"Molly Doogan, I'm talking to you!"

Molly jumped in her desk seat as if an ice-cube had been dropped down her back. Netty Parmet, stood hands on her hips, her blue-green eyes scowling at her.

"What is wrong with you lately? You've been acting weird ever since you came back to school. Didn't you hear the lunch bell ring? I asked you to eat lunch with me and you just sit there in a daze twirling your finger in your little brown locks."

Netty's thick red hair framed a freckled face that always reminded Molly of Pippi Longstocking, especially when she wore her hair in braids. A little taller than Molly, Netty was also a little more willing to take chances. And Molly liked her for that. She considered Netty her best friend, but she hadn't seen much of her because of that horrible pneumonia Molly had barely survived.

"The bell rang?" Molly couldn't believe she hadn't heard it, but she now noticed everybody was leaving the classroom.

"No, I'm kidding. Miss Turner is still standing in front of the class telling us about the story we have to write." Molly was used to Netty's sarcasm. It made Netty, Netty. She waved her brown lunch bag in Molly's face. "Well, do you want to eat lunch with me or not?"

"Yeah, sure. Sorry, I was thinking about something else."

Molly took her lunch from her desk and followed Netty outside. They found their favorite spot away from the playground area under an old oak tree and showed each other their lunches. Molly traded her egg salad sandwich for Netty's peanut butter and jelly. They munched in silence until Netty spoke.

"So what's wrong, Molly? You still sick or something? We're supposed to be friends, remember? Friends talk to each other. Talk."

Molly wanted more than anything to tell her everything but was afraid Netty wouldn't believe her. And why should she? Even Molly was having trouble believing what was happening. Ever since she and her father had begun making up the Rairarubia stories, her life had changed. Strange things began to happen, weird things, afraid-to-share things.

She certainly couldn't tell her parents. They already thought she had gotten too involved in her made-up characters, Romey and Sam. When she told them how Romey had saved her from the dark shadow, they thought she had dreamt it while sick with a fever. At first, she thought so, too. But her parents never could explain the dirt under her fingernails that she brought back from Rairarubia with her that night.

Then the arrowhead mysteriously appeared. It could only have come from the story itself. Who would believe that by staring into it she could actually travel to Rairarubia, a place that supposedly only existed in fiction? But she did it! That's how she met Romey and Sam. No one would believe her if she told them that characters she and her dad had made up are actually real! And they are real. And Romey did saved her life.

But how could she prove it?

And now, after her parents believed the Rairarubia story was over, the bag of nine pebbles mysteriously showed up in her drawer where she hid the arrowhead. They had to be the remains of the evil Mammoth's crown that turned into pebbles after Romey defeated him.

But how did they get to her from the story? And why?

It was all too confusing. She didn't know real from fantasy anymore. Everything that should be imaginary seemed so true. But how could it be? Stories don't come to life. Yet, Rairarubia seemed to be taking on a life of its own, beyond her father's and her fantasy. She worried something was wrong with her mind. Was she going crazy? Was she still sick?

But she just had to tell somebody. She couldn't bear to keep her thoughts to herself any longer. Molly took in a deep breath.

"Netty, you're not going to believe this, but I need you to believe me. So, here goes?"

Molly told her everything-about how she and her dad made up the land of Rairarubia, about Romey, Sam, Bovert, Herman, the castle, the strange creature Mooawk, and the evil Mammoth. When she got to the part about being saved by Romey and thinking she actually talked to Romey and Sam, Netty interrupted.

"Hold it! Hold it! You think you actually talked to these made-up characters? Yeah, right." Netty's tone and the way she bit into her sandwich let Molly know she didn't believe her.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you." Molly's eyes watered as she threw her unfinished sandwich into her lunch bag. She needed to be believed.

"Well, jeez, Molly. That's a pretty far-out tale." Netty laughed.

All the frustration built up in Molly broke into sobs, and her reddening cheeks glistened from tears. "But it's all true!"

"Prove it, then." Netty kept chewing.

"I can't!" Molly rubbed at her tears with the back of her hand. "I don't know how."

"So how can you expect anybody to believe you?"

"I guess I don't. Except . . ." Then Molly remembered. Her moist blue eyes grew wide. "Listen, Netty, maybe I can prove it. Can you come over to my house after school?" The idea of showing Netty what she had hidden excited Molly.

"Guess so, as long as I call my mom and tell her where I am. I'll tell her we're going to work on our stories for English."

"Yes! Okay. After school then."

Molly's spirits lifted. If she could prove all that was happening to even one person, she'd know she wasn't going crazy.

The school day finally ended. Molly practically dragged Netty the half mile to her house. She couldn't wait to share her hidden treasure with Netty.

"Dad, I'm home. Netty's here, too," Molly yelled when they burst through the front door. "We're going to do some homework together."

Molly's father, working in his home office, yelled back. "Hi Molly; hi Netty. Okay, make sure Netty calls her parents so they'll know where she is."

Netty made a fast call home, and then Molly pulled Netty to her bedroom. She closed the door after her and then removed the black arrowhead and the bag of pebbles hidden in her drawer.

"Look." Molly held the arrowhead out in her hand.

Netty took it and turned it over in her hand. "So? What does this prove?"

Molly tried to explain how she came to have it and how she had disappeared into Rairarubia once by staring at it.

"Oh, yeah, right!" Netty smirked.

"It's true! And this bag of pebbles? It showed up at the end of the story, in my drawer, right next to the arrowhead."

"Come on, Molly, you probably had this stuff in your drawer and forgot all about it. It's just an old arrowhead and a bag of marbles."

"Netty Parmet, you make me so mad I could scream. This is not just any old arrowhead!" She grabbed it from Netty's hand. "And this is no bag of marbles." She opened the leather bag and dumped the nine colored pebbles on her bed. "See, this is what's left of the Mammoth's crown I told you about."

Netty sighed in exasperation. "Mammoth schmamoth. None of this proves anything. You just had some weird dreams when you were sick. I mean, you know, Mooawk?Mooawk?Mooawk." Netty stretched her neck out in imitation of the creature Molly had told her about during lunch.

Molly blurted out, "That's all you know! Just you watch!"

Angry at Netty, Molly plopped down on the floor, her back against the bed. She held the arrowhead in her hand and began saying aloud, "Romey, no one believes me. I know you're there. Come show Netty I'm not making this up."

Netty slipped down next to Molly, staring into the arrowhead and shook her head as if to say, "Poor Molly."

"Come on, Romey, don't make a fool of me, please, please, please."

Netty looked at Molly, then the arrowhead. "See, nothing's happening. Get real, you were sick and delirious or something."

"Shh!" Molly tried again. "Romey, Romey, Romey. Come on. I need you. Contact me-us."

They waited but nothing happened.

"This is really stupid, Molly."

"No, something's wrong, but I know it will work." Molly thought a moment, then said, "I think I know." She collected the pebbles from her bed and made a circle with them in the middle of her room big enough for Netty and her to sit inside. "Come on, sit here."

Netty shrugged her shoulders, gave an exasperated sigh, and sat facing Molly inside the circle of pebbles. Molly held the arrowhead in the palm of her hand and began calling Romey again.

"Romey, please, it's important you contact me. I need to know I'm not making this up. Show Netty I'm not lying. Please, please?"

Netty started to tell Molly to quit being a fool when both felt a gust of air swirl around them. Then they noticed a slight mist on their skin. The moist air seemed to wrap itself around them and turn into a fog. They could barely see each other any more. The noisy wind, though strong, did not seem to force itself on them, even though their hair went flying.

Molly knew what was happening and smiled with satisfaction and anticipation. But Netty's face showed fright, and she began calling Molly's name as their bodies disappeared. Netty's voice faded as the wind became noisier.