1868
After what felt like hours wandering the endless white corridors, the boys stopped in front of a door marked by a brass plaque: 1868.
“Let’s check it out,” Nathan said. “Might be a good place to hide.”
He turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Inside was a medium-sized room with red plastered walls and a polished wooden floor. A large brass bed stood beside an open window, its white curtains billowing gently in the warm breeze. A lantern with an unlit candle sat on a table near the bed. Across the room, a brown wooden door stood closed—and behind it, voices murmured.
“Quiet,” Nathan whispered. “You hear that?”
“Think it’s those guys?” Michael asked.
“Not sure. Fox, check it out,” Andrew said.
Fox crept across the room. As he passed the window, he paused and looked out. They were in the countryside—a farmhouse, by the look of it. A horse and black carriage rolled up a dirt road toward the house.
He continued to the door, cracked it open, and slipped through.
The others followed, stepping into a long second-floor hallway. On the right, white walls were lined with ornate paintings. On the left, a banister overlooked the sitting room below.
The boys dropped to the floor, peering through the spindles.
A woman stood in the sitting room, dressed in a dark gown. A maid approached, carrying a tray.
“Here are your drinks, miss,” the maid said.
“Very good, Maggie. Prepare the spare room upstairs for our guest,” the woman replied.
“Yes, ma’am,” the maid said, bowing before heading toward the kitchen.
The woman handed the second glass to someone seated in a large green chair.
“All is going as planned,” she said, her smile sharp and cold.
“Yes, my dear,” a man’s voice replied. “Soon we’ll have everything we’ve ever wanted.”
Michael whispered, “Where are we?”
Fox shook his head. “Not sure. But this isn’t those guys. We’re in someone’s house.”
“Let’s get out of here before we get caught,” Nathan said.
“Back the way we came,” Andrew agreed.
They crept down the hall, slipped back into the red room, and closed the door behind them.
Inside, they debated their next move—return to the infinite hallway or try to sneak out of the house. Then came the sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate, approaching the room.
“Quick—back into the hallway!” Nathan said, flinging the door open.
The boys rushed through. Fox followed, but as he crossed the room, he tripped—slamming face-first into the floor. His bracelet struck the brass bed with a sharp crack.
He scrambled up and ran for the door.
But when he stepped through, he wasn’t in the hallway.
He was alone.
In a small, empty closet.
Fox, heart pounding, opened the window and climbed onto the small roof just as the maid entered the room. He pulled the window shut behind him and scrambled up to the peak, out of sight. There, he crouched and waited.
Inside, the maid paused, puzzled by the thump she’d heard. She checked the window—nothing. The closet held only old coats. Under the bed, nothing. After a moment, she shook her head, chalking it up to imagination, and began making the bed.
Fox crept back down the roof and peeked inside. The maid was still tidying. He ducked just as she turned toward the window. A soft click echoed. He looked again—the maid was leaving, slowly closing the door behind her.
Fox reached for the window. It wouldn’t budge. He squinted at the top frame—locked.
Just then, Nathan, Andrew, and Michael stepped out of the closet, scanning the room.
A light tapping drew their attention.
Fox was outside, crouched on the roof.
Nathan climbed onto the bed, unlocked the window, and helped Fox slide back inside.
“Now that we’ve got Fox, let’s get the heck out of here,” Andrew said.
“Wait,” Fox said. “I think my bracelet’s broken. I can’t go through the door.”
“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.
“I think this is one of those time rooms I read about,” Fox said. “Without a working bracelet, I’m stuck.”
“What do we do?” Michael asked.
Fox handed the bracelet to Nathan. “See if you can find a replacement. Or a way to fix it.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Andrew asked.
“There has to be a place,” Fox said. “Just hurry.”
“I’ll hide under the bed until you get back,” Fox added, crawling beneath the brass frame.
The three boys slipped through the door, leaving Fox behind in the quiet red room.
They moved quickly, checking rooms as they went. A massive water park with rainbow slides pouring into an ocean-sized pool. A library the size of a planet. An island in the South Pacific. A room of endless stairs twisting in every direction.
None held what they needed.
Eventually, they reached a dead end—a wall with a single elevator.
“Let’s take it,” Andrew said.
“Better than running into those guys,” Nathan agreed.
Michael pressed the button. The doors slid open.
Inside, a number pad glowed beside the door—digits 0 through 9.
“Guess we type the floor,” Nathan said.
“What’s the top floor?” Michael wondered.
“Try 999,” Andrew said.
“Let’s start with 100,” Michael offered.
“No—go to 50 first,” Nathan said.
“Alright. Fifty, then one hundred,” Michael agreed.
He pressed 5-0. The doors closed. Moments later, they opened again.
“That was fast,” Nathan said.
“Are you sure you pressed it?” Andrew asked.
“Yeah,” Michael said, stepping out.
Nathan and Andrew followed. Michael pressed 50 again. The light blinked, then faded. The doors opened once more.
“See? Level 50,” Nathan said.
“Still—didn’t feel it move,” Michael said.
“It must be insanely fast,” Andrew said.
“Let’s find a place to fix this thing,” Nathan said, holding Fox’s bracelet.
They walked down the corridor, peeking into rooms. The hallway stretched on and on, each door a mystery.
“Let’s not go too far,” Nathan warned. “We’ll get lost.”
“Yeah,” Michael agreed.
While Nathan and Michael continued down the corridor, Andrew stood transfixed before a pair of massive white doors trimmed in gold.
“Hey guys,” he called softly. “I wonder what’s in here?”
Nathan and Michael joined him, staring at the ornate doors. Nathan reached out, grasped the golden handles, and slowly pulled them open.
A blinding light spilled into the hallway.
Inside was a vault of impossible wealth—gold bars stacked like bricks, coins piled high in the center, and scattered treasures glinting across the floor. Paintings, both familiar and unknown, lined the walls.
The boys stepped inside, awestruck.
Andrew drifted toward a painting and stopped, staring.
“What are you looking at?” Michael asked.
“This girl,” Andrew said quietly.
Michael joined him. The painting showed a young girl—eight years old, with yellow hair and piercing yellow eyes.
Nathan glanced over. “Forget that. We need to find a replacement bracelet so Fox can get back.”
“I wonder who she is,” Andrew murmured.
“Who cares. Let’s go,” Nathan said.
They turned and exited the vault, closing the doors behind them. Down the hallway they went, checking rooms as they passed: a sitting room, bedrooms, swimming pools, another water park, and a jungle outside room. Nothing useful.
Finally, they reached a door at the end of the corridor. Nathan opened it.
Inside was a lab—test equipment, scattered parts, and drawers filled with strange devices.
Meanwhile, after two hours of wandering, Frank, Winston, and Bob emerged from the woods—only to realize they weren’t in the same forest.
“Guys,” Bob said, pointing upward. “Those moons weren’t there before.”
“We’re not in the same place,” Winston muttered.
“We better get back,” Bob said. “Those kids probably called the cops.”
Frank clenched his fists. “We need to find them. And figure out how they did this.”
The three men turned and headed back.
Back in the lab, Nathan, Andrew, and Michael rifled through drawers until they found a set of bracelets. They grabbed one and raced back to the red room.
Fox crawled out from under the brass bed, took the bracelet, and slipped it on.
Just then, the door burst open.
The owners of the farmhouse stepped inside—followed by eight burly handymen.
“Well, well, well,” the man said, grinning at his wife. “What do we have here?”
“Looks like we’ve got rats,” the woman sneered.
“Or riff-raff breaking into our home,” the man added.
“Who are you?” the woman demanded. “What are you doing here?”
“We were just leaving,” Nathan said, inching toward the closet.
But the handymen moved fast. Two grabbed each boy.
“Jim,” the man said, “take these boys to the cellar. Lock them up. Then go fetch the sheriff.”
“But what if they know about our plans?” the woman asked.
“I doubt it,” the man said. “They’re just poor little hooligans. Probably came to steal.”
“We didn’t do squat!” Andrew shouted, struggling against the grip.
“ENOUGH!” the man roared. “Take them away!”
The handymen dragged the boys down the stairs as they kicked and fought. Above them, the man and woman laughed—cold and cruel.
“Let’s check it out,” Nathan said. “Might be a good place to hide.”
He turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Inside was a medium-sized room with red plastered walls and a polished wooden floor. A large brass bed stood beside an open window, its white curtains billowing gently in the warm breeze. A lantern with an unlit candle sat on a table near the bed. Across the room, a brown wooden door stood closed—and behind it, voices murmured.
“Quiet,” Nathan whispered. “You hear that?”
“Think it’s those guys?” Michael asked.
“Not sure. Fox, check it out,” Andrew said.
Fox crept across the room. As he passed the window, he paused and looked out. They were in the countryside—a farmhouse, by the look of it. A horse and black carriage rolled up a dirt road toward the house.
He continued to the door, cracked it open, and slipped through.
The others followed, stepping into a long second-floor hallway. On the right, white walls were lined with ornate paintings. On the left, a banister overlooked the sitting room below.
The boys dropped to the floor, peering through the spindles.
A woman stood in the sitting room, dressed in a dark gown. A maid approached, carrying a tray.
“Here are your drinks, miss,” the maid said.
“Very good, Maggie. Prepare the spare room upstairs for our guest,” the woman replied.
“Yes, ma’am,” the maid said, bowing before heading toward the kitchen.
The woman handed the second glass to someone seated in a large green chair.
“All is going as planned,” she said, her smile sharp and cold.
“Yes, my dear,” a man’s voice replied. “Soon we’ll have everything we’ve ever wanted.”
Michael whispered, “Where are we?”
Fox shook his head. “Not sure. But this isn’t those guys. We’re in someone’s house.”
“Let’s get out of here before we get caught,” Nathan said.
“Back the way we came,” Andrew agreed.
They crept down the hall, slipped back into the red room, and closed the door behind them.
Inside, they debated their next move—return to the infinite hallway or try to sneak out of the house. Then came the sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate, approaching the room.
“Quick—back into the hallway!” Nathan said, flinging the door open.
The boys rushed through. Fox followed, but as he crossed the room, he tripped—slamming face-first into the floor. His bracelet struck the brass bed with a sharp crack.
He scrambled up and ran for the door.
But when he stepped through, he wasn’t in the hallway.
He was alone.
In a small, empty closet.
Fox, heart pounding, opened the window and climbed onto the small roof just as the maid entered the room. He pulled the window shut behind him and scrambled up to the peak, out of sight. There, he crouched and waited.
Inside, the maid paused, puzzled by the thump she’d heard. She checked the window—nothing. The closet held only old coats. Under the bed, nothing. After a moment, she shook her head, chalking it up to imagination, and began making the bed.
Fox crept back down the roof and peeked inside. The maid was still tidying. He ducked just as she turned toward the window. A soft click echoed. He looked again—the maid was leaving, slowly closing the door behind her.
Fox reached for the window. It wouldn’t budge. He squinted at the top frame—locked.
Just then, Nathan, Andrew, and Michael stepped out of the closet, scanning the room.
A light tapping drew their attention.
Fox was outside, crouched on the roof.
Nathan climbed onto the bed, unlocked the window, and helped Fox slide back inside.
“Now that we’ve got Fox, let’s get the heck out of here,” Andrew said.
“Wait,” Fox said. “I think my bracelet’s broken. I can’t go through the door.”
“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.
“I think this is one of those time rooms I read about,” Fox said. “Without a working bracelet, I’m stuck.”
“What do we do?” Michael asked.
Fox handed the bracelet to Nathan. “See if you can find a replacement. Or a way to fix it.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Andrew asked.
“There has to be a place,” Fox said. “Just hurry.”
“I’ll hide under the bed until you get back,” Fox added, crawling beneath the brass frame.
The three boys slipped through the door, leaving Fox behind in the quiet red room.
They moved quickly, checking rooms as they went. A massive water park with rainbow slides pouring into an ocean-sized pool. A library the size of a planet. An island in the South Pacific. A room of endless stairs twisting in every direction.
None held what they needed.
Eventually, they reached a dead end—a wall with a single elevator.
“Let’s take it,” Andrew said.
“Better than running into those guys,” Nathan agreed.
Michael pressed the button. The doors slid open.
Inside, a number pad glowed beside the door—digits 0 through 9.
“Guess we type the floor,” Nathan said.
“What’s the top floor?” Michael wondered.
“Try 999,” Andrew said.
“Let’s start with 100,” Michael offered.
“No—go to 50 first,” Nathan said.
“Alright. Fifty, then one hundred,” Michael agreed.
He pressed 5-0. The doors closed. Moments later, they opened again.
“That was fast,” Nathan said.
“Are you sure you pressed it?” Andrew asked.
“Yeah,” Michael said, stepping out.
Nathan and Andrew followed. Michael pressed 50 again. The light blinked, then faded. The doors opened once more.
“See? Level 50,” Nathan said.
“Still—didn’t feel it move,” Michael said.
“It must be insanely fast,” Andrew said.
“Let’s find a place to fix this thing,” Nathan said, holding Fox’s bracelet.
They walked down the corridor, peeking into rooms. The hallway stretched on and on, each door a mystery.
“Let’s not go too far,” Nathan warned. “We’ll get lost.”
“Yeah,” Michael agreed.
While Nathan and Michael continued down the corridor, Andrew stood transfixed before a pair of massive white doors trimmed in gold.
“Hey guys,” he called softly. “I wonder what’s in here?”
Nathan and Michael joined him, staring at the ornate doors. Nathan reached out, grasped the golden handles, and slowly pulled them open.
A blinding light spilled into the hallway.
Inside was a vault of impossible wealth—gold bars stacked like bricks, coins piled high in the center, and scattered treasures glinting across the floor. Paintings, both familiar and unknown, lined the walls.
The boys stepped inside, awestruck.
Andrew drifted toward a painting and stopped, staring.
“What are you looking at?” Michael asked.
“This girl,” Andrew said quietly.
Michael joined him. The painting showed a young girl—eight years old, with yellow hair and piercing yellow eyes.
Nathan glanced over. “Forget that. We need to find a replacement bracelet so Fox can get back.”
“I wonder who she is,” Andrew murmured.
“Who cares. Let’s go,” Nathan said.
They turned and exited the vault, closing the doors behind them. Down the hallway they went, checking rooms as they passed: a sitting room, bedrooms, swimming pools, another water park, and a jungle outside room. Nothing useful.
Finally, they reached a door at the end of the corridor. Nathan opened it.
Inside was a lab—test equipment, scattered parts, and drawers filled with strange devices.
Meanwhile, after two hours of wandering, Frank, Winston, and Bob emerged from the woods—only to realize they weren’t in the same forest.
“Guys,” Bob said, pointing upward. “Those moons weren’t there before.”
“We’re not in the same place,” Winston muttered.
“We better get back,” Bob said. “Those kids probably called the cops.”
Frank clenched his fists. “We need to find them. And figure out how they did this.”
The three men turned and headed back.
Back in the lab, Nathan, Andrew, and Michael rifled through drawers until they found a set of bracelets. They grabbed one and raced back to the red room.
Fox crawled out from under the brass bed, took the bracelet, and slipped it on.
Just then, the door burst open.
The owners of the farmhouse stepped inside—followed by eight burly handymen.
“Well, well, well,” the man said, grinning at his wife. “What do we have here?”
“Looks like we’ve got rats,” the woman sneered.
“Or riff-raff breaking into our home,” the man added.
“Who are you?” the woman demanded. “What are you doing here?”
“We were just leaving,” Nathan said, inching toward the closet.
But the handymen moved fast. Two grabbed each boy.
“Jim,” the man said, “take these boys to the cellar. Lock them up. Then go fetch the sheriff.”
“But what if they know about our plans?” the woman asked.
“I doubt it,” the man said. “They’re just poor little hooligans. Probably came to steal.”
“We didn’t do squat!” Andrew shouted, struggling against the grip.
“ENOUGH!” the man roared. “Take them away!”
The handymen dragged the boys down the stairs as they kicked and fought. Above them, the man and woman laughed—cold and cruel.