Elliot this time. And there was nothing she could do about it. She had to make a run for it. Her short Brownie legs weren’t made for running really fast, but the Goblins didn’t know she had escaped the hole. Hopefully they’d be so surprised that she’d get free before they caught her.
Patches waited until it was quiet outside and then took a deep breath and began running. She ran from the cave as fast as she could—maybe as fast as any Brownie had ever run before. But even a fast-running Brownie is still pretty slow. It was no trouble at all for Grissel to grab on to her hair as she exited the cave and pull her back to him.
“Did you think I couldn’t smell you in there?” he snarled at her. “Where were you going in such a hurry?”
“I had to warn King Elliot,” she said. “I have to help him.”
“You will help him,” Grissel said with an evil grin. “You’ll help him lose.” He tossed Patches to a couple of Goblins waiting nearby. “Tie her up good. I have a feeling we’re going to need her help soon.”
Due to being almost dead, Elliot had missed school on Thursday. By late afternoon he was completely alive again. He was so completely alive that the rest of his family decided he must’ve only had a case of the stomach flu the night before. Wendy baked him another cake to celebrate his getting better. Elliot thought it was chocolate, but it was actually a very burned white cake. He crunched it down anyway. Reed brought him a whole bag of pickle relish from the Quack Shack in case he felt like having any. (He didn’t.) And Kyle and Cole flooded the woods behind Elliot’s house again. Not really to celebrate Elliot getting better. It’s just what they liked to do.
The next day was Friday, and if you remember from chapter 9, Elliot had to stay after school for detention because his teacher thought he’d made a joke during science class. He couldn’t explain to his teacher at the time why he had Brownies on his mind. And now he was fairly certain that even if he tried to tell the teacher that he was the king of the Brownies, it would only earn him more detention.
As it turned out, getting detention probably saved Elliot’s life, because while he was at school, Fudd used his Pixie magic plan. When Elliot came home later that afternoon, he noticed one very different thing about his house. His room was gone.
It wasn’t simply that everything in his room had disappeared, although that was true. It was that where he once had four walls, a door, and a window, there was nothing.
Elliot patted on the hallway wall where he used to have a door to enter his room. But it was only solid wall.
He walked outside and stared at the new shape of his home, which now looked as if it were missing a piece, right where his room had been.
“What’s wrong?” Wendy said, walking outside.
Elliot pointed at where his room wasn’t. “My room is gone.”
“Hmm, you used to have a room there. How strange.”
“Strange? Do you think?”
Reed came out to join them. “What are you looking at?”
“Our room is gone,” Elliot said. “Look.”
“Oh, bummer,” Reed said. “I had a new pair of shoelaces in there.”
Elliot threw up his hands. “Everything was in there!”
“No need to get so angry,” Wendy said. “So what if your room disappeared? Did you ever think about the poor kids in this world who never had their own room at all?”
“It doesn’t strike you as odd?” Elliot asked.
“I already said it was strange, didn’t I?” Wendy said. “But look at Reed. He lost his shoelaces and he’s not complaining.”
“I’m complaining a little bit,” Reed pointed out. “I really liked those shoelaces.”
Wendy and Reed entered the house, fighting about who had to call their parents at work and let them know that there was one less bedroom in the house.
“Consider it good news,” Cole said. Elliot jumped. He hadn’t realized the twins were behind him.
“What’s good about
Patches waited until it was quiet outside and then took a deep breath and began running. She ran from the cave as fast as she could—maybe as fast as any Brownie had ever run before. But even a fast-running Brownie is still pretty slow. It was no trouble at all for Grissel to grab on to her hair as she exited the cave and pull her back to him.
“Did you think I couldn’t smell you in there?” he snarled at her. “Where were you going in such a hurry?”
“I had to warn King Elliot,” she said. “I have to help him.”
“You will help him,” Grissel said with an evil grin. “You’ll help him lose.” He tossed Patches to a couple of Goblins waiting nearby. “Tie her up good. I have a feeling we’re going to need her help soon.”
Due to being almost dead, Elliot had missed school on Thursday. By late afternoon he was completely alive again. He was so completely alive that the rest of his family decided he must’ve only had a case of the stomach flu the night before. Wendy baked him another cake to celebrate his getting better. Elliot thought it was chocolate, but it was actually a very burned white cake. He crunched it down anyway. Reed brought him a whole bag of pickle relish from the Quack Shack in case he felt like having any. (He didn’t.) And Kyle and Cole flooded the woods behind Elliot’s house again. Not really to celebrate Elliot getting better. It’s just what they liked to do.
The next day was Friday, and if you remember from chapter 9, Elliot had to stay after school for detention because his teacher thought he’d made a joke during science class. He couldn’t explain to his teacher at the time why he had Brownies on his mind. And now he was fairly certain that even if he tried to tell the teacher that he was the king of the Brownies, it would only earn him more detention.
As it turned out, getting detention probably saved Elliot’s life, because while he was at school, Fudd used his Pixie magic plan. When Elliot came home later that afternoon, he noticed one very different thing about his house. His room was gone.
It wasn’t simply that everything in his room had disappeared, although that was true. It was that where he once had four walls, a door, and a window, there was nothing.
Elliot patted on the hallway wall where he used to have a door to enter his room. But it was only solid wall.
He walked outside and stared at the new shape of his home, which now looked as if it were missing a piece, right where his room had been.
“What’s wrong?” Wendy said, walking outside.
Elliot pointed at where his room wasn’t. “My room is gone.”
“Hmm, you used to have a room there. How strange.”
“Strange? Do you think?”
Reed came out to join them. “What are you looking at?”
“Our room is gone,” Elliot said. “Look.”
“Oh, bummer,” Reed said. “I had a new pair of shoelaces in there.”
Elliot threw up his hands. “Everything was in there!”
“No need to get so angry,” Wendy said. “So what if your room disappeared? Did you ever think about the poor kids in this world who never had their own room at all?”
“It doesn’t strike you as odd?” Elliot asked.
“I already said it was strange, didn’t I?” Wendy said. “But look at Reed. He lost his shoelaces and he’s not complaining.”
“I’m complaining a little bit,” Reed pointed out. “I really liked those shoelaces.”
Wendy and Reed entered the house, fighting about who had to call their parents at work and let them know that there was one less bedroom in the house.
“Consider it good news,” Cole said. Elliot jumped. He hadn’t realized the twins were behind him.
“What’s good about
Similar Books
