Down the Doodlebug Hole

By W. F. Owen

Two teens, Marisela and Bobby, find themselves in an underground world with insects at war with giant worms. Along their journey, they confront huge centipedes, spiders and crickets. They also struggle with their own consciences and first love. It is a fantasy with many twists and turns (figuratively and literally) and surprises. The story is intended for pre-teens, but adults will enjoy it too!

An excerpt to get an idea of the story:

"“Do you hear that?”
We both stood very still and listened. It was a low roar, but not like before. It wasn’t coming from above and it wasn’t cheering like from the auditorium.
“I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d think it was horses!”
Then, I looked back and saw what it was––a herd of pill bugs moving up the path toward us. They must have been frightened into a kind of stampede. There must have been over fifty of them.
I shouted to Marisela, “Get to the side, quick!”
Our backs hugged the wall as they passed without any interest in us. Then, I had an idea.
“Here, start grabbing these vines. Tie them together and make ‘em into a rope. We’ll hitch a ride!”
“But . . .” she started, “how do we know where they’re going?!”
“Well, it’s the way we were going, and besides, something is chasing them and it ain’t good!”
We tied sections of vine together into a kind of lasso. I remember doing this with rope, so I led. I twirled the vine over my head and let it go. The first throw slid off a bug.
“Try to get it over their antennae up front, maybe it’ll hang there,” she yelled.
“Go girl!”
She twirled the makeshift lasso over her head with increasing speed, and then let it fly. The loop hooked over one antenna. She pulled the rope vine tight, but it slipped off.
“Try again!”
She retrieved the lasso, spun it quickly and threw it. This time, it hooked over both antennae and held firmly. Marisela was jolted forward and onto the side of a pill bug. I could see her struggle to get on top. Now, it was my turn again. This time, my vine rope landed over a bug’s head and I too was jerked up onto its back. I could see Marisela several bugs in front as we galloped onward up the tunnel. The surface of the pill bug was like a hard, slick shell, so it was slippery even dry. We needed to get off to regain control over our direction."

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Owen
• Release date: Jun 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452414645

W. F. Owen

I'm a professor of communication (thirty years) and a creative writer. My main interests are haiku and related forms, and science fiction. I've published in all of the major haiku journals (e.g., Frogpond, Modern Haiku) and several anthologies. Also, I have won several contests sponsored by the Haiku Society of America. Finally, long ago, I taught SCUBA diving as an occupation. I lived in Hawaii for ten years.In the past five years or so, I've rekindled my interest in photography and, most recently, graphic design. Check out my sites on Fine Art America ("Bill Owen") and RedBubble.com ("BillOwenArt"). Thanks! ?

Book preview

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