Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles (eBook)
248 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-1450-4 (ISBN)
The Shafer family have no idea what adventures are in store when they enter The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles. They are quickly separated by pairs in The Howl of Mirrors and thrust into exhibits where they must solve puzzles, brave dangers, restore magic, and even find their way back through time. When they end up in a giant maze they must find one another or risk becoming a permanent display in MAMLA.
Chapter 2:
A Change of Plans
It was a little after nine in the morning when the Shafer family stepped out of the harsh sunlight and into the lobby of The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles. The small worn room had scuffed tiles laid out in a black-and-white diamond pattern, like someone had kicked a chessboard aside causing it to turn at an odd angle. The copper-colored walls had a well-beaten texture with large letters mounted a few inches out, spelling the name of the museum in words that reminded Ryan of old newspaper headlines. Above it, the MAMLA logo glowed blue and yellow in a circle.
“Not much of a museum,” said Maria. She liked going to the movies for Family Day. Or a soccer game. “Where’s the amazing part?”
“Museums have all kinds of interesting things,” said Ryan, trying to sound like an adult. “The sky’s the limit.”
Leah wandered off to one side of the room where she discovered several glass boxes sitting on pedestals. The figures inside each one were posed dramatically. Inside one box, the figure of a girl sat on a staircase with a small pile of books. Instead of looking at the book in her hands the girl was listening to something downstairs. Suddenly, Leah was no longer looking at a glass cube. Instead, she found herself sitting on those stairs as family arguments snaked up from below. She yelped in surprise, then, oddly, found herself standing beside the pedestal in the museum again.
“Leah,” Mom said, suddenly by her side, “are you all right?”
“Yeah, Mom,” Leah said, looking away. “I just slipped or something.”
The rest of the family wandered over and discovered other glass boxes on pedestals, looking to see what was inside.
“They look so real,” Vanessa said. “The detail on that dress is incredible. I’d give anything to be able to draw dresses like this.”
“He looks so frustrated,” Dad said, peering into a box containing the figure of a father at the head of the dinner table. “Just once, I’d like to have this family eat without bickering!” Dad’s sudden outburst caused everyone to turn and stare at him.
“Thanks for sharing, Miguel,” Mom said, with one eyebrow raised.
“Sorry,” Dad said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“This isn’t funny,” said Maria, pointing a shaking finger at a box with no figures inside.
“What?” asked Ryan, his brow wrinkled in confusion.
“This is our house!” Maria looked like someone had slapped her in the face. “That’s my soccer bag behind the sofa.”
The rest of the family surrounded the glass box to examine the scene: Mom’s scrubs draped over the easy chair near the front door, Ryan’s Xbox controllers piled on the floor in front of the TV, and Dad’s camera on the coffee table with a scatter of lenses.
“Welcome, welcome!” exclaimed a cheerful, round woman from the other side of the lobby. The family jumped at the sudden greeting. “You’ve discovered the dioramas, I see. Aren’t they striking? Just a glimpse of what awaits the Shafer family on their visit to The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles!”
“How did you know we were the Shafers?” Mom asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
“Well just look at you, dear.” The woman laughed, tucking a crossword puzzle into her vest pocket. “Who else would you be?”
Leah giggled nervously at this remark and the woman gave her a wink.
“My name is Doris Weatherton,” she said, waggling the brass name badge on her lapel. “And I am your MAMLA docent.” She paused as if expecting applause, then continued when she got nothing but blank stares. “Docent anyone want to know what a docent is?”
The room remained silent.
“I do,” Leah said finally, raising her hand in the air. Ryan and Maria raised their hands too, out of habit from school. Vanessa looked unsure. Mom and Dad both nodded.
Doris Weatherton clapped her hands together in delight. She peered at the family over her glasses and spoke in a slow, quiet voice. “A docent is your guide to the museum.”
“That’s it?” Vanessa paused, incredulous. “You’re just a guide?”
“Oh, my, my. You are a sharp one, aren’t you, dear?”
Vanessa rolled her eyes but stopped when Mom nudged her with her elbow.
“We were taking them to see the Circo Nocturno,” Dad explained, “but the—”
“Not until dusk, yes,” Doris Weatherton interrupted. “So inconvenient when you’ve already paid for parking.”
“Are you a mind reader?” Maria asked. “Like a superhero with powers?”
Doris Weatherton burst out laughing. “Why bother reading minds when it’s written all over your faces? Good for business, though.”
“Well, you’re right,” Mom said. “We thought we’d bring the children to see your museum.”
“And MAMLA is happy to see you!” She pronounced the name of the museum, so it sounded like MOM-luh.
“How much for all six of us?” asked Dad, reaching for his wallet.
“Oh, dear me. Wouldn’t it be awful if every museum only wanted money?”
“Then what’s the price of admission?” asked Mom.
“Your full participation!” sang Doris Weatherton airily. “And a quick tour of the gift shop afterwards if you’re so inclined.”
“I am SO inclined!” Leah’s eyes gleamed.
“Afterwards,” Mom emphasized.
Dad shoved his wallet back in his pants. He scanned the faces of his family. Everyone except Vanessa appeared ready to explore. He raised his brow at Vanessa. After a slight pause, she shrugged one shoulder while rolling her eyes.
Dad turned back to Doris Weatherton. “Okay, we’ll take the tour.”
“First things first,” Doris Weatherton addressed the group. “Pull out your smartphones for the Why-Fi agreement.”
“Nice,” said Ryan with approval. He fully intended to keep building his catapult in Minecraft.
Everyone opened their phones to discover an agreement had popped up on their screens. At the top of the page, it had the “Why-Fi” logo and at the bottom were two choices: YES and NO. In the middle were the words “User Agreement.”
“I’m not getting anything,” Dad said, tapping on the words in the middle.
“Me, neither,” answered Mom. “It’s not taking me to the agreement.”
“The agreement is YES or NO, dear,” Doris Weatherton explained.
“But what are the terms of the agreement?” asked Dad.
“Quite simple. Your phone will provide ‘Why-Fi’ if you choose YES. And it won’t work at all if you choose NO.” All four children immediately chose YES. The adults hesitated, then did the same. On every screen a single gray app appeared showing the “Why-Fi” logo.
“And what’s with the spelling of Wi-Fi?” Dad asked.
Doris Weatherton turned to Leah for help. “What does ‘why’ mean?” she asked.
“It means ‘how come,’” answered Leah.
“Wonderful answer! And the second part is a little bit harder, so I won’t make you guess.” She then addressed the rest of the family. “‘Fi’ is short for the Latin word fidelis, or faithful. Ask ‘Why-Fi’ for help and it will faithfully respond.”
“That should be very useful,” said Mom.
“I’m sure it will be,” said Doris Weatherton.
“I’m ready,” said Maria like she was sprinting onto the soccer field, “let’s do this.”
“How soon is the next tour?” Mom asked.
“No waiting. Just enter through the Howl of Mirrors and you’re on your way.”
“Did you mean The Hall of Mirrors?” asked Dad.
“Look at the sign, Dad,” said Leah. “It says ‘Howl of Mirrors.’”
“Look at you.” Doris Weatherton extended her arms toward Leah as if she were within reach of a hug. “You can read already.”
“I’m five.”
“You’re gonna be six next month,” said Maria.
“She taught herself to read,” Mom said proudly.
“That will be useful, too,” said Doris Weatherton. She walked over to the door and placed her hand on the knob. When she next spoke to the Shafers it was in hushed tones and she looked into the eyes of each family member one at a time. “The Howl of Mirrors is your portal into the entire museum, and your opportunity to choose your own path. I won’t tell you where to go, and you won’t know where you’re going until you get there. Just remember that wherever you go, that’s where you are meant to be.”
She pulled the door open to reveal a shiny mirrored surface on the back, and a bright clean...
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 1.6.2024 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Kinder- / Jugendbuch |
| ISBN-13 | 979-8-3509-1450-4 / 9798350914504 |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
EPUB (Ohne DRM)Größe: 2,6 MB
Digital Rights Management: ohne DRM
Dieses eBook enthält kein DRM oder Kopierschutz. Eine Weitergabe an Dritte ist jedoch rechtlich nicht zulässig, weil Sie beim Kauf nur die Rechte an der persönlichen Nutzung erwerben.
Dateiformat: EPUB (Electronic Publication)
EPUB ist ein offener Standard für eBooks und eignet sich besonders zur Darstellung von Belletristik und Sachbüchern. Der Fließtext wird dynamisch an die Display- und Schriftgröße angepasst. Auch für mobile Lesegeräte ist EPUB daher gut geeignet.
Systemvoraussetzungen:
PC/Mac: Mit einem PC oder Mac können Sie dieses eBook lesen. Sie benötigen dafür die kostenlose Software Adobe Digital Editions.
eReader: Dieses eBook kann mit (fast) allen eBook-Readern gelesen werden. Mit dem amazon-Kindle ist es aber nicht kompatibel.
Smartphone/Tablet: Egal ob Apple oder Android, dieses eBook können Sie lesen. Sie benötigen dafür eine kostenlose App.
Geräteliste und zusätzliche Hinweise
Buying eBooks from abroad
For tax law reasons we can sell eBooks just within Germany and Switzerland. Regrettably we cannot fulfill eBook-orders from other countries.
aus dem Bereich
