a young people's revolution. It was like listening to a crazy politician on TV.
"If a kid wants to open a candy factory, let him open one," Sam stormed. "If he wants to become a football star, fine. If he wants to be an explorer and set off for strange, cannibal-populated islands, okay! We're the slaves of the modern generation. We're -"
"Sam," Evra interrupted. "Do you want to come see my snake?"
Sam broke out into a smile. "Do I?" he yelled. "I thought you'd never ask. C'mon, let's go."
Leaping down out of the tree, he ran for the campsite as fast as he could, speeches forgotten. We followed slowly, laughing, feeling a whole lot older and wiser than we were.
CHAPTER 12
Sam thought the snake was the coolest thing he'd ever seen. He wasn't at all scared and didn't hesitate to wrap her around his neck like a scarf. He asked a bunch of questions: How long was she, what did she eat, how often did she shed her skin, where was she from, how fast could she move?
Evra answered all of Sam's questions. He was a snake expert. There wasn't a thing he didn't know about the serpent kingdom. He was even able to tell Sam roughly how many scales the
snake had!
We gave Sam a guided tour of the campsite after that. We took him to see the wolf-man (Sam was pretty quiet outside of the hairy wolf-man's van, totally frightened by the snarling creature inside). We introduced him to Hans Hands. Then we ran into Rhamus Twobellies practicing his act. Evra asked if we could watch, and Rhamus let us. Sam's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw Rhamus chew a glass into tiny pieces, swallow it, piece it back together inside his belly, and bring it up his throat and out his mouth.
I was going to grab Madam Octa and show Sam some of the tricks I could do with her, but I didn't feel too great. The lack of human blood in my diet was getting to me; my stomach
grumbled a lot, no matter how much food I ate, and I sometimes got sick or had to sit down suddenly. I didn't want to faint or get sick with the tarantula out of her cage; I knew from experience how deadly she could be if you lost control of her for even a couple of seconds.
Sam would have stayed forever, but it was getting dark and I knew Mr. Crepsley would be
waking soon. Evra and me had jobs to do, so we told him it was time he went home.
"Can't I stay a little longer?" he pleaded.
"Your mother's probably looking for you for dinner," Evra said.
"I can eat with you guys," Sam said.
"There isn't enough food," I lied.
"Well, I'm not very hungry, anyway," Sam said. "I already ate most of my pickled onions."
"Maybe he could stay," Evra said. I stared at him, surprised, but he winked to show he was only pretending.
"Could I?" Sam asked, psyched.
"Sure," Evra said. "But you'll have to help us with our jobs."
"I'll do anything," Sam said. "I don't mind. What is it?"
"The wolf-man needs to be fed, washed, and brushed," Evra said.
Sam's smile went away.
"The wuh-wolf-muh-man?" he asked nervously.
"It's no problem," Evra told him. "He's pretty quiet once he's been fed. He hardly ever bites his helpers. If he does attack, keep your head away from his mouth and stick an arm down his throat.
It's better to lose an arm than your -"
"You know," Sam said quickly, "I think I do have to go home. My mother said something about friends coming over tonight."
"Oh. That's a pity." Evra grinned.
Sam backed away, gazing in the direction of the wolf-man's cage. He looked sad to be going, so I told him to stop.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said.
"Do you want to come over in the afternoon and hang out with us?"
"Yeah!" Sam said right back, then paused. "I won't have to help feed and clean the...?" He gulped loudly.
"No," Evra said, still smiling.
"Then I'll be here. See you tomorrow, guys."
"See you, Sam," we said together.
He waved, turned, and left.
"Sam's cool, isn't he?" I said to Evra.
"He's a good guy," Evra agreed. "He
"If a kid wants to open a candy factory, let him open one," Sam stormed. "If he wants to become a football star, fine. If he wants to be an explorer and set off for strange, cannibal-populated islands, okay! We're the slaves of the modern generation. We're -"
"Sam," Evra interrupted. "Do you want to come see my snake?"
Sam broke out into a smile. "Do I?" he yelled. "I thought you'd never ask. C'mon, let's go."
Leaping down out of the tree, he ran for the campsite as fast as he could, speeches forgotten. We followed slowly, laughing, feeling a whole lot older and wiser than we were.
CHAPTER 12
Sam thought the snake was the coolest thing he'd ever seen. He wasn't at all scared and didn't hesitate to wrap her around his neck like a scarf. He asked a bunch of questions: How long was she, what did she eat, how often did she shed her skin, where was she from, how fast could she move?
Evra answered all of Sam's questions. He was a snake expert. There wasn't a thing he didn't know about the serpent kingdom. He was even able to tell Sam roughly how many scales the
snake had!
We gave Sam a guided tour of the campsite after that. We took him to see the wolf-man (Sam was pretty quiet outside of the hairy wolf-man's van, totally frightened by the snarling creature inside). We introduced him to Hans Hands. Then we ran into Rhamus Twobellies practicing his act. Evra asked if we could watch, and Rhamus let us. Sam's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw Rhamus chew a glass into tiny pieces, swallow it, piece it back together inside his belly, and bring it up his throat and out his mouth.
I was going to grab Madam Octa and show Sam some of the tricks I could do with her, but I didn't feel too great. The lack of human blood in my diet was getting to me; my stomach
grumbled a lot, no matter how much food I ate, and I sometimes got sick or had to sit down suddenly. I didn't want to faint or get sick with the tarantula out of her cage; I knew from experience how deadly she could be if you lost control of her for even a couple of seconds.
Sam would have stayed forever, but it was getting dark and I knew Mr. Crepsley would be
waking soon. Evra and me had jobs to do, so we told him it was time he went home.
"Can't I stay a little longer?" he pleaded.
"Your mother's probably looking for you for dinner," Evra said.
"I can eat with you guys," Sam said.
"There isn't enough food," I lied.
"Well, I'm not very hungry, anyway," Sam said. "I already ate most of my pickled onions."
"Maybe he could stay," Evra said. I stared at him, surprised, but he winked to show he was only pretending.
"Could I?" Sam asked, psyched.
"Sure," Evra said. "But you'll have to help us with our jobs."
"I'll do anything," Sam said. "I don't mind. What is it?"
"The wolf-man needs to be fed, washed, and brushed," Evra said.
Sam's smile went away.
"The wuh-wolf-muh-man?" he asked nervously.
"It's no problem," Evra told him. "He's pretty quiet once he's been fed. He hardly ever bites his helpers. If he does attack, keep your head away from his mouth and stick an arm down his throat.
It's better to lose an arm than your -"
"You know," Sam said quickly, "I think I do have to go home. My mother said something about friends coming over tonight."
"Oh. That's a pity." Evra grinned.
Sam backed away, gazing in the direction of the wolf-man's cage. He looked sad to be going, so I told him to stop.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said.
"Do you want to come over in the afternoon and hang out with us?"
"Yeah!" Sam said right back, then paused. "I won't have to help feed and clean the...?" He gulped loudly.
"No," Evra said, still smiling.
"Then I'll be here. See you tomorrow, guys."
"See you, Sam," we said together.
He waved, turned, and left.
"Sam's cool, isn't he?" I said to Evra.
"He's a good guy," Evra agreed. "He
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