Читать книгу The Hidden Kingdom - Tracey Hecht - Страница 34

Quicksand

“Try to…try to….” Dawn’s mind raced, but nothing she thought of—floating, swimming, steering, jumping—seemed possible. All around her, the earth churned and roiled in a violent sea of sand. It was as though millions of tiny fingers were grabbing hold of her fur and pulling her lower and lower.

The fox looked around frantically, struggling to peer through the spinning sand. She could no longer see Bismark. And all she could see of Tobin was the tip of his long, narrow snout. Helpless, she closed her eyes, shielding them from the sand whipping against her face. In moments, she would be fully buried beneath it.

But, all of a sudden, the sand stopped stinging her cheeks. The fox slowly opened her eyes. The quicksand’s thrashing tornado had slowed into gentle waves. It was no longer trapping her. Dawn wriggled her paws—she could move! For a moment, she seemed to float, suspended in the strange sand. And then— ________

Thud.

Her body hit something hard. She was on the ground…and Bismark and Tobin were sprawled out beside her.

Tobin rubbed his sore scales. Then, slowly, he rose to his feet. “I can stand!” he exclaimed.

Bismark, too, managed to stand. “Mon dieu! I…I ________

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