In Search of Goliathus Hercules Read Online Free Page B

In Search of Goliathus Hercules
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the floor during your visit to Mrs. Black’s house this morning.”
    “Oh yes. I remember. I was in the reptile room.”
    “Yes, apparently Mrs. Black thinks you fainted because you were afraid of a lizard.”
    “I was not afraid!” said Henri, sitting bolt upright in his rage. He instantly regretted it. His head ached and he felt woozy. Slowly he lay back down.
    “Take it easy!
    “I was not afraid,” Henri firmly reiterated.
    “Of course not. Good for you. Now me? I would be afraid because lizards have long tongues and excellent tongue-eye coordination. They’d pick me off in half a second and swallow me whole, not even bothering to see if I tasted good. Any insect in their right mind stays away from the Black house.”
    “The last thing I remember, someone was screaming, and then everything went dark,” said Henri.
    “Are you sure it wasn’t you screaming?” asked Dom.
    “Yes, I’m sure!” responded Henri, annoyed.
    “Touchy, touchy. Well, since you don’t seem to be in a very good mood, I won’t linger here.”
    “Ugh!” mumbled Henri. It was true that he wasn’t in a good humor. He rolled over on his side and closed his eyes.

    When Henri awoke next, Great Aunt Georgie was sitting at the foot of his bed.
    “Oh, Henri! I’ve been so worried! You told me you weren’t well yesterday. I should have listened to you. You slept all through the afternoon and night. I feared you would never wake up again.”
    Henri sat up and felt his forehead. He could feel a trace of a bump, but his head was clear. “Aunt Georgie, I feel fine. I’m going to get up.”
    After much protest, Great Aunt Georgie allowed Henri to get up, but she insisted on helping him down the stairs to the dining room. She served him a cup of tea and bowl of porridge—“something soft,” as she said. Henri felt amused. He’d hit his forehead, not lost his teeth!
    After breakfast Henri declared that he was going outside. Alone. “Fresh air will be good for me.”
    Only after he promised to be back in one hour did Great Aunt Georgie at last agree. “Invalids should spend a little time outdoors but mustn’t do anything to exert themselves.”
    “I am not an invalid!” exclaimed Henri in a voice loud enough that even Great Aunt Georgie could hear.
    “Well, perhaps not, but you don’t want to become one!”
    Henri stomped out of the house. The garden backed onto a field that perhaps had been cultivated with crops at one time, but at present was a tangle of weeds, tall grass, and wildflowers. The boundary of garden and field was marked by a white picket fence. Henri passed through the gate in the middle. He liked the abrupt change from the ordered garden to the chaos of the field. Henri started to run, heading for the creek that meandered lazily at the foot of the field.
    He took off his socks and shoes at the creek and sat on the bank and dipped his feet into the cool water. He thought about the last two days and how odd they had been. On two occasions now he had spoken with a fly! Or had he? Maybe the bump to his head had made him confused. Perhaps he was imagining the whole thing.
    Henri sat, deep in thought. Around him on the bank, in the grass, and up in the trees, insects were chirping. It was a symphony of sound! The high-pitched squeal of cicadas was interrupted by the lower bass chirps of crickets.
    Henri listened and slowly realized it was not just sound, but voices. Cicadas were entreating one another with calls of “I’m over here, I’m over here.” And “Come closer, come closer, come closer.” It seemed they never said anything just once. Over and over again he heard the beseeching calls. Meanwhile the crickets seemed to hum single words. “Careful, careful!” and “warning, warning!” Perhaps the crickets were warning their friends about him?
    He was uncomfortable and a bit afraid. Henri realized he was not alone. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of other creatures here, and he could hear them. He could

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