnel of sorts or a cave. There was a dim light shining from 20 ft or so above. The walls of the cave were lined with the roots of the old oak trees. As the creature cried, he shook the trees above from the roots. The echoes of his cries were almost deafening. “Okay, enough is enough!” exclaimed Abe. He marched over and with his small third grader hands and lifted the creature’s paws from his eyes.The creature looked meekly out at Abe. Not knowing what to expect, Abe looked perplexingly at the creature. The creative waited not knowing what to expect. The creature opened his eyes a little wider with anticipation of what Abe would do. Abe opened his eyes widely in anticipation of what the creature would do.“Okay,” said Abe, “what is your name and what are you? You are the biggest animal I’ve ever seen.”The creature took a big gulp. He seemed to need to build up the courage to talk. Even though he was so big and strong and a little fat, the creature seemed a bit shy. “I, I, don’t have a name,” replied the creature. “Ah ha ha ha, boo hoo hoo hoo.” Abe’s question really seemed to set him off. “I don’t even have a name,” he cried. Abe felt really bad for him.“Okay, okay, don’t worry, not everyone has a name,” Abe replied, trying to cheer up the creature.“Yes, they do. Oh, yes they do. Everyone has a name. Everyone except me that is…”“Well, yes,” Abe said, “everyone has a name, but not everyone who has a name likes the name that they have. Me, for example, I have a name. Abe’s my name.” said Abe with a bit of chagrin. The creature looked at him inquisitively. “That’s right! Abe’s my name. See even you think it is a strange name. Well, the only other Abe that I know was a famous President something like 150 years ago. In other words, my parents gave me a 150 year old name. And everybody makes fun of me. Everyone!”“I didn’t,” replied the creature. “I’ve never made fun of you.”Next, it was Abe with an inquisitive look on his face. “Well, I guess that you are right. You have never made fun of me or my name, but then again I’ve only known you for 5 minutes,” quipped Abe.“Never have, never will,” replied the creature. Abe smiled. “Well that’s pretty nice of you considering I don’t really know you. Okay, you don’t have a name. We’ve established that, but what are you? I have never ever seen an animal quite like you before and never ever heard one talk.”This time and for the first time the creature rolled off of his back. He skillfully leaped over to a small puddle of water in the cave. “Look at me,” he said, “even you don’t know what I am? UP THERE, I believe you call us gophers.” “A gopher,” laughed Abe, how can you be a gopher?” chortled Abe. “Gophers are really, really tiny. There is no way you could ever make it in and out of those tiny holes. How could you be a gopher?”“Well,” replied the giant gopher, “you are right, sort of. There is no way I could ever make it through one of those tiny holes. And that’s precisely why I never do. I am stuck down here—permanently. The little guys, my long lost distant cousins, get to run around and play UP THERE all the time, but once we giant gophers reach full size, we can’t fit through the holes.”“But I’ve never even seen a small gopher around these parts, where are they?” questioned Abe.“That’s because they all went away,” sobbed the giant gopher,”they’ve all gone away. Ah ha ha, Ah ha ha.” This time the roots of the great oaks shook so hard, Abe thought the cave was going to collapse. And Abe realized that he was going to be late to school.Chapter 3Abe rolled up his sleeves and sat down on a large rock next to the giant gopher. “Looks like I might be here a while. When did all the gophers go and why are you the only one left here?” Abe asked.“About 100 years ago,” started the Gopher…. “What!?” said Abe, “Are you telling me that you were here 100 years ago?” “Well, yes. 100 years is pretty young in gopher years. I was just a small pup then. I could go out and really enjoy myself near the pond. There weren’t any houses around here at that time—just the plantation house that owned this whole area. They only started building the suburbs around here about 40 years ago. I really miss those good old days.”“I used to run around UP THERE while my mom and dad would stay down under and prepare our meals. Before bed, my mom used to find only the softest twigs to make my bed and she’d tuck me in every night. My dad loved to tell stories. He had some wild ones. He was a tunnel traveler in the days of old.”“What’s a tunnel traveler?” asked Abe. “Years ago, giant gophers used to traverse the whole planet by a deep network of underground tunnels. UP THERE you can’t reach places because of lakes, rivers, mountains, and oceans, but down under—deep down under, there are tunnels made by the ancients that go to the farthest reaches of the world.”“Are you telling me that you can travel the whole world underground?” “No I’m definitely not telling you that, Abe. I could never do that, but my dad did and he had the most fantastical tales to tell.”“Ha ha ha ha ha! He once told me about how he was somewhere in Africa. I think it was in the Sahara desert. Anyway, my dad was really thirsty. He had to go UP THERE to get water. So he bumps into this camel. A camel with a sore hump, that’s for sure. Turns out this camel didn’t like the looks of my dad and he especially didn’t like my dad drinking the last bit of water from his oasis. So this camel starts to charge my dad like wild across some sand dunes. Dad jumps into the hatch to go back down under. And guess what? The camel pokes his head in and falls in too. The camel chases my dad all the way to Mongolia. People wonder why there are camels all the way in the Gobi desert in Mongolia…. Well, now you know.”“I really miss my dad and mom too. Sometimes, I just bawl and bawl. Most days actually. I had a little sister too. She didn’t come UP THERE on that day. That day that changed everything.”
Chapter 4The morning started to whittle away. Abe was enthralled by the tales of the giant gophers and the tunnel travelers. He completely forgot about going to school.“So come on, tell me, tell me. What happened to you? What happened to your family and the other gophers?” pressed Abe.The giant gopher turned away and walked along the pool of water taking another sip. He seemed lost in his own world. “It is kind of hard for me to remember,” he said. “I was just a baby really. It was one of my first times going UP THERE alone. It was kind of like a ‘right of passage’ for a young gopher – something that all of us had to do when we reached a certain age.”“That day was a really strange one. The weather was so cold and windy. It had been raining for three days. A lot of trees got knocked down. I went UP THERE in the morning. My mom was too oversized to fit through the hatch, but she loved to peek through. That day she was watching me.”“I was up there daydreaming peering up at the old oak trees when Mamma started to yell. Watch out!” she cried. “Next thing you know I see this fox charging full speed at me. Boy, did he look hungry. That was the last time I saw my mom. She must have thought that…well, she must have thought the worst. You know.”“When I was a young pup, boy was I quick and unlike most other gophers I loved the water. When the fox chased me down to the pond, he thought he’d trap me by the water’s edge, but I just jump on a good ‘ole sturdy log and let the wind carry me out across the water.”“It was a really strange day that day. The fox was standing there. Watching me—his morning meal—disappear. Just then an enormous bolt of lightening struck the old oak behind him. That tree collapsed right down on top of the hatch and the next thing you know the whole cave collapsed. I paddled and paddled as hard as I could, but I couldn’t get to the hole in time. That was the last I ever saw of my parents and my little sister.”“The storm raged for another three days. After it ended, I tried with my little paws, boy, did I try, to find a way in. Finally, I noticed hole inside of the fallen oak trees and climbed down into the cave.”“The good news and the bad news are one in the same. My parents and little sister weren’t there. That means they survived the storm. That’s the good news. The bad news is that my parents and little sister weren’t there. That’s the bad news too. They must have thought the fox had eaten me for breakfast and then gone away because of the storm.“I’d do anything to find them, but I’m not like my dad. I’m not a tunnel traveler. I just have no sense of direction!”Chapter 5“Why not? What makes you think you can’t?” asked Abe.“You mean Pourquoi pas?’ You sound like my dad. He always used to say that! Of course, he’d always say it in French. Another thing he learned as a tunnel traveler in West Africa!“But I just don’t know. My Dad did it, of course. He was the best of the best so they’d say. He could navigate tunnels far and wide. From the Arctic to the
Antarctic. From the Gobi desert to the Sahara. From the outback of
Australia to the steppes of the Ukraine. All the way down to the
rugged lands of Patagonia.”“But that was my dad. How could I ever fill his shoes? Besides, I didn’t know my dad long enough for him to teach me the ropes.”“All he ever said was Trust your instincts son.’ `Trust your instincts.’
I never got more than that from him. It all happened too soon.”They both looked over at a large black hole leading into the unknown. The thick twisted roots of the ancient oaks seemed to decorate a
dark gateway of sorts.“Is that the entranceway to the tunnel?” asked Abe, “How long have you stared at that tunnel wanting to go, but being too afraid to try?”“More years than I can count,” said the giant gopher, “more years than I can count. I sit here feeling the urge and the desire to go in, but I’ve never thought I could do it. Then I’d bawl and bawl. It is kind of like my daily ritual. You are the first person who ever heard me.”Abe looked at his watch. “Okay, now I’m really running late. I’ve got to get to school. I am way past the bus drop-offs now. If I’m lucky, Mr. Appleby, the principal, is still reading his morning announcements. I think that he missed his calling as a Radio DJ. He just loves to hear himself talk.”“You are going to be here right? I’ll come back as soon as I can. There is something that I want to bring to you. Something that I think will help.”Chapter 6Abe made it to school. As a matter of fact, Mr. Appleby was still at the morning announcements. No one even noticed when Abe swiftly took his seat and joined the other students.Abe had a hard time concentrating for the rest of the day. He kept thinking about the giant gopher – thinking about what he could do to help.After school, Abe ran back to his house. He had a very special gift that he wanted to give to the gopher. Actually, he had two very special gifts in mind.Abe’s Grandpa had taught Abe quite a few things about navigation—how to tell the direction from the location of the sun, how to tell direction by the location of the moss on trees, but Abe’s Grandpa was a very smart man. He knew that sometimes you can’t see the sun and that sometimes there is no moss growing on nearby trees. Abe’s Grandpa loved Abe. Out of all his grandchildren, Abe was his favorite. Abe was a natural navigator.Abe remembered the day his Grandpa gave him the very special gift:‘You have a compass built into your brain son,’ his Grandpa would say, ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. But just in case you find yourself in a squeeze, I have something very special for you. It is something that my Grandfather gave to me and his Grandpa gave to him. It is very old, Abe, so be careful, but it works like a charm. It works like magic actually.”Abe’s Grandpa unraveled a tarnished golden compass from a frayed old handkerchief. 'It is said Abe, that your Great- Great- Great- Great Grandfather used this compass when he served in the American Revolution with General George Washington’s army. The legend goes Abe that one day long long ago, this compass helped steer that colonial army clear of danger and into safe haven. ‘I want you to have this, Abe,’ his Grandpa said, ‘I want you to have this.’Once he got back from school, Abe ran into his bedroom. It was filled with maps and globes—maps of the oceans, maps of the deserts, maps of the stars. Abe was a map lover, but he had never really been anywhere outside of Peoria, Illinois. In fact, he had never even seen the ocean, except on TV or in the movies of course, but he knew that one day he would. Perhaps, one day real soon.In his bedroom, Abe went to the top drawer of his dresser, dug beneath the socks, and found the handkerchief. He put it is his pocket and ran back outside. He passed Sergeant Perez’s house – no one was home, cut through the church graveyard, looped quickly around the pond and in no time, found himself once again by the old oak trees near Milford Court. He brushed aside some of the low branches, located the hatch, and jumped in.The giant gopher wasn’t crying this time. He was resting in a soft pile of broken sticks with his back paws up against a rock. Startled by Abe’s quick entrance, he sat up, “Boy, you sure are quick Abe. You really surprised me.”“Well, I do have a surprise for you. Two actually,” replied Abe with a clever smile.Chapter 7“First things first. I have a name, but you don’t. Why didn’t your parents give you a name anyway?” asked Abe.“Well, UP THERE you name people when they are born, but down under in the gopher world we have a special naming ceremony when gophers come of age and grow up. Until then, gophers are called by their rank in the family. Since my parents left before my naming ceremony, I never got a name. I was just called Gopher 1 or G1. My little sister was called gopher 2 or G2. Pretty easy for the parents to remember right, G1 and G2?”“Well, I’m not going to call you by a number. We need to give you a name and I have just the right name in mind for you.”The gopher raised his narrow brow and scrunched his white whiskers in curiosity.“Drum roll please,” announced Abe as he patted his hand against the smooth rock on which he sat. “And the name is…. George!”Abe stuck his hand into his beige corduroy pants and pull out the frayed handkerchief. “Your new name has something to do with the second gift that I want to give to you.” Abe slowly unraveled the handkerchief and revealed the tarnished gold compass.
“Your father told you to trust your instincts, George, but if you are ever in doubt, you can use this. It is a compass. It will guide you and tell you exactly which way to go. This compass once helped save General George Washington and his army. That’s why I want to name you George!”“Now that I think about it, it kind of has a ring to it, don’t you think? George, ‘the giant gopher.’” Abe held out his hands as if envisioning a movie marquee, “I can see it in lights one day, George!”George pointed his moist snout down towards the ground. “I don’t know, Abe. George Washington is a famous person—your first President. How could I ever fill his shoes?”Abe smiled. “I know exactly how you feel,” said Abe. “We’ll have that in common, George.”George didn’t really understand, but he looked at Abe and smiled.“I kind of like it, Abe. I kind of like it.”Chapter 8Each day, Abe would get up extra early and go home a little bit late. He'd run as fast as he could between his house and school. One day, he practically knocked down Sergeant Perez as he was going to fetch his morning newspaper.Abe always packed something special for George in the morning: books, maps, photos. One day, he would bring a map of Africa, the next day a book about the Baltic Sea. On other days, he would just bring picture books of mountain ranges and deserts.They never discussed it, but they both knew. One day. One day soon. They would enter into the darkness—into the tunnel.After two weeks of diligent preparation, Abe brought George his most prized possession of all—a globe. For the very first time, George could see the shape of the world in which his father traveled deep beneath the surface of the earth.George had never been so happy. He finally had a friend and his confidence, although shaky, was growing little by little. He devoured the study materials that Abe would bring each day. By the time, Abe came back in the afternoon, George was quizzing Abe.“So Abe, “What’s the longest river in the world?”“Ah, that would be the Amazon,” answered Abe slightly confused.“No, Abe. Close. The Nile is the longest river in the world. It is 4,180 miles long and unlike most rivers it runs north instead of south and it is fed by two main rivers—the White Nile which starts in Uganda and the Blue Nile which starts in Ethiopia. The Nile runs all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt.”“The widest river in the world is the Amazon. It is up to 6.8 miles wide during the dry season. You can’t even see the other side at its widest point. It runs from the jungles of Peru and Ecuador all the way to Brazil.”“I am so impressed George. How did you learn to read anyway?”“Now that’s one thing that I can really thank my mom for. When my dad was out daydreaming and taking a break from telling us stories about his adventures as a tunnel traveler, my mom would sit with G2 and me and teach us how to read. If it wasn’t for my mom, I would never be able to read through these books and atlases.”George was sitting on a pile of books spinning the globe with his paws as a glint of the afternoon light shone down upon him.“So George,” Abe asked. “If you could go anywhere, where would it be?”“If you could go anywhere, where would it be?” said George repeating Abe’s question as he daydreamed and spun the globe around with his enormous paws.“I would go to find my parents and sister,” replied George suddenly looking a bit shaken again. “It is all that I have ever thought about for most of my life. I know they’re out there. They just don’t know that I’m still out here.”“But, I don’t know, Abe. I’m afraid to look for them in the tunnels,” he peered again at the dark entranceway surrounded in a garland of oak roots.“That’s okay, George. I’m afraid too, but it is something that we must do anyway.”“What do you mean ‘we’ Abe?”“I’m going with you,” replied Abe.
Chapter 9“I can’t believe its March 23rd. Three days after the official start of spring. This is the same day that I lost my family.”“Yeah,” said Abe “and this is the day that we are going out to find them.”Abe had prepared a cord long and strong enough to thread through the compass and wrap around George’s neck. Abe filled a backpack with an extra flashlight, matches, and lots of water, granola bars, and a wool sweater.Abe also found a saddle bag in his garage from when his mom used to ride horses. Abe attached it to George’s back and fastened it tight. “Ouch. I’m not a horse, Abe,” complained George. “Neither am I, but I’m carrying a heavy pack too.”George told Abe how his parents had chosen a home near a pond because how dirty they used to get in the tunnel. Abe decided to keep an extra set of clothes by the hatch expecting that he might be covered in dirt when he came back out.“What else, Abe?”“What else, George? Let’s do this.”They each took one step forward. It was the only way to begin.Chapter 10The tunnel was so dark and damp. Abe flipped on his flashlight. They entered. First, 2 feet, 4 feet, 6 feet, 8 feet, 10 feet. The light of the hatch became dim, and then it vanished completely. For the first time, Abe and George were surrounded by absolute darkness. Abe noted the direction 130 degrees southeast from the compass around George’s neck and scribbled it down on his small pad while he walked forward.“Watch out!” cried George. George’s eyes were naturally better than Abe’s especially in the dark. He could practically see without the light. Abe bumped right into a giant wall. Some dusty rubble fell on his shoulders. “What’s this? The tunnel has ended?” He felt a massive stone wall in front of him.“Oh no,” said George, “after all this, no where else to go.”“Wait a minute.” Abe scurried around the base of the damp wall. “Look here. There is a tunnel to the left and another to the right.” The tunnel diverged into two.George scrunched his white whiskers. “Now what, Abe? I have no idea what to do.”Abe shined the light onto the wall. “Right there. There’s something written, etched into the granite.” Abe read the words.Giuseppe’s Pond
Last stop before chute
Beware Molly’s Revenge
Per Ardua Ad Astra“That’s my family pond. My dad’s name is Giuseppe, but what are they talking about?”“This last part sounds like Latin…. Wait George. Look. There’s more in faint letters below. Someone’s scribbled more on the rock.” It read:Giuseppe clan departed. March 25th. Year of Great Disasters. G#1 lost. Hatch Cave in. Headed to the Isles of Tranquility to find a new home.
Signed Guiseppe.“I knew it. They really think that I’m dead, Abe.”“But at least they left a clue where they were headed, George.”“Yeah, but I have no idea where the Isles of Tranquility are and there’s no such place in the atlas. How are we going to decide which way to go?”Chapter 11One tunnel was narrow and very damp. The other was dry and wide. Abe’s socks and pants were already wet and turning black with dirt. “Let’s take this one,” he suggested pointing to the dry one. They entered.Beware. The sound was faint. Beware. They heard it again. Beware. The walls seemed to whisper. Beware. They could see nothing. Abe searched the walls with his light. George scrunched his whiskers. Beware.Abe noticed small cobwebs on the side of the cave. “Where’s that sound coming from?”George put his snout closer to the wall. “It can’t be Abe. It seems to be coming from the cobwebs.”“That’s ridiculous, George. You’ve been in the dark too long. Let’s keep going.”The tunnel turned and began to dip down at a steep angle. It then lifted upwards and twisted in several directions. Soon enough, Abe and George were completely disoriented.“5 degrees north, 245 degrees west southwest, 183 degrees south. I don’t get this. Where are we, George? This is more of a maze than a tunnel.”
“I see light!” cried George.“You are right, George!” The both began to run towards the light. “It must be another hatch!” exclaimed Abe.Their foot and paw steps kicked up dust and made a great rustling echo within the tunnel. They could hardly hear the dull and steady whispers. Beware. Beware. Beware.Chapter 12Panting heavily, Abe and George were almost there, still running straight down hill towards the light. They had gathered so much speed they could hardly stop.“George, something is strange.” Abe huffed and puffed, “Why are we running downhill if light is supposed to come from UP THERE?”“You are right, Abe. SLOW DOWN!”They both turned to try to pivot and stop. Their feet and paws slid out from under them and they started to roll into a full tumble down the slippery slope.As they slid down, the light started to move. It moved closer and closer towards them.Now they could see it.“Abe, we’ve got to stop. It’s not a light at all. It’s some kind of glowing monster! It looks like a giant WORM!”George instinctively twisted sliding down backwards hind paws first on his broad stomach. He dug his paws into the wet earth. His speed began to slow.“Grab my paw, Abe!” Abe clasped George’s paw.The giant glow worm opened its jaws which spread as wide as the tunnel entrance. A long slithering white tongue protruded through glowing fangs. HEEEESH! The high pitch hiss of the worm was the most frightening sound either one of them had ever heard.With all the strength that he could muster, George drove his sharp paws into the earth one final time. They came to a halt.“Get on, Abe. Get on!” Abe scrambled on top of the saddle bags. George drove forward with more power than he ever thought possible. He climbed the incline with lightening speed.The slithering tongue glided quickly behind them getting longer and longer. It brushed against George’s hind paws.
But George was too fast. He kicked up a cloud of thick dust into the slippery tongue as he scurried forth with Abe on his back. The tongue retracted in bitter defeat. George and Abe raced on—collapsing at the top of the tunnel.Chapter 13Lying in front of the cobwebs, gasping for air, they were not able to speak for a while. After their heaving subsided, they heard the whispers again. Beware. Beware. Beware.“Who are you?” pressed Abe unable to stand it any longer.“I am here,” replied a voice.They looked and looked, but could not see anyone.“No. Way down here.”At the base of the cobwebs was the smallest spider they had ever seen. In fact, they could barely see him. He had red glowing eyes that looked like the pinpoints of a tomato.“I told you so. I told you to beware. Molly doesn’t like intruders. Intruders stole her precious cocoon years ago. It was made of the finest silk in the world.”“Who are you?” asked Abe.“Well, forgive me for not introducing myself. I am BOJOBO. And who might I ask are you?”“I am Abe and this is George.”“Well, it is a pleasure. I don’t believe I’ve ever met two presidents before. Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Washington. It is a pleasure.”Abe and George looked at each other in amazement. This was no ordinary spider. He had wisdom beyond his size.“Where are you from, George?” BOJOBO asked inquisitively.“I was born just around the corner near the pond. That’s where I’ve grown up.”“It can’t be. It can’t be,” muttered BOJOBO, under his breath, “and where are your parents?”“They left a long time ago when I was UP THERE. When I came back they were gone.”“It can’t be,” whispered BOJOBO, “Are you the son of Giuseppe, one of the greatest tunnel travelers of all time?”“I am.” George’s heart swelled with pride.“Legend has it that you perished years ago –that you were eaten by a fox.”“Well, that’s almost true,” said George, “but foxes don’t like water. The fox chased me to the edge of the pond and I took a quick boat ride on a log.”“This is extraordinary. You are still alive! The legend lives on.” The spider could hardly contain his happiness. He did a little twirl and started to do a bizarre spider dance. “This is some of the best news that I’ve heard this century.”Suddenly George looked very down-trodden. Abe noticed and put his hand on George’s strong haunches.“That’s great, Mr. BOJOBO, but my parents think that I’m dead and I have no idea where they are.”BOJOBO paused, “Now this is a bit of a problem now isn’t it. We must find them.”“What do you mean ‘we’?” asked George.
“I am going with you,” replied BOJOBO.Chapter 14Abe, George and BOJOBO traced their way back to the entrance of Molly’s tunnel. BOJOBO climbed inside the top of Abe’s shirt pocket and peered forward with his tiny bright tomato eyes.“This is the crossroads,” said Abe, “and this is where we should have turned.” Abe pointed to the smaller damp tunnel on the other side of the rock wall.“But then you would have never met me” reminded BOJOBO.“Or Molly” said George scrunching his whiskers and letting out a deep sigh still shaken up by the long glowing tongue and sharp fangs of the cave dwelling worm.“And here’s the etching,” Abe pointed to the faint words engraved on the rock wall.“I see,” said BOJOBO.They all gazed intently at the wall trying to decipher the meaning.Giuseppe’s Pond
Last stop before chute
Beware Molly’s Revenge
Per Ardua Ad AstraAnd beneath it, more faintly engraved read:Giuseppe clan departed. March 25th. Year of Great Disasters. G#1 lost. Hatch Cave in. Headed to the Isles of Tranquility to find a new home. Signed Guiseppe.“Very interesting, the fascinating part of this etching is that they said that they were bound for the Isle’s of Tranquility. These are legendary isles – there’s no documented evidence that anyone has ever been there or at least been there and returned.”Abe and George sighed, “Then how are we ever going to find them?”“Well, let’s hope that your dad left some clues along the way. If not, we will have our detective work cut out for us.”“Are chutes real BOJOBO? I remember my dad talking about them long ago.”“Yes, George. Very real. Chutes are like super express highways. They transport you at lightening speed. The problem is that they are one-way. You have to find another way back. If you can’t find another chute, it could take months—even years—to retrace your steps. There’s another problem too. Chutes can be dangerous. Some haven’t been maintained. There have been avalanches in chutes. Rocks pile up. If you hit one of those pile ups at top speeds, watch out. You have to twist and turn your body to dodge the debris with split second reflexes. And Abe, I don’t think you and I could make it. These tunnels are made for ancient gophers. Our bodies are just not made to withstand the wear and tear.”George turned his head. “There might be a way.”“What are you thinking?” asked Abe.“You ride me. Just like in Molly’s tunnel. It’s our only hope.”“He’s right,” said BOJOBO, “It is the only way.”“We’re going with you,” said Abe.Chapter 15Abe, George and BOJOBO took one last look at the distant light reflections of the hatch nestled underneath the ancient oaks. They all took one step forward, then another, into the unknown small and damp second tunnel.The tunnel was straight and fairly wide once they got fully inside. It had high arching damp walls sprinkled with shiny quartz.“My compass marks 149 degrees south, south east,” remarked Abe staring at the trusty golden compass, “We must be directly under the pond.”Little rivulets of water carved wavy lines into the sparkling rock.It was not long before they reached another etching. This one was strangely protruding from the center of the tunnel. In fact, if George had not noticed it and held out his paw, Abe and BOJOBO would have collided right into it.“What’s does this one say?” asked George.Abe read it aloud as he shined his flashlight on it.Beware. All who enter here.
South American Chute
There is no return.“Look there,” said BOJOBO, his tiny tomato-colored eyes aglow. “Down, far below to the right.” Abe moved his flashlight.“How did you see that?” remarked Abe, “It was totally covered in darkness.”“Sometimes instinct sees for you,” replied BOJOBO.Abe read:Farewell Old Oak Pond
So much left behind
In search of a new destiny
South America bound
Per Ardua Ad Astra
-GiuseppeGeorge’s eyes swelled with tears. His father had passed here with his mom and sister. These must have been the last words that he wrote not knowing his fate before he entering the chute.“There it is again,” Abe shined the light on the unknown words. “Per Ardua. Ad Astra.” What does that mean?”“That’s the code of the ancient tunnel travelers, George. Your father was one of them.”“It sounds like Greek to me,” remarked George scrunching his whiskers.“Close,” said BOJOBO, “It’s actually Latin, George. It means ‘through adversity to the stars.’”George stared at the words. His heart swelled with pride. His father and the other ancient tunnel travelers had lived and died by those words.“Where’s the chute, BOJOBO?” said George anxious to get underway.“I don’t know, George, but I would not suggest walking past this marker unless we are all ready to fly or should I say, slide.”That was George’s clue. “Everyone hop on.”“I hope that we can be back by dinnertime,” pressed Abe.“As long as you believe, anything is possible, Abe, anything,” reassured BOJOBO.
George steadied his stance. Abe and BOJOBO climbed on top.“Hold on guys. Here we go.”
Chapter 16George lunged forward.Nothing happened.
He stepped forward again. Nothing happened.“Go back to the signpost,” directed BOJOBO, “Place your left paw into the hollow part at the top. Your paw should fit perfectly.”George obeyed. Sure enough the hollow part of his paw fit perfectly. “But, how did you know that?” asked George incredulously.Before BOJOBO could answer the floor started to shift. Suddenly, it gave way revealing a tunnel—the depth of which none of them—save one—had ever seen.“Hold on!” cried BOJOBO, “Hang on for dear life!”With the full force of gravity, they began a free fall.
“Where’s the slide?” yelled Abe. “I thought that this was a chute, not a bottomless pit.”“Stretch your arms and legs, George,” commanded BOJOBO in mid flight as they continued to free fall.The winged skin underneath George’s outstretched arms and legs helped slow their descent. A few hundred yards below they could make out an enormous slide wrapped in stone.“This is the fun part!” shouted BOJOBO “Belly first George! Belly first!”George leaned forward into a dive bomb position. BOOM!!! BOOM!! BOOM! His body hit the chute hard and bounced up and down. Abe and BOJOBO held on for dear life.“Paws forward, George! Paws forward!” cried BOJOBO.Abe had never flown this fast. George started to laugh. “This is fun!”“I…told…you…so!” remarked BOJOBO between bounces as he held tightly to Abe’s shirt pocket.They all erupted in laughter. “YAHOOOO!”Chapter 17The chute twisted and turned sometimes rising and sometimes falling at incredible depths. Abe managed to glance at their trusty compass. The needle swung erratically between south southeast and south southwest. No matter where they were headed, they were definitely headed south—far south.After a while, the dark stone walls started to glitter—just a little at first. By the time, the chute eventually flattened and they miraculously slowed to a halt, the walls were absolutely ablaze with sparkles.They all stood breathless. “This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” muttered George, barely able to speak. “Just wait,” whispered BOJOBO, “Just wait.”They walked a little farther and peered up. “How did we get UP THERE?” gasped Abe, “I thought that we were going deeper into the earth? Look at all the stars. I can even see Orion. Look, there are the three stars of his belt.”It appeared to be night and stars filled the sky.“Look down there,” gasped Abe again, “way down there—in the valley.”Down in the distant valley, there appeared a shining palace surrounded by a massive city.For at least a few minutes, they were totally speechless. They just peered out mesmerized. BOJOBO had been right. It was the most spectacular sight they had ever seen.“What is this place?” questioned Abe.“It is a city that conquistadors and pirates, explorers and slave hunters, and everyone in between, has sought after for ages. It is the famed city of gold built by the Incas thousands of years ago. It still exists just as it has for ages in the lands down under.”“You mean we are still down under, BOJOBO? How about the stars?“Those are holes carved out of the jungle floor—the greatest jungle in the world—the Amazon. Light shines in and forms constellations in the sky.”Just as they spoke, a giant bird with a wing span wider than Abe was tall came swooping down and landed right before them. The bird had piercing yellow eyes and kingly features.George’s mouth dropped open. “Is that a condor?”“Yes,” replied BOJOBO, “King of the jungle and the skies. Be still. Let’s see what he wants.”The condor hopped closer towards them and stopped.Chapter 18“Who goes there?” spoke the condor peering above his regal beak.“I am George.”“I’m Abe”“And I am BOJOBO.”“What business do you have here? Intruders are forbidden from this sacred place.”BOJOBO spoke—his eyes aglow like bright tomatoes.“We seek only safe passage to the Isle’s of Tranquility to help our friend, George, find his long lost family whom he has not seen since he was a boy.”The condor scrutinized the trio with his piercing eyes. “The ancients used to come here to refurbish their supplies. This tunnel leads to the great chute, but no creature—gopher, boy or spider—has used it for years. We thought that the route was sealed.”The kings-sized condor glanced towards Abe, “You, son, are the first boy from UP THERE to ever see the lost city of the Incas—the City of Gold.“I am Colca. My family comes from the Colca Canyon in Peru. We condors are the guardians of the City of Gold.”“Come, there is more. Inti, our King, would like to meet you.”Chapter 19“Follow me,” commanded Colca as he led Abe, George and BOJOBO down the steep path into the City of Gold.Abe almost tripped and fell over several times as he looked out at the grand city in absolute amazement. “Watch your step—Abe!” cried BOJOBO.Abe could not believe his eyes. As he approached the towering gates to the city, he realized that even the roads were paved with gold.Two very tall Incas adorned in necklaces with giant gold medallions engraved with strange hieroglyphics stood at the gates of the city. Their spears were at least three times as tall as Abe. The guards stood motionless as the odd trio passed into the city led by Colca—the condor.As soon as he entered the city, George started to slip and slide on the golden street.“It’s like ice,” he said to Abe. George flopped to his belly as his paws gave out. Colca looked back and let out a chuckle. BOJOBO looked forward intently—his eyes ablaze.
Chapter 20Colca rounded a bend and the grand palace appeared. On top of the palace’s highest spire rested a giant sun with long golden rods protruding out in all directions. It shined brightly of gold. The reflections of the stars above actually made it appear like a burning sun.“Enter!” Colca ordered. “Inti awaits!”Inside, the palace, there were urns of all shapes and sizes. Some filled with fruits and others with grains.Massive guards lined a long hall holding gigantic spears. The Guards peered down without moving their heads an inch. “We must be careful,” whispered BOJOBO, “This place is not just known as the lost city of gold, but also the city of thieves.” Abe and George looked at the stone faces of the guards.At the end of the hall raised upon an altar awaited a standing figure adorned in a robe which glittered with threads of pure gold. The distant figure ordered his servants in a bellowing voice—one that depicted great strength and size, but as the trio moved closer they were surprised that this revered King was no taller than Abe. In fact, he was also not any older.“So there you are, step forward! You are the boy from UP THERE who I’ve heard about. The first boy from UP THERE I’ve ever met.”The guards poked their pointed spears at the backs of their legs forcing them into a bow.“Bow,” whispered BOJOBO, “Inti might look harmless, but he is not.”“Do not touch them!” cried the King. “They are my guests. Inti took his scepter and struck one of the guards on his shin. Pay attention!”“Come forward, boy. Speak. What is your name?”“My name is Abe”“And how old are you, Abe?”“I am nine,” Abe replied, “May I ask your age?”Inti reared his head around astonished that the boy had the audacity to ask him such a question. Another guard tried to strike Abe with his spear, but Inti gave the guard another quick blow with his scepter to the back of his thigh.Composing himself, the King replied, “I am 309—still very new to the throne. I have always yearned to go UP THERE. The elders refuse to let me go. They say that it is too dangerous and that I am too young. I am finally glad to have a new friend—a friend who will stay with me forever.”“Forever,” whispered Abe to George and BOJOBO, “I have a science project due next week. I can’t stay here forever!”“As for your other friends, we will offer them to the Sun God tomorrow morning as a sign of our gratitude for bringing you to us.”“But first, let us feast! Music! Dance! Food!” cried Inti in his high pitched voice, clapping three times with his small hands.George, Abe and BOJOBO looked at each other in dread. George scrunched his whiskers nervously.The colossal hall became a festival of sights and sounds. Slaves bound in shackles brought in platters of fresh fruit, roasted jungle animals and bowls of the famous Amazonian grain, Quinoa. Clay jugs of ambrosia water were also brought in. Everyone was given mugs of shiny gold.Men and women guests adorned in necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets of gold poured into the hall. Women even wore brackets and rings on their ankles and toes. Everyone was steeped in gold, but only Inti wore clothing of gold. The rest of the Incas wore simple white cotton tunics.Enormous tables were brought in. The Incas used steep wooden ladders to festoon garlands of flowers from long rafters of gold high above.Young Inca girls with strange purple and yellow clovers decorating their hair paraded in and surrounded the banquet tables. They all looked about the same age as Abe.Harpists surrounded the outskirts of the hall playing enchanting tunes which echoed delicately throughout.“Sit, friends! It is time for a toast,” declared Inti.The entire hall followed his command in total obedience. You could hear a pin drop.“All this,” Inti swung his hands around wildly while staring at Abe, “All this grandeur is for you, boy! Abe from UP THERE. My new friend, forever.”“And Sun God,” Inti lifted his head and hands high to the sky while kneeling, “Tomorrow we sacrifice these two creatures at first light when the stars shine bright,” he pointed his left forefinger at BOJOBO and George.“Now raise your mugs. This ambrosial water taken from the lost springs will keep you forever young! Here! Here!”As Inti spoke, BOJOBO whispered to Abe and George. “Don’t drink from the mug. You will never want to leave here if you do. The water springs from the fountain of youth. It is very powerful. Just pretend to sip it.”Abe contested, “But I’ll never grow a day older.”BOJOBO’s eyes glowed tomato red. “However, tempting,” he warned, “Don’t do it. We have to find a way out of here tonight.”Inti stared at Abe anxiously waiting for him to sip deeply from the mug.Abe put the mug to his lips and smiled at Inti, but he did not let the sweet water enter his mouth.Chapter 21The festivities continued. George could not bear to eat the roasted jungle animals. One even resembled a miniature gopher. He stuck to the leafy greens. BOJOBO sucked on a few morsels of grain and Abe devoured the succulent tropical fruits.At the end of the feast, Abe, George and BOJOBO felt very full and very thirsty. Inti clapped his hands again.The young girls surrounding them finally began to dance in a circular motion around the tables. The purple and yellow cloves stood out against their silky black hair. They wore bells of gold around their ankles and wrists which made a sweet sound as they danced.The dancers seemed to take a special liking to Abe. They smiled with extra enthusiasm and bright eyes when they passed by him. One, with shorter black hair and large bulbous eyes, leaned over Abe startling him. She glanced nervously at Inti. Inti looked engaged in some in official business with some high ranking Incas.“You must go or you will be trapped here forever. I do wish you could stay,” she smiled widely, “but I would never wish that upon you.”“I need to take my friends. I can’t leave them here,” said Abe.“That will be very difficult,” replied the black haired girl with the big eyes, “but I can help. I will come to your quarters tonight. Be ready.”“What is your name,” asked Abe.“Hana” replied the girl as she danced away with the rest of the dancers.“Thank you, Hana, Thank you,” whispered Abe. He knew that she was his only hope.Chapter 22The night bore on. Inti started to yawn. “Enough,” he commanded with two claps of his little hands, “Tomorrow, we must rise at first light for the sacrifice. Let us retire now for ample rest.”Two lanky guards grabbed George. BOJOBO jumped into the top of his saddlebag. “This way furry one,” they ordered. Another guard squeezed Abe’s arm firmly, “We have more comfortable quarters for you. Follow me.”The guard led Abe to a room in the back side of the palace. Everything in the room was made of gold—even the bed. ‘How could I ever sleep on that’ thought Abe.“I will return at dawn. Be ready,” ordered the Incan guard, “You are the official guest at the sacrifice tomorrow.” The guard closed the golden door and locked it from the outside.A lone candle lit the room. Abe was terribly worried about George and BOJOBO.‘How can we ever escape this place?’ he thought, ‘Will Hana ever come?’Chapter 23Abe waited impatiently in the room. He felt very alone amid the extraordinary wealth. The bed was expensive beyond compare, but it was also cold and hard. Abe could not even bear to sit upon it. It gave him a chill.Just then, Abe heard a slight tapping at the door then he heard the bolt on the outside of his chamber door slide open. Standing in the doorway holding small candelabra was the girl from the dance—the one with large bulbous brown eyes and shortly trimmed hair. Hana had arrived.“Boy, I am sure glad you made it.”“We must go quickly,” she said not wasting a moment on pleasantries. “The changing of the guards takes place very soon. There will only be one or two minutes when the door of your friends’ cell will be unattended.”Hana grabbed Abe by the hand and led him carefully through the shadows. They came to a large spiral staircase which led even farther down into the earth. “It goes even deeper?” Abe asked. “Yes, much deeper. There is a labyrinth below the lost city. Most people can never find their way out and nobody from UP THERE has ever found their way in—except you Abe.” A glint of light caught her eye as she smiled at Abe.“Your friends are down there. We must extinguish the light.”Abe and Hana climbed down the dark spiral staircase. Abe could barely see. He had to rely on Hana to steer him through the darkness. He dared not even turn on his flashlight. As they approached the second level, Hana guided him behind a wall. Abe could barely see down the long corridor. There was an Incan guard sitting by a table, resting his head in his arms, snoring.“Too much ambrosial water I guess,” said Hana, “Your friends are in the cell behind him.”“If we are caught, we will all be sacrificed tomorrow,” warned Hana.“Thanks for the pep talk,” whispered Abe as they both began to tiptoe forward.Chapter 24The guard continued to doze as Abe and Hana quietly approached. Hana deftly unhooked the large golden key from the guard’s belt and swiftly opened the cell.George and BOJOBO were greatly relieved at the sight of their friend and the young girl from the banquet hall.“Quickly,” urged Hana, “the new guards are coming.” They could hear the footsteps of the gargantuan men further down the tunnel.They were spotted. “WHO GOES THERE?” shouted a voice from the darkness.“Down here quickly.” Hana led them farther and farther down the deep well of the spiraling staircase. Abe completely lost sense of where he was and became dizzy as they twisted and turned at a lightening pace down the stairs.For a moment, the footsteps and cries of the guards above seemed to disappear. The guards were gone, but Abe felt terribly lost.Chapter 25Hana led them to a small alcove and lit her candelabra again. Her bulbous eyes glowed over the flickering flames. A narrow passageway opened behind her.“I must go now,” she said, “this passage leads first much deeper into the labyrinth, and then out once again. I have something for you.”In the corner was a small basket filled with quinoa, chia and amaranth. “These grains will give you strength for your long journey.”“And this is for you, Abe.” Hana handed Abe what looked like a wooden walking stick with the head of an animal carved on top. Abe looked curiously at the animal carving. He thought that he saw one of the eyes move.“This is a llama,” said Hana, “the sacred animal of the Incas and the protector of the Andes Mountains. This staff will help guide you. Trust in it.”Abe looked at Hana in amazement. He was so grateful to her. Hana had risked her life to save theirs. He could not help to ask, “How old are you?”“Just think of me as nine, Abe. I am actually 209.”“You are a special boy, Abe. You and your tunnel travelers will do special and important things for the world. I know you will.” She took out a golden necklace engraved with the constellation Orion. “Always follow the stars which shine within you, Abe, and you shall find your way. This medallion shall bring you luck.”Hana clasped Abe’s hand one last time and then vanished.
Chapter 26“We must hurry,” insisted BOJOBO, “the guards will search for us here soon.”“Go forward and bear right,” said a voice.“BOJOBO, was that you?”“No. Not me.”“George, George was that you?”“No, Abe. Not me.”“Then who was it? Who directed us?”“It was me,” said the voice again. The llama’s head on the staff rotated in Abe’s direction. Its eyes miraculously turned the color of gold. Abe jumped so high he nearly hit the top of the tunnel with his head.“What is your name?” asked Abe dumb-founded.“My name is Luxor. I was a gift from the Great Pharaoh of Egypt to Inti’s grandfather, the Sun God. Inti’s father gave me to Hana—his favorite granddaughter and princess of the lost city. She passed me along to you. You are now my master. I shall guide you to the ends of earth and back if need be.”“Good,” chimed in BOJOBO, “because that’s probably where we are going.”‘A princess’ thought Abe.Chapter 27“I hear footsteps,” said George, scrunching his whiskers and listening intently. The footsteps started to grow into a thunderous rumble. “HOP ON MY BACK!” he shouted.BOJOBO grabbed onto Abe’s upper pocket with all his strength and Abe clutched Luxor in his left hand while holding on firmly to George with his right. “GO, GEORGE, GO!” he cried just as Incan warriors appeared at the opposite end of the corridor with their razor sharp spears.George pushed off with a force that stunned even BOJOBO. Luxor called out orders. “Left here. Down the slope. Jump across the crevasse. Climb those stairs. Dip into that hole. Follow the tunnel left.” George focused on his words as they zoomed up and down through the labyrinth under the lost City of Gold.Abe could only glance at their trusty compass at it bounced around George’s neck. They were slowly, but surely heading west.“I smell the sea” BOJOBO said, sucking up a healthy breath full of the refreshingly scented air. “Oh, the memories it brings me.”George stopped in his tracks. Even within the depths of the tunnel, the smell of the salty sea air was exhilarating. For Abe and George, it was their first time to ever smell the sea. They all took deep breaths of the tantalizing air—even Luxor inhaled.“We must finally be clear of the labyrinth,” suggested Abe.“Yes” replied Luxor. “We are now out of the reach of the Incan warriors. They will never leave the boundary of the Lost City to find us.”“Follow this tunnel,” instructed Luxor. “It shall lead us directly to the Isles of Tranquility.”Chapter 28Abe’s compass read 270 degrees west.“The Isles of Tranquility are about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador,” said BOJOBO.“The Isles of Tranquility must be the Galapagos Islands,” suggested George.“You studied my atlases hard, didn’t you George. You must be right. Those are the only islands that far off the coast of Ecuador,” said Abe.“But why there?” questioned George.“The Galapagos Islands have no natural predators,” replied BOJOBO—his eyes ablaze like tomatoes, “All animals are safe there, except maybe spiders.”“Let’s get moving,” urged George anxious to find his family.The tunnel descended at a sharp angle burrowing deep below the sea and led to another chute.“This is the great Southern Pacific chute. If you follow this all the way, you will find yourself at an odd place, called Frazier Island in Australia. You’d love it. It is made entirely of sand. Luckily for us, the Isles of Tranquility are the first pit stops along the way. There are several. The route is so long that the ancients build pit stops to refurbish their food supplies and enjoy island life, of course.”Chapter 29The Southern Pacific chute was not as bumpy as their first ride. Everything appeared fine, but as the old adage goes. ‘It’s not over until it’s over.’The chute ended a good 10 miles off the coast, but did not drop them directly underneath the islands.“The isles are near, but there is great danger ahead,” warned BOJOBO. “These are the isles of tranquility, but the seas are renowned as the seas of severity.”Countless depths beneath the sea, they steadfastly continued forward in a narrow tunnel enveloped in the thick musty scent of sea air.“Look,” pointed out BOJOBO, “the tunnel ahead has collapsed. We’ve hit a dead-end.”“How far are we now from the isles?” asked Abe.“About 3 miles,” answered Luxor.“We’ve come so far and now to have to turn back,” said George exasperated.“There must be another way,” demanded Abe.“There is nothing between us and the isles, but ocean” explained Luxor. “There is no way in. I cannot advise you to go forward.”George and Abe looked at one another. They had come so far.“Sometimes, you just have to trust your instincts,” Abe proclaimed. “That is what my Grandpa taught me. Where we can’t walk, we will swim.”“That is foolish,” warned Luxor. “You won’t hear my commands under water. You will not know which direction to go.”BOJOBO’s eyes glowed. “These are the isles of tranquility—the most peaceful in the world, but the seas are filled with sharks—hammerheads.”“There is no turning back,” replied Abe firmly.Chapter 30Abe removed the gold compass from George’s neck and wrapped in around his left hand. “We will follow the reading 270 degrees due west,” instructed Abe. BOJOBO climbed inside of an empty water bottle. Abe tucked Luxor inside of his belt.“I will dig us near the ocean floor, then seal the hatch behind us to that we don’t flood the tunnel,” said George, “From that point, we have to make it to the surface before we run out of breath.”George clenched his paws to reveal his razor sharp claws. Abe had sometimes forgotten about George’s brute force since he was so mild-mannered.George dug with impressive strength until they were just two feet away from the ocean floor.“Hold on,” Abe screamed, “Here it comes!” A rush of cold ocean water engulfed them. They swam out the hatch into the vast ocean.George kicked hard. His gaze fixed upon the sparkling surface of the water.BOJOBO’s eyes burned ablaze inside of the bottle. He could see a legion of large fish approaching. ‘This could be the end,’ he thought.The fish surrounded the struggling swimmers. Abe was almost out of breath. One of the fish appeared to be the leader. He swam up close to Abe. BOJOBO exhaled a sigh of great relief. These were not sharks after all, but a school of porpoises.The leader of the fish peered into Abe’s eyes as if telepathically reassuring him. ‘Everything will be all right,’ he seemed to say.Chapter 31Abe feared that it was too late. His face started to turn blue. He just did not have enough oxygen to get to the surface.The porpoise seemed to beckon him. Abe reached out his hand to the giant fish. The porpoise swam underneath him. ‘Trust your instincts,’ thought Abe, ‘Never, ever, ever give up.”Just then with a renewed strength, Abe instinctively grabbed the porpoise’s dorsal fin. The porpoise towed Abe and George to the surface. The other porpoises clustered around the struggling swimmers in a protective squadron. BOJOBO could see red-eyed hammerhead sharks circling in the distant.Once they finally popped up into the open sky, they gasped heavily for air.
The porpoises had saved their lives. For the first time, they could see the palm-fringed coast of the Isles of Tranquility. They had arrived.Chapter 32Led and protected by the squadron of leaping porpoises, Abe, George, BOJOBO and Luxor made their way towards the beach.A giant gopher rested on a lounge chair by the sea. He had tufts of gray streaking through his hair. He appeared distinguished, but strong and youthful despite his age.As George approached, the giant gopher turned as if instincts alone made him aware of the approaching travelers as they waded out of the water.The gopher, larger than any George had ever seen, stood majestically on his hind paws watching as George approached.“No one has used that tunnel route in years. The tunnel collapsed years ago and the seas are infested with sharks. Only the greatest of tunnel travelers or the son of the greatest of tunnel travelers could have made it this far,” he said widening his furry lips into a smile. “This can’t be. I have imagined this day for years, but doubted that it would ever happen. Could it be true? G2?”“Yes and no, Dad, it is me, but my name is George now.”“Son,” he cried, running to embrace George. “You are almost fully grown”After a moment, George’s father looked askance and saw BOJOBO tucked inside of Abe’s pocket. “My little friend,” he laughed. “You made it too.”“Giuseppe,” said BOJOBO, “It has been a long time.”Giuseppe reached out his paw and BOJOBO jumped upon it. “It is good to see you again, my old friend.”George and Abe looked in surprise at BOJOBO. “You didn’t tell me that you knew my Dad!”“I didn’t want to get your hopes up, George. I even thought the chances of finding him were slim.”“BOJOBO and I go back years, George,” said his father, “This little spider is one the greatest and wisest tunnel travelers of all time. I met him years ago while traversing under the Pacific Ocean on the Great Fuji tunnel from Japan to Big Sur, California. I was completely lost and ended up on a small island, called Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands. BOJOBO and I became fast friends and traveled for years together.”“Giuseppe, you are too kind,” replied BOJOBO. “Your father, George, saved my life on many occasions. When we thought that you were lost—that the fox had taken you, your father wanted to go far away to a place so safe that he would never have to worry about his family getting attacked again. Once he decided to take the family to the Isles of Tranquility, I offered to stay just in case you ever returned. I lived in Molly’s tunnel to protect you from the giant worm and help you find your father. Once I realized that you were alive, I had no way of letting your father know. I had to wait until you had grown up to make sure that you were strong enough for the journey, but I also knew that we could never make it alone.” BOJOBO turned his glance towards Abe.“And who may I ask is this astonishing boy?” inquired Giuseppe.“My name is Abe,” he said with a proud smile.Luxor chimed in. “Without Abe, George and BOJOBO would never have made it. Abe saved them from the Lost City of Gold and the shark infested waters. He guided them here.”“Thank you for saving my son, Abe. I have never seen a boy from UP THERE travel the tunnels with such courage.”Chapter 33“Where’s my Mom and G2?” asked George.“Your sister’s name is Delilah now.” Giuseppe put a conch shell to his whiskers and blew three times. That was the special signal they had reserved for the day when their dreams came true—when George came home. Giuseppe had never signaled it before.In an instant, George’s mother and sister came running out of the thick foliage of the jungle barreling down on George with wild cries of utter happiness. They tumbled upon him smothering him in hugs and kisses. The girls were back.That evening, George’s mom prepared enormous wedges of watermelon and roasted fish. They shared stories and laughter under a crescent moon. They sang and they danced, catching up on years gone by.It was the happiest day of George’s life.Abe looked at the mighty belt of Orion in the heavens above. He thought about his mom and dad. Giuseppe noticed him. “I know that look, Abe. I have looked at the constellations many a night wondering if my son would ever come home.”“I have some good news for you. There is another chute nearby—one that can take you back to Oak Pond within hours. Let us go there now.”Abe gave his good-byes to BOJOBO, George and his family.“We will meet again, Abe,” said BOJOBO. “There is trouble brewing off the coast of West Africa deep below the earth. We will need a strong tunnel traveler like you.”“Good-bye, my friend,” said George. “How can I ever thank you?”“Just keep following your instincts, George. Per Ardua. Ad Astra,” said Abe with a smile. He hoped on to the thick haunches of Giuseppe. They entered a large cave overlooking the beach.Abe was back in time for dinner.- The End -
© Abe and the Tunnel Travelers | Written by Pemba Umoja, 2001 - 2025
🇪🇸
¿Quién es Pemba Umoja?
Pemba Umoja es un narrador dedicado a crear historias imaginativas y edificantes que celebran el amor, la unidad y el asombro. Con la profunda convicción de que las historias conectan culturas y generaciones, Pemba construye mundos ricos donde el coraje, la amistad y la compasión guían cada viaje.
Ya sea explorando túneles ocultos o estrellas distantes, las historias de Pemba nos recuerdan que lo más importante no siempre se ve: debe sentirse, recordarse y compartirse.🇫🇷
Qui est Pemba Umoja ?
Pemba Umoja est un conteur qui se consacre à la création d’histoires inspirantes et imaginatives célébrant l’amour, l’unité et l’émerveillement. Profondément convaincu que les histoires relient les cultures et les générations, Pemba façonne des mondes riches où le courage, l’amitié et la compassion guident chaque aventure.
Qu’il s’agisse d’explorer des tunnels cachés ou des étoiles lointaines, les récits de Pemba nous rappellent que l’essentiel ne se voit pas toujours : il se ressent, se garde en mémoire et se partage.🇩🇪
Wer ist Pemba Umoja?
Pemba Umoja ist ein Geschichtenerzähler, der sich der Schaffung aufbauender, fantasievoller Erzählungen verschrieben hat, die Liebe, Einheit und Staunen feiern. Mit dem tiefen Glauben, dass Geschichten Kulturen und Generationen verbinden, erschafft Pemba reichhaltige Welten, in denen Mut, Freundschaft und Mitgefühl jede Reise leiten.
Ob versteckte Tunnel oder ferne Sterne – Pembas Geschichten erinnern uns daran, dass das Wichtigste nicht immer sichtbar ist: Es muss gefühlt, bewahrt und geteilt werden.🇮🇹
Chi è Pemba Umoja?
Pemba Umoja è un narratore dedito a creare racconti edificanti e immaginativi che celebrano l’amore, l’unità e lo stupore. Con la convinzione profonda che le storie uniscono culture e generazioni, Pemba costruisce mondi ricchi dove il coraggio, l’amicizia e la compassione guidano ogni avventura.
Che esplorino tunnel nascosti o stelle lontane, le storie di Pemba ci ricordano che ciò che conta di più non sempre si vede: va sentito, ricordato e condiviso.🇵🇹
Quem é Pemba Umoja?
Pemba Umoja é um contador de histórias dedicado a criar narrativas construtivas e imaginativas que celebram o amor, a unidade e o espanto. Com a convicção de que histórias conectam culturas e gerações, Pemba constrói mundos ricos onde a coragem, a amizade e a compaixão guiam cada jornada.
Seja explorando túneis escondidos ou estrelas distantes, as histórias de Pemba nos lembram que o que realmente importa nem sempre se vê: precisa ser sentido, lembrado e compartilhado.🇨🇳
谁是 Pemba Umoja？
Pemba Umoja 是一位致力于创作鼓舞人心、富有想象力的故事的讲述者，他的作品颂扬爱、团结与惊奇。Pemba 坚信故事可以连接不同文化与世代，因此他构建出一个又一个丰富多彩的世界，在那里勇气、友情与慈悲引领着每一次旅程。
无论是探索隐秘的隧道，还是仰望遥远的星空，Pemba 的故事提醒我们：最重要的东西往往无法看见，而是需要用心感受、铭记并与他人分享。🇯🇵
Pemba Umoja（ペンバ・ウモジャ）とは？
Pemba Umoja は、愛・団結・驚きを讃える、想像力豊かで心に響く物語を紡ぐストーリーテラーです。物語は文化と世代をつなげると深く信じ、Pemba は勇気・友情・思いやりあふれる世界を描きます。
隠れたトンネルを探検し、遠い星々へ踏み出す…Pemba の物語は、最も大切なものは目に見えるものではなく、感じ、記憶し、共有することで広がっていくと教えてくれます。🇰🇷
펨바 우모자(Pemba Umoja)는 누구인가요?
Pemba Umoja는 사랑, 연합, 경이를 기리는 고무적이고 상상력 가득한 이야기를 만드는 이야기꾼입니다. 이야기가 문화를 연결하고 세대에 걸쳐 울림을 준다고 깊이 믿으며, Pemba는 용기, 우정, 연민이 이끄는 풍부한 세계를 창조합니다.
숨겨진 터널을 탐험하거나 멀리 있는 별을 바라보는 등, Pemba의 이야기는 가장 중요한 것은 항상 눈에 보이는 것이 아니라 ‘느끼고, 기억하며, 나누는 것’임을 일깨워줍니다.🇷🇺
Кто такой Pemba Umoja?
Pemba Umoja — рассказчик, посвятивший себя созданию воодушевляющих, фантастических историй, воспевающих любовь, единство и удивление. Глубоко веря, что истории соединяют культуры и поколения, Pemba создаёт богатые миры, где отвага, дружба и сострадание ведут каждый путь.
Исследуя тайные туннели или далёкие звёзды, истории Pemba напоминают нам, что самое важное не всегда видно — это нужно ощущать, помнить и делиться.
© Pemba Umoja, 2001- 2025