Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear (46 page)

“Hydrogen and oxygen,” Ben pretended his hand was a pistol. “You blew the H2O to bits, didntcha, son?”

Jack nodded. “In a manner of speaking. I just pictured the bond between the atoms and split them apart.”

“Hence this vast vapor cloud!” Ben waved his arms in the thick air. “Harmless gas!”

He laughed. Jack wanted to share his dad’s elation. One thing weighed on his mind. He glanced once more to the river. The fog dissipated in a wispy scattering, then faded to nothing, revealing blue sky. He sighed at his feet.

“Jack?” Ben placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “It’s Takota isn’t it?”

He caught his dad’s stare. “I don’t know where he is.”

Ben scratched his earlobe. “Where was he the last time you saw him?”

“He was on the bridge, fighting Davos.”

“Okay. Use the O/A to find him.”

He placed his hand over the machine. It once again whistled and abounded with brilliant shapes and colors from deep within. In a fraction of a second, incalculable numbers of dimensional duplicates fused into him. It was jarring the first time it happened, and he still hadn’t gotten used to it. Then the sensation passed and he felt the power absorption turning him into the strongest single force imaginable.

He scanned every section of the river below, using the O/A’s power to see under the waves and through the murk to the riverbed where the sea life had just begun to return, dazed fish and disoriented crabs darting along the bottom. He swept across the floor, realizing he not only saw down there, he
was
there. He still hadn’t come to grips with the fact that he could travel anywhere by mere thought. Even underwater. And breathe, too. The O/A provided him with a perfectly tuned biosphere, allowing the ease of movement to go everywhere. If he could imagine it, he could do it. And it would have been fun, if it weren’t for Takota. The absence of Jack’s tiny protector occupied his mind. The idea of doing something for sheer enjoyment seemed ludicrous.

He had to find Takota.

He touched the device and transported one final time, returning to the beach at the tip of North Point where his family and friends and a multitude of long faces waited. Ayita and Pud were in tears, staring, jaws shaky, noses runny. Everyone was crying. Everyone. They all wept for Takota.

Ayita tugged at his pant leg. “Where is he, Jack? Where’s Takota!”

“I-I don’t know. I can’t see him anywhere.”

“But what about the O/A?” Pud pointed out. “Isn’t it supposed to be a wishing machine?”

“Well, yes,” Jack nodded. “But there are limitations.”

“Yeah, we get it,” Pud crossed his arms. “You can’t wish for anything for your own personal gain. But, you’re the True Soul, and Takota’s your protector. The machine must know that. It can find him!”

Amelia became animated. “Jack, that’s it! Ask the O/A.”

“I already did. I asked it to help me search for Takota.”

“Yes, but maybe you didn’t ask it the right question. You asked it to help you
look
. You didn’t actually ask it to
find
him. That’s what you need to do. Ask it to
find
Takota.”

Jack squinted at her. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Pud puffed his chest and put his hands on his hips. “What? Did you think you’d be able to do this all by yourself?”

“Stop messing around!” Ayita shoved him. “Hurry, Jack!”

He pressed the O/A and let his muscles relax, once again accessing the omnidimensional field. Then he thought,
Please bring Takota to me,
as simple as that.

“Ahoy, mates!” a rough voice snapped him from his daydream. The O/A powered down and released its energy. Jack’s strength went back to normal. He felt like falling, and did, into his dad’s arms.

Ben propped up his son and shook him gently. “Jack! Do you see?”

Weakened, he peered over the water. His heavy heart lightened when he noticed a large disturbance leaving a hefty wake. A gigantic, pale gray creature glimmered in the noonday sun. It was Queenie, her craggy lips drawn in a wide smile. On her spiky backbone sat Captain Kimbo, cradling a grayish brown, furry bundle.

“I’ve got him!” the captain hollered. “I’ve got the little bugger! Fished him right out the tsunami! You should have seen ole’ Queenie, here—she was brilliant! She got me close enough, the brave girl! Then I plucked him free! Poor little guy, though. I don’t know if he’ll make it.”

The dragon got close to the beach and the captain hopped off, stepping knee-high through the waves. He placed Takota down, laying his head in the sand.

Jack sprinted to his friend, along with the entire crowd, it seemed. Ayita and Pud made it to him first. Ayita began to wail.

“Oh, no! Takota, please! Don’t die, please don’t die!”

Jack knelt next to his lifeless friend. “Takota? It’s me, Jack.”

No response. Takota wasn’t even breathing. Jack lowered an ear against his chest. Nothing. He attempted CPR, clearing his airway, pressing on the little guy’s sternum, blowing into his mouth and nose simultaneously. Nothing.

“NO!” he jumped up. “You can’t take him! Not yet!” he screamed to the sky. “Please! You’ve got to listen to me! I know this can’t be the end! Please, don’t take Takota from me! I need him, WE need him!”

Then he felt the O/A pulsate in his hand.

“Jack!” Ben touched his shoulder. “It’s working!”

Takota’s eyelids moved. His tangled fur shifted over twitching skin.

“What, what’s going on?” Jack looked at the machine.

Ben smiled. “It can heal. Automatically. Apparently, it’s been doing it for a while now. Anyone who comes close to it. A neat little side effect, don'tcha think? Just watch.”

Takota’s eyelids stirred again. His pupils darted back and forth. He tossed and let out a gurgle, coughing up water, gulping air. Then he sat up, staring at Jack.

“Whoa! What happened?”

Jack’s mouth dropped open. “That’s what I want to know. What happened to
you
?”

Takota was blank. “I-I don’t know. Last thing I remember, I was on the bridge, fighting Davos. When the wave hit us, he disappeared and, and all of the sudden I’m laying here.”

“What does it matter?” Ayita pushed past Jack and threw her arms around Takota. “You’re back. You’re with us and you’re okay.”

“Jack?” Lily blushed, yanking on his shirt. “Can I go for a ride on Queenie, too?”

A decisive applause broke out, hundreds of people, once terrified to tears, now giddy with exhilaration. Even the police cheered, many of them chasing down and arresting any Archer Savage employees they found, along with the heartless businessman, himself.

Chants of
Jack! Jack! Jack!
began to catch on. Nobody seemed to want to stand still, leaping and jumping and cheering. Jack even saw an elderly man and woman, both with short gray hair and Coke bottle glasses. They stole the show, dancing, tapping their feet. He laughed when the old man twirled his wife in a fancy step and she lost her false teeth. Takota had a good chuckle, too. She snatched them off the ground, blew on them, and popped them into her mouth again.

Jack had to wave at the people to stop chanting his name.

“Thank you! Thank you all so much! I can’t take all the credit,” he held up the O/A. “In fact, I really can’t take any. You see this? This is my dad’s invention!”

“But you’re the only one who can use it correctly, son,” Ben smiled at him. “You deserve all the credit you get.”

Jack squeezed Takota. “I never would’ve been able to do anything if it weren’t for my best friend, here.”

Takota beamed. “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”

Blinking away a tear, Jack sniffled. Takota’s eyes became glossy.

“Jack! Jack James!” a woman’s voice startled him. The news reporter made her way forward, dragging the cameraman by his jacket.

“This is Kristy Blades, live from North Point. Minutes ago, much of the population of Willow witnessed an incredible scene involving a courageous boy, his amazing machine, and his magical, teddy bear-like friend. So, Jack James, tell us about your day.”

He laughed purely by reflex. “Now that’s a long, long story. Maybe I’ll sit down and tell it, sometime.”

“Okay,” her attitude gave away her disappointment. “Then, can you tell us about your little friends? What are their names?”

“You already know Ayita,” Amelia held her protector up for everyone to see.

Ben pointed at Pud. “And this little guy is…”

Pud vanished, creating a minor stir. He reappeared on Ben’s head. Standing with his arms wide, he said, “I’m Pud!” to a round of giggles. Then he took a bow. His jaw dropped and he lost balance, tumbling into Ben’s waiting hands. Liz snatched him and planted a big kiss on his lips.

“I owed you that,” she smiled. Pud melted against her shoulder, snuggling his snout in her hair.

Jack boasted. “And this is Takota.”

Hoots and hollers. People surged to get a glimpse of the tiny hero.

“And this is Cheyton!”

In an unforeseen moment, all activity in the once boisterous throng terminated to a hush. Nobody moved, except Enola. She strode in front of Cheyton and smiled, her afterglow twinkling vigorously.

“Don’t worry,” she assured them. “Davos can’t control him anymore. I short-circuited his chip!”

Jack wasn’t sure what to think.

“Takota?” Enola eyeballed her mate. “Cheyton has something he wants to say to you.”

Cheyton held out his hand. “I’m sorry.”

Takota glanced down. “I won’t shake your hand.”

A collective, confused breath. Cheyton wrinkled his brow.

Shaking his head, Takota continued. “That’s not how friends make up. Come here,” he moved close and clutched Cheyton. “This is how it’s done!”

Cheers erupted across the peninsula. While Takota and Cheyton embraced, Enola eased up to them. Then Ayita.

Pud hurried to the huddle, his arms wide. “Oh, boy! Group hug!”

He caught his foot on a rock and, stumbling, crashed into his friends, sending them toppling. When the dust settled, they lay in a pile, laughing and wrestling, bathed in Enola’s otherworldly radiance.

Jack sat in the sand. “So, we’re all friends again?” he asked Cheyton.

“Friends,” Cheyton nodded.

Takota sat up on his elbows. “Why’d you do it, Cheyton? Why’d you allow him to put that thing in your brain? You knew what he wanted to do.”

He explained, “Davos had Enola. If I didn’t give in, they would have done it to
her
. I would’ve been devastated.”

“But, don’t you see? He would have put the implant in Enola no matter what.”

Cheyton stiffened his lips. “I know that now. And I know what Davos’ plans are. He’s only one of many Nagas. They’re everywhere. What Davos did here, that was nothing compared to what he and the rest of them are up to.”

“Like Teresa said,” Amelia’s voice trembled. “And like my visions. Jack, I didn’t want to tell you, but there’s something more, something hidden about Davos.”

“You mean more than shapeshifting, conjuring evil spirits—and that thing that shoots red electricity, there’s more than that?”

“Way more,” she had a grave tone. “I’ve been picking up on it for a long time. Ever since I was little I’ve sensed an approaching evil.”

Jack displayed the O/A proudly. “I say let ‘em come!” he put his hand on Takota’s shoulder. “We’ll be ready!”

Epilogue

JACK DIDN’T KNOW if what he was doing constituted cheating or not. Technically, it wasn’t what the O/A had been designed for. Still, it worked. It had been months since his family occupied the place, and the landscaping needed a bit of a boost. Before his eyes, his mom’s rhododendrons bloomed to their full, crimson splendor. Her whole garden began to come alive with radiant hues. The daffodils, the petunias, even the roses returned to health.

“Thanks for helping, hon’,” Liz hung out the back door. She winked and put her forefinger to her lips. “And remember…Shhh. Nobody has to know about this.”

Jack gave her an exaggerated nod, then tapped his temple.

“Got it.”

He continued his new-age gardening, holding the O/A at knee level, hovering over his mother’s backyard garden inch by inch. The seemingly withered, dried up carcasses of sad, neglected flowers and plants burst with vitality.

He stood next to a weathered oak barrel strawberry planter and held the device over the scraggly, weed infested bush. The machine whirred and sang without any prompting. He’d stopped being surprised by its antics, yet what it did next gave him tingles. The tangle of unwanted growth receded, leaving broad, healthy leaves. The dead stems and stalks, crispy from months of inattention, began to take on color. Brown and gray turned off-white at first, then light green, then sparkling rich emerald, so deep it seemed unreal.

He continued converting what had been overgrown and dead into an instant oasis. The apple trees responded by pushing out fragrant, pinkish blossoms where only a few, haggard ones managed to hold on for dear life. The fuchsias regained vigor, teeming with rich, velvety flower after flower. All of the once emaciated and weather-worn plants, shrubs and grasses came alive in a symphony of vibrancy and abundance.

When finished, he stopped and surveyed the O/A’s handiwork. Botanical artistry. Trimmed bluegrass, framed by clean cobblestones, followed the flower garden to a plentiful vegetable patch. The hanging baskets hummed with bees, searching from bloom to bloom for precious pollen.

The backyard green and lush with life, he slipped the O/A in his pocket and went indoors. He stopped to take off his shoes when he overheard his parents in the kitchen.

“I still can’t believe this, Ben. I mean, did this all really just happen? Did the town really raise the money to buy our house out of foreclosure for us? I mean, I know it’s real, but…but pinch me!”

“It’s real. Thanks to our son and his amazing imagination. Without him, we never would’ve been able to harness the power of the O/A. Our boy’s a genius, Liz. He’s gonna do some great things with that machine.”

“Yeah, but aren’t you worried? I mean, that’s a powerful device.”

“Are you concerned Jack might abuse it somehow?”

“No, it’s not that at all. I trust our son. It’s other people I don’t trust so much. What if someone gets their hands on it, someone who doesn’t have the same true soul?”

Ben chuckled. “Didn’t you see what Takota did at North Point? That little creature was sent here, Liz. It’s fate. They were meant to be together. He’s not a teddy bear, he’s a protector. And as long as Jack has his protector, I’m not worried one bit.”

Liz cleared her throat. “Listen. I have to say I’m sorry for doubting you,” her voice grew quiet. “How can I ever make it up to you?”

Ben lowered his tone. “I think I can come up with a few ideas.”

Liz giggled. Ben chuckled. Jack heard lips smacking and stuck out his tongue.

“Bluck!”

He hurried upstairs, his dad’s words echoing in his mind, “…
as long as Jack has his protector, I’m not worried one bit.”
It made him think about Takota, who’d gone with the other Tanakee to Wind Whisper Woods. Jack wondered how long it would be until they saw each other again. His stomach wrenched with worry, thinking something might happen out there, and Takota might never come back.

In his room, he found nothing but unpacked boxes and a whole lot of work to be done. He dropped his shoulders. Emptying the contents of the closest cardboard container, he placed the holoversarium on his bed.

He kept thinking about his little friend.

“Takota,” he said aloud. “Takota, you’re coming back, right?” he searched, not knowing where to direct his comments. “You wouldn’t leave me for good, would you?”

The glass in his windowpane rattled. His bedroom set shook. The boxes stacked on the nightstand traveled to the other side, and a ceramic mug full of ballpoint pens toppled and scattered. A brilliant light appeared over his bed, bursting with deafening sound. Jack peered into the brightness. It faded and left Takota in its distorted wake. He stood on the mattress, wearing a stunned expression.

“What happened?”

Jack shrugged. “Don’t know. I was just thinking about you and
Bam!
here you are!”

“Jack, we need to talk. You have to be extra careful with that machine.”

“But I wasn’t using it. Honest. The O/A isn’t even on right now.”

Takota’s pupils widened. His eyes darted left to right, then again to Jack. “If you didn’t do it, who did?”

“Maybe Eteea just wants us to be together,” Jack grinned.

Takota softened. He hopped to the dresser and put his furry hand on Jack’s shoulder. “You know what? I think so, too.”