Read Online Poppy and Ereth by Avi - Free Book Online

my dear friend, Poppy, unhappily now passed…up. It’s a sad occasion. So let me begin by—”
    Ereth stopped speaking. “I can’t stand this!” he shouted to no one. Tears filled his eyes and dripped off the end of his nose. He could barely talk or breathe. Instead, he bent down and wiped his eyes and nose with his front paws. “I did love Poppy,” he whispered. “I really did. I know Ididn’t do it well, but I did love her. And I…miss her so much! What else is there to say? Poppy’s gone. That’s all that matters.”
    His tears continued to fall. He ceased speaking. Even the grasshoppers were still.

CHAPTER 18
Spruce Goes Looking for Poppy
    S PRUCE CRAWLED out of the family’s underground home and looked about the dry forest. There were two paths he could take. Having never traveled to Glitter Creek on his own, he was not sure which one to choose.
    As the young mouse tried to make up his mind, Dogbane popped out of the entryway. “Okay,” he announced. “I’ll come with you.”
    â€œAnyone else?” asked Spruce.
    â€œJust me,” said Dogbane. “And since this is your idea, you’d better know the right way to the creek. Or were you just pretending?”
    â€œI’m pretty sure it’s this way,” said Spruce, making a quick guess and starting down one of the paths. “You coming?”
    Dogbane held back. “ Pretty sure or very sure?”
    â€œYou scared to come?” said Spruce, half hoping hisbrother would say yes so he could go alone. It would be so neat to be the one to discover where Grandma Poppy had landed.
    â€œNot me,” said Dogbane. He hurried after Spruce.
    The brothers went along the path for a while without speaking. After a few minutes Dogbane sat down in a pool of shade by the side of the path. “It’s too hot to go fast,” he announced.
    Spruce joined him. He stared up at the trees. He was used to going off alone, but today the trees seemed taller than he had remembered them.
    Dogbane followed his gaze. “How high do you think those trees are?”
    â€œTen miles,” said Spruce, blurting out the first thing that came into his head.
    Dogbane looked at his brother. “That’s not true.”
    â€œIs,” insisted Spruce.
    â€œThen how far is it till we get to the creek?” Dogbane asked.
    â€œThirty miles.”
    â€œ Thirty miles! ” cried Dogbane. “How long is this walk going to take?”
    â€œTwelve minutes,” said Spruce.
    Dogbane considered. “How many minutes have we been going?”
    â€œSix.”
    â€œCome on,” said Dogbane. “Admit it, you just make up this stuff. You don’t know what you’re doing.”
    â€œDo,” said Spruce.
    â€œAnd is this really, really the way to the creek?”
    â€œDon’t believe me if you don’t want to.”
    â€œAnd you’re sure Grandma Poppy is at the creek?”
    â€œThat’s where Uncle Ereth saw her.”
    Dogbane sighed. “Fine. Let’s keep moving.”
    The two mice continued along the path. Ten minutes later Dogbane halted. “How close to the creek are we now?”
    Spruce studied the path. A little hill rose up before them. “See that hill?” he said. “From the top you’ll be able to see the creek.”
    â€œFine.”
    They went on and soon reached the top of the hill. Instead of seeing Glitter Creek, they arrived at a fork in the path.
    â€œYou said Glitter Creek would be here,” said Dogbane.
    â€œI said,” insisted Spruce, “we’d see the path that led to the creek.”
    â€œYou did not.”
    â€œDid!”
    â€œFine! Which path do we take?”
    Spruce considered. There was nothing to distinguishone path from the other. He turned and stole a glance back over the way they had come, and wondered if, after all, it might be better to go home.

    â€œKnow