Iris was about to respond to Miss Sepdet when, suddenly, she felt a rush of wind against her back. A darkness fell over the tunnel and she felt her pupils opening, gasping for light.
“Hey what’s going on here?” Who turned out the lights? Miss Sepdet? Are you still there?
Iris turned around and scanned for any sign of light. She prayed that perhaps a large group of people had arrived together and had covered the light at the tunnel’s entrance.
Nobody was there. The sounds of the streets had escaped her just as fast as the masked boys. She thought she could still hear Miss Sepdet’s birds but it was just ringing in her ears.
Then she remembered the magic eye. Maybe it was like her father’s car. He was always telling her mother how the car must rest or else it will be flooded. Maybe the magic eye was flooded and just needed to rest.
“I‘ll count to thirty three and try the magic eye again. One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three.” Iris had an unusual way of counting.
Then she lifted the magic eye to her face and peered through it.
“What?” she exclaimed. “This can’t be happening.”
Iris saw Miss Sepdet, the real Miss Sepdet, through the magic eye. She was standing on her front porch waving at her.
“She can see me!” Iris tried to wave back, but her hand bumped against something soft, warm and moving!
“Ee-chup, ee-chup, ee-chup,” a creepy squeaky sound came from over her head. “Ahh!” Iris screamed and dropped the magic eye.
Not used. Keep for later.
“Ka’aak. ka’aak. Ka’aak,” a loud caw pierced her ears.
A few seconds later her eyes finally adjusted. saw that the opening at the other end was gone.
Mrs. Sepdet was screaming at her.
“What did I ado? Why is she screaming?”