The 22nd Secret (120 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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No not that.
I
me
a
n
I
w
a
nt
y
ou to
t
e
ll
me
a
bout
C
h
ina
a
nd
y
our
w
o
r
k so
m
e
d
a
y
, but w
h
a
t I
m
e
a
nt w
a
s, t
e
ll
me
a
b
o
ut
P
a
m.
W
h
a
t
is
i
t
l
ike to
be
y
ou?
You told
m
e
P
a
ula h
a
d kind of a
lou
s
y
c
hi
l
dhood
a
nd b
e
c
a
me
T
i
no’s
g
irl m
a
in
l
y
to
g
e
t
a
w
a
y
f
rom
a
d
ea
d
-
e
nd l
i
fe in
I
d
a
ho
.

P
a
m
sipped h
e
r b
e
e
r
a
nd
a
te a
c
oup
l
e
of
c
hip
s
.


W
e
l
l
,
I
did
g
row
up in
Id
a
ho
a
nd didn’t h
a
ve
t
h
e
b
e
st childhoo
d
. At
l
ea
st
t
hat pa
r
t w
a
s tru
e
.
M
y
f
a
th
e
r
wa
s
a
potato
fa
rm
e
r
a
nd
I
w
a
s an
o
n
l
y
c
hi
l
d.
I
love
m
y
p
a
rents and
w
e
h
a
v
e
a
g
r
ea
t
r
e
lationship.
I
to
l
d
y
o
u
I
w
a
nted th
e
m
t
o m
e
e
t
y
ou
h
e
re
a
t Th
a
nk
s
g
iv
i
n
g
.”

J
i
m nodded his he
a
d
a
g
re
e
ing
with
P
a
m about h
e
r
p
a
r
e
nt
s

T
h
a
nk
s
g
iv
i
ng
v
i
si
t
.


M
y
p
a
r
e
nts
c
a
me
f
rom
Ge
rm
a
n
y
just
a
ft
e
r the
w
a
r.
T
h
e
y
n
e
v
e
r k
n
e
w
w
ho
their
rea
l p
a
r
e
nts w
e
r
e
. T
h
e
f
a
rm
m
y
fa
t
h
e
r h
a
d
w
a
s p
r
e
t
t
y
r
e
mo
t
e
a
nd unt
i
l
I
sta
r
ted
sch
o
ol
I
r
e
a
l
l
y
didn’t h
a
ve
a
n
y
f
ri
e
nds other
t
h
a
n
m
y
Mo
m
.
S
he
w
a
s gr
e
a
t
.
W
e
did ev
e
r
y
th
i
ng
t
o
g
e
the
r
.
S
he
kn
e
w
I w
a
s spe
c
ial
a
nd wh
e
n m
o
st child
re
n w
e
r
e
st
i
ll
t
r
y
i
ng
to
l
e
a
rn the
a
lpha
b
e
t
a
nd numbe
r
s f
r
om their
mo
t
h
e
rs,
I
w
a
s
a
lr
ea
d
y
r
ea
di
n
g
S
h
a
k
e
s
p
ea
r
e
a
nd
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
m
y
p
a
r
e
nts
would
g
ive m
e
.
J
i
m
,
I h
a
ve
wh
a
t
y
ou m
i
g
ht c
a
ll
a
photogr
a
phic m
e
mo
r
y
.
I
ca
n
g
la
n
c
e
a
t
a
p
a
g
e
o
f
a
book
a
nd h
a
v
e
a
l
m
ost compl
e
te
re
tenti
o
n of
e
v
e
r
y
wo
r
d.
B
y
f
iv
e
,
I
c
ould r
e
a
d a
h
i
g
h sc
h
o
ol ch
e
m
i
st
r
y
te
x
tbook in an
a
ft
e
rnoon
a
nd h
a
v
e
a
l
m
ost
t
otal
r
e
ca
ll
of
e
v
e
r
y
w
o
rd.”

J
i
m s
t
opp
e
d
c
h
e
win
g
.

D
a
mn!”
His mouth w
a
s fu
l
l but
he
w
a
s f
r
o
z
e
n in s
h
o
c
k.


I
a
lso had oth
e
r sp
ec
i
a
l abil
i
t
i
e
s
, but
I
h
a
d no po
i
nts of
re
fer
e
n
c
e
.
M
y
p
a
rents prote
c
ted m
e
. Th
e
y
k
e
pt
m
e
shelt
er
e
d
f
r
om o
t
h
e
r
c
hi
l
d
re
n
a
n
d p
e
ople
a
s lo
n
g
a
s th
e
y
c
ould. Th
e
re w
a
s no w
a
y
f
or
me to
e
v
e
n know
a
bout
m
y
p
s
y
c
hic
a
bi
l
i
t
ies.
M
y
p
a
r
e
nts kn
e
w
I
c
o
uld r
ea
d their thou
g
ht
s
, but
I
h
a
d no
w
a
y
of
kn
o
wing wh
a
t
m
ost child
re
n
m
y
a
g
e
w
e
r
e
l
i
k
e
.
M
y
p
s
y
c
hic po
w
e
rs h
a
ve
b
e
e
n the
r
e
si
n
c
e
bir
t
h
,
a
nd unt
i
l
I
w
e
nt
t
o kinde
r
g
a
r
t
e
n
I
sort of
took
t
h
e
m for
g
r
a
n
t
e
d.”

J
i
m
t
ook the l
a
st b
i
te of
his
s
ec
ond s
a
ndwi
c
h.
P
a
m
sta
re
d in
t
o h
e
r
e
mp
t
y
pl
a
te.

I
g
u
e
ss i
t
’s kind of
l
i
ke
wh
e
n a
b
la
c
k
c
hi
l
d re
a
l
iz
e
s for
the
f
irst
t
i
m
e
that h
e
’s di
f
fe
r
e
nt.
W
hi
t
e
p
e
ople h
a
te him for
no
g
ood
r
ea
son, just be
ca
use
h
e
’s bl
a
c
k.
W
h
e
n
I
s
t
a
rt
e
d kind
e
r
g
a
rt
e
n
, it
w
a
s a disaster
that
I
r
e
a
l
l
y
h
a
ve
n
e
v
e
r
r
ec
o
v
e
r
e
d
f
r
om.
F
i
rst,
I
w
a
s al
r
ea
d
y
l
e
a
rni
n
g
a
bo
v
e
h
i
g
h sc
h
ool lev
e
l.
B
e
l
i
e
v
e
it
or n
o
t
,
I
h
a
d r
e
a
d
m
y
p
a
r
e
nt
s

E
n
c
y
c
lo
p
e
dia
Britan
n
ic
a
s
c
o
v
e
r to
c
ov
e
r. How
do
y
o
u th
i
nk
I
f
e
l
t
,
y
ou kn
o
w?
How w
e
ll
do
y
ou th
i
n
k
I
fit into
t
h
e
t
y
pic
a
l k
i
n
d
e
r
g
a
r
t
e
n
c
lassr
o
o
m
? The
sudd
e
n re
a
l
iz
a
t
i
on that
m
y
won
d
e
r
f
ul
m
ind
m
a
de
me a
f
r
e
a
k
a
nd b
r
o
u
ght on
t
he
sco
r
n of most
of
m
y
p
e
e
rs d
e
v
a
st
a
ted m
e
. Can
y
ou i
ma
g
i
n
e
the s
ca
rs l
e
ft in the
h
ea
rt
of
a
n innoc
e
nt fi
v
e
-
y
ea
r
-
old
g
irl?
I
h
a
d
w
a
i
t
e
d all
m
y
l
i
fe
to
g
o to
r
e
a
l
s
c
hool and m
ee
t so
m
e
f
ri
e
nd
s
. The
wo
r
st
p
a
rt w
a
s the tho
u
g
hts
I
r
e
a
d in
t
he
m
i
nds of
m
y
c
las
s
mat
e
s.
L
i
t
t
l
e
g
irls
ca
n
b
e
vicious,
e
spe
c
ial
l
y wh
e
n th
e
y
’ve b
ee
n
f
r
ien
d
s their
w
hole live
s
.
I
g
u
e
s
s it
rea
l
l
y
boi
l
e
d down to
je
a
lou
s
y
.

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