1. The Magic Staircase

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CHAPTER One The Magic Stairase Bing-bing-bing! It was early Saturday morning. Eric Hinkle bounced up from his bed and shut off the alarm. He stared into the dim light, trying to recall his dream. Then he remembered it. "Oh, no," he groaned. "Another night without dreaming of Droon!" Dreaming was important. After Eric and his friends visited Droon, Princess Keeah told them that their dreams would tell them when to return. But it had been two weeks since anyone had dreamed of Droon.

That meant something was wrong. Very wrong. "The magic has to keep working," Eric said to himself. "It just has to!" He dressed quickly and snuck down to the kitchen. He tiptoed to the back door and unlocked it. His best friend, Neal Kroger, slid in quietly. "What's to eat?" Neal asked. Eric stared at him. "Never mind food," he said. "What did you dream about last night?" Neal took a deep breath. "The usual. Pizza." Eric moaned. "Pizza? No wonder you're hungry." "In my dream I was sitting in the middle of a humongous pizza," Neal said. "And I had to eat my way out to the crust. What about you?" Eric sighed. "I was hitting a metal garbage can with a broomstick. Bing, bang, bong all night." "Did it wake your parents?" Neal asked. Eric gave him a look. "No. Then I woke up and realized it was just my alarm going off." Neal shook his head as they tramped down the stairs to the basement. "Doesn't sound like we'll be going to Droon today," he said. "I can't believe this," Eric groaned.

He remembered the first time he, Neal, and Julie discovered the magic entrance to Droon. They were cleaning up Eric's messy basement when they found a small closet hidden under the stairs. They went inside, flicked off the light, and—whoosh!—the floor turned into a rainbow-colored staircase. Of course they went down the stairs. Soon, they met Princess Keeah and the wizard Galen. They helped them fight a wicked and very powerful sorcerer named Lord Sparr. They had gone on lots of adventures since then. Until now. "What about the soccer ball?" Neal asked. Princess Keeah had put a spell on their soccer ball. It would float in the air and become a globe of Droon when she needed them most. Eric shook his head. "It's busted. Look." He picked up the ball from its place on the workbench. He dropped the ball to the floor. Boing! It bounced back. "This ball is only good for playing soccer." Neal twisted his face into a frown. "Keeah said we'd return to Droon as long as the magic keeps working. I guess we're not going back." "Oh, man!" Eric whined. "Julie will be sad."

"Or mad," Neal said. "We'd better tell her." "Tell me what?" Julie said as she ran down the stairs. "Your mom said it was okay to come down, Eric. Am I too early?" "More like too late," Eric said, shooting a look at Neal. "You didn't happen to have a dream about Droon last night, did you?" Julie shook her head. "No…" "That's it," Neal said. "Good-bye, Droon." Julie grinned. "I mean, no, it wasn't just any dream…." She headed straight for the door under the stairs. "What?" Eric turned to her. "You mean—" Julie laughed. "Last night I had the ultimate dream about Droon! I was floating high over the countryside. Then I saw a bunch of crowns—gold crowns—just sitting on a hilltop in the middle of no-where!" "Cool!" Neal exclaimed. "But," Julie continued, "the coolest part was that I had a crown, too. I was Princess Julie! It was so awesome. We are definitely going back. Now!" "Yes—yes—yes!" Eric yelled. "Let's do it!" Julie quickly pulled open the small door. She waved her hand in. "Enter." They all piled in. Neal closed the door. Julie flicked off the light.

Click! It was dark for an instant. Then—Whoosh! The floor vanished beneath them. In its place was the top step of the magical rainbow-colored staircase. The staircase to Droon. Eric jumped. "It's so good to be going back!" "What can I say?" Julie said. "I'm special." "You better believe it!" Neal said. "We'd actually have to finish cleaning Eric's basement if it wasn't for you!" The three friends climbed down the rainbow steps. Cool air wafted up from below. It smelled sweet. The sky was pink and purple with streaks of bright orange. The sun was just about to rise. "It's nearly dawn here," said Neal. "Hey, look at those trees." The stairs ended in a misty grove of low, blossoming trees overlooking a clear green lake. The pink morning mist clung to the branches. The kids jumped off the staircase just as the steps faded from sight. Eric knew the stairs would reappear when it was time to leave. "I am so glad to be here," he said. Julie looked around. "This is weird. Nine trees in a perfect circle. Trees don't normally grow in a circle. I think someone planted them this way." "Maybe there are people nearby," Eric added.