The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki Read Free Book Online Page B

small ridge. “And there”—Harris pointed—”is the Nameless Woods.”
    “Why doesn’t it have a name?” asked Eddie.
    “That
is
its name.” Harris trotted off down the hill and across the pasture. He called over his shoulder to Eddie, who stood frozen like a statue. “And that’s where we’re going.”
    Once over the small ridge, they came to a green carpet of plants stretching under a flat expanse of trees. They continued their hike in silence. Under the dense canopy of leaves, the light filtered dimly, almost green. The forest was surprisingly dark. The smaller trees twisted toward the rare rays of sunlight. Fighting for space in the rocky soil, some of the bigger tree roots bulged like the swollen tentacles of deep-ocean creatures. As Harris led Eddie into the woods, they waded through a shallow sea of ankle-high plants. There was no path, only dead leaves and prickly brush. Eddie hoped he didn’t end up with poison ivy.
    Finally, they reached a place where the trees did not obscure the sky. A circular clearing stretched out in front ofthem. It was approximately twenty feet in diameter. No greenery grew here. The ground was covered with small rocks. Dust hung in the air.
    From the edge of the clearing, Eddie could see a white figure standing just off the center of the circle, closer to the other side. It looked like a ghost.
    “What is that?” Eddie whispered.
    “A statue,” Harris whispered back. “Come on.”
    They slowly made their way across the clearing. A raven heckled them from a nearby tree, but Eddie couldn’t take his eyes off the figure. Standing in front of her, he could make out more details. The statue was gleaming white—a girl about his own height. She wore a simple robe that bunched at her shoulders, draped at the waist, and fell, pleated all the way to her feet, like something out of a painting he’d seen in an art history book. Her hair was draped in simple wavy ringlets past her shoulders. Her arms were bare and her toes peeked out from the bottom of the robe. The small-domed base on which she stood was carved with all sorts of beasts, dragons, sphinxes, and other strange creatures Eddie did not recognize. Her smile was almost undetectable as her milky eyes stared at Eddie and sent chills up his spine. Her arms were extended, and in her hands she held an open book tilted toward herself.
    “What does the book say?” said Eddie.
    “See for yourself,” said Harris, staying back.
    Feeling almost nauseated, Eddie stepped forward, stood on his toes, and peered over the edge of the stone pages.
    “It’s blank.” Feeling a little too close to her gaze, Eddie stepped away from the statue. “She sort of looks familiar. …”
    Harris smiled, raising an eyebrow. Eddie felt like he was missing something. Then it hit him.
    “Isn’t she from …?”
    “
The Haunted Nunnery”
said Harris. “Yup.”
    “Whoa,” Eddie whispered. He’d found another of Nathaniel’s inspirations. Up close, it looked exactly as he’d imagined.
    Something small crunched through the brush outside of the clearing, and the raven cawed again. The noises made Eddie’s skin prickle, but he told himself that these woods were filled with squirrels, chipmunks, and mice, all harmless creatures that were very good at making crunching sounds. Trying not to sound as freaked out as he felt, he nonchalantly asked, “This is cool and everything, but what does a statue have to do with my book?”
    “I didn’t bring you here to look at
a
statue. I brought you here to look at
this
statue. And I don’t think you’ve looked close enough.”
    “What do you mean?”
    Harris crept close to the statue and leaned underneath her book. “Here.”
    Eddie ducked under the book too. There was somethingcarved there. Eddie leaned closer to see what it was. The symbol from the first page of
The Enigmatic Manuscript
was engraved clearly into the book’s stone cover.

    A cool rush crept underneath Eddie’s clothes, tickling