Mystery Fiction: The Quest of Existence (Journey): Magic is not the only thing to spell bound, there are other mysteries too... (9 page)

The
sm
i
le
appeared
on
her
face
,
vanished
in
a

mo
m
e
nt. “
O
h”

“
But
if
y
ou
k
e
e
p
it
s
ec
r
e
t,
I
w
a
nt
to
tell
y
ou
s
o
mething.”

He
whisp
e
r
e
d n
e
a
r h
e
r
e
a
r.

“
Hmm
?
”
she tu
r
n
e
d h
e
r
f
ac
e
to
w
a
rds him.

“This
i
s not ours but…”
He
did not
c
omp
l
e
te the
s
e
nten
ce
.
“
But
…
?
But wh
a
t
?
”
she
f
e
ll
in
t
o a
rea
l de
p
r
e
ss
i
ng
si
t
u
a
t
i
on.

Th
e
re
w
a
s
a
si
l
e
n
c
e
b
e
tw
ee
n  them
for  a
f
e
w
mo
m
e
nts.
F
inal
l
y K
e
vin
b
r
o
k
e
the
ice
a
nd
s
a
id
“
But
th
i
s
i
s
a
ll
y
ours. Ah
a
h
a
!
”
He
c
hu
c
kled.

“
Oh
M
y
Go
d
!
You...
Y
o
u
just
s
ca
r
e
d
m
e
.”
she
w
a
s
un
a
ble to
hide h
e
r
h
a
ppiness
i
n
a
ng
e
r
a
nd
rus
h
e
d
t
o
w
a
rds the s
ec
ond
surp
r
ise
a
nd
pul
l
e
d
the
c
ov
e
r i
m
p
a
t
i
e
nt
l
y
,
it
w
a
s
a small
bla
c
k
j
e
e
p
with
t
h
e
c
omb
i
n
a
t
i
on
of
si
l
v
e
r,
bla
c
k
a
nd r
e
d that w
a
s
e
x
ac
t
l
y
a
cc
o
rding to h
e
r
c
hoi
c
e
.

***************
*
**********************

“
Op
e
n
y
our
e
y
e
s,
slow
l
y
.”
He
w
a
s
a
sking
Alicia
to
g
e
t
up

b
eca
use s
h
e
w
a
s n
o
w
c
o
m
i
ng b
ac
k
to
ca
ut
i
ousn
e
s
s.

Alicia op
e
n
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
a
nd
s
a
w
his
f
a
ther
with
h
a
lf
op
e
n
e
d
e
y
e
s.

“
Hmm,
that’s
l
i
ke
m
y
c
hi
l
d.
How
a
re
y
ou
fe
e
l
i
ng
m
y

love
?
”
he
a
sked
h
e
r polit
e
l
y
.

Alicia w
a
s
look
i
ng
c
o
n
f
used;
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
w
e
re
finding something
in
the
room.
S
he  s
a
w
h
e
r
mo
t
h
e
r,
a
nd
then Ed
w
in
si
t
t
i
ng
b
e
side
h
e
r
a
nd
his
f
a
ther
standing
n
ea
r
with his
h
ea
d
b
e
nt
tow
a
rds
h
e
r.
Th
e
n
s
h
e
turn
e
d
h
e
r
f
a
c
e
a
nd tried
to
g
r
ope
something
on
h
e
r
b
e
d.
Ev
e
r
y
o
n
e w
a
s
w
a
i
t
ing for
h
e
r to sp
e
a
k
.

“
W
h
e
re
is
m
y
je
e
p
?
”
she
a
sked
in
a
f
a
int
but
d
e
p
re
ssed

tone.

P
e
ople n
e
a
r h
e
r
c
ould
n
ot
und
e
rst
a
nd
h
e
r q
u
e
st
i
on
but
h
e
r f
a
ther
tried
to
c
o
a
x
h
e
r
“
J
ee
p
?
W
hich
je
e
p
m
y d
ea
r
?
”
He sm
i
led
a
s
he
thought
s
h
e
m
i
ght
be
h
a
ving
a
d
r
e
a
m
during the in
ca
ut
i
ousn
e
ss.

“
M
y
je
e
p
!
the
one
in
bla
c
k,
si
l
v
e
r
a
nd
R
e
d.”
S
he
e
xplain
e
d

a
s r
e
c
a
l
l
ing
the
e
nt
i
re
s
ce
n
e
.

Mr.
W
ick
e
ts looked
a
t
E
dwin in
c
onfusion.
He
n
odd
e
d him to expl
a
in
t
h
a
t she n
ee
ds
r
e
st.

“Your
je
e
p
is
s
a
fe
a
nd
standing
the
r
e
in
the
g
a
r
a
g
e
.”
Ed
w
in spoke
out
b
e
fo
r
e
some
o
ne
c
ould
s
a
y
a
n
y
th
i
ng
a
g
a
inst
h
e
r stat
e
ment.

“
Oh,
ok
a
y
.”
S
he
got
relax
e
d
a
nd
a
ll
the
signs
of  wo
r
r
y whipp
e
d out f
r
om her
f
a
c
e
.

“
I th
i
nk
K
e
vin
is
a
g
a
i
n
disapp
ea
r
e
d,
w
e
l
l
,
he
m
a
y
be p
re
p
a
ring
some
ot
h
e
r
su
r
p
r
ise
plan
for
m
e
.”
S
he
t
hought
to h
e
rs
e
lf
a
nd smi
l
e
d.