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The Fishing Cousins Series
Time Traveling Fishing Poles
By David Weber
Summer vacation was two weeks away.
Dane and Luke were both eager to finish school because they have a fishing trip planned for the third week in June.
Before the school year ended, they both needed to finish writing history reports.
Dane was researching a prehistoric tribe that used a mysterious fishing pole to transport themselves through time.
Luke was researching another prehistoric tribe that also claimed to use a mysterious fishing pole to transport themselves through time.
Both Luke and Dane were very fascinated by this and were determined to figure out how to make time travel possible with a magic fishing pole.
Chapter 1:
You will never believe what I found
Dane had been working day and night researching his history report.
He found several articles with detailed descriptions about what the magic fishing poles looked like and how they worked.
As extra credit, Dane started making a magic fishing pole based on what he was learning.
One evening while researching, he found something he wasn't expecting to find.
"Hey Luke, you will never believe what I found," said Dane.
Luke walked over to Dane and looked at the screen on Dane's computer.
"Wow, is that a spell to give a fishing pole magic?" asked Luke.
"Yes," said Dane, "I think we should try it."
Chapter 2: Let's finish our poles
The next day, Dane and Luke headed out to Dane's Dad's workshop to finish up both their poles.
Each pole needed to have a very specific pattern carved into it.
The patterns needed to represent the life of the person who was going to use or cast with it.
After several hours of intense work, the poles were finished.
The poles had small detailed carvings of their hobbies, friends, families, and life events.
Chapter 3: Time to try the magic spells
Luke and Dane printed the three different magic spells they found, then grabbed the "magic" poles they made and walked out to the forest behind Dane's house.
They found a clearing in the trees and started reciting the first spell and mimicking the casting motion they saw in the paintings they found online.
They waited about five minutes and nothing happened.
They were both a both little nervous and wondered what would actually happened if the spell worked?
Since nothing seemed to happen, they decided to try the second magic spell.
Remembering pictures from his research, Dane held his fishing pole the same way as the prehistoric chief was depicted in the painting.
Luke held the spell up so Dane could read it.
As Dane began to recite the spell, the sky seemed to get a little darker, similar to when a storm is starting.
In the distance they could hear the slight rumble of a late Spring storm.
Dane and Luke looked at each other, both a little more nervous than before.
When Dane finished reading the magic spell, they both stood in silence and waited and waited.
Five minutes passed and nothing happened.
The third and final spell required a whipping motion, similar to fly fishing, while reciting the spell.
To do this, Dane and Luke needed to memorize the magic spell since the whipping motion required both hands to be on the pole.
Chapter 4: Hold on Tight
Wasting no time, they started reciting the spell.
This spell was different.
The third spell required reciting the spell aloud and each time they recited it, they needed to say it slightly faster and louder than the previous time and whip their fishing poles continuously.
"ooh la, do la, ooh la, do la, ooh la, do la," on and on Dane and Luke recited the magic spell, louder and faster over and over again until finally the wind began to blow a little harder.
Suddenly, they were both lifted off the ground.
"Dane, hold on tight!" shouted Luke.
Chapter 5: Towering twenty feet above them.
Holding on for their lives, Dane and Luke were transported through time.
Light was flashing all around them and there was a strange noise, although they couldn't really tell what the sound was.
All of a sudden, they were both standing in tall grass in a warm sunny field.
There were trees and flowers all around them.
As they looked around, in a way, it kind of reminded them of Florida.
Something felt strange, kind of like they were being watched.
They seemed to realize this at the same time as they slowly looked at each other.
Now afraid to look behind them, they slowly turned around and were shocked at what they saw.
Standing behind them, looking down at them, towering twenty feet above them, were the eyes of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Before they could start running, the T-Rex took a deep breath in and let out the loudest roar imaginable.
Chapter 6: Quick, hide over here!
With every bit of energy they had, Dane and Luke took off running as fast as they could, scanning the horizon for somewhere to hide.
Dane shouted, " Quick, hide over here!"
Luke and Dane dove into a small cave located on the side of a hill.
Once inside they could see the shadow and the angry breathing of the enormous T-Rex.
Realizing they were safe from the T-Rex, Dane and Luke decided they should try to get back to their home.
Standing next to each other, they began to recite the spell and whip their poles, "Ooh la, do la, ooh la, do la, ooh la, do la.
Louder and faster they chanted the magic spell.
Suddenly, they were lifted into the air and were again flying through time and space.
After what seemed like a few moments, they were both back in Dane's yard.
They looked at each other and laughed, then they said, "you wanna go fishing?"
The End
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