Wizard at Large by Terry Brooks

tears began to subside. “Go on,”he urged.
    “Well, I told him I found you near the art room. I didn't tell him you were in it or anything, but it didn't matter. He went right to the art room, telling me to stay where I was, and when he came back he was furious! He wanted to know what had happened to his bottle. I said I didn't know. He wanted to know what had happened to
you\
I said I didn't know that, either. I started crying, telling him I just wanted someone to play dress-up with and that when I found you, you were wandering about in these old clothes, so I just put you on a leash and took you for a walk, and… Then he wanted to know if you
said
anything to me! He seemed to know you could talk, Abernathy!”
    Abernathy felt as if the walls were closing in on him. “Hurry up, Elizabeth,”he urged. “Tell me the rest as quick as you can!”
    She took a deep, steadying breath. “Well, as I told you, I couldn't lie—not completely, not to him. So I said, ‘Yeah, he did!’—as if I was real surprised he knew. I said that was why I sent you away, because I was afraid of you.I just turned you loose and you ran off. I said I hadn't seen you since. I said I hadn't said anything to anyone because I was afraid they wouldn't believe me. I said I was waiting to tell my father when he came back Wednesday.”She took hold of him with her hands. “He believed me, I think. He just told me to go to my room and wait there for him. He ordered the watch to start a search. But he was yelling at them like he was crazy, Abernathy! You have to get out of here!”
    Abernathy nodded wearily. “How do I do that, Elizabeth?”
    The little girl's hands tightened on his arms. “Just the way I said you would—except that you have to go down to the laundry room right now!”
    “Elizabeth, you just said they were searching for me!”
    “No, no, Abernathy—listen!” Her roundish face bent close, brow furrowed with determination. Her nose freckles seemed to dance. ‘They've already searched the laundry room. That's where they started. I told them that was where I let you go. So no one's there anymore. They're looking around everywhere else. The laundry room is down the hall, around the corner to the right, on the ground floor—not far. If you go out the window… listen to me… if you go out the window and down the vines, you can slip around the corner and through the window!”
    “Elizabeth, I can't climb down…”
    “The catch is off, Abernathy! I took it off over the weekend when I was playing hide-and-seek with Mrs. Allen! You can slip right through the window into one of the hampers and wait! If not, just wait in the bushes; I'll come down and open it as soon as I can! Oh, I'm so sorry, Abernathy! This is all my fault! But you have to go! You have to hurry! If they find you here, they'll know I lied, that I helped you…”
    There was the sound of voices and footsteps in the hall beyond, rapidly approaching.
    “Abernathy!” Elizabeth whispered fearfully.
    Abernathy was already moving for the windows. He released the catch, pushed open the twin latticework frames, and peered down. It was dark, but he could just make out a thick tangle of trailing vines. They appeared strong enough to hold him.
    He turned back to Elizabeth. “Good-bye, Elizabeth,”he whispered. “Thank you for your help.”
    “It's the fifth window around the corner!” she whispered back. Then she put her hands to her mouth in horror. “Abernathy, I haven't given you the money for the airplane ticket!”
    “Never mind that,”he said, already swinging carefully out the window, testing his weight on the vines. His fingered paws gripped poorly. He would be lucky if he didn't break his neck.
    “No, you have to have the money!” she insisted, practically beside herself. “I know! Meet me tomorrow at noon at the school—Franklin Elementary! I'll have it then!”
    There was a knock at the door. “Elizabeth? Open the door.”
    Abernathy recognized the