Chapter Six
The evil Voltran thought to himself that taking control of the world was too easy. His Brainmaster 2000 was state of the art in evil technology and his evil plans were too well thought out.
While he was caught in this moment of self-appreciation, Voltran had not seen Illinois Ben and Cotton Bear sneak into the lab. Cotton Bear immediately went to turn off the Brainmaster 2000 main power drive but Voltran had made that impossible. The Brainmaster 2000 had become an evil power on its own. Voltran now realized he had been snuck up on and turned and stared directly at Ben. A moment went by without either of them moving. Then Voltran let out an evil laugh, a very evil laugh, a very big evil laugh.
“You think you can stop me Illinois Ben!” Voltran yelled while pointing at Ben.
“You don’t understand the power I have. You don’t know who you’re dealing with!”
Ben knew he was dealing with a mad man and slowly walked towards Voltran. As he walked his hand slowly went to his whip’s handle.
“You think you can beat me with that... toy?” Voltran laughed out loud.
Then the dish on the Brainmaster 2000 suddenly turned and fired a blue-green bolt of light at Ben. Using his super speed Ben jumped out of the way just in time. As he landed, the Brainmaster 2000 was already blasting again. This time Ben barely had time to roll out of the way. This game went on and on with Ben getting tired and Voltran laughing. With one last leap Ben dove behind a lab cart, unfortunately knocking it over. As the bolt of light shot out from the Brainmaster 2000 it hit a mirror that had fallen off the cart. The bolt of light deflected off the mirror and into the ceiling, smashing a few lights and ceiling tiles.
Ben quickly realized he could use the mirror as a shield and reached out to grab it in the nick of time. Voltran shot again and Ben used the mirror to deflect the bolt of light straight back at Voltran. Hitting him in the chest, Voltran was thrown back several feet in the air where he didn’t land but stayed hung in the air, suspended by many bolts of lightning.
“You’ll pay Illinois Ben, you’ll pay”, Voltran shouted. “I have seen my destiny and it will happen”
Ben looked at Voltran, grabbed his gun, pointed it and said,
“Ya right, sure you will” and pulled the trigger.
With a puff of smoke the bullet left the barrel of the gun heading straight for Voltran. Then in a blasting flash of lightning bolts and smoke, Voltran vanished leaving no trace but a fading laughter. The bullet stopped dead in its path and fell to the floor with a tiny clank.
“Well that wasn’t suppose to happen”, Ben exclaimed out loud.
Cotton Bear came out from where he was hiding and the two of them looked at the last place Voltran was seen and wondered: Where did Voltran go? They knew this wasn’t the end, that there was plenty more to come.
end of chapter six
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Cotton Bear's Castle - Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Over a period of time Cotton Bear and Illinois Ben managed to escape the maze of the dungeon and make it to the castle’s main floor great hall. It was a magnificent room with many portraits of Cotton Bear’s ancestors neatly hung along the walls. There was a rich heritage of family legacy that traced its roots all the way back to the original family member known to all as just Bear. He was a very regal looking bear sitting proudly on the family high chair holding a fancy dagger across his lap. Illinois Ben remembered something about the dagger’s history but couldn’t remember the whole story.
Moving away from the hall the two of them made their way to the upper laboratory and the evil Voltran. As they slowly and cautiously edged their way up the stairs they heard a very loud and powerful crash, followed by an evil scream.
Looking at each other Ben exclaimed, “That didn’t sound too promising”.
Nodding, Cotton Bear agreed but pressed on upwards. It wasn’t too difficult to be quiet as the noise coming from the lab covered any noise they might make.
Then just as Ben was about to take another step he noticed his boot lace had come undone. Bending over to tie it, Ben felt a breeze travel by his ear and heard a “thunk”.
An arrow had narrowly missed his head.
Looking up, Ben saw one of Cotton Bear’s butlers with a crossbow in his hands. Ben quickly realized they were in the open and had to either make a break for the top of the stairs or retreat back where they had come from. Ben pushed Cotton Bear along as they quickly took the stairs two at a time. They quickly went upwards. The butler was also quickly reloading the crossbow and was now being joined by a maid, a housekeeper and a cook. Each one was holding a different type of weapon that intended to hurt Cotton Bear and Ben.
The maid was the first to shoot her weapon, a standard bow and arrow set up. The arrow flew straight but Ben was quicker and was able to dodge the arrow leaving it to stick in the railing behind him, just missing his butt. Then the housekeeper and the cook shot their weapons at the same time. The housekeeper’s deadly flying ninja stars, three of them, just ended up missing Cotton Bear by the closest of margins. The cook’s bolo flew with deadly accuracy but Ben was quicker as he ducked just in time leaving the bolo to wrap around a statue of one of Cotton Bear’s distant cousins. The butler by this time had finished reloading when Cotton Bear and Ben reached the top floor. Ducking into a corridor they were able to escape the butler’s latest arrow by a fraction of an inch.
“Any ideas?”, Ben asked Cotton Bear. “It’s your castle, where do you keep your weapons?”
Cotton Bear smiled a little and replied, “I don’t keep many weapons and what I do have, they’re using.”
“Okay” said Ben and decided to do something very brave and heroic. He grabbed his whip but kept it coiled up. With a loud yell he jumped out from the corridor and ran directly into the hallway, straight at the Butler, the Maid, the Housekeeper and the Cook. He raised his arm and threw out the whip at the housekeeper first. The whip flicked the stars out of her hands and into the ceiling above her, knocking some plaster loose and bringing it down on the housekeeper’s head.
A second crack snapped the maid’s bow string off the bow and back into the maid’s face, knocking her out. Then ducking down and sliding along a nicely polished floor, Ben slid over and took out the cook’s legs causing the bolos to spin off his hand and into his head. As the cook was going down hard, Ben leaped up and kicked the butler’s hand, knocking the crossbow up and over the butler’s head, only to land behind him against the wall, accidentally firing the trigger and sending an arrow into the butler’s butt. A loud scream came from the butler’s mouth and a smile appeared on Ben’s face. Cotton Bear then showed up with some rope he had found and they tied up the maid, the housekeeper and the cook. Leaving the arrow in the butler’s butt, Ben and Cotton Bear made their way to the laboratory to confront the evil Voltran.
end of chapter five
Over a period of time Cotton Bear and Illinois Ben managed to escape the maze of the dungeon and make it to the castle’s main floor great hall. It was a magnificent room with many portraits of Cotton Bear’s ancestors neatly hung along the walls. There was a rich heritage of family legacy that traced its roots all the way back to the original family member known to all as just Bear. He was a very regal looking bear sitting proudly on the family high chair holding a fancy dagger across his lap. Illinois Ben remembered something about the dagger’s history but couldn’t remember the whole story.
Moving away from the hall the two of them made their way to the upper laboratory and the evil Voltran. As they slowly and cautiously edged their way up the stairs they heard a very loud and powerful crash, followed by an evil scream.
Looking at each other Ben exclaimed, “That didn’t sound too promising”.
Nodding, Cotton Bear agreed but pressed on upwards. It wasn’t too difficult to be quiet as the noise coming from the lab covered any noise they might make.
Then just as Ben was about to take another step he noticed his boot lace had come undone. Bending over to tie it, Ben felt a breeze travel by his ear and heard a “thunk”.
An arrow had narrowly missed his head.
Looking up, Ben saw one of Cotton Bear’s butlers with a crossbow in his hands. Ben quickly realized they were in the open and had to either make a break for the top of the stairs or retreat back where they had come from. Ben pushed Cotton Bear along as they quickly took the stairs two at a time. They quickly went upwards. The butler was also quickly reloading the crossbow and was now being joined by a maid, a housekeeper and a cook. Each one was holding a different type of weapon that intended to hurt Cotton Bear and Ben.
The maid was the first to shoot her weapon, a standard bow and arrow set up. The arrow flew straight but Ben was quicker and was able to dodge the arrow leaving it to stick in the railing behind him, just missing his butt. Then the housekeeper and the cook shot their weapons at the same time. The housekeeper’s deadly flying ninja stars, three of them, just ended up missing Cotton Bear by the closest of margins. The cook’s bolo flew with deadly accuracy but Ben was quicker as he ducked just in time leaving the bolo to wrap around a statue of one of Cotton Bear’s distant cousins. The butler by this time had finished reloading when Cotton Bear and Ben reached the top floor. Ducking into a corridor they were able to escape the butler’s latest arrow by a fraction of an inch.
“Any ideas?”, Ben asked Cotton Bear. “It’s your castle, where do you keep your weapons?”
Cotton Bear smiled a little and replied, “I don’t keep many weapons and what I do have, they’re using.”
“Okay” said Ben and decided to do something very brave and heroic. He grabbed his whip but kept it coiled up. With a loud yell he jumped out from the corridor and ran directly into the hallway, straight at the Butler, the Maid, the Housekeeper and the Cook. He raised his arm and threw out the whip at the housekeeper first. The whip flicked the stars out of her hands and into the ceiling above her, knocking some plaster loose and bringing it down on the housekeeper’s head.
A second crack snapped the maid’s bow string off the bow and back into the maid’s face, knocking her out. Then ducking down and sliding along a nicely polished floor, Ben slid over and took out the cook’s legs causing the bolos to spin off his hand and into his head. As the cook was going down hard, Ben leaped up and kicked the butler’s hand, knocking the crossbow up and over the butler’s head, only to land behind him against the wall, accidentally firing the trigger and sending an arrow into the butler’s butt. A loud scream came from the butler’s mouth and a smile appeared on Ben’s face. Cotton Bear then showed up with some rope he had found and they tied up the maid, the housekeeper and the cook. Leaving the arrow in the butler’s butt, Ben and Cotton Bear made their way to the laboratory to confront the evil Voltran.
end of chapter five
Cotton Bear's Castle - Chapter Four
Chapter Four
The cell of the dungeon was not where Ben was wishing to find himself. The walls felt damp and had a slight smell of mildew. The bars were cold to the touch and although were showing rust, were still intact. Shaking the bars Ben found out two important things. One, the bars were still quite strong and two, someone else was down here with him.
A faint noise from the cell next to him caused Ben to stop shaking the bars and move closer to the next cell. Out of the darkness a figure rose up and came towards him. In the dim light cast by the lone flickering flame of the wall torch, Ben saw Cotton Bear, his old friend.
“What are you doing in your own dungeon?” Ben asked.
“I was tricked by the evil Voltran. He stole my castle and had me put down here”, Cotton Bear’s explanation went. “He seems to hypnotize people into doing things they don’t want to do. That’s how he got into my castle and was able to turn all my workers against me.”
“That’s not fair”, said Ben. “We have to get you out of here and get your castle and your people back.”
“How are we going to do that”, questioned Cotton Bear.
“I’m not sure just yet but I have a plan” replied Ben.
Ben proceeded to look over the cell and all the area around it. By the end of the small hallway connecting all the cells was a doorway and a solution. Hanging just on the far wall were the keys to the cells, in plain sight with no one guarding them. Ben figured the keys to be around 15 feet away and he thought he could snag them with his trusty whip.
Sticking his arm out between the bars he uncoiled his whip. Then in one fluid motion threw out the whip towards the keys. With a crack the whip missed the keys by only half a foot.
“Darn” thought Ben. “Just my luck to have brought my 14 foot whip when I needed 15 feet”.
Then thinking, Ben realized if he was higher he just might be able to shorten the gap and snag those keys. Climbing up the cell wall as high as he could, Ben locked his feet and hung himself upside down. Sticking his arm out between the bars he once again flung out the whip towards the keys. This time with a crack of the whip came the rattling of falling keys as they flew off their hook and onto the floor towards the cells.
Jumping down Ben used the whip once more to knock the keys closer to Cotton Bear’s cell and within Cotton Bear’s reach.
Cotton Bear grabbed the keys and used them to open his cell door. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, he snuck out and opened Ben’s cell door. Together again they gave each other a big hug and smiled. Then quickly they snuck along the hallway and out the doorway leading to the cells.
Meanwhile in the castle’s upper laboratory, the evil Voltran was deep into a new experiment that would bring the common man under his control and make him all powerful.
Voltran was going to use the power of the thunderstorm to energize his secret weapon: the Brainmaster 2000. This was the weapon he used to take over the castle, imprison Cotton Bear and control his people. Voltran was very smart and very evil and he knew that the Brainmaster 2000 needed more power if he was going to take over the world.
The Brainmaster 2000 was a helmet made of a mysterious metal that Voltran could wear and when he brought down the eye shield he could hypnotize almost anyone who looked at him and make them do whatever he wanted. No one knew where the secret metal came from but it had amazing power. Because he was so clever, Voltran was able to create a small satellite dish that he hoped could capture lightning and put the electricity into the helmet. He was about to test it for the first time.
Voltran stepped out of the laboratory and onto the castle’s large stone balcony, his long cape flapping in the wind. The storm raged around him as he walked out to the edge. He carefully put on the helmet and adjusted the newly fastened dish. Then he waited. The lightning exploded around him and thunder filled his ears.
Suddenly a bolt hit the dish directly, and there was a loud hum as the electricity was sucked into the helmet. Voltran staggered back from the impact and fell down. The helmet had a bluish white glow and was still humming loudly. Voltran put his hands to his ears to try and stop the loudness but the humming began to lessen and he relaxed. He slowly stood up. He brought down the shield and a smile came to his face, a very evil smile. Voltran looked up into the sky. The rain poured over him as he let out a hearty laugh that echoed over the valley. He had succeeded! He had made the helmet more powerful then ever, and now he could take over the world. There was no one to stop him now, except maybe one…
End of Chapter Four
Cotton Bear's Castle - Chapter Three
Chapter Three
While Ben took a moment to think of how he was going to get out of this predicament, the rusted chain took a moment to break one of the bolts that held it to the ceiling. Ben dropped a foot but held on tightly to his trusty whip. He could hear the metal above him groaning from his weight. This was not good.
Another metal bolt snapped with a bang and he dropped another foot in the darkness. He looked around but couldn’t see any ways out. There was nothing around to grab and nothing to land on. He was just hanging out in the middle of a gaping hole, waiting for the next bolt to break and send him plunging to his doom.
He heard the metal creak. It was going to break at any second. He didn’t know if this was the last bolt or if he had more time. There was another creak of the metal. He looked around frantically for anything to help him. Still, there was nothing. The bolt snapped with a bang and he dropped. It felt like ten feet but was only two. There was only one bolt left and then he would fall completely into the black hole. He had to do something.
Ben scanned the darkness. There had to be something out there, something he could grab, something he could use to pull himself to safety. And there it was.
The tiniest slash of light came from the wall. It was a hole. It was a small hole but it was a hole that meant the wall was thin and he could break through it to the other side and to safety. Ben felt his heart race as he began to swing his legs back and forth. He was going to get out of this.
Back and forth he swung his body, keeping his eyes on the tiny dot of light. Slowly he began to swing closer to the wall. The metal groaned above him as he put more pressure on the one remaining bolt holding the chain. Back and forth he went, gaining speed with every swing. Finally he felt his feet touch the wall. He pushed off and swung back again for another try. He pushed off again and swung even harder back and forth across the darkness. The metal above him groaned even louder. He didn’t have much time. His feet hit the wall with more force now and one of the bricks moved. More light came through as he swung back for another push. The next hit on the wall moved another brick. Ben swung back again and hit the brick wall with as much force as he could. Bricks exploded from the wall and light poured into the dark shaft. As Ben swung back he quickly looked up. The chain and metal bolts strained under his weight and looked like they were going to break at any second. As he swung back and aimed for the hole, the final bolt snapped with a bang and the chain began to fall. As Ben crashed into the wall, the bricks collapsed under him and he flew through the wall and landed on a hard stone floor. Dust and bricks were everywhere.
Ben thought quickly. His whip! It was still attached to the chain, which was falling! With a flip of his wrist he untangled the whip from the falling metal mess and pulled it to safety.
With a sigh of relief he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He stood up and wiped the dust and dirt from his clothes. He looked around at his new surroundings. There were some metal bars a few feet away and a wood bench next to a wall. It looked like a jail cell. Ben looked a bit closer and realized it was a jail cell. In fact, Illinois Ben realized that he had just broken in to the castle’s dungeon, and it looked like no one had been down there in a long time.
End of Chapter Three
Monday, June 23, 2008
Cotton Bear's Castle - Chapter Two
Chapter Two
The light from the flashlight wasn’t able to reveal too much in the dark narrow corridor. As Ben moved slowly, so did the walls. He was being watched by thousands of little eyes. Ben could hear a creaking noise as he walked. The farther he walked the louder the creak. So he stopped and moved the flashlight around the area, finally ending on the ground under his feet. The dirt and dust that lay around his shoes were joined by the littering of little bones and old cobwebs. As he stood there the creaking sound grew in strength.
Then suddenly the ground broke under him. Ben crashed through the wooden floor taking the little bones with him. In a split second move Ben let go of the flashlight and grabbed the edge of the wood floor. Watching the flashlight fall below him until it was no longer in sight, Ben hung on dearly with his legs swinging without support. Wishing he could use his whip to snag something to pull him up was only second to wanting to see where he was. Without his flashlight Ben was put into total darkness.
Feeling around the best that he could while hanging there; Ben remembered he had some matches in his jacket pocket. Letting go of one hand he reached into his pocket, found a match and using his thumb nail, struck the match in such a way to light it. What little light that came from the match showed Ben he didn’t have much to help him. Then, with a surprise, he felt a tiny prick on his other hand, the one that was holding his body from falling into nothing. Twisting his body he could just make out the multi-legged creatures that had made their way to his hand. Soon the light from the match was going to go out. Then Ben spotted something high above him in the ceiling of the corridor. A small chain, maybe 3 feet in length, was hanging down and over to the wall. Ben knew he could throw his whip out and snag the chain and pull himself up. Only the problem Ben faced was he needed another hand to grab the whip. He had to somehow get his whip out, lasso the chain while not falling to his certain doom and time was running out.
Using his amazing abilities Ben let go of the wood edge and with lightning reflexes reached down and grabbed his whip. Then with the match slowly going out and his body now falling he threw out the whip at the chain high above him. Just as the end of the whip was making contact with the chain the match went out, plunging Ben into darkness once again. Ben hung on the end of his whip as it caught and held firmly, stopping him with a snap. Now he was swinging at the end of the whip as it clung to a rusted chain link, dangling over a seemingly endless pit. It seemed like it was just another adventure for Illinois Ben.
end of chapter two
The light from the flashlight wasn’t able to reveal too much in the dark narrow corridor. As Ben moved slowly, so did the walls. He was being watched by thousands of little eyes. Ben could hear a creaking noise as he walked. The farther he walked the louder the creak. So he stopped and moved the flashlight around the area, finally ending on the ground under his feet. The dirt and dust that lay around his shoes were joined by the littering of little bones and old cobwebs. As he stood there the creaking sound grew in strength.
Then suddenly the ground broke under him. Ben crashed through the wooden floor taking the little bones with him. In a split second move Ben let go of the flashlight and grabbed the edge of the wood floor. Watching the flashlight fall below him until it was no longer in sight, Ben hung on dearly with his legs swinging without support. Wishing he could use his whip to snag something to pull him up was only second to wanting to see where he was. Without his flashlight Ben was put into total darkness.
Feeling around the best that he could while hanging there; Ben remembered he had some matches in his jacket pocket. Letting go of one hand he reached into his pocket, found a match and using his thumb nail, struck the match in such a way to light it. What little light that came from the match showed Ben he didn’t have much to help him. Then, with a surprise, he felt a tiny prick on his other hand, the one that was holding his body from falling into nothing. Twisting his body he could just make out the multi-legged creatures that had made their way to his hand. Soon the light from the match was going to go out. Then Ben spotted something high above him in the ceiling of the corridor. A small chain, maybe 3 feet in length, was hanging down and over to the wall. Ben knew he could throw his whip out and snag the chain and pull himself up. Only the problem Ben faced was he needed another hand to grab the whip. He had to somehow get his whip out, lasso the chain while not falling to his certain doom and time was running out.
Using his amazing abilities Ben let go of the wood edge and with lightning reflexes reached down and grabbed his whip. Then with the match slowly going out and his body now falling he threw out the whip at the chain high above him. Just as the end of the whip was making contact with the chain the match went out, plunging Ben into darkness once again. Ben hung on the end of his whip as it caught and held firmly, stopping him with a snap. Now he was swinging at the end of the whip as it clung to a rusted chain link, dangling over a seemingly endless pit. It seemed like it was just another adventure for Illinois Ben.
end of chapter two
Cotton Bear's Castle - Chapter One
Chapter One
It was a dark and stormy night, and our fearless adventurer, Illinois Ben, cautiously made his way up the hill towards Cotton Bear’s Castle. The rain was coming down hard making the ground muddy and slick. Illinois Ben had been struggling with the mud as a river of water came crashing down upon him. Using his trusty whip he threw it out and snagged an extended tree branch. Quickly he pulled himself out of harm’s way, avoiding the water and almost certain death if not a bruise here or there. The castle loomed high above him with only a single light on.
Illinois Ben spotted a narrow stone wall. He scrambled up on top of it and stood up, then carefully he tip-toed along the wall as it winded its way up high. Before long he found himself at the top of the castle wall. The rain beat about his face, the wind howled, and a flash of lightning lit up the castle before him. He jumped down off the wall, bum-bounced off the roof of a tent and landed with a splat on the wet ground. Before he could get his balance, the muddy earth gave way beneath him. Somewhere in the distance a pack of wolves howled at the moon. Illinois Ben plunged into the darkness. The slick mud carried Ben down a chute of water and earth, tossing him from side to side in the underground tunnel. Ben sputtered as mud flew into his mouth. The frothy mess got thicker and thicker until finally he was shot out of the tunnel and onto a big pile of bones.
There were not only bones but tattered clothing as well. Picking himself up off the ground, he felt for his whip. Not feeling it by his side made him feel a little worried. Then a loud hissing noise snuck up behind him and made him stop dead in his tracks. Slowly turning around Illinois Ben saw in the dimly lit cavern a large snake like beast with blood red eyes, long teeth and slimy skin. Slowly it slithered towards him. Slowly, a smile broke out on Ben’s face as he reached for his gun. He removed it from its holster and raised it, pointing straight at the beast. At this time he noticed an unusually large amount of water coming from the barrel of the gun, followed by an unordinary amount of mud. ‘CLICK’ was all that Ben heard when he pulled the trigger. Ben was no longer smiling.
The beast raised its head and curled its body behind itself. Finding his footing, Ben cautiously worked his way among the bones. Reaching down he grabbed a rather large thigh bone. It was a battle of man versus beast.
The beast lunged and Ben dove out of the way, crunching bones along the way. Ben tried to make his way to the far off archway across the large cavern. As he side-stepped a combination of bones and clothes, a thundering blow of the beast’s tail landed in front of him, blocking his way. Ben slammed down on the tail with the thigh bone but he only upset the beast more. With an overly excessive screech, the beast lunged once again at Ben. Ben’s hat was knocked off his head as he barely got out of the way in time. The beast reared up again for another lunge. Ben looked down at his hat and then over to the bone in his hand. As the beast lunged again Ben quickly and expertly rammed the thigh bone into the beast’s mouth, lodging it there with the mouth stuck wide open. With a noise too horrible to describe the beast threw its head back and howled. Ben took this moment to grab his hat, dive over the beast’s tail and make his way to the distant archway and possible safety.
Seeing his prey on the move the beast snapped the bone in its mouth with a deafening crunch and shifted its body to chase him. Jumping over bones and dodging clothes, Ben quickly made his way to the archway. The beast was almost upon him once again and just as Ben reached the archway he spotted his whip hanging off a propped up skeleton. The beast was almost upon him as he reached out and grabbed the whip. The beast just missed Ben as it struck, smashing the skeleton instead. Ben dove through the archway and slid a few feet through to the other side as the beast slammed into it. Stuck hard in the doorframe the beast chomped its mouth and hissed its tongue towards Ben. Realizing he was safe Ben casually got up, dusted off his jacket, straightened his hat and coiled up his whip. Then he made his way down the small corridor, lit only by the light from his trusty flashlight, and into the unknown.
end of chapter one
It was a dark and stormy night, and our fearless adventurer, Illinois Ben, cautiously made his way up the hill towards Cotton Bear’s Castle. The rain was coming down hard making the ground muddy and slick. Illinois Ben had been struggling with the mud as a river of water came crashing down upon him. Using his trusty whip he threw it out and snagged an extended tree branch. Quickly he pulled himself out of harm’s way, avoiding the water and almost certain death if not a bruise here or there. The castle loomed high above him with only a single light on.
Illinois Ben spotted a narrow stone wall. He scrambled up on top of it and stood up, then carefully he tip-toed along the wall as it winded its way up high. Before long he found himself at the top of the castle wall. The rain beat about his face, the wind howled, and a flash of lightning lit up the castle before him. He jumped down off the wall, bum-bounced off the roof of a tent and landed with a splat on the wet ground. Before he could get his balance, the muddy earth gave way beneath him. Somewhere in the distance a pack of wolves howled at the moon. Illinois Ben plunged into the darkness. The slick mud carried Ben down a chute of water and earth, tossing him from side to side in the underground tunnel. Ben sputtered as mud flew into his mouth. The frothy mess got thicker and thicker until finally he was shot out of the tunnel and onto a big pile of bones.
There were not only bones but tattered clothing as well. Picking himself up off the ground, he felt for his whip. Not feeling it by his side made him feel a little worried. Then a loud hissing noise snuck up behind him and made him stop dead in his tracks. Slowly turning around Illinois Ben saw in the dimly lit cavern a large snake like beast with blood red eyes, long teeth and slimy skin. Slowly it slithered towards him. Slowly, a smile broke out on Ben’s face as he reached for his gun. He removed it from its holster and raised it, pointing straight at the beast. At this time he noticed an unusually large amount of water coming from the barrel of the gun, followed by an unordinary amount of mud. ‘CLICK’ was all that Ben heard when he pulled the trigger. Ben was no longer smiling.
The beast raised its head and curled its body behind itself. Finding his footing, Ben cautiously worked his way among the bones. Reaching down he grabbed a rather large thigh bone. It was a battle of man versus beast.
The beast lunged and Ben dove out of the way, crunching bones along the way. Ben tried to make his way to the far off archway across the large cavern. As he side-stepped a combination of bones and clothes, a thundering blow of the beast’s tail landed in front of him, blocking his way. Ben slammed down on the tail with the thigh bone but he only upset the beast more. With an overly excessive screech, the beast lunged once again at Ben. Ben’s hat was knocked off his head as he barely got out of the way in time. The beast reared up again for another lunge. Ben looked down at his hat and then over to the bone in his hand. As the beast lunged again Ben quickly and expertly rammed the thigh bone into the beast’s mouth, lodging it there with the mouth stuck wide open. With a noise too horrible to describe the beast threw its head back and howled. Ben took this moment to grab his hat, dive over the beast’s tail and make his way to the distant archway and possible safety.
Seeing his prey on the move the beast snapped the bone in its mouth with a deafening crunch and shifted its body to chase him. Jumping over bones and dodging clothes, Ben quickly made his way to the archway. The beast was almost upon him once again and just as Ben reached the archway he spotted his whip hanging off a propped up skeleton. The beast was almost upon him as he reached out and grabbed the whip. The beast just missed Ben as it struck, smashing the skeleton instead. Ben dove through the archway and slid a few feet through to the other side as the beast slammed into it. Stuck hard in the doorframe the beast chomped its mouth and hissed its tongue towards Ben. Realizing he was safe Ben casually got up, dusted off his jacket, straightened his hat and coiled up his whip. Then he made his way down the small corridor, lit only by the light from his trusty flashlight, and into the unknown.
end of chapter one
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