Page 25 of Soaring into the Midlife

"Ugh, yeah, just a little woozy," she admitted. "This upside-down stuff is messing with me."

I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Now let's keep moving and find a way out of here, okay?"

"Agreed." Zara scanned the surrounding landscape for any signs of danger or clues to our next challenge.

With renewed determination, we continued our journey through the strange world, trusting in our wit, teamwork, and snarky sense of humor to see us through whatever lay ahead.

The upside-down landscape stretched before us like a twisted Dr. Seuss illustration, complete with floating islands and gravity-defying trees. Kendra's face was still a shade of green, but she soldiered on.

"All right, ladies, let's keep those brains in high gear," I said. "I have a feeling we're in for another riddle."

As if on cue, a group of puppets appeared, dangling from invisible strings. They wore wicked grins as they presented us with a folded piece of parchment. I unfolded it, revealing the second riddle:

"Two bodies have I,

Though both joined in one.

The more I stand still,

The faster I run."

"Okay, this one's trickier than the piano," I said. "Any ideas?"

"Maybe it's some kind of vehicle?" Zara said, clearly thinking out loud. "Like a bicycle or something?"

"Or maybe it's about time and space," Kendra said, her big brain kicking into high gear. "Like, the universe is constantly expanding, so the more it stands still?—"

"Wait," A puppet said. "I think you're all forgetting about the delightful world of confections, it's a cake!"

"Uh, really?" I said skeptically. Its mischievous grin told me it wasn't being entirely sincere.

"Of course not," another puppet giggled, sending the others into fits of laughter. "But it was worth a try, wasn't it?"

"All right, enough games," I said firmly, trying to refocus our efforts. "Let's think about this logically. Two bodies…standing still…the faster it runs…"

"An hourglass," Zara suddenly said. "Two bodies joined in one, and the more it stands still, the faster the sand runs through it!"

"Brilliant," I said, as the puppets' laughter died down and they begrudgingly nodded their approval. "Well done, Zara."

"Thank you, thank you," she said with a dramatic bow, soaking in the applause.

"All right, let's not get too happy," Kendra said, her no-nonsense attitude keeping us grounded. "We don't know what's waiting for us up ahead."

"Right." I swallowed hard. "Let's keep moving. And be on guard for any surprises."

"Agreed," Zara said. "This place is getting creepier by the minute."

"Hey." Kendra put her hand on my shoulder. "We've got this. We're the Bond Girls, remember? Nothing can stop us."

"Damn right." A fierce grin broke across my face. "Now let's show these puppets who's boss."

"Yes, yes, you’re brilliant," a marionette puppet reluctantly admitted, its wooden limbs clattering together as it gave an awkward bow. "You may proceed."

"Finally," Kendra said. "I thought they'd never let us move on."

"Something tells me they're not done with us yet," I said. "But we don't have much choice. Let's go."

As we ventured deeper into the upside-down world, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. The light coming from above our feet cast eerie shadows on the floating islands below us, or were the sky below us and the islands above us? Bah, this place sucked.