The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library
Page 3
Eddie listened. Hearing nothing more, he set off. Soon he was at the couch, searching the floor in wide sweeping arcs. A bit of torn paper. A hair elastic.
Suddenly the floor shook!
He darted beneath the couch just as a Squisher plopped heavily onto its cushions.
“Aaahhh,” said a voice above him.
Eddie knew that voice. The Librarian!
Yes, there were her legs. Firm and roundish, in yellow stockings. As Eddie watched, she kicked off her shoes—dark blue, with silver buckles—and stretched out.
“Aaahhh,” she said again, rubbing her feet together. “That’s gooooood.”
Eddie smiled. He understood completely. He often rubbed his feet together when he wanted to relax.
Paper crinkled. A moment later, a sweet smell drifted down—Eddie couldn’t tell what it was, but he knew it was food. He listened again and heard one of his favorite sounds. A turning page.
She’s reading, thought Eddie.
A giggle erupted up on the couch. Then a long, gleeful laugh.
A funny book! Eddie loved funny books. If only he could read it with her.
The Librarian had a hearty laugh. Eddie was soon chuckling along.
A few minutes later, he heard the Librarian stir. There was a brushing sound, then something rained onto the floor. He crept closer to see.
Crumbs, he thought. Lucky me! She’s a sloppy eater.
He snuck out into the open, keeping a close watch on the Librarian’s feet. Only her toes moved, wiggling madly.
Raspberry muffin, thought Eddie when he reached the crumbs. Yes!
He picked up a large, moist crumb with a bit of berry, and then—unable to resist—a second smaller crumb. Leaving the Librarian still giggling, he headed back to Min.
It was slow going. The crumbs weren’t heavy, but they were awkward, especially when he reached the desk. Eddie had to haul them up one at a time, using a special three-leg hold. He took the smaller crumb first, dropping it carefully at the top. He was halfway up with the larger one when . . .
BRRRIINNNGGGG!
In his shock, Eddie lost his grip.
THUD, THUD, THUD! Footsteps!
The crumb slipped. Eddie reached, grabbed—it broke into bits and tumbled to the floor.
All he could do was keep climbing. He clung for a moment at the top, jaws clenched. Then he heaved himself over. As he lay there, gathering his strength, he heard Min’s voice from the tray.
“Eddie! Watch out!”
Too late, he saw the shadow on the surface of the desk.
A Squisher!
Hide! But where?
He spotted a square of yellow paper and dashed underneath it. Peeking from under his flimsy shelter, he saw Min. She was trying to climb out of the tray.
What was she doing?
Suddenly he knew. She was using herself as a decoy. She was offering up her own frail body to the Squishers.
“Nooooooo!” he whispered. “Stay there, Aunt Min. I’m fine.”
She froze. Half in. Half out.
“Hey, Nathan!” said a voice. “Did you see that?”
“What?”
“Something moved. A bug or something.”
“Where?”
Beneath the paper, Eddie tried to stop quivering.
“I don’t see anything,” said Nathan. “Anyhow, there are no bugs in the library.”
At that moment, like a miracle—it was almost as if she was on the bugs’ side—the Librarian spoke. “Everyone to the carpet now, please!”
Eddie collapsed onto his abdomen in relief.
And that’s when he discovered a new problem. The yellow paper had a sticky edge. It was glued to his back!
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” he muttered as he stumbled to the tray, wearing the yellow sticky like a roof. “Aunt Min, can you get this off me?”
Min laughed. “Don’t worry. Just a jiff!” She pulled the paper one way, Eddie pulled his body the other way, and—brrrrripp!—the sticky tore loose.
Quickly, Eddie ran back to fetch the crumb that had survived. It was a bit squashed but still looked tasty.
Min’s eyes bugged out when she saw it. “Raspberry. My favorite! Oh, Eddie, I’m in heaven.”
“I had a bigger crumb, Aunt Min. I dropped it.”
“This one is perfect.” She gulped a piece down.
And in fact, there was plenty for them both. Aunt Min let out little chirps of satisfaction as she ate.
“I feel like a whole new bug,” she said when she’d finished. Then she settled herself down, faced Eddie squarely, and folded her front legs.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m listening. How did you get here, Eddie? I can’t believe your parents let you go. Tell me everything!”
So Eddie recounted the story of his journey. He left out only two bits. That his parents had not given him permission to go. And that his mother had been angry at Aunt Min.
Min wasn’t fooled. “Your mother’s mad at me, isn’t she?”
Eddie didn’t answer. He had learned the hard way that it was best to stay out of his mother’s quarrels with Aunt Min.
“Oh, I don’t blame her,” said Min. “It’s my fault that her baby boy is stuck in a paper tray, surrounded by danger. But honestly, dear, what could I do? Some bugs are meant to be stay-at-home stick-in-the-muds, while others are destined for adventure. I can’t stop myself from searching any more than your mother can stop herself from sitting like a banana slug in that crack-in-the-wall all day. We are who we are.”
Eddie wondered what kind of bug he was. It was a big question, he realized, and one that had caused him confusion ever since he had left home. It made him nervous right this minute, as he thought about his mother.
“It’s your turn, Aunt Min,” he said, changing the subject. “Tell me how you got trapped here.”
Min sighed. “I wish I had a happier story to tell. . . .”
CHAPTER
6
Eddie leaned forward eagerly. After all those scary days waiting for Aunt Min to come home to the crack-in-the-wall, finally he would find out what had happened.
“Things were great at first,” said Min, adjusting her legs. “When I got to the Library last Tuesday, it was as glorious as ever. The Librarian read one of my favorite books at story time—Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. It’s all about food, Eddie, and I must tell you that later, when I was perishing for a bite to eat, I thought of nothing but that book. I dreamed every single day that food would fall from the sky, just as it did in the story. I imagined it falling through the skylight.”
She gazed toward the skylight, remembering.
“Aunt Min?” said Eddie.
“Yes? Oh. Sorry, Eddie. Yes, last Tuesday. Well, I certainly wasn’t hungry then. On the contrary, we had a delicious lunch together, the Librarian and I. Egg salad sandwiches. Everything was fine till late afternoon.”
“And then what?”
“Hah!” said Min. “Disaster! And no one’s fault but my own. I’d been wondering about those new things, Eddie—those books with no paper that some of the Squishers read.”
“Tablets? iPads?” Eddie had seen them back in Room 19. He’d been curious himself.
“Exactly!” said Min. “The Librarian was reading a tablet at her desk. Then a teacher came in, looking for help—teachers wander around here all the time, Eddie, you have to watch out for them! Anyway, the Librarian went off and left that tablet—just sitting there on her desk. I admit, I got rather excited. A chance to satisfy my curiosity once and for all.”
“Wow!” said Eddie.
“Don’t cheer yet,” said Min. “I scurried on over. And at first, it was an adventure. Hoisting myself up, getting my bearings. I felt quite proud of myself.”
“Yay!” said Eddie.
Aunt Min shook her head. “Oh, Eddie! It wasn’t at all what I expected. A skating rink, that’s what it was. A glass surface. Have you ever tried to walk on glass? And as if that wasn’t bad enough, it was lit up,
too. Shockingly bright. Got my head in a tizz. But in spite of all that, I did it. I crawled across that thing, slipping and sliding, and I actually read most of the words.”
“Good for you, Aunt Min.”
“But when I got to the end—” Aunt Min paused, her eyes bulging.
“What?”
“Catastrophe!” said Min. “There’s something on those things that makes the pages turn. Like magic, but not the good kind. All of a sudden, the pages started changing under me. I started on 103. But every time I moved—even a twitch—it changed! From 104 to 105, 106, 107 . . . I couldn’t stop it! By 139, I was in a panic, scrambling so hard to get off that I fell. Hard! When I tried to stand up, I fell again. And again! You try running on glass, you’ll see. Finally I fell right off the tablet. My legs were so banged up, I could barely crawl. I thought I was a goner.”
Eddie tried to picture his aunt—legs broken, head muddled, staggering around.
“Somehow I dragged myself to this tray. Just in the nick of time, too. The Librarian came back.”
“And you’ve been trapped here ever since?”
“Yes,” said Min, “hiding. The Librarian is kind, of course, and I’m sure she wouldn’t have squished me. But she might very well have thrown me out the window, all with the best of intentions. I saw her do that to a ladybug once.”
“Oh, no! We would never have seen you again.”
Min nodded. “We have to be so careful. I’ll tell you one thing, Eddie, I will never step on one of those things again. Nothing but paper books for Min from now on.”
Eddie, who had been secretly longing to try a tablet himself, nodded. “Me, too.”
Min cocked her head. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you could figure it out.”
“It would never be the same,” said Eddie.
It was true. Half the fun of reading was the paper. The spongy softness beneath his feet. The springiness as he moved from word to word.
A burst of laughter interrupted his thoughts. Young Squishers—children!—on the story-time carpet.
“Hey,” said Eddie. “They’re reading a funny book.”
“Good,” said Min. “I could use a laugh.”
They crept to the front of the paper tray, where they could get a good view. The Librarian was sitting in the story-time chair, facing a class of giggling children and holding up a book showing goofy-looking black-and-white cows.
“First grade,” murmured Aunt Min.
“What’s the book?” asked Eddie.
“Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type.”
“What?” said Eddie. “Hey, wait! Cows can’t type.”
Min gave him a playful shove. “How do you know? Maybe there’s a farm somewhere full of cows who can type. Shh. Listen.”
So they did. The cows in the story were wacky enough to make even an achy old bug like Min laugh. By the end, she and Eddie were giggling along with the children.
They returned to their hiding spot reluctantly.
“Well, that did me good,” said Min. “Just like medicine.”
Eddie nodded. He swayed as if in a strong breeze.
“Oh, Eddie! You’re falling over.” Min’s huge eyes swiveled to inspect him. “Well, of course, you are. You must be exhausted after everything you’ve done today. What a terrible auntie I am, keeping you awake all this time.”
Eddie didn’t argue. Being mostly nocturnal, he had a hard time staying awake in daylight even on a normal day. His abdomen drooped.
“There now,” said Min. “It’s way past your nap time. Why don’t you have a nice little snooze?”
So that’s what Eddie did. He found an empty bit of tray and settled down to rest.
“Eddie?” said Min as he drifted off.
“Mmm?”
“Thank you, dear. Thank you for coming.”
CHAPTER
7
Eddie slept like a rock.
Or maybe he slept more like a shiny green pebble. Because if you could have peeked at him as he lay there on the bottom of the tray, that’s what he would have looked like to you. A small, smooth, still green pebble. Until . . .
BRRRIIIINNNGGGG!
At the sound of the bell, Eddie rose to his feet. He glanced around, then trotted to the front of the tray.
“Hey, Aunt Min. Which bell was that?”
“End of day. See? The children are leaving.”
Together they watched as the young Squishers wandered off to wherever they spent the night.
“Teatime now,” said Min. “The Librarian likes to linger for a cup after school.”
And sure enough, the next sound was water boiling in a kettle at the far end of the Library.
“She has a small office back there,” said Min.
When the Librarian brought her tea to the desk, Eddie was excited to get an up-close view.
“Gosh!” he said. “Isn’t she something!”
He stretched to get a good look. The Librarian was a roundish kind of Squisher with a cheerful face and a plump body. Everything about her was colorful. Red hair, purple glasses, turquoise top.
“She’s like a butterfly!” said Eddie in astonishment.
“Hsst, Eddie, get down.”
But Min needn’t have worried. The Librarian was busy opening a book. A moment later, she chuckled.
“It’s the same book she was reading at lunchtime,” whispered Eddie. “She was laughing then, too. Do you think she’ll leave it behind?”
“Shh,” said Min.
Together, they listened to sipping and clinking, and pages turning, and now and then laughing. Finally, there was humming as the Librarian stood up.
“Darn!” said Eddie as she popped the book into her purse.
She put on her coat. It was as red as a ripe apple, and her wool hat was as blue as the evening sky.
Eddie looked more closely.
“Gosh,” he said, watching her as she left the Library. “The Librarian is very round, isn’t she?”
Min nodded. “Didn’t you know? She’s going to have a baby.”
“A baby? Just one?”
Another nod from Min. “They only have one baby at a time, those Squishers. Silly, isn’t it? Hardly worth the trouble. But the bad part is—she’s going to leave the Library.”
“Leave?” Eddie twitched uncomfortably. “Why?”
“To look after the baby. It’s ridiculous, I know. Babies should be able to look after themselves after the first few weeks. And for goodness sake, there’ll only be one.”
She sighed and continued. “Squisher babies are different. Helpless. Pathetic. Our Librarian will be gone for some time.”
“Oh, no!” Eddie had only known the Librarian briefly, but he already felt very fond of her.
A new thought struck him. “Who’s going to look after the Library?”
Min sighed. “Don’t ask, Eddie. I wish . . .”
She stopped.
“What do you wish? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” said Min. “At least, nothing yet. I’m just . . . a little nervous, that’s all. About what’s going to happen when the Librarian leaves. But don’t you worry. By that time, you’ll be home with your family.”
“We both will,” said Eddie. “Listen, Aunt Min, I’ve been thinking. Why don’t we leave tonight? Go home.”
“We?” said Min.
Eddie stared back, puzzled. “Of course. You and me.”
“But Eddie—”
“I don’t want to go,” said Eddie. “But we have to.”
It was true. In the short time since he’d arrived, he’d been totally enchanted by the Library. But Min’s safety was more important. “We’re living on top of a desk, Aunt Min! The most dangerous place in the school. We have to leave.”
“Eddie,” said Min slowly, “look at me. Really look. Can’t you see? I’m on my last legs.” She wiggled the four that still worked. Even those movements were feeble.
“Don’t say that, Aunt Min. I can help. You can lean on me.”
“I’ll carry you down.”
Min shook her head again. “That’s sweet. But remember how hard it was to get a crumb up here? Do you really think you could carry a whole bug down?”
He didn’t answer. He hated that she was right. He was too small. He didn’t have enough strength. And a horrible thought crossed his mind. What if he dropped her?
“But you can’t stay here!” he cried. “You know you can’t!”
“Sometimes we don’t get a choice,” she said. “My injuries will take time to heal. And that’s fine, I can wait—I’m a tough old bug. But you? You must go back. Your parents will be frantic.”
“Aunt Min—”
“Go. I’ll be fine.”
Eddie gulped. He had never heard such a big, brave lie in his life. Dreamy, he might be, even foolish. But he wasn’t stupid. And Eddie knew, as surely as he knew his own name, what would happen to Min if he left her there—trapped, injured, and unable to get food.
“No,” he said in the firmest voice he could muster. “If you’re staying, so am I.”
What followed next was an excruciatingly long argument. It would take several pages, in fact, to tell you the details of how Min coaxed and threatened and reminded Eddie over and over about his worried parents, about the example he should set for his brothers and sisters, and about the various risks of staying, which were somehow just fine for her but much too dangerous for him. All you really need to know is this: Eddie waited patiently till his aunt was finished and then said in a surprisingly certain voice, “You’re wasting your breath.”
Min stomped her front foot. “Oh, Eddie! When did you get so stubborn?”
“Runs in the family.”
She tried not to smile.
“Okay,” she said finally, “I can’t force you. But this makes me responsible. If something were to happen to you—well, honestly, Eddie, your mother would have me for breakfast! Promise me you’ll be extremely careful, especially when the Squishers are around.”
“I promise.”
“No daydreaming? You’ll pay attention?” She gave him a sharp look.
“I promise.”