Megan lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Timmy lives in Banbury, England. Timmy's grandpa lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife, Megan's grandmother. He encourages their grandchildren to meet via Skype. They meet. Megan creates a game she calls Pretend I Am. Timmy a fervent follower of the comic book character, Ed Gage the Humming Detective, agrees to play. Megan thinks of it as a game of pretend, but surprise, surprise-IT WORKS

THE VIRTUAL ADVENTURES OF MEGAN AND TIMMY

By KD Groethe

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 KD Groethe
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-5049-8

Contents

Chapter 1 First Met.............................................................1Chapter 2 A Virtual Game........................................................5Chapter 3 A Greeting in Greenland...............................................11Chapter 4 Bubo 's Barn..........................................................15Chapter 5 A Town Called Greenville..............................................17Chapter 6 Happiness Is a Brown Coat.............................................21Chapter 7 Here We Go Again......................................................29Chapter 8 A Funny Thing Happened at the Well....................................33Chapter 9 Meeting Princess Solana...............................................41Chapter 10 A Twist of Fate......................................................47Chapter 11 A Surprising Pick....................................................55Chapter 12 The Hunt.............................................................65Chapter 13 It 's Showtime.......................................................73Chapter 14 To the Lady Leverhulme Art Gallery...................................81Chapter 15 A Very Strange Painting Indeed.......................................85Chapter 16 The Secret...........................................................91Chapter 17 Finding Darma 's Mr. Right...........................................97Chapter 18 Meeting Jason Greer..................................................101Chapter 19 Meeting Alday........................................................107Chapter 20 Bubo Returns.........................................................113Chapter 21 A Successful Exploration.............................................119Chapter 22 One Wish Granted.....................................................127Chapter 23 Bidding Goodbye......................................................133Chapter 24 Eastward Ho, a Fantilicious Show.....................................141Chapter 25 A Magical Mystery Tour —No, Really!............................147Chapter 26 How Bizarre the Bazaar...............................................151Chapter 27 You Wouldn't Believe It..............................................157Chapter 28 A Rubik 's Cube, No Less.............................................163Chapter 29 Well, I Never........................................................169Chapter 30 BOO! Guess Who?......................................................177Chapter 31 A Rueful Ruse........................................................185Chapter 32 The Trial............................................................195Chapter 33 To and Fro the Winds Did Blow........................................201Chapter 34 In the Nick of Time..................................................213

Chapter One

First Met

Once upon a day in virtual reality time, Megan said the magic words and Timmy did the same. What happened next sent them on an adventure they could never have imagined—even in their wildest dreams and scariest nightmares.

It began when Timmy was talking to his grandpa on Skype. His grandpa, who had recently married Megan's grandmother and moved to Minneapolis, asked him if he'd like to meet Megan. Soon after, although Timmy lived in Banbury, England, and Megan lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.A., they met in a most unusual way.

"Yes, Grandpa," Timmy said, "that would be great. We could talk and when we're done, I'll have a new friend. Do you think she likes sports?"

"You'll have to wait and see, Timmy," his grandpa replied. "You'll have to wait and see."

After approval from Megan's mother, Timmy's grandpa gave him Megan's e-mail address and, soon, though miles apart, they saw each other for the first time.

On a day too cold to play outside, Megan was at her computer when Timmy called. She had little to do and neither did Timmy. So they talked about lots of things. They talked about their brothers and sisters and their moms and dads. They talked about school: its general rules and the subjects they liked best.

Megan said, "I like English and reading best. I like Nancy Drew and stories from The American Girl series. But what I really like best is to imagine and pretend. I like to think of things that couldn't be. That's lots of fun, you know. So what do you like best, Timmy?"

"Math is my favorite thing, and geography is okay. But really, ornithology interests me most."

"Orni ... what?"

"Ornithology, the study of birds," Timmy replied.

"Oh."

"I love to watch birds and know their names. I like to know why they're called a robin or a crow or a swallow or a dove."

"Do you like to read, Timmy?"

"Yes, and I like comics best because I never have to be tested on what I've read. My favorite is Ed Gage, the Humming Detective. I have a hat and coat just like his, and a magnifying glass and lots of other things. But best of all, I have an Ed Gage, Humming Detective virtual watch."

"What's that?"

"It's a watch that can be set in the future or in the past. And when I set it, it will be that time," Timmy replied.

"You mean, if you set it back twenty-four hours, it will be yesterday?"

"Yes, I guess, if I were in a virtual world. But I've never been, so I wouldn't know for sure."

"I've heard of virtual reality," Megan said, "but I don't understand what it means."

Timmy told her that he had looked it up on his computer and, according to Wikipedia, it meant a computer-created place. It could be in the real world or in an imaginary world.

"Oh? That sounds weird," Megan said. "You can't really do that, can you?"

"What, create an imaginary world?"

"Yes."

"No, of course not. I wouldn't know where to start."

Before their conversation continued, they studied each other for a few moments. Timmy blushed. He liked what he saw. He liked Megan's dimpled smile, her big brown eyes and her light-brown, wavy hair. And he liked the way she sat with her elbows positioned on her desktop and her chin cupped in the V-shape of her hands.

Finally Timmy said, "Do you like sports, Megan?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Do you like soccer?"

"Not much."

"It's my favorite sport, and I'm on a team," Timmy said. "We won the cup last season."

"Oh, that's nice," she replied.

"We were the best team, and I was voted the best player."

"I played soccer last summer, but I like tennis better." Megan paused and took a big breath. "If you like games, then I know one that's so much fun you'll simply love it."

"More than soccer?"

"Yes, of course, but when we play, you have to say that you won't quit. You have to promise."

"What's the game? I have to know the name before I'll play."

"I call it Pretend I Am."

"You mean like, pretend I am a bird or a sphinx?"

"Yes, sort of. Pretending you're flying off somewhere or—oh-oh, my mother's coming. I'm supposed to be doing my homework. We'll have to play some other time."

"Okay. But remember, when you call, England is six hours ahead. So if it's twelve, midday, at your place, it's six in the evening here. That's when we have tea, what you call dinner."

"That's when we have our supper, actually. I'll remember about the time, Timmy. Bye."

"Bye, Megan."

Both clicked off their webcams.

"Are you nearly done with your homework?" Megan's mother asked as she walked into the computer room.

"Yes, Mom. Guess what? This homework is really a blast."

Chapter Two

A...