This is a story I wrote together with my friends Olivia Herr and Audrey Yang. Enjoy!
Olivia pulled a book with a blue leather cover out from one of the hundreds of shelves in the library. “Time Travel and Opposite Land,” the cover read. “This is perfect!” Olivia cried.
“What is it?” Emma scurried from where she was sitting and looked at the book. “Ooh!” she said as she read a paragraph from the introduction. “You’re right, this is perfect!” Soon, everyone was gathered around the book.
“Let’s look in the Table of Contents. This is a very long chapter book, so if we carelessly read all of it, maybe we will be too late.” Audrey said.
“Good idea!” Olivia agreed. So, they flipped to the Table of Contents and began their search.
Chapter 1 – Introduction to the Concept of Time Travel
Chapter 2 – Introduction to the Concept of Opposite World and Opposite Language
Chapter 3 – The Basics of Time Travel
Chapter 4 – An Introduction to the Opposite World
Chapter 5 – The History of Time Travel and How it Was Invented
Chapter 6 – Review, Activities, and Dictionary of Words
Chapter 7 – Mapping Time
Chapter 8 – The History of Opposite World
Chapter 9 – Building a Time Machine
Chapter 10 – Biography of the Team Who Made the Time Machine
Chapter 11 – Why Opposite Language?
Chapter 12 – How a Time Machine is Used and How to Use It
Chapter 13 – The Basics of Opposite Language
Chapter 14 – The History of Travel and Machines
Chapter 15 – Traveling to Another World or Dimension
Chapter 16 – Numbers and Words in Opposite Language
“It looks like Chapters 3, 5, 9, and 15 all talk about time travel, and Chapters 4, 8, 13, and 17 all talk about Opposites and The Land of Opposites,” Emma observed.
“Okay, then let’s check them out! Then we’ll see which one gives us the best information.” Lexie replied.
Olivia, who was holding the book, flipped to Chapter 3 – The Basics of Time Travel. They read the page silently. “I think I learned this in some class. Let’s skip the basics and move on to some more complicated stuff.” Olivia, who also had a great memory, said.
They flipped to Chapter 4 – An Introduction to Opposite World. Once again, they read the pages silently. “That was a great help!” Emma said. “Even an introduction is enough for the foundations of the plan!” Together, they read the rest of the chapters on Time Travel and Opposite Land and Opposite Language.
When they had finished reading through all the chapters of the book that they needed, the sun was starting to set outside. But none of the girls even wanted to get out of the library. They all had one thing in their heads: talk about what they had read. Right in the library.
“I think the scariest part is in Chapter 8 – The History of Opposite World. Those shadows, that dark, dense cloud of mist must have escaped from the trap and found a way to get here, on Earth! They’ve been spreading their opposite powers. That’s why we’ve been experiencing opposites!” Lexie cried. The others nodded in agreement.
“What should we do?” Emma asked Olivia and Audrey, who were older.
“I have no idea,” replied Audrey.
“All I know is that we should create a team!” Olivia said.
Audrey tipped her head in confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“We are the team!” Olivia clarified. “But what should we name ourselves?”
“I don’t know… maybe something with our initials in it? Like the OLEA Society?” Lexie suggested.
Olivia smiled. “I think that’s a great name!” Olivia leaped up in the air and twirled around.
“I agree. The OLEA Society will include all of us, just like what it sounds like!” Audrey said happily. Emma nodded.
That night, back at Olivia’s house, they were doing some more research and had begun brainstorming a plan. At 10:00 in the evening, Audrey said goodbye and went back to her own house, just a few minutes away. And then, after a few minutes plus a third of the few minutes, Audrey was back. “Oh no!” she cried. “Something happened to our house and our parents. I bet, because of that opposite mist, or shadows, they’ve been transported to the other side of the world!”
“That’s serious!” Lexie said.
Olivia nodded. “But if your parents and house are gone, then why isn’t ours?” Olivia asked.
“Um, but haven’t you noticed that our parents have been nowhere to be seen?” Lexie looked at Olivia as though she had turned invisible.
“What?!” Olivia looked around. “Hey, you’re right!” Olivia realized. “But where did they go?”