only did you lose Mrs. Hauser’s cat,” Mom went on, “but maybe you’d also like to explain that little trick you did with your rock collection back home.”
I perked up at hearing the words “trick” and “rock collection.”
“Why?” I asked. “Did it work?”
“If you mean did your entire rock collection spill down from the top shelf of your closet onto your bedroom floor when Nancy Klinghoffer opened the door today at the open house, then yes, it did work,” Mom said.
Yes! My trick worked! I couldn’t believe it! I had planned it so long ago! And it had worked perfectly! We weren’t moving! We weren’t moving!
“I hope Mrs. Klinghoffer wasn’t injured,” I said, trying to hide my delight.
“No,” Mom said. “But she could have been. And we’ll have to get the carpet in your room cleaned all over again. It’s completely covered in dirt and little pieces of rock.”
“Geodes,” I corrected her. “They aren’t rocks. They’re geodes.”
“Honestly, Allie,” Mom said, “I don’t know what you were trying to accomplish.”
“You said to get my collection up off the floor,” I pointed out innocently. “So I put them on the top shelf. Gosh, it’s too bad they spilled. I guess we won’t be able tomove now, since no one will want to buy a house with such a dirty carpet.”
“On the contrary,” Mom said, smiling. “We’ve had an offer already, and Mrs. Klinghoffer’s expecting two more. There’s a housing shortage in this area, you know—which is why they’re constantly building around here—and people are dying to move into Walnut Knolls.”
Suddenly, my stomach started hurting all over again. I couldn’t believe it! My plan! My beautiful plan for keeping us from moving! It had failed! We were going to have to move into the horrible house with the zombie hand in the attic after all!
Why did people want to move to Walnut Knolls, anyway? They were just going to have to send their kids to school with people like Brittany Hauser. Didn’t they know what kind of damage that could do to a child?
I guess my mom could tell I felt that way, since she said, “Allie, I know you didn’t like Pine Heights Elementary very much—or at least, that’s what you said. And I know you’re not a big fan of the house. But I promise you’ll get used to both of them. Who knows? You mayeven grow to like them. You haven’t really given either of them a chance. I know it doesn’t look like much now, but let Daddy and me work on the house. I promise you, it’s not going to look the way it does now forever. Your room, for instance, is going to be lovely. When you see the window seat Daddy is building for you—”
“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s—”
“We’re doing the very best we can to get you into Mrs. Hunter’s class. I know how much you like her.”
“It’s not that, either,” I said.
“Well, it had better not be the zombie hand thing,” Mom said, in a different voice. “Because you are way too old to be believing in ridiculous things like that.”
Zombie hands are not ridiculous! What’s more, the first people the zombie hand kills are always the ones who don’t believe in zombie hands!
“But, Mom,” I said. “You can’t see the zombie hand. Not until it wants you to see it. And by then it’s too late.”
“I’m going to murder your uncle Jay,” Mom said. “And I’m not going to need zombie hands to do it, either. Allie, there is nothing wrong with the attic of that house. Doyou hear me? The next time we’re there, I’ll show you. And I don’t want any more silly stunts like the one you pulled today with the rocks. Understand? Mrs. Klinghoffer nearly strained her back picking up all those geodes. I don’t need her chiropractic bills to pay on top of everything else.”
Hearing that Mrs. Klinghoffer had had to pick up all my rocks cheered me up. But only a little. Because the truth was, Lady Serena Archibald was still missing.
And we still had
I perked up at hearing the words “trick” and “rock collection.”
“Why?” I asked. “Did it work?”
“If you mean did your entire rock collection spill down from the top shelf of your closet onto your bedroom floor when Nancy Klinghoffer opened the door today at the open house, then yes, it did work,” Mom said.
Yes! My trick worked! I couldn’t believe it! I had planned it so long ago! And it had worked perfectly! We weren’t moving! We weren’t moving!
“I hope Mrs. Klinghoffer wasn’t injured,” I said, trying to hide my delight.
“No,” Mom said. “But she could have been. And we’ll have to get the carpet in your room cleaned all over again. It’s completely covered in dirt and little pieces of rock.”
“Geodes,” I corrected her. “They aren’t rocks. They’re geodes.”
“Honestly, Allie,” Mom said, “I don’t know what you were trying to accomplish.”
“You said to get my collection up off the floor,” I pointed out innocently. “So I put them on the top shelf. Gosh, it’s too bad they spilled. I guess we won’t be able tomove now, since no one will want to buy a house with such a dirty carpet.”
“On the contrary,” Mom said, smiling. “We’ve had an offer already, and Mrs. Klinghoffer’s expecting two more. There’s a housing shortage in this area, you know—which is why they’re constantly building around here—and people are dying to move into Walnut Knolls.”
Suddenly, my stomach started hurting all over again. I couldn’t believe it! My plan! My beautiful plan for keeping us from moving! It had failed! We were going to have to move into the horrible house with the zombie hand in the attic after all!
Why did people want to move to Walnut Knolls, anyway? They were just going to have to send their kids to school with people like Brittany Hauser. Didn’t they know what kind of damage that could do to a child?
I guess my mom could tell I felt that way, since she said, “Allie, I know you didn’t like Pine Heights Elementary very much—or at least, that’s what you said. And I know you’re not a big fan of the house. But I promise you’ll get used to both of them. Who knows? You mayeven grow to like them. You haven’t really given either of them a chance. I know it doesn’t look like much now, but let Daddy and me work on the house. I promise you, it’s not going to look the way it does now forever. Your room, for instance, is going to be lovely. When you see the window seat Daddy is building for you—”
“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s—”
“We’re doing the very best we can to get you into Mrs. Hunter’s class. I know how much you like her.”
“It’s not that, either,” I said.
“Well, it had better not be the zombie hand thing,” Mom said, in a different voice. “Because you are way too old to be believing in ridiculous things like that.”
Zombie hands are not ridiculous! What’s more, the first people the zombie hand kills are always the ones who don’t believe in zombie hands!
“But, Mom,” I said. “You can’t see the zombie hand. Not until it wants you to see it. And by then it’s too late.”
“I’m going to murder your uncle Jay,” Mom said. “And I’m not going to need zombie hands to do it, either. Allie, there is nothing wrong with the attic of that house. Doyou hear me? The next time we’re there, I’ll show you. And I don’t want any more silly stunts like the one you pulled today with the rocks. Understand? Mrs. Klinghoffer nearly strained her back picking up all those geodes. I don’t need her chiropractic bills to pay on top of everything else.”
Hearing that Mrs. Klinghoffer had had to pick up all my rocks cheered me up. But only a little. Because the truth was, Lady Serena Archibald was still missing.
And we still had
Similar Books
