They had gone past the mountains now, beyond the rain and hills. They had passed the last tree a while back, and it seemed that there was nothing now but a featureless plain. Jenny was wondering whether they would walk this way forever, but Josh led them onward, seeming confident in their direction.
At last they could see a vast lake spread out before them. It grew gradually larger, until it was perhaps thirty yards away. “I guess this is the end of the line,” Sid said. “Too bad kid, you really tried.”
“No,” Josh said, “We need to keep going.”
“But it’s a lake!” Jenny said, “we can’t very well walk on water.”
“Come on,” Josh insisted, and he continued to walk forward.
With nothing else to do, the others followed. Jenny wondered whether they would all find that they could breathe underwater. Odder things had happened since this journey had started.
Strangely, the lake did not appear to get any closer. No matter how much they walked forward, the water line remained just about thirty yards away. But now something else was happening — a shimmering in the air before them.
“Of course,” said Mr. Symarian, “I should have guessed, a shielding spell! Such spells can be broken only by proximity.”
With every step now, the shape before them was growing clearer, and larger. Suddenly it was standing before them, as clear as day.
“What is this place?” Charlie asked.
“I’m not sure,” Jenny replied, “but it looks exactly like my house.”