by Jenn Kelly
Jackson carefully maneuvered his way along the path, avoiding the perilous weeds. He approached a lovely wrap-around porch. Well, it would have been lovely if not for the chipped white paint exposing gray patches of worn, worm-eaten wood.
There was something very familiar about this house, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.
With a fabulous screech, Meeka vaulted onto the porch and began climbing the railing.
Jackson’s eyes opened wide as he watched her.
“What are you doing?” he cried. “You could fall and hurt yourself!”
Meeka rolled her big eyes in exasperation. (Go ask your mom what that means. Ask her about twenty times.) “This is the only way in!” And she pulled herself up.
“But what if you fall?” He pointed to the front door. “Look, there’s a perfectly good front door to go in! Why don’t we just use that?”
Perhaps he shouldn’t have said that.
The front door was indeed a perfectly good way to go in.
If you didn’t mind the big hole in the floor or the boards nailed across the door.
Or the huge skull-and-crossbones sign with large letters that read “Go away.”
Or the wispy cobwebs strung across the railings.
Or the gargantuan, hairy-backed spiders hiding in the corners, waiting for their lunch.
No, if you didn’t mind those things at all, then the door was an excellent way to go in.
Meeka rolled her eyes again and exhaled a little bird-y sigh. She reached up and grabbed the rafters of the porch.
“Just give me a boost!”
Jackson was not sure about this. “I’m not sure about this, Meeka!” he called out.
Meeka clambered into the upstairs window. “Come on!” she squeaked, and then disappeared, the dusty curtains falling behind her.
Jackson didn’t want to climb the porch rail, nor did he want to climb to the upstairs window. Jackson wasn’t used to climbing strange things. He preferred climbing safe things, like stairs and into bed. He thought it might be safer and maybe just a bit easier if he were to walk around the porch and see if perhaps there was another door or an unlocked window. Any other way that didn’t involve him climbing up a rotting porch roof. Besides, there is something to be said about respecting other people’s property, you know.
Jackson climbed the steps carefully, trying not to disturb the gargantuan, hairy-backed spiders hiding in the corners. He held the spiderweb-covered railing as he climbed around the big hole in the porch floor. Jackson wiped a filthy window with his sleeve. He peeked in.
He couldn’t believe what he saw.
Chapter 23
A Really Short Chapter
Tell your mom or dad or teacher that you absolutely have to read this chapter as you are “racked with suspense” and “will probably die if you don’t continue.” Make sure to use those exact words. If they say no, and you decide to read this chapter in the car, there’s a very good chance you will throw up on the seat beside you (or on your little brother if he happens to be sitting next to you). If you decide to read it under the blankets at night with a flashlight, you may be extremely tired in the morning. And if you get caught and this book is taken away along with TV privileges, I hereby refuse all responsibility.
A light glowed faintly inside and a shadow moved slowly across the room. Jackson tapped on the window.
“Hello!”
No answer. Jackson sighed and walked down to the next window. It was dirty too. He looked in and…
BANG!
Chapter 24
A Rather Long Chapter
Ooh, you might want to read this chapter too. Jackson jumped back, his heart beating like mad. The explosive sound ricocheted off the faded red brick walls of the house. It sounded like a gunshot. And it sounded close.
Oh, dear.
Gunshots are never pleasant, especially when the sound is close to you. And especially if you are trespassing at a house with a huge skull-and-crossbones sign and large letters that read “Go away.”
Jackson slowly stepped back and tiptoed to the end of the porch. Cautiously, he peeked around the corner. The rickety porch continued to the back door, but there was a gate blocking the way. A tall, untrimmed cedar hedge ran the length of the yard, leading right up to the gate. Jackson slunk toward the gate. He rattled it gently. Locked. Jackson tried to slip between the bars, but he didn’t fit. He tried to push his way through the tall, untrimmed cedar hedge. Most cedar hedges are effective at their job of keeping people out. And this particular tall, untrimmed cedar hedge was definitely doing its job.
Jackson jumped again. Should he call out? Should he yell, “Don’t shoot!” or should he hide? What if the gun was aimed at him?
BANG!
It was definitely louder and closer this time. Jackson dropped to the porch floor. He couldn’t see anything. He shinnied closer to the gate. He peered past the bars at the back door to the house. It was bright red with a lovely brass door knocker and a cocoa mat on the floor that said Welcome. You could imagine how welcoming it was. Especially at that moment.
Jackson quickly examined the gate. He couldn’t climb it. There wasn’t a foothold as the bars ran up and down. The top of the fence was too high for him to reach. The gate had a thick brass lock. He pushed his face into the black bars to look down the cedar hedge. A flash of blue ran by, and then it was gone. Should he yell out?
“Hey!” squeaked a familiar voice. “You’re supposed to stay with the tour!”
Meeka’s head hung out of the window upstairs. Her long brown hair had bits of fluff in it. She looked cross.
“You have to stay with the tour! I don’t want to get into trouble again!”
“What trouble?”
Meeka’s big brown eyes disappeared as she ducked back inside.
“What trouble, Meeka?” he called up to her. “Meeka? What trouble?”
BANG!
It was very close this time.
Incredibly close.
Scarily close.
Nerve-rackingly close.
It was really close. Let’s just leave it at that.
“Stop yelling! You’re scaring away the crubbies!”
It was a girl’s voice. An angry girl’s voice. Jackson thought about running away.
“Excuse me!” he called out instead. “Can I please talk to you?”
It was very quiet.
Eerily quiet.
You couldn’t hear anything because it was so quiet.
Why was it still so quiet?
BANG!
“What do you want? I’m busy!” the girl’s voice yelled.
“Please, I want to talk to you!” Jackson called.
Footsteps pounded the ground, pounded the steps of the porch, and then she was in front of him, the iron gate separating them.
The girl’s long, dirty-blonde hair was tucked behind her elf-like ears. Her big brown eyes bore into him. Her blue uniform shirt was dirty.
Her blue combat pants were dirty.
And her boots?
You bet. Dirty.
Jackson was nervous. And he had every reason to be nervous because this angry girl held a gun in her dirty hands.
A very big gun.
A rifle, in fact.
Oh, dear.
She reached up and brushed her dirty-blonde hair impatiently from her eyes. “What do you want? I’m very busy!”
Jackson smiled a little trying to ease the situation. “That’s a very nice gun you have there. Are you hunting?”
The girl looked over her shoulder and then looked back at him. “Yes, it is a nice rifle. My father gave it to me. He’s one of the best hunters in the whole world. His name is Deek Sodo. I assume you’ve heard of him?”
Jackson shook his head. “I’m not from around here. I’m on a tour.”
The girl looked up at the house, one eyebrow arched. “Let me guess. You’re on a tour with Meeka.”
“Yeah. How did you know that?”
The girl
frowned at Jackson. “You’re not supposed to be here, you know.”
They both looked up at the window. Two big brown eyes ducked behind a curtain.
“Meeka! You’re not supposed to bring people here on the tour! You’re going to get fired! And you’re going to make me look bad!” the angry girl yelled.
Jackson looked at the girl in surprise. “You know Meeka?”
“Of course I know her. She’s my little sister. I’m Rayaa.”
“So, what are you hunting?” he asked.
“I’m hunting crubbies. I used to do tours like Meeka, but then I was promoted to Hunter. But, I never brought anyone here because it’s NOT PART OF THE TOUR!” she yelled at the window.
Meeka’s little head poked out again.
“You might as well as come down! You can’t possibly get into more trouble than you are now!” Rayaa called.
Meeka’s head disappeared and a boot popped out, followed by a little leg covered by a frayed hem. Meeka crawled out of the window and jumped, landing on the ground beside Rayaa. Rayaa slung her rifle over one shoulder and began to groom Meeka’s wild hair, tying it back into a neater ponytail. She pulled out a large piece of orange fluff.
“Are you enjoying the tour?” Rayaa asked Jackson, conversationally.
“Uh…I am so far. I think I saw someone in the house, though. I banged on the window, but no one answered.”
Rayaa nodded at him, pulling a piece of hay from Meeka’s hair. “That’s Eliessa. She’s a Reader. That’s her job. My job is to hunt crubbies.”
Jackson stared at her. “What’s a crubbie?”
She eyed him skeptically. “Are you from another planet or something?”
Jackson didn’t get to answer.
“Crubbies are annoying little creatures that always bother the birds in the sanctuary. That’s what I guard here, the bird sanctuary. But the crubbies are awful. They sneak in and mess up the birds’ nests, pull their
feathers, and even blow bubblegum bubbles in their faces!”
“Crubbies chew gum?” Jackson asked, confused.
“Oh yes. And that bothers the birds you see, because they can’t.” She repositioned the rifle in her hands. Meeka’s hair was…slightly neater. Rayaa’s head whipped around.
“There’s another one! Come on!” And she took off down the path.
Meeka bent down and lifted the welcome mat, snatching up a key. She unlocked the gate.
“Come on! This part is so much fun!” And she ran after Rayaa.
Jackson ran down the back porch steps and turned toward the cedar hedge, but he didn’t know which way they had gone.
BANG!
Meeka’s giggle carried to Jackson. He tried to follow her voice, but wouldn’t you know it? The cedar hedge was a maze. Do you know of any big cedar hedges outside of secret houses that aren’t mazes?
So now Jackson was in a maze.
BANG!
Jackson decided to run. But there were so many twists and turns that Jackson’s head began to twist and turn.
Stay focused.
He was very tired of running in circles, and he was very, very thirsty.
BANG!
Jackson ran around a corner and…
Chapter 25
In Which There Is a Bathroom Break
I am going to take a bathroom break, so I suggest you do so as well. Holding your bladder for a long time is not very good for you. Make sure you are very quiet, though. Your mom might hear that you are upstairs reading, and she might remember that she has housework for you to do. If you’re in bed reading this under the covers with a flashlight, be quiet when you tiptoe to the bathroom. If your parents are reading this to you, and it’s past your bedtime, perhaps they will be the BEST PARENTS IN THE WORLD! and let you stay up to finish. And then, being the BEST PARENTS IN THE WORLD, they’ll let you stay home tomorrow to sleep in. And when you wake up at noon, you’ll get to reread the book with hot buttered toast and a cup of hot chocolate in bed. There are some parents like that.
If you happen to know any, please email me.
Chapter 26
In Which Jackson Cannot Believe His Eyes
Jackson could not believe his eyes.
Actually, he could believe his eyes, because he was looking at what he saw. What I meant to say is that what he saw was just simply amazing. So maybe I should just write that instead.
So here it is, rewritten:
Jackson saw something simply amazing.
It was the most beautiful birdcage in the world.
It was about the size of a shed. A regular shed. Not the crazy “I’m building an ark in my backyard!” shed that so many dads dream about building.
The cage had long, golden spindles weaving around the frame. Carvings of moons and stars hung in between the spindles. Golden perches swung to and fro and shining silver bells tinkled as the wind blew.
And the cage was filled with the most amazing birds.
There were so many different kinds! It was like a psycho-bird aviary. But they were birds that Jackson had never seen before. There were birds that looked like robins, but they were the size of footballs. There were finches, but they were neon pink. There were fluorescent-green wrens. And gold-and-blue-striped chickens. And the songs they were singing! The pink finch opened his beak and the sweetest sound came out as the rest joined in harmony.
The sound filled Jackson with such a longing, he couldn’t explain it. It reminded him of a place he knew but had never seen. A place where he was loved. A place where nothing could ever go wrong. A place where he would always be happy. A place with never-ending cups of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.
Jackson wanted to climb into that song and just stay there forever.
BANG!
“I got him!”
Chapter 27
A Very Sticky Chapter
Jackson jumped, snatched out of his reverie. He ran around a corner of the hedge. A little, furry, striped animal lay on the ground. His head was shaped like an aardvark’s, but his nose was the color of a bright blueberry.
Rayaa sauntered over, picked him up, and shook him. A piece of pink bubble gum fell out of his mouth. Rayaa pulled the furry creature’s face to her own and said, rather sternly, “Stop chewing gum around the birds! It’s mean!”
The creature nodded solemnly, and she set him down gently. He waddled off, his fluffy tail tucked between his legs. Rayaa picked up the gum, wadded it into some tissue, and put it in her pocket.
“What was that?” Jackson asked.
“Crubbie!” Rayaa said, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Don’t you listen? It’s my job to protect the birds, the poor things.”
Jackson didn’t understand. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s my job to protect the birds from…”
“…the crubbies, yes, I know,” finished Jackson. “But how are you protecting the birds by letting the crubbies get away?”
“What do you think I do? Kill them?” she asked indignantly.
“No, no, I just…well, yes,” Jackson stammered.
Rayaa shook her head angrily. “Tranquilizers. Effect lasts ten seconds. Come with me.”
Jackson fell in step with Rayaa. He looked over his shoulder for Meeka, but she had climbed up onto one of the golden perches of the cage and was stroking a blue chicken. She squeaked at it. It seemed to be enjoying the chin scratch.
“Crubbies are very mischievous,” Rayaa began. “They know that the birds can’t chew gum. So they blow bubbles in the birds’ faces.”
“Why do the birds want to chew gum?” Jackson asked.
Rayaa looked at him strangely. “Don’t you like to chew gum?”
“Well, of course I do.”
“Do you think you’re the only one in the world who likes to chew gum? Honestly!” Rayaa tossed her hair. “Anyway, they blow bubbles in the birds’ faces, and it vexes the birds. It frustrates them to the point of trying to chew gum themselves, when clearly they shou
ldn’t chew gum.”
“Why can’t they chew gum?”
“This is why,” she said, and they stopped in front of a very strange sight.
The strange sight was not the new birdcage that stood before them. It was not the many birds perched within it. What was strange was that they were all eerily quiet. And if you’ve ever been in the presence of birds, you know that they never shut up. However, what was even stranger, oh yes, even stranger than
quiet birds, was that the birds were all covered in a weird pink goo.
“Gum,” confirmed Rayaa. “These birds gave into temptation and tried to chew a few pieces, poor things. Got gum all over themselves, and their beaks are now stuck. They have to stay here for a few days while I clean them.”
“How do you get gum off a bird?”
“With ice cubes and lemon juice of course. Don’t you ever get gum stuck in your hair?”
Jackson got a little frustrated with Rayaa, and rightly so. She was smart and sometimes you can get frustrated with smart people because they are just so darn smart.
Jackson changed the subject. “So what do the birds do?”
“They sing, of course!”
“Yes,” (he was a little exasperated now), “but why are they in cages?”
“So they can sleep at night! Listen, do you really know so little about birds?”
Jackson changed the subject. “So, Meeka’s your sister?”
“Yes, she is. I used to be a tour guide too, but I was promoted to Hunter. She still has a long way to go before she’s promoted.”
“Why is that?”
“Well…she always manages to find trouble.”
Jackson nodded. Meeka was definitely one of those people…er, elves, whose curiosity always got the best of them.
A piercing shriek shattered the air.
Chapter 28
A Chapter with Lots of Shrieking (Perhaps You Should Put in Earplugs before Continuing)