cents, hidden in my underwear drawer.ââ
âIs that where our money is hidden?â Freddy asks.
âStop interrupting,â I say.
âBut unfortunately, the very, very old man died right smack in the middle of writing up his will. Thatâs because it took him much longer than necessary on account of all his rebuses.â
I switch on the flashlight and reach for my rebus-making materials. I think for a while, write something, then think some more.
âHurry up,â says Fred.
âItâs not easy,â I say. âIâm having the same problem the old man had, thinking of good ones for you to figure out.â I scribble something quickly. âOK, try these. The house goes to â¦â
â
B.
RW hill.
Bill
,â reads Fred.
âRight,â I say. âBill the Butcher. The pots go to â¦â
â
B.
RW hat.
Bat
,â reads Freddy.
âRight. Bat the Baker. And all the furniture goes to â¦â
â
C.
RW fan.
Can. D
.â
âYup. Candy the Candlestick Maker. And the next part is the most important.â
â
We heart our cat. We love our cat
,â reads Fred. â
Do not give her to
ââ
âAnd just at that point, the very, very old man had died. He hadnât had a chance to write âDean the mean egg man.â Dean the mean egg man had always snooped around their house whenever he delivered the eggs, asking way too many questions about Jewelâs diamond.
âWhen all the townspeople gathered to read the will, Dean the mean egg man loudly insisted, âThat cat will be happiest in my chicken coop, with hens for company and mice to chase!â
ââGood thinking,â said the mayor.
âOf course, Dean the mean egg man had figured out the wish-fulfilling powers of the diamond.
âPoor Jewel. She spent her days with the mean egg man fulfilling improbable wishes, such as increased egg production whenever she sang to the hens. But one day, the mean egg man locked her up in the silo until she fulfilled some impossible ones: for instance, a golden egg or two. Fulfilling impossible wishes wasnât within Jewelâs power to do. And that sad day, inside that silo, brokenhearted, Jewel died trying.
âJust before he buried her in his front yard, the mean egg man snipped the diamond from Jewelâs tail. He gluedthat diamond to a silver pendant attached to a silver chain, which he planned to wear as a bracelet to match the silver earring in his ear. And of course he still planned to enjoy its improbable wish-fulfilling powers, such as increased egg production.â
âI thought this was going to be a ghost story,â Fred complains again.
âIâm getting to that. Do you think you can take it?â
âOf course,â Freddy says. But he snuggles close to me.
âThat night, a noise awakened Dean the mean egg man. He sat up in bed.
ââWhoâs there?â he called.
âThere was only the silence of the dark, cold night.
ââWhoâs there?â he asked again, shivering. And by and by, the answer came.
ââEE-OW! EE-OWEY! I HAVE COME FOR WHAT IS MINE!â
ââWhat cat is that?â the mean egg man asked. He opened his front door, and seeing no cat, went back to bed. âI must have been dreaming,â he said.
âBut the howling continued. It was âEE-OW! EE-OWEY! EE-OW! EE-OWEY!â all night long!
âDean the mean egg man didnât sleep a wink that night.He even threw a shoe out the window, but that didnât help. The howling went on and on.
âThe next night the noise continued, even louder now.
ââEE-OW! EE-OWEY! I HAVE COME FOR WHAT IS MINE!â
âDean the mean egg man covered his head with his pillow, but he could still hear the howling. There was no sleep for the mean egg man that night, either. He had to take a long nap the next day, and didnât get to feed his
âIs that where our money is hidden?â Freddy asks.
âStop interrupting,â I say.
âBut unfortunately, the very, very old man died right smack in the middle of writing up his will. Thatâs because it took him much longer than necessary on account of all his rebuses.â
I switch on the flashlight and reach for my rebus-making materials. I think for a while, write something, then think some more.
âHurry up,â says Fred.
âItâs not easy,â I say. âIâm having the same problem the old man had, thinking of good ones for you to figure out.â I scribble something quickly. âOK, try these. The house goes to â¦â
â
B.
RW hill.
Bill
,â reads Fred.
âRight,â I say. âBill the Butcher. The pots go to â¦â
â
B.
RW hat.
Bat
,â reads Freddy.
âRight. Bat the Baker. And all the furniture goes to â¦â
â
C.
RW fan.
Can. D
.â
âYup. Candy the Candlestick Maker. And the next part is the most important.â
â
We heart our cat. We love our cat
,â reads Fred. â
Do not give her to
ââ
âAnd just at that point, the very, very old man had died. He hadnât had a chance to write âDean the mean egg man.â Dean the mean egg man had always snooped around their house whenever he delivered the eggs, asking way too many questions about Jewelâs diamond.
âWhen all the townspeople gathered to read the will, Dean the mean egg man loudly insisted, âThat cat will be happiest in my chicken coop, with hens for company and mice to chase!â
ââGood thinking,â said the mayor.
âOf course, Dean the mean egg man had figured out the wish-fulfilling powers of the diamond.
âPoor Jewel. She spent her days with the mean egg man fulfilling improbable wishes, such as increased egg production whenever she sang to the hens. But one day, the mean egg man locked her up in the silo until she fulfilled some impossible ones: for instance, a golden egg or two. Fulfilling impossible wishes wasnât within Jewelâs power to do. And that sad day, inside that silo, brokenhearted, Jewel died trying.
âJust before he buried her in his front yard, the mean egg man snipped the diamond from Jewelâs tail. He gluedthat diamond to a silver pendant attached to a silver chain, which he planned to wear as a bracelet to match the silver earring in his ear. And of course he still planned to enjoy its improbable wish-fulfilling powers, such as increased egg production.â
âI thought this was going to be a ghost story,â Fred complains again.
âIâm getting to that. Do you think you can take it?â
âOf course,â Freddy says. But he snuggles close to me.
âThat night, a noise awakened Dean the mean egg man. He sat up in bed.
ââWhoâs there?â he called.
âThere was only the silence of the dark, cold night.
ââWhoâs there?â he asked again, shivering. And by and by, the answer came.
ââEE-OW! EE-OWEY! I HAVE COME FOR WHAT IS MINE!â
ââWhat cat is that?â the mean egg man asked. He opened his front door, and seeing no cat, went back to bed. âI must have been dreaming,â he said.
âBut the howling continued. It was âEE-OW! EE-OWEY! EE-OW! EE-OWEY!â all night long!
âDean the mean egg man didnât sleep a wink that night.He even threw a shoe out the window, but that didnât help. The howling went on and on.
âThe next night the noise continued, even louder now.
ââEE-OW! EE-OWEY! I HAVE COME FOR WHAT IS MINE!â
âDean the mean egg man covered his head with his pillow, but he could still hear the howling. There was no sleep for the mean egg man that night, either. He had to take a long nap the next day, and didnât get to feed his
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