Monster in the Mountains
Page 14
When he said that, I saw nothing but that blue sky passing above me again, looking peaceful like on a beautiful Alberta day. I wasn’t afraid anymore, of anything.
I opened my eyes.
18
Back into the Lower World
Jefferson airplane was playing on the Jeep’s radio. It was “Somebody to Love.” I realized I had heard “White Rabbit,” too, along with John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and a bunch of Beatles songs. Mom and Dad had found a sixties radio station.
Blue sky was passing over me as I lay in the back seat.
I slowly sat up. I must have been lying with my head facing the window and sky. I could see the mountains approaching as I wiped the sleep from my eyes.
“We’ll be in Banff in twenty minutes,” Dad was saying. “Banff has a population of 8,666 granola-loving souls.”
What was going on?
I glanced around me. My earphones were on the seat, my BC guidebook was open at a page that showed an enormous rainforest. The Sasquatch read a headline on the next page, with a drawing and some casts of footprints being held by a rather hairy-looking older man. The model Hummer I’d bought in Calgary was on the floor. One of Mom’s magazines lay beside the guidebook, opened at an advertisement for a natural-smelling perfume called “Unicorn.” The girl in the picture looked just like Alice. She had shining blue eyes and dark hair. She was beautiful.
Near it was a book I’d been reading. I was so groggy I couldn’t even remember the title. But the author’s name was staring up at me: Lewis Carroll. The illustration on the front looked bizarre, like something from a hallucination.
“Try to forget about what happened in Alberta,” Mom was saying. “There aren’t any other monsters around like the Reptile, I guarantee it. He’ll never see the light of day again. Remember, you’re safe now. Your nightmares are over. British Columbia is a wonderful place.”
“It’s Lotusland.”
“It’s Wonderland.”
“And,” said Mom, “we have a surprise for you.” I could see her smiling over at Dad.
“That’s right, champ.” He smiled back.
“We’re going to a resort in a place called Harrison Hot Springs.”
“There’s only one little catch.”
“What’s that?” I said, still feeling sleepy.
A phrase was running through my head. We know, and that’s enough. It was as if someone were whispering it in my ear.
“You have an uncle there: a great-uncle.”
“He’s kind of weird.”
“You should limit your time with him.”
“He believes in all sorts of things.”
“His name is Walter Middy.”
Acknowledgments
For his monstrous contribution to this book by way of supplying me with his inimitable knowledge of the Harrison Lake area, and with a stack of wonderful maps, I’d like to thank guide extraordinaire Andreas Sartori of Harrison Hot Springs, Cascade Adventures, and the Bungalow Motel; it is he who truly got Dylan, Alice, and Walter across land to Hell’s Gate Canyon. Also to John Green of Harrison Hot Springs, who showed me his sasquatch feet and filled me with wonder about the elusive beast. And to Dr. John A. Bindernagel, the leading scientist in the field of sasquatch research, for his wisdom and encouragement.
More Dylan Maples Adventures
The Mystery of Ireland’s Eye
978-1-77108-615-8
The Secret of the Silver Mines
978-1-77108-703-2
Bone Beds of the Badlands
978-1-77108-658-5
Phantom of Fire
978-1-77108-734-6
About the Author
KEVIN KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY
Shane Peacock is a novelist, playwright, journalist, and television screenwriter for audiences of all ages. Among his novels are Last Message, a contribution to the groundbreaking Seven Series for young readers, and The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim, a trilogy for teens. His picture book, The Artist and Me, was shortlisted for the Marilyn Baillie Award. His bestselling series for young adults, The Boy Sherlock Holmes, has been published in twelve languages and has found its way onto more than sixty shortlists. It won the prestigious Violet Downey Award, two Arthur Ellis Awards for crime fiction, the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Award, The Libris Award, and has been a finalist for the Governor General’s Award and three times nominated for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award; as well, each novel in the series was named a Junior Library Guild of America Premier Selection. Visit shanepeacock.ca.