Part 7 (1/2)

”T he pointer?” I asked, checking my own compa.s.s, whic h was still pointed north .

”Come look.” He stopped and swung the compa.s.s aroun d his body. He took a step back . ”I t's strongest here.”

I ran to his side . S tudying his compa.s.s, I saw that he wa s not exaggerating-the arrow was all over the place . T hen I realized mine was spinning, too . T he carpet fluttered against my chest!

”i think we've found one!” I exclaimed .

”B ut we just started looking. How is it possible?” I did not answer, but since I had found the carpet, especially since it had begun to jump around the hotel room, I ha d wanted to take it down to the beach . T o this beach in particular, a lmost as if I knew the spot was special .

We wasted no time spreading the carpet on the sand . T hen . . . N othing happened, it just lay there . I could hear th e disappointment in Amesh's voice when he said, ”maybe it need s a spell to work, after all. ”

”N ot so fast. We were about thirty feet apart and walking parallel with each other when your compa.s.s began to dance .

But my compa.s.s didn't react until I moved to where you wer e standing. ”

”S o? ”

” What if this ley line doesn't run toward the water? Fo r all we know it runs down the beach . I t might be importan t to find exactly where it's headed and align the carpet in tha t direction.”

Amesh nodded. ”Good idea. We'll scan the area.”

Leaving the carpet as a focal point, we walked up and dow n the beach, trying to find where our compa.s.ses spun the most .

We finally decided that the ley line led farther down the beach- a way from the hotel-but at a slight angle that would eventuall y take it out over the water .

We hurried back to the carpet and aligned it as carefully a s we could . T he change was instantaneous . I felt a magnetic charg e in the air .

Yet the carpet-although it quivered on the sand-did no t float into the air. Amesh and I knelt beside it, and for the firs t time I took out a small flashlight . I n the light, we saw that thre e ta.s.sels-one in the center and two on the edges-were standin g straight up . T he same was true of the rear of the carpet makin g six ta.s.sels alive altogether . I stared at Amesh across the carpet .

”A re you thinking what I'm thinking?” I asked .

He nodded. ”they look like controls.” I turned off the flashlight-i did not want to disturb th e carpet's reaction to the stars-and sat on the front of the carpe t that faced the water . M y taking control annoyed Amesh .

”I think I should be the first one to fly it,” he said .

”Why? ”

”I know how to drive a car. ”

”S o can i.” my dad had given me a few illegal lessons. ”Bu t I don't think that's going to help us fly this baby. ”

” Sara , you have no right . . . ”

”A mesh, get on the back and relax . I know what I'm doing. ”

” How can you know?” he asked, reluctantly obeying .

”it's just a feeling I have.” I pulled back on the front middle ta.s.sel-one of the thre e on my end of the carpet that was standing up-and the carpe t immediately stiffened and gently bobbed off the sand . S till, i t went no higher than an inch, not even when I pulled all the wa y back on the ta.s.sel . I t was only when I pulled back on the sid e ta.s.sels that we began to gain alt.i.tude .

”Glory be to Allah!” Amesh gasped . I laughed. ”Amen!”

When we were six feet above the sand, I eased the centra l ta.s.sel forward, expecting it would cause us to drop down. Bu t nothing happened, and I wondered if the ta.s.sels worked together like the clutch and gears in a car . I experimented a minute and discovered that the centra l ta.s.sel was the clutch . I t seemed to have two functions: to lift th e carpet and to move us forward-depending on the position o f the other ta.s.sels . T hat was the key . T he central ta.s.sel had to b e pulled back first, then the side ones would work . S uddenly we began to glide forward!

”Whoa!” Amesh cried .

We were flying at maybe ten miles an hour, a fast run .

Laughing, I pushed a ta.s.sel forward and we picke d up speed .

”T his is so cool!” I screamed . T he sensation of speed was exhilarating, of course, bu t even more striking was the feeling that I was one with the car p et . I was an eagle, the sides of the carpet were my wings . I fel t so powerful .

”Can we go higher?” Amesh asked .

”Do you want to go higher?”

He looked down . ”N ot if we're going over the water.” I had my back to Amesh, and to the circle of stars as well . I asked if there was any change in the star field. ”You won' t believe this . I think they're moving,” he said .

”M oving? How? ”

”A round and around,” he said . I twisted my neck to see. ”Around what? ”

”I don't know . M aybe you shouldn't sit on them. ”

”I 'm not,” I protested .

”Your b.u.t.t is.” I shuffled forward and tightened my crossed legs . T he carpet was long enough for me to easily avoid the star field .

”Can we go faster?” Amesh asked .

”Just a second,” I replied, pus.h.i.+ng the central ta.s.sel forward . I n an instant our speed doubled . T hat scared us both; t here's a huge difference between twenty miles an hour and forty .

As the dark sand swept beneath, the wind blew in our faces an d roared in our ears . I pulled back on the ta.s.sel and we quickl y slowed .

”T his is fast enough!” Amesh called .

”I hear ya!” I shouted . I n a minute our course took us away from the sand an d o ver the water. Fortunately, the sea was calm . T he swells beneat h us were less than a foot . T he air was thick with moisture- a huge change from the dry desert air that gripped the city .

”Have you tried turning right or left?” Amesh asked .

”N o. But I'm pretty sure the other ta.s.sels will let us t o do that.”

Amesh glanced toward the sh.o.r.e. Already we were over a quarter of a mile from the beach . I f we were to get dumpe d now, it would be a long, hard swim back, although not an impossible one. For me. With his missing hand, he might no t make it .

”T ry it, before we get too far out,” he said . I hesitated . ”I f we jump off this ley line and there isn' t another one beside us, we might end up in the water. ”

”T he ley line should be wide enough to let us turn,” h e said .

”I checked it on the beach . I t was only ten feet across.”

Amesh sighed. ”We're going to have to turn around a t some point. ”