Part Two--The Middle of Jordan's Story

As the sisters sailed side by side down the ditch, they began to notice strange things. Empty green turtles shells sat next to red and white mushrooms on the banks. Now and then a star would quickly pass over them. Small gold coins hung in the air. A sister reached over and touched one; it disappeared with a chiming noise.
They watched, but saw no sign of their little brother. They saw a tree with yellow apples, and stopped to pick as many as they could hold. As they turned to go back to their sleds, one sister saw a single green apple. She picked it.
They continued sailing. One morning they woke up and saw that their sleds were resting on the bank. A tiny old man sat watching them. He asked them for one of their apples. The sisters happily handed him one, but he refused it, saying that he wanted the green one. Since the sisters were very nice girls, they gave it to him without hesitation. He ate it in front of them, a little rudely and with loud noises, but the girls waited patiently. When he finished, he held up the core so they could see it. It was a golden key. He looked at the girls with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Are you looking for something?" he asked.
They nodded.
"Then I will give this back," he said, handing them the key. He turned quickly and walked into the trees.
The sisters were discussing whether they should sail farther down the ditch, or begin looking for their little brother on land, when they heard an angry voice. They followed the sound and saw their little brother in a circle of trees, sitting on his dinosaur and waving his sword, loudly yelling at invisible foes. The sisters laughed; he did that all the time at home.
The brother turned and saw them, but instead of acting joyous, as they had imagined, he frowned and politely asked them to leave immediately.

To be continued...