James jumped from the car into the cloud of dust as his dad pulled into their campsite parking area at Hindley State Park.

Wizards and warriors were surely hiding among the huge old redwoods he ran through. The sun-dappled forest always ignited his imagination, until his sister Amy's shrill voice demanding he return to camp disrupted the roar of the raging river. James hid, but when he snuck up behind where she stood on the sandbar yelling, he was as amazed as she to see hundreds of round rocks lining the river's edge faintly glowing. Amy bent to retrieve one. James warned her not to, inadvertently revealing his stealth position. His sister turned on him, both forgetting about the bizarre stones with their rancorous exchange, setting in motion a string of disastrous events, never realizing the terrible cost of their incessant squabbling.

The Activation is a cautionary tale for bickering children and the parents who fail to silence them...