Ben and Lucy: The Sunken Kingdom
Chapter 11 Snow

The sun came rising up through the mist, shining over the valley. The temperature began its climb along with the sun. The mist gently surrendered the view of the valley below. Tall trees lined the valley. In the distance a river could be seen zigzagging through trees.

Ben awoke to the beautiful aroma of cooking. His stomach beckoned him to arise and go forth for the food. Ben looked over at his sister who was still sleeping all curled up. A smile crossed his face. Finally a good night sleep. He threw the covers off, reached for his backpack and pulled out some slippers. Just what he was thinking. The night before the backpack had provided him with some warm flannel pajamas. Ben typically did not like flannel but this night proved to be a most comfortable and warm night. The pjs were soft and cozy. Ben slide his feet into the slippers and stood up. He was a little cold and as hoped, the backpack then provided a house robe to keep him warm. Ben headed across the room and peaked out of the window.

The beauty of the scene reminded him of the family trip they had taken just this summer where they went up in the Rockies. Majestic peaks with lots of trees and some snow spotted here and there. Pike’s peak was grand but this valley held it own against that majestic place. This view was just as wondrous with even more trees and no sign of any civilization anywhere. The trees at closer look were larger similar to the gigantic sequoias of northern California. He could start to hear birds, these sounded like the birds back home and not the ones led by Parmesis. These chirped and sang beautifully as the birds back home and thankfully he could not understand their language. A tinge of longing began to creep in. Ben quickly pushed that aside.

He quickly turned and headed for the door to lead him back to the wonderful scent wafting through the air. As Ben opened the bedroom door the sound of a crackling fire filled the air. Growler had gotten up early enough to make the fire in the main room. The huge fireplace was warming the entire house and the wood inside popped and crackled to its own musical song. Ben felt the warm air upon his face. A smile sprang upon it.

Music filled the air from the magic music box. Ben was at ease and his homesickness was now filled with hunger pains. He thought to himself that Lucy and himself were lucky to replace such great hosts. The air was filled with the smells of bacon, fresh rolls and eggs.

As he began his descent down the stairs, he heard Lucy step out of the bedroom. He turned and saw that she too was being drawn to the luscious smelling food.

“Good morning Ben.” Lucy began.

“Good morning sis. How did you sleep?”

“Not too good at first but once I got back to sleep, it was nice. How about you?”

“Glorious. This place is great.” Ben’s attitude was infectious and Lucy returned his smile as well.

“Yes, but we need to get going soon.” Lucy still wanted to get home and did not want to be sidetracked.

“Yeah, I guess you are right. Let’s get something to eat.” Ben ended the conversation and lead the way to the food.

The two worked their way down the stairs. Making their way to the kitchen. To their surprise there was no one in the house. On the kitchen table was a note. It read “Please eat whatever you want and we hope this is adequate. We will be back soon. Mattie and Growler”. Lucy frowned and was immediately put off.

“Where did they go? They know we need to leave and get to Eloise.” Lucy’s temper was rising.

“Now, just relax Lucy. I am sure they are coming back soon. Growler said last night that we need to get our supplies ready but he also said we would be leaving today. Let’s make sure we get some of the food. It smells great and if Growler gets back before we start he might eat it all himself. Did you see how big he was? He must be a giant.” Ben tried to ease Lucy’s fears and gave her a little nudge. Her frown cracked and was overtaken by a smile. She followed him into the dining area. There upon the table the food was laid out. Plates of eggs, bacon, rolls lined the surface of the table. Bottles of juice were also displayed on the table with two settings all ready for their use. The twins quickly sat down and began to rummage through the food. Ben and Lucy enjoyed the time to be alone while enjoying the breakfast feast. As before, the helpings were huge and both were able to completely stuff themselves without worry. Once the breakfast was eaten and both were stuffed, the two guests began to clean the dishes.

No sooner had they finished then the door swung open. Cold crisp air bellowed in followed by a snow covered Growler.

“Strange storm. We never get this much snow at this time. Way too early even for here. Good morning you two. Hope you ate well.”

“Yes, thanks. It was wonderful” responded Lucy.

“Good, because we have a trek in store, especially with this snowfall.”

“How far is it to the Lake?”

“Normally it would take about four days, but with you being inexperienced and the snow deep, I expect about a week.” Growler added thoughtfully.

“A Week!” Ben could not believe it.

“Yes, we have to go down the hillside and now with the snow it will take longer. Getting down will be the easy part.”

“What is the hard part?” asked Ben.

“Down on the floor of the canyon there is a river. Also this attracts many animals. Some which can make even Max look normal and pint-sized.” Growler continued. “We will have to keep our eyes out, for some of the animals are great hunters that thrive in the snow. Blend in they do.”

“We need to get going then.” Ben stated.

“Yes, you are right. Did you both get enough to eat?”

“Yes, it was great.”

“Good, now we need to get you some clothes.”

“What kind of clothes do we need? We might have some in our backpacks.”

“I saw how light those things were. Whatever clothes you have in there are not going to be enough to keep you warm.”

“Well you might be surprised what we can pack in these things.” quipped Ben.

“Very well then. Off you go and be back quickly. I’ll not be waiting all day?”

“Yes, that should be enough time.” Lucy quickly ended the conversation before Ben could say more about the backpacks.

“Dress warmly. The Temperature dropped last night.” added Growler. He reopened the door and stepped back out into the cold.

In less than fifteen minutes the two were at the door waiting for Growler. As Growler opened the door from the outside, his mouth almost dropped. There stood the two travelers with heavy down coats, hats and fur lined gloves. Growler looked down and was amazed further when he saw that both had on heavy boots. A puzzled look came across his huge brow.