night. “I want everyone here to cheer on our great band,” she said.
I don’t think she noticed me until I was standing next to her at the podium.
She let out a startled cry as I pulled the microphone from her hand.
I moved away from her and turned to the audience.
“Hey, imp—!” I shouted into the microphone. “Hey, imp—you want me? Come find me!”
My hands were trembling. My voice came out high and shrill.
But I didn’t care.
I lifted the microphone close to my mouth. “Come find me!” I screamed.
And then I held up the imp’s tail. I raised it high over my head in my free hand. And I waved it in the air.
“You want this back?” I screamed. “Hey, imp—you want this back? Come and get it! I dare you! Come and try to get it back!”
I shook the limp green tail, waving it high over my head. “YOU will drop first!” I cried. “Come and get this! Come on—unless you’re chicken!”
I stopped to take a breath. My heart was pounding. My whole body was trembling.
Were the kids cheering me on? Were they behind me?
No.
A heavy silence had fallen over the auditorium.
I saw pale faces staring up at me in wide-eyed horror.
I sank back. I lowered the tail to my side.
Have I gone too far? I wondered.
Have I?
The answer was yes .
The next day, the imp went berserk.
19
I was tense the rest of the day.
Every sound made me jump. Every loud voice sent a chill of fear down my back.
Would the imp come after me?
Was he waiting for me around the next corner? Outside the classroom? Behind the school?
I could see that the other kids were frightened, too.
No one spoke to me. In the lunchroom, kids stayed as far away from me as possible.
I sat at a table in the back all by myself. The lunchroom was a lot quieter than normal. Kids spoke in whispers, glancing at me, then turning away.
“What’s the matter?” I shouted. “Is everyone too chicken to help me?”
No one answered.
I couldn’t eat my lunch. My mouth was dry as sand. My stomach felt all fluttery.
As I walked back to my classroom, I realized a hush had fallen over the entire school. A terrified hush.
Everyone was waiting … waiting for the imp to take his revenge on me.
I guess I’m on my own, I thought.
I guess I’m the only kid in this school brave enough to stand up to that creature.
The next afternoon, I suddenly wasn’t feeling so brave.
We had been working hard all day. And we’d had a really long spelling test. So Mr. Kimpall gave us a free half hour to do whatever we wanted.
I walked over to Simpson and Tonya, who were passing a Game Boy back and forth.
“I need to talk to you two,” I said softly. “I really think you should help me. I—”
“No way,” Simpson replied sharply. “Go away, Sam—please.”
“Stay away from us,” Tonya said.
I could see they weren’t trying to be mean. They were frightened .
“If the imp heard what you said yesterday afternoon,” Tonya whispered. “We could all be in major trouble.”
And that’s when things went crazy.
I felt a spray of something cold on my head. Then my shoulders.
Cold water!
Kids started to scream. Chairs scraped.
I gazed up—and saw that the ceiling sprinklers were gushing water.
“Whoa!” In a few seconds, I was drenched.
Kids were screaming, running to the door.
Water splashed over the desks, puddling rapidly over the linoleum floor.
Mr. Kimpall was scrambling around his desk, frantically trying to rescue his books and papers.
I took a few running steps—and slipped in a deep puddle of water.
My feet slid out from under me. I landed hard on my back.
And that’s when I heard the popping sound.
At first, I thought it was popcorn popping.
But then I saw a ceiling light pop and shatter.
Then another. Another.
A whole row of lights exploded.
Jagged shards of glass rained down over the room.
Covering my head, I scrambled to my feet. My shoes slid over broken glass.
POP! POP!
Two more big bulbs exploded. The pieces of
I don’t think she noticed me until I was standing next to her at the podium.
She let out a startled cry as I pulled the microphone from her hand.
I moved away from her and turned to the audience.
“Hey, imp—!” I shouted into the microphone. “Hey, imp—you want me? Come find me!”
My hands were trembling. My voice came out high and shrill.
But I didn’t care.
I lifted the microphone close to my mouth. “Come find me!” I screamed.
And then I held up the imp’s tail. I raised it high over my head in my free hand. And I waved it in the air.
“You want this back?” I screamed. “Hey, imp—you want this back? Come and get it! I dare you! Come and try to get it back!”
I shook the limp green tail, waving it high over my head. “YOU will drop first!” I cried. “Come and get this! Come on—unless you’re chicken!”
I stopped to take a breath. My heart was pounding. My whole body was trembling.
Were the kids cheering me on? Were they behind me?
No.
A heavy silence had fallen over the auditorium.
I saw pale faces staring up at me in wide-eyed horror.
I sank back. I lowered the tail to my side.
Have I gone too far? I wondered.
Have I?
The answer was yes .
The next day, the imp went berserk.
19
I was tense the rest of the day.
Every sound made me jump. Every loud voice sent a chill of fear down my back.
Would the imp come after me?
Was he waiting for me around the next corner? Outside the classroom? Behind the school?
I could see that the other kids were frightened, too.
No one spoke to me. In the lunchroom, kids stayed as far away from me as possible.
I sat at a table in the back all by myself. The lunchroom was a lot quieter than normal. Kids spoke in whispers, glancing at me, then turning away.
“What’s the matter?” I shouted. “Is everyone too chicken to help me?”
No one answered.
I couldn’t eat my lunch. My mouth was dry as sand. My stomach felt all fluttery.
As I walked back to my classroom, I realized a hush had fallen over the entire school. A terrified hush.
Everyone was waiting … waiting for the imp to take his revenge on me.
I guess I’m on my own, I thought.
I guess I’m the only kid in this school brave enough to stand up to that creature.
The next afternoon, I suddenly wasn’t feeling so brave.
We had been working hard all day. And we’d had a really long spelling test. So Mr. Kimpall gave us a free half hour to do whatever we wanted.
I walked over to Simpson and Tonya, who were passing a Game Boy back and forth.
“I need to talk to you two,” I said softly. “I really think you should help me. I—”
“No way,” Simpson replied sharply. “Go away, Sam—please.”
“Stay away from us,” Tonya said.
I could see they weren’t trying to be mean. They were frightened .
“If the imp heard what you said yesterday afternoon,” Tonya whispered. “We could all be in major trouble.”
And that’s when things went crazy.
I felt a spray of something cold on my head. Then my shoulders.
Cold water!
Kids started to scream. Chairs scraped.
I gazed up—and saw that the ceiling sprinklers were gushing water.
“Whoa!” In a few seconds, I was drenched.
Kids were screaming, running to the door.
Water splashed over the desks, puddling rapidly over the linoleum floor.
Mr. Kimpall was scrambling around his desk, frantically trying to rescue his books and papers.
I took a few running steps—and slipped in a deep puddle of water.
My feet slid out from under me. I landed hard on my back.
And that’s when I heard the popping sound.
At first, I thought it was popcorn popping.
But then I saw a ceiling light pop and shatter.
Then another. Another.
A whole row of lights exploded.
Jagged shards of glass rained down over the room.
Covering my head, I scrambled to my feet. My shoes slid over broken glass.
POP! POP!
Two more big bulbs exploded. The pieces of
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