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

whoa, whoa!” yelled Coda, as he was lifted over the elephant's shoulder and set upon its back.
    “Ouch,” said the elephant. “Watch those claws.”
    Without a moment's hesitation, the elephant stretched his trunk back into the blackberry tunnel and wrapped it around Zoey's little body. She struggled to move, but the elephant's grip was tight, but yet, like his voice, very gentle. In a matter of seconds, she went from inside the tunnel to over the elephant's head and onto his back.
    She perched on the elephant's back in shock. Her body trembled as the elephant turned on his haunches and started walking at a quick pace.
    “Zoey! Hey! Zoey!” echoed her brother's voice in the back of her confused mind.
    What’s happening? She stretched her wings, examining them. Her eyes widened and she tucked them back into her side as quickly as possible. She felt gross being something else. I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming.
    She tried to pinch herself on the cheek, expecting to feel fingers, but instead, she felt soft feathers.
    “Zoey!” called Coda's voice again.
    Zoey shook her head and did her best to concentrate. She wasn't dreaming. Her body was slightly tilting to one side for a moment, then to the next side, over and over again, in tandem with the elephant's long strides. What's happening?
    “Zoey?” asked her frantic brother. “Where are we?”
    Zoey looked at him. There he was, a large black panther standing on the elephant's back like a terrified kitten with eyes as wide as saucers. His claws were fastened to the elephant, making sure he wouldn't fall. Her brother's mouth moved. “Why are you a bird?” Coda exclaimed.
    “Why are you a panther?”
    “And, you have a glowing red rock on your chest, and another on your forehead,” replied Coda. “What's going on?”
    “I don't know,” said Zoey. She looked around, hoping to find some clues. She saw trees of every size all around, glowing in the same way the Snow Tree did. Through the cracks between the trees, she could see a large, rushing river ten times the size of the creek. It dazzled in the rays of the sunlight as it splashed hard against boulders jutting out from underneath its surface. But nothing was registering. Her mind was a ball of nerves and confusion. Where was she? Who's carrying her? This just couldn't be real, could it?
    An owl swooped overhead. Zoey wondered what an owl was doing flying around in the daytime. She watched as it arched high in the blue sky, and then turned around for another pass at them.
    Zoey crouched down as the owl neared. She noticed that it wasn't far from her stomach to the elephant's back. She was a small bird and her legs weren't the normal size of human legs. This brought her back to her immediate concerns. All she knew was that she was a bird and they were being taken somewhere by a talking elephant. She went to scream, but nothing would come out.
    “Good day, Chev. You found them,” said the owl, as it flew by the elephant's ear.
    “I did,” replied Chev. “I'm taking them to Nova.”
    Coda was freaking out. His panther-face couldn’t hide his fear. He was also doing his best to comprehend what was happening.
    The owl swooped by Chev's big elephant ear again. “She's just around the trees ahead, next to the Snow Tree.”
    The Snow Tree? thought Zoey. But we aren't in the Cornell Forest, are we?
    Chev lifted his trunk and swung it around to pat the top of Coda's head, “Don't worry, you two. Everything will be positively fine.”
    What was going to be positively fine ? Zoey had no idea what Chev was talking about.
    “Can you take us home now?” Zoey pleaded with the elephant. “I think we're lost.”
    “Let me take you to Nova first. Then you can go home.”
    The elephant picked up his pace as Zoey and Coda held on tighter.
    Zoey could see that the trees ahead were beginning to thin out, leaving more space for grass to grow. And what beautiful grass it was—it was the most beautiful green grass she'd ever