Jax and Christian decided to go hiking on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in late October! It was the perfect time to hike because the green leaves were changing to different shades of red, yellow, and orange. They wanted to hike up a new trail that was supposed to end at the top of a small mountain. They begged Jax’s Mom to let them go hiking by themselves.
“I am not too sure about this idea,” Jax’s mother said with disapproval.
“Please,” Jax pleaded. “We promise to stick together!”
Jax’s mother replied, “Fine. You must stay together and be home at 5:00 P.M. sharp!”
The two boys packed their backpacks and sprinted out the door. They had two bottles of water each, two bags of trail mix, a rope, and Christian’s cell phone. They started their expedition at around 2:00 P.M.
While on the expedition, Jax asked, “Can you take photos with your cell phone?”
“Yes, but why?” asked Christian.
“I think that you should take some photos of all this beautiful scenery,” Jax replied.
“Okay,” Christian said. As they walked, they saw: tall oak trees with colorful leaves, gorgeous purple, red, and yellow wildflowers, and a clear blue sky. Soon, the boys realized that they had not seen any trail markers for about twenty minutes. .
Unsure of which direction to go, Jax asked, “Did you bring a map?”
“No, but I highly doubt we will need it,” Christian said confidently. “Besides, I have more hiking experience in this area than you do. I know where we are going.”
The boys continued to hike up the steep snake-like trail. They got tired after the first hour. They were out of breath, very thirsty, and they felt blisters on their feet.
“Wow! This trail is so long, I feel like I am going to collapse on the ground!” Christian exclaimed. They found a tree stump big enough for two people and decided to rest for a minute.
“Are you sure we are going in the right direction?” Jax asked. “I have not seen any trail markers for a really long time!”
“So? That doesn’t matter, right?” Christian said confused. Although the trail seemed very unfamiliar, the boys continued to hike up the mountain. They finally reached the top of a high ridge and felt a cool breeze hit their faces. They studied the beautiful landscape that surrounded them and realized they had no clue where they were.
“I think we need to find a shortcut or another way out of here,” Christian said.
The boys discussed their tactics for getting out of the woods. They thought about trying to retrace their steps. Christian knew that plan would not work.
“Do you really think I can remember almost every single step that we took on the trail?” Christian asked.
“Yes,” Jax replied.
“Sorry,” Christian said. ”I do not remember every step we took on this twisty trail, and I did not take notes.”
“Oh no!” exclaimed Jax. “My watch says that it is 4:00 P.M.!”
“Your mother said we need to be home by 5:00 P.M.!” Christian said worriedly. “We will get in so much trouble if we are not home soon!”
“Look!” Jax said happily. “I think I see some houses down there!” He pointed to a valley below. Neither of them knew that this community existed.
“Yeah, but that community does not look familiar at all,” Christian said. Jax convinced Christian to climb down the ridge. “Wait! What if we cannot find any help down there?”
“I don’t know but I can see lots of people moving down there,” Jax said. “Let’s go!”
“Fine, but I’m blaming you if this does not work,” Christian said.
In the valley, people were harvesting crops along the river banks. Their houses were made of straw, sticks, mud, and oak leaves. As they reached the bottom, they entered a village they had never seen before. People were selling goods to everyone in the village square.
























“Where are we?” Jax asked.
“I have no clue,” Christian yelled. “You were the one who told us to come down here!”
A strange looking man approached the boys. “Who are you, and where are we?” Jax asked.
“I am King Avis, the King of Mountain Valley Village.”
King Avis was about six feet tall with blue hair and a green beard. He wore a red and orange robe that was trimmed in silver. His hands and feet were unusually large.
“King Avis, we are sorry, but can you do us a favor?” Jax asked.
“Sure!” King Avis replied. “I am always glad to help anybody! So, what can I do for you young children?”
“Well, we were hiking and got lost,” Christian explained. “We thought this village was near our hometown, but something tells me it is not.”
“I might know how to get to your hometown!” King Avis said joyfully. “What town do you boys live in?”
“We live in Pine Park,” Jax replied.
“I am sorry, but I have never heard of that town,” King Avis said sadly.
“Is there any method of transportation here?” Jax asked.
“The only way out of here is flying,” said King Avis.
The boys looked upward to the north, south, east, and west, but there were no airplanes in sight.
“Where is the closest airport?” Christian asked.
“Airport?” King Avis asked. “Nobody needs a plane in Mountain Valley Village.”
“What!” Christian yelled.
“So, you mean to tell me that the only way out is flying, but there aren’t any planes here?” Jax asked.
“Exactly my point,” King Avis said.
“Then how do we fly out of this village?” Christian asked.
“You need to get the ability to fly,” King Avis said. “Follow me.”
He took the two boys to his palace, which was made of granite, iron, gold, and diamonds. His palace looked so clean that you could not see a speck of dust.
“Jake, can you give these two boys the ability to fly?” King Avis asked. “They are lost and eager to get back home.”
“Who is this?” Christian asked.
“This is my son, Jake Avis,” the king replied. “Anyway, Jake, can you give these two boys the ability to fly?”
King Avis explained to the boys that Jake has magical powers, one of them being the ability to fly. The king had given Jake permission to share this ability with those who are desperate or worthy.

“Of course,” Jake replied. “I can tell they are desperate to get home.”
He took out a crystal wand that looked like a long, skinny icicle. He stood in front of the boys and waved the wand in circles four times over their heads. He repeated the word “aviate” after completing each circle.
“To use this power you must follow these simple steps. First, look at the sky. Second, leap as high as you can! Finally, walk or run in the direction you want to go. Remember this: to descend, just look at the ground and point to your landing spot.”
“Thank you very much!” Jax and Christian said together.
“Wait!” Jake yelled as they walked out the door. “I have given this ability to you for only thirty minutes. Be wise with your time! Don’t waste a minute because you will never get it back.”
“Okay!” Jax and Christian said.
The boys were so relieved that they hugged King Avis and Jake, and they ran out the door. They began testing their new abilities immediately.
They circled, climbed, and dove over the trees and saw sights for miles. The cool breeze was warmed by the heat of the sun. They screamed and laughed as they felt the freedom of flying for the first time.
"Wow! I never thought flying would be so much fun!” Jax yelled with delight.
As they flew west, the boys noticed the setting sun. They realized they had wasted most of their time and only had about ten more minutes of flying left.
“We should head home right now,” Jax said.
“Definitely,” Christian replied.
They circled the village one last time and waved goodbye. The boys made a covenant to return to Mountain Valley Village. They flew over the ridge and continued to glide south. Finally, they saw some familiar landmarks in the distance and began to soar in that direction. They spotted the Pine Park playground, library, middle school, and train station. Then they saw their homes and began their touchdown.
“We need to hurry! We only have a few seconds of power remaining!” Christian screamed.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!” the two boys yelled as the weightlessness left their bodies, and they plunged to the ground. They hit the soft grass in Jax’s yard with a thud.
As they landed on the ground, Jax’s mother ran out the back door and said, “Where were you? I was so worried about you both!”
“You wouldn’t believe it!” Jax exclaimed. “We discovered Mountain Valley Village on our hike today and learned how to fly!”
“Are you feeling okay?” his mother asked worriedly. “You cannot fly, Jax. When was the last time you ate?”
The two boys smiled at each other. “Actually, we are starving!” Jax said. “What’s for dinner anyway?” The boys headed to Jax’s kitchen and saw a delicious bacon pizza on the table.
“Tell me more about this place called Mountain Valley Village.” his mother said.
“Amazing!” Christian exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Jax agreed. “It was incredible.”
The boys explained how they got lost, found Mountain Valley Village, and met King Avis.
“Are you sure you are feeling well?” Jax’s mother questioned. “Let me get the thermometer. Maybe you both caught a fever.”
Then, the boys started to talk about King Avis’ cool son, Jake.
“Jake gave us the ability to fly,” Christian explained. ”Then he, taught us how to use the ability.”
“Stop right there,” Jax’s Mom interrupted. She thought the boys were making up the whole story. “Couldn’t you just have climbed back up the ridge?”
“Why would we do that?” Jax asked. “It would have taken us fifteen minutes to climb back up there! Anyway, after he taught us the rules, we wanted to soar!”
“Kids, they sure do have a wild imagination!” Jax’s mother mumbled to herself as she shook the thermometer. “That story is incredible! Maybe you can take our families to Mountain Valley Village, if you remember how to get there.”

“How about we go tomorrow afternoon?” Jax asked.
“I think that would work,” Christian replied.



“Then it is settled,” Jax’s Mom said. “It has been a long day, and we should take some time to relax.” Christian nodded and walked to his home across the street.
Once the boys were out of sight, Jax’s Mom checked the thermometer. She stared at it, shocked by the reading. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. The temperature read 98.6, not one tenth above or below. It was a perfectly normal 98.6 on the dot. “Maybe they were telling the truth,” she thought as she collapsed onto the couch.