29 - Monster Blood III by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) Page B

“That sticky green stuff. The stuff
that Cuddles the hamster ate last year! You ate some—didn’t you!”
    Evan didn’t want to be reminded of Cuddles the hamster. The little creature
had turned into a huge, vicious beast after eating Monster Blood. Cuddles had
returned to hamster size only because the Monster Blood was old and stale.
    But the Monster Blood Evan had swallowed was new and fresh.
    Now I’m a huge, vicious beast, Evan thought sadly.
    “Are you crazy? Are you totally messed up? Why did you eat Monster Blood?”
Conan demanded.
    “It was an accident,” Evan told him.
    Conan continued to stare up at Evan, but his fearful expression faded. Conan
suddenly started to laugh. “I’m glad it happened to you and not me!” he
exclaimed.
    “Huh? Why?” Evan demanded.
    “Because I’m afraid of heights!” Conan replied. He laughed again. “I always
thought you were a nerd, Evan!” Conan declared. “But now you’re a BIG nerd!”
    Evan let out an angry growl and lurched forward. He tried to climb over the
fence. But he didn’t step high enough. Conan’s fence splintered beneath Evan’s
heavy sneaker.
    “Hey—!” Conan cried in alarm.
    He tried to turn and run, but Evan was too fast for him.
    Evan grabbed Conan under the shoulders and lifted him off the ground as if he
weighed nothing.
    “Let go! Let go of me!” Conan screamed. He kicked his arms and legs like a
baby.
    “I never knew you were afraid of heights,” Evan said. Holding Conan in both
hands, he raised him high in the air.
    “Let me go! Let me go!” Conan cried. “What are you going to do?”
    “Let’s see if you know how to fly!” Evan exclaimed.
    “Noooooo!” Conan’s shrill cry rose up over the yard. He kicked and thrashed
as Evan raised him even higher. “Put me down! Put me down!”
    “Okay,” Evan agreed. “I’ll put you down.” He set Conan down on a high tree
branch.
    Conan clung to the trunk for dear life, trembling and crying. “Evan—don’t
leave me up here! Please! I told you, I’m afraid of heights! Evan—come back!
Evan!”
    A huge grin on his huge face, Evan turned away from Conan. “That was a lot of fun!” he called down to his friends.
    Conan continued to weep and wail up in the tree. Evan took a few steps toward
the front yard. “That was excellent!” Evan said, still grinning. “Excellent!”
    “Where are you going?” he heard Andy call up to him.
    “Yeah! What are you going to do now?” Kermit asked eagerly.
    “This is kind of cool!” Evan declared. Having his revenge on Conan had put
him in a better mood. “Let’s go see if we can have some more fun!”
    “Yaaaay!” Kermit cried, racing to keep up with Evan.
    Evan ducked his head to keep from banging it on a low tree branch. He took
several big steps toward the street.
    “Oh!” He stopped and cried out when he felt himself step on something. He
heard a cracking, then a crunch beneath his enormous sneaker.
    He turned to see Kermit raise both hands to his face. “Oh, no!” Kermit
shrieked. “You squashed Andy! Evan—you squashed Andy!”

 
 
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    Evan gasped and jerked up his foot.
    Kermit let out a high-pitched laugh. “Gotcha, Evan!”
    Andy came running over from the driveway. “That wasn’t funny!” she scolded
Kermit. “That was a really dumb joke, Kermit. You scared Evan to death.”
    “I know!” Kermit laughed, very pleased with himself.
    Evan let out a sigh of relief. He bent down to see what he had stepped on.
Conan’s skateboard. It lay crushed and splintered, flat on the grass.
    He turned angrily to Kermit. “No more stupid jokes,” he thundered. “Or I’ll
put you up in the tree with Conan.”
    “Okay. Okay,” Kermit mumbled. “You think you’re tough just because you’re so
big.”
    Evan held up a pointer finger. “Careful, Kermit,” he warned. “I could knock
you over with one finger.”
    “Conan is still yelling for help back there,” Andy reported.
    Evan smiled. “Let’s