judges had moved on to the next pet. Anastasia grabbed Sam's hand, and they ran over to the rabbit cage.
"I won!" the girl was saying happily. "My rabbit won!"
Anastasia read the words on the blue ribbon. "First Prize," she read aloud, "for Nose-wiggling."
Sam brightened. "King of Worms couldn't win that," he said, "because he doesn't have a nose."
"Look, Sam," Anastasia said. She had moved to the next pet. The judges had gone on ahead, moving from table to table, cage to cage.
"First Prize for Yellowest Pet," Anastasia read, leaning over a canary cage.
"First Prize for Largest Sleeper," she read, almost tripping over a snoring Newfoundland dog.
"First Prize for Wettest Pet," she read on the goldfish bowl.
"First Prize for Best Climber," she read on the ribbon attached to a tree trunk. From a limb above, the cat still looked down.
"First Prize for Most Pets," said the award on Nicky's huge box of gerbils.
Sam and Anastasia stood and watched quietly from a distance as the judges came to the table with the 17 on it. They saw the judges lean over the worm box.
"Maybe he'll be roundest pet," Anastasia suggested.
"I bet he'll be dirtiest," Sam said cheerfully.
They could see the judges poke gently in the dirt. One of them lifted the box. They talked some more.
"They can't decide," Anastasia whispered to Sam. "It must be a truly tough decision."
"They probably never had to do a worm before," Sam whispered back.
Finally, while they watched, the judge with the marking pen wrote on one of the blue ribbons and attached it to the worm box. Then the judges moved on.
Sam and Anastasia dashed to their table.
"Read it to me," Sam begged. "I can't read fast enough because I have to sound out all the words."
Anastasia had the ribbon in her hand and a horrified look on her face.
"First Prize," she read slowly, "for Most Invisible Pet."
And it was true. King of Worms was gone.
"He's bait!" Sam yowled. "I know he's bait!"
"What on earth are you talking about, Sam?" Anastasia asked. They were walking home from the pet show.
Sam couldn't stop crying. "King of Worms! I know there must have been someone there who wanted to go fishing tomorrow! And was looking for bait! And they saw King of Worms and
took
him!"
Anastasia leaned over and held a crumpled Kleenex to Sam's nose. "Here," she said. "Blow."
Sam blew his nose. "They'll put a
hook
through him," he wailed.
Anastasia shook her head. "I don't think so, Sam. I think he ran away. He just didn't want to be in a pet show."
"Worms can't run," Sam muttered. "They only crawl."
"Well, that's true. They crawl and slither. But that makes them very good at escaping."
"Why?" Sam asked.
"Because they go underground, and no one can see them. Hey, Sam, you know what? I bet King of Worms is underground right now, maybe right under our feet."
Sam sniffled, and his face brightened. "You think so? Under the sidewalk?"
"Sure," Anastasia said. "Probably slithering along down there, faster than a speeding bullet. Heading home."
Sam looked down the street, toward their house. "Probably he did want to go home, so he wouldn't have to be in a dumb pet show," he said. "Would he know the way home? Because I took him in the box, and he couldn't see anything."
"Oh, sure," his sister told him. "Worms have an excellent sense of direction. They're used to finding their way underground, where they can't see."
"Yeah," said Sam, starting to smile. "I bet he's slithering under the street right now. He doesn't even have to stop at the corner and look both ways for cars."
"He'll probably beat us home," Anastasia said.
At the corner, they stopped. Sam looked down at the drain that caught the rainwater. He knelt beside it and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Hey, King of Worms!" he called. "I know you're down there!"
He listened for a moment. "I think I hear him," he said to Anastasia. "I hear slithering noises."
When they got to their yard, they went directly to the sandbox where Sam's big
"I won!" the girl was saying happily. "My rabbit won!"
Anastasia read the words on the blue ribbon. "First Prize," she read aloud, "for Nose-wiggling."
Sam brightened. "King of Worms couldn't win that," he said, "because he doesn't have a nose."
"Look, Sam," Anastasia said. She had moved to the next pet. The judges had gone on ahead, moving from table to table, cage to cage.
"First Prize for Yellowest Pet," Anastasia read, leaning over a canary cage.
"First Prize for Largest Sleeper," she read, almost tripping over a snoring Newfoundland dog.
"First Prize for Wettest Pet," she read on the goldfish bowl.
"First Prize for Best Climber," she read on the ribbon attached to a tree trunk. From a limb above, the cat still looked down.
"First Prize for Most Pets," said the award on Nicky's huge box of gerbils.
Sam and Anastasia stood and watched quietly from a distance as the judges came to the table with the 17 on it. They saw the judges lean over the worm box.
"Maybe he'll be roundest pet," Anastasia suggested.
"I bet he'll be dirtiest," Sam said cheerfully.
They could see the judges poke gently in the dirt. One of them lifted the box. They talked some more.
"They can't decide," Anastasia whispered to Sam. "It must be a truly tough decision."
"They probably never had to do a worm before," Sam whispered back.
Finally, while they watched, the judge with the marking pen wrote on one of the blue ribbons and attached it to the worm box. Then the judges moved on.
Sam and Anastasia dashed to their table.
"Read it to me," Sam begged. "I can't read fast enough because I have to sound out all the words."
Anastasia had the ribbon in her hand and a horrified look on her face.
"First Prize," she read slowly, "for Most Invisible Pet."
And it was true. King of Worms was gone.
"He's bait!" Sam yowled. "I know he's bait!"
"What on earth are you talking about, Sam?" Anastasia asked. They were walking home from the pet show.
Sam couldn't stop crying. "King of Worms! I know there must have been someone there who wanted to go fishing tomorrow! And was looking for bait! And they saw King of Worms and
took
him!"
Anastasia leaned over and held a crumpled Kleenex to Sam's nose. "Here," she said. "Blow."
Sam blew his nose. "They'll put a
hook
through him," he wailed.
Anastasia shook her head. "I don't think so, Sam. I think he ran away. He just didn't want to be in a pet show."
"Worms can't run," Sam muttered. "They only crawl."
"Well, that's true. They crawl and slither. But that makes them very good at escaping."
"Why?" Sam asked.
"Because they go underground, and no one can see them. Hey, Sam, you know what? I bet King of Worms is underground right now, maybe right under our feet."
Sam sniffled, and his face brightened. "You think so? Under the sidewalk?"
"Sure," Anastasia said. "Probably slithering along down there, faster than a speeding bullet. Heading home."
Sam looked down the street, toward their house. "Probably he did want to go home, so he wouldn't have to be in a dumb pet show," he said. "Would he know the way home? Because I took him in the box, and he couldn't see anything."
"Oh, sure," his sister told him. "Worms have an excellent sense of direction. They're used to finding their way underground, where they can't see."
"Yeah," said Sam, starting to smile. "I bet he's slithering under the street right now. He doesn't even have to stop at the corner and look both ways for cars."
"He'll probably beat us home," Anastasia said.
At the corner, they stopped. Sam looked down at the drain that caught the rainwater. He knelt beside it and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Hey, King of Worms!" he called. "I know you're down there!"
He listened for a moment. "I think I hear him," he said to Anastasia. "I hear slithering noises."
When they got to their yard, they went directly to the sandbox where Sam's big
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