The Great Ice Battle Page 4

  “You better believe it!” Neal said. “We’d actually have to finish cleaning Eric’s basement if it wasn’t for you!”

  The three friends climbed down the rainbow steps. Cool air wafted up from below. It smelled sweet. The sky was pink and purple with streaks of bright orange. The sun was just about to rise.

  “It’s nearly dawn here,” said Neal. “Hey, look at those trees.”

  The stairs ended in a misty grove of low, blossoming trees overlooking a clear green lake. The pink morning mist clung to the branches.

  The kids jumped off the staircase just as the steps faded from sight. Eric knew the stairs would reappear when it was time to leave.

  “I am so glad to be here,” he said.

  Julie looked around. “This is weird. Nine trees in a perfect circle. Trees don’t normally grow in a circle. I think someone planted them this way.”

  “Maybe there are people nearby,” Eric added.

  Suddenly, the branches twitched.

  “Did you see that?” Neal asked.

  Before Eric could answer, the trees leaned their trunks toward the children.

  Their rough branches thrust down like arms, grabbed Julie, and tightly curled their waxy leaves around her like fingers.

  Then one of the trees pulled her off the ground.

  “Helpppp!” she cried, struggling to get free.

  But Eric and Neal couldn’t help her.

  One tree seized Neal by the ankles and pulled him up sharply. Another clutched Eric’s waist and dragged him off his feet.

  “Let us go, you overgrown twigs!” Eric shouted, smacking at the branches to get free.

  But the trees only tightened their grip.

  Text copyright © 1999 by Robert T. Abbott.

  Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Scholastic Inc.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.

  SCHOLASTIC, LITTLE APPLE PAPERBACKS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  First Scholastic printing, December 1999

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-41853-9

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.