Read Online A Bird On Water Street by Elizabeth O. Dulemba - Free Book Online Page A

Worley, who dressed as the best zombie I’d ever seen. I entered my pumpkin in the carving contest and won second prize. Turned out there were a few pumpkins in Coppertown after all. And we both bobbed for apples—I took off Grandpa’s jacket for that. And of course there was the candy.
    But even with a county’s worth of kids, it seemed smaller than the year before. Mostly folks were handing out suckers, Bit-O-Honeys, and Tootsie Rolls—the cheap stuff. And the Company table, which always had the best candy, wasn’t there at all.
    So when somebody hollered, “Hey, Dilbeck’s Pharmacy is giving out chocolate bars!” Piran and I both made a beeline straight for their table, even though I was the chocolate nut. We went back three times before Mrs. Dilbeck told us to shoo.
    We made our way back to where the Quinns were set up in front of the post office. They only gave out SweeTarts, but they still had a crowd. Hannah dressed up as a witch with striped stockings and a drooping black hat that made her look like a movie star. Even with Emily sitting on her hip, wicked had never looked so good.
    “Piran, have you seen the twins?” Mrs. Quinn asked.
    We turned just in time to spot Superman chasing Batman through the crowd with a light saber.
    “Oh, there they are,” Mrs. Quinn said. “Okay.”
    “Hi, Hannah. How’s it goin’?” I asked and tripped over the foot of the card table. Piran guffawed and nearly spit out his candy. I shot him an evil look as I quickly made my escape into the crowd before she could answer.
    Piran caught up with me and slapped me on the back—still laughing. But his smile died when we found ourselves trailing close behind Eli and overheard his friends talking about Hannah. It wasn’t anything that should ever be said about a pretty girl or any girl for that matter, and certainly not about Piran’s sister.
    I looked at Piran. His lips were pressed tightly together and his fists were clenched. He was about to step forward and say something when Eli cut them off and said, “Don’t talk about her like that. Besides, I got good news about our latest crop.”
    I grabbed Piran’s arm and whispered, “Crop of what?” Eli weren’t no farmer.
    Will McCaffrey turned around and looked at us with murder in his eyes. Then he recognized me. “Jack, yu’uns back off. This hain’t nothin’ to do with you.” He put his hand on my chest and gave me a small push. “For your own good.”
    Piran and I froze with our mouths hanging open. Did he just threaten us?
    “What was that about?” Piran asked, but then he got distracted by a bucket full of bubble gum in front of Faysal’s Dress Shop. After several more laps through town, we sat on the bridge to sort through our loot.
    “I’ll trade you three suckers for that Snickers,” I said.
    “Okay,” Piran replied around a mouth full of Bit-O-Honey. “Trade you a Baby Ruth for that there taffy.” He never did have expensive taste in candy.
    At the end of the bridge I spied Eli Munroe pulling Hannah into the shadows. Giggling, they looked around suspiciously.
    No .
    “There’s . . . there’s Hannah.” I pointed. “With Eli.” My mouth went dry.
    “Oh man. Dad is not going to be happy if she starts going out with him .”
    “How could she?” I stared. “He don’t got enough sense to spit downwind.”
    “You’re a much better catch.” Piran nodded. “Even if you are a goober. Speakin’ of which . . .”
    He grabbed the small packet of chocolate-covered peanuts from my stash. I didn’t mind. I suddenly didn’t want any of it.
    Of course, I might have been full.
    I held my belly and moaned as I wobbled home with my parents, my loot, and my pumpkin with its second-place ribbon.
    “I told you not to eat so much candy,” Mom said. “You can save some for later, you know.”
    My eyes rolled in my head.
    Dad leaned over and peeked in my bag. “You got an extra candy bar in there for me?”
    “Ray!” Mom swatted at him.
    When I