Alphabet Allie's Arc

Chapter 21 of 21

Allie left the vault street behind and walked until the signs changed. The letters on the shops no longer said V. They said W. She slowed down and read them. A shop window glinted ahead, clean and bright, with the word WINDOW printed across the glass. Allie grinned. A new letter meant new friends. She found them scattered in a loose circle. A fat brown walrus sat on the grass, two white tusks curving down past the word stamped on his chest. Beside him lay a cluster of walnuts, their shells warm and round. A shallow pond held still blue water. A set of iron weights sat stacked and heavy. And the window leaned against them all, catching the light. Allie opened her notebook and wrote fast. "Walrus. Walnut. Weights. Water. Window." She read each one aloud. Her voice got happier with every word. "You all start with W. That means you belong together. You're all friends." She crouched by the walrus and patted his side. "Welcome," she said. She touched the walnuts. "Welcome." She dipped a finger in the cool water. "Welcome." She was so busy greeting each one that she forgot to look where the path led next. Then she saw it. Past the window stood a stone well with a rustic wooden roof. A bucket hung on a rope above the dark opening. The word WELL sat carved across its front. Allie added it to her list. "Wishing well. Welcome." She leaned over the edge and peered down. The water below was black and far. The air smelled cold and wet. A wishing well meant she could make a wish. She closed her eyes. She knew exactly what she wanted. "I wish everyone would love letters as much as I do," she whispered. She needed a coin to toss. Her pockets were empty. She searched the grass and found only walnuts. She picked one up and weighed it in her hand. Close enough. She dropped it in. She waited for the splash. It never came. Instead, a small voice echoed up from the dark. "Please," it said. "Help." Allie's heart jumped. She gripped the stone edge and looked down. Far below, two eyes blinked in the shadow. Something had fallen into the well. Something alive. "Hello?" she called. Her voice bounced back at her. "Who's there?" "I can't climb out," the voice said. "The walls are too slick." Allie glanced at the bucket on the rope, then at the weights, then at the walrus. Her welcome party had turned into a rescue. She didn't know who was trapped down there. She only knew she had to get them out. She grabbed the rope and tested its weight. "Hold on," she called down. "I'm going to figure this out."