Enjoy this deleted scene from Bobby Ether and the Jade Academy... and stay tuned for the next installment soon!

Five levels down, the archives looked like nothing Bobby and his friends had seen on their previous visits. A vast hall with thick support pillars held items seemingly too large to fit on the shelves or hallways of the upper levels. Directly in front of them sat an ancient chariot with Roman sword and shield leaning up against the side. Beside it stood a stagecoach straight out of an old Western movie.

“What the heck is all this stuff?” said Bobby, his voice echoing in the cavernous hall.

“The academics have always sought to understand the strength of other cultures. They must have recreated these things from books, stories and interaction with the outside world,” said Trevor.

“Why would they do that?” asked Lily.

“It’s likely the academics either feared or respected these cultures at the time and wanted to know as much about them as possible.”

“It’s also possible,” said Jinx, eying the chariot, “that some of these may have been seized from visitors to keep the monastery a secret after it went into seclusion. Some of these items were probably taken apart, brought up the mountain piece by piece and then reassembled.”

“That’s so cool,” said Trevor. “This place is like an underground Bermuda Triangle.”

“I think it’s creepy,” said Lily, with an involuntary shudder.

“Well, yeah, I didn’t say it’s not creepy too,” agreed Trevor quickly.

“Well, this is the only entrance to this level,” said Jinx. “So we’re going to have to walk through all this stuff to get to the back.”

Trevor and Jacob took the lead, carving a path between the various obstacles, both wood and metal, ancient and modern. Bobby’s mouth fell open as a Sherman tank materialized out of the darkness. It was followed by a gigantic B-29 bomber with a picture of a long legged woman reclining over the name ‘Velva Jean.’

They huddled close together as they passed a Viking longship, complete with oars and three masts rigged with rectangular sails, and stared in wonder at a massive steam powered locomotive with three boxcars and caboose. After what seemed like hours, the menagerie of vessels ended and the group found themselves facing a solid wall.

“That’s strange,” said Jinx. “By my calculations, we still have a ways to go.”

“Over here,” said Bobby, shining a light on a narrow opening recessed in the wall.

“It appears to be a stairwell,” said Lily.

Jinx stared in disbelief. “But the archives don’t have another level.”

“I hate to break it to you,” said Jacob, placing a hand on his shoulder, “but it looks like you don’t know everything after all.”