giggled again.
Peter, however, had been assigned to make the sound effects, and as soon as the class heard the sloshing and sliding, which was the noise a balloon half filled with water made as Peter dragged it around the floor behind the file cabinet, the class gave the play its full attention.
“Act one, scene two,” read Caroline. “Twelve o'clock at night, Jim and Nancy's bedroom.” Then she and Wally had their conversation, and when Wally went offstage with a golf club to investigate the noise (Peter again, with his balloon), and a horrible scream came from behind the file cabinet, some of the girls even jumped.
By the time Wally reappeared as the amoeba, his clothes, his arms, his ears, his hair—everything but his face—were covered in green slime, and the class gave a loud
ohhhhh.
When it was her turn to scream, Caroline did it dramatically and fell to the floor in a faint so convincing that the principal, who was going by, stopped and looked in the door.
Peter tried to miss Wally and just make it look as though he had hit him with the ice bucket, but actually managed to bonk his head. Immediately, of course, he was swept up into the creature's slimy arms. And then the monster from the netherworld, dragging Peter in one hand and Caroline by her ponytail in the other, intoned, “There is only night and dark and waves and caves, and you, my darling, Queen of the Deep.”
“Ouch!” said Caroline softly.
Wally looked and sounded so evil at that point, and seemed to be having such a good time dragging Caroline, bumping and thumping, across the floor, that everyone clapped and cheered him on, and when it was over, everyone wanted to feel the green slime for themselves. Wally grinned. He would never have believed he could enjoy performing as much as this.
Miss Applebaum clapped too. “Well,” she said. “That was quite a story, Caroline. Thank you, Peter, for taking part. You may go back to your room now, though I think you'll want to wash up first. Wally, I do hope you brought a change of clothes.”
He had indeed. When he and Caroline went out into the hall to head for the rest rooms, she said, “You didn't have to be so rough, Wally! But weren't we great? Did you hear how everyone clapped?”
“They really liked the green slime,” said Wally, grinning a little.
“
I'd
like to think they liked the whole play! It hadeverything—romance, suspense, mystery, terror, science fiction…”
“Whatever,” said Wally, and went into the boys’ rest room to clean up. He didn't even mention getting the pictures back now that he had kept his part of the bargain. He was having too much fun.
When Wally and his brothers got home from baseball practice that afternoon, they hardly recognized their house. There were women going in and out the front door. A woman sat at a card table just inside the door writing down each item as it arrived.
The living room looked like an antique store. There were lampshades and trunks and lawn chairs and books; there were coats and platters and galoshes and figurines. An accordion perched on the back of Mr. Hatford's favorite armchair; the couch was covered with dishes. The dining room table was stacked high with clothes to be sorted, and one end of the room was heaped with children's toys.
Mr. Hatford went out to buy Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, which he and the boys ate upstairs in Wally's near-empty bedroom, and afterward Peter went out into the hall and stared forlornly down at the women who were still coming and going.
“I liked us better before,” he said.
Mr. Hatford laughed. “So did I, Peter, but after tomorrow, it will all be over. All the stuff is going to bemoved outside, and we won't have to look at it any longer.”
“Why do people buy so much if they just give it away?” asked Peter, coming back into the bedroom.
“A very good question, Peter. Very good. We'll have to ask your mother sometime. But right now we're all focused on tomorrow. Jake
Peter, however, had been assigned to make the sound effects, and as soon as the class heard the sloshing and sliding, which was the noise a balloon half filled with water made as Peter dragged it around the floor behind the file cabinet, the class gave the play its full attention.
“Act one, scene two,” read Caroline. “Twelve o'clock at night, Jim and Nancy's bedroom.” Then she and Wally had their conversation, and when Wally went offstage with a golf club to investigate the noise (Peter again, with his balloon), and a horrible scream came from behind the file cabinet, some of the girls even jumped.
By the time Wally reappeared as the amoeba, his clothes, his arms, his ears, his hair—everything but his face—were covered in green slime, and the class gave a loud
ohhhhh.
When it was her turn to scream, Caroline did it dramatically and fell to the floor in a faint so convincing that the principal, who was going by, stopped and looked in the door.
Peter tried to miss Wally and just make it look as though he had hit him with the ice bucket, but actually managed to bonk his head. Immediately, of course, he was swept up into the creature's slimy arms. And then the monster from the netherworld, dragging Peter in one hand and Caroline by her ponytail in the other, intoned, “There is only night and dark and waves and caves, and you, my darling, Queen of the Deep.”
“Ouch!” said Caroline softly.
Wally looked and sounded so evil at that point, and seemed to be having such a good time dragging Caroline, bumping and thumping, across the floor, that everyone clapped and cheered him on, and when it was over, everyone wanted to feel the green slime for themselves. Wally grinned. He would never have believed he could enjoy performing as much as this.
Miss Applebaum clapped too. “Well,” she said. “That was quite a story, Caroline. Thank you, Peter, for taking part. You may go back to your room now, though I think you'll want to wash up first. Wally, I do hope you brought a change of clothes.”
He had indeed. When he and Caroline went out into the hall to head for the rest rooms, she said, “You didn't have to be so rough, Wally! But weren't we great? Did you hear how everyone clapped?”
“They really liked the green slime,” said Wally, grinning a little.
“
I'd
like to think they liked the whole play! It hadeverything—romance, suspense, mystery, terror, science fiction…”
“Whatever,” said Wally, and went into the boys’ rest room to clean up. He didn't even mention getting the pictures back now that he had kept his part of the bargain. He was having too much fun.
When Wally and his brothers got home from baseball practice that afternoon, they hardly recognized their house. There were women going in and out the front door. A woman sat at a card table just inside the door writing down each item as it arrived.
The living room looked like an antique store. There were lampshades and trunks and lawn chairs and books; there were coats and platters and galoshes and figurines. An accordion perched on the back of Mr. Hatford's favorite armchair; the couch was covered with dishes. The dining room table was stacked high with clothes to be sorted, and one end of the room was heaped with children's toys.
Mr. Hatford went out to buy Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, which he and the boys ate upstairs in Wally's near-empty bedroom, and afterward Peter went out into the hall and stared forlornly down at the women who were still coming and going.
“I liked us better before,” he said.
Mr. Hatford laughed. “So did I, Peter, but after tomorrow, it will all be over. All the stuff is going to bemoved outside, and we won't have to look at it any longer.”
“Why do people buy so much if they just give it away?” asked Peter, coming back into the bedroom.
“A very good question, Peter. Very good. We'll have to ask your mother sometime. But right now we're all focused on tomorrow. Jake
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