the library. Then he explained how he and Karina hid in the supply closet and saw Goyle swallow the hamster. Then he described how he tried to return to the attic but couldn’t find it.
“I’ve been dying to talk about this stuff all day. But who’s going to believe we saw a giant squid come out of my locker? Who’s going to believe any of it?”
Glenn chewed thoughtfully on a potato chip. “Nobody.”
They sat across from each other on the floor, with Pip and Squeak between them gnawing on the cornerof an old Monopoly game box. Robert didn’t stop them; he was too caught up in the weirdness of the moment. Glenn Torkells, his least favorite person in the world, was sitting in his bedroom. Hanging out and munching on potato chips. Like they were old pals.
“And by the way,” Robert continued, “when those tentacles grabbed you? I was pretty tempted to let them carry you away. Just so you know.”
Glenn stared down at his lap, and his dirty blond hair fell over his face. “I know.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?”
“What do you
want
me to say?”
“You’ve been a real jerk to me, Glenn. All the name-calling, the pushing, the shoving, the gummy worms. I used to wish that a giant monster would come out of nowhere and swallow you whole. I never thought it would actually happen.”
Glenn didn’t respond. He just sat there watching Pip and Squeak as they gnawed through the Monopoly box. Finally he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of wrinkled bills. “Here.”
Robert counted the money. “Three bucks? That’s your apology? Three lousy bucks?”
“It’s dweeb tax,” Glenn explained. “How much have I taken from you since I started? A hundred? Two hundred?”
“More like five hundred,” Robert said.
“Then I’ll pay back five hundred,” Glenn said, wincing as he made the promise. “It’ll probably take me a while. But I’ll give you a little every week. I swear I’ll pay you the whole five hundred bucks, all right?”
All Robert really wanted was for Glenn to say he was sorry, but he’d be happy to take the five hundred bucks instead. He supposed that, to a kid like Glenn, five hundred bucks probably meant the same thing.
“Apology accepted,” he said.
“So what now?” Glenn asked. “What happens when we go to school tomorrow?”
Robert didn’t know the answer to that question. Part of him wanted to find a trustworthy adult—probably Mr. Loomis—and describe everything he’d seen. But what he’d seen was impossible. In real life,tentacles didn’t come wriggling out of school lockers. In real life, science teachers didn’t eat the classroom pets. How could he expect anyone to believe him?
And what if Professor Goyle wasn’t acting alone? What if other teachers at Lovecraft were just like him? What if Principal Slater ate hamsters every morning for breakfast? If Robert told the truth to the wrong person, he could end up in bigger trouble than he was now.
“We need to find Karina,” he said. “She watched Goyle swallow that hamster and she didn’t even flinch. I think she knows more about Lovecraft than she’s letting on.”
“So where do we look for her?” Glenn asked.
Before Robert could answer, he heard his mother calling. “Boys, come quick! You need to see this!”
Robert and Glenn hurried downstairs to the living room. Mrs. Arthur had the television tuned to the evening news. On the screen, a reporter was standing outside the main entrance of Lovecraft Middle School.
“… live coverage with more disturbing developmentsat the new Lovecraft Middle School in Dunwich, Massachusetts. Just yesterday morning, we reported that seventh-grader Sylvia Price was missing, and her whereabouts are still unknown. This afternoon, we learned that Sylvia’s twin sister, Sarah, has also disappeared. Two missing children in forty-eight hours. Should we expect more?”
The news anchor turned to the chief of the Dunwich Police Department, who gave all
“I’ve been dying to talk about this stuff all day. But who’s going to believe we saw a giant squid come out of my locker? Who’s going to believe any of it?”
Glenn chewed thoughtfully on a potato chip. “Nobody.”
They sat across from each other on the floor, with Pip and Squeak between them gnawing on the cornerof an old Monopoly game box. Robert didn’t stop them; he was too caught up in the weirdness of the moment. Glenn Torkells, his least favorite person in the world, was sitting in his bedroom. Hanging out and munching on potato chips. Like they were old pals.
“And by the way,” Robert continued, “when those tentacles grabbed you? I was pretty tempted to let them carry you away. Just so you know.”
Glenn stared down at his lap, and his dirty blond hair fell over his face. “I know.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?”
“What do you
want
me to say?”
“You’ve been a real jerk to me, Glenn. All the name-calling, the pushing, the shoving, the gummy worms. I used to wish that a giant monster would come out of nowhere and swallow you whole. I never thought it would actually happen.”
Glenn didn’t respond. He just sat there watching Pip and Squeak as they gnawed through the Monopoly box. Finally he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of wrinkled bills. “Here.”
Robert counted the money. “Three bucks? That’s your apology? Three lousy bucks?”
“It’s dweeb tax,” Glenn explained. “How much have I taken from you since I started? A hundred? Two hundred?”
“More like five hundred,” Robert said.
“Then I’ll pay back five hundred,” Glenn said, wincing as he made the promise. “It’ll probably take me a while. But I’ll give you a little every week. I swear I’ll pay you the whole five hundred bucks, all right?”
All Robert really wanted was for Glenn to say he was sorry, but he’d be happy to take the five hundred bucks instead. He supposed that, to a kid like Glenn, five hundred bucks probably meant the same thing.
“Apology accepted,” he said.
“So what now?” Glenn asked. “What happens when we go to school tomorrow?”
Robert didn’t know the answer to that question. Part of him wanted to find a trustworthy adult—probably Mr. Loomis—and describe everything he’d seen. But what he’d seen was impossible. In real life,tentacles didn’t come wriggling out of school lockers. In real life, science teachers didn’t eat the classroom pets. How could he expect anyone to believe him?
And what if Professor Goyle wasn’t acting alone? What if other teachers at Lovecraft were just like him? What if Principal Slater ate hamsters every morning for breakfast? If Robert told the truth to the wrong person, he could end up in bigger trouble than he was now.
“We need to find Karina,” he said. “She watched Goyle swallow that hamster and she didn’t even flinch. I think she knows more about Lovecraft than she’s letting on.”
“So where do we look for her?” Glenn asked.
Before Robert could answer, he heard his mother calling. “Boys, come quick! You need to see this!”
Robert and Glenn hurried downstairs to the living room. Mrs. Arthur had the television tuned to the evening news. On the screen, a reporter was standing outside the main entrance of Lovecraft Middle School.
“… live coverage with more disturbing developmentsat the new Lovecraft Middle School in Dunwich, Massachusetts. Just yesterday morning, we reported that seventh-grader Sylvia Price was missing, and her whereabouts are still unknown. This afternoon, we learned that Sylvia’s twin sister, Sarah, has also disappeared. Two missing children in forty-eight hours. Should we expect more?”
The news anchor turned to the chief of the Dunwich Police Department, who gave all
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