“No! Help!” Veronica cried, thrashing her arms and legs. “Mom! Dad!! Elyse!!!”She awoke, expecting to find herself forty feet high near one of the most dangerous volcanoes on earth, but her pillow was too fluffy and her blanket too warm. She c

14: The People of Wood

May 28th, 2019 12m 50s

The bone-white eye of a low-slung moon stared the Captain in the face. He held the flickering torch close. Maddy and Veronica leaned in, the firefly-light dancing in their eyes. He began: It was a land of dragons and redwoods, of towering fern

13: The Torch

May 28th, 2019 7m 4s

Veronica’s dad reeled in another good-sized trout from the pale blue waters. He called for the girls, but they did not answer.“Hey Captain,” he said. “Have you seen them?”The Captain looked around, checked his watch, then stared into the not-

12: Setting Up Camp

Apr 18th, 2019 8m 48s

Veronica, Maddy, and their fathers stepped out in single file onto the narrow steel bridge. From her perch, Veronica could see the tops of the highest trees poking through the marshmallow clouds. At the center of the bridge, the clouds parted,

11: A Chance Meeting

Apr 18th, 2019 9m 14s

The high steel bridge crossed a fluffy white sea. “We’ll take it over the clouds,” the Captain said to the girls. “I was no older than you when I crossed this bridge for the first time. The campsite is just on the other side, down the small vol

10: The Cloud Forest

Apr 11th, 2019 8m 58s

Beyond the tunnel, a four-lane highway stretched across a level plain. Veronica’s dad checked the rearview mirror for the cloud.“Well, that was a little close,” he said. “Girls, you can use the iPad if you like. We’ll be in the Cloud Forest in

09: Wolf Creek

Apr 11th, 2019 8m 27s

The sky turned black as the pyroclastic cloud chased them across the Pass. A sea of fire glowed incandescent behind the angry cloud. Elbows of lightning crisscrossed its murderous face. “Faster, faster!” Veronica screamed. The speedometer cross

08: Magma Pass

Apr 9th, 2019 8m 44s

“Girls, look!” the captain said, tapping the passenger-side window. Veronica glanced up from her iPad just long enough to read the sign.MAGMA SKYWAYOpen June to SeptemberEnter at Your Own Risk!“Why’s it only open in the summer?” Maddy asked

07: The Grave Site

Apr 9th, 2019 11m 15s

“It’s not much further,” called the Captain to the girls, who dawdled behind him chatting and kicking stones. They passed one abandoned shell of a house after another, until finally the Captain stopped. “It’s just through that door,” he said, h

06: Babeltown

Apr 9th, 2019 10m 35s

Veronica looked out the window, daydreaming with her elbow on the door and her head in her hand. Maddy fiddled with the iPad, unaware of the towering city rolling into view just ahead of her.Veronica’s eyes rose above the clouds. “Daddy, does

05: On the Road

Apr 9th, 2019 10m

Packed and ready, the lava car rolled out of the driveway at 9:00 a.m. sharp. If all went according to plan, the four adventurers would arrive at the Cloud Forest in plenty of time to set up camp.Ten minutes into the drive, Veronica’s dad read

04: Packing the Car

Apr 1st, 2019 10m 34s

Veronica opened her eyes to the sight of her sweet sister sliding into bed next to her. “You look like a lion,” she said, as Elyse’s golden hair swept up like a wispy mane. Elyse blinked her blue eyes at Veronica. “TV, please?” she squeaked in

03: Eruption

Mar 17th, 2019 8m 53s

“Daddy, look!” Veronica said excitedly, staring out the living room window.The blue skies and yellow sun had turned black. Birds of every color flew in one direction, away from the volcano. Fiery lava gushed out in giant arcs from the volcano

02: Ice Tires

Mar 17th, 2019 11m 7s

By the next day, Veronica had made her plan. She would climb Mount Mystery, take her best friend, Maddy, and leave tomorrow. But first, she would need her dad to help get ready, her mom to say yes, and Maddy’s parents to let her go. Fortunately

01: Volcano Pearls

Mar 17th, 2019 11m 28s

In another lifetime, in a land of lava and love, there lived a young girl named Veronica.Veronica had brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes. She wore a strand of pearls every day, even to bed, because her middle name was Pearl. Veronica had a m

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