Chapter Two~ The Lost Empire
1887 AD
"Oh, wow, Grandpa! Look at the size of this tree!" 5-year-old Milo Thatch exclaimed. "It's HUGE! It must be a million billion feet tall!"
"Something close to that," Thaddeus chuckled. He couldn't blame Milo for being excited. It was his first camping trip.
"Oh my goodness! Look at this rock!" Milo gasped, holding up a smooth round rock.
"It's getting kind of late, Milo," Thaddeus cut in. "We should start thinking about turning in."
"Oh, okay Grandpa," Milo said, disappointed. "We can explore more tomorrow."
~*~
By the time Milo had changed into his pajamas, it was dark. He crawled into Grandpa Thatch's lap by the campfire. "Grandpa, could you tell me a story?" he asked.
"Sure. How about the legend of Sasquatch?" Thaddeus suggested.
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the legend of Atlantis," Milo said.
"Atlantis? But you've heard it a hundred times!" Thaddeus protested.
"You know it's my favorite!" Milo giggled.
"Oh, all right. Now, Atlantis was a city," the old man began.
"And it was on an island in the Atlantic Ocean," Milo added.
"Right! Smart boy," Thaddeus said proudly. "And it was very pretty there, with birds, and trees, and waterfalls..."
"Plato described it, huh, Grandpa?" Milo interrupted.
"Right again!" declared Thaddeus. "I always knew you were a genius." He smiled at Milo. "And the Atlanteans had a special abilities. They could heal bad sicknesses and wounds."
"And they had magical flying machines!" Milo exclaimed.
"Well, I don't know if they were magic," Thaddeus said. "The legend says that the Atlanteans had a special power source that allowed them to do these things."
"Oh. Wow...." Milo whispered. "What happened to it?"
"Well, I suppose it was lost when Atlantis sank," Thaddeus said thoughtfully.
"I know that part!" Milo exclaimed. "A big tidal wave came and smashed the city and sank it!" Thaddeus nodded. "Why did the tidal wave come?" Milo asked.
"Well, I know at the time of its destruction, Atlantis was at war with Greece and Egypt, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. Nature's just unpredictable, I guess."
"Yeah," Milo yawned. "You and me are gonna find Atlantis, right, Grandpa?" he said sleepily.
"You and I, son," Grandpa Thatch corrected.
~*~
Milo awoke abruptly and looked around the tent. He had been having a strange dream... He was standing in the middle of an ancient city. People were running and shouting. Standing a few feet away was a little girl and a man. The girl called out in a language that Milo couldn't understand. Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and a huge wall of water slammed into the city. Then Milo woke up.
Milo groggily rubbed his eyes. "What a dream," he muttered. Could it have been the sinking of Atlantis?
Just then, Milo heard a noise. It sounded like a baby crying almost. Milo glanced around the tent fearfully. "Grandpa?" he said softly.
"Hmm? Um- what?" Thaddeus mumbled.
"I heard a noise." The cry sounded throughout the woods again. Thaddeus sat up, instantly alert.
"Is it a bear?" Milo asked.
""No,,," Thaddeus whispered. "Sounds more like a cat of some sort."
"You mean like a tiger?" Milo's voice shook nervously.
"No, I mean like a mountain lion." Grandpa Thatch picked up his rifle and headed out inot the woods. "I'm going to investigate."
"Be careful, Grandpa!" Milo called.
A few minutes later, Milo heard his grandfather's voice. "Hey, Milo, come out here and look at this!" Milo walked out of the tent in the direction of Grandpa Thatch's voice. He soon saw his grandpa kneeling near a hollow log. "Look inside, " Thaddeus said. Milo did so. In the log was a mama cat and her baby kittens, purring happily.
"Oh, Grandpa," Milo said, taking a kitten into his arms. "Can we keep them?"
"Why not?" Thaddeus said. "Every boy your age ought to have a pet or two... or six, as the case may be!"
1887 AD
"Oh, wow, Grandpa! Look at the size of this tree!" 5-year-old Milo Thatch exclaimed. "It's HUGE! It must be a million billion feet tall!"
"Something close to that," Thaddeus chuckled. He couldn't blame Milo for being excited. It was his first camping trip.
"Oh my goodness! Look at this rock!" Milo gasped, holding up a smooth round rock.
"It's getting kind of late, Milo," Thaddeus cut in. "We should start thinking about turning in."
"Oh, okay Grandpa," Milo said, disappointed. "We can explore more tomorrow."
By the time Milo had changed into his pajamas, it was dark. He crawled into Grandpa Thatch's lap by the campfire. "Grandpa, could you tell me a story?" he asked.
"Sure. How about the legend of Sasquatch?" Thaddeus suggested.
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the legend of Atlantis," Milo said.
"Atlantis? But you've heard it a hundred times!" Thaddeus protested.
"You know it's my favorite!" Milo giggled.
"Oh, all right. Now, Atlantis was a city," the old man began.
"And it was on an island in the Atlantic Ocean," Milo added.
"Right! Smart boy," Thaddeus said proudly. "And it was very pretty there, with birds, and trees, and waterfalls..."
"Plato described it, huh, Grandpa?" Milo interrupted.
"Right again!" declared Thaddeus. "I always knew you were a genius." He smiled at Milo. "And the Atlanteans had a special abilities. They could heal bad sicknesses and wounds."
"And they had magical flying machines!" Milo exclaimed.
"Well, I don't know if they were magic," Thaddeus said. "The legend says that the Atlanteans had a special power source that allowed them to do these things."
"Oh. Wow...." Milo whispered. "What happened to it?"
"Well, I suppose it was lost when Atlantis sank," Thaddeus said thoughtfully.
"I know that part!" Milo exclaimed. "A big tidal wave came and smashed the city and sank it!" Thaddeus nodded. "Why did the tidal wave come?" Milo asked.
"Well, I know at the time of its destruction, Atlantis was at war with Greece and Egypt, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. Nature's just unpredictable, I guess."
"Yeah," Milo yawned. "You and me are gonna find Atlantis, right, Grandpa?" he said sleepily.
"You and I, son," Grandpa Thatch corrected.
Milo awoke abruptly and looked around the tent. He had been having a strange dream... He was standing in the middle of an ancient city. People were running and shouting. Standing a few feet away was a little girl and a man. The girl called out in a language that Milo couldn't understand. Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and a huge wall of water slammed into the city. Then Milo woke up.
Milo groggily rubbed his eyes. "What a dream," he muttered. Could it have been the sinking of Atlantis?
Just then, Milo heard a noise. It sounded like a baby crying almost. Milo glanced around the tent fearfully. "Grandpa?" he said softly.
"Hmm? Um- what?" Thaddeus mumbled.
"I heard a noise." The cry sounded throughout the woods again. Thaddeus sat up, instantly alert.
"Is it a bear?" Milo asked.
""No,,," Thaddeus whispered. "Sounds more like a cat of some sort."
"You mean like a tiger?" Milo's voice shook nervously.
"No, I mean like a mountain lion." Grandpa Thatch picked up his rifle and headed out inot the woods. "I'm going to investigate."
"Be careful, Grandpa!" Milo called.
A few minutes later, Milo heard his grandfather's voice. "Hey, Milo, come out here and look at this!" Milo walked out of the tent in the direction of Grandpa Thatch's voice. He soon saw his grandpa kneeling near a hollow log. "Look inside, " Thaddeus said. Milo did so. In the log was a mama cat and her baby kittens, purring happily.
"Oh, Grandpa," Milo said, taking a kitten into his arms. "Can we keep them?"
"Why not?" Thaddeus said. "Every boy your age ought to have a pet or two... or six, as the case may be!"