Story of the Phantom Read Online Free PDF Page B

added that he was too young to know about them now but that soon he would know. Kit was not curious and did not object. He knew what books were about, spelling and grammar and arithmetic. Dull. He couldn't dream of the excitement and magical adventures in these huge dusty volumes.

    Outside the Cave, there were even greater wonders. Riding bareback on his little pony, which he named Shaggy, he would canter on the jungle trails with his father, mounted on the mighty black stallion, Thunder. And he was taken to some of the secret places. First, there was the Whispering Grove where they spent a night sleeping on the ground. The wind that blew through the trees made a peculiar sound. It was almost as if it were saying Phantom-Phan-tom. Others had noticed that sound and had another name for the place: the Phantom Grove. Jungle folk avoided it, for the weird whisper of the wind in the trees frightened them and the place was said to be haunted.

    Not far from the Whispering Grove was the ocean, and a hidden cove. This was the Golden Beach of Keela-Wee, said by many to be the most beautiful place in the world. Behind it was a backdrop of thick jungle and distant mountains. Ahead was the vast, rolling, green and sapphire sea, with sharp coral reefs that prevented even small ships or boats from reaching this hidden beach. The beach itself was unique and extraordinary. This Golden Beach of Keela-Wee was the color of gold because half of the sand was actually pure gold dust. In the center of the beach was a small hut made of carved green jade. Father explained that this golden beach and the jade hut had been a gift to a seventeenth century Phantom from the great black emperor, Joonkar. Since then, every Phantom had spent his honeymoon night in this jade hut on the Golden Beach. But they were not the only ones.

    The great and friendly tribes of the Wambesi and Lion- go lived in the nearby jungle. Each spring, they held mass weddings on the Golden Beach. It was to see this that his father brought Kit there on this first visit. When they arrived, the mass wedding was in progress. Kit watched in fascination.
    These were the first people he had ever seen outside the Deep Woods. There were about two hundred couples on the beach. The pretty brides wore gay sarongs, and flowers in their long black hair. The young bride- grooms wearing loincloths, also had necklaces of flowers.

    When Kit and his father rode upon the beach, the couples were kneeling, facing two priests who wore bright red robes and waved yellow banners as they performed the marriage rites. All heads turned to see the man and boy, and all smiled at the sight of their friend, the Phantom. The rites continued. Then the couples, hand in hand, leaped into the sea, laughing and shouting, then returned

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    to the beach and rolled in the sand. When they stood up, they were all the color of gold, for the golden sand stuck to their skin.

    Then each couple, hand in hand, walked through the small jade hut and this passage completed the ceremony. The couples dashed off into the woods. The golden sand on their bodies was a symbol of their recent marriage, and they refrained from washing it off as long as possible. For days afterward, one could see golden couples moving happily through the woods, laughing and singing and playing.
    After they had all left the beach, Kit and his father walked into the jade hut. It was intricately carved, and the sunlight shone through the tiny lace openings, making intricate patterns of light and shadow on the jade floor. The little hut was like a huge hollow gem. "I spent my wedding night here with your mother," his father told Kit, "as did my fathers and their wives before me. Someday, you will marry and bring your bride here." Kit looked at him with wide eyes. "Who will I marry?" he asked.
    His father laughed. "Don't worry. You'll find her. Or maybe she'll find you." He couldn't know how prophetic these words were.

    Kit raced across the golden beach and