Read Online Prometheus Road by Bruce Balfour - Free Book Online
Authors: Bruce Balfour
Tags: Science-Fiction
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the Bungle Jungle, isn’t that right? You like the Bungle Jungle, don’t you, Weed? We know your brother likes our Bungle Jungle stories.”
Weed nodded. The Bungle Jungle had funny little animals in it. She liked little animals.
Bumbleberry clapped her hands in delight. “Righty-rootie, the Bungle Jungle it is. That’s where our friend, Bun-Bun the Bunny lives.”
Weed rolled her eyes when she heard the bunny’s name. Her friends inside the crystal were good at telling stories, but their predictable names all started to sound alike after a while—Kappy the Kangaroo, Hip-Hop the Hamster, Pimpy the Puppy—it was enough to drive a little girl mad.
An odd noise in the sky caught her attention. At first, she thought it might be the screech of a hawk, but the sound kept going. Then she saw a long, black sausage shape that didn’t look like a bird at all. It seemed to be floating like a balloon, but if it was a balloon, it was a very big one.
“One day,” Bumbleberry began, capturing Weed’s attention again, “Bun-Bun was out hopping in the jungle with Piggle Wiggle and Melvin the Monkey. It was a bright and sunny day, and for once there were no hungry crocodiles waiting on the path beside the watering hole where they liked to swim.” An image of the three smiling animals, holding hands and bouncing down the jungle trail, appeared above the story crystal. Bumbleberry, Rumpus, and Rumtumtumbleberry were watching the story unfold along with Weed, who thought it was nice to have friends watching the story with her. Remembering the floating black sausage, Weed glanced up at the sky again, but it was gone. That seemed strange to her, but she didn’t think about it much because Goofy Gazelle, one of her favorite jungle characters, had just appeared on the path, and he had put up a sign so he could charge admission to the watering hole. The other animals were busy hunting for money in their pockets until they realized they didn’t have any pockets. Weed smiled at first, then her expression switched to a frown. The animals were funny, but she felt bad because they wouldn’t be able to swim on a hot day. Then Goofy Gazelle laughed and said he was only kidding, and they could all swim together in the watering hole for free.
Aware that this was just the beginning of the story, Weed wanted to get more comfortable. The straw in the bale was poking into her legs. She slid down behind the bale, resting her back on the cool grassy berm that formed the back wall of the barn, leaving her feet propped up on the straw. The breeze was getting cooler now that the sun had gone down, and the bale gave off a pleasantly sweet fragrance.
As the jungle animals dove into the watering hole, surrounded by jungle trees that were damp from the mist in the waterfall, Weed heard another odd sound—a kind of high-pitched shriek—and the dark sky suddenly began to brighten. That was strange, since the sun had just gone down, and the glow was brighter than moonlight. And getting brighter. She heard a low rumbling like thunder as the earth trembled beneath her. The jungle characters continued on about their business, laughing and splashing, but Weed’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened.
The thunder spoke.
And then the light was everywhere.
Weed shut her eyes tight.
TOM and Helix were about a mile from home, coming down the last hill in the deep darkness beneath the tall pine and oak trees, when a bright flash caught his attention. Helix yelped, then a huge, invisible hand from a shock wave knocked them both flat on the ground behind an outcropping of granite. Startled, Tom began to sit up again when a wave of intense heat rolled past, partly deflected by the granite shelf. It took only a few seconds before he realized which direction the blast had come from. He rolled over and hauled himself to his feet, using the granite shelf to support him as his head spun. The back of his head hurt, so he assumed the dizziness had
Weed nodded. The Bungle Jungle had funny little animals in it. She liked little animals.
Bumbleberry clapped her hands in delight. “Righty-rootie, the Bungle Jungle it is. That’s where our friend, Bun-Bun the Bunny lives.”
Weed rolled her eyes when she heard the bunny’s name. Her friends inside the crystal were good at telling stories, but their predictable names all started to sound alike after a while—Kappy the Kangaroo, Hip-Hop the Hamster, Pimpy the Puppy—it was enough to drive a little girl mad.
An odd noise in the sky caught her attention. At first, she thought it might be the screech of a hawk, but the sound kept going. Then she saw a long, black sausage shape that didn’t look like a bird at all. It seemed to be floating like a balloon, but if it was a balloon, it was a very big one.
“One day,” Bumbleberry began, capturing Weed’s attention again, “Bun-Bun was out hopping in the jungle with Piggle Wiggle and Melvin the Monkey. It was a bright and sunny day, and for once there were no hungry crocodiles waiting on the path beside the watering hole where they liked to swim.” An image of the three smiling animals, holding hands and bouncing down the jungle trail, appeared above the story crystal. Bumbleberry, Rumpus, and Rumtumtumbleberry were watching the story unfold along with Weed, who thought it was nice to have friends watching the story with her. Remembering the floating black sausage, Weed glanced up at the sky again, but it was gone. That seemed strange to her, but she didn’t think about it much because Goofy Gazelle, one of her favorite jungle characters, had just appeared on the path, and he had put up a sign so he could charge admission to the watering hole. The other animals were busy hunting for money in their pockets until they realized they didn’t have any pockets. Weed smiled at first, then her expression switched to a frown. The animals were funny, but she felt bad because they wouldn’t be able to swim on a hot day. Then Goofy Gazelle laughed and said he was only kidding, and they could all swim together in the watering hole for free.
Aware that this was just the beginning of the story, Weed wanted to get more comfortable. The straw in the bale was poking into her legs. She slid down behind the bale, resting her back on the cool grassy berm that formed the back wall of the barn, leaving her feet propped up on the straw. The breeze was getting cooler now that the sun had gone down, and the bale gave off a pleasantly sweet fragrance.
As the jungle animals dove into the watering hole, surrounded by jungle trees that were damp from the mist in the waterfall, Weed heard another odd sound—a kind of high-pitched shriek—and the dark sky suddenly began to brighten. That was strange, since the sun had just gone down, and the glow was brighter than moonlight. And getting brighter. She heard a low rumbling like thunder as the earth trembled beneath her. The jungle characters continued on about their business, laughing and splashing, but Weed’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened.
The thunder spoke.
And then the light was everywhere.
Weed shut her eyes tight.
TOM and Helix were about a mile from home, coming down the last hill in the deep darkness beneath the tall pine and oak trees, when a bright flash caught his attention. Helix yelped, then a huge, invisible hand from a shock wave knocked them both flat on the ground behind an outcropping of granite. Startled, Tom began to sit up again when a wave of intense heat rolled past, partly deflected by the granite shelf. It took only a few seconds before he realized which direction the blast had come from. He rolled over and hauled himself to his feet, using the granite shelf to support him as his head spun. The back of his head hurt, so he assumed the dizziness had
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