by R. L. Stine
I smiled. “I kept going over that in my mind. And finally, it hit me.”
“What hit you?” Carlo asked.
“I knew the Grool couldn’t be killed by force or violence,” I explained. “But what about the opposite? I guessed that no one had ever tried being nice to it before.”
Both boys stared at me in rapt silence. “That gave me the idea that being kind was the secret to destroying the Grool,” I continued. “And it worked. The Grool was so evil that it couldn’t stand being loved.”
“Wow!” Carlo breathed.
“Excellent!” Daniel exclaimed. “I’m glad I came up with it.”
“Yeah, it’s great to have a genius in the family,” I said sarcastically.
I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the twelve dollars my grandma had sent for my birthday. “What do you say we celebrate with ice-cream?” I suggested with a grin.
“Excellent!” the two boys cried happily.
“Maybe our luck will change now,” I told Daniel. “I bet we become the luckiest family on the block.”
Then I heard it. That familiar, terrifying, breathing sound again.
I swung around and faced the door.
“What’s that?” I cried, my heart sinking. “Do you hear it, too?”
Yes. We all heard it.
My throat felt dry. Cold chills ran down my back. The breathing grew louder. Closer. “I didn’t kill it,” I moaned. “It’s back. It’s back!”
29
Daniel grabbed my hand. I could see the fear on his face.
Carlo took a step back from the door. He backed up till he bumped against the kitchen counter.
We huddled together in the kitchen, afraid to move. Afraid to go look.
“We have no choice,” I choked out finally. “If it’s back, we have to let it in.”
I took a deep breath. My legs didn’t want to carry me. They felt as if they were made of lead.
But I forced myself to the back door.
My entire body trembled as I reached for the doorknob. And yanked the door open.
“Oh!” I let out a startled cry.
Killer gazed up at me, breathing noisily, his stub of a tail wagging furiously.
“Killer!” I yelled joyfully. “You’re back!” I bent down to hug him. But the dog ran past me, into the kitchen.
Daniel let out a happy cry and pulled the wiggling dog into his arms. Killer covered Daniel’s face with wet licks.
“Our luck has changed!” I declared.
I looked outside.
Wow! Healthy green grass covered the ground. The flowers lifted their drooping heads and burst back into dazzling color as I watched.
All of the Grool’s evil seemed to be disappearing.
I grabbed Killer and hugged him hard. “Killer, Killer,” I crooned. “We got rid of the Grool.”
“Come on,” Daniel cried. “Ice-cream time!”
I set Killer back on the floor and kissed him on the head. “We’ll be back soon, boy,” I said.
“To the ice-cream parlor!” Daniel shouted as he dashed outside. “Race you!” he cried as he ran down the street. “The winner gets a triple-decker sundae!”
Carlo and I took off after Daniel. I pumped my legs hard and pulled out in front.
But at the last minute, Daniel pushed past me and tagged the door of the restaurant. “I won!” Daniel cried happily.
We hurried into the ice-cream parlor. “Table for three,” Daniel said with a grin. The waitress seated us, handed out menus, and wiped the table with a… sponge!
“Yuck! Get that thing out of here!” Daniel shrieked.
The waitress didn’t understand. But we all laughed—for the first time in weeks.
“Don’t mind my brother,” I said. “He’s got a thing about sponges.” He kicked me under the table, and I pinched him back hard.
The waitress rolled her eyes. Then she took our orders.
As we shoveled down our sundaes, I realized how hungry I was—and how happy I was.
The Grool was gone—forever.
We were so full that we practically rolled back home.
“Killer. Here, boy!” I pushed the back door open and stepped into the kitchen.
“Hey—Killer? Come here! Aren’t you glad to see us?”
Killer didn’t turn around.
He stood at the sink, growling and wagging his tail. He had his nose pressed up against the cabinet door, trying to push it open.
“All right, Killer. We had our ice-cream. Now it’s time for your treat,” I said.
I put down a fresh bowl of dog food—and added a few small pieces of last night’s turkey.
“Come on Killer. Dinnertime,” I called.
He growled at the cabinet underneath the sink.
What’s going on? This dog never walks away from a meal, I thought.
“Killer,” Daniel said, “what are you doing under there? Killer?”
I bent down and petted the dog’s back. “Killer, there’s nothing in there. The Grool is gone.”
But Killer kept growling.
“Okay, okay.” I yanked the cabinet door open for the dog. “See?”
Killer shoved his head inside.
I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him out. He carried something in his teeth.
“What is that, boy?” Daniel asked.
Killer dropped his find on the floor, then gazed up at me.
I picked it up. Hmmm. Something hard. Lumpy.
“What is it?” Daniel asked, stepping close.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “No problem. It’s only a potato.”
I started to hand it to Daniel.
But something sharp pricked my finger.
“Ow!” I cried, startled.
I rolled the potato over in my hand.
It felt warm. I could feel it breathing.
“Daniel, I don’t like the looks of this,” I murmured.
The potato had a mouth full of teeth.
Scanning, formatting and
proofing by Undead.