for yourself? Your mom and I have a couple of things to catch up on here anyway. Take Laura and be back by supper.”
Jim thought about asking if he could leave Laura behind, but the look on his father’s face already told him the answer.
“Okay. Come on, squirt. Let’s go exploring and see what kind of mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.”
Laura followed him through the door anddown the sidewalk. “Look, Jim. There’s somebody.” She pointed at the mailman, who was carefully sorting through the letters he held as he walked toward them.
The short, balding man stopped in front of them. “I’d say you two are new around here.”
Jim nodded. “How did you know?”
The man looked nervously behind him. “When you’ve been with the company a while you … well, let’s just say that you don’t quite fit the mold … yet.”
The man looked around again and then moved past them. Over his shoulder he said in a loud voice, “So nice to have you here.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” Laura said.
“I know,” Jim said, and started walking. “But somehow I get the feeling they don’t really mean it.”
They walked until they reached downtown Folsum. Each neighborhood they passed through looked exactly like theirs.
“I don’t know who designed this town, but they sure didn’t have much of an imagination.” Jim looked at his watch. “We have justenough time to get a look at Main Street and maybe play a fast video game before we have to head back.”
Laura pulled on the back of his T-shirt. “Jimmy, I don’t like this place. Where are all the people?”
Jim shrugged and looked at the deserted sidewalks. “Maybe we’ve moved into a town full of blood-sucking zombies that only come out at midnight.”
Laura stopped. “That’s not funny. I want to go home.”
“I’m only kidding, squirt. Look, there are people in that grocery store across the street.”
They watched a woman who could have been Mrs. Tyler’s twin sister, except that she was taller and had darker hair, come out of the store and put a sack of groceries in her car. A little girl dressed in a white pinafore almost identical to Karen Tyler’s followed her.
Jim raised one eyebrow. “Must be a shortage of clothes stores.” He felt another tug on the back of his shirt. “What is it now?”
Laura pointed to a sign in the window of asmall ice cream shop. “Can we go in?” She looked at him hopefully.
“Normally I’d say forget it. But since I don’t see an arcade, it looks like ice cream is the only thing this town has going for it.”
Jim pushed the door open and a little bell jingled from above. They sat down at the counter and waited. Finally a man dressed in white came in from one of the back rooms.
The man’s eyes narrowed when he saw them. “You two aren’t from the mountains, are you?”
Jim shook his head. “We’re the Stantons. We just moved in today. My dad’s a scientist.”
“Oh.” The man’s face changed. He smiled the same sort of strange smile William had given them earlier. “That’s different, then. What can I get for you?”
They placed their orders and sat on the stools, silently eating. No other customers came in. Jim noticed that the waiter never moved very far away, almost as if he was keeping an eye on them.
When they finished, Jim stepped up to the cash register to pay. Before he could get hismoney out, the man held his hand up. “It’s on the house, son.”
Jim looked confused. “Thanks, mister.”
The man gave him the strange smile again. “No problem. Welcome to the company.”
C HAPTER 4
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be careful.”
Mrs. Stanton poured a glass of orange juice and pushed it across the counter. “We’ve only been here a couple of days and you don’t know your way around yet.”
Jim took a gulp of the juice and started for the front door. “I’m only going for a short hike in the mountains. Besides, how am I ever going to know where anything is if I
Jim thought about asking if he could leave Laura behind, but the look on his father’s face already told him the answer.
“Okay. Come on, squirt. Let’s go exploring and see what kind of mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.”
Laura followed him through the door anddown the sidewalk. “Look, Jim. There’s somebody.” She pointed at the mailman, who was carefully sorting through the letters he held as he walked toward them.
The short, balding man stopped in front of them. “I’d say you two are new around here.”
Jim nodded. “How did you know?”
The man looked nervously behind him. “When you’ve been with the company a while you … well, let’s just say that you don’t quite fit the mold … yet.”
The man looked around again and then moved past them. Over his shoulder he said in a loud voice, “So nice to have you here.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” Laura said.
“I know,” Jim said, and started walking. “But somehow I get the feeling they don’t really mean it.”
They walked until they reached downtown Folsum. Each neighborhood they passed through looked exactly like theirs.
“I don’t know who designed this town, but they sure didn’t have much of an imagination.” Jim looked at his watch. “We have justenough time to get a look at Main Street and maybe play a fast video game before we have to head back.”
Laura pulled on the back of his T-shirt. “Jimmy, I don’t like this place. Where are all the people?”
Jim shrugged and looked at the deserted sidewalks. “Maybe we’ve moved into a town full of blood-sucking zombies that only come out at midnight.”
Laura stopped. “That’s not funny. I want to go home.”
“I’m only kidding, squirt. Look, there are people in that grocery store across the street.”
They watched a woman who could have been Mrs. Tyler’s twin sister, except that she was taller and had darker hair, come out of the store and put a sack of groceries in her car. A little girl dressed in a white pinafore almost identical to Karen Tyler’s followed her.
Jim raised one eyebrow. “Must be a shortage of clothes stores.” He felt another tug on the back of his shirt. “What is it now?”
Laura pointed to a sign in the window of asmall ice cream shop. “Can we go in?” She looked at him hopefully.
“Normally I’d say forget it. But since I don’t see an arcade, it looks like ice cream is the only thing this town has going for it.”
Jim pushed the door open and a little bell jingled from above. They sat down at the counter and waited. Finally a man dressed in white came in from one of the back rooms.
The man’s eyes narrowed when he saw them. “You two aren’t from the mountains, are you?”
Jim shook his head. “We’re the Stantons. We just moved in today. My dad’s a scientist.”
“Oh.” The man’s face changed. He smiled the same sort of strange smile William had given them earlier. “That’s different, then. What can I get for you?”
They placed their orders and sat on the stools, silently eating. No other customers came in. Jim noticed that the waiter never moved very far away, almost as if he was keeping an eye on them.
When they finished, Jim stepped up to the cash register to pay. Before he could get hismoney out, the man held his hand up. “It’s on the house, son.”
Jim looked confused. “Thanks, mister.”
The man gave him the strange smile again. “No problem. Welcome to the company.”
C HAPTER 4
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be careful.”
Mrs. Stanton poured a glass of orange juice and pushed it across the counter. “We’ve only been here a couple of days and you don’t know your way around yet.”
Jim took a gulp of the juice and started for the front door. “I’m only going for a short hike in the mountains. Besides, how am I ever going to know where anything is if I
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