Alex reads, Anything can happen in the blink of an eye. Anything at all.
One.
Two.
Three.
Blink.
"This is weird." Alex blurts out.
"Alex!" yelled Uncle Chris
"Okay ok ill keep going."
A girl is laughing with her friends. Suddenly, a crater splits apart the earth. Through it bursts a man in an ink blank chariot forged in the deepest pits of hell, drawn by stallions with hooves of steel and eyes of flame before anyone can shout a warning, before the girl can turn and run, those thundering hooves are upon her.
"Isn't that the myth of Persephone?" Deborah mused.
" I'm pretty sure it is, Mom." said Pierce
The girl isn't laughing , she's too late, the man has leaned out of the ink black chariot to seize her by the waist & pull her back down into that crater with as she once knew it will never be the same.
"You betcha." murmured Uncle Chris. Why would it mention the myth in the book, maybe it's relevant.
You don't have to worry about that girl, she's just a character from a book, her name was Persephone, & her being kidnapped by Hades, the god of the dead, & taken to live with him in the Underworld was just how the Greeks explained the changing of the seasons. It's what's known as an origin myth.
What happened to me that's no myth.
Everyone suddenly looks at Pierce.
"What happened sweetheart?" said Deborah
"Nothing." she said avoiding from looking up and at John.
"Alright," she said although she couldn't help feeling suspicious. Alex soon continues reading.
A few days ago, if you'd told me some story about some girl who had to go live with a guy in his underground palace for six months out of the year, I'd just laugh. You think that girl has problems?I'll tell you who has problems: me. Way bigger ones than Persephone.
Everyone gazed at her once again.
"Well what's the problem Pierce, anything you wanna tell us?"
She murmured blushing , "No."
"You sure?"
" Yes."
"Alright I'll continue."
Especially now, after what happened the other night in the cemetery.
Pierce could feel Mom, Dad's and John's stare on her.
" What were you doing at night in the cemetery?" Pierce's father asked.
"Nothing."
"Doesn't seem like nothing , what happened?"
"Nothing all right!" Pierce snapped. She softened her gaze "Sorry."
"Ok-ayy, I'll just read now."
What really happened I mean.
This raises some eyebrows.
The police they think they know of course so does the whole island,it seems,has a theory. That's the diffrence between them and me. They all have theories.
I know.
"Anything you would care to share?"
" I don't know maybe the book will explain."
"Fine."
So who cares what happened to Persephone? Compared what happened to me, that's nothing.
Everyone looks at her for an explanantion except John. Alex soon continues reading.
Persephone was lucky, her mom showed up to bail her out. No one's coming to rescue me. So take my advice: whatever you do? Don't blink.
"Well," Alex said breaking the stony silence ," that's the end of the chapter, who wants to read next?"
" I will," said Uncle Chris.
