Troubling a Star: The Austin Family Chronicles by Madeleine L'Engle

Author:Madeleine L'Engle [L'Engle, Madeleine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Action & Adventure, People & Places, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Teenage Girls, Mystery and Detective Stories, Avarice, Asia, Antarctica, Americans - Antarctica, Polar Regions
ISBN: 9780312379346
Google: DxOgLgAACAAJ
Amazon: 031237934X
Publisher: Square Fish
Published: 1994-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

I was hallucinating. At least I knew that I was hallucinating, so that meant I had not completely lost touch with reality. I was in Aunt Serena's kitchen and Cook had the freezer door open and it was snowing and it was terribly cold. Cook took the penguin-feather cape off a hook and put it on.

"Cook," / said, "dear Cook, if you and your brother are crazy, then so am I."

"We are not crazy," Cook said. "We are the voice of sanity in a crazy world."

' 'Where are your angels?'' I asked. ' 'Where are their feathers?''

I jerked awake as I realized I was talking out loud. But I wasn't in Aunt Serena's kitchen. I was still on the iceberg. If I kept on hallucinating, I didn't know what would happen to me. I had to keep sane.

***

If the Adam who needed help was my Adam, how did that tie in with this letter?

There was a horrible finality to Adam's words. I shoved the letter into my pocket.

Then I realized that Sam was waiting for me to catch up with the group. "Vicky?"

"Hi." I tried to sound normal. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Sorry I got behind. Are we off to the museum?" Sam slipped into step beside me. "Want to take the bus?"

"No, thanks, I'd rather walk. You take the bus."

"Not me. It's much too nice a day, and it isn't that far." We saw some passengers climb on to a small white bus. The rest of us straggled along the harbor road. "Look at those houses," someone said. "I feel I'm on the route from Heathrow into London."

"Certainly doesn't look even vaguely Hispanic." Jorge, who was walking just in front of us, said, "You know a lot about music, Vicky."

That was something safe to talk about. "No, it's my mother. She says she'd never do housework without music. She loves The Magic Flute and she was playing it last month when she was washing the woodwork and getting ready for Christmas. I guess music has sort of seeped into me without my realizing it." My voice, which had started out galloping unsteadily, sounded almost normal when I finished.

Sam suggested, "Say, Papageno expected us to recognize that last song he sang. What was it?"

After a pause, Siri said, "The words were from John's Revelation, and I think he made up the melody."

"John who?" someone asked.

Sam looked at me. "I'll wager Vicky knows."

I wished he hadn't put me on the spot. "John, from the last chapter of the Bible. My grandfather used to love it. It's full of all kinds of poetry."

Sam smiled at me approvingly.

Adam's letter was burning a hole in my pocket. But I thought I was acting perfectly normal.

Angelique asked, "Did any of you notice how much Papageno looks like Cook?"

Sam said, "He's Cookie's brother. That's why Cookie's leaving the Argosy here at Port Stanley, to visit with his brother, and the rest of us will have to look after Vicky."

Jorge said, "It will be a pleasure."

"Not that she needs much looking after," Leilia said, "but we'll be around if you need us, Vicky.

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.