Tom chimes in. “It was made out of papier-mâché. You had to lift the lava cork to put the valentines inside. Genius.”
Elizabeth gives Tom another smile.
Jenna steams.
“I didn’t move to Purdee until spring that year,” Quinn says. He looks at Elizabeth. “Sorry, but I don’t remember you. Third grade is kind of a blur. It sucks to move.”
Elizabeth nods. “I know.”
Now she and
Quinn
exchange smiles. The kind that says
We know something the others don’t.
The kind that makes you instant friends.
My stomach prickles. Quinn is
my
friend, not hers.
I look around for Alex. “How much longer until we eat?” I say loudly, trying to change the subject and stop all the smiling that’s going on.
Alex looks over from talking with Connor.“Soon,” she replies, checking her watch. “We could sing a song while we wait.”
Nobody exactly squeals with excitement. It’s hard to get enthused about singing when you haven’t had your breakfast yet. And when your mouth is watering from the scent of bacon in the air.
“Finish the story you started last night,” Joey says to Connor. “I’m dying to know if the Meadowlark Monster ate you and Pete!”
Jenna snorts. “If a monster ate them, they wouldn’t be here.”
“Good point,” Joey says. He looks at Connor again. “Permanently maimed, then. Please?”
Connor rubs his chin. I can hear his whiskers waking up. “Okay, but I better start at the beginning, or the girls will be lost.”
“Too late for that,” Rusty says. “But go ahead.”
“It was a dark and stormy night,” Connor begins in a spooky voice, like we’re sitting around a crackling campfire instead of standing in the soft morning sun. “Pete and I were heading back to camp through the woods, when suddenly, there he was!
The Meadowlark Monster!
”
“Tell them what he looked like,” Joey says.
We all scoot in.
“He was as big as a bear.” Connor holds his arms out wide. “And his fur was matted with dirt and leaves, like he’d just crawled out of a
grave
.”
Meeka gulps.
Jenna huffs and checks her watch.
“He only had one eye left, but it
glowed
enough for two. And when he howled”—Connor does a howl that could seriously make you pee your pants if you hadn’t just gone to the bathroom—“it shook the trees!”
Other campers look over.
Meeka gulps again and squeezes my arm.
“He chased us through the woods, quick as lightning, snatching at us with his huge hands.”
“He’s got hands?” Quinn asks. “He didn’t last night.”
“Um…yeah…” Connor says, the words stumbling out, “…
webbed
hands…covered with
slime
.” He glances at Alex. She rolls her eyes. “Pete and I thought we were goners. But then, we remembered the one thing monsters hate most.”
He pauses, pushing back his floppy orange hair.
“This is where he left off last night,” Tom whispers.
“Tell us!” Joey cries. “What do monsters hate most?”
A smile flits between Connor and Alex.
Connor leans in. “The thing that monsters hate most…” he whispers, “…is
singing
.”
Our faces sag.
“That’s
it
?” Rusty says. “Singing?”
Connor nods. “That’s why monsters only come out at night. When the birds are asleep.”
Jenna does a sassy smirk. “So what did you sing? The Camp Meadowlark theme song?”
Connor shakes his head. “We needed something bigger than that.”
“‘The Star-Spangled Banner’?” Quinn offers.
“Nope,” Connor says. “Bigger. We sang
opera
.”
Jolene giggles. “That fancy music?”
Connor nods. Then he cups his hands around his mouth and tips up his chin.
“Figaro…Figaro…Figarooooo!”
he bellows, like an opera star. Not a very good one.
Connor waits until we unplug our ears. Then he says, “The monster took off and we haven’t seen him since. The end.”
The boys applaud.
“Dumb,” Jenna says. “Singing wouldn’t scare away a monster.”
Connor gives Jenna a very serious look. “Never doubt the power
Elizabeth gives Tom another smile.
Jenna steams.
“I didn’t move to Purdee until spring that year,” Quinn says. He looks at Elizabeth. “Sorry, but I don’t remember you. Third grade is kind of a blur. It sucks to move.”
Elizabeth nods. “I know.”
Now she and
Quinn
exchange smiles. The kind that says
We know something the others don’t.
The kind that makes you instant friends.
My stomach prickles. Quinn is
my
friend, not hers.
I look around for Alex. “How much longer until we eat?” I say loudly, trying to change the subject and stop all the smiling that’s going on.
Alex looks over from talking with Connor.“Soon,” she replies, checking her watch. “We could sing a song while we wait.”
Nobody exactly squeals with excitement. It’s hard to get enthused about singing when you haven’t had your breakfast yet. And when your mouth is watering from the scent of bacon in the air.
“Finish the story you started last night,” Joey says to Connor. “I’m dying to know if the Meadowlark Monster ate you and Pete!”
Jenna snorts. “If a monster ate them, they wouldn’t be here.”
“Good point,” Joey says. He looks at Connor again. “Permanently maimed, then. Please?”
Connor rubs his chin. I can hear his whiskers waking up. “Okay, but I better start at the beginning, or the girls will be lost.”
“Too late for that,” Rusty says. “But go ahead.”
“It was a dark and stormy night,” Connor begins in a spooky voice, like we’re sitting around a crackling campfire instead of standing in the soft morning sun. “Pete and I were heading back to camp through the woods, when suddenly, there he was!
The Meadowlark Monster!
”
“Tell them what he looked like,” Joey says.
We all scoot in.
“He was as big as a bear.” Connor holds his arms out wide. “And his fur was matted with dirt and leaves, like he’d just crawled out of a
grave
.”
Meeka gulps.
Jenna huffs and checks her watch.
“He only had one eye left, but it
glowed
enough for two. And when he howled”—Connor does a howl that could seriously make you pee your pants if you hadn’t just gone to the bathroom—“it shook the trees!”
Other campers look over.
Meeka gulps again and squeezes my arm.
“He chased us through the woods, quick as lightning, snatching at us with his huge hands.”
“He’s got hands?” Quinn asks. “He didn’t last night.”
“Um…yeah…” Connor says, the words stumbling out, “…
webbed
hands…covered with
slime
.” He glances at Alex. She rolls her eyes. “Pete and I thought we were goners. But then, we remembered the one thing monsters hate most.”
He pauses, pushing back his floppy orange hair.
“This is where he left off last night,” Tom whispers.
“Tell us!” Joey cries. “What do monsters hate most?”
A smile flits between Connor and Alex.
Connor leans in. “The thing that monsters hate most…” he whispers, “…is
singing
.”
Our faces sag.
“That’s
it
?” Rusty says. “Singing?”
Connor nods. “That’s why monsters only come out at night. When the birds are asleep.”
Jenna does a sassy smirk. “So what did you sing? The Camp Meadowlark theme song?”
Connor shakes his head. “We needed something bigger than that.”
“‘The Star-Spangled Banner’?” Quinn offers.
“Nope,” Connor says. “Bigger. We sang
opera
.”
Jolene giggles. “That fancy music?”
Connor nods. Then he cups his hands around his mouth and tips up his chin.
“Figaro…Figaro…Figarooooo!”
he bellows, like an opera star. Not a very good one.
Connor waits until we unplug our ears. Then he says, “The monster took off and we haven’t seen him since. The end.”
The boys applaud.
“Dumb,” Jenna says. “Singing wouldn’t scare away a monster.”
Connor gives Jenna a very serious look. “Never doubt the power
Similar Books
