Pictureland

PICTURELAND

A Matthew and Mason Adventure

by

Alan Cook

SMASHWORDS EDITION

PUBLISHED BY:

Alan Cook on Smashwords

Pictureland

Copyright © 2014 by Alan L. Cook

Cover by Janelle Carbajal

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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BOOKS BY ALAN COOK

Carol Golden Novels:

Your Move

Fool Me Twice

Good to the Last Death

Hit that Blot

Dangerous Wind

Relatively Dead

Forget to Remember

Matthew and Mason Adventures:

Pictureland

Dancing with Bulls

California Mysteries:

Run into Trouble

Hotline to Murder

Aces and Knaves

Gary Blanchard Mysteries:

Honeymoon for Three

The Hayloft: a 1950s mystery

Lillian Morgan Mysteries:

Catch a Falling Knife

Thirteen Diamonds

Other Fiction:

Walking to Denver

Nonfiction:

Walking the World: Memories and Adventures

History:

Freedom’s Light: Quotations from History’s Champions of Freedom

Poetry:

The Saga of Bill the Hermit

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to Bonny for all-around assistance, to Matthew and Mason for being the models, and to Janelle who painted the picture on the cover.

DEDICATION

To our forefathers and mothers who fought for our freedom.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 THE PICTURE

CHAPTER 2 AMY

CHAPTER 3 GRANDFATHER

CHAPTER 4 THE TUNNEL

CHAPTER 5 GETAWAY

CHAPTER 6 HORSEBACK

CHAPTER 7 SWIMMING

CHAPTER 8 PLANNING SESSION

CHAPTER 9 THE PRISON

CHAPTER 10 BEEFEATERS

CHAPTER 11 BREAK-IN

CHAPTER 12 BLOODY TOWER

CHAPTER 13 NEW SHOES

CHAPTER 14 ESCAPE

CHAPTER 15 THE WALL

CHAPTER 16 WHEELS

CHAPTER 17 THE BUILDING

CHAPTER 18 COMPUTERS

CHAPTER 19 OUT OF THE PICTURE

CHAPTER 20 THE MUSEUM

CHAPTER 21 BACKTRACK

CHAPTER 22 GRANDFATHER—AND AMY

CHAPTER 23 HOME

THE FIRST TEN AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION (THE BILL OF RIGHTS)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER 1 THE PICTURE

Mason, stop staring at that picture. You’re always staring at it. Sometimes I think you’d rather be in the picture than here.

Mason ignored Matthew, which is what he did when he didn’t feel like talking.

The large picture in question held center stage on the family room wall. It was a street scene in the early evening at an undetermined location and an undetermined date. Some of the people in the picture carried umbrellas, and water in the street reflected their images. Yellow light shone from the windows of buildings; faces peered out from some of the windows. Street lights also shone yellow from the tops of poles. A single traffic light was attached to one of these poles. Green-leafed trees grew up from the sidewalks. An incongruous buggy pulled by a single horse plodded along.

Mason finally pulled himself away from the picture. "It is an idyllic setting."

Idyllic. Good word. Matthew nodded. Is that your word for today?

Mason was known for continuously adding words to his vocabulary. He turned back to the picture. Then he knelt on the sofa below it and put his nose right up to it. Matthew started to walk away. He had homework to do. He needed to maintain his status as an A student. Mason called after him.

Come and look at this.

What?

Matthew didn’t have time for games. He’d looked at the picture many times. What more was there to see? Mason urgently motioned for him to come closer. In order to get Mason off his case, Matthew knelt beside him on the sofa. He was about to ask what this was all about when Mason spoke.

Look at the girl…not that girl, the one on the other side of the street walking with that guy.

Yeah, so? Have you fallen in love with her?

The expression on her face has changed.

I think that junk food you eat addles your brain. Besides, you can’t really see her expression.

Mason produced a magnifying glass from his pocket, a tool of the budding scientist he was. He peered at the girl through it.

She was looking at the boy, kind of smiling. Now she’s looking at us with a strange expression, like a plea for help. She’s in some sort of trouble.

Matthew took the magnifying glass and studied the face of the girl.

You do have a rich imagination; I will grant you that. I know what you’re leading up to. You want to go into the world of the picture. You’re using the girl as an excuse.

Mason produced a sly smile. Well, it’s Saturday evening. Mom and Dad are out. It might be fun.

Fun. I don’t like your idea of fun. The last time we did something like this we almost got ourselves killed.

The boys had been whisked back 4,000 years to the Minoan civilization while on a visit to Crete the previous summer, and to survive they’d been forced to join a team of bull dancers.

As usual, Matthew felt responsible for his younger brother. He went into lecture mode.

Look, we’re getting too old to play games like this. I’m in high school; you’re in junior high. Life is a serious business.

Not too serious, I hope. Don’t take all the fun out of it. Mason regarded his brother. You’re a good puzzle solver. I’ll bet you could figure out a way to get us into the picture.

Mason knew how to tempt him. Matthew couldn’t resist a challenge. They’d found out that reality was more than what they learned in school. He looked at the picture with new eyes. How would one get into a world like that? If Mason was correct about the girl changing her expression and looking at them imploringly, perhaps she could help them.

Matthew took the magnifying glass again. She did appear to be looking at them. Matthew concentrated on her and tried to mentally connect with her. He asked her for assistance to get into the picture. He closed his eyes. Something was happening. He reached for Mason.

Take my hand.

CHAPTER 2 AMY

Matthew felt a sudden chill. He opened his eyes. He and Mason were standing on the street in the picture. The light on the pole above them cast its yellow glow on the wet pavement. A gentle rain wet their faces and gave the air an odor of freshness. Matthew’s next feelings were the thrill of being in a different world and trepidation from not knowing what would happen next.

Mason looked around at the pedestrians who were now moving, with a grin on his face. He could hear the clop of the horse’s hooves as it pulled the buggy slowly along the street. It was swaybacked and about ready for the glue factory. He held out his hand and felt the raindrops tickle his fingers.

We forgot our jackets.

Matthew had more important things on his mind.

All right, we got here, but this is going to be a short visit. We’ll talk to the girl and find out what she wants. But we’re not going to get involved. Where did she go?

Mason pointed across the street. The girl and her boyfriend had walked past them and were heading away from them. He recognized her because she was wearing a red skirt. He felt suddenly shy. He turned toward Matthew

You talk to her first, okay?

Matthew nodded. As a member of the school drama club, he was an accomplished actor. There was no reason to be hesitant; this was just another role for him. They crossed the street and rapidly caught up to the pair. Matthew wasn’t sure what to say to the girl, so he pictured what his line might be if he were in a play. As he and Mason came up beside them, Matthew spoke.

Excuse me.

The girl and boy stopped and looked at them. She had lovely hair cascading down her back—brown with red highlights. She didn’t look surprised at seeing them, and her eyes, which might be green, held a spark of recognition. Or was that Matthew’s imagination? The boy, who was shorter than Matthew, was wearing a scowl on his face. Matthew tried to think fast.

Can you tell us…? He was at a loss for words until he remembered there was a dome sticking up above the buildings in the picture. Can you tell us how to get to the church?

The boy pointed back the way they’d just come, obviously wanting to get rid of them, but before he could say anything the girl cut in.

The church? Yes, the church. I’m going there myself. I’ll take you there. Fred, I know you’ve got things to do, so I’ll let you go on.

Fred looked suspicious. Amy, you can’t just walk away with a couple of…strangers.

Amy shook her head. "They’re not strangers. This is…Mason and this is Matthew. No, it’s the reverse.