Chapter 8—The Vision

Le Nez bolted into the tunnel on his way to more crystal hunting. Like most dogs, he was sensitive to the supernatural. Had Jesse stopped to ponder their four-legged explorer, he might have wondered if Le Nez knew the crystal angel. Dogs could be smart but weren't experts in archeology.

"Let's go," Jesse yelled.

Daniel had pulled his grandfather's headlamp out of his pack and put it on. They switched on their lights and ran, following the sounds of the disappearing dog. When they finally caught up to Le Nez, he was jumping up the wall, tapping his little red nose on a suspicious, bulging stone. Jesse grabbed a flashlight out of his pack and aimed it at the stone. It shimmered.

"Wow," he said. "This thing is calling to me. How do we get it out?" He grabbed a hammer and started pounding away. Kurchunk, kurchunk—the echo reverberated as he clumsily pummeled around the tip of the jutting stone...his crystal.

"Non, pas comme ça." Daniel grabbed the tool from Jesse's hands. "Give it to m-me. I have watched Grand-père."

He wielded the hammer like an expert, giving several solid hits to the area surrounding the stone. Pieces broke away and flew off in all directions. The stone bulged. Daniel put down the hammer and grabbed the fine chisel for the closer work, careful to release the stone without doing damage. Within minutes it dropped from its long-time home into Jesse's hands. As he brushed off the mine dust, the stone erupted into a cool violet hue. The crystal's luminous light shone on his face.

"Wow! My very own crystal," Jesse said. "Hey, my heart is warming up." He touched his chest, surprised even though he knew the twins had experienced the same response.

Daniel opened his mouth but was incapable of speaking. His eyes were as big as mega marbles and looked as if they might pop out of his head.

Jesse put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll explain later," he said, and then turned to the twins. They were jumping up and down, hugging and dancing. Juliette looked happier than Jesse had ever seen her. These crystals are some powerful, he thought.

"Le Nez was right." Aimée bent down to hug her little dog. He was gone. "Le Nez?" she called out. "Where are you?" Faint barking echoed from a distance.

"Maybe's he's uncovered more," Jesse said, pocketing his crystal. "Let's go find him."

They grabbed their gear and raced toward the sound. Soon they found the dog jumping and arching his nose toward two protruding stones. Jesse illuminated the spot and once again Daniel set to work. It took some time, as there were two stones now, but Daniel finally released the first and then the second. Jesse caught them both but there was no reaction. He handed them to Daniel with great hope and sure enough the two stones burst into a quasar of brilliance—red with orange sparks—like fire.

"Zut alors!" Daniel exclaimed, smiling big through red and orange teeth. Then his smile dimmed. "What does this mean?" he asked. "And why do they light for me and not you, Jesse?"

Juliette reached out to Daniel. "Ecoutez, listen. No stuttering." The tunnel was fully illuminated now, as if they were all standing inside a sunset. They stared, mesmerized.

Jesse returned to reality first. "Let's get back to the hideaway. I have a hunch."

He wrapped the three new crystals in a cloth and placed them carefully in the canvas sack. The colored radiance had disappeared as if someone had turned a switch, and once again darkness enfolded the foursome like a heavy blanket. They headed to the secret hideaway, and on the way, Aimée exacted another promise of secrecy from Daniel, which he made with as much genuine solemnity as he had the first. Once they arrived at the secret spot, Juliette ran to the desk and pushed down on the circle inside the triangle while Aimée crept underneath. The secret compartment popped open and Aimée soon crawled out with the box and set it on the desk. Jesse tilted up the lid and the girls removed their two crystals, which immediately burst into their unique colors.

"Génial," Daniel said, grinning from ear to ear, his teeth now yellow and green.

Jesse touched his temples as if receiving a message. "Here's my hunch. Let's form a circle and put our crystals together. I want to see what happens when they light up all at once."

He put the sack on the desk and removed the three new stones, then motioned for Daniel to take his. The foursome stood and touched all five stones together in their centers. Instantly the array of colors coalesced to form a rainbow. Everyone swiveled their heads, trying to take it all in. A blast of wind came out of nowhere and made the radiance dance around them.

"Keep them together," Jesse said. "Hold them higher." As everyone stood steady, raising their arms to the sky, the light prisms undulated like ribbon candy—an aurora borealis inside a cave.

"Look up," Daniel shouted, and they looked to see a single beam of light shoot up from the joined crystals into the air above their heads. The beam formed an arc that slowly grew into a complete circle—a chain of light. There were twenty stones in the chain—five were illuminated—one each in violet, emerald, and yellow, and two in fire red—precisely the colors found in the tunnels. Fifteen remained dark, yet all the stones were connected in a circular chain hovering above.

Aimée's body shook, and her face became a quivering light field. "What does this mean?" she asked.

"I think I understand," Jesse said. "All those dark stones have to be found, and when they are, something monumental is going to happen. Let's hurry. I'll explain at the inn."

Eager to hear his explanation, they put all the gems back in the box, and Aimée placed it in its hiding place under the desk. They realized it was horribly late so started running.

"Daniel," Jesse said. "Can you come back to the inn with us?"

"Oui, today I c-can. Grand-père is in le village all day buying supplies."

Along the way they did not encounter Madame Villars, but heard strange noises, and Jesse felt her raven-like eyes following them. He prayed she didn't know about the crystals. She could ruin everything.

Back at the inn, they ran straight to the kitchen for a late afternoon snack of hot chocolate and pastries baked fresh that morning. The housekeeper, Madame Printemps, was waiting there for them.

"Uh-oh," Jesse whispered. "Maybe she's on to us."

He caught Madame's eye, and she gave them all her usual loving smile, but once they were seated, her look switched to one of worry. "Where have you been, mes enfants? I see glittering dust all over your clothes. Have you been in the mine? Monsieur Voyeux will have your heads if he discovers you there."

They glanced at each other, wondering how much to reveal. Aimée, ever the diplomat, took the plunge. "Oui, Madame, we have been in the mine, but Daniel here is the grandson of Monsieur and our guide. We are safe with him."

Madame looked up at the ceiling as if seeking grace from above. After a moment of quiet contemplation, she still seemed concerned but not as worried. Her giant blue eyes peered at them through her thick spectacles. "So long as you are careful and do not get hurt. Votre maman et papa would be très, très anxieux if they knew you were in the mine, yet they are too busy now to worry about you, mes enfants." With one last penetrating look, she hustled out of the kitchen, shaking her head.

After she disappeared up the stairs, Jesse said, "I'm hardly an enfant. In the Jewish faith I'd be referred to as a man at thirteen." His eyes met the twins' and Daniel's. "I'm ready to tell. And please, no interruptions until I finish."

"Wait," Daniel said. He jumped up, grabbed another croissant, and then sat back down, stuffing the hot, flaky pastry into his mouth.

Jesse studied each face, wondering where to begin. Then it all poured out—the apparition, the quest to locate twenty enchanted crystals, the effects of the crystal chain on the planet, and the upcoming full moon deadline. "We don't have much time," he said. For several long minutes no one spoke. The twins and Daniel sat still as stones, unbelieving.

"My best friends, Nikki and Chaz, are in Oregon and New Zealand right now launching their own expeditions to locate the stones embedded there." Jesse pointed to his chest. "We've found five of the twenty, but the more I think about them being so far away, the more I worry." He rubbed his temples. "Are they safe? They're hidden, but I think the witch was spying on us. She could ruin the quest. We can bring them here until the night of the full moon for the activation. What do you think?"

Aimée spoke first. "I always knew there was something spéciaux about those crystals. I wish we could go back right now. I'm also worried about that witch," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Daniel jumped up again. "Grand-père will not be b-back for a while longer. Let's go now. We have t-time if we hurry."

Jesse stood up so fast his chair fell over. "That's a good idea." He picked it up as the others stood chewing on the last of their pastries. "I heard hissing sounds on the way back. She might have gone in after we left." He downed the rest of his cocoa and raced out of the kitchen. The twins followed. Daniel grabbed one more croissant for the road and followed the others down the driveway toward the path.

Jesse hoped they would be in time. On impulse, he retrieved the bottle marked "POISON" from under the porch steps and stuck it in his pocket.