03 The Secret Poet

Chapter 03 The Secret Poet The bearded man smiled at Annie. “ My name is Plato, ” he said. “ Plato?” said Jack. That name sounded familiar. “ You may have heard of me, ” the man said. “ I am a philosopher. ” “ What’s that mean?” said Annie. “ A lover of wisdom, ” said Plato. “ Wow, ” said Annie. Plato smiled at her.

“ It’s odd to see a girl walking so bravely through Olympia, ” he said. “ You must be from far away. ” “ We’re Jack and Annie, ” said Annie. “ And we come from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. It’s very far away. ” Plato looked puzzled. Annie turned to Jack. “ I think we should show him our cards, ” she said in a low voice. “ He’s a lover of wisdom. ” Jack nodded. He reached into his bag and took out the secret library cards. He showed them to Plato. The letters M and L that stood for Master Librarian glittered on the cards. “ Amazing! ” said Plato. “ I’ve never met such young Master Librarians. Why have you come to Olympia?”

Jack pulled out the piece of paper with the title of the story. “ We’re looking for this story, ” he said. “ Oh, yes, ” said Plato softly. “ This was written by a brilliant poet—a friend of mine, in fact. ” “ Do you know where the poet lives?” asked Jack. “ Very near here, ” said Plato. “ Will you take us there?” asked Annie. “ Yes, but I must warn you—never tell anyone who the poet is, ” said Plato. “ It’s a secret. ” “ We won’t, ” whispered Annie. Plato led them away from the outdoor theater.

They started down a dirt road. It was crowded with people heading to the games. Plato stopped at the door of a sand-colored house with a brick roof. He opened the door and led Jack and Annie into an empty courtyard. “ Wait here, ” he said. He disappeared through a doorway. Jack and Annie looked around. Rooms opened onto the sunny courtyard. Everything was quiet. “ The people who live here must have gone to the games, ” said Annie. “ I bet you’re right, ” said Jack. He pulled out the Greek book and found a picture of a house. He read aloud:

Men and women lived in separate parts of a Greek house. Women spent most of their time spinning and weaving and taking care of the kitchen. Boys were sent away to school when they were seven. Girls were not allowed to go to school. “ Girls can’t go to school?” said Annie. “ How do they learn to read and write?” At that moment Plato returned. With him was a young woman dressed in a long tunic with a colored border. She was holding a scroll. Annie smiled a big smile. “ Finally, ” she said. “ Another girl. ” “ Jack and Annie, meet our secret poet, ” said Plato.