Herbert’S Adventure

By Neil Williams and Gillian O’Blenes

Herberts Adventure is a story of a young boy by the name of Herbert. One day Herbert is looking out the window and he sees a small, blue dog walk past his house. Surprised, he goes outside to find the dog and he then embarks on an incredible journey into a place called INlandia. It is an amazing adventure to strange places, to meet different kinds of people and to rescue a beautiful young girl. Did I mention the Dark Forest? There are some very strange things inside it!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499005967

Book preview

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That wasn’t the end of the story. In fact it was the start of a story so strange that as I sit here beginning it, I still can’t believe that it happened! The day Herbert first met Bruno and his family, his old life ended and his new one started.

Let me tell you about Herbert first. He’s from Canada. He’s a simple boy with not too many friends. He does fairly well in school and gets along very well with just about everyone. He moved to England because of his father’s job in the vegetable business. His father bought and sold vegetables all over the world. His father traveled a lot and came to England to start a new company and to live in Herbert’s grandfather’s house when his grandfather died. Herbert’s seen some strange things and met a lot of people. He told me that even though the world looks big, it’s actually a small place where all people feel the same inside and no matter how they live or where they live, the same things are important to all of them. They like to be loved and to love other people and most of them don’t want to do harm to anyone or have harm done to them. MOST of them feel that way, but not all. Drago and his friend Morphus don’t feel that way. Who are they? You’ll find out. It’s because of them that Herbert’s life changed so much!

I’m getting ahead of the story now though. Let’s go back to the start of it all. Remember I said that Herbert sat there looking out the window after he met Bruno? Well, he went back outside after a while and had a look at the tree, that Bruno and his friends disappeared behind. His grandfather had planted that tree years before and Herbert knew it very well. He knew there were no secret places in it or anywhere for anyone to hide. He looked all over that tree for some sign of them but there was none! He looked under it and on top of it. He even lifted up some of the bark thinking that he might see a hole in it, that he’d never seen before! How could 5 little people and a little blue dog, just disappear behind a tree? As he was bending over to look at the roots, he noticed a small hand coming out of the tree! He jumped back from it and stared. The hand just as suddenly went back into the tree! Herbert scratched his head and waited. Nothing happened! He waited some more and still nothing happened. He sat down on the ground beside the tree and watched the place the hand had come out of. Had he been seeing things? He walked all the way around the tree and then back again. He knocked on the tree and waited. Nothing! Finally he went back into his kitchen to make some lunch. He was very puzzled by all of this. He had no idea what was happening.

As he was eating his lunch, he watched the tree and much to his surprise, as he was lifting his soup to his mouth, he saw Bruno and another little man come right out of the tree. They stopped and looked around to see if anyone was coming and then came towards Herbert’s front door. Herbert just sat and stared! The next thing he knew there was a little tap on his door. He jumped up and opened the door. Bruno smiled and said, Hello Herbert. Do you mind if we come in? Herbert just stood there with his mouth open, not moving, May we come in Herbert? Bruno asked again, very politely.

Herbert jumped when he heard Bruno’s voice the second time, Of course, of course, come in please, he said very excitedly. He was very disturbed by all of this. Bruno and his friend went into Herbert’s living room. Herbert followed, wondering what these little people wanted. He was very curious to hear what Bruno would say.

When they were all seated, Bruno pointed to his friend and said, This is Joshua, he’s a good friend and can be trusted. Herbert shook Joshua’s hand.

Bruno began to speak, Herbert, our people have been using your tree to come to OUTlandia ever since your grandfather planted it years and years ago. Your grandfather was a very good man. You see, we can only use trees to come to OUTlandia and he planted this one in exactly the right place for us to go to OUTlandia and back to INlandia.

OUTlandia and INlandia, asked Herbert, very puzzled. What is that? Herbert had no idea what Bruno was talking about. He was very puzzled and he didn’t know what Bruno would say next.

Herbert, said Bruno, we have a problem with some OUTlanders in INlandia and we need your help.

Herbert looked up at the ceiling and then down at the floor and then at Bruno, What is INlandia and OUTlandia? he asked. I’ve never heard of such a thing! He was starting to get upset.

Bruno smiled his warm smile. He waved his hand around the room and pointed out the window, All of this is OUTlandia. We’re from INlandia, the place you go to when you go inside the trees.

Inside the trees? asked Herbert. You mean you live inside a tree? He was more puzzled than ever.

Joshua laughed a funny laugh. In fact he sounded like a little horse. Bruno looked at him and smiled. He turned to Herbert and said, No, we don’t actually live inside a tree but you have to go into a tree to get to INlandia. We live in INlandia. We’re called INlanders. People who live outside INlandia, people like you and the other humans, are called OUTlanders.

Herbert nodded his head yes, like he understood and then he shook his head no and then he nodded yes again and then he just looked at Bruno, I still don’t understand. You mean you and Joshua aren’t human?

No, we’re INlanders, he said. You’re human. You’re also an OUTlander. You live in OUTlandia and we live in INlandia.

Herbert laid his head against the back of the sofa. He looked up and then he rubbed his eyes. He felt like he was dreaming. He said, I’m sorry Bruno, but all of this has me very confused. You’ll have to explain it to me.

Bruno, who was a very kind INlander, smiled at Herbert. OK Herbert, I’ll explain it all to you. I think you’ll like it. A long, long time ago before there were any humans on the earth, our people, the INlanders came into being. INlandia is a place on the earth but not on the earth. It’s a place on the other side of your thoughts. When you dream at night you sometimes go there without realizing it. We’ve seen you there many times when you’ve been dreaming and that’s how we know you. We first met your grandfather when he was dreaming too and we got him to plant that tree exactly where we needed it. You see, sometimes we have to come to OUTlandia. Not very often and we try to avoid it whenever we can. We don’t really like OUTlandia. Some very bad things happen here and there are some very bad humans. Joshua looked very frightened when Bruno said this and he looked out the window as if he expected something bad to happen.

Bruno patted Joshua on the knee and then continued, Humans can’t enter INlandia unless they have help from an INlander. Last week two OUTlanders, Drago and his friend Morphus, with the help of a very bad INlander called Mausle, entered INlandia and kidnapped my daughter Lucinda. They put her in their circus. We don’t know how to get her back and we’ve come to you to help us.

Herbert sat up straight when he heard this, You want me to help you? Why me? Why did you come to me for help? I’ve never helped anyone with anything before! he said very excitedly.

You mean you won’t help us? asked Bruno.

No, I didn’t say that, said Herbert. I just said I’d never helped anyone before. How can I help you?

Bruno smiled again, You see Joshua, I told you he’d help us! Joshua laughed his little horse laugh and hugged his knees, He’ll help, he’ll help us, he called out, clapping his hands.

Herbert watched the two of them and wondered what he was getting himself into. What do I need to do? he asked, wide eyed.

Well first, you can come with us to INlandia, said Bruno. We need an OUTlander to do something that no INlander can do and we’re sure that you could help us. You’ve been recommended to us by someone who knows you in INlandia.

Herbert reacted to these words, I don’t know anyone in INlandia, he said. I don’t even know what INlandia is!

Maybe so, but someone there knows you and says that you could do what we need to have done, said Bruno, hopefully.

Herbert looked from one to the other. He had no idea what they meant. He’d