by Gary Paulsen
“Go ask him. He’s sitting on that bench over there. At least I think he’s there. He got mad at me and drained all the power from the arcade.”
Amos moved to the bench and sat down. Dunc followed and stood a few feet away. “Go on, ask him.”
“Girrk, did you win that game for me?”
No answer.
“I know he’s here. Maybe he’s just still mad at me.” Dunc pointed to an ice cream stand. “I’ll wait over there.”
Amos turned to the empty bench. “Girrk, are you there? Listen, it was nice of you to help me out a little. I always wanted to see how that game ended. But the thing is, you have to let a guy do some stuff on his own. Okay? Girrk??”
The alien must have shifted his weight because the bench groaned. Then a voice came from thin air. “Girrk sorry he help Amos play spaceship.”
“That’s okay.”
“Girrk sorry he help Amos play ball.”
“Ball? You mean football? You helped me win the football game too?” Amos leaned close to the invisible Girrk and found the alien’s shoulder with his hand. “Let’s you and me keep that part of it to ourselves, okay?”
Amos looked up. Melissa and her mother had come out of Halversons department store and were standing a few feet away staring at him carrying on a conversation with an empty bench. Melissa’s mother propelled her toward the exit. “I can’t believe they actually let his kind run around loose,” he heard her mutter to Melissa.
Dunc moved over to them. “How did it go?”
“Okay, if you don’t count the fact that Melissa is now positive I’m a first-class geek.”
“Did you tell him to quit doing things to make you look good and to give back the electricity?”
The bench creaked again. “No! Girrk need zamoom.”
•10
That evening, Dunc pushed open the door of his room and set a tray of snacks on the desk. Girrk was visible again, and Amos and he were sitting on the floor in deep discussion. When Amos saw Dunc, he hid something behind his back.
“What’s that?”
“What’s what?”
“That paper behind your back.”
Amos brought the paper out. “You mean this?”
Dunc nodded. “What is it?”
Girrk smiled. “Touchdown!”
Amos elbowed him. “I told you to keep quiet about this.”
“Ooops.” The alien put a long finger to his lips. “Shhh!”
Dunc cocked his head. “You’re not planning football plays, by any chance?”
Amos tried to look as innocent as possible. “Why would you think that?”
“Amos, it wouldn’t be right for you to use Girrk to win tomorrow’s game.”
Amos wadded up the paper. “I suppose you think it’s more right for me to get my face ground to powder?”
“No, we’ll just go early tomorrow and explain everything to the coach. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“Understand? That an eight-foot, electricity-eating alien zapped everybody on the other team so we could win? Get real!”
“We won’t tell him quite like that. We’ll just say it was all a fluke and you can’t be quarterback anymore.”
“I don’t think—”
From a special hanger on the wall, Dunc pulled down several charts of the solar system. “It has to be this way, Amos. You would never forgive yourself if you won unfairly.”
“I wouldn’t?”
Dunc shook his head.
Girrk moved to the charts. He put his finger on Earth. “Jootar.”
“We call it Earth,” Dunc said. “Which planet are you from?”
They watched Girrk draw an imaginary line from Earth to the outer edge of the solar system. When he took his finger away, a small hole was burned in the map just past Pluto.
“Turko. Girrk from Turko.”
“This is history in the making, Amos. We are the first humans to know about Turko.”
“Big deal. You can’t tell anybody.”
“A scientist doesn’t always have to tell about things right away. Just knowing it’s out there is good enough for now. Of course, after Girrk’s gone, I can show people where it is. And then—who knows, they’ll probably want me to go to work for NASA to do research on it.”
“Wait a minute. How come it’s okay for you to use Girrk to get a job at NASA, but I can’t use him to win a lousy football game?”
“It’s like this …”
“Never mind. When you start like that, I don’t want to hear it.” Amos stood up. “Come on, Girrk. Let’s go work on your spaceship—Girrk?”
Girrk was sitting in the middle of the floor. A big tear rolled down his cheek. “Girrk miss Turko. Girrk going back. Girrk belong Turko.”
•11
Amos was looking at Dunc in disbelief.
“Who’d have thought Girrk could have fixed his spaceship so quickly? He didn’t even tell me good-bye.” Amos took his jersey out of his locker and slipped it over his head. “I thought we were friends.”
Dunc tied his shoe. “He left you a note.”
“Some note. He wrote it in his own language. It looks like a bunch of chicken scratches.”
“He probably told you thank you for everything, he’ll really miss you, and maybe someday he can come back and visit.”
The field house doors opened with a bang, and Coach stepped into the room. “Binder, you better be able to repeat yesterday’s performance. The Barton Bruisers have demanded a rematch.” Coach lowered his clipboard and put his face near the end of Amos’s nose. “Since I knew that wouldn’t be a problem for you, I accepted.”
“Coach, there’s something I really need to tell you.”
“No time, Binder. The Bruisers are already on the field.” The coach slapped him on the back. “I don’t want you to feel any pressure, son, but the whole team is counting on you.”
Amos watched him leave. “I’m dead.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Right—I’ll probably just be crippled for life.” He glared at Dunc. “And you know what I’m going to tell people when they ask how a nice guy like me wound up in traction? I’ll tell them it was because I listened to my best friend.”
“I have a plan.”
“Now that’s more like it. I hope it involves us hiding out in a foreign country with new identities.”
“No. You’re going to go ahead and play the game.”
“You call that a plan?”
“It’s simple, Amos. The object in the game of football is to smash whoever gets the ball, right?”
“Sort of.”
“Then the logical thing to do is make sure you never get the ball.”
•12
The team lost the toss, and the Bruisers elected to receive. The kickoff was good, but the Bruisers ran it all the way up to the team’s twenty-yard line on the first play. Amos knew it would be only a matter of minutes before they scored and it would be his turn to go in.
He sat on the bench talking to himself. Get rid of the ball. Get rid of the ball.
It happened. A touchdown for the Bruisers. Coach called a fast huddle on the sidelines. “Okay, boys, it’s up to you. Remember, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like you do.”
Amos thought about telling him that he usually jumped into his with both legs, but since he couldn’t figure out what putting your pants on had to do with the game anyway, he kept quiet.
The coach went on. “Binder, you’re in charge out there. No mercy—I want you to destroy them.”
“This is probably not the best time to bring this up, Coach, but I …”
Amos forgot what he was going to say. He looked up into the stands and saw her. Melissa Hansen was leaning over the rail talking to one of the players, her long blond hair blowing in the wind.
Amos sighed. The coach was saying something. “Did you get that play, Binder?”
“Uh-huh.” Amos stared dreamily at Melissa.
The next thing Amos knew,
he was on the field. The Bruisers kicked off, and the ball landed at his feet. Without thinking, Amos reached down and picked it up. There was a mad scramble, and everyone on both sides piled on top of him.
The referee pulled them off and then peeled Amos out of the artificial grass. “Are you okay, kid?”
Amos tried to stand. “Sure, Dad. Are we there yet?”
The referee pointed him toward his teammates and gave him a little push. Amos stumbled into the huddle. The center patted him on the rear. “Great play, Binder. You saved the ball. What’s our next move?”
Amos looked confused. “I vote we move to another town.”
The center nodded. “You mean you want to take it all the way. Got ya—on two.”
Everybody clapped, and the team moved into formation. Amos found himself staring across the back of the center into the bloodshot eyes of number fifty-five. Amos was sure smoke was coming from his nostrils. “This time you’re all mine, dirt bag.”
Amos bit his lip. “Couldn’t we at least talk about this? After all, we’re two mature—”
The center heard the word two, and the ball hit Amos in the stomach. He didn’t have a chance. Number fifty-five plowed over the top of the center and stomped Amos into the ground.
The coach called a time out while the team dug Amos’s face mask out of the soil and helped him to the sidelines. “Binder, you’re playing like a sissy out there. You gotta get tough, boy. They’re running all over you.”
Amos tried to focus his good eye. “Hi, Dad. Is it time for a nap?”
“Now get back out there and get the job done. Quit fooling around.”
The rest of the team ran onto the field. Dunc grabbed Amos’s arm. “I thought you were going to get rid of the ball.”
Amos shook his head to clear it and looked at him. “When this is over, I’m going to kill you.”
Amos took his place on the field. The center snapped the ball. Amos drew back to throw.
The ball wouldn’t let go. It was stuck to his hand. No matter how hard he shook, it stayed on his fingers.
There was no choice, he could stay where he was and die—or run.
He ran.
Amos put up one arm to cover his face and barreled down the middle of the field.
Dunc watched the whole thing with his mouth open. The Bruisers were falling around Amos like flies. Number fifty-five was still hot on his trail. He dived for Amos’s legs but was stopped cold in midair. He slithered to the ground like a wet noodle.
•13
“Hurry, Dunc! He must still be here somewhere!”
The two boys rode across the bridge and up the hill. Amos swerved around a tree and headed into the brush. He jumped off his bike and raced to the spot where the spaceship had been.
“Girrk! Are you there?” Amos felt in front of him. This time he didn’t run into anything. His shoulders slumped. “He’s really gone this time.”
Dunc leaned his bike against a tree. “I guess he couldn’t wait around anymore.”
“I just wanted to thank him for saving me at the game today. He zapped so many of the Bruisers, they didn’t have enough players left to make a team. They had to forfeit.”
“I know. I heard number fifty-five has decided to give up football and join the Chess Club.”
“Speaking of giving up football, Coach wasn’t too happy with me when I told him he’d have to find another quarterback.”
“It was for the best, Amos. Without Girrk you’d never last through another game.”
“One good thing came out of it, though. Melissa finally noticed me.”
“Did she ask you to the dance?”
“No, turns out she already promised to go with Biff.”
“Then how do you know she noticed you?”
“I overheard her talking about me.”
“What did she say?”
“She said, and I quote, ‘What’s-his-name sure showed ’em today.’ ”
“ ‘What’s-his-name’?”
Amos grinned. “Isn’t that cute? She gave me a pet name.”
“Adorable.” Dunc grabbed his bike and was starting to climb on it when a strong gust of wind hit. “Looks like a storm. We better head for home.”
A blinding light filled the sky, and sparks shot toward them. Amos looked up. Hovering right above them was a strange silver craft.
“It’s Girrk!”
The door opened. Girrk stepped out and stood in the air. He pointed his finger at Amos and slowly lifted him off the ground. The alien grabbed him and rocked him like a baby. Then he set him gently back on the earth.
“Girrk and Amos—friends.”
Girrk stepped inside. The door slid shut, and the ship disappeared.
Amos waved at the spot until he was sure nothing was there.
Dunc nudged his arm. “Come on, Amos. You can help me with my latest experiment.”
Amos made a face. “Another experiment?”
“You’ll like this one. It has to do with sending messages through space.”
“To faraway places like, say—Turko?”
Dunc nodded. “Maybe.”
Amos jumped on his bike and headed for the waterfront bridge. “Great. Melissa loves baseball. Maybe we can get Girrk back in time to help me play with the Badgers.”
Dunc shook his head and started pedaling. “I’m right behind you, Amos.…”
Be sure to join Dunc and Amos in these other Culpepper Adventures:
The Case of the Dirty Bird
When Dunc Culpepper and his best friend, Amos, first see the parrot in a pet store, they’re not impressed—it’s smelly, scruffy, and missing half its feathers. They’re only slightly impressed when they learn that the parrot speaks four languages, has outlived ten of its owners, and is probably 150 years old. But when the bird starts mouthing off about buried treasure, Dunc and Amos get pretty excited—let the amateur sleuthing begin!
Dunc’s Doll
Dunc and his accident-prone friend Amos are up to their old sleuthing habits once again. This time they’re after a band of doll thieves! When a doll that once belonged to Charles Dickens’s daughter is stolen from an exhibition at the local mall, the two boys put on their detective gear and do some serious snooping. Will a vicious watch dog keep them from retrieving the valuable missing doll?
Culpepper’s Cannon
Dunc and Amos are researching the Civil War cannon that stands in the town square when they find a note inside telling them about a time portal. Entering it through the dressing room of La Petite, a women’s clothing store, the boys find themselves in downtown Chatham on March 8, 1862—the day before the historic clash between the Monitor and the Merrimac. But the Confederate soldiers they meet mistake them for Yankee spies. Will they make it back to the future in one piece?
Dunc Gets Tweaked
Best friends Dunc and Amos meet up with a new buddy named Lash when they enter the radical world of skateboard competition. When somebody “cops”—steals—Lash’s prototype skateboard, the boys are determined to get it back. After all, Lash is about to shoot for a totally rad world’s record! Along the way they learn a major lesson: Never kiss a monkey!
Dunc’s Halloween
Dunc and his best friend, Amos, are planning the best route to get the most candy on Halloween. But their plans change when Amos is slightly bitten by a werewolf. He begins scratching himself and chasing UPS trucks: He’s become a werepuppy!
Dunc Breaks the Record
Dunc and Amos have a small problem when they try hang gliding—they crash in the wilderness. Luckily, Amos has read a book about a boy who survived in the wilderness for fifty-four days. Too bad Amos doesn’t have a hatchet. Things go from bad to worse when a wild man holds the boys captive. Can anything save them now?
Dunc and the Flaming Ghost
Dunc’s not afraid of ghosts, although Amos is sure that the old Rambridge house is haunted by the ghost of Blackbeard the Pirate. Then the best friends meet Eddie, a meek man who claims to be im
personating Blackbeard’s ghost in order to live in the house in peace. But if that’s true, why are flames shooting from his mouth?
Amos Gets Famous
Deciphering a code they find in a library book, Amos and Dunc stumble onto a burglary ring. The burglars’ next target is the home of Melissa, the girl of Amos’s dreams (who doesn’t even know that he’s alive). Amos longs to be a hero to Melissa, so nothing will stop him from solving this case—not even a mind-boggling collision with a jock, a chimpanzee, and a toilet.
Dunc and Amos Hit the Big Top
In order to impress Melissa, the girl of his dreams, Amos Binder decides to perform on the trapeze at the visiting circus. Look out below! But before his best friend for life Dunc Culpepper can talk him out of his plan, the two stumble across a mystery behind the scenes at the circus. Now Amos is in double trouble. What’s really going on under the big top?
Dunc’s Dump
Camouflaged as piles of rotting trash, Dunc Culpepper and his best friend for life, Amos Binder, are sneaking around the town dump. Dunc wants to find out who is polluting the garbage at the dump with hazardous and toxic waste. Amos just wants to impress Melissa. Can either of them succeed?
Dunc and the Scam Artists
Best friends for life Dunc Culpepper and Amos Binder are at it again. Some older residents of their town have been bilked by con artists, and the two boys want to look into these crimes. They meet elderly Betsy Dell, whose nasty nephew Frank gives the boys the creeps. Then they notice some soft dirt in Ms. Dell’s shed, and a shovel. Does Frank have something horrible in store for Dunc and Amos?
Dunc and Amos and the Red Tattoos
Dunc and Amos head for camp, and face two weeks of fresh air—along with regulations, demerits, K.P., and inedible food. But where these two best friends go, trouble follows. They overhear a threat against the camp director, and discover that camp funds have been stolen. Do these crimes have anything to do with the tattoo of the exotic red flower that some of the camp staff have on their arms?