Flight of the Phoenix by R. L. Lafevers Page B

cap, climbed back in, and turned the horse back toward the village.
    Nate picked his way up the path, which was overgrown with weeds and brambles. The front door was sturdy and thick and needed a new coat of paint. The brass door knocker was shaped like the head of a snarling lion or a snarling man--Nate couldn't be sure which. He reached gingerly around its sharp teeth and knocked on the door.
    Nothing happened.
    As he waited, he noticed a brass plaque above the door:
    p. A. FLUDD, BEASTOLOGIST.
    He'd never heard of a beastologist before.
    [Image: The brass plaque.]
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    That could be interesting. Except that thinking of beasts had him thinking of bats again. He glanced up at the shadows under the eaves, then lifted the knocker and rapped harder.
    Finally, he heard the sound of footsteps from inside the house. The door jerked open as a voice said, "I told you. I don't have anything else for your charity bazaar. Now, do leave me alone--oh. Hello."
    Nate took a step back and stared at the person in the doorway. She was tall with lots of elbows and knees and angles poking about, which reminded him of a giraffe. Her hair was pulled back, but little wisps escaped. A giraffe with a mane, Nate corrected. His fingers itched for his pencil. Instead, he drew himself up to his full height like Miss Lumpton used to do. "I am Nathaniel Fludd. Would you please inform the master of the house that I have arrived?"
    "Oh-ho! A bit of a nib, are you?" The woman looked amused. "I am the master of the house, young Nate. Phil A. Fludd, at your service."
    Nate blinked. This was his father's long-lost cousin? "B-but you're a she," he said.
    "Phil is short for Philomena. The A is for Augusta. My parents couldn't decide between Latin and Greek. I'm sureyou can understand why I go by Phil.
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    [I mage: Phil A. Fludd and Nathaniel Fludd.]
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    You may call me Aunt Phil, if you prefer."
    Nate was unsure what to do. He couldn't have imagined someone less like Miss Lumpton if he'd tried. A wave of homesickness swept through him, and he fought the urge to run all the way back to the train station.
    "You look just like your father, when he was your age," the old woman said.
    Her words chased all thoughts of flight out of his head. "I do?"
    "Yes, very much so."
    "Did you know my father well?" Nate asked shyly.
    "Of course I did! I taught him half of what he knows. Knew, " she corrected. Her voice softened. "I'm very sorry about your parents, Nate." They stood awkwardly for a moment before Aunt Phil cleared her throat. "Well, come in. I'm quite busy and it's nearly dinnertime."
    She grabbed his suitcase, picking it up as if it weighed no more than an umbrella. Halfway through the front hall, she turned back toward him. "Well, do come on."
    Pushing his homesickness aside, Nate followed her into his new home.
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    ***
    Chapter Three
    T he first thing Nate noticed were the maps. They covered the walls like wallpaper. There were maps of the world, some bigger than he was, and maps of oceans and continents and places Nate had never heard of. There was even a map of the moon and the stars.
    Globes of all shapes and sizes were scattered throughout the hall. They passed a shelf that held strange instruments. Nate recognized a few of them, such as the telescope and the compass, but others were completely unfamiliar.
    Aunt Phil set Nate's suitcase down at the foot of
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    dusty-looking stairs. "I'll show you your room after supper. I've got to get back to the kitchen before it boils over."
    Indeed--Nate thought he smelled something burning already.
    The kitchen was warm and full of bright yellow light. But it was just as jumbled and cluttered as the rest of the house. Crockery was stacked in wobbly-looking towers. Old dishes and pans filled one side of the sink. On the stove, a giant pot bubbled and hissed, cheerfully sending a small stream of something brown over its side. A large, odd-looking statue of some unusual bird sat in the corner. It was nearly three feet