Best of Intentions

Part one here.

As Chrissy looked at the bookmark the stranger had given to her mom, she felt a burst of coldness And a tingly sensation. She screamed as a bright light blinded her. When she opened her eyes, everything looked foreign.

She mused, Where am I? She called aloud, "Hello? Help! Mom? Anyone?" Oh, my God, this isn't Earth! The sky is all wrong. Chrissy noticed there was an extra, more distant sun. The trees were different too. Many had bright, blue leaves. That bookmark must have somehow transported me to another planet. She turned around. Oh! That's the obelisk from the bookmark.

Chrissy heard branches cracking in a nearby fluffy-looking, orange bush. She yelled, "Who's there? Why have you brought me here?"

A boy jumped out from the bush with a homemade spear. He was dressed in some tattered shorts, which may have been pants at some point, judging from some longer strips of fabric hanging down his legs. He had a branchy hat shading his face. On his shoulder, was a pink fluff-ball of an animal with bright green antennae, a bit bigger than a softball. The boy said, "I didn't bring you here...but will you help me get home?"

"I don't even know where we are. Are you an Earthling? What's your name?"

"My name is Jeremy." He laughed. "Yes, I'm from Earth." He lowered his spear. "But I really want to go home to my mom and dad. I've been here a really long time, haven't I Bo-bo?"

The little creature leaped off his shoulder and rushed to Chrissy, sniffing her feet.

Chrissy squatted down and said, "She's so cute. Why do you call her Bo-bo?"

Bo-bo sat and looked at her with a scowl, and scolded, "Bo bo bo bo bo bo."

Chrissy chuckled and said, "Well, that answers that."

Jeremy said, "He's telling you he's not a girl."

"You speak, uh, Bobonian?"

"Remember, I've been here a long time. Bo-bo helps me hunt by pretending to be injured. He's the bait, and I wait with my spear. Then we share the food."

"Are there any other humans?"

"No, but I've never gone through the whole forest, and there's a green ocean. I don't know what's on the other side. I thought about making a raft, but I'm scared. I'm glad you're here. What's your name?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Chrissy. Do you have shelter? It's so hot."

"I'll show you. Come on, Chrissy."

Jeremy led Chrissy to a cave. In the back was a platform of logs piled with orange and blue leaves from the trees and bushes. Jeremy jumped onto it. His feet stuck out the end. "It's not like my soft bed at home, but it's not too bad. Come on." He patted the leaves beside him.

Chrissy had no intention of getting in bed with a boy. She mumbled, "I'm good. I think I'll go back and study that obelisk. It may be the key to getting us home. If you’ll let me borrow your hat…"

"I've stared at that thing for hours. Maybe you can figure it out, but you should wait until the first sun sets. The heat is how I cook my food." He pointed to a circle of stones to the left of the entrance. It had darker stones in the center on which two small animals were steaming. "I got a bad sunburn my first week here, before I found the cave.

Chrissy sat on a log. The two spent time talking about their lives on Earth and Jeremy's experiences on the new planet. Bo-bo bounced from one to the other for attention. Chrissy asked, "Did you get here because of a bookmark?"

Jeremy nodded. "My dad bought some old books from an antique store. When the bookmark fell on the floor, he didn't see it. I took it to my room to use with my favorite book. When I stared at it, it brought me here."

"Me too. My mom got it from some guy.“ She picked a leaf off her shirt. “I promise to try to get us home."

Jeremy rushed to her and hugged her. Chrissy was starting to understand that he didn't have the social norms of a teenager, so she accepted his hug, patting him on the back. He pulled away with a smile that lit up the dim cave. He asked, "Are you hungry? The meat should be ready, and I have some fruit."

Jeremy ran out with a big blue leaf and came back with the food folded inside. Bo-bo paced at his feet murmuring, "Bo bo bo bo."

"Patience, Bo," Jeremy said, "company first."

The meat was quite tasty, like ham with a natural sweetness. The fruit was tart but refreshing. Bellies, full, they slept together innocently.

Upon waking, Jeremy and Bo-bo hunted, while Chrissy tried to make sense of the strange markings on the obelisk. They settled into a routine, chatting during the hottest time of day, eating, sleeping, and then going their separate ways. Occasionally, they would bathe in the green river. Chrissy noted some repetitions amongst the symbols, but she still hadn't translated anything. She wasn't even sure if she was doing the right thing by starting at the top.

When she was halfway down, having circled many times, she whined to Jeremy, "I need a break. Let's take one day to explore. I can make a hat like yours and you can take me to the green ocean."

"Okay. One day, like an adventure." He clapped excitedly.

They prepared a hat and a spear for Chrissy. They made good progress before the sun peaked. Just before the hottest part of the day, they fashioned a lean-to and made up stories for each other to pass the time. They nibbled dry meat, napped briefly, and then continued on their way.

When Chrissy saw the ocean, she gasped. She ran for the shore, dropping everything but her undergarments, and waded out. She wasn't sure how safe it was, so she stuck to the surf. Jeremy joined her, and soon they were splashing each other, enjoying the cool water. Bo-bo swam out and floated on his back, sighing, "Booohhh."

Just about the time their fingers were getting prune-y, they heard a growl. On shore, a black beast the size of a horse with the teeth of a baboon paced and waited for them, leaping with powerful hind legs, and slashing out with claws.

Chrissy grabbed Jeremy's arm. "What are we going to do? We left the spears by my clothes."

"I don't know."

Bo-bo chimed in with a determined, "Bo bo bo bo," and swam toward the beast.

Jeremy yelled, "No, Bo-bo!" but he couldn't grab him.

It was clear that the beast was leery of Bo-bo, but it stood its ground, growling so loudly that Jeremy and Chrissy covered their ears.

Bo-bo jumped up and spit toward the creature. The beast protected its face with its forearm, which was hit by a pink liquid. When it screamed and put its arm down, Bo-bo jumped again and hit its face. It shrieked even louder and lashed out with its uninjured claw, hitting Bo-bo so hard that he flew 20 yards, landing against a rock. The beast fell to its haunches, continuing to rub its face, which appeared to be melting. It stumbled several steps away and collapsed.

Chrissy stared, mouth a-gape, they whispered, "Bo-bo's spit is acid?"

While she stood flabbergasted, Jeremy ran to his companion, who had curled into a tight ball. He picked him put gingerly and shouted, "Chrissy, we have to run. There may be more of those things."

Chrissy grabbed all of their things and the two ran at a steady pace, panting from fear, exhaustion, and heat. Behind them, they heard another growl. With a surge of adrenalin, they started sprinting. Up ahead, they heard a raucous. In the blue trees, hundreds of Bo-bos called for their injured friend. The humans stopped when they reached the trees, knowing they were safe.

A large Bo-bo - about the size of a basketball - jumped down from a tree and held out its tiny front paws, exclaiming, "Bo bo bo."

Jeremy gently hugged Bo-bo and set him on the ground with tears in his eyes. He had no idea if his friend was alive. He backed away, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Several Bo-bos picked him up and walked away, chanting, "Bo...bo...bo...bo..."

The large one had a brief conversation with Jeremy, who nodded solemnly. He took Chrissy's hand and said, "They'll do what they can." He sniffled. "They're sending an escort to get us back to the tower, er, obelisk."

The following days, Jeremy kept Chrissy company at the obelisk, since there was no hunting without Bo-bo.

One morning, he angrily jabbed at the obelisk with his spear and yelled, "Why won't you send us home?" He sighed and sat against it, absent-mindedly digging at the dirt. He noticed something. "Chrissy! Come here!"

Chrissy rushed around the corner and saw that where Jeremy had been digging, symbols could be seen below the ground level. She exclaimed, "Of course! The obelisk settled into the ground. This may be important. Great job, Jeremy! Will you help dig?"

"Sure. I'll get some pieces of wood for shovels."

The two worked until the heat was too oppressive. They ate fruit in the cave and took a short nap then went right back to work. They had uncovered about two feet of what they considered the front, when they came upon a depressed palm image with only four fingers.

As they brushed it clean with branches, Chrissy squealed, "Jeremy! I bet we only need to put a palm here and it will take us to the bookmark."

The two jumped up and hugged. Then they heard, "Bo bo bo." Bo-bo came running and leaped into the middle of their hug.

Jeremy grabbed him, holding him at arm's length. "Bo-bo, you're all better! Do you really want to come with us?"

Bo-bo nodded and let out a stream of "Bos."

Chrissy laughed and asked, "Is there anything else you want to take with you?'

"No," Jeremy said emphatically. "I just want to go home."

They knelt by the obelisk. Jeremy held Bo-bo with his left arm and Chrissy's hand with his right. Chrissy put her palm in the detent. They felt a zing of electricity and a chill, and then closed their eyes to the bright light. When they opened them, it was dark.

"My room!" Chrissy whispered. Then she shouted, "It worked!." She ran to turn the light on and abandoned Jeremy and Bo-bo, yelling, "Mom!"

Jeremy heard lots of excited screaming. Then there were footsteps. He heard Chrissy say, "Hurry, Mom, he's in my room."

The door opened, and in came not just Chrissy and her mom, but also his father! He shouted, "Dad!" and ran to him, squeezing him as if to never let go. By then, everyone in the room had tears in their eyes except for Bo-bo, who was ecstatically jumping up and down on the bed.

Epilogue

Jeremy's dad and Chrissy's mom had become close in the 10 months Chrissy had been gone.

Although Jeremy was heartbroken about his mother, he learned to love Susan very quickly. He took quite a while to get caught up in school, but with his dad's and new mom's assistance, he managed to graduate high school with his class, his proud stepsister cheering him on.

After much consideration, it was decided that Bo-bo and the strange portal to the other planet - which they named Bobotar - should remain a secret. They didn't want the pristine world to be overrun. That didn't stop them from visiting by themselves. They could experience a quiet vacation, as long as they stayed away from beasts, and Bo-bo got to say, "Bo," to his friends and family.