Read Online Bartleby of the Big Bad Bayou by Phyllis Shalant - Free Book Online Page B

scratchy surface was easy to hold on to. He climbed up and balanced himself next to Lucky. The warmth of the sun began to soak into his carapace. His eyes began to close.
    â€œI hope you’re comfy,” a voice murmured. It wasn’t Lucky Gal’s.
    Bartleby jerked his head and limbs in. “Who said that?”
    â€œI did.” The vine bounced a bit. One end lifted up out of the water. A head with eyes as big as blueberries peered at him. A mouth that was purple inside said, “I’m called Curly.”
    â€œLucky, quick! Swim away!” Bartleby cried. Faster than a frog off a mud bank, he plunged off the snake’s back.
    But Lucky Gal just wiggled her tail as if something were very funny. “We fooled him, Curly!” Her orangey ear patches seemed to grow brighter. “Bartleby, come back! Curly is my friend.”
    Bartleby didn’t stop swimming until he was out of reach of the purple mouth. “There was a snake at the water place where I used to live. He pretended he was my friend, but he tried to eat me.”
    Curly swirled her body into two soft curves. “Don’t be afraid. We rough green snakes only eat insects. Anyway, you’re too big for my mouth. I was just having a little fun. I’m sorry I frightened you. Please come back—I don’t get many visitors here.”
    Bartleby glared at her. “I don’t think that scaring someone is any way to make friends.”
    â€œYou said you wanted to learn about this swamp,” Lucky Gal reminded him.
    â€œNot like that!” Bartleby snapped. He paddled to the edge of the water and climbed out. Without looking back, he crawled across the bank toward a thick, dark grove. He was tired of being teased about his lack of swamp sense.
    â€œWait! Where are you going?” Lucky Gal slid off Curly’s back and splashed into the water.
    â€œTo explore on my own,” Bartleby called. With his head up high, he plodded straight into the shadowy, forbidding forest.

13
    The Whoosh in the Woods
    Bartleby crept through the brush looking for the kind of place where earthworms liked to burrow—a shady spot with dirt that was cool and moist. He’d show Lucky Gal she wasn’t the only one who could find food! He headed deeper into the woods, stopping here and there to scratch the soil with his webs. Along the way, he ate a brown spider and a juicy red berry. He used his carapace to roll a rock over—and discovered several fat worms nestled underneath.
    Whoosh, whoosh.
    Bartleby was sucking down an earthworm when he heard the familiar sound. Quickly, he crawled under a bush covered in kudzu vine.
    Whoosh, whoosh.
    The sound was coming closer. Bartleby felt the ground vibrate. He sniffed and gulped the air. He smelled danger. He knew what was coming.
    â€œBartleby, where are you? Bartleby, come on out!”
    â€œOh, no, no, no,” Bartleby moaned to himself. “Please, please go away!”
    Whoosh, whoosh.
    In another moment, Lucky Gal wandered into the clearing, dragging her ruined rear web. She was a lot slower on land than she was in the water.
    â€œBartleby?”
    A very large alligator emerged from behind a giant oak tree. “No. It’s me—Number Four. Glad to meet you.” He put one of his fat clawed feet over Lucky Gal. It covered up her entire shell.
    â€œLeave her alone!” Bartleby scrambled out from under the thorny bush.
    Number Four swung his head around. “Present! I’ve been looking for you.”
    Bartleby’s throat was quivering as he crawled up to the gator’s snout. “Let Lucky Gal go and you can take me back to Old Stump.”
    â€œI wasn’t going to hurt her.” Number Four lifted up his claw.
    Lucky peeked her head out a bit. For once, she didn’t say anything.
    â€œWhere are the others?” Bartleby asked.
    Number Four blinked. “Others? Do you mean One, Two, and Three?”
    â€œYes. Are they