The Final Cascade

By:  Amir, 5^th grade

The Equangonaz Ironic Waterfalls is perhaps best known for its exotic food. You can order live alligators dipped in soy sauce, fried okra with a side of broiled worms or a dish of electric eel, which is an electrifying experience. The menu stretches on and on from Awesome Aqua-dipped Aardvarks frozen in Alligator Ants to Zesty Zebras with Hearts of a Zucchini tree, though I must say, none of it sounds very appetizing. After your nauseating meal, you can watch the waterfall in the moonlight.

            A traveler like Renoir went there for one reason: to rescue companions. These companions were referred to as the Los Slopes Opera. Renoir’s first encounter with the Los Slopes Opera was during a performance of The Magic Flute in which Rebecca, a fairy who is no longer alive, was looking for Mozart’s script. Aided by Renoir and The Los-Slopes Opera the mystery was solved; the crook being the carriage driver. Shortly after that incident, the black witch Kui used some of her vile magic to transform Renoir into a mouse. After an encounter with the cat, Renoir met up with the Los Slopes Opera to begin the dangerous journey to Kui’s chambers in the center of the Earth.

            When that adventure had ended, she went back to her home where she was a servant until the next month, when she had received an urgent telegram from Miss Hoffman, her beloved friend, telling her to come to Equangonaz Ironic Waterfalls immediately. After Renoir saw the telegram, she tiptoed out of the O’Hare Mansion at midnight that night and hitched a ride to Equangonaz Ironic Waterfalls in a man’s open suitcase. When Renoir finally arrived, not only was she skinnier, but she was also more and more curious to know what happened to Miss Hoffman. In the depths of night who was lurking? Was it Kui’s ghost? Was it the carriage driver? Or was it Miss Hoffman, herself?

            Gently setting her toothbrush down on the counter of the bathroom of the room she had rented in a vacant motel, Renoir thought of the possible suspects. Her once full suitcase was almost as vacant as the motel itself, for its contents were currently emptied into the many drawers that lined the walls of the motel room. Picking up the map from the white bed with yellowing sheets, she quickly traced with her finger the quickest route from the motel to the bottom of the waterfall, where Miss Hoffman, in her cryptic telegram had said:

            EQUAGONAZ IRONIC WATERFALLS. CAPTIVE HERE. FIND WATERFALL BED. CANOE WINDS WILL GUIDE YOU TO ME.

LOS SLOPES OPERA

            Doing some research, Renoir learned that the bed of the waterfall is not its sleeping place but yet the bottom. Also, she learned that the Canoe Winds was at the top of the waterfall, a spot where the wind hit the water perpendicularly. To her, the bottom of the waterfall was a start to another adventure with the Los Slopes Opera. Taking off her clothes she had worn for a week, Renoir hastily put on some ripped blue jeans and a tie-dye short sleeved shirt. Then, after getting her water, her first aid kit, and her book, she unlocked the door and started her adventure to the bed of the waterfall.

            Once her course was set, she would stop for some food and then continue to the waterfall. Renoir hoisted her knapsack with her water, first aid kit, and book in it so it would stay on her back. For the first ten yards of her journey, all she saw were grassy green fields. A few cows in the fields glanced up from their grazing when she passed by them. Just as the grassy emerald fields got tedious, Renoir fell through the road. 

            Renoir scooped up her suitcase, which, landed with a satisfied murmur of sounds next to her. Quickly, she unzipped the suitcase and turned it over to empty its contents. Regarding the book and the water bottle, Renoir opened the first aid kit and immediately saw the indigo helmet with the flashlight on it. After hitting the power button on the left side of the helmet, she anxiously put the contraction on and glanced ahead. There was nothing but more mud on the ground mixed with water. Ahead, nothing but stalactites and stalagmites lurked.

            “Hello, I am your captive.” Renoir called, her voice creating in echo that could be heard from every point in the cave. When there was no answer but the gentle dripping sound of the water, she repeated her words until her voice got scratchy and her legs could not take another step, she collapsed. Then she thought she heard something. She barely had time to interpret the sound when a hairy hand grabbed her arm.  The hand dragged her toward a small area filled with rocks and crystals.

            Then Renoir remembered her First Aid Kit. She managed to untangle her left hand. With her left hand grasping the handle of the suitcase, the small girl found the First Aid Kit and rummaged for her magnet. Renoir, who remembered that stalagmites have iron (the chemical that cause objects to be magnetic) in them, therefore directed the magnet at a stalagmite. The stalagmite came off the rock and hit the floor of the cave. Grabbing the stalagmite piece, she let go of her magnet, which drifted away. Just as the man was nearing where he wanted to take her, Renoir used all her might to stab the stalagmite piece and forced the sharp part into the man’s arm. The man let out a shriek of pain and let go of Renoir’s arm. Leaving behind her suitcase, (which was hidden in a forest of rocks) she turned forward and ran.

            After running three miles straight without a break, Renoir peered ahead for the first time since her fight with the mysterious man. There was the most peculiar sight. Water was blocking the rest of the cave. Yet, beneath the shiny liquid were more stalactites and stalagmites. She put her hand through the water. There was the most perplexing sensation. The sensation felt like her hand was burning under a cool fire. She removed her hand. It was in as peak condition as it ever could have been. Renoir was about to walk through the liquid when a voice called:

            “Renoir…Renoir…is that you?”

Renoir turned around. There stood the second QuickTrick triplet, dressed, in not a bumblebee suit, but a suit that looked like a Pegasus, though, personally, Renoir thought it was Marie Antoinette with a pair of wings.

            “Yes…it is me, Renoir,” Renoir replied.

            “Stand there,” the giant Pegasus paused, “for just a second, while I get this down.”

            “What is it that you are getting down, that’s well so important?” Renoir questioned.

            The second QuickTrick triplet looked at Renoir as if she were a plate of chopped liver. She strode toward her and Renoir backed off. Just as the triplet was about to put her hand on Renoir’s shoulder, Renoir tripped and fell though the water.

            Just before she entered the realm behind the water, she heard the QuickTrick triplet say, “The Dying Water. Anyone who enters…faces almost certain death.”

Then, the QuickTrick triplet disappeared with a snap of her fingers.

“Renoir….Renoir over here!” snapped a man. There was no light in the cave, so it was impossible to see who it was. “It is the Ackabare.”

“Who?” Renoir blurted out before covering her mouth to keep the constant flow of questions from being asked.

“Oh, you know,” his voice turned to a whisper at this, “the Actor.”

“I’m glad to see you!” Renoir exclaimed. “Wait a second,” she said on afterthought, “why was the second QuickTrick triplet on the other side of the water?”

“Follow me, and I will tell you,” the actor told Renoir.

“I’d like to sit down first,” Renoir said.

“There’s no time. I’ll carry you if I must,” the Actor rapidly decided.

Renoir was about to say she preferred to walk, but before a single syllable could come out of her mouth, she found herself squeezed tight around the waist by The Actor as he carried her through the endless darkness of the cave They walked silently on and on for a half-hour. Then, as suddenly as a lion hopping on a meal, The Actor stopped. Spotting a mountainous rock, he sat Renoir down on the rock. Taking a knife from his pocket, he began chipping at the ceiling.

“So, you’re curious about the QuickTrick triplet and who that man was?” the Actor asked.

“I am,” Renoir replied with confidence.

“Well, first you must know what has been going on with us lately. Some government officials from the Department of Homeland Security happened to see our performance of The Magic Flute at 65^th Theater. One of the set pieces fell and the crew had to repair the set piece while the show was going on. After the show, the men questioned to see our files, which we keep in the back room.”

The Actor paused as a massive rock in size, fell, rumbling to the ground.

“The Man in the Green Vest did not allow them to see the files. He insisted that they were private and only cast, crew and people with special access, like you, Renoir could view those files. The government agents were furious and marched off. Determined to find the government agent’s reason to view the files, the Man in the Green Vest did some research. He concluded that since there was fear of an environmental problem along the line, they created a time warp to 2109. The Department of Homeland Security wanted a human being to go in the time warp to see if an environmental problem would exist. Then, if a problem was in the near future the government could create ways to prevent it.”

The Actor had made a hatch in the ceiling. Light seeped through the opening. Renoir stood up from the rock. The Actor held her back. He said only this.

“Here it comes.”

The cave then started to disappear.