Free 47 - Legend of the Lost Legend by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead)

were approaching faster now. Any moment, I knew, some thief—or several thieves—would burst out of the trees and grab the chest away
from us.
    I turned to the tall weeds. I couldn’t see the dog at all now.
    “We have to run,” Marissa whispered.
    I listened to the crunching footsteps.
    “We can’t outrun him,” I told her. “I can’t run very fast. I have to be
careful with this chest.”
    Marissa’s blue eyes grew wide with panic. Then her expression changed. “I
have an idea, Justin. Let’s duck into those trees.” She pointed. “The thief will
run right past us. Then we’ll hide there till he’s out of sight.”
    Was it a good idea?
    A terrible idea?
    We had no time to think about it. We had to move.
    We both spun around and started to run to the trees. Toward the
approaching footsteps.
    Would we make it to safety? Could we hide in the trees before he came
rushing out at us?
    I never found out.
    About halfway across the grass, I tripped over a fallen tree limb.
    “Ohhh!” I cried out.
    And stumbled forward.
    The silver chest flew from my hands.
    “Noooooo!”
    I desperately grabbed for it.
    Missed.
    Fell hard to my knees.
    I watched the chest sail into the air.
    And I stared in shock as a big man lumbered out of the dark shadows of the
trees, raised his arms, and caught the chest easily.

 
 
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    I stared at the silver chest. Watched the man’s hands pull it in, then hold
it tightly.
    Our chest.
    Our Lost Legend.
    We had gone through so many horrors to get it. And now someone else had taken
it away.
    I stared at the chest gripped so tightly in the man’s hands. Then I raised my
eyes to the man’s bearded face.
    “Dad!” I cried.
    “Dad!” Marissa echoed. “I don’t believe it!”
    Beneath the beard, a grin spread quickly over Dad’s face. “I don’t believe
it, either!” he cried. “Where have you been? Why did you run away? I’ve been
searching the forest for you! Where were you?”
    “It’s kind of a long story,” Marissa told him, rushing forward.
    “Yes. Marissa and I have a legend of our own,” I said.
    Dad set the chest on the ground, and we both hugged him. Dad was so glad to
see us, he had tears in his eyes. When we finished hugging, he hugged us both
again.
    “I can’t believe I finally found you!” he exclaimed happily.
    “And look what we found!” I declared, pointing to the chest.
    Dad’s mouth dropped open. When he jumped out and caught the chest, I don’t
think he realized what he had caught.
    “It’s—a silver chest!” he exclaimed.
    “It’s the silver chest!” I told him. “The silver chest we came to
Brovania to find!”
    “But—but—how?”
    I never saw Dad so confused. Or so excited.
    “The Legend of the Lost Legend,” he murmured. He carefully lifted the chest
off the ground. “This is the most thrilling moment of my life,” he said. “How
did you do this? How did you find this ancient chest? How did you—?”
    His voice cracked. I think he was too excited to speak.
    “I told you, Dad. It’s a very long story,” I said.
    “At least you can’t say we weren’t helpful!” Marissa chimed in.
    All three of us laughed.
    “Do you realize what this will mean to us?” Dad asked, lowering his voice to
a whisper. “Do you realize what a thrilling discovery this is?”
    He dropped down to his knees to admire the chest. He tenderly ran his hands
over the smooth silver of the lid.
    “Beautiful. Beautiful,” he repeated, grinning.
    “Can we open it?” Marissa asked, dropping down on the ground beside him.
“Please, Dad? Can we open it and see the Lost Legend?”
    “We have to see it!” I exclaimed eagerly. “We have to!”
    Dad nodded. “Yes. We have to!” He laughed. “Believe me, I’m even more
impatient to see it than you two are!”
    He bent over the chest. I saw his hands tremble as he lowered them to the
silver clasp.
    “Beautiful. Beautiful,” he murmured again.
    His hands closed around the clasp. He