Read Online The PureLights of Ohm Totem by Brandon Ellis - Free Book Online

beneath his feet. He heard the sounds of birds singing, the sounds of tree branches shaking as squirrels jumped from tree to tree, and felt a cool breeze coming through the bushes carrying the scent of the forest with it.
    “This would be a cool fort!” he yelled, then scrunched his nose. He shouldn't have said anything. Now Zoey will want to use this as a fort with him. And she'd ruin the fort somehow, like she always does!
    Zoey shrugged her shoulders and stared past Coda's head. She looked like she was waiting for something to happen. Coda half-grinned. “What's wrong?” He hoped to goad her away.
    “Nothings wrong,” lied Zoey.
    Coda giggled. Maybe she’s afraid of seeing another elephant . Maybe , he thought deviously, if I talk about it she’ll turn around and go back home . “Is it the elephant you saw yesterday?”
    “It's weird seeing an elephant that can talk, that's all,” replied Zoey. “Aren’t you scared?”
    “No. Well, I don't know. I don't feel much of anything right now.” He sighed. He might as well just let her do what she wants to do.
    Coda held his hand out for Zoey, which she eagerly grabbed, and he pushed forward, almost dragging Zoey along.
    Coda was halfway through the tunnel when he stopped and looked around. “Where'd that bluebird go?”
    He noticed something else, as well. The sounds of the forest had changed and everything was quiet. The birds weren't singing and the squirrels rustling in the background had disappeared. The fresh smell of the forest had changed to a more rich and thick aroma, reminding him of the roses that grew in his side yard at home. He loved that smell and gave a huge sniff. “That smells good!”
    “I think we’ve entered the new place now. It feels good to breathe here,” said Zoey. She stared longingly at the end of the blackberry tunnel, wondering if the elephant was going to show itself again.
    “New place?” asked Coda.
    “You'll see,” replied Zoey.
    Coda took several paces forward, but Zoey didn't move. He looked into her blue eyes. “Well, come on!”
    Zoey knelt down, poking at the ground with her fingers. She slowly shook her head no and opened her mouth to say something when a loud pounding sound came from just outside the end of the tunnel.
    “Hey, I found you guys,” called an elated voice from outside the tunnel's exit. “Why are you hiding in there?”
    They heard another pounding, as if something heavy had hit the earth.
    Coda looked back at Zoey. Her eyes were wide with astonishment and her mouth gaped. She lifted her hand, pointing in the direction of the exit. “See!”
    Coda slowly turned around and jumped back, flabbergasted. “It's an elephant!”

Chapter 6
     
     
     
     
    A large gray elephant was bent down on its front knees in front of them. It was him. He was back.
    Again, just like before, the elephant spoke.
    “Are you going to come out? We've been looking all over for you two. You had us all a little frantic and worried.” A gentle smile appeared on his face, half-hidden by his trunk, and the orange crystal glistened on his forehead.
    “The elephant’s talking!” screamed Coda, not taking his eyes off of it.
    Zoey shrieked. Not because of the elephant this time, but because her arm pointing at the elephant was no longer an arm. It was a wing! It was white and black, with all sorts of brown colors mixed in. Her arm was a wing!
    Coda? She looked desperately at Coda, wondering if he could see her wing, as well. But, the moment she saw him she forgot all about herself.
    Her brother, the small and skinny young man with brown hair, blue eyes, and buck teeth was now a large black panther with a beautiful red oval crystal glowing on his forehead, with another one on his chest. It looked like the same panther she'd seen licking him earlier.
    Before she could utter another sound, the long trunk of the elephant grabbed Coda by the scruff of the back of his neck, and pulled him out of the blackberry bushes.
    “Whoa,