Curse of Atlantis Read Online Free PDF Page B

meet you Jack. I’ve heard so much about you. After your ordeal at sea, it’s good to hear you’re doing ok.”
    “Thank you , Mrs. Arista. Fortunately, I bounced back from it all pretty quickly,” Jack replied.
    “Oh, please call me Berta ,” she replied with a warm smile.
    Turning to Serena, Jack said, “Now I see where you got your good looks.”
    As Berta blushed, Javier cut in, “She’s a real looker, eh Jack? Bet you’re wondering what a short, fat, bald guy is doing with a gorgeous woman like this, huh?
    “Javi, you’re embarrassing me,” Berta said, politely scolding her husband.
    “I heard you talk about your devilish good looks, so I’m assuming it must be that,” Jack said, diplomatically.
    Turning to Serena, Javier said, “He 's a sharp one. Keep an eye on him.”
    “Maybe a little too sharp for his own good,” Serena responded, now turning to Jack, she said in a low voice, “Suck up.”
    Jack smiled back approvingly , then looked around the room. Looking through the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the back of the house, he admired the view of the ocean in the distance.
    “Wow, what a view,” he said, now mesmerized by the sight. “It must be so nice sitting out there enjoying the sound of the surf.”
    “It’s wonderful, Jack. We live in heaven,” Berta said proudly. “Can I show you around the house?”
    “Absolutely.”
    As the four moved from room to room, Berta showed off their quaint home by the sea. Large and ornately decorated, Jack was impressed by the ancient artifacts that added perfect accents to the furniture. As Berta talked about their years of living on the island, Jack slowly turned and absorbed the history.
    Suddenly, a loud crash sounded as Jack’s backpack bumped into an ancient piece of pottery, knocking it off a stand and smashing on the hardwood floor below. Looking down at his feet, he felt sick as he realized his mistake.
    “I am so sorry, Javi. I can’t believe I did that. Please tell me it wasn’t that valuable. I promise, I’ll pay you back for it,” Jack spouted in quick succession.
    “Whoa, slow down there Jack,” Javier responded. “Don’t give it another thought.”
    “But that looks like an ancient urn. I t must be worth a fortune,” Jack said, the sound of his own words deepening the quilt.
    Javier looked to Serena and smiled. “You want to tell him?” he said.
    “Tell me what. ” Jack said , his face wracked with guilt.
    “ Jack, it was probably worth about twenty-five dollars,” Serena said with a sly smile.
    Cutting in, Javier explained, “Jack, it’s a fake.”
    A wave of relief instantly spread across Jack’s face. He looked down at the pieces and smiled.
    “A fake? Phewww, that was close. Can you imagine what I’d owe you if it were real?” he said.
    “A lot ,” Serena said, now teasing . “The fact is , Jack, everything around us is fake… from the old T-Rex metatarsal to the Ming vase you just broke. Do you see that golden headdress on the shelf over there?” she pointed.
    Jack looked over and noticed the exquisite crown shining on the top shelf of a display case, then nodded.
    “That’s a fake too. As I said, it’s all fake,” Serena said.
    “Amazing, it all looks so real,” Jack marveled .
    “That’s the idea, Jack. We decorated our home with the reproductions for the very reason you saw here today. They’re replaceable. If something falls and breaks, it didn’t cost us much and we can have another made quickly and cheaply,” Javier explained.
    “So where did you get these? Ebay or some specialty site on the web ?” Jack speculated.
    “Neither. These are reproductions of pieces we either own or we worked on. Once we’ve completed our task, we sent them off to a local artist here on the island and he makes us a copy for practically nothing. We pay for the materials and he just charges us his time,” Serena said.
    Jack reached down and picked up the bottom piece of the broken clay pot. He looked at