The Perilous Journey Read Online Free PDF Page A

respect they still felt like secret agents, though reading the daily paper was hardly exciting field work.
    This morning’s front page of the
Stonetown Times,
for instance, had been devoted to nothing more sinister than finance, freight, and forestry: INTEREST RATES SHARPLY ON THE RISE , read one headline; CARGO SHIP
SHORTCUT
TO MAKE MAIDEN VOYAGE , read another; while still another read, PINE WEEVIL MAKES MEAL OF SOUTHERN FORESTS . And the news only grew less interesting on page two.
    “Suspicious?” Reynie said. “Not unless you think pine weevils are suspicious. Everything I’ve read has been dull as doorknobs.”
    Kate’s eyes twinkled. “Hey, that reminds me! Sticky, I —”
    Reynie cleared his throat and gave her a warning look. It was too late, though. Sticky might be slow to make certain connections, but he was exceptionally quick at recognizing personal insults. “Go on,” he said, burying his face in his hands. “It’s about my account of the mission, isn’t it?”
    Now Kate looked regretful. “Oh… no… I was, uh, just going to…” She looked helplessly at Reynie, unable to think of what to say.
    Much to their relief, Sticky lowered his hands and smiled. It was a sheepish smile, but at least he didn’t seem wounded. “Out with it.”
    “Well, it’s… factual,” Kate said.
    “And thoughtful,” Reynie added, hurriedly taking the account from his pocket in hopes of finding something to praise.
    Kate nodded vigorously as Reynie unfolded the papers. “Oh, yes, it’s
very
thoughtful! And grammatical!”
    Sticky winced. “Is it that bad? Oh well, I knew it was probably dreck. You should have seen the earlier drafts. This was my sixth attempt.” He took the account from Reynie and looked it over ruefully before stuffing it into his pocket. “Don’t worry, I figured I could never publish it anyway. I just wanted to do something to celebrate the occasion.”
    Reynie had a sudden insight. “That’s why your hair’s gone, isn’t it? For old times’ sake!”
    “I thought you might get a kick out of that,” Sticky admitted. “This time Dad helped me shave it — no more hair-remover concoctions.” He shuddered at the memory.
    “Well, I love it!” Kate said, giving Sticky’s scalp an affectionate rub, and Reynie grinned and nodded his appreciation.
    For a long time the three friends lingered in the orchard, reveling in one another’s company and reminiscing about their mission to the Institute. Laughing, groaning, occasionally shivering as they recalled their experiences — all of which remained perfectly vivid in their memories — they let the afternoon slip past them. When Kate noticed how long the shadows had grown in the farmyard, she gave a start and hopped up.
    “Good grief! They’re going to call us inside soon, and Sticky hasn’t even met Madge yet!”
    “Who’s Madge?” Sticky asked.
    “Her Majesty the Queen!” Kate said, as if this explained everything. Impatiently she hauled the boys to their feet and ushered them out into the farmyard, where she blew on her whistle and tugged on the protective glove. Almost instantly the falcon appeared, streaking down from an unseen height to settle upon Kate’s wrist.
    Sticky’s puzzlement faded, replaced by anxiety. Though he readily expressed his admiration of this sharp-taloned creature now regarding him with shining black eyes (“
Falco peregrinus,
” he said, nodding as he backed away, “impressive bird… swiftest of predators…”), he was not at all keen to make her special acquaintance. As casually as he could, Sticky took a cloth from his shirt pocket and removed his spectacles.
    Reynie smiled to himself. He was quite familiar with Sticky’s habit of polishing his spectacles when nervous, and seeing him do so now was unexpectedly satisfying. There was a unique pleasure in knowing a friend so well, Reynie reflected, rather like sharing a secret code. Also, it was nice not to be the only one afraid of Kate’s