The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key Read Free Book Online Page A

Mary, I’m judging by what I see. Jon’s people haven’t progressed beyond barter and the handloom. They must be tribal, for he knows nothing of money, laws, cities, and government.”
    â€œThomas, cities come and go. Governments fall, and money becomes worthless. Is there a mill on this earth that can produce anything as wonderful as Jon’s jacket?”
    â€œWell, if we had that kind of fiber —”
    â€œBut we haven’t. Can anyone on this earth learn a language as quickly as he learned ours — and read our thoughts the way he does?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œCan anyone move the way he does?”
    Thomas shook his head, his lips compressed.
    â€œThomas,” she went on, “if all the people on this earth — everybody — were absolutely honest, would we need laws and jails — and armies and bombs and things?”
    â€œH’mm. Guess not.”
    â€œDoesn’t it seem obvious that Jon’s people are actually far in advance of us?”
    â€œThey’re certainly mighty intelligent …”
    â€œSo intelligent that they could easily have all the expensive and complicated things we have, if they wanted them. But they must not want them. They don’t value them. I’m sure they’ve progressed way beyond them — and value other things more. Thomas, how long do you think it will take us to do away with crime and war?”
    Thomas Bean shook his head. “At the rate we’re going, we’ll need another million years.”
    â€œThen there’s our starting point. If Jon’s people are a million years ahead of us, they’ve long known about space travel, and they’ve simplified it. They seem to have simplified everything else. My goodness, Thomas, they could have worked out something as simple as stepping through a door from one room to another.”
    â€œThat sounds a little farfetched,” said Thomas. “But maybe I’m a million years behind. Does it make any sense to you, Jon?”
    Something moved in his mind. “From one room to another,” he repeated. “Door — door — It seems familiar — the idea, I mean.”
    â€œThink!” Mary Bean urged. “Think hard!”
    It was no use. The thought, whatever it was, remained in hiding.
    When Brooks and Sally came home from school, he spent the rest of the afternoon helping Brooks in the garden. Already they had begun to accept him as Jon O’Connor.
    Lying awake in the night beside Brooks, he searched again for the hidden thought. It seemed important, the most important of all the hidden thoughts; but the harder he searched for it, the farther it seemed to retreat from him.
    He dozed finally, and long later awoke suddenly. Rascal was barking, warning of wild creatures crossing the pasture. Deer.
    Instantly, silently, he was out of bed, telling Rascal to be quiet while he drew on his clothes. In another minute he was outside, running with lightened feet to the pasture fence and bounding over it.
    But the deer had been frightened by Rascal’s barking. They had gone back up the forested slope, and refused to come down again.
    Disappointed, Little Jon paused, and automatically glanced upward.
    For the first time since his arrival he saw the wonder of the stars. Here in the open pasture, above the black bowl of the surrounding mountains, they blazed in uncounted millions. Even as he stared at them, one streaked like a flaming jewel across the sky.
    A shooting star! There had been shooting stars when — something happened. Shooting stars — and a door.
    He raced back to the house, excited. It was nearly dawn, and the Beans were already stirring. As he burst into the living room he saw Thomas, still in pajamas, lighting a fire in the fireplace.
    â€œThere was a door! I remember that part …”
    â€œA door?” said Thomas, as Mary hastened in from the kitchen. “What kind of door?”
    â€œI