8
Ross stuck the walking stick into a patch of thick leaves. Sure enough, it sank into oozing mud, and the end of it dissolved. After trying it a few more times in various places, he and Gem soon came to the conclusion that the round leaf-covered areas were a trap and they made sure they avoided them. Unfortunately, this made their journey seem more like a game of hopscotch than a hike.
Almost an hour after his near-death experience, they finally reached the river. He leaned against his fourth walking stick and glanced back and forth along the river. It wasn’t extremely wide, approximately thirty feet, but the water was deep and turbulent.
“We can cross there,” he said, nodding at a large tree that had fallen across the river.
“I don’t like this,” she murmured, staring at the river wit
