Billy Purgatory and the Curse of the Satanic Five Read Online Free PDF

flying before? Unless it was out of a cannon, and if there's a cannon on top of all these rocks, I am so in.”
    The High Elder looked back up the dark trail and the peak under the twinkling stars. “There is no cannon. Outlandish boy, the ancients made a promise that they would shame God and prove him wrong.”
    â€œWhy do you wanna shame that guy so bad? What'd he ever do to you? Don't the story go that he made all this stuff, even all the zoo stuff?”
    â€œWhy do you keep talking of zoos? Focus! You are the instrument of our labors. We will finally gain his attention when he sees you sailing into the clouds like a great hawk.”
    â€œOh, I get it. Someone didn't get enough attention when he was a little Elder and had a tiny beard.”
    The High Elder turned from Billy and the men at Billy's back urged him to keep walking with their spears.
    â€œHe will finally hear our demands.”
    â€œYeah, maybe he'll gimme that sandwich.”
    And Billy Purgatory was forced to climb more…
    When the boy felt like he couldn't take another step and was about to drop his board in the dirt, the High Elder spun around and opened his arms wide. Dawn began to break on the world far below.
    â€œWe are here.”
    Billy looked around; he couldn't remember ever being so high. The village was far away and just tiny dots. The big lake he'd seen the hippos taking a bath in looked like a puddle. The wind was unceasing at the peak atop the vast hill which carried its name.
    Billy stared down the smooth expanse of the half-moon that led halfway down the far side of the mountain. “Dude, this is the sickest skateboard ramp ever.” Billy clutched his board in one hand and spun its wheels with the other.
    He licked his lips and grinned wide.
    The High Elder was taken aback, but not far enough that he fell off the mountain, which would have been way cool. “Skateboard?”
    â€œYeah, breezy-britches. Isn't that what I'm up here for?”
    â€œYou are here to run down the expanse. You will open your arms and embrace the air spirit. You will run into the sky and ravage it.”
    Billy Purgatory shook his head at the old crazy dude. “Uh, nuh uh. Real O.G. skateboarders can't run fast.”
    â€œNuh uh?”
    â€œYeah, no wonder everyone wrecks down on those rocks. I don't run. Put that in your prophesy and puff puff.”
    It was the High Elder who was shaking his head now. “It is how it has always been done.”
    â€œI'm skating off this thing.” Billy licked his finger and then put it into the air. He had no idea why he was doing that, he just figured it would look cool while they thought he was planning.
    The plan was already mapped out in Billy's head, though. He had only one mission in life. Down that ramp and into the clouds. He'd ravage the sky too — whatever that meant.
    The High Elder was pointing at Billy's board. “That thing? You mean to roll down Wind Hill?”
    Billy nodded, still with his finger in the air. “Yeah, rolling.”
    â€œThe carving on the cave wall, it did show a boy on a plank. Perhaps…”
    â€œAre we gonna do this?”
    The High Elder raised his finger, then he and his robes went into a huddle with other guys wearing robes. Billy only half paid attention to their pow-wow and whispers in zookeeper talk.
    Billy's focus was clearly and utterly distracted from the High Elder's club when he turned to find the Devil Bird standing next to the same boulder that Billy was. Billy looked the big bird up and down, then focused on those serious eyes of his over the base of that long beak.
    â€œFly me out of here, chicken.”
    The Devil Bird didn't seem to care how high up they were, or what Billy was planning to do. He had a look on his bird face like he was smarter than everyone else up here at the top of the world. “I told you it was all leading up to this.”
    Billy thought about the dream he'd been having lately