The Magic Tunnel (Ending #5)

Beth stood, staring open-mouthed at her friend. Was he really on the girls' side of the school? Why did his teacher send him to the other side? She decided to push these questions off until later. She followed her friend back to the classroom.
"Where have you two been? We've been waiting for hours!" Mrs. Wilkins exclaimed. Except she was a he. Mrs. Wilkins was Mr. Wilkins! She looked around his class. Something wasn't right. All of the girls were gone. And in their place, there were boys. And all of the boys were gone. And in their place, girls. What was happening here?
Beth checked her pocket again. This time, she found the rock missing. Frantically, she checked the floors, her books, and everywhere else. But she couldn't find it. The questions suddenly came up again in her mind, and they wanted an answer. She waved her hand in the air.
"Yes, Beth?" Mr. Wilkins asked.
"May I use the little boys' -- er, little girls' room, please?" She asked.
"Oh, I suppose so," Mr. Wilkins said.
Beth hurried out of the room. But she didn't heads to the restrooms. She knew there was only one man that would know the answers to her questions. The janitor. After all, that tunnel was in the janitors' room. She saw him mopping the cafeteria.
"Mr. Janitor, sir?" Beth asked.
"Please, call me Joe," He replied.
"I was hoping you could help me," She said.
"Well, sit down lil' lady and tell me all about it."
So, Beth told him about Mrs. Wilkins' errand for her, and the tunnel, and the rock. When she was done, Joe sighed.
"Yep, sounds familiar," He said.
"What do you mean?" Beth asked.
"A long, long time ago," Joe began, "in about 1890, when this school was first built, Sir Westvale decided to let his little girl, Sara, into the school. Westvale was an evil magician, and so was his daughter. She was taught many things in that school, including math, science, language arts, and health. Everyone was happy, until a boy named David came to the school. He was in all of Sara's classes, and, after a month or two, they fell in love.
"One day, they were eating lunch on the bridge in the park. Sara lost her magic rock (the one her father told her never, ever to lose) fell into the river below the bridge. David dove in after it, hoping to show of to Sara. But the rock was magical, and when David tried to lift it, it felt as heavy as a boulder. When he tried to let go and swim up, he drowned. So, Sara dove in after him and rescued her rock. She ran home and cried for months and months. To make sure she never fell in love again, her father, Sir Westvale, had the school put in separate sides: a side for boys, and a side for girls.
"But she did fall in love again. This time, with a boy named Joe. They met every day during school, in a tunnel which led from the boys' side to the girls'. One day, Sara's stone fell into a crack in the ground in the tunnel. She couldn't leave the tunnel without it, but she'd have to leave it to meet with Joe. So, she left the rock and met with Joe. Joe was able to remove the rock for her, and they walked home happily. But Joe dropped the rock into a pile of pebbles, and the could never find it. The entrance to the tunnel was sealed off until they found the rock, which they never did.
"Later, Sara died of sickness (which was caused by the lost rock). Her father cursed the boy Joe to eternal life, to work as a janitor for the school. He as never allowed to leave, never allowed to cry, never allowed to be free."
Beth stared at him with disbelief. "Yeah, right," She said. "That would mean that you're..." she never finished. Joe nodded. "What can I do to stop this?"
"Take the rock, place it on Sara's grave. Then everyone will return to normal, myself included," Joe said.
Beth raced back into the tunnel she had found. She found the rock, wedged into a crack in the tunnel's wall. She quickly dug it out. Beth ran out of the school, and didn't stop till she reached Westvale Cemetery. She searched the graves. She didn't have to look far, because Sara Westvale's grave was alone, on top of a hill. He placed the stone on top of the cool, blue marble. Suddenly, a ghost appeared. It was a girl.
"Thank you," She said, "for helping us." Another ghost appeared next to her. This one was a boy. He looked familiar.
"Who are you?" Beth asked.
"I am Sara Westvale," Sara said.
"And I am Joe Tamapeka," Joe said.
They vanished almost instantly. Beth had turned back into Billy, and everyone else had returned to normal. Billy later found that Joe had died at the exact time he saw Sara and Joe. Everything was back to normal. Billy's still a little spooked by that event. But it has led him to his career as a medium specialist. He happily has a wife, a boy, Joe, and a girl, Sara. They both go to Westvale Street School, which no longer has a boys' side and a girls' side, but one side.

THE END ???

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