Read Online Durinda's Dangers by Lauren Baratz-Logsted - Free Book Online
Authors: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
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on something top secret involving people living forever, she was no doubt smart enough to know that other people, maybe even evil people, would do anything in their power to learn what that secret was. So what did she do? She left an empty Top Secret folder on purpose, to throw people off the track!"
We were in awe.
Mommy really was a genius.
"You're right," Durinda said, breaking our stunned silence. "Mommy's brain should be in the Smithsonian."
"But then," Marcia said, "if everything Annie says is right, then the Wicket isn't any real threat to us. She doesn't know anything, so how could she be? Besides which, if she had any idea where Mommy and Daddy had gone off to, she'd be chasing them because she'd still want to steal Mommy's secret to life. She doesn't know anything!"
"Yea!" Petal said. "We don't have to be afraid of the Wicket anymore!"
"Yea!" Zinnia added. "The Wicket doesn't know any more about anything than we do!"
"I don't care if the Wicket doesn't really have any information," Annie said. "You know how her type is: she'll keep messing with our lives and getting in the way. I say we get rid of her."
"You mean kill her?" Rebecca asked.
"She does give me the creeps," Petal said, exchanging her cheers for shudders. "All that barbed wire. People who booby-trap their homes are not to be trusted."
"No, not kill her," Annie said. "But I do think we should get her out of the way for as long as possible. And I know just how to do it."
***
It had long since turned dark when we approached the Wicket's house again. In the intervening hours, we'd changed out of our school uniforms, eaten a hot meal, and made a run in the Hummer to the supermarket. At the supermarket, it took us a while to find the item we wanted, but now we were armed with exactly what we needed.
This time, instead of hiding while Durinda knocked, we all stood on the Wicket's stoop as a unit. Durinda was at the center, with Annie.
"Yes?" The Wicket answered the door. She eyed Durinda suspiciously. "Didn't you already visit me once recently?"
"Here." Durinda held out our offering before the Wicket could say anything more along those lines.
"What's that?" the Wicket said.
"Don't you recognize it?" Durinda held the heavy dish out farther. "It's a fruitcake. You kindly brought one to us the last time you visited, and we thought we should return the favor."
"Oh, yes," Rebecca said. "We definitely wanted to return it."
We hoped the Wicket didn't notice when Annie kicked Rebecca.
"It's the same fruitcake I gave you?" the Wicket asked.
"Of course not," Annie said, visibly miffed. "We don't believe in re-gifting."
"Of course we know it isn't as nice as yours was," Jackie said, "because we had to buy ours in a store."
"But we hoped you would think," Zinnia said, "that it's the gesture that counts."
At last, the Wicket took the fruitcake from Durinda.
Thank heavens, we thought. Another minute and Durinda would have dropped the heavy thing.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Durinda said. "We were hoping to enjoy some of that fruitcake with you."
"You know," Zinnia piped up, "we are neighbors."
"I suppose so," the Wicket said. "I'm not used to sharing my fruitcake." She guarded the dish jealously.
"Of course not," Annie said, as we all slithered past the Wicket and crossed the threshold. "We only want tiny slices. And if you don't want to, you don't even have to give us that."
"My," Georgia said as we all gazed around at the slanted floors without a comforting rug in sight, the ugly mud-colored walls that came at you at odd angles, and the crooked pictures on the walls as though we were seeing it for the first time, "what a lovely home you have here."
"We wish our home were more like this," Rebecca said.
"Fruitcake always makes me so thirsty," Jackie said. "Do you think you might bring us something to drink when you serve us ours?"
"You expect liquid refreshments too?" the Wicket demanded.
Eight heads nodded politely while inside we
We were in awe.
Mommy really was a genius.
"You're right," Durinda said, breaking our stunned silence. "Mommy's brain should be in the Smithsonian."
"But then," Marcia said, "if everything Annie says is right, then the Wicket isn't any real threat to us. She doesn't know anything, so how could she be? Besides which, if she had any idea where Mommy and Daddy had gone off to, she'd be chasing them because she'd still want to steal Mommy's secret to life. She doesn't know anything!"
"Yea!" Petal said. "We don't have to be afraid of the Wicket anymore!"
"Yea!" Zinnia added. "The Wicket doesn't know any more about anything than we do!"
"I don't care if the Wicket doesn't really have any information," Annie said. "You know how her type is: she'll keep messing with our lives and getting in the way. I say we get rid of her."
"You mean kill her?" Rebecca asked.
"She does give me the creeps," Petal said, exchanging her cheers for shudders. "All that barbed wire. People who booby-trap their homes are not to be trusted."
"No, not kill her," Annie said. "But I do think we should get her out of the way for as long as possible. And I know just how to do it."
***
It had long since turned dark when we approached the Wicket's house again. In the intervening hours, we'd changed out of our school uniforms, eaten a hot meal, and made a run in the Hummer to the supermarket. At the supermarket, it took us a while to find the item we wanted, but now we were armed with exactly what we needed.
This time, instead of hiding while Durinda knocked, we all stood on the Wicket's stoop as a unit. Durinda was at the center, with Annie.
"Yes?" The Wicket answered the door. She eyed Durinda suspiciously. "Didn't you already visit me once recently?"
"Here." Durinda held out our offering before the Wicket could say anything more along those lines.
"What's that?" the Wicket said.
"Don't you recognize it?" Durinda held the heavy dish out farther. "It's a fruitcake. You kindly brought one to us the last time you visited, and we thought we should return the favor."
"Oh, yes," Rebecca said. "We definitely wanted to return it."
We hoped the Wicket didn't notice when Annie kicked Rebecca.
"It's the same fruitcake I gave you?" the Wicket asked.
"Of course not," Annie said, visibly miffed. "We don't believe in re-gifting."
"Of course we know it isn't as nice as yours was," Jackie said, "because we had to buy ours in a store."
"But we hoped you would think," Zinnia said, "that it's the gesture that counts."
At last, the Wicket took the fruitcake from Durinda.
Thank heavens, we thought. Another minute and Durinda would have dropped the heavy thing.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Durinda said. "We were hoping to enjoy some of that fruitcake with you."
"You know," Zinnia piped up, "we are neighbors."
"I suppose so," the Wicket said. "I'm not used to sharing my fruitcake." She guarded the dish jealously.
"Of course not," Annie said, as we all slithered past the Wicket and crossed the threshold. "We only want tiny slices. And if you don't want to, you don't even have to give us that."
"My," Georgia said as we all gazed around at the slanted floors without a comforting rug in sight, the ugly mud-colored walls that came at you at odd angles, and the crooked pictures on the walls as though we were seeing it for the first time, "what a lovely home you have here."
"We wish our home were more like this," Rebecca said.
"Fruitcake always makes me so thirsty," Jackie said. "Do you think you might bring us something to drink when you serve us ours?"
"You expect liquid refreshments too?" the Wicket demanded.
Eight heads nodded politely while inside we
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