that!” Remi said. A span of glass and stone rose against a wall with flying creatures swooping back and forth through the air.
“Tiny Pterodactyls,” Alfred said, for the prehistoric winged beasts weren’t any bigger than hummingbirds. “Amazing.”
They wandered around the miniature dinosaur zoo, marveling at new creatures around every corner, until they took a hard left around a rock and found two people they were hoping not to see.
Miss Sheezley and E. J. Bosco were standing in the middle of the path, staring back at them.
“Hello, boys,” Bosco said, his broad, walrus face staring down at them as if they’d shown up at a privateparty where children were not allowed. Alfred was the first to notice they were acting as if they might be hiding something. He eyed them warily.
“It’s all quite amazing, don’t you think?” Alfred said as he took a step closer and Miss Sheezley raised her chin, pointing the end of her nose down at him as she held her ground. Her eyes, as usual, were wide and startling.
“That’s one word for it, I suppose,” she said. “Another would be outrageous .”
“I’ll give you that,” Alfred said. “Amazing and outrageous.”
They swapped stories, though it was anyone’s guess if Sheezley and Bosco were telling the truth or not. Leo and Remi informed them that, as far as they knew, Miss Harrington and Mr. Pilf were either hopelessly behind or out of the competition all together.
“Fine by me,” Bosco said. “Less opposition, easier victory. It’s simple math.”
He glared at the boys with his watery eyes and his fat face, as if they, too, would be liked much more when they were not standing between Bosco and a hotel empire.
“We were on the roof of this floor when it started moving,” he continued. “It’s from Miss Harrington’shotel, the Rochester. A shame she won’t be able to see it with us.”
He chuckled happily, gazing around the astounding second floor, clearly pleased that Miss Harrington had ruined her chances. “Craziest thing you ever saw. It rose up under the power of that blimp and landed right on top of the Whippet Library.”
“Then a trap door opened and there was a ladder,” Sheezley said, pointing to the far end of the room. “Over there.”
“It’s closed now,” Bosco wrapped up. “We’re trapped in here with a bunch of dinosaurs. Good thing they’re small enough to fit under my boot.”
Leo thought that sounded terrible, like Bosco would be perfectly fine with stepping on a tiny Brontosaurus. He liked Bosco less every time the man opened his mouth.
“How about you lads go check on the ladder and the door?” Bosco said. “We’ll keep searching” — he paused, touching the flab beneath his chin, and pointed in another direction — “that way. Yes, over by the T. rexes.”
Remi started to protest, but Alfred jumped in. “That sounds like a plan. Let’s work together, find a way out. There must be another riddle around here someplace.”
He looked at Leo cleverly, and Leo took the hint.
“Come on, Remi — let’s go check out that ladder. I bet there’s a swamp on the way.”
“A swamp? Let’s do this!”
“Good luck, boys,” Miss Sheezley said with the fakest kindness imaginable. “We’ll let you know if we find something of interest.”
It felt like walking through a low-flung jungle as they turned to go, with big floppy leaves hanging down from every direction and rocks that were just the right size to jump over. They didn’t go very far before Alfred stopped them and knelt down, which seemed to require some painful effort on his part.
“Those knees of yours are really shot, huh?” Remi commented.
“The football field takes as well as it gives, no doubt,” Alfred responded with a smile. “Now listen up, boys. I have a strong suspicion those two are hiding something. Why don’t we split up, keep an eye on them?”
“I like that idea,” Leo said. “It might require some crawling, though. How
“Tiny Pterodactyls,” Alfred said, for the prehistoric winged beasts weren’t any bigger than hummingbirds. “Amazing.”
They wandered around the miniature dinosaur zoo, marveling at new creatures around every corner, until they took a hard left around a rock and found two people they were hoping not to see.
Miss Sheezley and E. J. Bosco were standing in the middle of the path, staring back at them.
“Hello, boys,” Bosco said, his broad, walrus face staring down at them as if they’d shown up at a privateparty where children were not allowed. Alfred was the first to notice they were acting as if they might be hiding something. He eyed them warily.
“It’s all quite amazing, don’t you think?” Alfred said as he took a step closer and Miss Sheezley raised her chin, pointing the end of her nose down at him as she held her ground. Her eyes, as usual, were wide and startling.
“That’s one word for it, I suppose,” she said. “Another would be outrageous .”
“I’ll give you that,” Alfred said. “Amazing and outrageous.”
They swapped stories, though it was anyone’s guess if Sheezley and Bosco were telling the truth or not. Leo and Remi informed them that, as far as they knew, Miss Harrington and Mr. Pilf were either hopelessly behind or out of the competition all together.
“Fine by me,” Bosco said. “Less opposition, easier victory. It’s simple math.”
He glared at the boys with his watery eyes and his fat face, as if they, too, would be liked much more when they were not standing between Bosco and a hotel empire.
“We were on the roof of this floor when it started moving,” he continued. “It’s from Miss Harrington’shotel, the Rochester. A shame she won’t be able to see it with us.”
He chuckled happily, gazing around the astounding second floor, clearly pleased that Miss Harrington had ruined her chances. “Craziest thing you ever saw. It rose up under the power of that blimp and landed right on top of the Whippet Library.”
“Then a trap door opened and there was a ladder,” Sheezley said, pointing to the far end of the room. “Over there.”
“It’s closed now,” Bosco wrapped up. “We’re trapped in here with a bunch of dinosaurs. Good thing they’re small enough to fit under my boot.”
Leo thought that sounded terrible, like Bosco would be perfectly fine with stepping on a tiny Brontosaurus. He liked Bosco less every time the man opened his mouth.
“How about you lads go check on the ladder and the door?” Bosco said. “We’ll keep searching” — he paused, touching the flab beneath his chin, and pointed in another direction — “that way. Yes, over by the T. rexes.”
Remi started to protest, but Alfred jumped in. “That sounds like a plan. Let’s work together, find a way out. There must be another riddle around here someplace.”
He looked at Leo cleverly, and Leo took the hint.
“Come on, Remi — let’s go check out that ladder. I bet there’s a swamp on the way.”
“A swamp? Let’s do this!”
“Good luck, boys,” Miss Sheezley said with the fakest kindness imaginable. “We’ll let you know if we find something of interest.”
It felt like walking through a low-flung jungle as they turned to go, with big floppy leaves hanging down from every direction and rocks that were just the right size to jump over. They didn’t go very far before Alfred stopped them and knelt down, which seemed to require some painful effort on his part.
“Those knees of yours are really shot, huh?” Remi commented.
“The football field takes as well as it gives, no doubt,” Alfred responded with a smile. “Now listen up, boys. I have a strong suspicion those two are hiding something. Why don’t we split up, keep an eye on them?”
“I like that idea,” Leo said. “It might require some crawling, though. How
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