raises her brows. “Hey. Easy. I just wanted to give you your present.”
I notice then the small package she’s holding. “Oh, yeah. Presents.”
“If there’s one thing you should never, ever forget about,it’s the presents.” She tosses it to me. Anyone else might have missed, but my hands leap up automatically and snatch it from the air.
“I didn’t
forget
,” I tell her as I turn the package over in my hands. “What is it?”
“It’s not a viper or a poison dart frog, if that’s what you’re asking. Good lord, child, just open it, will you? Before someone finds us.”
“Why? Is it a secret?”
She bites her lip before answering. “Yes…of sorts. That is, you probably wouldn’t want your
Uncle
Paolo finding you with it.”
That catches my interest. The package is wrapped with plain white paper and tied with string, and it only takes a few seconds to unwrap. Inside is a large piece of paper that’s been folded many times over. “What is it?” I ask again.
“Better not unfold it here; it takes hours to get it back down to that size. And whatever you do, don’t open it in front of everyone. I’ll lose my contract, my career, and my pretty salary if that gets traced back to me. So my life is pretty much in your hands, missy. I’ll thank you not to throw it into the nearest trash bin.”
“What am I supposed to do with it?”
“For starters, don’t go brandishing it around in public.” I look around, then hide it in the straw where Alai sleeps. “Good,” she says. “Now, you going to skip out on your own party or what? From the grumbling I heard, this whole place bent over backward putting this thing together for you. It’d be a crying shame for you to throw it all back in their faces. A downright tragedy.”
Something in her tone makes me ask, “What would
you
do, if you were me?”
She shrugs and tweaks Alai’s tail, which he thrashes irritably at her. “Me? I’d leave the whole lot of ’em to their terrible dancing and worse small talk—honestly, that plumber thought I
wanted
to hear about the alarming increase in blocked toilets around here—and I’d find myself a quiet, secluded corner in which to study my totally wicked birthday present from an equally awesome redheaded biomedical engineer.” Then she sighs and shakes her head. “But yes, you should probably go back to your party and open the rest of your presents.”
“I guess you’re right.” I open the door and step outside, Dr. Klutz behind me. Just before I reach the door of the menagerie, I pause.
“About Uncle Antonio…” I start.
“Yes?” She looks genuinely intrigued. “Do tell.”
“He’s my favorite uncle, you know,” I finish clumsily. “I just…he—”
“Don’t worry, kid,” she says gently. “I’m not going to break any hearts.”
“Right. Yeah.” I shuffle a bit, wondering what to add, then give it up and flee.
Hours later, after the party finally ends, I stop by the menagerie on the pretense of bringing Alai with me to my room, where he often sleeps. Dr. Klutz’s mysterious paper, which I slipped down the front of my dress, seems to burn through my skin, and I can’t wait to open it. Back in my room, I turn on a small lamp by my bed and kneel on the floor, pulling the paper from my dress. Alai pads softly to the chair in thecorner, where he usually sleeps, and loses all interest in me and my contraband.
As I start unfolding the paper, my heart begins to race. Could it be…?
It
is
.
I gasp and rise to my feet, staring wide-eyed at the paper. It’s so large it covers most of my bed. With trembling hands, I turn and shove a chair against the door, since there’s no lock. This could get me—and Dr. Klutz—in more than just trouble. I don’t know what Uncle Paolo would do if he found out, but I know it would be awful. As if sensing my agitation, a bristling Alai ghosts to my side.
“It’s all right, boy,” I whisper.
Still hardly believing my eyes, I force
I notice then the small package she’s holding. “Oh, yeah. Presents.”
“If there’s one thing you should never, ever forget about,it’s the presents.” She tosses it to me. Anyone else might have missed, but my hands leap up automatically and snatch it from the air.
“I didn’t
forget
,” I tell her as I turn the package over in my hands. “What is it?”
“It’s not a viper or a poison dart frog, if that’s what you’re asking. Good lord, child, just open it, will you? Before someone finds us.”
“Why? Is it a secret?”
She bites her lip before answering. “Yes…of sorts. That is, you probably wouldn’t want your
Uncle
Paolo finding you with it.”
That catches my interest. The package is wrapped with plain white paper and tied with string, and it only takes a few seconds to unwrap. Inside is a large piece of paper that’s been folded many times over. “What is it?” I ask again.
“Better not unfold it here; it takes hours to get it back down to that size. And whatever you do, don’t open it in front of everyone. I’ll lose my contract, my career, and my pretty salary if that gets traced back to me. So my life is pretty much in your hands, missy. I’ll thank you not to throw it into the nearest trash bin.”
“What am I supposed to do with it?”
“For starters, don’t go brandishing it around in public.” I look around, then hide it in the straw where Alai sleeps. “Good,” she says. “Now, you going to skip out on your own party or what? From the grumbling I heard, this whole place bent over backward putting this thing together for you. It’d be a crying shame for you to throw it all back in their faces. A downright tragedy.”
Something in her tone makes me ask, “What would
you
do, if you were me?”
She shrugs and tweaks Alai’s tail, which he thrashes irritably at her. “Me? I’d leave the whole lot of ’em to their terrible dancing and worse small talk—honestly, that plumber thought I
wanted
to hear about the alarming increase in blocked toilets around here—and I’d find myself a quiet, secluded corner in which to study my totally wicked birthday present from an equally awesome redheaded biomedical engineer.” Then she sighs and shakes her head. “But yes, you should probably go back to your party and open the rest of your presents.”
“I guess you’re right.” I open the door and step outside, Dr. Klutz behind me. Just before I reach the door of the menagerie, I pause.
“About Uncle Antonio…” I start.
“Yes?” She looks genuinely intrigued. “Do tell.”
“He’s my favorite uncle, you know,” I finish clumsily. “I just…he—”
“Don’t worry, kid,” she says gently. “I’m not going to break any hearts.”
“Right. Yeah.” I shuffle a bit, wondering what to add, then give it up and flee.
Hours later, after the party finally ends, I stop by the menagerie on the pretense of bringing Alai with me to my room, where he often sleeps. Dr. Klutz’s mysterious paper, which I slipped down the front of my dress, seems to burn through my skin, and I can’t wait to open it. Back in my room, I turn on a small lamp by my bed and kneel on the floor, pulling the paper from my dress. Alai pads softly to the chair in thecorner, where he usually sleeps, and loses all interest in me and my contraband.
As I start unfolding the paper, my heart begins to race. Could it be…?
It
is
.
I gasp and rise to my feet, staring wide-eyed at the paper. It’s so large it covers most of my bed. With trembling hands, I turn and shove a chair against the door, since there’s no lock. This could get me—and Dr. Klutz—in more than just trouble. I don’t know what Uncle Paolo would do if he found out, but I know it would be awful. As if sensing my agitation, a bristling Alai ghosts to my side.
“It’s all right, boy,” I whisper.
Still hardly believing my eyes, I force
Similar Books
