Violet, the goat lady, stuck her head into the oat bag. Muffled chomping sounds emerged. She sure liked to eat.
Pearl fidgeted. “That red emergency light keeps blinking,” she said. “Shouldn’t we be doing something?”
Violet pulled out her head and snorted. Oats flew from her nostrils. “Dearie me, I almost forgot.” Her hooves click-clacked as she led them to a closet. She opened the closet door and pulled out a black leather satchel. “Dr. Woo isn’t here, and Mr. Taaaabby is up to his eyeballs in percolating pixies. I can’t leave the switchboard. You two’d better giddyup.” She shoved the satchel into Ben’s hands.
“Giddyup?” Ben’s arms drooped under the bag’s weight.
Pearl’s eyes nearly popped out of her face. “Are you saying we get to go to the Imaginary World?” Her voice was so excited it bounced off the walls. “Seriously? Right now?”
“Well, of course right now, little darlin’. It’s emergency code reeeeed.” She patted the leather bag. “You’ll find all sorts of medical supplies here.”
“Medical supplies?” Ben gulped. “But we aren’t doctors.”
She blinked her small eyes. “Y’all are wearing doctor coats.”
“Yeah, but that only makes us look like doctors. We’re just apprentices. We can’t—”
“We can,” Pearl insisted. “We have certificates in Sasquatch Catching and Curing Lake Monster Loneliness. We can do anything!” She yanked the satchel from Ben’s hand. “Let’s go!”
Ben wanted to go to the Imaginary World—there was no doubt about that. But how could he and Pearl be responsible for a creature that was injured? Sure, he could put a bandage on a cut, but what if the creature needed brain surgery, or a heart transplant? “I don’t think—”
Pearl stomped her foot. “I want to go to the Imaginary World. Don’t ruin this for me.”
He wasn’t trying to ruin anything. However, there were rules to follow. And there was a life at stake. “What kind of creature is hurt?” he asked. Violet didn’t answer, because she was nibbling on Ben’s sleeve. He pulled free of her tiny teeth. “Did you just eat my button?” She swallowed, then nodded.
“Don’t get mad,” Pearl whispered. “Goats eat everything.”
Violet eyed Ben’s other sleeve. He stepped away. She picked an oat from her little beard and ate it. “Y’all watch the training video yet?”
“Training video?” both Pearl and Ben said.
“The one that tells you how to travel in the Imaginary Wooooorld.”
Ben chewed on his lip. This sounded important. “No, we haven’t watched it. I think we should.”
“We don’t need a video,” Pearl said. “Just give me a map. I’m real good at following directions.”
“There is no maaaaap.”
Just then, the emergency button began to beep loudly. “Oh, dearie me. I don’t know what to dooooo. No Dr. Woo, no Mr. Taaaabby. And two apprentices who don’t know how to travel in the Imaginary World. There’s nobody else heeeeere.” She click-clacked her way back to the switchboard and stuck her head into the oat sack again.
“Metalmouth is here,” Pearl said.
Violet’s head popped out of the sack. She looked at Pearl, blinked, then swallowed. “Why, little darlin’, that’s a dandy idea. He’s been to the Imaginary World. He can guide yooooou.” She grabbed a microphone. “Metalmouth to floor ten immediately. Code reeeeed.”
Pearl nudged Ben with her elbow. “This is great. Isn’t this great? We get to go to the Imaginary World.” Then she launched into her question-asking mode, firing them at rapid speed. “What do you think it looks like? Do you think it’s beautiful? Is the sky green? Is there a sun and a moon or are there two suns and three moons? Do you think the plants are like the plants here or do they talk and sing? Is there—?”
Something crashed through the window. Pearl and Ben shielded their faces from shards of flying glass as Metalmouth soared across the room and skidded to a stop a few inches away. He had to hunch to fit beneath the ceiling.
“Why’d you wake me up, huh?” he asked. Then he yawned so wide Ben could see right down his throat.
“Y’all must go to the Land of Raaaaain.”
Metalmouth rubbed sleep from his eyes. “Ah, gee-whiz, do we have to go now? I just built my nest.”
“What’s going on in the Land of Rain?” Ben asked.
“Well, I’m afraid it’s real bad news.” Violet the switchboard operator shook her head sadly. “The rain dragon is dyyyyying.”
12
This much Ben knew—the creature was called a rain dragon and it lived in the Land of Rain. But it wasn’t simply sick or injured—it was dying! And they were supposed to save it. He glanced at the black satchel. How could he and Pearl save a dragon’s life when they’d had zero medical training?
“Shouldn’t we wait for Dr. Woo?” he asked.
As Metalmouth yawned again, his steamy breath blew over Ben’s head. “Yeah, let’s wait.”
“We can’t wait, you guys. The rain dragon needs help right now.” Pearl squared her shoulders and gave Violet a determined look. “Tell us what to do.”
“I like your spunky attitude, little darlin’. I can tell we’ll get along just fiiiiine.” Violet reached across the switchboard panel and pushed a large yellow button. A distant sound arose, thundering and crashing like an approaching storm.
“What’s happening?” Ben hollered as the howling grew louder. Wind began to gather in the center of the room, whipping round and round, forming a mini tornado.
“That’s the Portal,” Metalmouth said. He scratched behind one of his horns. “I hate going in there.”
“What?” Ben furrowed his brow. “We’re supposed to go inside that tornado? Are you kidding? You’re kidding, right?” Metalmouth shook his head.
“Cool,” Pearl said. The swirling wind had kicked up the glitter, turning the tornado yellow.
“Wait a minute.” Stories began to form in Ben’s mind, reasons why he couldn’t step inside a tornado and go to a place that had no map and that no one in his family had ever heard of. “My eardrums were injured when I went scuba diving, so I’m not supposed to be in a tornado, or any kind of windstorm.”
Violet made a little bleating sound. Then she handed a small glass vial to Ben. “Keep this safe. Don’t lose it. It’s your only way to get back heeeeere.”
Ben gently cupped the vial as if it were a newborn baby. It was filled with yellow glitter. “The only way?” This was sounding more dangerous by the second.
A huge smile spread across Pearl’s face, as if she were about to go to Hawaii. But this wasn’t a vacation—this was a trip to another dimension. Her lab coat flapped against her basketball shorts. “Let’s go!” She hurried to the center of the room, slipped into the tornado, and disappeared from sight.
“Ah, gee, do I have to go?” Metalmouth complained, his ears drooping.
Violet reached between two of his scales and pulled out the tennis ball. “Fetch!” she called as she tossed the ball at the tornado. Metalmouth’s tongue hung from his mouth. The room shook as he bounded into the Portal.
“Shouldn’t we take umbrellas if we’re going to the Land of Rain?” Ben asked. He was stalling, of course. “We’re supposed to be back by three o’clock. We can’t—”
Lightning zapped. The Portal turned bright white. “Well, what are you waiting for?” Violet asked Ben. “It’s gonna leave without yooooou.”
Without him? Against every ounce of his better judgment, Ben ran straight into the light.
Wind swirled round and round. Howling filled his ears. Pearl’s hair whipped and stung Ben’s face. Metalmouth’s scales prickled through Ben’s lab coat. The storm sounds intensified. Thunder bellowed. Pearl grabbed Ben’s hand, both their palms equally sweaty. She smiled at him. He couldn’t smile. His face was frozen in an expression of utter terror. He gripped the vial in his other hand. The only way back.
There was a steadfast rule in Benjamin Silverstein’s house
—you must always tell someone where you were going. Even if you were walking down the street to visit a friend. His parents had no idea he was going to a strange land. If he didn’t return, they wouldn’t know where to look for him!
Suddenly, everything went black.
13
Ben stood in blinding darkness, his heart pounding. Pearl squeezed his hand so hard he could feel her pulse beating as fast as his own. What would happen next? Would they be shot through a wormhole? Flung into outer space? Turned inside out?
A little bulb flicked on, floating above Metalmouth’s head. The bulb cast a dim glow throughout the Portal. The tornado had widened, creating a small room within. While the wind continued to swirl outside, the space inside became calm and quiet.
“What do we do now?” Ben asked the dragon.
Metalmouth spat out the tennis ball. “We gotta wait for the captain.”
The captain?
“Welcome to the Portal,” a squeaky voice said. Both Ben and Pearl jumped. Ben could have sworn that only the three of them had entered the tornado. Where had that voice come from?
Pearl released Ben’s hand. “Who’s that?” she asked.
“This is your captain speaking. Destination, please.”
Metalmouth sat on his haunches. “We gotta go to the Land of Rain,” he said.
“Setting course coordinates now. Fasten your seat belts. Prepare for takeoff.”
“Seat belts?” Ben asked. “But we’re standing.”
The floor began to vibrate. Then, suddenly, the Portal shifted. Ben and Pearl tumbled against Metalmouth. “In case of a water landing, life jackets are located beneath the seat cushions. In case of a sudden loss in altitude, oxygen masks will fall from the ceiling.” The captain’s voice was super high-pitched, as if it belonged to an insect.
The tennis ball rolled back and forth during the bumpy ride. Ben grabbed hold of Metalmouth’s leg to steady himself. “Whoa,” Ben said as he almost tumbled over. The motion grew more turbulent. Ben felt like a sock inside a dryer.
Metalmouth groaned. “I don’t like the Portal,” he said. “It always makes me feel sick.”
Ben didn’t feel so good, either. And Pearl’s face was turning an odd shade of green. “How long will this take?” she asked.
The captain didn’t reply. Ben’s head filled with dizziness. His stomach clenched. Metalmouth groaned louder. Oh no! Were Ben and Pearl about to experience dragon vomit?
Just when Ben thought he was going to lose it, the captain cleared his throat and announced, “Destination ahead. Prepare for landing.”
The Portal leveled and the vibrations stopped. Except for Pearl’s fidgeting, Ben’s anxious breathing, and a dragon belch, all was quiet. What now?
The tornado continued to swirl around the perimeter of the Portal. An exit light appeared. “We would like to thank you for flying with us today,” the captain’s voice said. “We hope you will choose the Portal for your next interdimensional journey. Please refrain from pushing as you disembark.”
Wow, it had taken only a minute or so to travel to the Imaginary World. It had taken Ben three hours to fly from Los Angeles to Buttonville.
“Come on,” Pearl said. She picked up the black satchel and headed toward the glowing EXIT sign. Although Ben was no longer being tossed around, his heart was pounding in overdrive. What would they find once they stepped outside?
Metalmouth collected his tennis ball, tucked it behind a scale, then followed Pearl. They disappeared through the swirling wind, leaving Ben alone. Had his feet been glued to the floor? Why wasn’t he following?
“Please proceed to the exit,” the captain’s voice said.
Ben realized he’d been gripping the vial of fairy dust so tightly his hand was throbbing. Violet the switchboard operator’s words echoed in his mind.
Only way home.
Metalmouth stuck his head back through the tornado. “Hey, Ben, whatcha doing? Huh? Whatcha doing? Are you scared?”
“No,” Ben lied.
“Don’t be scared. It’s okay, Ben. Come on out.” His red eyes twinkled.
Ben carefully tucked the vial into his pocket, hoping that his mom and dad wouldn’t wake up tomorrow morning to the following newspaper headline: BENJAMIN SILVERSTEIN, AGE 10, DISAPPEARED MYSTERIOUSLY AFTER TRAVELING TO ANOTHER DIMENSION WITHOUT ASKING HIS PARENTS FOR PERMISSION.
If Pearl could do this, he could do this.
After checking to make certain the vial was safe, he stepped through the wind.
14
The Portal disappeared. No more tornado, no more swirling glitter. Nothing. Just Ben, Pearl, and Metalmouth standing in the middle of…
The Land of Rain?
It looked like a wasteland, as far as the eye could see. No trees, no shrubs or greenery whatsoever. The ground had hardened so that it was as dry and cracked as the heels of Grandpa Abe’s feet. A ridge lay on the horizon. It looked to be made of dirt. Nothing grew on it. Had the entire place been colored with the same brown crayon? Even the cloudless sky was an odd tinge of brown.
“Are we in the right spot?” Pearl asked as she looked around.
Metalmouth shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve never been here before.”
“What?” Ben’s mouth fell open. “But you told us you’ve been to the Imaginary World.”
“I have. Lots of times. I’ve been to the Valley of Fog and the Magnificent Marsh, but I’ve never been to the Land of Rain.”
“If this is the Land of Rain,” Pearl said, “then whoever named it has a weird sense of humor.” Indeed, it looked as if rain had never fallen on this place. Not even a single drop. Pearl set the black satchel at her feet. Then she folded her arms and pouted. “I thought the Imaginary World was going to be exciting, with all sorts of weird stuff, like purple trees and flowers the size of houses. And three moons in the sky. But there’s nothing here but dirt. Where are the unicorns and fairies?”
“Unicorns and fairies don’t live in the Land of Rain,” Metalmouth said with a snicker. “Everybody knows that. They live in the Tangled Forest.”
While it would have been interesting to learn about a forest filled with fairies, Ben was more eager to finish their assigned job and return safely home. “We need to find the rain dragon,” he said. “It’s dying, remember?”
“Where is it?” Pearl asked with a shrug.
“Guess we’d better start looking,” Ben said. He and Metalmouth began to walk in one direction. Pearl, however, headed in the opposite direction. “Hey!” Ben called. “Where are you going?”
“We’ll cover more territory if we split up.” The satchel swung from her hand.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ben said. “I think we should stay together. What if something goes wrong?”
Pearl stomped across the parched ground until she was standing right in front of Ben. “How come you’re such a worrywart?”
He cringed. “I’m not a worrywart. I’m just trying to be logical.”
“We have a better chance of finding it if we go in opposite directions,” Pearl argued.
“Yeah, but…” Ben looked to Metalmouth for support. The dragon, who was batting the tennis ball between his paws, was paying no attention to the debate. “But you’ve got the medical bag and I’ve got the vial of fairy dust. If I find the rain dragon, I won’t have any bandages or medicine. And if you get lost, you won’t have any fairy dust for the Portal.”
“I’m not going to get lost,” Pearl said confidently. “I never get lost.” Then she glanced at the satchel. “But you’re right about the medicine. I guess we’d better stay together.”
Ben turned his face toward the brown sky. A brilliant idea popped into his head. “Hey, Metalmouth, maybe you can spot the dragon from the air.”
Metalmouth thwapped his tail. “Oh goody, I love flying.” He began to gallop, the ground cracking beneath his huge paws. His black wings unfurled as he picked up speed. They flapped, but he didn’t lift off the ground. He tried again and agai
n. “Aw, gee, this isn’t fair,” he said. “There’s some kind of magic here that’s not letting me fly.”
Ben sighed. “Guess we’d better start walking.”
“What about that book?” Pearl asked. “Do you think it might tell us how to find the dragon?”
Metalmouth reached behind a scale and pulled out his book History of Dragons by Dr. Emerald Woo. He handed it to Pearl. The kids sat side by side, and Metalmouth stretched out on his belly as if about to be read a bedtime story. Pearl turned the pages. “Hey,” she said, pointing to an illustration. “This looks just like you.”
Indeed, the drawing was of a black dragon with glowing red eyes and enormous outstretched wings. The caption read: Danger! Do not approach! The black dragon burns villages and eats humans!
Metalmouth peered over Ben’s shoulder. “That’s a big, fat lie,” he said with a snort. “I’d never do anything like that.” His steamy breath tickled Ben’s neck.
“I know just what you mean,” Pearl said. “Lots of people call me a troublemaker, but that’s not fair, because I don’t always make trouble.” She shrugged. “Well, not on purpose.” She turned the page. Metalmouth gasped. The next illustration showed some angry villagers swinging rakes and swords at a black dragon.
“That’s too scary,” Metalmouth said as he held a paw over his eyes.
Pearl searched through the book until she found a drawing with the caption The rain dragon. “Oh, look, isn’t it pretty?”
Metalmouth dropped his paw. Then he rested his chin on top of Ben’s head so he could get a closer look at the book.
The dragon in this drawing was totally different from a black dragon. Its four legs were attached to a very long green snakelike body. The tail was feathered, and the horns were shiny and silver.
“How come it doesn’t have wings?” Metalmouth asked.