Seven Days

“Your mother is sick with a terrible disease, and she will die in a few weeks. But you, Allie, you can go find the cure. Here, take this book. Inscribed inside is a poem. It describes how to get the cure. I’ve never figured out how to work it, but maybe you can. You see, when you open the book, there are no words inside. My mother knew how to get the words to appear, but alas, she’s dead. I hope you can figure this book out and find the cure for your mother. Good luck, Allie!” Allie stood there, thunderstruck.
Allie had never had a hard life. She lived and played in Wentia with her mom all these thirteen years. Now her mom had a fatal disease, and Allie knew what she had to do if she didn’t want her to die.
Thirteen years in Wentia had taught her that anything could be dangerous -- even opening a book. So carefully, cautiously, she opened the red leather bound book. She breathed a sigh of relief and immediately realized that what Mrs. Smith had said was true: indeed, there were no words or even marks, visible whatsoever.
Allie thought for a moment, and then she closed the book. Promptly, she reopened it and was rewarded. There were now many fancy inscriptions along the page. Allie smiled to herself, and then she began reading.
If you seek help from thee,
You must find four things for me.
One from China, one from Mexico,
One from Virginia, and one from Brazil.
All of these things are sure
To help you find a cure.
Allie thought about this for a moment, and then she said to herself, “But what are these things?” She turned the page and kept reading.
These things that you seek are
Never near and never far.
A bamboo pole from China,
A tamale from Mexico,
Thomas Jefferson’s signature from Virginia,
And a glass of water from the Amazon River in Brazil.
Next Allie panicked, ”My mother will die in a few weeks. How am I to get to all these places before she dies?”
Use the globe.
“The globe?” Allie wondered.
Just go up to a globe,
Point to where you want to go,
And instantly,
You will be transported there.
“But what about getting Thomas Jefferson’s signature? He’s been dead for a long time. I can’t go back in time!”
Yes you can.
“I can?!” said Allie, amazed. “How?”
You must only recite the year you wish to travel to before placing your finger on where you want to go.
Suddenly, all the words disappeared. Allie suspected it must be the end of her instructions.
* * *
With a deep breath, Allie walked to the globe her mother had in her room. She raised her finger, and, with trembling hands, lightly touched the country of China. It all happened so fast after that. The room became a whirlwind of color. She felt like she was being thrown through space, and then…it stopped. Everything was silent, except for the rustling of wind in her ears. She looked around her and realized that she was indeed in China. Allie looked around at her low, flat surroundings and wondered how in the world she would find a bamboo pole.
* * *
Allie started toward what looked like a hazy town on the horizon. She walked for what seemed like miles, before realizing her great thirst. Remembering the red leather book, she thought, “If this helped me get here, maybe it will help me find something to drink?” With that, she activated her book, and wrote on a blank page, “I NEED WATER”. Surprisingly, the pages of the book began to flutter, and beautiful handwriting began to appear on the page, as if an invisible hand was writing to her.
Walk ten paces north,
And make sure you keep your eyes on the horizon.
This shall greatly help thee:
Allie did not quite understand why the book was telling her to do this, but she decided to obey it. Allie started to walk, counting her paces aloud, “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 -- WWWHHHOOOAAA!!!” A tunnel! She slid through the darkness, rounding sharp curves, going up and down, and starting to make Allie a bit nauseous. She thought it would never stop, and then…it did. Allie was now standing in the middle of a beautiful green field lush with grass and what’s more, there was a bamboo forest, a pool of what looked like pretty sanitary water, and a globe on a table, all situated within 300 ft. of her.
Allie grinned broadly and said, “What could be better luck?” The first thing she wanted to do was get a drink, but she had no cups about her. She thought, “Better ask the book.” Allie opened it and wrote, “I NEED A CUP.” Suddenly something began to materialize on the page. It was a cup! She picked it up and squeezed it to be sure it was solid. It was. Allie sprinted to the spring and filled her cup with cool, fresh, water. She gulped it down gratefully.
Next, she wanted to get a bamboo pole. Allie walked over to them and started to tug on a pole. Alas, her efforts were fruitless. She wrote “HATCHET”. A large hatchet popped up, and with one long WHACK! A cleanly cut bamboo pole was laying on the ground for her. Smiling, she picked it up and walked over to the globe. She was going to Mexico.
* * *
Allie got there safely, but her head was spinning from the “globe” method of travel. She wasn’t she liked that method very much, but it is very fast, and as her mother only had 1 week left, speed was the main factor here. Allie looked around the streets of Mexico City and realized that the Mexicans were celebrating the Day of the Dead. She knew that the Day of the Dead was a day similar to Halloween. Children were prancing about in scary costumes, collecting candy. She directed her attention away from the children and started to look at all the shops and stalls.
At first, the multitude of shops and stalls amazed her. There were so many! After much looking, Allie found what she was looking for: Las Enchiladas and Tamalés. “That’s what I need!” Allie said as she scurried inside.
The sights and smells of Las Enchiladas were wonderful as Allie stepped inside. The smell of red-hot chili peppers reached her nostrils. Allie stepped up to the counter, and, using some Spanish she had learned in school, said, “Habla usted Inglés#?”
“Sí#,” the clerk said. “Yes, I do speak English. Now what is it that you want?”
“I would like to buy a hot tamalé to go, please.”
“All right, then. One portable hot tamalé coming up! Oh, was there anything else you wanted?”
“No, that will be all,” Allie replied. With a tamale in her hand, she went to the library, hoping that there she might find a globe that would transport her to her next destination: Virginia, in 1810. Soon enough, she found a globe nestled in a dark little corner. “Perfect,” Allie thought. Stealthily, she made her way to the globe. Her voice was trembling as she said, “1810, Thomas Jefferson’s house.” It was Adiós# to Mexico as she pinpointed the tiny state of Virginia.
* * *
The trip took much longer this time, possibly because she was going back in time. Allie looked around. “So this is what the 1800s looked like.” she gaped. Right in front of her was the door to Thomas Jefferson’s house! Very politely, Allie knocked on the door. A refined looking gray - haired man was standing in the doorway. Allie gasped in excitement. Tom invited her inside. “You want an autograph, right?” he said glumly.
“No, yes, I mean…why are you so sad, Thomas?”
“I sit here, day after day, with people pouring in, asking for autographs. But no one ever stays to talk or anything.”
“I’ll admit it, I did want an autograph, but I’ll be happy to stay and talk for a while.” A rare smile broke out over Tom’s face.
“Okay,” he said. “You stay and talk, then I’ll give you that autograph. Here, have a chair.” They conversed for a while. Finally, Thomas said, “Well, hand it over.” Thomas signed an enormous loopy signature in her book.
“By the way, is there a globe in this house?” “Yeah, right back there in me bedroom.” “Thanks, Thomas!” she yelled as she was whisked away to Brazil.
* * *
It appeared she had landed in a large rain forest. The Amazon, in fact. Right beside her were the rushing waters of the Amazon River. She used the cup she got in China to scoop up the water she needed. Then she thought where a globe would be around in these parts. For a while she wondered around aimlessly, and then she got a great idea. She opened her book and wrote “A GLOBE.” Suddenly a globe popped up. She was going home.
* * *
A sigh of relief came from Allie’s mouth when her mom was not dead. At least, not yet. She told the book she had collected everything. It wrote back:
Ye have done very well.
Ye asked me for things that people do not sell.
Get a pot and make haste
Before ye stuff goes to waste.
Tear up ye signature, put it in the pot
Now take ye water, make sure it is not hot
Then ye tamale, put it in fast
Afterwards put the bamboo in last.
Pour it in ye cup, and give it to ye mother.
She’ll start feeling better some time or other.
* * *
Allie did what the book said. She gave the potion to her mother, who started recovering immediately. Allie then wondered if she could “globe travel” and have magical adventures anytime she wanted. She didn’t know it then, but the answer was yes.