Monster Island by M. M. Eboch & Sarah Horne

Author:M. M. Eboch & Sarah Horne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rourke Educational Media
Published: 2016-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Riding a dolphin sounded so cool! It would almost be worth falling off a boat if you could be rescued that way. Maybe. But riding a dolphin without falling overboard would be even better.

They walked onward. Something rustled in the grass nearby. Grace paused to look. Maybe it was a bird or a small animal such as a rabbit. She wasn’t sure what animals they had in Greece.

Jaden stopped beside her. “What are you looking at?”

“Some kind of animal, I think.”

The grasses rustled again. A long snake slithered past them, a few feet away. It was three feet long, pale with dark spots. Grace backed up. Snakes could be dangerous.

“Cool!” Jaden took a step toward it.

Grace grabbed his arm. “Wait!” Dad pulled Jaden and Grace farther away. Daphne looked down at the snake from a few feet away. “That’s a Balkan Whip Snake. They’re not venomous – no poison – but they can bite. In any case, leave it alone so you don’t hurt the snake.”

“But I’ve seen guys on TV pick up snakes,” Jaden said.

Daphne frowned. “Some experts know how to handle snakes. They still risk injuring the snake, though. It’s best to leave wild animals alone.”

“Especially if you don’t know about the animal,” Dad said. “Some snakes are poisonous. Remember, one killed Eurydice, Orpheus’s wife.”

“But I like snakes,” Jaden said.

“I do too,” Daphne said. “Snakes do a lot of good. They eat insects and rodents such as rats. Rodents can eat people’s food and carry disease. Without snakes, we might have far too many mice and rats. Snakes are part of nature’s balance. We should leave them alone – for their sake and ours!”

Jaden sighed and they kept walking. “Do you know the story of Medusa?” Daphne asked. “She had snakes instead of hair. Anyone who looked at her face was turned to stone. The hero Perseus finally killed her. He used a mirrored shield so he wouldn’t have to look directly at her. When he cut off her head, the winged horse Pegasus was born from her blood.”

“A horse with wings would be the best pet ever,” Jaden said.

Grace could agree with that. “Aren’t there any Greek girl heroes?”

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