5: In Which the Scientist
Arrives in Pursuit
of the Phoenix, and
There Are Alarums and
Excursions by Night
The lights downstairs were all on when David got home, and as soon as he opened the front door he could tell that they had company.
He shouted, "I'm home!" and sneezed. The dust from the Gryffons' cave still clung to him, tickling his nose.
"Well, here he is at last," said Dad's voice. "Come on in, David." Then, as David walked into the living room, "Good heavens, Son, what's happened to you?"
"Your back, David!" Mother said in a horrified voice. "Your poor back! What happened to you?"
David felt himself. The back of his shirt was ripped to tatters, and there were three lines of caked blood across his shoulders. He remembered now: it was the Gryffon that had tried to grab him as he and the Phoenix made their escape. But he had promised the Phoenix to keep its secret.
He stammered, "I—I had an accident."
"And dust all over you!" Mother went on.