Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy by Joseph Beekman (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📕

Fearful that the witch-lady might have awakenedin a fury of anger and would be storming the mansionto find them—or worse, had already found Sonnyoutside at the front—she knew she had to make a fastdecision about this boy’s fate.

“Okay, I’m moving you to a safer spot and goingto get help!” she said to the helpless boy, trying to keepcalm.

Breathing hard, she shuffled him off to somehigher ground and away from danger. The orphan boystared blankly after her as she ran off. He then huddledonce more, now farther off from the flames beginningto take hold inside the mansion.

*******

Looking on in awe, Will watched from hisvantage point as the robot hovered above the giantpumpkin. With its metal body still spinning, the robotbegan to lower its metal limbs; it directed them into thetop of the pumpkin. From underneath the middle of therobot’s body, an iron-like spike descended and drilledinto the pumpkin’s rusty-orange surface.

Will’s eyes remained fixated with the incrediblesight. His creation, his craftsmanship, and his heartfeltinspiration to help the children—it was all beginning tocome together!

The robot slowed its spinning. Its red eye-lightsbrightened as its metallic-limbs clamped into thepumpkin’s surface; it looked like some other-worldly,alien spider claiming its prey.

And then, as if a lightning storm fell to theground, the orchards lit up into a fantastic display ofweb-like, white fire! Bright volts of electricity sweptthrough all the vines, burning into every pumpkin.

Will jumped with excitement. His heart swelledas he watched pumpkin after great pumpkin glow redhot, and then implode—dissolving into oblivion.

As all this was happening, the robot retracted itsmetallic-limbs and drill-spike and then lifted off intothe air; it hovered above and away from the mainpumpkin’s own destruction.

Ranger howled, and Will laughed. “Yes indeed,boy! Those added features really did the trick! Thatlittle robot is truly a wonder!”

*******“Don’t you worry, kid!” Kelsey shouted intoSonny’s ear. “Will and that robot-droid are gonna getyou back to eatin’ all the fish in this realm!”

She moved steadily through the underbrush ofthe orchard vines as the mansion, some distance behindthem, began to burn brightly.

Minutes later, a massive electric charge sweptthrough the orchards, knocking them both to theground. In stunned disbelief, Kelsey looked to see ifSonny was okay. Seeing that he was, she remained flaton her belly and gazed around the area. All about thema wild swirl of electric light streaked throughout themass of tangled vines.

Out of strange curiosity she reached up andgrasped one of the dazzling lit-vines. Instantly, she felta weird sensation as the static-charged air swept overher body. Still holding Sonny’s arm, she turned to lookat him and saw his blond hair sticking straight out intothe air.

“If only you could see yourself!” she said, laughing hysterically. Then realizing her own hair was in awild craze, she laughed even harder.

Then like a light switch, the vines abruptlydarkened and wilted. Kelsey and Sonny laid there,silently listening and waiting. She felt the dry vine thatshe had been clutching crumble in her hand. Only thesounds of a distant buzzing and the crackle of the burntorchard vines could be heard.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice boomed loudlythrough the air:

“CHILDREN—DO NOT BE AFRAID! RUNTO THE HILLS! MOVE QUICKLY AND YOU WILLFIND SAFETY! LOOK FOR THE FIRE AT THEBOTTOM OF THE HILLS—MOVE TO THE FIRE ATTHE BOTTOM OF THE HILLS!”

Kelsey could not believe her ears: Will’s voice!But it’s so very loud, and sounds so strange!

“Let’s keep moving!” Kelsey yelled, a soft grinspreading across her face. “Wow! Will must haverepaired the robot’s voice-box and added his own voiceinto it! The orphans must be awake—they’re beingcalled to safety!”

The voice continued to repeat the message.Kelsey laughed; and with renewed energy she pulledSonny up, and off they ran again.

Crashing through the ashen vines towards thehills where they had started the mission from, the rankstench of the destroyed pumpkins slammed their senses.The robot continued to voice its warning. Behind them,the mansion fell to flames—and then smolderingdarkness.

~Chapter XI

~The Gathering Orphans

Noticing a bonfire burning a few yards away atthe base of the hills, Kelsey made a hard-earned dashfor it. Sonny ambled along like a rag doll holding herside.

There by the bonfire, waiting and watching, wereWill and Ranger; they hurried to meet them. Rangershot past Kelsey to greet Sonny. He jumped andwhined and barked in joy; prancing around and nudgingSonny for attention.

“What has happened to the mansion?” Will askedaloud. Then he noticed Sonny’s condition and quicklyhelped Kelsey lower him to the ground. Ranger whimpered and whined, licking Sonny’s face.

“Pray tell, what has happened to the young lad?”Will asked, his heart sinking in fear. “She got to him,too, didn’t she?” he said, checking Sonny’s pulse andvital signs.

Kelsey nodded; her face was mixed with rawemotions. “I don’t know what to do! I thought whenthe pumpkins were destroyed, anyone under the spellwould wake up!” She started shaking Sonny to wakehim back to reality.

Will looked off into the orchards. He could makeout many figures that were scrambling, making theirway towards the bonfire. Some were running, whileothers still had a lost daze to their pace.

“Well it looks like they have—at least from whatI can tell,” he said, pointing to the orphans running uptowards them. He looked back to Sonny. “But I thinkbecause she cast that same spell on him directly, thenshe alone has to be destroyed. With the others, shegave the pumpkins this wretched spell, and then thepumpkins gave it to them as they worked in theorchards. So with them, the spell has broken.”

“If she did make it out alive, then we have todestroy her and he will awaken—right?” Kelsey askedanxiously.

Will nodded somberly. “I’m afraid so. If that firein the mansion didn’t take her, then we may be indanger still. We must move quickly! Gather all theorphans here and lead them across the upper canyonwalls and over the deadwoods. You’ll find it to be muchsafer than the way we came. Keep moving west untilyou’ve reached the gray grasslands. That is whenyou’ll know you’ve reached the Land of Iron andAnvil.”

She took a deep breath and slowly nodded inagreement. “I know of the land; I remember my mothertaking me near