Read Online Elliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer A. Nielsen - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer A. Nielsen
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to eat. Wendy might not be the best cook ever, but he was pretty sure her food was better than whatever he might find in Demon Territory.
Or, wait—he had magical powers now. He could have any food he wanted. He could magic himself up a thick hamburger with all the toppings and a whole plate of fries. Or a big bowl of spaghetti. Or even a tray of doughnuts…with their holes. This magic thing was great!
“There you are,” Wendy said when she saw him coming down the stairs. “I made you a sandwich an hour ago. It’s been sitting for a while, so it’s probably all dried out, but we can’t waste the food.”
Elliot’s image of the doughnuts popped in his head like someone had put a pin to a balloon. He still wanted to use some magic to make himself lunch, but Wendy was sure to notice. He couldn’t figure out any way to convince her that the doughnuts had just been left on the front porch by the mailman, or any other excuse.
Wendy was sitting on the couch still watching the news stories about the sinkholes. He grabbed the sandwich and took a bite, which promptly stuck in his throat. It took three swallows to get it down, and then it sat like a lump in his empty stomach. It was dry all right, like eating a piece of the Sahara Desert.
Dear Reader, if you are looking for a fun place to spend your summer vacation, consider the Sahara Desert. It’s as large as the entire United States, so you’ll have plenty of room to play. Many different nomadic groups live there, so you’re sure to meet lots of interesting people. And if you aren’t attacked by sand vipers, scorpions, or the Saharan cheetah, you should be just fine. Unless there’s a sandstorm. Or if you run out of water and can’t find even one drop for hundreds of miles around you. Or if you forget to bring an extension cord long enough to charge your video game player. Also, you should know that you won’t find many swimming pools in the Sahara Desert, so don’t worry about packing a swimsuit. You won’t need it.
While thinking of the hamburger he could be eating right now, Elliot choked down the rest of the Sahara Desert sandwich and then sat beside his sister.
She pointed to the television screen. “Look at this! Some new sinkholes started appearing on Main Street about ten minutes ago. Luckily nobody was hurt, but a lot of parked cars fell in.”
Elliot looked around the room. “Where is everyone?”
“The twins went to make sure Uncle Rufus’s jail hasn’t sunk,” Wendy said. Uncle Rufus had the unfortunate habit of stealing shiny things. Every time he got caught, he claimed he was too old to remember that it was still against the law to steal things. That trick had only worked the first ten times. Elliot wished Wendy hadn’t let the twins go, but at least the jail wasn’t anywhere near Main Street.
“What about Reed?” he asked.
“He had to work at the Quack Shack,” Wendy said. “I told him not to go, but Reed says he’ll get fired if he doesn’t have a good reason for not showing up.”
“The Quack Shack is in the middle of all those sinkholes,” Elliot said. “I think he has a really good reason not to go!”
“Reed didn’t know about the holes when he left. But when they started happening, Cami said she’d go try to stop him. I’m sure they’ll be back soon. Shh, the reporter’s talking.”
The cameras went live on Main Street, where the reporter explained that although most sinkholes are round, these new ones on Main Street had different shapes to them. “It’s as if someone below the earth collapsed them to look just this way,” he explained.
Then the camera cut to an overhead shot from a helicopter. At the angle the cameraman was shooting from, the shapes didn’t appear to mean anything. The one at the top looked like a square M . Down from that shape were two sideways lines, and then there was a third, shorter line with a dot beside it. Next was a perfectly round hole, and finally, another sideways line at
Or, wait—he had magical powers now. He could have any food he wanted. He could magic himself up a thick hamburger with all the toppings and a whole plate of fries. Or a big bowl of spaghetti. Or even a tray of doughnuts…with their holes. This magic thing was great!
“There you are,” Wendy said when she saw him coming down the stairs. “I made you a sandwich an hour ago. It’s been sitting for a while, so it’s probably all dried out, but we can’t waste the food.”
Elliot’s image of the doughnuts popped in his head like someone had put a pin to a balloon. He still wanted to use some magic to make himself lunch, but Wendy was sure to notice. He couldn’t figure out any way to convince her that the doughnuts had just been left on the front porch by the mailman, or any other excuse.
Wendy was sitting on the couch still watching the news stories about the sinkholes. He grabbed the sandwich and took a bite, which promptly stuck in his throat. It took three swallows to get it down, and then it sat like a lump in his empty stomach. It was dry all right, like eating a piece of the Sahara Desert.
Dear Reader, if you are looking for a fun place to spend your summer vacation, consider the Sahara Desert. It’s as large as the entire United States, so you’ll have plenty of room to play. Many different nomadic groups live there, so you’re sure to meet lots of interesting people. And if you aren’t attacked by sand vipers, scorpions, or the Saharan cheetah, you should be just fine. Unless there’s a sandstorm. Or if you run out of water and can’t find even one drop for hundreds of miles around you. Or if you forget to bring an extension cord long enough to charge your video game player. Also, you should know that you won’t find many swimming pools in the Sahara Desert, so don’t worry about packing a swimsuit. You won’t need it.
While thinking of the hamburger he could be eating right now, Elliot choked down the rest of the Sahara Desert sandwich and then sat beside his sister.
She pointed to the television screen. “Look at this! Some new sinkholes started appearing on Main Street about ten minutes ago. Luckily nobody was hurt, but a lot of parked cars fell in.”
Elliot looked around the room. “Where is everyone?”
“The twins went to make sure Uncle Rufus’s jail hasn’t sunk,” Wendy said. Uncle Rufus had the unfortunate habit of stealing shiny things. Every time he got caught, he claimed he was too old to remember that it was still against the law to steal things. That trick had only worked the first ten times. Elliot wished Wendy hadn’t let the twins go, but at least the jail wasn’t anywhere near Main Street.
“What about Reed?” he asked.
“He had to work at the Quack Shack,” Wendy said. “I told him not to go, but Reed says he’ll get fired if he doesn’t have a good reason for not showing up.”
“The Quack Shack is in the middle of all those sinkholes,” Elliot said. “I think he has a really good reason not to go!”
“Reed didn’t know about the holes when he left. But when they started happening, Cami said she’d go try to stop him. I’m sure they’ll be back soon. Shh, the reporter’s talking.”
The cameras went live on Main Street, where the reporter explained that although most sinkholes are round, these new ones on Main Street had different shapes to them. “It’s as if someone below the earth collapsed them to look just this way,” he explained.
Then the camera cut to an overhead shot from a helicopter. At the angle the cameraman was shooting from, the shapes didn’t appear to mean anything. The one at the top looked like a square M . Down from that shape were two sideways lines, and then there was a third, shorter line with a dot beside it. Next was a perfectly round hole, and finally, another sideways line at
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