Duncan—Dunc—Culpepper was marking the floor in Amos’s hallway with pieces of white tape.
“That was your best run yet. You went three feet, four and three quarter inches farther than the last time,” Dunc said.
They had put together a ramp on the staircase with some plywood they found in the garage. Amos was riding his dad’s leather office chair, the new one with six wheels, down the ramp and out to the hall.
Dunc was conducting an experiment on forward momentum. And he also had this thing about breaking records. He timedeach of the runs and marked the exact stopping point with a piece of tape.
Amos was at the top of the stairs. He pushed off with one foot and started rolling. He picked up speed. Everything around him was a complete blur.
Then the phone rang.
Amos’s ears shot out like radar.
If Amos was within a two-mile radius of a ringing phone, he would try to answer it. He knew it was Melissa Hansen trying to call him.
Amos worshiped Melissa. He would have given anything if she would notice him. She never did. He was invisible to her. Once at school she hung her windbreaker on his ear, thinking he was the coat rack.
Dunc knew about Amos’s problem with phones. He jumped out of the way just in time.
Amos came barreling down the ramp headed for the hall phone. His brain calculated the hall phone to be exactly seven point three centimeters from his fingertips. He made a try for the phone with his left hand.
He missed.
The chair came up on two wheels. It wobbled and came back down. He still might have been okay.
Except for the dog.
Scruff, his dog, chose that exact moment to run in from the living room. The chair hit the dog and tipped forward. It was like launching a missile.
Amos hit the front door headfirst.
When Dunc got to him, pieces of the door were everywhere. Amos’s head and shoulders had gone completely through. Scruff was growling and gnawing on one of Amos’s legs.
Dunc swung the door open so he could talk to him. “I got the phone for you. Your parents are going to be late. Someone stole their car stereo. They’re at the police station. Your mom wants you to start dinner.”
Amos was trying to shake the dog off of his leg and work his way out the door. He looked up at Dunc. “Unless you’re busy—or doing something else—
get me out of here.
”
Dunc grabbed him by his feet and pulled.Amos fell out on the floor. He was a mass of splinters.
Scruff took one last bite out of his leg and jumped outside through the hole in the door.
Amos’s shirt was shredded and one pant leg was mangled. Dunc could see the neighbors across the street through the hole in the door.
Amos tried to focus. He looked at the hole in the door. “They sure don’t make doors like they used to,” he said.
“I hope your dad sees it that way,” Dunc said.
“We’ve been needing a new door anyway. That one is at least two years old. Hey, did you see that slick move I made when I got near the phone? I almost did it this time. An Olympic downhill skier probably wouldn’t have had much better style. Did you see how I corrected my form at the last minute?”
Dunc nodded.
“Who did you say was on the phone?”
“Your parents. They want you to start dinner.”
“Oh. I already did.”
“I don’t smell anything.”
“That’s because it’s a cold dinner. You don’t have to cook sauerkraut and ketchup sandwiches.”
Dunc turned green.
“By the way,” Amos said, “can I eat over at your house tonight?”
Dunc was sitting at his computer deep in thought. Amos was bouncing a softball off the bedroom wall. “What are you thinking about?”
“I was wondering if the police will be able to catch the guys that stole your car stereo,” Dunc said.
“They told my parents it could take a while. There’s been a whole string of these burglaries in the last month. So far they don’t have any leads.”
“Hmmm.”
“Don’t start that.”
“What?”
“Whenever you make that sound, it
“That was your best run yet. You went three feet, four and three quarter inches farther than the last time,” Dunc said.
They had put together a ramp on the staircase with some plywood they found in the garage. Amos was riding his dad’s leather office chair, the new one with six wheels, down the ramp and out to the hall.
Dunc was conducting an experiment on forward momentum. And he also had this thing about breaking records. He timedeach of the runs and marked the exact stopping point with a piece of tape.
Amos was at the top of the stairs. He pushed off with one foot and started rolling. He picked up speed. Everything around him was a complete blur.
Then the phone rang.
Amos’s ears shot out like radar.
If Amos was within a two-mile radius of a ringing phone, he would try to answer it. He knew it was Melissa Hansen trying to call him.
Amos worshiped Melissa. He would have given anything if she would notice him. She never did. He was invisible to her. Once at school she hung her windbreaker on his ear, thinking he was the coat rack.
Dunc knew about Amos’s problem with phones. He jumped out of the way just in time.
Amos came barreling down the ramp headed for the hall phone. His brain calculated the hall phone to be exactly seven point three centimeters from his fingertips. He made a try for the phone with his left hand.
He missed.
The chair came up on two wheels. It wobbled and came back down. He still might have been okay.
Except for the dog.
Scruff, his dog, chose that exact moment to run in from the living room. The chair hit the dog and tipped forward. It was like launching a missile.
Amos hit the front door headfirst.
When Dunc got to him, pieces of the door were everywhere. Amos’s head and shoulders had gone completely through. Scruff was growling and gnawing on one of Amos’s legs.
Dunc swung the door open so he could talk to him. “I got the phone for you. Your parents are going to be late. Someone stole their car stereo. They’re at the police station. Your mom wants you to start dinner.”
Amos was trying to shake the dog off of his leg and work his way out the door. He looked up at Dunc. “Unless you’re busy—or doing something else—
get me out of here.
”
Dunc grabbed him by his feet and pulled.Amos fell out on the floor. He was a mass of splinters.
Scruff took one last bite out of his leg and jumped outside through the hole in the door.
Amos’s shirt was shredded and one pant leg was mangled. Dunc could see the neighbors across the street through the hole in the door.
Amos tried to focus. He looked at the hole in the door. “They sure don’t make doors like they used to,” he said.
“I hope your dad sees it that way,” Dunc said.
“We’ve been needing a new door anyway. That one is at least two years old. Hey, did you see that slick move I made when I got near the phone? I almost did it this time. An Olympic downhill skier probably wouldn’t have had much better style. Did you see how I corrected my form at the last minute?”
Dunc nodded.
“Who did you say was on the phone?”
“Your parents. They want you to start dinner.”
“Oh. I already did.”
“I don’t smell anything.”
“That’s because it’s a cold dinner. You don’t have to cook sauerkraut and ketchup sandwiches.”
Dunc turned green.
“By the way,” Amos said, “can I eat over at your house tonight?”
Dunc was sitting at his computer deep in thought. Amos was bouncing a softball off the bedroom wall. “What are you thinking about?”
“I was wondering if the police will be able to catch the guys that stole your car stereo,” Dunc said.
“They told my parents it could take a while. There’s been a whole string of these burglaries in the last month. So far they don’t have any leads.”
“Hmmm.”
“Don’t start that.”
“What?”
“Whenever you make that sound, it
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