The Mask part 6: The Chase

     When I met up with Brent and Ryan, we had a fairly large lead on the men, but it was closing fast. "Keep right behind me!" instructed Brent. "I don't want you falling into one of our traps."
     I took off after him, trying my best to keep up as he wove through the trees. The sound of the other men rushing through the forest echoed behind us. This was shortly broken by the helpless scream of two of them, apparently victims of our first trap. "We got one!" Ryan yelled. He sounded so excited I thought I could see the edges of his smile from behind him. "We got one!"
     That did not stop them for long, though. Nor did the next two or three traps. They kept after us. Suddenly, Brent dove into the brush and hid. Ryan and I followed him. "Stay low," he whispered. As I lay there, I could hear feet pounding past us. They continued on for a while, and then stopped. At the same time, there was a huge commotion and they all began cursing and yelling. I looked at Brent and then Ryan. A big smile spread across each of their faces.
     "That one was Ryan's idea," Brent said.
     Ryan was just brimming with pride. "Yup! That was mine."
     We got up and ran until we were sure they were far behind us. "Wow, we made it. Now, tell me. Did we do all that running for a good reason?" asked Brent. "Did you get the mask, or did you just get caught?"
     Now it was my turn to smile. "I got both of them!"
     "All right, now we have to destroy it." Brent said as he took an ax from his pack. "Set it there on that tree stump."
     I took it out of the bag and set it on the stump. The pale gold glittered through the dust that covered it. In the dim morning light, I could see the intricate designs covering the mask. Small lines curved across the face, before spiraling into the eyes. But the pattern did not stop at the eyes. It seemed to continue on, deep into the oval holes that formed the eyes. Even the slightest movement would send the lines running, flashing across the mask in a dusted rainbow of color. "It's beautiful, isn't it." I could feel the same pull on my mind, but even stronger than before. "Can't we just keep it?"
     "No, that would be asking for trouble. Greed has a way of getting you into trouble. What happens if someone steals it from us? Then all this will have been in vain. We must destroy it." He walked toward the stump and raised the ax over his head.
     "Mike," came a voice from a distance.
     "What, who's that?" I spun about.
     "Dinner's ready!" the voice finished.
     "Already? Sorry guys, I have to go," I said as apologetically as I could.
     Brent set the stick he held above his head down on the stump in front of him. He picked the chunk of bark off the stump and threw it back into the small grove of trees that made up the boundaries of my yard. "Man, we never get to finish. Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow."
     "Yeah," said Ryan as he took off his backpack and emptied some rocks out of it. "I'll see ya."
     I watched them until they disappeared behind the third house down the street. Then I picked up the sword that lay across the stump. "Well," I said to my trusty steed as I grabbed it by the reins, "I guess it is up to you and me now," and we started toward the castle.


Thus ends the adventure known as The Mask. But new adventures always await one with such an imagination. Will we ever hear of them? Will we ever see such heroes in action once more? Such stories will always be found where children play, where children dare to dream.