Read Online The Hamster of the Baskervilles by Bruce Hale - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Bruce Hale
Ads: Link
couldn't escape. So the creature began tearing around the auditorium, running laps like a track star. No way could I tackle it. There had to be a better method for stopping it....
Natalie was crouching by the perpetual-motion
wheel. I blinked. A brainstorm hit me. (It happens sometimes.)
I puffed up to her. "Natalie, when it comes around again, stand your ground."
"What?!" She looked at me like I'd flipped.
"Trust me," I said. "And make the loudest noise you can, on my signal."
She nodded shakily. I stepped aside and braced myself. Here came the marathon monster, barreling along.
It brushed past; I leaped behind it and spread my arms wide. "Now, Natalie!"
"
AAA-OOOOGAHH!
" she wailed, like a giant Klaxon.
Startled, the monster stopped dead. It whirled on me, and I flapped my arms, yelling, "
YAAAGH!
"
The were-creature turned again and half stumbled, half fell inside the spinning wheel. It scrambled to catch its balance. Then the monster dropped into a rhythm, running round and round inside the wheel, going nowhere fast.
The janitors arrived. Maureen DeBree and Luke Busy pushed through the crowd and stood waiting, armed with a net and rolls of duct tape. Gradually, the parents and kids overcame their fear and edged forward to watch. They murmured among themselves.
Ms. LaRue's bray cut through the noise like a hot sword through Jell-O. "I demand her resignation," she barked, stabbing a spiny finger at Ms. Burrower.
"Ms. Burrower's? Why?" asked Principal Zero.
"She created this, this
thing
as a science experiment, and endangered the whole school." Heidi LaRue bristled like an inside-out pincushion. "Someone could have been killed."
Mr. Zero turned to his Teacher of the Year. "Is this true?" he asked.
The mole blinked rapidly and lowered her head. "Aye," she said quietly. "It's my lunar transmogrification experiment."
The other teachers gasped and muttered among themselves.
"But I didn't intend to hurt anyone," said the mole. "I picked the quietest, mildest subject I could find: Lauren Order. And I kept her in my tunnels."
I flashed on the shy hamster I'd seen in the library, then looked at the huge hairy creature in the wheel. "
That's
a hamster?" I asked.
"A were-hamster, aye," said Ms. Burrower sadly. "The wee girl wouldn't hurt a fly; she only eats peanut butter and sunflower seeds."
Peanut butter and sunflower seeds?
That rang a distant bell in my brain. But Ms. LaRue's buzz-saw voice drowned it out.
"Wouldn't hurt a fly, eh?" she said. "This unnatural creature has been vandalizing our school all week!" The hedgehog nodded, and Luke Busy stepped forward to grab Ms. Burrower's arm in one of his massive, clawed paws.
My brain churned. How could a
hamster
have done all that damage?
Mr. Ratnose looked from the were-hamster to me. "So
that's
the culprit," he said. "Fine detective you are, Chet Gecko."
I couldn't argue with that. Ah, well.
I had visions of doughnuts with little wings. They were flying away from me. I'd have to settle for my mom's peanut butter sandwiches.... Hey!
Peanut butter!
"Wait just a minute," I said. "I know who the vandal is, and it's not the were-hamster!"
20. All Stinks Considered
A ring of astonished faces surrounded me. They all babbled at once like a passel of preschoolers at snack time.
"Impossible," said Ms. LaRue. "The creature's guilty; I know it."
"Explain yourself, Gecko," rasped Principal Zero.
I took a deep breath and hoped my mind could keep up with my mouth. "The hamster food, that's what tipped me off," I said.
"This is ridiculous," huffed the hedgehog. "Look at the creature's feet. There were huge, muddy footprints in the vandalized classroomsâexactly like tracks from those feet."
"Let him speak," said Mr. Zero.
I nodded and began to pace. "You see, when I checked out the wreckage in Mr. Ratnose's class, I found sunflower seeds, and on the wall, just a trace of peanut butter."
"That's right," said Maureen DeBree. "I saw the what-you-call,
Natalie was crouching by the perpetual-motion
wheel. I blinked. A brainstorm hit me. (It happens sometimes.)
I puffed up to her. "Natalie, when it comes around again, stand your ground."
"What?!" She looked at me like I'd flipped.
"Trust me," I said. "And make the loudest noise you can, on my signal."
She nodded shakily. I stepped aside and braced myself. Here came the marathon monster, barreling along.
It brushed past; I leaped behind it and spread my arms wide. "Now, Natalie!"
"
AAA-OOOOGAHH!
" she wailed, like a giant Klaxon.
Startled, the monster stopped dead. It whirled on me, and I flapped my arms, yelling, "
YAAAGH!
"
The were-creature turned again and half stumbled, half fell inside the spinning wheel. It scrambled to catch its balance. Then the monster dropped into a rhythm, running round and round inside the wheel, going nowhere fast.
The janitors arrived. Maureen DeBree and Luke Busy pushed through the crowd and stood waiting, armed with a net and rolls of duct tape. Gradually, the parents and kids overcame their fear and edged forward to watch. They murmured among themselves.
Ms. LaRue's bray cut through the noise like a hot sword through Jell-O. "I demand her resignation," she barked, stabbing a spiny finger at Ms. Burrower.
"Ms. Burrower's? Why?" asked Principal Zero.
"She created this, this
thing
as a science experiment, and endangered the whole school." Heidi LaRue bristled like an inside-out pincushion. "Someone could have been killed."
Mr. Zero turned to his Teacher of the Year. "Is this true?" he asked.
The mole blinked rapidly and lowered her head. "Aye," she said quietly. "It's my lunar transmogrification experiment."
The other teachers gasped and muttered among themselves.
"But I didn't intend to hurt anyone," said the mole. "I picked the quietest, mildest subject I could find: Lauren Order. And I kept her in my tunnels."
I flashed on the shy hamster I'd seen in the library, then looked at the huge hairy creature in the wheel. "
That's
a hamster?" I asked.
"A were-hamster, aye," said Ms. Burrower sadly. "The wee girl wouldn't hurt a fly; she only eats peanut butter and sunflower seeds."
Peanut butter and sunflower seeds?
That rang a distant bell in my brain. But Ms. LaRue's buzz-saw voice drowned it out.
"Wouldn't hurt a fly, eh?" she said. "This unnatural creature has been vandalizing our school all week!" The hedgehog nodded, and Luke Busy stepped forward to grab Ms. Burrower's arm in one of his massive, clawed paws.
My brain churned. How could a
hamster
have done all that damage?
Mr. Ratnose looked from the were-hamster to me. "So
that's
the culprit," he said. "Fine detective you are, Chet Gecko."
I couldn't argue with that. Ah, well.
I had visions of doughnuts with little wings. They were flying away from me. I'd have to settle for my mom's peanut butter sandwiches.... Hey!
Peanut butter!
"Wait just a minute," I said. "I know who the vandal is, and it's not the were-hamster!"
20. All Stinks Considered
A ring of astonished faces surrounded me. They all babbled at once like a passel of preschoolers at snack time.
"Impossible," said Ms. LaRue. "The creature's guilty; I know it."
"Explain yourself, Gecko," rasped Principal Zero.
I took a deep breath and hoped my mind could keep up with my mouth. "The hamster food, that's what tipped me off," I said.
"This is ridiculous," huffed the hedgehog. "Look at the creature's feet. There were huge, muddy footprints in the vandalized classroomsâexactly like tracks from those feet."
"Let him speak," said Mr. Zero.
I nodded and began to pace. "You see, when I checked out the wreckage in Mr. Ratnose's class, I found sunflower seeds, and on the wall, just a trace of peanut butter."
"That's right," said Maureen DeBree. "I saw the what-you-call,
Similar Books
