Chapter 1

USA Palmer,MA OMP Elementary School

Grade 3 Mr T. Kellaher

Once upon a time ….... there were four children who were all from different places in the United States of America. Madison, Selena, Justin, and Joey were all nine years old and had no idea that they would soon meet and become friends. The children had just moved to New York City where their parents had enrolled them in a special school. Each new student had a special talent that they were trying to learn more about. They wanted to be known as the very best at these very different jobs. Madison came from a small town in Massachusetts named Palmer. She was a student at Old Mill Pond School, but there was no one in this small village who could teach her all about gymnastics. Madison’s parents thought that New York would be the best place for her to learn and all of the best trainers were in the biggest city, New York City. Selena was from the state of Hawaii and she was studying to be the best hula dancer in the world. When her teacher moved to New York City, Selena’s parents moved there also so that she could keep learning dance from the same teacher. Justin had the most dangerous hobby that he hoped would someday be his job. Justin lived in a house on the beach in Florida. Justin’s dad was a professional shark tagger and he was teaching Justin everything about putting tags on great white sharks. A terrible accident happened and he could not teach Justin anymore, so his father sent him to New York City to continue learning how to be a shark tagger from a good friend who was well known as the best tagger in the world. Joey’s home was the most famous home in the United States. He lived in

Washington, D.C. in the White House. Joey was the son of the President of the United States. Joey wanted to be away from the capital because every time he went outside people would always be taking pictures of him. He thought that if he could get away then people might not know who he was and they would leave him alone. The four children met on the first day of school and became very good friends. During class one day the teacher starte talking about the “Legend of the Golden Nugget.” According to the legend, there was a gold nugget somewhere in the world which was so big that it would be worth enough money to buy food for everyone in the world. The problem was that the only one who knew where this giant golden nugget was located was a mutant monster that lived deep in the subway system of the city. No one believed the legend, but it was fun to talk about it and the four friends laughed about it as they rode the subway train to their homes. All of the sudden, the lights in the subway train went off and when they came back on Madison, Selena, Justin, and Joey were all alone on the train. They didn’t know what to do so they got out of the train and started walking through the tunnels trying to find their way out. They didn’t know where they were going and they just followed a light that was way up ahead of them. They thought that they were almost out when they came face to face with a giant poisonous frog. “This is the mutant monster from the legend,” said Joey. “We can find out where the golden nugget is,” said Selena. Justin was used to danger so he spoke to the monster first and asked where the golden nugget was. The frog told them a story of how an evil scientist turned him into a monster and would not change him back until the nugget was found. The monster didn’t want the evil scientist to find the nugget so he hid in the subway, but now that he was found he would only give the four friends a clue and they would have to figure it out to find the gold. He said, “You will go into a tunnel and start to fly and you won’t come out where you thought you would. Follow the first sign you see and it will lead you to the next clue.” Just then the lights came back on and the friends found themselves walking up the stairway to the street. As soon as they were on the street they saw the Statue of Liberty coming toward them. As it got closer they could see that an evil looking person was controlling it from inside. They began to run away and Madison said, “Let’s go into the Holland Tunnel. We can come out and find a way to get to Washington D.C. Joey’s dad will help us. He is the President.” The evil man in the Statue of Liberty was getting closer, but magically their school backpacks turned into jet packs and they flew into the tunnel. The Statue of Liberty was too large to get in so they were safe. When they came to the end of the tunnel they realized that what the monster said was true. They weren’t in the United States any more, and the first sign they saw said…

Ride through the Holland-Tunnel in New York City:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnizrYT2C_4

Chapter 2

Australia Adelaide Area Prospect Primary School Grade 5 Mrs Jenny Rossiter

COOBER PEDY, AUSTRALIA, HOME OF THE OPAL. “Coober Pedy, Australia? How on earth did we end up here?” complained Madison. The group of friends looked around and all they saw were mounds of red-brown dirt as far as the eye could see. There were doors on the sides of the mounds, and broken down shacks, which all looked very odd. “Didn’t that mutant frog tell us the sign would be a clue? The only clue we got was that we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere.” Justin grumbled. “Come on, guys! Maybe we have to use our brains to find the clue. Let’s look around, maybe find someone to help us.” Joey suggested. They all agreed and started walking aimlessly around. As the kids walked they talked about their lives’ and how they all got to move in to New York. Suddenly Madison cried out “Look out!” The kids’ heads turned to the direction where Madison was pointing, “What is it? I can’t see anything.” exclaimed Selena.“No! Over there!” Madison called and took a few steps backwards. The children saw a huge ‘Whirly-Whirly’ coming their way. “Is that a tornado?” Joey yelled over the wind.“Who cares if it’s a tornado? Just RUN!” Justin yelled. The four children ran away from the wind storm and headed towards a big door of an old broken down shack. “In here.” Joey told the others.

Selena yelled “But that might be somebody’s home! We’d be interfering with someone’s life.” “What about our lives’!? We can apologize later.” Justin yelled as he pushed the other three inside. A steep staircase inside the shack led into an underground room. The room appeared to be a bedroom with a small timber wardrobe and equally small timber framed bed. The children collapsed on the bed breathing heavily. As they were catching their breath a mysterious old man appeared at the doorway. He was wearing a dirty pair of torn up jeans and an old leather jacket with a tear in the left sleeve. He was unshaven and looked as though he hadn’t bathed for years, on top of this he smelt of sweat and baked beans. “Aren’t I lucky? I seem to have visitors. Please, come into the kitchen and I’ll fix you a snack,” the strange man invited with a deep, rough voice.Once in the kitchen, all the children sat and ate a slice of vegemite on toast. The man started to talk and asked them what brought them to Coober Pedy. The children told them their story from when they moved to New York to when they were chased by the storm. The man chuckled, “That was no storm! It was only a whirly-whirly. It’s just a harmless gust of wind going around and around in a tornado type shape. You’re completely safe,” the man told the children, “but about that clue…” he said seriously, “Do you know anything that could help us?” inquired Justin. The old man turned away and started clearing his table and then after moments of silence the man told them a story from when he was child.“I will tell you an Aboriginal Dreamtime story, I don’t know whether it will help you or not but it is the only thing I know that could possibly help you on your journey.” The man started a mystical story about long ago in a land where an Opal Serpent was guarding a mysterious tunnel. The tunnel was west of this strange land guarded by the dreaded Opal Serpent. The man finished off with a warning “Now this opal serpent.” He whispered to the children. “…is no ordinary serpent. His scales are made of the finest opal the world has seen, is teeth are razor sharp and he has superb eye-sight. He cannot smell or hear very well but can see you miles away; in fact, he may even be able to see this very shack we’re sitting in.”The children thanked the man for his company and generosity then left. Joey pulled out a compass and started walking west. “What are you doing!? The Serpent might be living in Coober Pedy! I mean, think, in the story there was red dirt, boiling sun, and no trees or people to be seen. I’m sure it lives here!” Madison exclaimed.“Yeah! What if we fall into its trap?” Selena agreed. Justin sighed and trudged on after Joey, not wanting to be left behind.Quite a while later the kids neared the end of the land and saw a dog sitting on a rock just in front of them. It had golden-yellow fur and the children believed it was lost.“Aw, how cute, are you lost little puppy dog? Do you need help?” Selena cooed. Madison walked up to the dog but it got startled and ran off.

The boys laughed, “It’s not a dog, silly! It’s a dingo! You don’t know anything about Australian wildlife, do you?” Joey jeered. The girls stormed ahead making the boys run to catch up to them. They found a little creature later on, with big feet and large ears. It had a pocket on its stomach with a baby inside it. “Look! It’s a joey!” Joey called.“Ha-ha. Naming an animal after you? How desperate for attention are you?” asked Madison.“No, he’s right. A baby kangaroo is called a ‘joey’. My dad told me so,” Selena told her. They continued on and found a cliff face, “this is definitely the end of the land!” remarked Joey as he and the others peered over the edge. “Let’s split up and find that tunnel before the Opal Serpent comes,” said Justin to the others. They nodded wearily and spread out into different directions.A while later, Madison called out “I think it’s over here, but the entrance has caved in!” They all rushed over and started trying to pull out the rocks, but it was no use. It was caved in and whatever the children did the rocks didn’t budge.“Maybe this is where the serpent lives?” Selena asked. “Opal Serpent? Why do guys keep going on about it? It’s a myth!” yelled Joey.“No it’s not! Why would that man lie to us?” asked Selena.“Well he wouldn’t but….”“Exactly! Let’s keep trying anyway, it’s getting really warm out here, I’d do anything to get out of the heat. Including battling an opal serpent,” Selena reasoned. Suddenly the ground moved violently underneath them. They children ducked for cover thinking it was an earthquake. Madison peeked out from behind the rock she hid from and screamed, “SERPENT!” Justin came out of hiding, holding a large stick in his hand. He swung it around his head making himself look much bigger and stronger. Even his friends were too fraid to go up to him. The kids started yelling at the serpent to scare it away and that seemed to work for a few moments. “JUSTIN!” Joey yelled out over the noise, “TRY TO BRING THE SERPENT OVER HERE!” Justin nodded as he heard this and stopped swinging and then he began to call out as loud as he could and teased the monster, “OVER HERE YOU SILLY SERPENT!” he yelled as he waved his hands above his head. The Serpent moved forward threateningly, but Justin thought of it as a Great White Shark challenge and tried not to be scared. “Start trying to get through the tunnel, this might not work,” he called out to his friends and immediately turned his attention back towards the huge Serpent. Meanwhile the other kids were trying to dig through the rocks and were working frantically. Madison found a beautiful brightly coloured [Am. - color] gem stone “This must be an opal”, she thought and put it in her pocket. Justin dodged and lunged and dodged again, he had begun to tire and knew that he couldn’t keep it up

for much longer. Luckily at that exact moment Madison, Joey and Selena had made a hole big enough to crawl through. They called out to Justin “Come quickly!” Selena said and then quickly crawled through the hole into the tunnel, the others followed. Justin made one last attempt to distract the Serpent andthen ran as fast as he could towards the tunnel. The Serpent followed him, right on his heels. Justin made it and crawled quickly through the small hole into the tunnel.“Come on, gang. Let’s go.” Selena added. So the four friends walked on into the dark tunnel and saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel and together they walked out. “Well we didn’t find any gold, but I did find this precious opal”, said Madison, “I wonder if we will need it …“Hey, look at this!” Madison called out to her new friends. They saw a new sign saying…

Travel Video: Coober Pedy, Australia (worth watching !!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1n9qQoU_40

Chapter 3

Romania Galati Naraafterschool Mrs Dana Curelaru

Romania. The Danube Delta.

“The Danube Delta? I didn’t know that the Danube has a delta,” Selena said. “It’s beautiful, but strange too.” They looked around and saw tall trees, water channels, swamps, sand, and green grass.“Look!” exclaimed Madison, “over there! There are lots of storks, sea gulls, cormorants, swans, and pelicans. There are white water-lilies, too. It is nice here. It seems the perfect place for a holiday.”“Yeah! In a desert place: no hotels, no civilisation [Am. civilization]! Nothing!” said Justin.“But that makes this place beautiful,” Selena replied.“Hey, stop it!” said Joey. “I wonder why we are all here...”The group of friends began to walk in the direction of an old lighthouse. Near a channel, they saw a strange who was fishing. He had a long, silver-white beard, dark blue eyes, and his clothes were very dirty and worn. He was also wearing big leather boots. He was smiling and didn’t seem very surprised when he saw the group of friends.

“Hello, kids!” he began, “I’m glad you are finally here...”“Do you know us?” Joey asked.“Yes, I have had a dream and... I have just known you were going to be here. I was waiting for you,” said the old man.“Really? Why?” Selena asked, surprised.“Because, I have a mission. I have to tell you that it would be very dangerous for you to be here, to walk through these forests and swamps,” the man informed the kids.“For us?! This place seems to be perfect! It’s like Heaven!” said Joey.“Yes, it is, but in these swamps and channels there is a big fish, like a monster. It is not an ordinary fish. It is a silver Huck and it is said that a lot of people have disappeared here.” the old man told the kids.“Where does it live?” asked Madison, worried.“Look over there, in those channels and swamps, near that forest! That forest is called ‘Letea’ and there are stone trees, lianas, and wild horses, but the silver Huck can be everywhere...”“Yes, but you seem to be OK... Hey!! Where are you? Where is that old fisherman?” Madison exclaimed. “He has disappeared!” “It is a really strange thing! Let’s go to the lighthouse and see if there is someone,” Joey suggested.They started to run in the direction of the lighthouse, but suddenly the water in a channel seemed to boil and a giant silver Huck appeared. Its dark blue eyes had a familiar look.“The HUCK!” the kids cried out, “Run! Just run!”“Where do you think you’re going? I want your opal! Give it to me! NOW!” ordered the silver Huck.“Hey, Madison,” Selena shouted, “throw that opal and keep on running! Don’t stop!”Madison threw the opal and didn’t look back. She was so sure that big fish are strong as long as they are in the water, but, yes, this fish was not an ordinary fish! All they heard was a big splash and then....silence.“Oh, here we are, finally in the lighthouse! That Huck wanted our opal, but why? It knew we had it.” Selena said.“It was the fisherman. Let’s go upstairs and see if we are safe,” Joey said.But suddenly, there was a bright light and they saw a new sign saying...

The Danube Delta::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghgxFvTfRY4

Chapter 4

Greece Halkidiki Village of Doumbia Mrs Melahrini Papardelli

“What is this place?” Selena asked. “Look there is a sign over there!” Justin said. The children walked to the sign. On the sign, written in big black letters, was:

“WELCOME TO HALKIDIKI” The Children looked around realized that they were on a very beautiful beach with golden sand and crystal blue water! “Let’s stay here please,” suggested Madison to the other. “This place is like a dream place!” Madison suggest to the others. “No, we have to find the way to return home!” said Joey.Suddenly an old man appeared and walked to the kids. He talked to Selena in a very strange language and Selena didn’t understand a word. Justin answered him in the same language. When the old man left, Justin said to his friends, “I know where we are! We are in Greece”!“Do you speak Greek?” Joey asked.

“My uncle taught me a few words. He is a professor of ancient Greek language at the university,” answered Justin.The children started to explore the place and they saw many trees next to the beach. It was a forest of pine trees. Suddenly, as they were walking close to the pine trees, they heard a very strange noise which sounded something like a horse step. The children walked very carefully and were a little bit scared to see what it was. They saw a creature that they couldn’t believe to see.“What is this creature?” Madison whispered. “Don’t ask just RUN!!!!!” Selena screamed.“Wait, don’t be afraid of me. I‘m here to help you,” the creature shouted at them.“What kind of creature are you and how can we trust you”? Justin asked the creature.“I’m a Centaur,” the creature answered. “What’s a centaur?” Selena asked.“A Centaur is a mythical creature from the ancient Greece. I’m half man and half horse,” he said.“WOW!!” The children said, all together.“You said that you want to help us. Do you know who we are?” Joey said to the Centaur.“Of course I know you. Pythia the priestess of the ancient Greek god Apollo informed me about you and told me that I have to help you with your problem. I was expecting you to come here.” “Who is Apollo?” Selena asked.“Apollo is the god of light and music,” Centaur said.“What can you do for?” Joey asked.“Ride on my back and I’ll take you to a place where you will find the answer to your problem,” said Centaur.The children rode on his back and Centaur started running very fast. The children traveled through very beautiful, thick, green forests and bushes. Suddenly, as they were running, Centaur stopped and the four children fell down. They were dizzy and covered with dust. They stood up and they looked for Centaur to ask him where they were, but he was nowhere. He had disappeared.“Where did he go?” Madison wondered.“Mythical creatures are disappearing by themselves” Justin said.As they looked around they saw only fields and nothing else. Suddenly, they heard Joey shouting. “Look at the sign over there”!“Okay, Justin, you know Greek. Go and read what the sign,” Selena said. ”What’s this Kalindia that is written on the sign mean?”“Well, I’m not so sure but I think that my uncle once said that an archeologist found

a new ancient town which was very important in ancient Greece. I think that Kalindia was the name of this town,” said Justin. “Wow!!! Do you mean that we are standing in front of a famous ancient Greek town?” Madison asked.“Yes, but what about our problem? Which way will we go now?” Joey asked.“There is a hill on the right, maybe we could go there and find our way,” Selena suggested.The children started walking to the hill and as they walked they realized that this hill wasn’t exactly a hill, but … but it was an ancient tomb.“Guys … I’m a little bit scared; I think we shouldn’t go there,” Joey said to the others.“Nonsense! I heard my uncle saying that the archeologist usually found treasures in the tombs. Maybe we can find one and solve our problem,” said Justin.“Okay, we will all go together and walk very carefully,” Madison said.As they were walking they saw four steps. They started to come down the steps and they saw a very big room. They couldn’t see very clearly because it was dark, but they saw very beautiful paintings on the walls and some marble on the floor. Some Greek words were written on them but they couldn’t understand what they said. Suddenly a bright light shone and then….

Halkidiki (Greek Macedonia):

http://www.5min.com/Video/Visit-Macedonia-in-Greece-236981706

Chapter 5

Austria Oberndorf Hauptschule-Oberndorf/Melk Mrs Susanne Klug

….Suddenly there was a bright light and then they saw only snow - white snow.

“Where are we?” Madison asked. “I can’t see anything!” screamed Joey. Justin said, “We’re in Germany on the Zugspitze, which is the highest mountain in Germany.”“We have already learned about mountains in Europe silly, we’re in Austria!” Selena answered. Selena tried to climb the mountain. “Look! There’s an old man dressed in traditional Austrian clothes.” “He’s wearing a hat with a traditional ornament called a Gamsbart on it,” Madison said.The children went over to him and Joey asked, “Hello, do you know where we are?” “Yes, of course; you’re in Austria,” the man answered. “You must be hungry,” he said. Yes, we’re very hungry. What kind of food is the best here?” the children asked. “Viennese cutlet or roast pork with sauerkraut are wonderful,” he answered.The four children tasted a delicious traditional Austrian food.

Selena [was mad about 3rd graders here understand “mad about” as “angry”] loved

the food! “It’s very good! I want some more!” she exclaimed. “Delicious!” Joey adored. “I want some more!” “We don’t have a lot of time. We must go,” Justin said. The man said goodbye to the kids. Then the kids left to continue their journey. “Hey, there’s a cave!” Justin screamed. Just then he lost his balance and fell into a gorge. “Oh no! Justin, are you okay? We’re going to get help!” the girls said in a worried voice.The girls ran back to the man they were speaking with earlier. “Hello! Where are you? Please, help us! Our friend has fallen into a gorge! What can we do?” Madison asked. “Wait a minute. I am going to call the mountain rescue,” the man explained. They waited for three minutes. But they couldn’t wait any longer, because Justin was there in the cave - alone – and they didn’t know whether he was hurt or not. Worriedly they ran back to Justin. Suddenly, they smelled something funny. Selena, Joey, and Madison cried as they saw a monster coming toward them. “What kind of ugly animal is that?” screamed Selena. Madison said “Don’t look into the monster’s eyes! I think this is the Basilisk.” “Oh, the story of the Basilisk! My mom told me about it a long time ago,” Joey said.“Can you tell us the story?” Selena asked. “Let me try,” Joey answered, “but first we must hide from it! Quickly, come with me and I will tell you what my mom told me.” The children found a hiding space and Joey began, “Once upon a time a creature lived in a well in Vienna. It was a type of rooster with scales. One day, a woman went to the well to get some water. She smelled a horrible stench. A baker with a rope slid into the well. He screamed and they had to bring him back up. Once he was out of the well, he told the people that he had seen an ugly creature down in there. He said that it looked like a rooster with scales all over the body, glowing eyes and a little crown on its head. Another man reported, ‘That’s the Basilisk! Its breath is poisonous. You can only combat it with a mirror. When it sees its own body, the Basilisk will explode.’ Once the Viennese people did this, the creature yelled loudly and then stopped frightening the population. Finally, the people threw stones and earth into the well and the Basilisk was never seen nor heard from again. Since then, a marble-Basilisk has been standing there.” Joey told his friends. “Oh God! The creature is alive again!” a frightened Selena cried. The creature came closer and closer. “What can we do?” She asked. “Let’s make snowballs and throw them at the Basilisk!” Madison suggested. No sooner said than done, they made big snowballs and threw it at the creature’s head. The Basilisk was flying around, but that was not enough for the children, so Madison took a little mirror out of her pocket and held it in front of the creature’s head. The Basilisk became very angry and, in a short time, it exploded.

When they happily turned around and went over to the gorge, the children saw the mountain rescue workers near Justin. The boy was able to climb out of his prison with the help of those men. When Justin saw his friends ….

Why you definitely should visit Austria:

http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/europe/austria/vienna-videos-why-visit-austria-5min-180140752/

Chapter 6

Russia Smolenskoye Smolenskoye School No 1Mrs Svetlana Rovenskikh

When Justin saw his friends, he said, “I know where to go! I saw a sign on the wall of the cave ‘A mammoth will help you to find the golden nugget’.”The children ran into the cave and a bright flash of the light made them wink… They found themselves in the forest covered with snow. “Look!” Selena pointed at the sign hanging on a large pine tree.

Mammoth Park Siberia Russia

“How is it possible?” Madison asked. ”The mammoths are extinct animals; they died a million years ago. They looked like elephants, wearing fur coats.”“I don’t know anything about mammoths,” Selena said, “but I wouldn’t refuse to have a warm coat on. Only mammoths can live in such a severe frost!” The children looked around and saw a little fire nearby. They rushed to the fire and saw an old man with a white beard in a torn coat and a dirty cap. “I have been waiting for you so long, my friends,” said the man. “You should put on warm clothes otherwise you can fall ill. Take these warm jackets, caps, and high boots. Don’t forget about mittens!” The children were glad to put these warm clothes on and to warm themselves near the fire.

“Thank you!” Justin turned to the man, but they didn’t see him anywhere. Just then a huge mammoth was coming to the fire.“Let’s run away! This mammoth could be dangerous!” Joey shouted, but the mammoth said in a human voice, “Don’t be scared of me. I am not dangerous. What are you doing here?”The children told him the story of the golden nugget and about the sign on the cave’s wall. “I don’t know how I can help you. I have never heard about the golden nugget. I know that the bear keeps some treasure in his den. He is watching it carefully and doesn’t allow anyone to trespass on his territory.”“But bears usually sleep in winter,” Justin said.“Right,” said the mammoth, “this bear is sleeping, as well. But if you are brave enough you can try not to wake him up. Get on my back and I will take you to the bear’s den.” The children got on the mammoth’s back and on their way mammoth told the story how biologists had cloned mammoths. “All the animals had been happy to live in their park until an evil professor came and ordered the biologists to cage all the animals. Our mammoth escaped as he didn’t like to sit in a cage and now he is walking around the forest, eating branches, winter berries, and dry grass.”“Ouch!” Joey shouted suddenly, “Look! The squirrels are throwing fir cones!” The children protected themselves from the attack. The boys caught the cones and threw them back at the squirrels.Madison also caught a fir cone and started examining it when the mammoth stopped.“We are at the place,” said the mammoth. The children thanked him and went to the bear’s den, but there was no hill or any house around, only a white snow field.“Where’s the entrance?” asked Selena, and at that moment the children fell down into a hole. They were lucky to find themselves on something warm and soft… but all of a sudden, that “something” started to move and roar.The children jumped to the wall of the den, scared to death. Madison stepped to the bear and threw a fir cone into his mouth. The bear started to cough and move his head from side to side. He pushed the wall of the den and a big shining hole appeared on it. ”Let’s run!” Madison shouted, and the children got into the hole. A bright light flashed and the children found themselves in a strange place with a sign….

A journey through Siberia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi_FF3NyARo

Chapter 7

Poland Katowice Gimnazjum Nr. 4 Mrs Beata Kadlubowski

...... saying

Tatra National Park

“The Tatras, the Tatras. It can’t be true,” Joey said looking at the sign. “The Tatras, you repeat it like a mantra but where is it? Where are we?” Selena asked“I’m here I’ m really here.” Joey kept saying it, looking completely astonished.“Here, meaning where? In the middle of some forest? How amazing!” Justin exclaimed.It was a bit sarcastic but absolutely true. They were standing on a trail and could see nothing but big, green trees. Their colour [color – Am.] was amazing so vivid and fresh. So was the air. Their nostrils were filled with its crystal freshness.Madison came towards Joey, who was still standing in front of the sign like being hypnotized. She looked straight into his eyes and said with a calm voice: “Joey, we need your help. Where are we?”

“The T-a-t-r-a-s” Joey said slowly.“Oh, no. Not again,” Justin felt irritated.“The Tatras … are the highest mountains in Poland,” Joey continued. ”We are in the centre [center Am.] of Europe now. I have never thought I would ever visit this country.”''Why is that so?'' asked Justin''You know, my granddad was Polish, he told me a lot about Poland and its difficult history,'' Joey explained and tears came to his eyes.''Oh, Joey,'' Madison hugged him.''I'm also happy that we are where we are all together'', Selena hugged him too.''Guys!” called Justin. Sorry to interrupt that “cute scene” but we’ve got a task to do, remember?”“Justin is right,” said Joe. “We must keep going to find the next clue.'' They started walking along the path, hoping to find something that could help them to find the Golden Nugget. They were walking and walking and almost lost hope when suddenly they felt a gust of wind, and… “What’s that? Can you hear it?” asked Selena. The sound was louder and louder but they couldn’t see anything.“It sounds like… like flapping?” said Joey.The friends looked up to the sky and saw it. Over their heads an enormous bird was flying.“I think it is an eagle,” Madison said.“You mean a mutant eagle!” shouted Justin.The eagle made one more swooping circle and landed gracefully in front of the four friends. The eagle was all white, with a curved beak, powerful talons, and strong wings. It was really huge but it wasn’t its size that made the children astonished. It was something completely different. At the top of the eagle’s head was a golden crown, shining in the sun. That sun, made this bird so … noble.The four friends were not scared of it. They felt that this extraordinary bird was there to help them. It was watching them for a while and then it soared into the sky, waving its wings.“Let’s follow him,” Joe suggested They started to walk and the eagle was guiding them. They went out of the forest and saw an amazing view. They were standing on a hill surrounded by a high mountain range and below them was a green valley covered with white flowers.“Wow! So these are the Tatra Mountains. They are really awesome!” yelled Justin.“There must be some houses down there,” said Selena.“Can you see that little dot over there?” said Madison “It must be some sort of hut.”

They were walking down the hill towards that ‘dot’, and Madison was right, it was a wooden house in the middle of the meadow. However, the white flowers they saw from the hill, happened to be a herd of white sheep.There were hundreds of sheep eating the grass and giving the baa sound all the time. That sound reminded Madison of that old rhyme her grandma taught her when she was a little girl. The rhyme went like that [this]: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep. Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir. Three bags full. One for the master, one for the dame, and one for the little boy who lives down the lane.In a moment all four of them were saying the rhyme while going through the herd of sheep, and burst out laughing after a few steps.Finally, they got to the hut and knocked on the door. They heard: “Please do come in.”Inside they saw a man sitting on the chair and stirring something in a big tub. He was wearing a white shirt and a vest made from animals’ skin. He seemed to be friendly.“How did you manage to get here?” asked the shepherd. “It’s a long way from the nearest village.”“The eagle helped us,” Madison replied. And at that moment the friends realized that they didn’t notice when the eagle had disappeared.“The eagle you say,” the man said.“Yes, a white big eagle with a crown on its head.” explained Selena.“Oh children, children, you must have really big imaginations said the man. “Such an eagle doesn’t exist. There’s only a legend saying that the white eagle helped the Polish duke, Lech to find a new home. When he and his troops saw a white eagle flying over their heads he thought it was a splendid sight. ‘Here is where we will stay.’ declared Lech. "Here is our new home, and we will call this place GNIEZNO ... (the eagle's nest).These are the beginnings of our country and the white eagle is our emblem but the eagle is only symbolic.”“Come on you must be hungry, let’s try this,” he gave them some cheese.“It’s called oscypek - a smoked kind of cheese from salted sheep’s milk.”While eating oscypek and other delicious meals the shepherd told them about the mountain people who lived in this region, called Górale, about their customs, tradition, music and a special dialect. It was very interesting but the children felt so tired that they all fell asleep.When the girls woke up the next day the man was gone, the hut was gone, even the boys had gone. Selena and Madison were in a completely different place. It was a big Market Square with a monument of a man in the middle of it. In front of them there was something like a Town Hall with a high tower. The square was surrounded by restaurants and cafes with lots of people.“What’s this place? How did we get here? Where are the boys? Where is the eagle?” Selena kept asking Madison.“I don’t know where we are or how we got here. I have absolutely no idea where the

boys are and the only birds I can see are those pigeons,” replied Madison. She was right, there were a lot of pigeons at the market. They were being fed by the women selling flowers “We simply have to ask somebody where we are,” Madison suggested. Then among these crowds of people they saw a group of young girls wearing very colourful [colorful Am.] clothes. Their blouses were white with broad sleeves and collars decorated with lace. They also had colorful vests with sequins and flowery skirts in bold patterns. There were strings of coral beads around their necks and wreaths of flowers on their heads with multi-colored ribbons. The girls liked them at once.Selena came closer and asked,“ Could you tell us what this placed is called?”The girls smiled and said,“ You are in the city of Cracow and we are a folk dance group. These are our traditional costumes when we are here at the folk festival,” they explained.“A dance group!” exclaimed Selena.“ I’m a dancer too.” She was really excited.“Great, would you like to learn a dance called Krakowiak?” asked one of the dancers.“With a pleasure,” answered Selena, who grabbed Madison’s hand and they both started to watch the steps the dancers made in their red boots. Selena and Madison were learning very fast and soon they were stamping, turning, jumping, and rotating really fast. The whole market Square was rotating too and they felt wonderful, absolutely wonderful.“You were fantastic,” said one of the folk dancers when they finally stopped. “And here is a small reward for you,” she said, putting a wreath of flowers on Selena’s and Madison’s head.“Thank you,” they answered happily. They didn’t have any gift for them but Selena came up with an idea. She whispered something to Madison and then … they stood in the middle of the Market Square and started their show. Selena was dancing her hula dance with a wreath of flowers on her head. Suddenly Madison took one of the ribbons out of her wreath and showed one of her routines which was a combination of ballet and gymnastics. Soon they were surrounded not only by the folk dancers, but other people who wanted to see these two crazy girls, dancing at the Square Market in Cracow. People were clapping their hands and the girls felt like stars, like real stars. While bending for their audience Selena said, “I wish Justin and Joey were here.”“I hope they are having a great time too,” replied Madison.In the meantime .…When Justin opened his eyes he saw the blue sky and smelled the most lovely smell in the world, the smell of the sea. He was lying on the beach and touching the soft sand. When he got up, he saw Joey jumping over the waves.“Joey! Joey!” he yelled. “Where are we?”Hearing his friend, Joey ran towards Justin and said enthusiastically, “You woke up

at last, I thought you would be lying there all day and we have got so many things to do.” “What things, what are you talking about?” asked Justin completely astonished.“To start with, we are on the north coast now, in a city called Gdańsk. This beautiful sea you can see in front of your eyes is the Baltic Sea. Please, don’t ask me how we got here from the south in just one day. In the afternoon we are going to take part in a big event called ‘Save the Sharks’ where you will make a speech,” explained Joey.“What?! Have you lost your mind?! Me, making a speech, very funny. And since when there are sharks in Poland?” “You’re right there aren’t, but this event is a part of a campaign of protecting sharks across Europe,” said Joey. So about what ‘your speech’ will be?” asked Joey.“Speech? I can’t, Joey. It sounds crazy, absolutely crazy.”“Think about those endangered shark species remaining completely unprotected,” added Joey. ”“Ok, I will think about them,” said Justin“Great!” exclaimed Joe, “I haven’t said yes, I’m just saying I will take part in it, but …. but you have to help me with this speech. I …, I have never made a speech before, but don’t tell Selena and Madison about it.“ I won’t, I promise,” said Joe. “They are not here, anyway,” Joey added sadly.“What do you mean they are not here?” Justin sounded really surprised.“I don’t know,” said Joe. “I just don’t know.” They were standing silently for a while looking at the waves but they both felt that wherever the girls were they were okay.Later they started to prepare the speech. Justin had a lot of knowledge about sharks and Joe a lot of experience in making speeches; he was the son of the President though.In the evening they came to a pier where the sharks supporters organized the “Save the Sharks” event. There were shark classes, colouring [coloring Am.] competitions for children, shark demonstrations, and lectures. During such a lecture one of the speakers said: ”Now ladies and gentlemen please welcome our special guest from America – Justin, the shark tagger. “Justin came to the stage and with a trembling voice started talking. At the beginning he was really nervous but word after word he felt better. He was talking about his experience with tagging sharks, how important it is to protect them and the environment they live in.“To finish my speech I would like to say a big thank you to my father, who taught me everything and my friend, Joey who is here with me,” said Justin.“Is he a shark tagger too?” asked somebody from the audience.“No he’s not. He is somebody really important, he is …..” “Joey, just Joey,” Joey finished the sentence for his friend. He stood up and added “I’m really glad that I’m here.” He knew what Justin wanted to say – ’Joe the son of

the President of the United States,’ but he felt so happy that nobody knew who he was, nobody took pictures of him, and nobody asked him so many questions. Well, maybe except the last thing about the questions, his friends asked them a lot, but it was different, these questions he liked.Justin’s speech was a total success, everybody was congratulating him and they promised to keep in touch. Suddenly, the firework display started and the sky was shining in different colours [colors Am.]. The boys closed their eyes for a moment and when they opened them the pier was gone and they saw Selena and Madison looking at them.“Justin, Joe,” they yelled and hugged the boys strongly.“Stop it,” said Justin.“We can’t breathe,” added Joe“Sorry,” said the girls at the same time and let the boys from their embrace. “We are just so happy to see you again,” Selena said.“It’s hard to admit but we are glad to see you too,” said Justin. “We’ve got so much to tell-”“Us too, but the fact that we met again here must mean something,” said Madison“Here, meaning where?” asked JustinThey looked around and saw a big room beautifully decorated in an old style. There were paintings of kings hanging on the ornamented walls and a big throne in the middle of the room.I think it might be Wawel!'' said Joey and not waiting for another question added, “A Royal Castle in Cracow.”“I see,” said Selena. “Do you think we will find something about the Golden Nugget in one of its chambers?” she inquired.“I’m not sure,” answered Justin. “If the clue about the Golden Nugget was here, I’m sure that one those kings would have found it a long time ago,” he said pointing to the figures on the pictures.“I think you might be wrong,” said Madison as she pointed her shaking finger at one of the kings’ heads, ''Look at this,” she muttered.The figure from the painting opened his eyes and looked at the children. Then, it started speaking in the language they didn’t understand. Joe felt angry that his granddad didn’t manage to teach him any Polish. It could be useful now.When the head finished its speech, it closed the eyes and became silent. Suddenly the friends saw a flash of white light near the throne. ''Is that …?'', asked Selena ''It can't be...'' said JustinThey saw something they had never seen in their lives. It was a really huge Golden Nugget shining like a star and making the whole chamber so bright.The four friends had tears in their eyes. They came closer to the throne and wanted

to grab the Golden Nugget but … it suddenly disappeared.“It wasn’t real,” said Joey. “It was only the clue. It means we have to keep searching,” he said.When the four friends looked at the throne again, they saw the big white eagle sitting on it. This noble bird, with a golden crown on its head, seemed to be smiling to them. Then its crown flashed with a light and Madison, Selena, Justin and Joey found themselves in a strange place …

Polska – Poland – Polonia – Polen – Pologne-Lenkija – – etc. :Польша

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8VZpW79qJM

Chapter 8

Spain Mieres/Asturias Mr. Montse Valdés

The children were in the middle of a street. They looked around and saw a lot of people looking out of the windows and balconies. Some other people were on both sides of the street behind wooden fences. They were all wearing white shirts and trousers and red scarves round their necks. They were looking at them with their eyes wide open. The crowd started to shout:“Run!” “What are you doing there? Go behind the fences. They’re coming.”“What’s happening?” Joey asked.Suddenly the children felt the road shake under their feet. Then a lot of people appeared around the corner, they were running away from…“What’s that black thing moving in the middle of them?” Madison wanted to know.“It is not a bull, is it?” Justin said looking at them in disbelief.“Never mind, the only thing that matters is that we have to get out of here, quickly!” said Selena.So they started to run as the group of men and bulls were getting nearer and nearer. Then some policemen grabbed them behind the fences and they saw the people running down the street. Among them a lot of bulls were trying to get away out of

the narrow street. Some runners fell on the road and took the risk of being near the bull´s horns. One of the policemen shouted angrily at them, “What were you doing in the middle of the road when the bulls were coming? Don’t you know you just can’t be there? It’s dangerous. You could have died!”“Where are your parents?” another policeman asked.Before they could give an answer, a woman approached and said: “Don’t worry! I’ll take care of them. I know who they are.” She was tall and thin with beautiful fair hair and blue eyes.”Wow!” exclaimed Justin and Joey at the same time impressed by her beauty. “They are staying in Alma-Pamplona Hotel, they came here to see The Sanfermines,” added the woman.“OK, you may go, but next time, be careful,” said the policeman. The woman took the children to a park nearby and explained all about herself.“I´m the daughter of that evil scientist in New York.”“Oh yes! I remember. The frog told us about him,” said Madison.“I was expecting you and I have a clue for your search.”“I don´t understand. Why are you here in Spain and your father is in New York?” Madison wasn´t sure about this woman.“How can we know that you aren’t evil like your father?” Selena was also a bit suspicious.“Well, it is a long story. My parents divorced and my mother decided to move to Pamplona where we have some relatives. Anyway, that´s not important now. If you don’t trust me, you won’t find the golden nugget!” She exclaimed.In the end they decided to trust her. She told them the story of the mysterious bottle of cider which is hidden in a cave in Covadonga, Asturias. She mentioned that there was a trasgu, a sort of Asturian dwarf, protecting the bottle (or so the local people said). “And if you give the frog, which knows where the golden nugget is, some cider from that bottle, it will turn into a human again.”“It’s incredible,” Madison said. “It’s like a fairy tale.”“But, how can we go to Asturias?” Selena asked.“I work at a train station; I have four tickets to Asturias on the 4:00 p.m. train,” she answered.“Look! What time is it?” shouted Justin.“It is about half past three,” she said. “Lets go! The station isn’t far from here but if you don’t hurry you´ll miss the train.”. Luckily, they arrived in time to get the train to Asturias. It was a long trip. Soon they fell asleep. They were so tired after all the excitement in the past events. Finally they were in Asturias but they were lost and they didn’t know what to do next. A man

walked up to them.“Are you the group from the USA?” he asked.“Yes, we are,” Joey confirmed. “My colleague told me that you need to go to Covadonga. Is that right?” he asked. “It is,” answered Madison.“Okay, follow me.” He turned and walked away.The four friends went out of the station with the man and all got into an old car. He drove them through very long winding roads while explaining all about the different places they were going through. They saw Cangas de Onís with its Roman Bridge and the amazing landscapes of the Peaks of Europe. Then, they reached a very steep road, which took them to the mountains surrounding Covadonga. Once there, they got out and saw a huge Basilica.“Okay, this is it! Here you are in Covadonga. This place is called that because there is the Virgin of Covadonga in a cave up there. Can you see the waterfall? At the top of the road there is a tunnel that takes you to the cave. There is a chapel at the very end; the virgin is there, in the rock. Go and have a look! Or if you aren´t very tired you can use the steps up the hill, which lead straight to the opening of the rock. Now I must go back to work. I can´t help you anymore. Good luck!”They ran up the stairs looking down at the pond at the bottom. They could see a lot of coins in the water. “Surely the people who come to worship the virgin throw the coins and wish for things,” said Madison. “You are right. Maybe we could do the same and wish for the golden nugget. Who´s got a coin?” asked Selena. Justin took one out of his pocket. They all closed their eyes very tightly and Justin threw the coin. They opened their eyes and watched it sink in the water. Then, looking up they saw the virgin and continued their way up. Once in the cave they could see an altar, some pews for the people to sit down and pray, and the strangest man they had ever seen. He had very long pointed ears, his legs were extremely thin and long, too. He was wearing a red blouse and a red peaked cap. He was sweeping the floor. “What strange creature. He looks like a dwarf,” whispered Madison. “This must be the trasgu who´s protecting the magic bottle,” said Selena. The man stared at the children for a few seconds and asked, “What are you doing here? “What do you want from me?” “We were told that there is a bottle of cider in this place, a very special bottle of cider,” Justin said. “A bottle of cider?” said the trasgu. “Just look around. Do you think this is the proper place to have cider? You must be joking!”“Don´t try to fool us. Where is it?” Justin insisted. “OK. Here is a challenge for you. You make me laugh and I promise I´ll give you the bottle,” said the trasgu.

Well, trasgus happen to be very mischievous creatures and spend their time playing tricks on people. So that was a hard task. The children moved away from the trasgu, near the iron railing and started to talk about their possibilities. Dancing or doing gymnastics were out of the question, the girls were far too good to make anybody laugh. The children were at a loss. Then Justin, leaning upon the railing too much, suddenly lost balance and fell over to the other side and just in time to cling to the bars of the railing with both hands. Selena, Madison, and Joey tried to pull Justin up with all their strength. “Justin, hold tight, please! We´ll get you up. You are going to be okay,” shouted Joey in despair. Finally, they were able to get him back on the cave floor. Justin was pale in the face. He lay down breathing heavily. Madison, Selena, and Joey were very sweaty from the big effort they had made. The trasgu was there in front of them. He suddenly burst into tears. He was laughing out loud so much that Joey shouted at him, “That´s not funny!”“Okay, okay, calm down!” said the funny little man. “After all, you´ve won! Here is the bottle. Take it and don´t come back.” The children took the bottle and looked at it carefully. At first sight it looked like an ordinary bottle of cider, but if you moved it a bit, you could see some glowing bubbles inside. The children looked around but the trasgu had vanished into thin air. “So, what comes next?” asked Selena. “We´ve got the bottle. Let´s get out of here,” said Madison.They walked through the tunnel which was poorly lit. Justin was exhausted. He put his right hand on the wall to rest a little and touched what looked like a lever. He pushed it and suddenly the wall opened and he discovered a passage. “Oh no! No more excitement for today, please!” exclaimed Joey. “Come on! Let´s have a look. We have nothing to lose!” said Justin. They went inside and saw an enormous sort of metallic ring at the end. “Hey! I know what this is. It´s a stargate. If we walk through it, we can go home. The machine will transport us,” said Joey enthusiastically.“ I have heard my dad talk about them, but I never believed it could be true.” The children crossed the ring holding hands, there was a blinding flash of light and ...............

Pamplona / SPAIN - Running of the Bulls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmp4DjtWcuw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Chapter 9

Germany Berlin Gustav-Dreyer-Schule

Mrs Claudia Eder…. and they found themselves in a large room. Rubbing their eyes they took a look around. “What’s this?” exclaimed Selena. Next to them was a giant foot. “Bones! A skeleton, oh my god!” The children looked up: bones – more bones, ribs and a long, long neck with a head full of frightening teeth. Madison, Justin, and Selena turned to run, but Joey stopped them. “Wait! I know, this must be the skeleton of a brachiosaurus; it is 150 million years old, my dad told me about it,” said Joey. “We must be in the Museum for Natural History in Berlin! How interesting!” He started to explore the bones and the information boards, as well as some buttons.“Joey! We don’t have time to study…” exclaimed Selena.Joey pushed a button and suddenly the brachiosaurus started to come alive, swinging its long neck, stared down at the children, and opening its enourmous [enormous – Am.] mouth. The children screamed and in despair looked for a hiding place.

“Easy, guys!” Joey said trying to calm them, “a brachiosaurus only eats plants, not meat!” Then they heard a hoarse voice. “I won’t hurt you, I was waiting for you! You have to hurry; the evil warden is guarding me. Take the tiny bone of my left little toe and hurry over to the Berlin Zoo. In the shark basin you will see a box…” Just then a group of people came into the room led by an old man with a white beard who was explaining something about the exhibition. The dinosaur stopped talking and became just a skeleton again, but the guide had caught a glimpse of the transformation and started to rush towards the children. “Now I’m going to get you! You won’t find the nugget!” He tried to push them towards a huge staircase. Everybody in the room screamed. “Joey! Grab that bone! Quickly!!!!” Madison shouted above the turmoil. Joey dove towards the skeleton, grabbed the bone and dashed after his friends. He fled down the staircase, past a lot of very exciting exhibits, and out of the doors onto the street. “Let’s jump onto that bus!” shouted Joey. The bus doors closed in front of the angry face of the guide. “That was that evil professor,” Justin muttered, “but we tricked him again!” The four friends were happy to sit down and the bus went on its tour passing many famous sights. Joey had been to Berlin once with his dad who visited the capital, so he could give his friends some explanations. They passed the Brandenburger Gate, the famous Reichstag and the Siegessäule.“I’m so hungry! And I’m dog-tired!” Selena groaned. “Yes, me, too!” cried Justin. Suddenly they heard the announcement for the zoo. He exclaimed, “That’s where we are supposed to go. We have to get off!” They just made it in the last moment and hopped off the bus. Standing on the pavement they could smell a delicious scent.“OH yes- let’s get something to eat!” exclaimed Selena. They followed the smell and came to a snack bar. Everybody in the line ordered “doner” or “currywurst”. “What is “currywurst?” the children wondered. “Let’s try some,” Madison suggested. They ordered and got a kind of bratwurst with ketchup and curry spices. “Mmh, it’s quite delicious, I was starving!” said Justin. His favourite [favorite – Am.] was doner, but he took a second helping of currywurst for the way and they went straight into the aquarium in the zoo to find the sharks. Following the signs they soon stood in front of the big shark tank. “Can you see a box anywhere?” asked Selena.Hidden behind a big rock they saw something wooden. ”How can we possibly get to it? That’s impossible! We will never get home and we will never find that nugget!” said Joey.

A zookeeper was coming out of a small door next to the giant tank. “I think I know a way to get in!” whispered Justin. “You‘re not planning to dive into that tank, are you?!” Joey asked in horror. “We have to get our next clue- and I want to be a shark tagger, don’t you remember? Joey, give me that bone, maybe I’ll need it,” Justin stated and went through the door. Horror-stricken the friends stared into the basin, and seconds later they saw Justin diving into the water. The sharks immediately swam in his direction because they were curious about their visitor. It wasn’t feeding time, was it? Justin threw his currywurst to them and at once they started quarrelling about it. Due to his training, he was used to holding his breath for a long time. He dove down to the box wanting to grab it when all of a sudden a giant moray shot out of a cave in the rock and was about to close its razor sharp teeth around his arm. Justin threw the dinosaur bone into its open mouth. The moray choked and disappeared back into its cave. Justin took hold of the small box and with his last breath came back to the surface again. He put on his dry clothes again and went back to his friends, who gave him a big hug full of relief. “Open the box! What’s in it?” asked Selena It was a kind of box you can buy for souvenirs. They opened it and in it was no clue, but only a toy tower. Everybody was disappointed. ”I told you, we’ll never get home,” Madison moaned. Joey remembered, “It’s the TV Tower! We have to get there, maybe the nugget is hidden on its top!” They went out and jumped onto the next tour bus that took them to the Alexanderplatz where the TV Tower was. It was nearly closing time so there was no line in front. In the hall a speaker voice told some details about the tower: it is 365 metres [meters – Am.] high and the express lifts [elevators – Am.] take you to the observation platform in 203 metres [meters – Am.].There was no one around, so they went and stepped into the lift [elevator – Am.]. “I’m completely beat,” Madison complained, “I just want to sleep!” The lift [elevator – Am.] took off and the children were pressed to the floor because of its rapid acceleration. It moved up and up and up and suddenly……

You MUST visit BERLIN !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq28tbRpfhE

Chapter 10

Turkey Sultanhisa Gazi Mustafa Kemal Primary

Mrs Gülhan Kucuk

…. the four friends found themselves in the middle of rapid cascading waterfalls. Acting fast, Justin quickly clung to a branch. Selena, Madison, and Joey tried to hold on to Justin, but the four of them quickly fell into the water with Justin who was holding onto Madison’s hand. Fortunately, the waterfalls were formed from the sand base and the children didn’t get hurt. All of them were wet and tried to eliminate the shock of the cold water. All of them were trying to figure out where they were. Then Madison realized there was a cave behind the waterfall. She called her friend, “Look at over here!” Selena, Justin, Joey, and Madison walked towards the cave behind the waterfall. The cave was in the twilight and nobody could see anything. There was only the sunlight filtering in through the waterfall. Joey removed a flashlight from his pocket and it lit the twilight. There were articles and pictures on the walls as well as scary looking pendant stalactites on the walls. Madison’s attention was drawn to a picture. There was a flashing squamate snake that was half human and half animal. Madison called Joey to show him a better view of the picture. The mystery of the picture appeared by the light. “Şahmaran,” said Joey as he read to friends the text under the picture. The writing was showy. Justin exclaimed, ‘‘This may be a clue!’’ Joey desperately called out to his friends, ''We need a stone to wake her!"

Selena did not pay attention to them, but instead she began to walk in order to explore the cave. Joey continued to talk saying, ‘’Madison don’t you know? The person who takes the stone must become a victim so Şahmaran can fully come to life.’’ Selena continued her crawly discovery. Suddenly she recognized the Golden Nugget. She tried to pull it out. In the end the stone was removed from its place, awakening Şamaran and the ground began to rumble with loud booming noises. Madison shouted, ‘’Selena!’’“I only removed stone from there,” said Selena atremble. There was fear on the faces of all as Şahmaran was coming towards Selena. Joey suddenly remembered the legend of Şahmaran. Fortunately, Joey shouted, ‘’Selena keep the stone pointed towards Sahmaran!’’ Selena was holding the nugget tightly because of her fear. Şahmaran hit Selena with her tail while as she was keeping the golden nugget pointed towards it. Then, poor Selena banged against the wall and fainted. Şahmaran was crawling towards her. At that moment, Joey tried to surprise Şahmaran by waving the flashlight in his hand. Madison embraced Selena and then the Golden Nugget in Selena’s hands began to shine. They squinted their eyes because of the strong light. Suddenly, they found themselves in hot water. Everywhere around them was snow as white as cotton. Joey and Justin thought and walked towards Selena who was still unconscious. Madison put her hand in some hot water and soaked Selena’s head to awaken her. Selena slowly opened her eyes and asked, “Where are we?’’ What are we doing here?” They recognized that they didn’t know where they were now. A strange girl was walking in the hot water with rolled out the pants trotters above her knees. “Okay, let’s asked her,” said Joey, and pointed to the unknown girl.Madison went to her and said, ‘’Excuse me.’’ The girl, in a sweet voice said, ‘’How can I help you?’’Madison asked her, ‘’Could you tell us where we are? ’’ The girl replied, ‘’You are in Pamukkale Traventines in Turkey.’’ Madison thanked the girl and rejoined her friends. She told her friends what the girl said and all of them saw the bubbling travertines. At that moment, all of them heard a roar that shook the ground, booming everywhere. A large, red-eyed, giant snake appeared in travertines. The Sahmaran’s scary face was horrifying. The snake had grown three heads. The snake roared with a horrible voice when its cold skin touched the boiling water and lifted her head toward the kids.They opened their eyes in what appeared to be fluffy pillows. Interestingly, the pillows were flying in the sky. The view from the sky was not clear. They saw just a blue line in the green fields. Selena looked at her friends anxiously and wondered, “Was this a dream?” The children were smiling happily and looking at the ground. She checked the Golden Nugget quickly. Unfortunately, it wasn’t there. The big snake must have taken it back. She felt sad. Why couldn’t she keep it in her hands? During this thought she regained her consciousness when she heard Madison

screaming. Madison was showing them the Bosphorus, Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, and Galata Tower. She shouted to them, “Look! We are in İstanbul!” She looked at the view. Istanbul was lying on seven hills with minarets. They were getting closer to the ground. The Palace was covered with a lot of seasonal flowers, including the huge patches of tulips growing in early April. They landed over the red tulips which were the symbol of İstanbul. They felt very relaxed.Suddenly a magical light engulfed them. They could hardly recognize the old man with the white beard and long white clothes. He was holding some red tulips. Selena asked, “Is red tulip the symbol of Istanbul?”The old man with the white beard nodded his head and said to her confidently, “According to the legend, the lightning struck one drop of dew on the leaf, so the dew and the leaf fired [the word ‘fired’ doesn’t seem to be right, but I don’t know how it should be described].Then they froze and became the ‘red tulip’. The clue is hidden in this legend to find the Golden Nugget.” Then, he gave the shining red tulips to Selena, Madison, Justin, and Joey. They were very surprised and very curious as to how he knew their story. As soon as each of them got the shining red tulips, they couldn’t see anything except the strong light. The strong light was coming closer, coming closer, and then came the closest ……

Welcome to Istanbul:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVcX33oW_II&feature=related