21 - Go Eat Worms! by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) Page A

them to the ground.
    Later, in the lunchroom, Todd unwrapped his sandwich carefully. Peanut butter and jelly again.
    Danny leaned across the table, staring hard at the sandwich.
    “Go ahead. Open it,” he murmured.
    Todd hesitated, gripping the sandwich in both hands.
    How many worms would be crawling through the peanut butter this time? Two?
Three? Ten?
    “Go ahead,” Danny urged. “What are you waiting for?”
    Todd took a deep breath and held it. Then he slowly pulled apart the two
slices of bread.

 
 
20
     
     
    “No worm!” Todd declared.
    Both boys let out long sighs of relief.
    Danny sank back into his seat and picked up what was left of his ham
sandwich.
    Todd didn’t eat. He stared thoughtfully at the peanut butter covered with
smears of grape jelly. “They’re going to drive me totally crazy,” he muttered.
    “What?” Danny asked with a mouthful of sandwich.
    “Nothing,” Todd replied. His head itched. He pulled off his cap and reached
up to scratch it. He expected to find a worm in his hair. But there wasn’t one.
    Every time he opened his bookbag, he expected to find worms. Every time he
ate a meal, he expected to see a worm bobbing or wriggling or crawling or
swimming through his food.
    He was starting to imagine worms everywhere. Everywhere.
     
    Todd had dinner at Danny’s that night. Danny’s mother served fried chicken
and mashed potatoes. Then she and Danny’s father argued all through dinner about
where to go on their vacation, and whether or not they should save the money and
buy a couch instead.
    Danny seemed really embarrassed about his parents’ loud arguing.
    But Todd didn’t mind it at all. He was so happy to relax and eat and not
worry about finding any long, purple worms on his plate or in his glass.
    He and Danny went up to Danny’s room and played video games for a few hours
after dinner. Danny had a game called Worm Attack. Todd made him bury it deep in
the closet.
    Danny’s father drove Todd home at about ten. Todd’s parents were already
dressed for bed. “Your mom and I both had rough days,” Mr. Barstow explained.
“We’re hitting the sack early. You can stay up and watch TV or something if you
want, Todd.”
    Todd didn’t feel sleepy. So he went into the den and turned on the TV. He
watched a Star Trek that he’d already seen.
    He was yawning and feeling tired by the time the show went off at eleven. He turned off all the lights and made his way up
to his room.
    He realized he was feeling really good, really relaxed. I haven’t thought
about worms all night, he told himself happily.
    He climbed out of his clothes, tossing them onto the floor, and pulled on his
pajamas. A warm, soft wind was fluttering the curtains at the window. He could
see a pale half-moon in the black nighttime sky.
    Clicking off the bed table lamp, Todd pulled back his covers and slipped into
bed.
    He yawned loudly and shut his eyes.
    Tomorrow is Saturday, he thought happily. No school.
    He turned onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow.
    He felt something wet and warm wriggle against his cheek.
    Then he felt something moving under his chest.
    “Oh!” He jerked himself upright, pulling himself up with both hands.
    A long, wet worm clung to the side of his face.
    He reached up and pulled it off.
    He jumped out of bed. It took a short while to find the bed table lamp in the
darkness. Finally, he managed to click it on.
    Blinking in the light, he saw a worm stuck to the front of his pajama shirt.
Three long, brown worms were crawling on his sheet. Two more were stretched out on the pillow.
    “No! No! Stop!”
    It took Todd a while to realize that the shrill screams were coming from him !
    “I can’t take it anymore!” he shrieked, losing control.
    He pulled the worm off his pajama shirt and tossed it onto the bed beside the
others.
    “Regina! Regina—you’ve got to stop it! You’ve got to!” Todd
screamed.
    He spun around when he heard footsteps at the