Read Online A Boy Called Duct Tape by Christopher Cloud - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Christopher Cloud
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something else,” I said, trying my best to recover the grin.
“What kind of something else ?” Pia urged.
“Maybe they’re rock formations or something that looks like ghosts,” I said. “But there is no such thing as ghosts.”
“You’re only 12, Pablo,” Pia reminded me. “You don’t know everything about ghosts.”
Pia was right, and I shrugged. “I guess we’ll know when we get there.”
“Mother Nature must have created something that looks like pictures on the walls,” Kiki added. “Some sort of—like Pablo said—natural formations.”
“Or somebody drew them,” I suggested. I didn’t know if I believed that or not. Room of Ghosts. That was way too weird.
“Right. Or somebody drew them,” Kiki agreed.
“Maybe somebody lives down there,” Pia said, her voice solemn.
I started to laugh, but stopped myself at the last moment. Maybe Pia was right.
Total silence.
“Somebody had to make that dam,” Pia said. “And somebody had to carry that church organ down there.”
“If somebody lives down there,” Kiki said, her eyes blinking anxiously, “I don’t even want to know about it. Count me out.”
“I don’t think anyone lives down there,” I said. “What the heck would they eat?”
More silence.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Kiki said. She moved her finger along the map until it came to rest on the Graveyard. “More creepiness. A graveyard can only mean one thing.”
“What?” Pia asked.
“Well, uh, like dead bodies,” Kiki said, her brow knitted.
“Maybe an animal graveyard,” I said. “I’ve heard of pet cemeteries. Maybe it’s something like that.”
Kiki shuddered, and moved on to the next point on the map: Magic Rock . “What’s so magical about a rock?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t even guess.
“I think I know what the maker of this map meant by the Cathedral,” Kiki said, tapping the final location on the drawing. “My guess is that it’s a really big cavern, sort of like a church cathedral.”
“I agree,” I said. I’d made the same observation the first time I’d looked at the map.
“That’s where the treasure is, right?” Pia asked, noting the X near the word Cathedral .
“Yeah, if there is a treasure,” Kiki said.
“You mean if there’s even a cave,” I noted.
We settled in with our own thoughts.
Kiki looked up with a wide grin. “Wouldn’t it be cool if this map was authentic, and it had been in plain sight all these years?”
My eyes lit up. “Very cool.”
“So are we ready to do this?” Kiki asked, looking at me and then Pia.
“You bet!” I exclaimed.
“Pablo, are you sure?” Pia asked, squirming a little in her seat.
“Sure about exploring the cave? Yeah, I’m sure.”
She shook her head. “No, not that.”
I could hear the hesitation in my sister’s voice. I said, “Sure about what?”
“Are you sure nobody lives down there?”
10
We laid our bikes in the tall grass in front of Monroe Huff’s cabin and stared wide-eyed at the bloody carcass. The hunk of raw meat was suspended by a rope from the rocky overhang that protected Monroe’s log home. It was the size of a deer. Monroe had skinned the animal, and now stood beside it, his knife poised above the deer’s belly.
The big black crow we’d seen the day before was still perched on the same lower branch of a towering oak tree. The bird studied our every move.
Monroe was barefoot. He was wearing knee-length, plaid shorts, and a blood-splattered T-shirt that read: A Spelunker’s Prayer . The prayer itself was spotted with bloodstains. Monroe’s strange, side-shield sunglasses protected his eyes from the bright afternoon sunlight.
“Gross!” Pia moaned. “What’s that?”
“A deer,” I said, my eyes tracing the bloody animal corpse.
“Or what’s left of one,” Kiki observed, wincing.
The muscles in his neck bulging, Monroe’s knife slid down the pink belly of the carcass, opening up the stomach. He stepped back,
“What kind of something else ?” Pia urged.
“Maybe they’re rock formations or something that looks like ghosts,” I said. “But there is no such thing as ghosts.”
“You’re only 12, Pablo,” Pia reminded me. “You don’t know everything about ghosts.”
Pia was right, and I shrugged. “I guess we’ll know when we get there.”
“Mother Nature must have created something that looks like pictures on the walls,” Kiki added. “Some sort of—like Pablo said—natural formations.”
“Or somebody drew them,” I suggested. I didn’t know if I believed that or not. Room of Ghosts. That was way too weird.
“Right. Or somebody drew them,” Kiki agreed.
“Maybe somebody lives down there,” Pia said, her voice solemn.
I started to laugh, but stopped myself at the last moment. Maybe Pia was right.
Total silence.
“Somebody had to make that dam,” Pia said. “And somebody had to carry that church organ down there.”
“If somebody lives down there,” Kiki said, her eyes blinking anxiously, “I don’t even want to know about it. Count me out.”
“I don’t think anyone lives down there,” I said. “What the heck would they eat?”
More silence.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Kiki said. She moved her finger along the map until it came to rest on the Graveyard. “More creepiness. A graveyard can only mean one thing.”
“What?” Pia asked.
“Well, uh, like dead bodies,” Kiki said, her brow knitted.
“Maybe an animal graveyard,” I said. “I’ve heard of pet cemeteries. Maybe it’s something like that.”
Kiki shuddered, and moved on to the next point on the map: Magic Rock . “What’s so magical about a rock?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t even guess.
“I think I know what the maker of this map meant by the Cathedral,” Kiki said, tapping the final location on the drawing. “My guess is that it’s a really big cavern, sort of like a church cathedral.”
“I agree,” I said. I’d made the same observation the first time I’d looked at the map.
“That’s where the treasure is, right?” Pia asked, noting the X near the word Cathedral .
“Yeah, if there is a treasure,” Kiki said.
“You mean if there’s even a cave,” I noted.
We settled in with our own thoughts.
Kiki looked up with a wide grin. “Wouldn’t it be cool if this map was authentic, and it had been in plain sight all these years?”
My eyes lit up. “Very cool.”
“So are we ready to do this?” Kiki asked, looking at me and then Pia.
“You bet!” I exclaimed.
“Pablo, are you sure?” Pia asked, squirming a little in her seat.
“Sure about exploring the cave? Yeah, I’m sure.”
She shook her head. “No, not that.”
I could hear the hesitation in my sister’s voice. I said, “Sure about what?”
“Are you sure nobody lives down there?”
10
We laid our bikes in the tall grass in front of Monroe Huff’s cabin and stared wide-eyed at the bloody carcass. The hunk of raw meat was suspended by a rope from the rocky overhang that protected Monroe’s log home. It was the size of a deer. Monroe had skinned the animal, and now stood beside it, his knife poised above the deer’s belly.
The big black crow we’d seen the day before was still perched on the same lower branch of a towering oak tree. The bird studied our every move.
Monroe was barefoot. He was wearing knee-length, plaid shorts, and a blood-splattered T-shirt that read: A Spelunker’s Prayer . The prayer itself was spotted with bloodstains. Monroe’s strange, side-shield sunglasses protected his eyes from the bright afternoon sunlight.
“Gross!” Pia moaned. “What’s that?”
“A deer,” I said, my eyes tracing the bloody animal corpse.
“Or what’s left of one,” Kiki observed, wincing.
The muscles in his neck bulging, Monroe’s knife slid down the pink belly of the carcass, opening up the stomach. He stepped back,
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