Clara’s Strange Adventures—Sample

Chapter 1:
Underground Land

Have you ever had a bad day? 

Most people have.

But very few have had a day quite as bad as the one Clara had last weekend.

It all began at her friend’s birthday party…

It was held outdoors on a beautiful day. A light breeze fluttered the colorful decorations while everyone laughed and played games.

Each guest received a special helium-filled balloon. Normally, helium balloons float up. 

Clara’s didn’t.

Instead, it gently tugged Clara downward, so she drifted below ground.

Clara went through twisting tunnels, sinking deeper and deeper into the earth, before she finally thought to let go of the balloon.

When she looked around the dark tunnel where she landed, she saw it was filled with small, blinking eyes.

She gasped.

She was surrounded by moles!

“Who are you?” asked a voice. 

“I’m Clara,” she answered, trembling. “Where am I?”

“You’re in Underground Land,” replied the voice. “And I’m the Chief Mole.” 

The other moles nodded solemnly.

“I’ve never heard of Underground Land before,” Clara said. “I was at an outdoor party, and my balloon pulled me down here. Now I need to get home, but I don’t know the way.”

The moles murmured softly and shook their heads. 

“I’m sorry,” the Chief Mole said gently. “We don’t know how to get you back to the surface.”

“But I need to go home!” Clara wailed as tears filled her eyes.

She muttered, “I wish I could ask the Wise Old Owl what to do.” Clara had heard that this famous bird could solve almost any problem. 

The Chief Mole leaned close to her and said softly, “Now, now, Clara; don’t cry. We’ll figure something out…And, did I hear you say something about a Wise Old Owl?”

Clara nodded.

“We don’t have owls underground. They prefer trees. But I have a wise friend named Kathy. She’s an aardvark. Perhaps she can help.”

The Chief Mole then led Clara through more winding tunnels to a cozy underground den where Kathy was sipping tea. Kathy looked concerned as the Chief Mole explained everything.

She thought for a long moment.

Then her face brightened.

“I have an idea,” she said. “Practice jumping as high as you can every day. Your muscles will grow stronger, so you should be able to jump higher and higher. Eventually, you may be able to leap all the way back to the Earth’s surface! It won’t be easy, but it’s worth a try.

Clara wasn’t sure this made sense, but she was eager to go home. So she began jumping.

And jumping.

And jumping… She was getting worn out!

After a while, she realized she was barely jumping any higher.

This plan was not going to work. 

Her stomach tightened.

Clara hurried back to Kathy. 

“It’s not working!” she cried. “There’s no way I can jump all the way to the top of the Earth, no matter how hard I try!”

If you enjoyed the beginning of Clara’s Strange Adventures, you can get the rest on paperback or eBook below.