This is a fragment of my story for children "Runaway City".

[Eva Libre]

Arseniy Lapin

This is a fragment of my story for children "Runaway City". I am looking for a publisher for my children's books and working as an illustrator. If you have friends in the publishing business. I will be very grateful if you tell them about my stories and pictures

7. Sidor’s Island

We got to the island of Saint Sidor only by nightfall. The door of the little lighthouse, where Sidor lived, was unlocked. But he wasn’t there. We set to look for him further inland.

The island of Saint Sidor was not big. More than likely it was the very top of a gigantic rock, sticking out from the sea. In one of the small stony bays we noticed a soft glow and heard a voice. When we went down to the beach, we witnessed a scene that made us forget about the reason of our visit. Even Captain Brams, who had been swearing in a most elaborate seafarer language non-stop while climbing down the rocky cliff, suddenly froze on the spot and stared at what was happening by the sea with wide eyes.

Saint Sidor was sitting on the top of a large rounded boulder surrounded by the waves. An open book lay on his lap. He was reading aloud in a very ancient and beautiful, but incomprehensible to us language. The words, like music, floated over the waters, reflected from the tall rocks, and flew away, up, to the stars. Some hundred of fishes poked their heads above the water, contemplating Sidor’s words. To help him see the pages, all of them had lit up their little angler-fish lanterns on the long stems. A night breeze swayed back and forth their little lights, and the waves of soft glow washed over the rocky shore. Sidor’s voice and the waves of lights completely mesmerized us, and I cannot even tell how long we were standing there, listening to the ancient book. Gradually, the bodies of the fishes started also lighting up with the same glowing light that their little head-lanterns. And then I noticed that the fishes started slowly rising above the water. The most brightly lit ones were already hovering inches above the surface, like large soap bubbles.

When Sidor finished reading, all the fishes were hanging in the air. A light wind brought them close together and carried them into the open sea, lifting them higher and higher. Sidor shut the book and pensively followed them with his gaze.

“I was waiting on you all day today,” said he without turning our way. “The living books in the underground archives detected strong disturbances in the Earth’s magic field. Somebody gained tremendous power and is trying to use it for evil. The books said that the three of you are destined to stop him. What would be the outcome of this confrontation, I do not know. And I’m not aware of where that which you two are looking for may be. But I think that Wise Fish Thelapea [The-luh-PE-uh] could help you. Today I was teaching her children, and if you follow them, you should meet her in the morning.”

We thanked Sidor, went back to the seaplane and flew up into the night sky. Soon, we caught up with the little shoal of the luminous fishes. I shut down the engine, and the wind carried the plane along with them.

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