Adali's Magic E-Book

V.K. May

• Herausgeber: Opal Tree Press
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

The excitement continues ...

Adali takes Molly and Michael on an incredible journey to another realm; the birthplace of the guardians. It’s an astonishing and mind-expanding experience that makes them more determined than ever to protect the natural environment from further damage. Using their sharply-honed scientific knowledge and a lot of courage, they enlist the help of their parents and several other adults to collect the evidence they need to put an end to the damage being caused by the greedy corporation, Symbiotica. But it’s no picnic, for they encounter several obstacles before their final triumph.

Leseprobe

ADALI’S MAGIC

MOLLY’S MAGICAL ADVENTURES: BOOK THREE

V.K. MAY

Copyright © 2021 by V.K. May

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Published by Opal Tree Press

Books in this series include:

The Magic Volcano: Book One

Jungle Magic: Book Two

Adali’s Magic: Book Three

Magic of the Guardians: Book Four

CONTENTS

A note to readers

Prologue

1. The slurry leach

2. The secret documents

3. The people's march

4. Clean water, clean lives

5. Mrs. Calthorpe wants answers

6. Mr. Marsh wants answers

7. Molly and Michael want answers

8. The Jeffries' notes

9. The most incredible flight

10. The magic realm

11. Hatching a new plan

12. A chat with Adaline

13. Breakfast with Eddie

14. Mrs. Calthorpe is missing

15. Let's ask Adali

16. A silent supper

17. Sergeant Nalong

18. Back to the sinkhole

19. Collecting the evidence

20. We got the bad guys

21. What next?

PROLOGUE

Book Two, Jungle Magic, started with Molly and Michael rushing back into the jungle. Their intention was to sneak into the cave inside the mine and capture a sample of water from the turquoise lake. This, they knew, would help Eddie the journalist prove the lake was contaminated.

But their plan was interrupted by the arrival of a hoard of adults gathering on the path to the mine. Afraid of being seen by them, the kids hid among the foliage for as long as they could. Eventually they gave up and ventured deeper into the jungle. There they encountered several species of plants and animals including a mad daddy cassowary who chased them away from his clutch of eggs. During their terrifying escape, they tripped, fell and rolled down the side of a mountain.

When they awoke in a wide-open valley, sunburnt and dehydrated, they saw a luscious waterfall crashing down a mountain on the far side of the valley. Desperate for shelter and water, they made the trek across the valley. But as they got closer, they realized the waterfall was tumbling straight into a sinkhole. After a careful by magical descent to the bottom, they finally enjoyed some fresh drinking water and cooled down.

While playing in the water, they bumped into something they could not see. Poking it for a few moments, they finally penetrated what turned out to be an invisible wall around a top-secret research facility. They could hardly believe their luck as they gazed around the gigantic dome-shaped greenhouse and its strange botanical experiments. Molly was instantly drawn to a vine growing up the inside of the wall, so she picked one of its bright white flowers.

The next day, she planted the flower in her garden. By that evening, it had grown into a full-sized tree that was invisible during the day and barely visible in the darkness of night. Like the dome in the jungle, the tree was surrounded by a mysterious shield. Molly and Michael broke through the shield and explored the tree for a few moments before being sucked through a hole in its trunk and pulled underground.

Shrunk down to the size of ants, they had no choice but to obey the mycelium network and allow it to take them on a torturous journey through piles of dirt, worms, and darkness. Eventually it lifted them to the surface, inside the dome. There, Molly's curiosity took over and she triggered the alarm. Soon the place was crawling with guards, guns, and dogs. There was no escape. Trapped inside the wall, their only option was to call Adali for help and that's when the magic truly began.

1

THE SLURRY LEACH

The dining table had already been set for lunch, so the only thing Molly had to do was sit down.

'Did you have a nice morning, honey?' her mother asked.

Molly was still trying to understand everything she and Michael had experienced that morning. Breaking through the shield around the magic tree, being shrunk down to the size of ants and dragged underground by the mycelium network had been strange enough. But even stranger was the fact that their absence had only lasted a few minutes when it had felt like a few hours.

'Molly?' her mother said.

'Oh,' said Molly, realizing she had been lost in her thoughts. 'Yes, thanks, Mum. It was great.'

'What did you get up to?' her mother asked, sliding a bowl of salad across the table.

'Michael and I just did some plant research,' Molly lied.

'Yes, I can see you're covered in dirt,' her mother said. 'Would you please wash your hands and face before eating?'

Molly ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. As far as she could see, there was only a small smudge of dirt on her face. But when she leaned over the sink, a pile of dry dirt fell from her hair, completely covering the inside of the sink. It took several minutes to wash it down and then wash herself.

By the time Molly returned to the table, her mother had filled her plate.

'Oh, no,' Molly whispered, staring at the block of lasagna.

'It's completely vegetarian, honey,' her mother said. 'I'll never put meat in front of you again. Don't you worry about that.'

'You're the best mum in the world,' said Molly, sitting down.

From the first bite, she was in heaven. The combination of fresh herbs, tomato, mushroom, and cheese sang a happy song upon her tastebuds.

'Seriously, Mum, you are the greatest,' she said.

Her mother winked at her then filled three glasses with cool water.

'Molly, there's something we need to discuss with you,' she said.

'Mm?'

Her father put down his knife and fork and gazed at her.

'Do you remember a few days ago when we were walking toward the mine?' he asked.

'Yes, Dad.'

'Remember when we were walking along that narrow track?' he asked. 'You were behind me and you asked me why the ground was so damp.'

'Yes,' said Molly. 'Your shoes left a deep imprint in the soil.'

Her father winked at her.

'Well, muppet, it turns out you were really onto something,' he said.

Molly was surprised to hear her father say this because she remembered he had been irritated by her questions during that outing. But he continued.

'You asked me if the slurry might have leached into the surrounding soil and I told you it was not possible because we check the container all the time,' he said.

'That's right,' said Molly. 'I believed you, Dad.'

Her father pressed his lips together so tight that Molly knew he was upset.

'Well, it turns out you were right,' he said. 'The slurry has leached into the soil, and it's caused significant damage to the jungle ecosystem.'

Molly jumped up, ready to race into the jungle and see with her own eyes.

'Don't be too quick to react, muppet,' her father said. 'I haven't finished, yet.'

'Okay,' said Molly, sitting down again.

'The guy who discovered the problem wrote an article about it,' her father continued.

'What guy?' Molly asked.

'Eddie someone,' her father replied. 'I can't remember his last name. He's the guy we saw on TV, reporting on the damage caused by the earthquake.'

'Oh, that's Eddie Abaijah,' said Molly.

Her mother's eyebrows lifted.

'That's right, honey,' she said. 'You have a great memory.'

Molly remembered seeing the news report. And she remembered Eddie's face. Suddenly everything started to make sense to her. Eddie must have discovered the slurry leach when he was investigating the cause of the earthquake, she figured. And he would have taken a sample of the slurry, which was why Yosia had told her and Michael not to bother.

'Are you listening to me, muppet?' her father asked.

'Yes, Dad,' said Molly, sitting up straighter.

'Poor Eddie got fired from his job for writing the article,' he said.

'Fired?' Molly echoed. 'What does that mean?'

'The news station that employed him forced him to leave,' her father explained.

'Are you saying they were angry with him for telling the truth?' said Molly.

'Yes, muppet, that's exactly what I'm saying,' her father replied. 'When something like that happens, it's usually because someone wants the truth to be kept quiet.'

'Is that because someone did something wrong?' Molly asked.

'Probably,' her father replied.

'That's bad,' said Molly. 'The plants and animals are the most important things on Earth. They were here before us, and we can't live without them.'

Her father nodded.

'I agree with you,' he said. 'And I think there must be a lot of other people who agree with you because the workers in the mine have gone on strike over this.'

'What does strike mean?' Molly asked.

'A strike is when people stop working in the hope it will force someone to fix a problem,' her father explained. 'The reason I'm telling you this is because I want you to understand that Mrs. Calthorpe is under a lot of pressure right now.'

Molly remembered the last few times she had seen Mrs. Calthorpe. The woman had been completely stressed out and was very unpleasant to be around.

'Poor Michael,' she whispered. 'No wonder he's had trouble sleeping.'

She suddenly wondered why Michael had rushed home the instant the mycelium network had flung them up to the surface of her garden. Perhaps he had been worrying about his mother and he wanted to make sure she was okay.

'Should we go over there?' Molly asked. 'Just to be sure they're okay, I mean.'

'I think we should,' her father agreed.

'I'm going with you,' said Molly's mother. 'I'd like to offer my support to Philippa during this difficult time.'

2

THE SECRET DOCUMENTS

Molly knocked on the back door of the Calthorpe's house. Almost immediately, it opened. Mrs. Calthorpe stood there looking wild. Her frizzy grey hair was all over the place, as though she had just been electrocuted. The skin under her eyes was dark and her eyes were red.

'Yes?' she said.

'Hi, Philippa,' said Molly's mother. 'We just wanted to make sure you're okay.'

Molly could see Michael standing behind his mother. His hair was sticking out in all directions, his eyes were wide open, the buttons on his shirt were in the wrong buttonholes and he was wearing shoes that did not match.

'Not really,' said Mrs. Calthorpe, stepping out of the house. 'All our workers are on strike.'

'I know,' said Molly's father. 'I was wonder—'

Mrs. Calthorpe put up her hand to stop Molly's father from saying any more.

'Henry wants to see us, so we need to get to the hospital now,' she said, taking her keys out of her handbag.

'Of course,' said Molly's father, standing back. 'I understand.'

Molly's mother stepped forward and reached toward Mrs. Calthorpe, ready to give the woman a hug, but Mrs. Calthorpe brushed past her and ran down the back steps.

'Come on, Michael!' she shrieked.

Michael followed, without even saying 'hello' or 'goodbye' to Molly.

'Let us know if there's anything we can do to help!' Molly's father called out.

But Mrs. Calthorpe did not reply. She was already in her jeep, putting on her seatbelt. Michael was sitting beside her, trying to flatten his woolly hair with his hands. A moment later, the car reversed down the driveway. And then they were gone.

'Well, that was rude,' said Molly's father.

'It was a bit,' her mother agreed. 'Philippa is obviously under enormous strain.'

'I'm more worried about Michael,' said Molly. 'Putting up with Mrs. Cal—'

'That's enough, muppet,' her father interrupted.

The Marsh family was quick to return to their own garden. As they scuttled past the stilts under their house, Yosia stepped out into the light.

'Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. and Mrs. Marsh,' he said, brushing dust and cobwebs off his shirt.

'No worries, Yosia,' said Molly's father. 'What's up, mate?'

Yosia scratched his head.

'I should have mentioned this earlier, but I'm only just getting around to it now,' he said. 'Can you see all those cardboard boxes under there?'

Molly and her parents looked at the mass of boxes under the house.

'They belong to Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries,' Yosia explained. 'The American couple who lived in this house before you.'

'Gosh, that's strange,' said Molly's father. 'In a year, they still haven't managed to collect their belongings?'

Yosia shook his head.

'It hasn't been a year,' he said. 'They disappeared about a month before you arrived.'

'A month?' Molly's mother echoed.

'What's in the boxes?' Molly asked.

'That's none of our business,' her mother said.

'I was told the house had been empty for a year,' said Molly's father. 'But if it's only been a few weeks, I'm sure we can keep the boxes here until the Jeffries are ready to collect them.'

Yosia sighed then looked down at the ground.

'They're not coming back, are they?' asked Molly's mother.

'I don't think so,' Yosia replied.

Molly started to feel frustrated. She did not care whose boxes they were or how long they had been there or when they might be collected. She just wanted to know what was in them.

'Can we open them?' she asked.

'No, Molly,' her mother replied. 'It's wrong to invade other peoples' privacy.'

'Hang on,' said Molly's father. 'I'm getting the feeling there might have been something strange about the Jeffries' departure. Was there?'

'I believe so,' Yosia replied. 'One morning, they went to work at the mine. That afternoon, someone from the mine came over and informed me they had left the country. I was told to pack up their belongings and store them here.'

Molly's mother gasped then put her hand over her mouth.

Molly's father scratched his head.

'I think it's important we find out why they left so suddenly,' he said.

'I recall packing several pads of handwritten notes,' said Yosia. 'Perhaps there might—'

'Agreed,' said Molly's father. 'Would you mind unpacking them and giving them to me?'

'Certainly,' said Yosia.

'Thanks, mate,' said Molly's father.

Molly watched her parents return to the house. She felt tempted to follow Yosia under the house and help him poke through the boxes, but then she remembered the huge spider Yosia had chased down there several days earlier. So she sat on the grass and watched the boxes moving. A moment later, the wheelbarrow moved. Then the lawnmower. Eventually, Yosia stepped into a narrow space between the piles of stuff and waved at her.

'Have you found something interesting?' Molly asked.

Yosia nodded then stepped toward her. Suddenly, a wooden pole rose from the ground and whacked him on the forehead.

'Ah!' he cried, clutching his forehead.

Molly could see he was bleeding.

'Hang on, Yosia! I'm going to get some ice!' she said.

Molly ran up the back steps then raced into the kitchen. As she pulled at the freezer door, she thought about all the times she had taken ice-creams from the freezer. This time she took two. And a bag of ice and a tea towel.

'You can't say that!' she heard her father shout.

'I'm not saying that!' she heard her mother shout back.

Molly froze for a moment, wondering what was happening. She knew her parents' voices were coming from the loungeroom which was where they always had their serious conversations.

'I'm just saying there's obviously more going on than what we realize,' her father continued.

'I know that!' her mother snapped. 'But I share Molly's concern about Michael. He's very stressed, living in that situation. It's not fair to put a child through that.'

Molly raced back outside where she saw Yosia sitting on his pumpkin under the shade of the big trees around his hut. His hand was pressed against his forehead, and blood was seeping through his fingers. Adali was hopping up and down on his knee and squawking at such a shrill pitch, it hurt her ears.

'Let me help,' Molly said, stepping toward Yosia.

She pressed the icepack against his forehead then placed his hand over it.

'I got you a chocolate ice-cream,' she said, removing the wrapper.

Yosia laughed, but not for long, because Molly thrust the ice-cream into his mouth. The icepack soon melted, so she wrapped the tea towel around it until it went damp, then she used it to wipe the blood off Yosia's face and hand.

'You're sweet, Molly,' he said.

Adali perched on Molly's shoulder where she had a better view of her beloved Yosia. Soon, the bird was cooing; a sound that reminded Molly of her cat, Kiki, when she would purr.

'Adali is the sweet one,' Molly giggled.

Yosia slurped the ice-cream while Molly held the small block of ice to his forehead.

'I don't know how you can even think of going under the house,' she said. 'It's so creepy.'

'It's okay,' Yosia replied. 'It's just dusty and full of cobwebs. I really must clean it.'

'Can I ask you something?' said Molly.

'Mm?'

'Were the Jeffries still here when the Calthorpe's arrived?' Molly asked.

'No, they left about a week before,' Yosia replied.

'Did the Jeffries have children?' Molly asked.

'I don't think so,' Yosia replied.

Molly knew she did not have enough information to form an opinion. She only knew the Jeffries' sudden departure gave her a bad feeling. Maybe they were bad people who had been chased away by the owners of the mine. Or maybe they were good people who lost a fight with the mine. She had no idea really, and that made her even more curious.

'The bleeding has almost stopped now,' she said. 'But you should keep the icepack on it because there's a big lump forming and—'

'I'm fine now, Molly. Thank you,' said Yosia, standing up. 'I really must get back to sorting through those boxes. I'm fairly certain I know which ones contain the Jeffries' notes.'

'Okay,' said Molly, stepping aside.

As she watched Yosia march back up the garden toward the house, she realized just how much she wanted to read the Jeffries' notes.