The Second Forever by Colin Thompson Read Free Book Online Page A

the museum and gave it the old woman Bathline to look after,’ the old man said. ‘It seemed like the best plan. After all, who would ever think that a feeble old lady like that would be guarding such a valuablething?’
    â€˜And what went wrong?’ said Festival.
    â€˜My grandfather overlooked the fact that Bathline had a sick child,’ Peter’s grandfather explained. ‘The temptation was just too strong and she read the book to her child without realising that every time someone reads it, the book calls out to its creator.’
    â€˜So why didn’t Darkwood just come here and get it?’
    â€˜He cannot enter this world because he would not be able to get home again,’ said the old man. ‘Instead he tried to get people from this world to take it to him, first your father and then you.’
    â€˜But he brought me the book,’ said Peter, ‘when we were out on the island. He must know a way between the two worlds.’
    â€˜Not necessarily,’ said Festival. ‘He could have got someone to bring him the book.’
    â€˜Or some thing ,’ said Peter’s grandfather.
    â€˜So he must at least have a way of communicating between here and there,’ said Peter.
    â€˜And how did you get here?’ said Festival, turning to the old man. ‘How did you know about the bat and the Journey Bell?’

    â€˜Well, usually for every bad deed there is a good deed, and for every bad person there is a good one,’ Peter’s grandfather said. ‘There is a good person who lives on the top gallery. He thought Darkwood washis friend – that is, until he created the book, and then they never spoke again – and when I was a child he was like an uncle to me. He told me wonderful stories, and it was he who told me about this world outside our own and how to come here.’
    â€˜Do you mean Foreclaw?’ said Peter.
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜How weird,’ said Festival. ‘We thought he was strange and we didn’t trust him at first.’
    â€˜I expect he was just being cautious in case Darkwood had sent you,’ the old man suggested. ‘You know, once I arrived here with Foreclaw’s help my grandfather and I thought we could keep the book hidden forever, but when your father vanished I knew the book had had something to do with it. You both know yourselves that it has an awesome power. Look at the flood and the drought it has created to force us to bring it back to life.’
    â€˜But wasn’t that just bad luck?’ said Festival. ‘Because we read the book by the river?’
    â€˜Maybe,’ said the old man. ‘If you believe there is such a thing as luck.’
    â€˜So do you think that if we bring the book back to life, it will begin to rain here?’ said Peter.
    â€˜Yes,’ said Peter’s grandfather, ‘though I wish I didn’t. After all, it means you have to return there.’

    â€˜What would happen if we re-created the bookhere?’ said Peter. ‘We could find a quiet, safe room and write it in there. Wouldn’t that work?’
    â€˜Yes and no,’ said the old man. ‘You’d still have to take it and read it above the waterfall. Though I suppose if you created it here, you wouldn’t have to spend so long away.’
    â€˜We have to wait for the full moon anyway,’ said Festival. ‘So we might as well do it.’
    The old man leant over the side of the bed and opened a small drawer.
    â€˜Here,’ he said, ‘take this.’
    He handed Peter a small book. If he hadn’t seen the original book disintegrate as he and Festival had read it five years before, Peter would have sworn he was holding it now. The cover was soft and worn, polished smooth as if by a thousand hands, yet when he opened it, the pages were blank.
    â€˜This is the twin of the original,’ said Peter’s grandfather. ‘My grandfather wanted me to