“How do you ride a horse?” Morro asked, his voice tinged with nervousness. He shifted from foot to foot, unsure of how to approach the animal.

Mia gave him an incredulous look. “You’ve never ridden a horse before? Seriously?”

Morro shook his head vigorously. “Nope. I’ve seen them, but I’ve never actually ridden one.”

Emma, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t help but groan. “This is going to be interesting.”

Mia sighed, stepping up to the horse and patting its neck. “Alright, Morro, let’s get you acquainted with our friend here.”

With some encouragement from Mia, Morro approached the horse, trying to appear calm. He reached out to stroke its mane, but just as he did, the horse shifted suddenly. Morro stumbled back, barely managing to catch himself, but the horse, spooked by his clumsiness, bolted forward.

Before anyone could react, the horse reared up, and Morro was knocked to the ground, landing with a thud. He let out a startled yelp, and the horse's hooves brushed dangerously close to him.

Emma gasped. “Morro, are you okay?”

Morro groaned from the ground, rubbing his sore side. “I’m fine, just a bit bruised!”

Mia hurried over, helping him to his feet. “Careful! Horses can be unpredictable. Let’s try that again.”

Determined but wary, Morro approached the horse once more. This time, he was more cautious, taking slow, deliberate steps. He reached for the stirrup and tried to mount the horse, but his nerves were betraying him. As he swung his leg over the horse’s back, he lost his balance and ended up sitting upside down, his legs hanging awkwardly over the horse’s sides.

Emma couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Oh my goodness, Morro, you’re doing it all wrong!”

Morro tried to right himself, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I didn’t realize it would be this complicated!”

Mia was stifling her own laughter, stepping in to help. “Okay, let’s get you adjusted.”

As she tried to stabilize Morro, the horse, sensing the commotion and feeling more agitated, gave a sudden, sharp kick. The impact wasn’t hard enough to cause serious harm, but it was enough to send Morro flying off the horse’s back, landing in a heap on the grass.

Morro lay there, looking dazed and thoroughly defeated. The horse, now calm again, trotted away a few paces, its ears flicking in curiosity.

Emma and Mia rushed over to Morro, helping him up from the ground. Emma had tears of laughter in her eyes. “Well, that was definitely a show!”

Morro dusted himself off, his face a mix of frustration and amusement. “You can say that again. I feel like I’ve been through a rodeo.”

Mia patted his back sympathetically. “Hey, it’s all part of the learning process. You did better than most first-timers!”

Morro sighed, looking at the horse with a mixture of wariness and newfound respect. “I guess I’ll need a bit more practice before I’m ready to ride properly.”

Emma grinned. “Or maybe you just need to stick to less dangerous activities.”

Morro chuckled, shaking his head. “Agreed. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

Mia, still grinning, gave him a reassuring pat. “Don’t worry, Morro. Practice makes perfect. And in the meantime, we’ve got plenty of other adventures lined up!”

Morro nodded, feeling slightly better despite his misadventures. “Alright, let’s see what else this day has in store.”

Mia’s grin widened as she gestured toward a seemingly innocuous section of the ground. “Step there, would you?”

Emma looked at her with a mix of curiosity and concern. “Mia, what are you up to?”

Mia didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she waited with an impish twinkle in her eye. As Morro and Emma took a step forward, Mia’s hand moved subtly, pressing a hidden button on the ground.

Without warning, the section of the ground where Morro and Emma stood began to shift and disappear. Their surprised yelps echoed as they started to fall, with Morro reaching out in vain for something to grab.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Morro’s voice was filled with panic as they plummeted down into a concealed pit.

Emma’s scream mingled with Morro’s as they disappeared from view, their voices growing fainter as they fell.

Mia, standing at the edge, called out cheerfully, “Enjoy the escape room!”

The pit was designed to drop them into a thrilling maze of challenges and puzzles. As Morro and Emma landed, they found themselves in a dimly lit room filled with intricate locks, hidden passages, and a series of riddles pinned to the walls. The air was cool, and the room had an eerie, thrilling atmosphere, with shadows dancing across the walls from the flickering light sources.

Emma looked around, her eyes wide with both excitement and trepidation. “Mia! What is this?”

Morro, brushing off his dusted clothes, gave a nervous laugh. “I suppose this is the surprise?”

Mia’s voice came through a speaker system in the room. “That’s right! This is your very own custom escape room. Solve the puzzles, and you’ll find your way out. Have fun, and remember—no cheating!”

Emma sighed, looking at Morro with a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Well, looks like we’re in for an adventure.”

Morro nodded, trying to mask his nervousness with determination. “Let’s do this. I guess we’ll have to put our heads together to get out.”

As Morro and Emma made their way across the dimly lit room, a small, hidden compartment in the wall suddenly opened, and a map dropped onto the floor with a soft thud. The map was old and worn, with a circle marked on it.

Morro quickly snatched up the map and studied it. “This circle on the map—this is where we need to go, but it doesn’t seem right.”

He sighed. " Hate to say it, but I can't think of someone who would think trapping us more would be fun."

Emma glanced around, trying to match their surroundings with the map. “I think we’re in the right area. We just need to figure out how to get to that spot.”

Just then, Emma’s eyes widened in alarm. “LOOK OUT!”

Morro’s head whipped around to see a massive wrecking ball swinging toward them from the far side of the room. It was on a heavy chain, and the metallic sphere swung back and forth with a menacing speed.

“Duck!” Emma shouted, grabbing Morro’s arm and pulling him down just in time as the wrecking ball whooshed past overhead.

The two of them scrambled to their feet, only to have to duck again as the ball swung back in their direction. They repeated this tense dance every ten seconds, their hearts pounding with the constant threat of the swinging hazard.

“This is insane!” Morro yelled over the clamor of the wrecking ball’s chains. “We’re going to get flattened if we don’t find a way to stop this!”

Emma’s face was set in determination as she scanned the room. “We need to find the mechanism controlling it. It must be somewhere around here!”

Amidst the chaos, Emma spotted a small control panel embedded in the wall near where the wrecking ball’s chain was anchored. “There!” she pointed, her voice barely audible over the racket. “If we can reach that, we might be able to stop it!”

With a burst of adrenaline, they dashed toward the control panel, ducking and weaving to avoid the wrecking ball’s deadly swing. Each time the ball swung away, they made a desperate sprint towards their target.

Finally reaching the panel, Morro fumbled with the controls, trying to make sense of the dials and switches. His hands were shaking as he flipped a switch, and with a grinding noise, the wrecking ball’s swings began to slow, then finally came to a stop.

Emma and Morro collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. The room was eerily quiet now, except for their ragged breaths.

“That was... intense,” Emma said, wiping her brow.

Morro nodded, still catching his breath. “I’m just glad it’s over. Let’s find that circle and get out of here.”

Morro and Emma continued through the labyrinthine escape room, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. The tension from the wrecking ball incident had not yet fully dissipated, and every new twist and turn seemed to heighten their anxiety.

As they rounded a corner, Emma suddenly froze, her eyes wide. “Wait, is that... a skeleton?”

Morro followed her gaze, his own eyes widening as he saw a bizarre scene unfold before them. In the dimly lit room ahead, a group of skeletons—complete with creaking bones and eerie, hollow eyes—were performing an elaborate dance routine. The skeletal figures twirled and clacked their bony limbs with surprising grace, their empty eye sockets glinting ominously in the dim light.

Emma’s breath caught in her throat. “Oh no, they’re... they’re dancing! And they’re trying to pull us in!”

True to Emma’s words, as Morro and Emma approached, the skeletons turned their attention to the intruders. With unnervingly synchronized movements, the skeletons began to shuffle towards them, reaching out with their skeletal hands in an attempt to drag Morro and Emma into their macabre dance.

Morro took an instinctive step back, his face pale. “Nope, not happening,” he muttered, his voice trembling slightly. He grabbed Emma’s arm and pulled her away from the advancing skeletons.

Emma’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape route. “We need to find another way out of this room!” she said urgently. “Those things are not stopping!”

The skeletons, sensing the resistance, increased their pace, their clattering bones growing louder as they neared. Emma and Morro hurriedly backed away, trying to stay out of their reach. Emma spotted a large, ornate door on the opposite side of the room. It was partially obscured by shadows, but she was hopeful it might lead to their escape.

“Over there!” Emma shouted, pointing toward the door. “Let’s get to that door!”

With renewed determination, Emma and Morro made a run for the door, dodging and weaving to avoid the skeletons’ grasping hands. The skeletons seemed to almost be enjoying their pursuit, their skeletal faces grinning as they clattered after the duo.

Reaching the door, Morro pulled on the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried again, his panic rising. “It’s locked!” he yelled.

Emma quickly scanned the area and spotted a keyhole just above the door handle. “There must be a key somewhere!” she shouted, looking around frantically.

Morro’s eyes darted around the room, and he noticed a small pedestal in the corner with a solitary key resting on it. “There!” he pointed.

Emma took a deep breath. “Cover me. I’ll grab the key!”

With Morro standing guard, Emma dashed towards the pedestal, avoiding the advancing skeletons. She snatched the key and sprinted back to the door, her heart pounding.

Morro quickly took the key from her and unlocked the door. With a loud creak, the door swung open, and they hurried through, slamming it shut behind them. The sound of the skeletons’ clattering bones faded as they put distance between themselves and the macabre dancers.

Breathing heavily, Emma leaned against the door, her face flushed. “That was close.”

Morro nodded, his expression a mix of relief and exhaustion. “Yeah, definitely not a fan of dancing skeletons. Let’s get out of here before we run into anything else.”

As Emma and Morro navigated through the winding corridors of the escape room, their steps echoing off the stone walls, Morro shook his head. “Mia really has a twisted imagination,” he said, his voice tinged with awe and exasperation. “I didn’t think she could come up with something this elaborate.”

Just then, a voice echoed through the hallway, startling them. “What did you think?”

Emma and Morro turned to see Kai, Cole, and Jay slumped in a corner, looking rather disheveled and unkempt. The three were clearly worn out, their clothes rumpled and their faces etched with fatigue. Kai was leaning against the wall with a forlorn expression, Cole was staring blankly at the floor, and Jay was lying on his side, his eyes half-closed.

Morro’s eyes widened in surprise. “Where were you for the past two weeks?”

Jay’s head jerked up, his eyes meeting Morro’s. “Here. Mia forgot about us,” he said, his tone a mix of resignation and frustration.

Emma’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What did you eat? You look like you haven’t had a decent meal in ages!”

Kai looked up at her with a tired sigh. “We’ve been subsisting on whatever we could find. Mia set up this escape room, and she’s been so focused on the challenges that she completely forgot about us.”

Cole nodded in agreement, rubbing his eyes. “It’s been rough. We tried to get her attention, but she was too absorbed in her own world.”

Emma glanced at Morro, who was shaking his head. “I can’t believe she did this.”

Just then, a chute on the wall opened with a soft whoosh, and a note slid out, fluttering to the ground. Mia’s voice came from somewhere behind the wall, faint but clear. “I did NOT forget about you, brother.”

Jay picked up the note and read it aloud. “I did NOT forget about you, brother.” He looked at Emma and Morro with a skeptical expression. “Right.”

Emma sighed, shaking her head. “Well, it looks like she had her own way of keeping herself occupied. But now that we’ve found you, let’s get out of here and get you all some proper food and rest.”

Morro, still somewhat bewildered by the whole ordeal, nodded in agreement. “Sounds good to me. I think we’ve had enough of Mia’s twisted escape room for one day.”

Jay looked around. " The thing is, first we have to escape."

Morro groaned. " How the heck do you survive?"

Jay shrugged. " Dunno."

Cole, with the help of Kai, stood up. " Well, we better go figure out where the map is."

At the word map, Emma took the paper out. " She gave us this."

Jay grabbed it excitedly. " IT'S THE MAP!" he yelled.

The other two boys cheered, while the ghost and his lady stared.

After the boys were done, the group huddled around the map, and  took in its cryptic details. Emma held it out, squinting at the tiny print and odd symbols scattered across it. “Okay, we have to follow this path,” she said, pointing to a winding line on the map.

Jay, holding the map with determination, led the way. “Alright, let’s get moving. We need to find our way out.”

The group walked through a series of winding corridors and dimly lit rooms. Each step echoed off the stone walls, creating an eerie ambiance. After what felt like hours, Morro, clearly exhausted, spoke up. “I don’t think we’re making any progress. It feels like we’re going in circles.”

The others paused and looked around, their faces growing more perplexed. “We should have come across something by now,” Cole remarked, rubbing his sore shoulders.

Emma sighed, scanning the surroundings. “Maybe we missed something. Let’s go back and check.”

Just as they turned to retrace their steps, Morro’s eyes fell on the floor beneath them. “Uh, guys, look down.”

Everyone glanced down to find themselves standing on a conveyor belt. The belt was moving slowly, carrying them back despite their attempts to walk against it. The walls on either side seemed to be closing in, making the situation even more unnerving.

“What the—?” Jay exclaimed, stumbling slightly as the belt’s movement threw off his balance.

Morro grimaced, “Looks like we’ve been on a conveyor belt this whole time. No wonder we haven’t been getting anywhere.”

Emma tried to stay calm. “Okay, so the map might not help us here. We need to figure out how to get off this conveyor belt and find another way out.”

Kai, now fully alert, looked around for any possible escape routes. “There must be a control panel or something that we can use to stop this belt.”

As they continued to move along the conveyor, they spotted a small control panel on the wall, partially obscured by a pile of dusty crates. Cole, who had managed to regain some strength, made his way toward it.

“I’ll check it out,” Cole said, carefully making his way across the moving belt. With a few quick movements, he managed to pry open the panel.

Inside, there were several switches and levers. “Here goes nothing,” Cole muttered, pulling a lever. The conveyor belt started to move faster

" WRONG LEVER!" Jay yelled as he and Kai and Emma had to run ( being a ghost had its upsides).

Cole scrambled, and pulled another lever.

" COLE DO BETTER!" Jay yelled, panicked as he had to run faster.

" Oh! Sorry!" Cole pulled a third lever, and crossed his arms. The belt came to a screeching halt, and the room was bathed in silence.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief as they stepped off the conveyor belt and onto solid ground.

“Finally,” Emma said, wiping her forehead. “Let’s make sure we don’t end up on another conveyor belt.”

Jay studied the map again. “We should be close to the exit now. Just a bit more, and we’ll be out of here.”

Morro looked around. " Uh, guys?*

" What now?" Kai groaned as he turned to Morro.

Morro pointed to a sign. They all turned.

" Oh.* Kai said

" How did we miss that?!" Jay exclaimed.

" This is just embarrassing." Cole sighed.

Emma crossed her arms, smirking. " I guess it takes five of us to find one exit."