The Pillars of Ponderay Read Free

siblings had made him pretend to be a dolphin, and cart them across the waves on his back. Maybe Farnsworth could take over that role this year. . . .
    Albert’s phone chirped from his pocket. While Birdie and Leroy chatted, he checked the screen. “Hey, I have a text from my dad!”
    â€œOpen it!” Birdie and Leroy said at once.
    Albert’s heart skipped half a beat. He opened the text. And what he saw made him yelp in a very Farnsworth-like way.
    Hey, kiddo. I know you’re probably all packed and ready for your trip to California, but how do you feel about spending Christmas break in the Core instead?
We need you.

CHAPTER 2

The Return to Herman
    I t took some tough convincing and about ten phone calls from Albert’s dad, but Albert’s mom finally agreed to let Albert leave for Christmas break. After a few hours of begging almost as skillfully as Farnsworth, Albert was on his way to the airport with his family. Albert would head to Herman, and his family would head to California as planned.
    Rick was catching a flight later in the week, so Albert even got to sit in the front seat of his mom’s minivan, which was great, considering that Sam and Peter were playing a game of “who can scream the loudest” in the backseat.
    â€œThey’re having a rough winter in Herman,” Albert’s mom said as she drove the car through the winding streets of New York City. It was snowing big fat flakes ofwhite, dusting the sidewalks just in time for the Christmas season to roll around.
    â€œI know!” Albert said. “Dad said I could start snowboarding!” He hoped the made-up activity seemed genuine.
    His mom nearly veered off the road and hit a biker.
    â€œWith a helmet, of course,” Albert added, but what he was really thinking was, Mom, if you only knew the dangerous stuff I was doing in the Core you’d never let me out of New York .
    They stopped at a red light, then passed by Albert’s favorite place in the city, Central Park. It was the one place in New York that Albert had memories of going to with his dad when he was just a little boy. They’d gone hiking all through the winding trails, and when Albert was too tired to walk, sometimes his dad actually paid for them to ride in one of the pedicabs.
    â€œYou’ll call me, right?” Albert’s mom asked. She gunned the engine, and soon Central Park was just a speck of snow-covered trees in the rearview mirror.
    â€œYeah, of course I will,” Albert said. “Don’t worry, Mom.”
    â€œYou’re growing up, I understand,” his mom said. A taxicab cut them off, and she laid on the horn, then smiled sweetly as soon as the driver sped away. “But you’re my firstborn, and this will be my first Christmas without you.”
    â€œI’ll send you lots of pictures,” Albert said. “And I’ll beback before you know it.”
    His mom sighed. “Just promise me you’ll be careful?”
    Albert reached across the center console and touched her arm. “Always.”
    It was a sweet moment, and Albert’s face got red. Just then, a sticky wad of gum flew from the backseat, landing itself right into Albert’s mom’s coffee. It splashed everywhere, and Farnsworth howled.
    His mom gave Albert’s half brothers her best evil eyes in the rearview.
    The drive to the airport was going to take a while at the rate things were going. The snow was really picking up, too.
    Albert leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, dreaming of the second he would set foot in Herman.
    This was going to be the best Christmas ever.
    The plane ride wasn’t bad, and taking off in the snow was exciting. It was one of those really cool two-story planes, the huge ones that had a staircase in the middle. Albert loved hearing the engine roar. His heart raced faster than a flying Guildacker the second the wheels left the runway.
    Because he was an unaccompanied