"What's wrong?" Daria asked.
"This is Kalidah territory." He replied nervously. "I always avoid this part of the forest."
"What's a Kalidah?" asked Taylor
"They're horrible monsters with the body of a bear and the head of a tiger. Oooh... they're so scary..."
"Stop." Isaac said suddenly.
And stop they did, for in front of them was a steep gulf, and no way to get across.
"So, how do we get across?" asked Zac. "I can't jump that far."
The four stood around and thought for a moment. <
"Hey Isaac, why don't you chop down this tree?" Taylor suggested. "If it can fall across the gulf, we could just walk across it like a bridge."
"That's a great idea." Isaac answered, and started chopping down the tree with his axe.
"Yeah." Zac agreed. "Anyone would think you had a brain in that head of yours, instead of straw."
Just as the tree feel, there was some howling, and into their view were two of the Kalidahs that Zac had just been talking about.
"Quick, get across." Isaac urged.
And so Daria and Toby started across, followed swiftly by Taylor and then by Isaac. Zac turned to the Kalidahs just as Isaac stepped on the bridge and roared ferociously, startling the two monsters briefly. Zac hurried across, chewing his huge lion lips.
Then the Kalidahs began to follow the four across. Isaac was just stepping off the end.
"Oh dear." said Daria. "The monsters are coming across too!"
"Oh they're gonna kill us and eat us all up." Zac wailed, bounding off the end.
"Maybe, maybe not." said Taylor. "Quick, Isaac chop of this end of the tree. That way it'll fall into the gulf."
Isaac acknowledged this but getting to work on the tree again. The Kalidahs were almost among them when he made the last chop.
"Gee, that was close." said Daria.
"Too close. Way, way, way too close." Zac said empathetically. "Way, way, way, way, way too close. Way, way, way -"
"I think we get the idea Zac." Isaac commented.
"Really? Because I didn't think... I mean, we were nearly monster food!"
"Well, actually you and Daria were nearly monster food." Taylor corrected. "I don't think the Kalidahs would eat straw or tin."
"That's comforting." Daria replied dryly.
"Ahh, don't worry Daria." Isaac said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "We're all alive and well. Come on, there's the yellow brick road. Shall we continue?"
And of course they all said 'yes'.