Mark In Pompeii

By Montrew Dunham

This is an exciting story of 11 year old Mark’s adventures when he inadvertendly steps into a hole and ends up in the first century A.D. in Pompeii!

Mark was stunned when he was invited by his grandparents to join them on a sightseeing trip to Italy, but he would never have dreamed how amazing the trip would be. The trip to Italy aboard a large airplane was awesome and it was unbelievable when they deboarded in Milan! It was a different world as they travelled to Venice and then on to Florence with a stop to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and this was only the beginning, Next stop was Rome! After they settled into their hotel, Mark’s grandfather made arrangements for sightseeing trips in Rome and to Pompeii. Mark made a friend, Julian, another boy just his age who was travelling with his mother.

Mark’s grandparents, Julian and his mother, and Mark were all on their way to board the tour bus to go to Pompeii when suddenly Mark fell into a construction hole on the sidewalk. And suddenly the time travel machine went into action! Everybody knows how the time travel machine can transport whole groups of people from one time period to another, like going from the present to the time when your parents were young or sometimes as much as a hundred years ago. But this time travel machine really went into action! And Mark was transported back almost two thousand years to the first century in Pompeii! Mark was shocked when he fell from the year 2004 to the year 79! The rest of the story is of Mark’s incredible adventures in Pompeii!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Montrew Dunham
• Release date: Jun 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781604146868

Montrew Dunham

Montrew Dunham is the author of a number of historical biographies for young readers in the popular Childhood of Famous Americans series. When she isn’t writing, she loves spending time with her family, children, and grandchildren in Illinois and Texas.

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Mark in Pompeii

Montrew Dunham

Smashwords ebook published by Fideli Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2013, Montrew Dunham

No part of this eBook may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Fideli Publishing.

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ISBN: 978-1-60414-686-8

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER ONE

Mark Hamilton was eleven years old the summer that he went to Italy, the most exciting summer of his whole life! Summer time was a super time, but this summer was truly fantastic! He always had fun during summer vacation, swimming, soccer or just reading under a tree, sometimes maybe a computer class at school. He usually was pretty busy during the summer, because his mom was at work and she didn't want him to be home alone. Weekends he spent with his dad at his condo in the city, or his father would take him to his grandparents' farm which he loved. But never, never had he expected to spend his vacation in Italy!

He barely knew where Italy was. All he knew was that it was that long boot-like peninsula on the bottom of the map of Europe, which Miss Langston pulled down over the blackboard, when they studied Social Studies. He remembered the day so well. It had not been all that great a day in school. Miss Langston, his fourth grade teacher, had insisted that everyone in the class clean out their desks since it was only two weeks until the end of school. He had taken so long that he was late coming home from school.

He started to run when he saw his grandfather's car in front of his house. That was a surprise in itself, because his grandparents didn't often come to visit him at his mother's house. He usually visited them at their house in the country when he was with his father on the weekends. He loved to go to his grandparents. Gram always cooked his favorite foods and didn't insist that he drink all his milk. And he had so many fun toys there like his dirt bike that he could ride through the fields.

Mark thought that probably they had come to see him to bring him a birthday present. Mark had just celebrated his 11th birthday on Saturday. He had had a great time with his friends at Pete E. Pizzas. His mom and dad had both been there and ten of the kids from school. But his grandparents had not been able to come though he had invited them. They had said they could celebrate his birthday with him later. Some other birthdays Gram had made a cake for him and he, and his grandparents and sometimes his dad had just a little party at his grandparents' house. So he expected to go there, and it was really a surprise to see them now. But the big surprise came when Mark went into the house!

Grandfather and Grandmother both hugged him and Grandmother kissed him and said merrily, Happy Birthday! Then Grandfather put his arm around him, drew Mark down on the sofa beside him and asked, "How would you like to come with us for a three week holiday in Italy for your birthday gift?

What a birthday gift! Mark couldn't believe it! Italy! he exclaimed.

How would we get there?

Grandfather laughed as he answered, We would fly.

On a big jet? Mark asked. He looked at his mother, who up to now had not said a word, Can I go, Mom? Can I? he asked excitedly.

Mark's mother had not answered right away. She lifted her chin a bit, pushed her long blond hair back from her face with her hands in a way she often did. She hesitated and then quietly asked, Will Mark's father be going with you?

Grandmother's face grew a little pink but Grandfather in his solid, calm way said, No, he doesn't have vacation at this time, and besides we planned for Mark to go with just the two of us. We thought it would be a happy trip for us all.

And so it was settled. Mark's mother had not seemed so pleased about his leaving, but she was a good sport and got everything ready for him to go. Going to Italy was so interesting … seeing all of the places he had studied about in school, or seen on television, but never, ever in his wildest dreams could he have imagined his experiences in Pompeii! As matter of fact before he went to Italy he didn't even know that Pompeii existed … but he sure found out! His adventures really started the afternoon they arrived in Rome. Though, of course, the entire trip had been so exciting from the beginning. His dad had driven them to the airport in Indianapolis and his mother had come along, which was kind of special because they didn't usually do things together.

Grandfather checked their luggage and they went through the gate to the boarding area. The last thing Mark saw as he boarded the plane was his mom and dad waving. He thought his mother looked a little damp around the eyes, but she dabbed at her face with her hankie. The plane ride was so exciting. They ate dinner, saw a movie and watched the daybreak at 1:30 in the morning as they flew into the East! And then they had breakfast on the plane before they landed at Milan in Italy!

During the first week in Italy they had ridden on an enormous tourist bus, the kind with comfortable, comfortable seats, and little lights, and streams of air for ventilation. It had huge windows so that you could really see the countryside as you rode past. They had stayed in Venice with its canals and even ridden in a gondola gliding through the water. They went to Florence and Pisa and now they were in Rome!

The late afternoon sun streamed through the ancient wooden shutters of the old, Italian hotel. The hotel room was dark and quiet but Mark could hear the rumble of the traffic on the street below. Grandfather had gone down to the hotel desk to make arrangements for a sightseeing trip through Rome at night. Grandmother was quite content sitting at the antique desk looking through some of the travel brochures, but Mark was so excited he wanted to see Rome! He could hardly wait to go outside. He leaned over and peeked through the shuttered balcony doors. Grandmother, may I open the balcony doors?

Mark's grandmother looked up and smiled. She understood Mark's eagerness to start sightseeing. Oh Mark, it is still very hot out there, and so pleasantly air conditioned in here. Then she paused and said, You think it would be exciting to look at the late afternoon Roman traffic from our balcony. Go on if you really want to.

Mark drew the heavy drapes completely open so that he could slide back the dark wooden shutters, which accordioned into the sides of the recess for the window. Opening the locks, top and bottom, he turned the knob and opened the floor to ceiling doors onto the balcony. The heat of the afternoon poured in as Mark stepped out on the balcony and looked down on the cars racing along the crowded street below. The cars rushed along the brick street in a tight formation with roaring engines and squealing tires as the drivers hit the brakes to avoid collisions. The traffic was unreal!

The strong pungent odor of the exhaust fumes from the cars rolled into the room. The blaring horns and the racket of the frantic Roman traffic broke the quiet of the pleasant afternoon. Mark took a deep breath as he drew in the