The Lost City of Faar Read Online Free PDF Page B

choice.
    â€œJust put it on,” he said with a smile.
    Why couldn’t he just tell me what was about to happen for a change? Why did I always have to experience it myself? Ohwell. Why argue? I reluctantly lifted the clear globe and slowly lowered it down over my head—until a freaky thing happened. As soon as the top of my head touched the inside of the globe, the clear dome started to change shape! I instantly yanked the cursed thing off. It immediately stopped moving and returned to its original round shape.
    â€œWhat the hell was that?” I exclaimed, totally freaked out.
    Uncle Press laughed and reached toward the pile of stuff to get another clear globe.
    â€œThe Clorans are pretty advanced,” he explained. “They’ve got some pretty incredible toys.”
    â€œLike torture devices that clamp on your head and suck out your brain?”
    â€œNo, like anything to do with water. Water is their life. They’ve learned how to use it in ways you can’t even imagine.”
    He put the second globe over his head. Instantly the clear dome began to writhe and change shape. In a few seconds the sphere went from totally round, to a perfect formfitting shell around his head. It was unbelievable. The thing had taken on the shape of Uncle Press’s head. He smiled at me from inside the clear mask.
    â€œThey’ve figured out how to create solid material from water,” he said while tapping the shell that had formed around his face. It was hard again. Amazing. I could even hear him clearly, though his head was encased in . . . whatever it was encased in.
    â€œAnd this thing here”—he pointed to the silver harmonica thing attached at the back of his head—“this is a filter that takes in water, breaks it down atomically, and feeds oxygen into the mask so you can breathe. Cool, aye?”
    Now I got it. This strange living mask was some kind of scuba gizmo. You could breathe underwater with this thing.And the clear plastic would act as a mask to keep water out of your eyes so you could see. How cool is that?
    Uncle Press pulled the clear mask up off his head, and by the time he placed it in his lap it had already become round again.
    â€œCenturies of living on water makes you resourceful,” he said.
    â€œAbsolutely,” I added. “What else you got there?”
    There were two gizmos on the pile that I can best describe as looking like the plastic floats lifeguards use when they make rescues. Uncle Press picked one up and held it out for me to see. It was roughly football shaped, bright purple, and had handle grips on each side. It was about a foot and a half long. One end had a round, open mouth. The other end came to a point. There were also rows of slits that ran across the top and bottom.
    â€œOkay, I give up,” I said.
    â€œIt’s a water sled. When you’re in the water, grab the handles, hold it out in front of you and pull the trigger.”
    I could see that hidden inside each of the handles was a trigger.
    â€œThe open end goes in front,” he explained. “Point it where you want to go. Water gets sucked in through these slits for power and the whole thing pulls you along. The harder you squeeze the trigger, the faster you go. Easy peazy.”
    This was getting good. I was beginning to see why Uncle Press liked Cloral so much. He then threw me a pair of rubbery swim fins that needed no explanation.
    â€œGet changed,” he added.
    It was time to dress like a Cloran. I had been through this drill before. So I walked across the stone ledge and began to dig through the pile of Cloral clothes. Uncle Press did thesame. There were shirts and pants and even shorts that I guess were supposed to be used as underwear. Good thing. I didn’t get to wear any underwear on Denduron and the rough leather clothes gave me a raging rash that was only now starting to calm down.
    The material was soft and kind of rubbery.