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.Then Dee went crazy and tried to go back while everything wasstill falling, but it almost killed us and we had to go out-and when we gotout, it was just a ride again.""The caving-in noise stopped," Michael explained, "and I looked back and thecave was fiberglass again.""And empty," Dee said, giving Jenny a fierce hug before letting go."Wewalked all through it, the three of us, and you weren't in it.It was just amine ride.""That is the Emergency Exit we just came out of," Audrey said, pointing afinger at Jenny's door."So the question is, where have you been? You've seenhim, haven't you?"Jenny was looking down at herself by the light of a nearby fountain-afountain which had been dark when they'd first gone into the ride.Her jeanswere rumpled but dry, her hair was all ridges and waves, the way it got whenit dried without her brushing it.The supplies she'd packed so carefully tohelp her face the Shadow World were gone.Even her flashlight was gone."I saw him," she told Audrey briefly without looking at her."I found outwhat the new Game is." She explained what Julian had told her about findingthe three doubloons to get to Zach and Tom.She didn't say anything about theother Shadow Men, or the rising water in the dark cave, or how it had felt todie.She wanted to; she wanted to talk about it in privacy, and maybe cry, andbe comforted, safe with her friends.But she wasn't safe, and there wasn't anyPage 55 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlprivacy, and what was the point of alarming everybody?As for Julian and his bizarre mood swings-she didn't even want to get on thesubject."So at least we got something out of that ride," Michael said."I mean, itnearly killed us, and we lost most of our stuff, but we did get some weapons,and now we know what we're doing.What happens after we collect thesedoubloons?""I think we go to the bridge, just like that kid said in the regular park,"Jenny said.She was grateful- and proud.They were all battered and tired, andthere were only two flashlights left-but no one was even talking about givingup."The bridge must be on the other side of the lake, around back," she added."When we get there, I guess Julian will let us across." She looked at thelake.The merry-go-round lights were reflected in it, and so were otherlights, blue and green and gold, from the island itself.Shadows of treesbroke them up.In the center of the island, standing very tall and white, was thelighthouse.It looked the same as the one Jenny had seen that afternoon, inthe real park, except that now it was illuminated like the WashingtonMonument.Like a tower for imprisoned princes."That's where Tom and Zach are," she said quietly."Where should we start looking?" Dee said, equally quiet.The Emergency Exit door had brought Jenny out close to the front of the mineride."Well-we could go left to Kiddieland," she said, "or right, back the waywe came from the Fish Pond.Or around the front of the lake, toward themerry-go-round."Michael ran a hand through his rumpled dark hair."Let's go around thelake-it'll take us by the billboard about the contest.Maybe that'll give us aclue.""That's where we came in tonight," Audrey said."When we came through thedoor with the runes, I mean."They walked past the dark ringtoss booth and around the gentle northern curveof the lake.There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to which parts of thepark were awake and which still slept.They kept a close eye out for things like the one that had attacked Dee, butthey saw nothing.Then, as they got closer to the billboard, Jenny heard avoice.A low voice.It scared her-who else was in the park with them?She rounded a clump of spruce trees and saw a car from a circus train, with ared roof and silver bars."I'm Leo the Paper-Eating Lion," the muzzle thrust between the bars said.Only the voice-was wrong.It wasn't the peppy, friendly tenor of the Leo inthe regular park.It had dropped two octaves and become distorted and almostmachinelike
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