Escape to Witch Mountain Read Online Free PDF

nodded. Tia might not be practical, but it hardly mattered with the way her brain worked. And if she felt a certain way about a thing, that was the way it was.
    Suddenly the future seemed brighter. “O.K. And do you think the letter was written by someone who is really related to us in some way?”
    “Of course I do! And, Tony, I believe we can find him.”
    “How?”
    “Sister Amelia gave us a lot to go on. We ought to be able to guess his name.”
    “Maybe, but that won't take us far. We don't even know what state he's in. Tia, what we need right now is for you to remember more about us. That would be the biggest help in the world.”
    “Well, I did remember about the ship, and leaving it with Mr. Deranian.”
    “Go on,” he urged.
    “There was a cab waiting, and we drove straight out to Granny's.Only, he made the cab driver take us in. I was so little I could hardly walk. ‘The driver said to Granny, These are the kids Mr. Doyle phoned you about,’ and he handed her an envelope with fifty dollars in it.”
    “Who was Doyle?”
    “Oh, that was just a name Mr. Deranian gave for himself, so Granny wouldn't know his real name. But I knew his real name because some men on the ship called him that.”
    “What men, Tia?”
    “I can't remember.”
    “If you think hard, you're bound to remember. Were we on the ship long? And was Mr. Deranian on it with us?”
    Tia closed her eyes, then shook her head almost as if she were in pain. “I—I can't remember any more. When I go back to that time I—I get all scared and sort of sick.”
    Tony scowled at the traffic surging past in the deepening twilight. “It's crazy. I can't figure it. A person with a memory like yours just doesn't have it stop cold all of a sudden, at a certain spot, like a tape recorder. There has to be a reason why it stops.”
    Her small face puckered in thought. “Maybe it's because I don't really want to remember.”
    “Huh? What's that again?”
    “I mean, something awful must have happened, something I wanted to forget. They say that's the way the mind works at times. I was reading about it in one of those reference books in the library.” Tia paused, then asked worriedly, “What are we going to do, Tony?”
    Tony had already decided what to do, but he did not answer immediately. Swinging slowly past on the sidewalk just beyond the fence was the area policeman following his beat. He could not help eyeing the man distrustfully, for the watchful presence of the law could make things difficult later in the evening.
    When the policeman had gone, he said, “We're going to need help to get anywhere. Before we do any traveling I think we'd better talk it over with Father O'Day.”
    “But—but suppose he makes us come back here?”
    “He won't make us do anything—he'll just advise us. He's a pretty good guy. I know we can trust him.”
    They planned to leave for the mission an hour after the lights were out, taking their extra clothes in paper bags. They were going over the details when Winkie appeared.
    Tia picked him up. “Oh, Tony,” she said earnestly, “what are we going to do about him? We can't leave him here!”
    “Don't be a dope. How could we ever travel with a cat?”
    It was getting dark now. He frowned at the house. “I'll go in first and get some bags from the pantry. Then we'd better slip upstairs and pack 'em while no one's around to ask questions. For Pete's sake, don't try to take everything you've got, or you'll be sorry later.”
    In the pantry he found two sturdy shopping bags with handles, one of which he gave to Tia. Everyone was still watching television, and they were not noticed as they separated in the main hall and climbed their respective stairways.
    In the boys' dormitory he quickly packed his bag with one change of clothing, some extra socks and handkerchiefs and a thin jacket, then hid it in his locker.
    It seemed forever before the television program ended and the other boys came upstairs. Presently the