Chapter Five
Pete and Jenny in One of the Entrances
The architectural design of the Land of Gold was like a maze, making it difficult to navigate the corridors that led from one chamber to another. Often, once you passed through a chamber, it was nearly impossible to find it again. However, if an intruder could remember the paths and colored arrow markings they followed into each corridor, they could find their way back. Everything in the land was made of the same golden color.
Pete and Jenny had followed the black arrows at the beginning of their journey to escape the creatures that had killed Charley. The creatures had cornered them at the gates, some even finding their way through holes in the walls. As the creatures closed in, Pete and Jenny were forced deeper into the Land of Gold, unable to retrace their steps without facing the creatures.
"Look, Jenny, there's another entrance ahead leading to a new corridor," Pete observed. "The black arrows seem to guide us to similar passages and chambers."
"Does that mean each color arrow leads to a different path?" Jenny asked. "All we've seen are these colored arrows and nothing else stands out in this place."
"Yes, it seems that way," Pete agreed.
"Pete, what do you think this means?"
"What do you mean?" Pete asked.
"The colors of the arrows, could they lead us out of here?" Jenny speculated.
"That's a smart idea, Jenny," Pete replied as they continued running through the corridors, avoiding obstacles made of gold. "For now, let's keep following the black arrows deeper into the Land of Gold."
As they ran, Jenny worried about the creatures following them. Pete suggested they keep moving and avoid waiting to confront the beasts. They leaped over obstacles and continued through the corridors until they reached a new entrance at the end of a passage.
At home, the Tolens had been searching for their missing children for almost three months. Mrs. Tolen remembered the eerie silence that greeted her when she returned from dropping Mary at school. The sudden disappearance of Charley, Pete, and Jenny had left their parents distraught. Mr. Tolen, a retired police superintendent, quickly involved the authorities in the search for their children.
As Mr. Tolen drove to the police headquarters, he remembered the joy his children had brought him before their disappearance. The police promised to deploy a search team and investigate the children's whereabouts. Mr. Tolen returned home to his worried wife, hoping for a positive outcome soon.
Meanwhile, Pete and Jenny found themselves in a new chamber after a whirlwind separated them. They discovered a cache of golden weapons that seemed to come to life when touched. Excited by their find, they prepared to defend themselves against the creatures pursuing them. Unbeknownst to them, invisible watchers observed their every move in the chamber.