Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart

Author:Dan Gemeinhart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2016-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

Jonathan shuffled through the pitch-black corridors, his eyes on the uneven floor before him and his ears listening for the skittering sound of rat claws on stone. He held a tall white candle in one hand. He gripped the candle tight, his palm sweaty. His body didn’t like being that close to the hot flicker of a flame. Neither did his heart, for that matter. He steadied his shaking as best he could and pressed on through the darkness.

He ducked under the now-familiar rope gate and descended the stairs, pausing for only a second to listen at the narrow passage that dropped down to the Hatch. Then he climbed the other staircase and retraced his steps to the closed door of the library.

Again, light showed from beneath it. And, again, low humming sounded behind it. He took a breath and then knocked on the door. The humming stopped, and the door creaked open.

“Ah,” the librarian said, with a raise of his bushy eyebrows. “It’s you. Again. Come in.”

Jonathan entered the lighted warmth of the library and let the door close behind him.

“Back for another book?”

“Um, no. Just to look, I guess.”

“Are you reading? Robinson Crusoe?”

“Yeah. A bunch of us are. It’s pretty good.”

“Yes. It is.” The librarian turned and walked back among the shelves. Jonathan followed, the candle still in his hand. He stepped quickly away when he saw the giant rat, Ninety-Nine, atop a shelf at his shoulder, sniffing and stretching toward him with his nose. The librarian saw and smiled.

“Oh. Don’t mind him. He just wants. To be petted.” The librarian reached back an arm, and the rat scrambled up it, his claws catching in the woolen sleeve, and curled up around the librarian’s neck.

“What is the Hatch?” Jonathan asked abruptly. The Hatch—the sound of its violent knocking and sloshing, how deeply it lurked in the darkness of the prison like a shameful secret, with the skull standing silent guard—had haunted his thoughts since he’d left it.

“The Hatch? Ah. Yes. Quite a curiosity. Isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It looks so … old. And it makes all these weird sounds.”

The librarian smiled a strange, knowing smile and shook his head.

“It is old. But it does not make any sounds. No. It’s what’s behind it. That makes the noise.”

“Well, what’s behind it, then?”

The librarian pursed his lips and leaned forward, cocking one sideways eye at Jonathan. Ninety-Nine’s beady eyes sparkled at him.

“The sea, my boy. It is. The sea itself. Behind that ancient door.”

“The sea? How?”

The librarian heaved a heavy breath and walked over to the closest window, mostly blocked by standing books. He pulled one of the books down and peered through the space where it had been. The gray light shone through the old man’s wispy white hair.

“The water,” the librarian whispered, looking out at the storm-tossed waves. “It is rising.” He cocked one eye back over his shoulder toward Jonathan. “Or the island is sinking. Both. I think.” He looked out again through the gap at the sea. When he spoke this time, his voice was different.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.