Category: Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Crimson Cloak Publisher
ISBN-10: 0692364888
Type: Fiction
Pages: 364
Copyright: Feb 15, 2014
ISBN-13: 9780692364888
Bunker and Gittel follow one of their schoolmates into the mountains and discover the Secret City, where things are not as they seem to be.
Secret City Short Synopsis
On his first day at the Learning Center on the enchanted planet Otherland, thirteen-year-old Bunker Charles’ flying zoomer is borrowed by a student, who takes off and flies to the mountains. Bunker and his friend, Gittel, take a cobaplane and follow him. After a few misadventures along the way they come across the mysterious Secret City hidden among snowcapped mountains. They meet Victor, a tall silver person who shows them around the Secret City. Snooping on their own, Bunker and Gittel soon discover a startling secret about the Secret City! In their search for CJ outside the city, they find two Azanos Indians who are half human and half lizard have kidnapped CJ. To add to the excitement, the dreaded Dogg Bolesto lands his huge spaceship on top of the Secret City and demands the return of his daughter, Orisha, who plans to marry Victor. He has brought along his doggers to back him up. (Doggers are men and women whom he has turned into human zombies.) CJ and the Azanos Indians appear and frighten Dogg Bolesto, who runs away to his spaceship. An impending catastrophe is about to happen in the Secret City (from taking in too much oxygen) and Bunker and Gittel leave just in time. On their way home safely in the cobaplane they look at the coins Victor gave them earlier and written on the coins they discover the real treasure of the Secret City.
Excerpt
Adventure in The Secret City
by Chuck Kelly
Chapter One
A ghostly moon slipped behind the shadowy haze leaving thirteen year-old Bunker Charles in total darkness. He reached out for the rocky entrance to the cave—but it wasn’t there! His fingers moved anxiously to find the solid stone, but nothing.
There was only dark empty space.
He took a deep breath and dared to take a step forward. Loose gravel crunched under his boots as he moved forward slightly. The air smelled like a riverbed of wet sand and pebbles. He held out his hands in the heavy fog and touched something cold and hard.
Solid rock!
His fingers grasped at the edges of the jagged stone. He pulled himself into the hollowed-out opening, careful not to cut his fingers on the sharp rocks. When he was just inside there were no more rough edges. The walls were suddenly smooth!
“Where is this place and why am I here?” he asked out loud. Sweat rolled down into his eyes. He rubbed his face on his sleeve and waited a moment. The moon slithered from behind a dark cloud leaving just enough light for him to see the opening of the gloomy cave and then it vanished quickly leaving him in an uneasy darkness. Bunker proceeded carefully over the uneven terrain into the dark unknown. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to create a smooth opening into this cave…but why?
Bunker wanted to scream “What am I doing here...and where am I going!” but he didn’t dare! Something deep inside told him to not say a word. He had never felt so insecure and afraid in all his life.
Although he was terribly frightened he felt himself moving forward as though he was being pulled into the shadowy cavern by an unseen force. He shuffled over loose rocks that were scattered about and he wished that the light of the moon hadn’t faded because now he couldn’t see anything.
Nothing.
He held his hand in front of his face and couldn’t see it. He was in total darkness.
After walking about unsteadily trying to find his way somewhere, anywhere, a soft light suddenly appeared in the distance. Bunker couldn’t tell how far away the light was in the surrounding murkiness but it seemed to grow brighter as he walked toward it…deeper and deeper into the confines of what appeared to be an ancient cavern.
The closer he came to the faint glow, the easier it was for him to see his surroundings. He continued on as though being drawn by a strange force emanating from the pale light—or from something beyond that. Objects came into focus surrounded by a blue haze as he walked farther into the cavern. On each side of the small path were cone shaped stalagmites protruding up from the floor. Looking up he could barely see stalactites hanging down from above, dripping mineral deposits onto the floor creating the stalagmites. The cone shaped stalagmites and stalactites had an iridescent glow in the near-darkness.
Suddenly, an eerie voice echoed within the cave, “You want to find the greatest treasure of all? Then follow me and I will show you that fortune.”
“What? Who are you...and what am I doing here?” Bunker asked, his voice cracking with fear. He had no idea of where he was or how he had gotten himself into this frightening mess...and he was beyond terrified!
The voice didn’t answer but the dim light appeared to be moving deeper and farther back into the cavern!
Bunker followed. He glanced back quickly and everything behind him was dark. He had no other choice but to follow. The dim light ahead was his only deliverance. He had to follow that light—wherever it led him!
“The answer you seek is just beyond this level. Follow me,” the voice beckoned.
Bunker felt all alone and frustrated. He couldn’t figure out where he was or why he was there. With no one to talk to, he moved along slowly, following the dim glow of the eerie bluish light.
Someone or something moved between Bunker and the light. Was it an animal? A person? At that moment, Bunker was too terrified to speak. He stopped dead still and waited, straining his eyes to see what did lie ahead.
The silhouette of a large man appeared briefly and then vanished. The form came into view again and stood facing in Bunker’s direction. The man was silent and didn’t move.
Bunker froze! His heart raced in his chest as he swallowed and tried to speak, but nothing would come out! Fear raced up the back of his neck and it felt like his hair was standing on ends! He felt his knees tremble and his body shake. He had never been this frightened!
The man moved toward Bunker taking long careful steps on the small path in between the stalagmites. Bunker waited, his ears were ringing and he could feel a strong pounding of his chest!
“Come with me. There is light just beyond the next ridge,” the man said pointing toward the light.
“But where does it all go and why am I here?” Bunker managed to spill out.
“You will soon understand everything,” the man spoke in a deep voice.
As he got closer to the mysterious man, the man appeared to be a different color than Bunker. Of course in the near-darkness he could have been any shade but as Bunker moved closer into the light he realized the man was all silver in color, like a gray metallic.
Bunker gasped. Was that just the reflection of light on the man’s face, or was this man really silver? The color of a person was incidental to Bunker but he had never heard of a person being bright silver before. From his knowledge if you were silver you were a corpse. You had no blood in your veins and you were dead.
Whoa! What a thought!
“You seem surprised to see me,” the man said. The sound of his speaking voice was deep and in a way it was almost friendly.
“I don’t know where I am,” Bunker admitted. “I’m lost and I’m surprised to see anyone. Who are you and where am I? Is this cave somewhere near my home? I mean, what is this all about, and why am I here?”
The man smiled. “Surely you remember coming here. We don’t get many visitors here in Kabaland. Not many from down below ever visit here. I assume that’s where you are from?”
“Down below?” Bunker asked. “Down below what?”
“You are high in the Kabahouchi Mountains near a place called Kabaland,” the man replied.
Bunker noticed that the cave seemed to brighten from the glow off of the silver man, reflecting on the various rocks and minerals in the cave. Bunker looked closely at the man. His face and hands really were bright silver! He had long white hair that hung down to his shoulders and a matching white beard that almost matched his silver skin. The long pale blue robe he wore had a golden cloth tied around the waist. Standing close to Bunker the silver man’s voice was soothing. “Come with me and I will show you the treasure.” He turned and walked away toward the faint light.
“What treasure? I don’t know anything a treasure!” Bunker was becoming annoyed. He hated it when people assumed they knew what was on his mind when they had no idea what he was thinking.
The man stopped and looked at him. “That is why you are here.”
“How do you know that?” Bunker asked.
“Because I know,” the man said and disappeared behind a large rock.
Bunker followed him. The dark crevice led to a small passageway that turned left abruptly and then turned right. They stepped on loose sand and small pebbles as they continued on the passage that led towards another opening. The light in the cave became brighter as Bunker and the silver person walked closer to the opening. When they reached the open gap, Bunker looked out and couldn’t believe what he saw! He was about to walk into another world!
He gasped in awe at the beauty that was there before him.
He breathed deeply and the air was fresh and clean. There was a meadow with rich green grass spread out as far as he could see. In the near distance were snow-capped mountains towering high into the deep blue sky. Various animals scampered about between tall leafy trees. Some animals were familiar, like rabbits, squirrels and foxes. All the animals were friendly. Other animals he had never seen before. They seemed to be friendly and pleasant, with large eyes, thin bodies and long tails, like something out of a fairytale book. A rippling stream filled with bright colored pebbles wound its way through the grassland. Birds of every size and color fluttered about from tree to tree, singing as they filled the enchanted valley with the sounds of their musical melodies.
Bunker felt overcome by a strong feeling of wonder. Never had he seen any place so calm and peaceful! There was something so serene about the valley that it made him smile. This looked like what they called Shangri-La in the storybooks. Of course Bunker knew there was no such place as Shangri-La, or Utopia. But if there ever were such places, this would be it.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Bunker remarked walking with the silver person down a small path toward the green meadow and quiet stream. “This looks like the perfect place to live in peace and maybe raise a family.”
“Yes, it is,” the silver man remarked, “and we enjoy it a lot, because as you know, nothing lasts forever.”
Bunker couldn’t imagine the beauty of this place being distorted or ruined. “Why do you say that?” he asked.
The silver man smiled. “If you stay around long enough you will find out.”
“I don’t understand,” Bunker replied, “How could a place like this. . .”
“Like I said, if you stick around long enough you will discover that things are not as they seem.”
This made Bunker feel uncomfortable. He asked, “What is the temperature right now, about seventy degrees?”
“Something like that. But you must remember nothing lasts forever.”
“You keep saying that. What happens, does everyone turn into pumpkins…or vampires?”
The silver man looked at him sharply and asked, “What are vampires?”
“Oh, you know, vampires. Blood suckers.”
He got a frown on his face and said, “I don’t know what you mean by that.”
“Oh never mind. I’m gonna enjoy it while it lasts anyway!” Bunker breathed deeply taking everything in, the fresh air, the beauty of the magnificent valley.
There was silence between them while Bunker enjoyed the surroundings and felt the warm sun shine on his face. After a few moments, he asked, “With a place as pleasant as this, do you have any enemies?”
The silver person looked at him with no expression on his face. “The Azanos bother us from time to time. They live on the outskirts of the valley. They try to steal from us.”
“Azanos?” Bunker asked. “That sounds like throat lozenges.”
“What is that?” the silver man asked.
“Oh you know, cough drops.”
“For your throat?”
“Yeah, you know, like on television, the commercials.”
“I have heard of television. But no, we don’t have that. We don’t need anything like that to entertain us. We are very happy doing what pleases us the most and staying busy.”
“Sounds like you have a very relaxed, peaceful way of life,” Bunker replied.
“For the time being,” the silver man replied. “Are you looking for the treasure,” the silver man asked, looking at Bunker, his eyes trying to read the expressions on Bunker’s face.
“Well, I might be, although I don’t really know what treasure you’re talking about.”
The silver man smiled and said, “That’s what they all say in the beginning.”
“Really? You have lots of visitors here?” Bunker asked.
“From time to time, but not a lot. They sometimes wander up here from down below. We enjoy their company and then they leave.”
“That must be where you heard about television.”
“Yes. Visitors have told us of that device they keep in their homes.”
“Weird,” Bunker said, scratching his head. “How did I get here?”
The silver man looked at him sharply. “I have no idea. You came here on your own.”
Boy! This is really getting weird, Bunker thought to himself. This guy must think I’m totally batso! “Was I driving a cobaplane?” Bunker asked.
“What’s that?” the silver man asked.
“It’s a motorcycle that can be changed into an airplane and…oh, forget it! You wouldn’t understand.”
“You came up through the river in a small boat of some kind,” the silver man said.
“Oh, I was must have been in my cobasub.” Bunker thought for a moment and asked, “When did I get here?”
“A short while ago. There was another rider with you. Where did she go?” the silver man asked.
Bunker shook his head. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. I must be losing my bleeping mind!”
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Author of Legend of Otherland series
Self Employed
Robert Crittendon
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Event chair , Publicity coordinator at San Clemente Military Family Outreach
Chuck is a creative guy, period. He displayed that in the entertainment field in his earlier business days and has found a new field of expression in his fiction writing. He sees linkages between events and actions that others often miss and triggers unexpected "aha" moments.
October 21, 2013, Robert was with another company when working with Chuck at Self Employed
Author R.L. Mitchley, gets some help from his close friend Elias, as they franticly work to reunite Bob with three of his deceased family members, Grammy, Pappy & Arlene for one last time...
Bristlecone Magic is a YA Christian fantasy about family, friends, neighborliness, love, magic and yes, even tragedy. The story takes place in Clinton County in upstate New York.
There is more than one kind of Magic! Contact me if you'd like an au
