Read Online Return To Lan Darr by Anderson Atlas - Free Book Online
Authors: Anderson Atlas
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himself, do you?”
“No. That’s crazy. He has no way of getting there. He’d have to hire the taxi and that would be, like, a one-hundred-dollar ride. Allan doesn’t have that much money. He’s gone to the Riverwalk. He’s gone there to think, to be by himself. Please, he’s feeling bad. I will find him and talk to him first, then you can. Just go and wait for his call.”
Laura turns and walks down the walkway. At the sidewalk, she turns and watches Rubic close the door.
She presses the phone button on her cell. “Call Allan,” she orders her phone.
“Calling Allan,” the phone responds.
The phone rings and rings. She hangs up and texts, ‘Call me. I need to see you. I’m sorry and I want to make it up to you.’
She turns and jogs home. As she nears her house she stops running and dials his phone again. No response. “He always answers. Something is wrong, I can feel it.” Laura bursts into her home. “Mom!” she yells at the top of her lungs.
Mrs. Domley comes down the stairs in baby-blue sweats, her hair pinned up in a top bun, and she’s holding a coffee mug. “No need to yell like that. What is it?”
“I need you to drive me to the mountain. I feel so awful about losing Allan’s diary and betraying him like that.”
“Oh, honey, just call him.”
“I did! He’s not answering. Mr. Westerfield was shocked that he wasn’t home. Allan has gone to the mountain by himself. I know it.”
“How did he get to the mountain by himself?”
“Allan mentioned taking a taxi up there.” Laura said, talking fast, the blood pounding in her eardrum.
“Oh, that’s an hour away. How could he afford that?”
“I don’t know how he has the money. I just know that’s where he’s gone. He thinks he can travel to another planet by sprinkling pollen over his head! He’s…” Laura cries. “He’s a little delusional. He needs help.”
Laura’s mother hugs her hard. “I’ll take you up there, just in case you’re right.”
She sobs into her mother’s shoulder, releasing the tension that had built up all night.
“Let’s get going, if we’re to catch up to him,” Mrs. Domley says. “Do you know where he’ll be? It’s a big mountain.”
“Yes. There is one last trail he wants to hike before the summer ends . It’s by the Boy Scout camp, and he is pretty excited about it. There’s a huge field of flowers there.” Laura feels like she knows the mountainside as well as she knows the Bill of Rights, which is extremely well.
Mrs. Domley and Laura hop into the yellow MINI Cooper and head to the mountain as fast as the car will carry them.
The mountain is a lovely place, lush, expansive, quiet. Laura loved hiking the trails with Allan and Rubic, spying the birds and occasional deer. They’d crossed the river on the trails, and every time they did, Laura would think about how a flash flood came barreling down with such force that it swept up Allan and Rubic. It’s hard for Laura to picture because the river is so shallow. But that’s what happened. Rubic was pinned under a boulder, and Allan had to crawl to get help. Laura would often think about how hard that must have been for someone who is paralyzed. Allan is as determined and strong as she is.
At some point along Allan’s journey, Alice had abducted him and taken him to the dam. Her reasons remain a mystery. The newspapers had their fun with some crazy ideas about it all. None of their ideas are as crazy as Allan’s idea of space travel.
Mrs. Domley takes the freeway exit at dangerous speeds. She speeds down Pine Road and stops at the last gas station with a food mart and fills the tank.
“I’m going to get me and Allan a drink, his favorite,” Laura says. Her mother nods.
Laura runs into the food mart and gets herself a mocha and Allan a frappuccino, and then returns to the car.
Laura’s mood lightens as the car turns onto the narrow, winding Blue Mountain Road. She knows he’s up here. He’s determined to
“No. That’s crazy. He has no way of getting there. He’d have to hire the taxi and that would be, like, a one-hundred-dollar ride. Allan doesn’t have that much money. He’s gone to the Riverwalk. He’s gone there to think, to be by himself. Please, he’s feeling bad. I will find him and talk to him first, then you can. Just go and wait for his call.”
Laura turns and walks down the walkway. At the sidewalk, she turns and watches Rubic close the door.
She presses the phone button on her cell. “Call Allan,” she orders her phone.
“Calling Allan,” the phone responds.
The phone rings and rings. She hangs up and texts, ‘Call me. I need to see you. I’m sorry and I want to make it up to you.’
She turns and jogs home. As she nears her house she stops running and dials his phone again. No response. “He always answers. Something is wrong, I can feel it.” Laura bursts into her home. “Mom!” she yells at the top of her lungs.
Mrs. Domley comes down the stairs in baby-blue sweats, her hair pinned up in a top bun, and she’s holding a coffee mug. “No need to yell like that. What is it?”
“I need you to drive me to the mountain. I feel so awful about losing Allan’s diary and betraying him like that.”
“Oh, honey, just call him.”
“I did! He’s not answering. Mr. Westerfield was shocked that he wasn’t home. Allan has gone to the mountain by himself. I know it.”
“How did he get to the mountain by himself?”
“Allan mentioned taking a taxi up there.” Laura said, talking fast, the blood pounding in her eardrum.
“Oh, that’s an hour away. How could he afford that?”
“I don’t know how he has the money. I just know that’s where he’s gone. He thinks he can travel to another planet by sprinkling pollen over his head! He’s…” Laura cries. “He’s a little delusional. He needs help.”
Laura’s mother hugs her hard. “I’ll take you up there, just in case you’re right.”
She sobs into her mother’s shoulder, releasing the tension that had built up all night.
“Let’s get going, if we’re to catch up to him,” Mrs. Domley says. “Do you know where he’ll be? It’s a big mountain.”
“Yes. There is one last trail he wants to hike before the summer ends . It’s by the Boy Scout camp, and he is pretty excited about it. There’s a huge field of flowers there.” Laura feels like she knows the mountainside as well as she knows the Bill of Rights, which is extremely well.
Mrs. Domley and Laura hop into the yellow MINI Cooper and head to the mountain as fast as the car will carry them.
The mountain is a lovely place, lush, expansive, quiet. Laura loved hiking the trails with Allan and Rubic, spying the birds and occasional deer. They’d crossed the river on the trails, and every time they did, Laura would think about how a flash flood came barreling down with such force that it swept up Allan and Rubic. It’s hard for Laura to picture because the river is so shallow. But that’s what happened. Rubic was pinned under a boulder, and Allan had to crawl to get help. Laura would often think about how hard that must have been for someone who is paralyzed. Allan is as determined and strong as she is.
At some point along Allan’s journey, Alice had abducted him and taken him to the dam. Her reasons remain a mystery. The newspapers had their fun with some crazy ideas about it all. None of their ideas are as crazy as Allan’s idea of space travel.
Mrs. Domley takes the freeway exit at dangerous speeds. She speeds down Pine Road and stops at the last gas station with a food mart and fills the tank.
“I’m going to get me and Allan a drink, his favorite,” Laura says. Her mother nods.
Laura runs into the food mart and gets herself a mocha and Allan a frappuccino, and then returns to the car.
Laura’s mood lightens as the car turns onto the narrow, winding Blue Mountain Road. She knows he’s up here. He’s determined to
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