anger.
I’m beginning to hate this dummy, she thought.
Fear him and hate him.
Angrily, she pulled open the closet door and tossed the dummy into the closet. It fell in a crumpled heap on the closet floor.
Kris slammed the closet door shut.
Her heart thudding, she climbed into bed and pulled up the covers. She suddenly felt very tired. Her entire body ached from weariness.
She buried her face in the pillow and shut her eyes.
She had just about fallen asleep when she heard the tiny voice.
“Let me out! Let me out of here!” it cried. A muffled voice, coming from inside the closet.
14
“Let me out! Let me out!” the high-pitched voice called angrily.
Kris sat up with a jolt. Her entire body convulsed in a shudder of fear.
Her eyes darted to the other bed. Lindy hadn’t moved.
“Did—did you hear it?” Kris stammered.
“Hear what?” Lindy asked sleepily.
“The voice,” Kris whispered. “In the closet.”
“Huh?” Lindy asked sleepily. “What are you talking about? It’s three in the morning. Can’t we get some sleep?”
“But, Lindy—” Kris lowered her feet to the floor. Her heart was thudding in her chest. “Wake up. Listen to me! Mr. Wood was calling to me. He was talking !”
Lindy raised her head and listened.
Silence.
“I don’t hear anything, Kris. Really. Maybe you were dreaming.”
“No!” Kris shrieked, feeling herself lose control. “It wasn’t a dream! I’m so scared, Lindy. I’m just so scared !”
Suddenly Kris was trembling all over, and hot tears were pouring down her cheeks.
Lindy stood up and moved to the edge of her sister’s bed.
“Something h-horrible is going on here, Lindy,” Kris stammered through her tears.
“And I know who’s doing it,” Lindy whispered, leaning over her twin, putting a comforting hand on her quivering shoulder.
“Huh?”
“Yes. I know who’s been doing it all,” Lindy whispered. “I know who it is.”
“Who?” Kris asked breathlessly.
15
“Who?” Kris repeated, letting the tears run down her cheeks. “Who?”
“ I have,” Lindy said. Her smile spread into a grin almost as wide as Slappy’s. She closed her eyes and laughed.
“Huh?” Kris didn’t understand. “What did you say?”
“I said I have been doing it,” Lindy repeated. “Me. Lindy. It was all a joke, Kris. I gotcha again.” She nodded her head as if confirming her words.
Kris gaped at her twin in disbelief. “It was all a joke?”
Lindy kept nodding.
“You moved Mr. Wood during the night? You dressed him in my clothes and made him say those gross things to me? You put him in the kitchen? You made that horrible mess?”
Lindy chuckled. “Yeah. I really scared you, didn’t I?”
Kris balled her hands into angry fists. “But—but—” she sputtered. “Why?”
“For fun,” Lindy replied, dropping back onto her bed, still grinning.
“Fun?”
“I wanted to see if I could scare you,” Lindy explained. “It was just a joke. You know. I can’t believe you fell for that voice in the closet just now! I must be a really good ventriloquist!”
“But, Lindy—”
“You really believed Mr. Wood was alive or something!” Lindy said, laughing, enjoying her victory. “You’re such a nit!”
“Nit?”
“Half a nitwit!” Lindy burst into wild laughter.
“It isn’t funny,” Kris said softly.
“I know,” Lindy replied. “It’s a riot! You should’ve seen the look on your face when you saw Mr. Wood downstairs in your precious beads and earrings!”
“How—how did you ever think of such a mean joke?” Kris demanded.
“It just came to me,” Lindy answered with some pride. “When you got your dummy.”
“You didn’t want me to get a dummy,” Kris said thoughtfully.
“You’re right,” Lindy quickly agreed. “I wanted something that would be mine, for a change. I’m so tired of you being a copycat. So—”
“So you thought of this mean joke,” Kris accused.
Lindy nodded.
Kris strode
I’m beginning to hate this dummy, she thought.
Fear him and hate him.
Angrily, she pulled open the closet door and tossed the dummy into the closet. It fell in a crumpled heap on the closet floor.
Kris slammed the closet door shut.
Her heart thudding, she climbed into bed and pulled up the covers. She suddenly felt very tired. Her entire body ached from weariness.
She buried her face in the pillow and shut her eyes.
She had just about fallen asleep when she heard the tiny voice.
“Let me out! Let me out of here!” it cried. A muffled voice, coming from inside the closet.
14
“Let me out! Let me out!” the high-pitched voice called angrily.
Kris sat up with a jolt. Her entire body convulsed in a shudder of fear.
Her eyes darted to the other bed. Lindy hadn’t moved.
“Did—did you hear it?” Kris stammered.
“Hear what?” Lindy asked sleepily.
“The voice,” Kris whispered. “In the closet.”
“Huh?” Lindy asked sleepily. “What are you talking about? It’s three in the morning. Can’t we get some sleep?”
“But, Lindy—” Kris lowered her feet to the floor. Her heart was thudding in her chest. “Wake up. Listen to me! Mr. Wood was calling to me. He was talking !”
Lindy raised her head and listened.
Silence.
“I don’t hear anything, Kris. Really. Maybe you were dreaming.”
“No!” Kris shrieked, feeling herself lose control. “It wasn’t a dream! I’m so scared, Lindy. I’m just so scared !”
Suddenly Kris was trembling all over, and hot tears were pouring down her cheeks.
Lindy stood up and moved to the edge of her sister’s bed.
“Something h-horrible is going on here, Lindy,” Kris stammered through her tears.
“And I know who’s doing it,” Lindy whispered, leaning over her twin, putting a comforting hand on her quivering shoulder.
“Huh?”
“Yes. I know who’s been doing it all,” Lindy whispered. “I know who it is.”
“Who?” Kris asked breathlessly.
15
“Who?” Kris repeated, letting the tears run down her cheeks. “Who?”
“ I have,” Lindy said. Her smile spread into a grin almost as wide as Slappy’s. She closed her eyes and laughed.
“Huh?” Kris didn’t understand. “What did you say?”
“I said I have been doing it,” Lindy repeated. “Me. Lindy. It was all a joke, Kris. I gotcha again.” She nodded her head as if confirming her words.
Kris gaped at her twin in disbelief. “It was all a joke?”
Lindy kept nodding.
“You moved Mr. Wood during the night? You dressed him in my clothes and made him say those gross things to me? You put him in the kitchen? You made that horrible mess?”
Lindy chuckled. “Yeah. I really scared you, didn’t I?”
Kris balled her hands into angry fists. “But—but—” she sputtered. “Why?”
“For fun,” Lindy replied, dropping back onto her bed, still grinning.
“Fun?”
“I wanted to see if I could scare you,” Lindy explained. “It was just a joke. You know. I can’t believe you fell for that voice in the closet just now! I must be a really good ventriloquist!”
“But, Lindy—”
“You really believed Mr. Wood was alive or something!” Lindy said, laughing, enjoying her victory. “You’re such a nit!”
“Nit?”
“Half a nitwit!” Lindy burst into wild laughter.
“It isn’t funny,” Kris said softly.
“I know,” Lindy replied. “It’s a riot! You should’ve seen the look on your face when you saw Mr. Wood downstairs in your precious beads and earrings!”
“How—how did you ever think of such a mean joke?” Kris demanded.
“It just came to me,” Lindy answered with some pride. “When you got your dummy.”
“You didn’t want me to get a dummy,” Kris said thoughtfully.
“You’re right,” Lindy quickly agreed. “I wanted something that would be mine, for a change. I’m so tired of you being a copycat. So—”
“So you thought of this mean joke,” Kris accused.
Lindy nodded.
Kris strode
Similar Books
