The Mushroom’s Final Pulse
The floating mushroom glowed brighter and brighter until the entire magical forest vibrated like a giant speaker.
Clyde bounced backward. Matthew yelled, “STEP SIXTEEN: HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!” Zyde yelled, “THIS IS A REALITY FRACTURE!” Meep meeped in panic. Mae barked. Benjamin yelled, “EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM THE MUSHROOM!”
Too late.
The world shattered like glass.
Clyde Alone in the Multicolored Universe
Clyde opened his eyes.
He was floating.
Not in water. Not in air. Not in space.
In a multicolored universe — swirling ribbons of blue, gold, pink, green, and colors that didn’t even have names. The ground didn’t exist. The sky didn’t exist. Everything was just… everything.
Clyde drifted like a rubber balloon.
“Hello?” he called.
His voice echoed into infinity.
Then another voice answered.
The Voice
It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t scary. It wasn’t familiar.
It was calm, deep, and everywhere at once.
“Clyde.”
Clyde spun around. “WHO SAID THAT?”
“You are between worlds.”
Clyde blinked. “BETWEEN WHAT WORLDS? DO THEY HAVE SNACKS?”
“You will understand soon.”
Clyde humpfed. “I don’t understand anything ever.”
The voice chuckled.
“That is why you were chosen.”
Clyde gasped. “CHOSEN FOR WHAT? AM I A SUPERHERO? DO I GET POWERS? CAN I FLY? CAN I—”
“Clyde.”
The voice softened.
“You will not be alone. I will stay with you.”
Clyde floated silently for the first time in his life.
“Okay,” he whispered.
The universe folded inward.
Everything went white.
Clyde Wakes Up
Clyde jolted awake on the ground near the lake cabin.
Matthew was shaking him. Zyde was scanning him. Meep was meeping loudly. Mae was licking his face. Benjamin was yelling, “Clyde! Clyde! Are you conscious?!”
Clyde sat up.
“I heard a voice.”
Benjamin sighed. “You were unconscious. You probably dreamed.”
“No,” Clyde said. “The voice is still here.”
Everyone froze.
Matthew blinked. “Like… in your head?”
Clyde nodded.
Zyde adjusted his glasses. “Scientifically impossible.”
Meep meeped skeptically.
Mae tilted her head.
Benjamin rubbed his forehead. “Clyde… magical worlds can cause hallucinations.”
Clyde shook his head. “No. It’s real. The voice is talking right now.”
Benjamin stared at him.
Matthew whispered, “STEP SEVENTEEN: BELIEVE YOUR FRIEND.”
Benjamin whispered back, “No. Absolutely not.”
Teleported Out
Before anyone could argue further, the ground beneath them glowed.
A bright flash swallowed the crew.
They landed back at the lake cabin.
The magical world was gone.
The forest was normal. The sky was normal. The river flowed the correct direction. The floating crystals were gone. The rubber‑duck tree was just a tree.
But Clyde still heard the voice.
“I am here.”
Clyde whispered, “I know.”
Benjamin did not like that.
Benjamin’s Orders
Benjamin clapped his hands loudly.
“Everyone. Car. Now.”
Clyde bounced toward the car. Matthew followed, writing “STEP EIGHTEEN: GO HOME” in his notebook. Zyde grabbed his cooler of science. Meep meeped nervously. Mae herded Clyde like a sheepdog. Benjamin marched behind them like a tired general.
They piled into the car.
Benjamin started the engine.
“We’re going home,” he said firmly.
Clyde whispered to the voice, “Are you coming too?”
The voice answered:
“Always.”
Clyde smiled.
Benjamin groaned.
Matthew gasped.
Zyde scribbled furiously.
Meep meeped.
Mae sighed.
And the Clyde Chronicles vacation ended… but something new had begun.