curiosity kept her from running away.
The head ducked down again. There was more scraping and rustling, and then someone crawled out from beneath a big table: a boy with cobwebs in his hair.
I know whoyou are, the boy said. He held his hands cupped together as if protecting something. The old guys granddaughter.
Great-granddaughter, said Nickie.
And whosthat ? He nodded at Otis, who was squirming in Nickies arms.
Its Otis, she said. Im taking care of him for somebody. Who are you? She couldnt see the boys face; the light was behind him. It cast his huge, blurry shadow onto a cabinet that leaned against the headboard of a bed.
Grover, said the boy. My pa is fixing your pipes.
But what are you doing down here?
The boy sprang toward her all of a sudden. Lying in wait! he cried. For unwary creatures to fall into my trap!
Nickie shrieked and then instantly regretted it, because he laughed to see that hed scared her.
I already caught one unwary creature, he said. He held up his clasped hands. Its a prisoner now, awaiting its fate.
What is it?
He stepped toward her and she stepped back. She couldnt help it. He might have a spider in his hands, and he might be the kind of boy who would suddenly throw it at you.
Ill show you if youre brave enough to look, he said. He stretched out his hands and opened them so she could see what he held. It was not a spider. She couldnt tell what it was. Something small and pinkish. Otis strained forward, sniffing madly. She put her hand around his muzzle.
An infant mouse! the boy cried. Theres eight of them in a nest down there by the heating pipe.
Let me see, said Nickie. Hold it in the light.
He did. It had hairless, almost transparent skin, tiny, twitching paws, and little blind eyes. It was about as big as a quarter. Why did you steal it? she asked him.
I need it, he said. For my snake.
What?
For my snake to eat.
She looked up at the boys face, which was framed in blond curly hair. His ears stuck out. She knew, suddenly, who he was.
You dont believe me? he said.
I believe you, she said. But I dont like it. She turned around and started back the way shed come.
He followed her up the stairs and out of the basement. She set Otis down, and he sniffed Grovers shoes with great interest.
Whered the dog come from? Grover asked.
Im just taking care of him for a little while, Nickie said. Hes a secretdont tell about him, all right?
Grover tilted his head upward and yelled, Hey, everybody, guess what, theres a
Nickie shouted, Stop it!
He laughed. Ill keep your secret, he said. Now you owe me a favor.
Are you really going to give that baby mouse to a snake? Nickie asked.
Yep. Grover stretched his mouth into a wicked grin. Because Immeeean andeeeevil, he said, and gave a maniac laugh. Worse thanhe lowered his voice to a gruesome whisperHoyt McCoy. Have you heard of him?
Nickie nodded, feeling a lurch in her stomach.
Well, Im much worse than him, Grover said.
You have spiderwebs in your hair, said Nickie. She turned and walked away from him, through the back door and into the house. What terrible luck, she thought. A boy right here where she could get to know himand he turns out to be the boy with the snakes. And on top of that, a kidnapper and murderer of baby mice. She couldnt possibly fall in love with someone like him.
She went upstairs again, planning to read until Crystal got home. She switched on the lamp and picked up her great-grandfathers notebook. On the floor beside her, Otis went to sleep and dreamed, making soft littlewip-wip noises and fluttering his paws. Nickie read:
1/2 Legs very weak and painful. Spent the day reading the scientific journals. Intrigued by this notion of extra dimensionsother worlds right next to ours? Had a chat with M but of course cant understand a word.
What might that mean? She knew about three dimensionsup, down, and sideways. What were extra dimensions? Who was M? She read on:
1/4 Extraordinary experience last night: Went into the
The head ducked down again. There was more scraping and rustling, and then someone crawled out from beneath a big table: a boy with cobwebs in his hair.
I know whoyou are, the boy said. He held his hands cupped together as if protecting something. The old guys granddaughter.
Great-granddaughter, said Nickie.
And whosthat ? He nodded at Otis, who was squirming in Nickies arms.
Its Otis, she said. Im taking care of him for somebody. Who are you? She couldnt see the boys face; the light was behind him. It cast his huge, blurry shadow onto a cabinet that leaned against the headboard of a bed.
Grover, said the boy. My pa is fixing your pipes.
But what are you doing down here?
The boy sprang toward her all of a sudden. Lying in wait! he cried. For unwary creatures to fall into my trap!
Nickie shrieked and then instantly regretted it, because he laughed to see that hed scared her.
I already caught one unwary creature, he said. He held up his clasped hands. Its a prisoner now, awaiting its fate.
What is it?
He stepped toward her and she stepped back. She couldnt help it. He might have a spider in his hands, and he might be the kind of boy who would suddenly throw it at you.
Ill show you if youre brave enough to look, he said. He stretched out his hands and opened them so she could see what he held. It was not a spider. She couldnt tell what it was. Something small and pinkish. Otis strained forward, sniffing madly. She put her hand around his muzzle.
An infant mouse! the boy cried. Theres eight of them in a nest down there by the heating pipe.
Let me see, said Nickie. Hold it in the light.
He did. It had hairless, almost transparent skin, tiny, twitching paws, and little blind eyes. It was about as big as a quarter. Why did you steal it? she asked him.
I need it, he said. For my snake.
What?
For my snake to eat.
She looked up at the boys face, which was framed in blond curly hair. His ears stuck out. She knew, suddenly, who he was.
You dont believe me? he said.
I believe you, she said. But I dont like it. She turned around and started back the way shed come.
He followed her up the stairs and out of the basement. She set Otis down, and he sniffed Grovers shoes with great interest.
Whered the dog come from? Grover asked.
Im just taking care of him for a little while, Nickie said. Hes a secretdont tell about him, all right?
Grover tilted his head upward and yelled, Hey, everybody, guess what, theres a
Nickie shouted, Stop it!
He laughed. Ill keep your secret, he said. Now you owe me a favor.
Are you really going to give that baby mouse to a snake? Nickie asked.
Yep. Grover stretched his mouth into a wicked grin. Because Immeeean andeeeevil, he said, and gave a maniac laugh. Worse thanhe lowered his voice to a gruesome whisperHoyt McCoy. Have you heard of him?
Nickie nodded, feeling a lurch in her stomach.
Well, Im much worse than him, Grover said.
You have spiderwebs in your hair, said Nickie. She turned and walked away from him, through the back door and into the house. What terrible luck, she thought. A boy right here where she could get to know himand he turns out to be the boy with the snakes. And on top of that, a kidnapper and murderer of baby mice. She couldnt possibly fall in love with someone like him.
She went upstairs again, planning to read until Crystal got home. She switched on the lamp and picked up her great-grandfathers notebook. On the floor beside her, Otis went to sleep and dreamed, making soft littlewip-wip noises and fluttering his paws. Nickie read:
1/2 Legs very weak and painful. Spent the day reading the scientific journals. Intrigued by this notion of extra dimensionsother worlds right next to ours? Had a chat with M but of course cant understand a word.
What might that mean? She knew about three dimensionsup, down, and sideways. What were extra dimensions? Who was M? She read on:
1/4 Extraordinary experience last night: Went into the
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