Read Online Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Cornelia Funke
Tags: Fantasy fiction, People & Places, Juvenile Fiction, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Europe, Children's stories, Books & Libraries, Inkheart, Created by pisces_abhi, Storytelling
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was perfectly quiet. Meggie sensed his thoughts were far away. But where?
Finally, he sat on the side of the table and looked at her. "I just don't like reading aloud," he said, as if it was the most uninteresting subject in the world. "You know I don't. That's all."
"But why not? I mean, you make up stories. You tell wonderful stories. You can do all the voices and make it exciting and then funny .. "
Mo crossed his arms over his chest as if hiding behind them.
"You could read me Tom Sawyer," suggested Meggie, "or How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin." That was one of Mo's favorite stories. When she was smaller they sometimes played at having crumbs in their clothes, like the crumbs in the rhino's skin.
"Yes, an excellent story," murmured Mo, turning his back to her again. He picked up the folder in which he kept his endpapers and leafed absentmindedly through them. "Every book should begin with attractive endpapers," he had once told Meggie. "Preferably in a dark color: dark red or dark blue, depending on the binding. When you open the book it's like going to the theater.
First you see the curtain. Then it's pulled aside and the show begins."
"Meggie, I really do have to work now," he said without turning around. "The sooner I'm through with Elinor's books the sooner we can go home again."
Meggie put the book about creatures who were masters of disguise back in its place. "Suppose he didn't stick the horns on?" she asked.
"What?"
34
"Gwin's horns. Suppose Dustfinger didn't stick them on?"
"Well, he did." Mo drew a chair up to the table that wasn't long enough for him. "By the way, Elinor's gone shopping. If you feel faint with hunger before she gets back, just make yourself a couple of pancakes, OK?"
"OK," murmured Meggie. For a moment she wondered whether to tell him about her date with Dustfinger that night, hut then she decided against it. "Do you think I can take some of these books to my room?" she asked instead.
"I'm sure you can. So long as they don't disappear into your box."
"Like that book thief you once told me about?" Meggie put three books under her left arm and four under her right arm. "How many was it he stole? Thirty thousand?"
"Forty thousand," said Mo. "But at least he didn't kill the owners."
"No, that was the Spanish monk whose name I've forgotten." Meggie went over to the door and opened it with her toe. "Dustfinger says Capricorn would kill you to get hold of that book." She tried to make her voice sound casual. "Would he, Mo?"
"Meggie!" Mo turned around with the paper knife pretending to point it at her threateningly. "Go and lie in the sun or bury your pretty nose in those books, but please let me get some work done.
And tell Dustfinger I will carve him into very thin slices with this knife if he goes on telling you such nonsense."
"That wasn't a proper answer!" said Meggie, making her way out into the hallway with an armful of books.
Once in her room, she spread the books out on the huge bed and began to read. She read about beetles who moved into empty snail shells as we might move into an empty house, about frogs shaped like leaves, and caterpillars with brightly colored spines on their backs, white-bearded monkeys, striped anteaters, and cats that dig in the ground for sweet potatoes. There seemed to be everything here, every creature Meggie could imagine, and even more that she could never have dreamed existed at all. But none of Elinor's clever books said a word about martens with horns.
35
Chapter 6 – Fire And Stars
So along they came with dancing bears, dogs and goats, monkeys and marmots, walking the tightrope, turning somersaults both backward and forwards, throwing daggers and knives and suffering no injury when they fell on their points and blades, swallowing fire and chewing stones, doing tricks with magic goblets and chains under cover of cloak and hat, making puppets fence with each other, trilling like nightingales, screaming like peacocks, calling like deer,
Finally, he sat on the side of the table and looked at her. "I just don't like reading aloud," he said, as if it was the most uninteresting subject in the world. "You know I don't. That's all."
"But why not? I mean, you make up stories. You tell wonderful stories. You can do all the voices and make it exciting and then funny .. "
Mo crossed his arms over his chest as if hiding behind them.
"You could read me Tom Sawyer," suggested Meggie, "or How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin." That was one of Mo's favorite stories. When she was smaller they sometimes played at having crumbs in their clothes, like the crumbs in the rhino's skin.
"Yes, an excellent story," murmured Mo, turning his back to her again. He picked up the folder in which he kept his endpapers and leafed absentmindedly through them. "Every book should begin with attractive endpapers," he had once told Meggie. "Preferably in a dark color: dark red or dark blue, depending on the binding. When you open the book it's like going to the theater.
First you see the curtain. Then it's pulled aside and the show begins."
"Meggie, I really do have to work now," he said without turning around. "The sooner I'm through with Elinor's books the sooner we can go home again."
Meggie put the book about creatures who were masters of disguise back in its place. "Suppose he didn't stick the horns on?" she asked.
"What?"
34
"Gwin's horns. Suppose Dustfinger didn't stick them on?"
"Well, he did." Mo drew a chair up to the table that wasn't long enough for him. "By the way, Elinor's gone shopping. If you feel faint with hunger before she gets back, just make yourself a couple of pancakes, OK?"
"OK," murmured Meggie. For a moment she wondered whether to tell him about her date with Dustfinger that night, hut then she decided against it. "Do you think I can take some of these books to my room?" she asked instead.
"I'm sure you can. So long as they don't disappear into your box."
"Like that book thief you once told me about?" Meggie put three books under her left arm and four under her right arm. "How many was it he stole? Thirty thousand?"
"Forty thousand," said Mo. "But at least he didn't kill the owners."
"No, that was the Spanish monk whose name I've forgotten." Meggie went over to the door and opened it with her toe. "Dustfinger says Capricorn would kill you to get hold of that book." She tried to make her voice sound casual. "Would he, Mo?"
"Meggie!" Mo turned around with the paper knife pretending to point it at her threateningly. "Go and lie in the sun or bury your pretty nose in those books, but please let me get some work done.
And tell Dustfinger I will carve him into very thin slices with this knife if he goes on telling you such nonsense."
"That wasn't a proper answer!" said Meggie, making her way out into the hallway with an armful of books.
Once in her room, she spread the books out on the huge bed and began to read. She read about beetles who moved into empty snail shells as we might move into an empty house, about frogs shaped like leaves, and caterpillars with brightly colored spines on their backs, white-bearded monkeys, striped anteaters, and cats that dig in the ground for sweet potatoes. There seemed to be everything here, every creature Meggie could imagine, and even more that she could never have dreamed existed at all. But none of Elinor's clever books said a word about martens with horns.
35
Chapter 6 – Fire And Stars
So along they came with dancing bears, dogs and goats, monkeys and marmots, walking the tightrope, turning somersaults both backward and forwards, throwing daggers and knives and suffering no injury when they fell on their points and blades, swallowing fire and chewing stones, doing tricks with magic goblets and chains under cover of cloak and hat, making puppets fence with each other, trilling like nightingales, screaming like peacocks, calling like deer,
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