Read Online Jennifer Murdley's Toad (Magic Shop Books) by Bruce Coville - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bruce Coville
Tags: Fiction, Children's Books, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Children: Grades 4-6, Children: Grades 3-4, toads
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wide, screaming for help, with snakes, lizards, rats, and an occasional toad popping out of her mouth because she was too bone-stupid to close it.
"And the most embarrassing thing is, she's my mother, at least in some sense of the word.
"That, by the way, explains why I can talk, and why I am so good with my voice. I am a tongue-toad, born of this babe's flapping, temporarily unstoppable tongue.
"Actually, all of us milling around there on the floor were tongue-creatures. We were also bright enough to realize that things were about to get quite nasty, since the mother finally jumped off the chair and grabbed a broom and started whacking at us. After a moment she decided she would do better to take a whack at her daughter first, so she swung the broom around and cracked her daughter upside the head, which knocked her out, which shut her up, which stopped the flood of tongue-beasts.
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"Then the mother started trying to drive us out of the house. We were perfectly willing to go, but things were a little crowded at the doorway, what with several hundred of us trying to get out there all at the same time. So she slammed some of us with the broom pretty hard. Which was when we began to realize that it was really tough to kill us. Not impossible; she managed to knock off a few of us by total squishification. But for the most part you could give us a whack that ought to knock us into next Wednesday, and it would just slow us down a bit. This was the first hint we had of the strange fact that we were--get this--immortal. Or at least the closest thing thereto. If I get careless in the woods and let some sneak of a snake eat me, it's good-bye Bufo, forget the next act. If I get run over by a car, it's roadtoad flat out and no more toadly wit and wisdom. But barring anything like that, I am a toad who will live forever. At least, that seems likely, since I have already lived for over five hundred years."
Jennifer caught a kind of break in Bufo's voice, as if he were hovering on the edge of tears.
"Alas," he said softly, "four hundred and ninety-five of those years have been sharp-edged with sorrow, a life lived with a knife in the heart."
"What do you mean?" whispered Jennifer.
"I fell in love," replied Bufo, "with one of the Immortal Vermin, a wondrous lady named Esmerelda.
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She was a toad of great virtue, wise, funny, and loving. Life seemed perfect: we were young, we were in love, and we expected to live forever. But that short taste of heaven ended the day she disappeared.
"Frantic, I searched everywhere for her. The other Immortal Vermin helped. For a long time there was no word of her. Then one of the Vermin picked up a rumor: a witch was after us--specifically after the immortal toads, because she believed that hidden in our foreheads is a gem that will grant perfect happiness to whoever possesses it."
"Is that true?" asked Jennifer.
"If it is, it certainly hasn't done me any good," said Bufo gruffly. "It's possible the gem simply doesn't work for the toad who was born with it. One theory is that it has to be extracted from the forehead and given to someone."
"But is it really there?" persisted Jennifer, staring at Bufo in fascination.
"Why? Do you want it?" he asked, sounding like Darth Vader.
"No! I'm just interested is all."
"Follow me," said Bufo. He hopped across the top of the dresser, moving slowly because the space was fairly cluttered, stopping when he reached the small nightlight that was plugged into the wall. When Jennifer had joined him he turned to face her, then scrunched down, raised his front feet to his forehead, and began to pull at the skin. After
91
a moment the skin parted. Beneath the opening, embedded in the flesh of Bufo's forehead, was a small green gem. It sparkled, even in the dim rays of the nightlight.
"Behold," said Bufo. "The Jewel of Perfect Happiness."
92
NINE
Oscillatory Experiment
"May I touch it?" asked Jennifer.
"I'd rather you didn't," said Bufo.
"And the most embarrassing thing is, she's my mother, at least in some sense of the word.
"That, by the way, explains why I can talk, and why I am so good with my voice. I am a tongue-toad, born of this babe's flapping, temporarily unstoppable tongue.
"Actually, all of us milling around there on the floor were tongue-creatures. We were also bright enough to realize that things were about to get quite nasty, since the mother finally jumped off the chair and grabbed a broom and started whacking at us. After a moment she decided she would do better to take a whack at her daughter first, so she swung the broom around and cracked her daughter upside the head, which knocked her out, which shut her up, which stopped the flood of tongue-beasts.
88
[blank page]
89
"Then the mother started trying to drive us out of the house. We were perfectly willing to go, but things were a little crowded at the doorway, what with several hundred of us trying to get out there all at the same time. So she slammed some of us with the broom pretty hard. Which was when we began to realize that it was really tough to kill us. Not impossible; she managed to knock off a few of us by total squishification. But for the most part you could give us a whack that ought to knock us into next Wednesday, and it would just slow us down a bit. This was the first hint we had of the strange fact that we were--get this--immortal. Or at least the closest thing thereto. If I get careless in the woods and let some sneak of a snake eat me, it's good-bye Bufo, forget the next act. If I get run over by a car, it's roadtoad flat out and no more toadly wit and wisdom. But barring anything like that, I am a toad who will live forever. At least, that seems likely, since I have already lived for over five hundred years."
Jennifer caught a kind of break in Bufo's voice, as if he were hovering on the edge of tears.
"Alas," he said softly, "four hundred and ninety-five of those years have been sharp-edged with sorrow, a life lived with a knife in the heart."
"What do you mean?" whispered Jennifer.
"I fell in love," replied Bufo, "with one of the Immortal Vermin, a wondrous lady named Esmerelda.
90
She was a toad of great virtue, wise, funny, and loving. Life seemed perfect: we were young, we were in love, and we expected to live forever. But that short taste of heaven ended the day she disappeared.
"Frantic, I searched everywhere for her. The other Immortal Vermin helped. For a long time there was no word of her. Then one of the Vermin picked up a rumor: a witch was after us--specifically after the immortal toads, because she believed that hidden in our foreheads is a gem that will grant perfect happiness to whoever possesses it."
"Is that true?" asked Jennifer.
"If it is, it certainly hasn't done me any good," said Bufo gruffly. "It's possible the gem simply doesn't work for the toad who was born with it. One theory is that it has to be extracted from the forehead and given to someone."
"But is it really there?" persisted Jennifer, staring at Bufo in fascination.
"Why? Do you want it?" he asked, sounding like Darth Vader.
"No! I'm just interested is all."
"Follow me," said Bufo. He hopped across the top of the dresser, moving slowly because the space was fairly cluttered, stopping when he reached the small nightlight that was plugged into the wall. When Jennifer had joined him he turned to face her, then scrunched down, raised his front feet to his forehead, and began to pull at the skin. After
91
a moment the skin parted. Beneath the opening, embedded in the flesh of Bufo's forehead, was a small green gem. It sparkled, even in the dim rays of the nightlight.
"Behold," said Bufo. "The Jewel of Perfect Happiness."
92
NINE
Oscillatory Experiment
"May I touch it?" asked Jennifer.
"I'd rather you didn't," said Bufo.
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