How this works:
1. Read the story so far.
2. Come up with the next part.
3. Type the next part into the form at the end of the story.
4. Every couple weeks or so, Adventure Write chooses the next part of the story from the submissions we receive, and we post it online.

Robert wasn’t sure what his best friend, Eddy, meant when he said, "He’s coming for me," but less than one second after those words left his mouth, Eddy disappeared into a puff of brilliant green smoke.

Robert coughed and swung his arms out in front of him to clear the air.  "Eddy?"  He coughed again.  "Dang it, Eddy!  I don’t have time for your shenanigans!  Where the heck are you?"

The green fog lifted, and Robert could see that Eddy was gone.  "I'm not playing hide-and-seek," he called out, but Eddy didn't answer.

Robert sighed and started looking around.  He checked under the couch and behind the TV, but all he found were dust bunnies, a single white sock and his long lost lunch box.  Robert wrinkled his nose when he discovered a month-old, partially eaten ham sandwich still inside.  At least, it used to be ham.

He slammed the lunchbox shut and slid it back under the couch.

"Eddy," he called as he meandered through the house, but there was no sign of him.  Maybe he went outside, Robert thought, and he opened the front door.

Oh, great…, he sighed.  The nutty neighbor, Audrey, was out.  Robert always took evasive maneuvers when Audrey was around.  She was usually up to something, and it was usually something wierd.  She was pretty enough and rode the bus to school with him, but he couldn’t stand to listen to the crazy stories she made up.  They were outrageous!  Last week, for example, she was in a tizzy about some evil wizard.  She said his name was Silby...or Silvery...or something like that.  Anyway, this evil wizard was supposedly after her.  She went on and on about it all day, starting at the bus stop.

"He's coming," she exclaimed as she rushed to catch the bus that morning.  "He just escaped Silbury Hill, and he's making his way to our neighborhood right now!"

She sat on pins and needles the rest of the day.  Her foot jittered under her desk, and she told anyone who would listen about the evil Wizard from Silbury.  The bus ride home was pretty much unbearable.  When the bus finally reached their stop, Robert couldn't wait for the doors to open.

Audrey pushed past him and blurted, "We’re all in terrible danger!"  She ran home from the bus stop like a lightening bolt, and Robert hadn’t seen her since.

He figured her parents had finally put her in the nutty bin.

"Guess not," he mumbled.  He watched her in confusion.  She had a stick in her hand and was spinning around in circles in the middle of the road.  He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like she was crying.

Robert grumbled to himself as he stepped outside.  He couldn’t believe what he was about to do.

"Hey, Audrey," he called out, trying to sound nonchalant.  "Wh…what…um…what’s up," he stuttered.  Then he walked over to her.

Audrey stopped in mid-circle and whirled around to face him.

Robert raised his eyebrows.  Yep, he thought.  Definitely crying.

Audrey held up her stick and cried out.  "I couldn’t stop him!"

Robert rolled his eyes.  Ah, rats…here we go.

"Um, ok."  Robert shifted his weight.  He supposed he should ask her if she was alright, even though the answer was pretty obvious.  He hated it when girls cried.  It made him feel guilty.  And he didn’t even do anything!

"Say, uh, are you…" he hesitated.  He really didn’t want to hear whatever story she had cooked up.  "…uh…I mean… you didn’t happen to see Eddy run out of my house, did you?"

Audrey’s eyes filled with tears.  She threw her head back and wailed, then shoved her face in her hands.

"Careful with that stick, Aud," Robert offered.  "You almost put your eye out."

Audrey sobbed and wiped her face with her sleeve.  "You big dummy," she sobbed.  "Don’t you get it?  Eddy is GONE!  The wizard took him!  And it's all my fault.  I tried to stop him, but…"  Audrey flung her stick to the ground and kicked it.  "This stupid wand burned out!"

Robert wasn’t sure what to make of all this, but he definitely didn’t want Audrey to start crying again.  He had to think fast.  "Relax, Audrey," he coached.  "Nobody took Eddy.  Matter of fact, he was just in my...house."  Robert motioned to his front door and noticed it hadn't shut behind him.

Audrey looked up at him, and a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes.  "Was there green smoke?"

How the heck did she know about the green smoke?  Robert weighed his answer.  "Um, well, yeah."

Audrey drew in a sharp breath.

Oops.  "But only a little," he quickly added.  "Please don’t cry."

"Green smoke is bad."  Audrey’s eyes got big.  She grabbed Robert by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes.  "The Silbury Wizard has him.  If we don’t do something, he’ll turn Eddy into a ghost.  We have to get to him before it’s too late."  She furrowed her brow and spoke her next words very slowly.  "Will-you-help-me?"  She shoved Robert back by his shoulders, crossed her arms over her chest and waited for his reply.

Robert stumbled backwards and gathered his thoughts.  He didn’t believe in wizards.  He didn't believe in ghosts, either.  He certainly didn't beleive in best friends disappearing into puffs of green smoke.  And what would a wizard want with Eddy anyway?  It all sounded a little...well...crazy.  Still, Eddy was gone, and deep down, Robert knew that his best friend was in trouble.  He shook his head and...

Written By: Adventure Write

took a great big breath.  "Alright.  Where do we sta..."

The ground beneath him rumbled and interrupted his thought.  He looked down and listened intently.

Audrey tugged at his shirt.

"SHHHHHH!" he demanded.

Audrey flicked him in the head.

"Ouch!  What?!" he snapped.  He looked up at her.

Audrey's face had gone white, and her jaw hung open.  She nodded her head toward something behind Robert.

Robert whipped around.  There standing right in front of his face, was the ghost of Eddie.

"Ahhh!"  Robert stepped back and bumped into Audrey.

The ghost never flinched.  It was staring at the ground.

Robert swallowed hard.  "Eddie...?"

The ghost looked up at Robert...

Storyline submitted by: Hannah Anderson - PA
Written by: Adventure Write

For the first time Robert noticed that it was not Eddie at all.  For, slowly but surely, the ghost's skin was melting away to reveal a bluish-gray skinned man about six-foot-eight standing in his place.

"Who? Who are you?" asked Robert, "And what have you done with my friend?"

"I am Silvy," he replied, "a wizard."

"Right. And I'm George Washington.  How did you do that anyway?"

"Do what?"

"That trick where you made it look like you were Eddie and then your skin melted away."

"That was no trick!" shouted Silvy, getting angry, "I speak the truth!  And, to prove it...," he yelled and he pointed his wand at Audrey.  "We have no use for little girls, change her into an ice cream cone with lots of swirls."

Robert watched in horror as Audrey shrunk and shifted until all that was left was an ice cream cone--with lots of swirls.

"Change her back!" Robert shouted at the wizard.

"Now, now," chided the wizard,  "I'll change her back if..."

anonymous, Denver, CO

...you my dear friend make me a promise."

Robert was apprehensive to make a promise to a wizard, but he knew he needed to help his friend, Eddie, and now Audrey, too.  Oh, geez, how did a simple day end up so topsy-turvy?

"Okay, what do you want?" Robert asked with trepidation.

"I want," started the wizard, "for you to take me deep into the woods where the Pixies live."

"What?  I don't know where the Pixies live!  There's no such thing as Pixies.  Those little creatures are just made up by someone who wrote about Tinkerbell and Peter Pan.  I can't help you with that!" shouted Robert.

By now, the next door neighbor, Mrs. Taylor, was watching Robert talking to the sky and gesturing with his hands very dramatically.  She wondered if Robert had suddenly become as strange as that little girl, Audrey.  Mrs. Taylor decided to sneak over to the fence to see if she could hear what exactly Robert was saying....

Written by: Dennis - Wenatchee, WA

...As she approached, she heard an unearthly cackle.  Robert cringed, and a voiced boomed from above him...

Written by: Adventure Write

..."Then you must take her place!"

The ice cream cone with lots of swirls gasped.  "DON'T DO IT, ROBERT!  IT’S A TRICK!" she cried.

The wizard looked down at the ice cream cone and sighed.  "Hmmmmm...I should have made an ice cream cone that couldn't talk, " he murmured.  "But never mind.  Take her place, or she won't only be a ice cream cone, but a melted one!" he cackled again.

Robert raised an eyebrow and looked at the wizard.  He spoke his next words slowly and clearly.  "Why do you want me?"

"That is for me to know and for you to find out," Silbury replied.

Robert looked at the ice cream cone and took a deep breath.  "What do I have to do?"

"Just dance yourself over here," said Silbury, "and then I'll--"

"--You 'll make Audrey herself again!" burst in Robert.  His heart was pounding and his hands were shaking.  "Promise!"

The wizard put his hand on his chest and spoke softly.  "Wizard's honor," he smiled.

Robert took a step toward the wizard and...

Written by: Hannah - Philadelphia, PA

…snatched Silvy's wand right from his hand.  He dashed away, grabbing Audrey by the cone as he ran.

The wizard roared and shouted, "Come back, you evil boy!  Come back!"

Robert ran until he saw a cave come into view.  He looked back.  Silvy was right on his tail.  Robert bolted into the cave, and pressed his back against the wall.

"Don't worry, Audrey," he panted.  "I'll change you back and find Eddy and get us all out of this mess."

Robert held his breath.  Someone was walking into the cave.  Robert heard footsteps then a whisper.  Robert gathered his courage and bolted across the cave.  He smashed himself against the wall again and felt began feeling his way further into the darkness.

There was the whisper again.  This time, it sounded as if someone was calling his name ever so softly.

Robert.....Robert.

Robert looked down.  The sound was coming from the wand!  He answered the wand cautiously. "Y-y-yes?"

Take me to the cone.

" Huh?  Oh."

Robert hesitated, listening for Silvy’s footsteps.  He the Audrey-cone on the ground.

"Now lift me up," whispered the wand.

Robert lifted the wand high.  A shiver ran down his arm.  His head jerked up, and strange words tumbled out of his mouth.

Fiddle- dee dah, feedle phone.

You are a girl, not an ice cream cone.

Lightening bolted out of the wand and lit up the entire cave.  The Audrey cone trembled….

Written by: Hannah - Philadelphia, PA

...and shook with the force of a lion, and with a fire-spark the ice-cream turned into Audrey.

Audrey panted, like she had run and entire 2 miles.  "Thank...huh...you..." she breathed.

Robert dropped his arms and breathed a sigh of relief.  He shook his head at Audrey and smiled.  "I can't believe..." Robert coughed and fell to his knees.  He threw his head back, his face twisted in confusion.

Once again, a torrent of strange words thundered out of his mouth.

"Out of the form of horrid green smoke--

Eddy, get out of this fiery hoax!"

The cave rumbled....

Written by: Lesli - Kansas City, KS