Journey to the Crystal Cave Hide-and-Seek "Ready or not, here I come!" Sophie shouted. She opened her eyes and looked around. Owen and Hattie were gone. The three friends were playing hide-and-seek by Owen's house. Sophie was the seeker. She listened for a rustle of leaves or a snap of a twig. She sniffed the air. Really, though, she didn't need any clues. There were only two good hiding places in Owen's yard. First, Sophie checked inside the hollow log. It was a tight squeeze for Hattie or herself, but Owen fit easily. Sophie peered inside. "Found you!" she cried. Owen wriggled out. "Aww," he moaned. "That was quick." Next Sophie scurried over to a baby fir tree. Hattie was pretty well camouflaged by the needles. But Sophie could see her shoes. "Hi, Hattie," Sophie said casually. Hattie sighed and climbed out of the tree. "We need a new place to play this game," she said. "Yes," Sophie agreed. "Somewhere we don't know as well. With different places to hide!" "Like where?" Owen asked. The three of them were quiet as they thought it over. A picture popped into Sophie's mind. Lots of large evergreen trees grew along a brook. The lower branches arched down to the ground, creating sheltered areas underneath. "How about Butterfly Brook?" Sophie suggested. "Oh yeah!" Owen cried. Hattie agreed. "All those little hideaways!" she exclaimed. "They'll be great for hiding!" Owen ran inside to tell his mom where they were going. Then they set off together for Butterfly Brook. They took their time getting there, stopping off at fun places along the way. They played on the rope swing at the playground by Sophie's house. They took a few rides down Birch Tree Slide. By the time they arrived at the brook, Sophie was eager to start a new round of hide-and-seek. "Who wants to be 'it'?" she asked. "I got found first last time," Owen said, sounding a little mopey. "So I guess it's me this time." "Okay," Hattie agreed. "How far can we go to hide? What are the boundaries?" Hattie liked to have all the rules spelled out clearly. Sophie shrugged. "Don't go out of earshot?" she suggested. "That way, if Owen can't find us, he can call us to come out." Owen nodded. He sat down on a piece of driftwood. "Okay!" he said, closing his eyes. "I'm starting to count! One, two, three . . ." Hattie raced off toward the trees. Sophie scampered upstream, filled with a sense of adventure. She was determined to find the best hiding spot ever! Excerpted from Journey to the Crystal Cave by Poppy Green All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
