The Secret Path Read Online Free Page A

Path.”
    â€œWhat did he say about it?” Adam asked.
    â€œHe disappeared before I could ask him.” Watch paused to check one of his watches. “Bum is waiting for me. If you want to come, you have to decide now.”
    â€œDon’t go, Adam,” Sally pleaded. “You’re young. You have your whole future in front of you.”
    Adam laughed at her concern. He was interested in the Secret Path, but he couldn’t say he believed it really existed. “I have a long boring day in front of me. I want to see what this is about.” He nodded to Watch. “Let’s go find this Bum.”

5
    S ally ended up going with them, complaining all the time about how they could get stuck in a black hole and squashed down to the size of ants. Adam and Watch ignored her.
    They found Bum sitting by the pier on a concrete wall, feeding the birds from a pile of nearby seed. On the way to the water Watch had stopped and bought a turkey sandwich at a deli as a gift. Bum accepted it hungrily and didn’t even pause to look at them until he’d finished eating.
    Bum was dirty with a long scraggly gray coat that looked as if it had been dug out of a garbage can. His face was unshaven, his cheeks stained with grease and dirt. His hair was the color of used motor oil. He could have been sixty, but maybe cleaned up he would have looked closer to forty. Although he was thin, his eyes were exceptionally bright and alert. He didn’t look drunk, just hungry. Finished eating, he regarded them closely, searching Adam up and down.
    â€œYou’re the new kid in town,” he said finally. “I heard about you.”
    â€œReally?” Adam said. “Who told you about me?”
    â€œI don’t reveal my sources,” Bum replied, throwing the final crumbs from his sandwich to the birds that flocked around him as if he were Father Bird. Bum continued, “Your name’s Adam and you’re from Kansas City.”
    â€œThat’s right, sir,” Adam said.
    Bum grinned wolfishly. “No one calls me sir anymore, kid. And to tell you the truth, I don’t care. I’m Bum—that’s my new name. Call me that.”
    â€œDid you really used to be mayor?” Adam asked.
    Bum stared out to sea. “Yes. But that was long ago, when I was young and cared about being a big shot.” He shook his head and added, “I was a lousy mayor.”
    â€œI told him that,” Watch said.
    Bum chuckled. “I’m sure you did. Now, Watch, what do you want? The secret to the Secret Path? How do I know you’re qualified to learn it?”
    â€œWhat qualifications are necessary?” Watch asked.
    Bum asked them to lean in closer. He spoke in a confidential tone. “You have to be fearless. If you walk the Secret Path and find the other towns, then fear is the one thing that can get you killed. But if you keep your head, think fast, you can survive the road. It’s the only way.”
    Adam had to draw in a breath. “Have you taken the Secret Path?” he asked.
    Bum laughed softly, mainly to himself. “Many times, kid. I’ve taken it left and I’vetaken it right. I’ve even taken it straight up, if you know what I mean.”
    â€œI don’t,” Adam said honestly.
    â€œThe Secret Path doesn’t always lead to the same place,” Bum said. “It all depends on you. If you’re a little scared, you end up in a place that’s a little scary. If you’re terrified, the path is like a road to terror.”
    â€œCool,” Watch said.
    â€œCool?” Sally said sarcastically. “Who wants to be terrified? Come on, Adam* let’s get out of here. Neither of us is qualified. We’re both cowards.”
    â€œSpeak for yourself,” Adam said, getting more interested. Bum had a powerful way of speaking—it was hard to doubt his words. “Can the path lead to wonderful places?” Adam