Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror Read Online Free PDF

me!”
    Falcon looked around the room and found an old copy of The Gullet , which he rolled up. He tried to swat the buzzing creature, but it was very hard to catch. Now it was soaring around Falcon’s head, as if it had determined the boy’s intentions and had decided to make a preemptive strike against him. As it flew, it made a loud buzzing sound, accompanied by a kind of high-pitched shrieking.
    It swooped across the room toward the door, which had closed behind Falcon as he entered. Then it went for Megan again. Falcon aimed carefully, then tried to whack the thing with the rolled-up newspaper. Unfortunately he missed and smacked Megan in the center of her forehead instead.
    â€œOw!” she shouted.
    â€œSorry,” said Falcon.
    There was a high-pitched laugh. Falcon looked at Megan, and Megan looked at Falcon. Then they both looked at the flying creature, which had paused to hover between them. Now that the creature was stationary, it was possible to discern its features. Between the four vibrating, transparent wings was the body of a very, very small girl. She was dressed in hip-hugging blue jeans and a red T-shirt.
    â€œEn garde!” cried the tiny creature.
    Megan and Falcon stared. The flying thing swept forward suddenly and grabbed the rolled-up newspaper out of Falcon’s hand. Then she started whacking him with it, all the while making that annoying, high-pitched laughter.
    It was amazing, Falcon thought, how hard she could swat a person with the newspaper, even though she was only about fourteen inches tall.
    â€œHey,” said Falcon. “Quit it.”
    The creature swept forward and again whacked both of them on their heads with the newspaper. “¡Entrega!” she shouted. “¡Entrega!”
    â€œWhat?” said Falcon.
    â€œSurrender,” said the thing.
    â€œWe surrender,” said Falcon.
    The flying thing dropped the newspaper onto thefloor. She buzzed over and landed on the edge of one of the coffins.
    â€œThe duel is over,” the creature cried. “In my mercy, I have chosen— to spare your lives ! Now you are bound to me! And I to you! We shall be friends!”
    â€œLook,” said Megan. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting a—” Megan looked at the creature more carefully. “What are you, anyhow?”
    â€œWhat am I?” said the creature, astonished. “What am I? I am— ¡la Chupakabra! ”
    â€œLa…Coopa…?” said Megan.
    â€œÂ¡La Chupakabra!” the creature shouted again. She put one hand on her hips proudly. “The famous goatsucker of Peru!” For a moment she let this sink in. She smiled. “My name is Perla. ”
    â€œThe…goatsucker…?” said Falcon.
    â€œYou may call me Pearl.” She smiled. “The same as the treasure that is found within the sea.”
    â€œI’m Megan, and that’s Falcon,” said Megan. She felt a little embarrassed. “We’re from Maine.”
    â€œMaine, where is this Maine?” said Pearl. “Is America?”
    â€œYeah, it’s way up north.”
    â€œI am from Trujillo. Between the mountains and the blue Pacific.”
    â€œAnd you’re—a goatsucker?” said Falcon.
    â€œI am the one,” said Pearl proudly. “¡La Chupakabra!”
    â€œI’m really sorry we tried to swat you,” said Megan.
    â€œIt would take more than this”—Pearl shrugged—“to crush la Chupakabra . And you? You are also un monstruo ?”
    â€œThey don’t know what I am,” said Megan. “Mrs. Redflint said banshee, maybe.”
    â€œAh, banshee,” said Pearl. She looked at Falcon. “And this one? You have no interest in goats?”
    â€œNo,” said Falcon.
    Pearl sighed. “I had hoped to find another such as myself,” she said. “It is hard to be one of a kind. To be alone, always with the