The Time Pirate Read Online Free PDF Page A

earth.
    â€œFollow me, if you can!” the voice said.
    â€œBut, where are we going?”
    â€œTo the moon and back, of course!”
    Nick nosed over into a steep dive, headed right for the big golden moon hanging just above the far horizon of the world.
    â€œI’m right behind you, Father!” Nick cried.
    That fat yellow moon was so big it looked as if it might just swallow the two little airplanes right up.
    And that’s just what it did.
    And then someone was shaking him violently, saying “Wake up! Wake up!”

3
SECRETS OF THE BLACK FOREST

    Â· Greybeard Island, May 1940 ·
    W ake up, Nicky! Wake up!” his sister, Kate, was saying, jumping up and down on his bed, excitement shining in her cornflower-blue eyes, her bright red curls bouncing about her face as if they were a bunch of springs attached to her head. She had her raggedy doll in one hand, swinging her by the hair, what little the doll had left after all these years.
    Jip, Nick’s big black dog, had leaped onto his bed and was lathering his master’s face with sloppy kisses.
    Nick, knowing sleep was now well nigh impossible, cracked one eye and used it to inspect his little sister. His room, at the very top of the lighthouse, was filled with strong sunlight. Perhaps he had overslept a bit.
    â€œHave the Germans invaded us?” he asked sleepily.
    â€œNot yet. But Father says it’s only a matter of weeks. Or even days.”
    Nick McIver groaned, rolled over onto his tummy, and buried his face in his pillow. He wanted more than anything to fall back down into deep slumber, to return to his magicaldream of racing his father’s old Sopwith Camel to the moon. But Kate was having none of it.
    â€œGo away, Katie. And stop bouncing, for all love,” he said, his sleepy words muffled by goose down. “And you, Jipper, stop barking!”
    â€œNo! Never! Not until you get up. We have to go. And I won’t stop bouncing on your bed until we do!”
    â€œGo? Go where?”
    â€œOut to Storm Island, silly. It’s Saturday! We’re sailing out there on
Petrel
, remember. For a picnic. And I get to steer the whole way. You promised, double-secret-swear promise, crosses don’t count.”
    Nick flopped over onto his back and stared at his seven-year-old sister. She had him dead to rights. He’d promised, all right.
    â€œKate. You know all about promises, right?”
    â€œSure. You keep ’em.”
    â€œWell—right. Of course you keep them. But sometimes things happen and you have to, well, delay your promises. It’s called postponing. You know what
postponing
means, don’t you?”
    â€œSure. Lying.”
    â€œKate. It’s not really lying. It’s just something you’ll learn more about as you get older like me.”
    â€œThirteen is hardly old, Nicky. I’ll be twelve myself in less than five years. Unless my birthday gets
postponed
, of course.”
    â€œWell, still.”
    â€œNicky, no. You promised and we’re going. I’ve already packed a picnic basket and that’s it. Final, final, final.”
    She collapsed at the foot of Nick’s bed and stared at him with blazing blue eyes, daring him to break the solemn promise he’d made two days ago. But at least she’d stopped jumping up and down.
    â€œWhat if I were to tell you I’d had a dream last night. And that what I dreamed was so amazing, so
real
, that I decided to try and find a way to make it come true. And you, of course, will have to help, because nobody wants dreams to come true more than Miss Katherine McIver, right?”
    â€œCorrect. But this is your dream, remember? It’s my dreams I’m excited about. I don’t care a fig for your silly dreams.”
    â€œWell, when you hear about mine, you will. In fact, it will become your dream, too. And you’ll be excited about it, I promise.”
    â€œI’m listening. What is