Ahmed had gotten the tent and everything all packed back up and we got ready to go to the next world. It wasn't so bad for me anymore, the first couple of times it hurt like I was being turned inside out, but each time was easier now. It hadn't bothered me at all when we arrived here. I think it still bothered Ahmed a little, but he wouldn't show it.

I took the stone disc out and held it up. Eight stones glowing faintly, the next one shining bright. We held on to each other tightly as I held up the stone disc and rubbed on the next light. I felt the pulling and the wind whipping around us.

When I opened my eyes, we were standing on a beach. Beautiful white sands stretched out before us, and deep blue waves crashed before rolling gently to where we stood. I heard the calls of the seagulls. There were cliffs farther down the beach, but there were trees and lush vegetation in the other direction. I looked up beyond the trees. I could see smoke rising from directly behind us, past the trees.

There were vines and large flowers in full bloom. I saw an opening in the trees and walked toward it. There was a path going through, and when I looked closer, I could see foot prints in the sand. That meant there were people here and it looked to me like they had been here recently.

We walked down the path, watching colorful birds fly back and forth above out heads. Every now and then I could hear a strange groaning sound that seemed to be coming from beneath my feet. I was getting too warm, so I took off my cloak. As we walked along the path I heard the sound of trickling water. The sound got louder and we came to a point on the path where it came to the edge of a ravine. I looked up and saw one of the most beautiful waterfalls I had ever seen in my life. It looked like a vacation photograph from Hawaii or something. It felt like it was about ninety degrees and I was beginning to sweat. The path meandered down the side of the ravine down to the base of the waterfall. I started walking a little faster, I could feel the water calling to me. I wasn't much of a swimmer, but I really wanted to be in that pool at the bottom of the falls.

When we got to the base, I dropped my things and stripped down naked. I remembered the nose plug in my satchel and dug around until I found them. I tucked them up in my nose and walked to the edge of the pool. Ahmed undressed as well and followed me in. The water was warm and felt really good. I dove deep under the surface to the bottom of the pool. There were sharp rocks down there, I didn't want to get cut on them. I moved closer to the shore where there were underwater plants swaying in the current. I started up to the surface and had almost gotten there when something wrapped around my leg. I reached down to disentangle from it and felt my other leg get tangled up in the plants.

I was almost out of air and I hadn't been able to get myself loose. I pulled hard to try to tear the plants out but they held tight. I let out the last of my breath. My chest was tightening and I was getting scared. I couldn't hold out any longer, and took a quick inhale through my nose. To my surprise, water didn't flood my lungs drowning me. It smelled a bit funny, but I was getting air in through the nose plug. Apparently the plugs didn't just keep water out, but made it so I could breathe underwater. I almost laughed out loud. I reached down one more time and tore the plants off of my legs. This time, they came away easily, like it had been some kind of test. I swam back up to the surface and was treading water in the middle of the pool. I could see Ahmed standing about waist deep, rubbing sand into his skin to clean off. I glided through the water toward him and slid up all wet against him. That felt wonderful, rubbing up against his warm body. He put his arms around me and bent down to kiss me. I melted into him as I usually did when he touched me.

After playing in the water and cleaning off, I laid my cloak out so I could lie out in the sun to dry off. Ahmed rearranged the packs as I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to get the tangles out. I pulled out the sari type garment that I had been dressed in when went to the first world. I still had the hair sticks from the Asian world, so I pulled up my hair and stuck them through. I dressed in the sari and was finishing tucking it in. I felt like I was in paradise, it was warm and beautiful. I had to be careful in the sun, I would burn quickly.

We started back up the trail after we had rested, Ahmed in the lead. We were going up the side of a mountain when we came to a level place. It was bare and rocky, and there were clouds of steam rising up from fissures in the ground. The stench of sulfur filled the air. We walked closer to the one of the cracks and I looked down in it. I felt the heat on my face and saw an orange glow. I looked at him and he shook his head at me. I didn't think he had ever seen anything like it before.

I heard the low groaning sound again and felt a slight shift under the ground. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to where the trees were again. We needed to find the stone quickly as quickly as possible. I didn't like the way this place felt, it was too unstable. The waterfall was beautiful, but I was not feeling very safe about this area here. We left and went back into the trees, following another path. I didn't know if we were going to run into any people any time soon, but I wanted to find someone who could tell me more about this place.

We walked around the side of the mountain. Ahmed stopped short and I nearly ran into him. There were fresh tracks coming from a side trail joining the path we were on. Following the tracks we soon came up to a village nearly hidden in the trees. I looked up when I heard a strange bird call. And saw the platforms up in the trees.

There were rope bridges connecting the tree houses up above. I could see faces up above me, dark skinned with black hair. Two men swung down on ropes and walked over to us.

. They were naked from the waist up and wore colorful sarongs. Their long black hair was braided and tied up in elaborate hairstyles, and as they got closer, I could see the intricate tattooing on their faces. I smiled at them as they walked up, they had no weapons that I could see.

When they stood in front of me, I bowed my head in greeting to them. I looked up into the trees and saw that most of their tribe was lined up looking back down at me. The taller of the two nodded back to me and glanced back Ahmed.

"Greetings," I said and the men's eyes widened as they grinned at each other.

"Welcome here to Paradise," The taller man spoke and I sighed in relief. I was so afraid that on one of these trips, we would meet up with hostile natives and I wasn't looking forward to that. But it appeared this wasn't going to be one of them.

The men led us to one of the rope ladders and we followed them up into the trees. We walked along a rope bridge, and into a large tree house that was at the end of them. The room was decorated with a profusion of fresh flowers and colorful banners of cloth. There were long tables set up inside, piled with all kinds of foods. A small pig had been roasted and sat as the centerpiece with many platters of fruits and vegetables around it.

The people all began coming in through one door, and after filling their plates, went out another door on the opposite side of the room. The men we came in with nudged me toward the food, so I got into line as well and tried to choose foods that looked at least vaguely familiar to me. I wasn't a vegetarian, but I like most vegetables and it seemed safer. After our plated were filled, we followed the rest of the people back out to the platforms in the trees. Most of them sat on the edges with their legs hanging over, plates on their laps. I noticed that most of them were facing the same direction, and I turned to see what they were all looking toward.

There was a wide bare platform across from us, the trees had been carefully trimmed about it so it looked like a stage. I found a space to sit and copied what the rest of the people did, and hung my legs down. A woman in a bright red sarong came out to the middle of the stage and began singing a song. I translated it to Ahmed as she sang. After that, two small girls about seven or eight years old came out. They were carrying things that looked like balls on strings. My hand stopped about halfway to my mouth as I watched them set the balls on fire and begin swinging them around their bodies. The circles of flame were fascinating, and I finally realized I was still eating, quickly popping a piece of fruit into my mouth. They moved in perfect unison as they twisted their arms around and spun the fireballs around faster and faster. I was amazed when the flames went out at exactly the same time, and clapped my hands together loudly as they finished. I was a bit embarrassed to realize that I was the only one applauding and turned to see most everyone staring at me. Then I saw a couple children smiling at me and they put their hands together and clapped a couple times and laughed.

I managed to keep my hands down and finished eating as there were a couple more skits and performances. It was dark by the time everything was done. The chief, who I had found out was the taller of the two men we met first showed us to an empty tree house and sent a girl to help us get ready for the evening. Before he left I asked him why they were up in the trees. He gave me a strange look and told me that it was just safer that way. I wondered to myself what there might be down below that would be unsafe.

The girl had set out some thick woven mats for us, and put a length of material on top of it for us to sleep on. She held up another smaller piece of cloth and wrapped it around herself to show me how to put it on. She stepped away after making sure there was nothing else we needed. It was a warm night, and I unwrapped the long sari I wore. As I pulled the short sleeved top up over my head, I saw how Ahmed was watching me. I walked up to him and unbuckled his belt, dropping it to the floor by the mat. I slid my hands inside his shirt and ran my hands up his chest, keeping my eyes on his. I pushed his shirt away from his shoulders and pulled it off, dropping it on top of his belt. I put my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat as I felt his hands reach behind me, gently touching my skin. He moved past me to the mat and lay down, pulling me down on top of him. I giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. I felt his hands wrap up in my hair and he pulled my head down to kiss me. I felt something tingle in my chest, right at my heart. Then I felt something else and I couldn't think anymore.

I heard birds shrieking as I woke up. The sun was up and very bright, shining into my eyes. I rolled over and dug into the silk bag that I had been using for my clothes. I found the dark blue kimono and pulled it out. I climbed over Ahmed and stood up, slipping the robe on.

I stepped out of the tree house and looked down. There were several women working below me, they had large frames with some kind of material stretched across them. I heard a small cough and turned to see the girl that had helped me last night. She was carrying a tray with two bowls on it, filled with what looked like oatmeal. I smiled at her and said thank you. I took the food back inside just in time to see Ahmed getting up. I brought the tray inside, and sat down on the floor across from him. There were flat pieces of wood on the tray next to the bowls, rounded at the end so I figured they must be what passed for spoons on this world. I picked and up and started to eat. It tasted similar to oatmeal, it was sweet and nutty, and I thought I could taste coconut in it as well. It wasn't bad, I had eaten worse things. Ahmed watched me and then copied my actions. As we finished, the chief came up to the doorway and waited until I noticed him. I motioned him in with my hand, and he came in, sitting down on the floor next to me.

"I am here to ask what it might be that you need here?" he said after seating himself next to me.

"I am on a sacred mission," I began, "I am on a quest to find a certain stone that is near this place."

Boo moved on my neck and I got the distinct impression that I wasn't quite so welcome anymore. "The stones here are sacred. They are not to be touched or moved," he told me.

"No," I said, hoping to pacify him, "This is a certain stone that will be hidden in a room, probably in a cave somewhere. It might be in part of a pattern like this." I pulled the box out to show him.

He still looked doubtful, but I wasn't getting such negative vibes from him anymore. Then his eyes lit up.

"I know of the place. I will take you there as soon as you are ready to go"

We got our things packed up and I changed into the sweatpants and the short half top from the sari. I was definitely not making any kind of fashion statement, I was strictly going for comfort. I shifted my bags on my shoulders and made sure everything was set.

Following the chief down the rope ladder, he led us down a narrow trail through the giant ferns. I noticed that he was leading us back toward the lava beds that we had passed on our way to the tree village.

We came up to a large crack in the side of the mountain and the chief pointed at it.

"In there are many rooms. Our people used to used them many years ago for special rituals and events. They have not been used in a very long time. Perhaps what you are looking for is in there," he told me. I closed my eyes, trying to feel around for the stone. It was close, I wasn't sure if it was in there, I couldn't get that good of a lock on it. I figured it couldn't hurt to try. I took my flashlight out and clicked the button to turn it on. I had been using it very infrequently, I had no idea when or if I would get a chance to find batteries for it ever again.

Shining the beam into the crack, I went inside, Ahmed close behind me. Inside it was much larger than it appeared from outside. The tribal chieftain had told us the truth, there were several rooms coming off the center corridor. I walked carefully until I was close to the middle of them. I took the amulet out and held it up as it swung around in a circle. The circle became narrower then narrower as it began swinging back and forth in a straight line. I looked to either side, there were two rooms to choose from. I slipped the amulet back over my head and tucked it back down under my top. I started with the room to my left and Ahmed went to the one on the right. The doorway had been knocked out into a roughly oval shape, barely tall enough for me to walk through. I went inside to look around. The room was empty, so I started looking up on the ceiling and at the walls. I didn't see even the faintest scratch marks showing the tree symbol.

"Dira!" Ahmed called my name, it sounded urgent. I hurried out of the room I was in and crossed over to the one he stood in. He was looking directly above his head, and I followed his gaze. The tree was etched into the rock about four feet above his head, and he stood a good six feet tall. I flashed the beam of my light on it and saw the glitter of a stone in the top place of the right column. I stood there staring at it for a couple minutes, trying to think of a way to get up there. I didn't see Ahmed bend down and grab my legs, lifting me up onto his shoulders. I started laughing as I reached up to pull the sparkling gem out.

Suddenly the ground began rumbling and I heard an incredibly loud cracking sound. I was swaying on his shoulders, reaching for the stone. I put my other arm up, bracing myself against the ceiling. I steadied myself and this time I managed to pluck stone out of the hole above me. The ground beneath us gave way. Ahmed fell to his knees and I tumbled to the ground. I felt the air get knocked out of me, and I lay there gasping, trying to catch my breath. Ahmed grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I felt a flash of annoyance until I saw him point. The corridor that all the rooms came off of had cracked in half. I stepped carefully toward the doorway and looked down into the crack. It glowed orange and I felt a blast of heat hit me in the face.

I fell back against the wall. Looking both ways down the hallway, I saw that there was only a narrow strip where we could walk along the wall to get back out the way we had come.

"This way," I said and grasped his hand. The ledge got even thinner as we went along, and pieces of the rock fell away as I slid my feet sideways with my back tight up against the wall.

We were almost to the end when I took one more step and the piece of rock collapsed out from under me. Ahmed quickly grabbed hold of my wrist as I fell, and swung me back around to the part of the ledge behind him. My stomach flipped at the close call I just had. We went carefully over the broken spot and quickly made our way toward the entrance.

We hurried down the pathway, back through the trees. Instead of going back to the tree village, we headed back toward the waterfall. I didn't hear any water running though, not this time. We came up to the edge of the ravine and I looked across. There was only the pool that had been at the base, there were no more falls. The crack inside the cavern must not have been the only one to have opened up. It suddenly got dark, and I looked up at the sky. A dark cloud now covered us, and I shifted my gaze to the top of the mountain. There was a plume of dark ash rising up.

"Come on," I said pulling on his arm. I started running down the path toward the beach. As soon as we reached the white sands, I looked down toward the cliffs. Huge clouds of steam were rising from the beach where the waves came on shore. The lava beds must have split open, the hot molten rock flowing down to the sea. I felt the ground shifting around under me feet again, and I flung my arms out to keep my balance. I had about enough of this. Ahmed stood at my back, with his arms around my waist. I pulled out the stone disc and held it up to see which gemstone was the brightest. The ground rolled under our feet, and as I lost my balance again, the disc dropped from my hand.

I dropped to my knees as I watched the sand swallow the disc. I started digging frantically, trying to unearth it. Ahmed knelt down beside me, pushing the sand away with me. My finger scraped against something hard and I dug harder. I pulled the disc out of the sand and held it up. Ahmed wrapped his body around me and I rubbed to glowing stone quickly.