“I believe I scored a point,” crowed Ming. She went after the ball. I rose to my feet and the exit door swam into my vision. I started toward it in a dazed way. The ball came at me like a cannonball and smacked me painfully on the back of the leg. I stumbled, but kept going. For a second, I actually thought I was going to escape, but just as I was about to leave the wavy floor, the ball struck me in the back of the head with blinding ferocity. I landed with another bone-crunching thud, the book dribbling away.
“Game!” yelled Ming. “I win!” She came thumping toward me. “The book is mine.” She reached down and snapped it up. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it, Eugene?” She patted me on the head. “It’s all over now.”
She backed away and began thumbing through the pages. “This rag, this miserable piece of rubbish. How I’ve dreamed of this day …”
I pulled myself into a sitting position just as the volleyball came idling slowly along the humps. It stopped close to me, and I thought about picking it up, but I felt totally exhausted.
She slapped the book shut and glanced at me. “How a harmless little nitwit like you could lead me on such a chase …” She took a few steps toward me. “You, nothing more than a cipher, a tittle, a jot, hardly in the same league with some of the smart boys I’ve seen over the years.”
I felt a small, fierce flame ignite inside me. “I’m just as smart,” I said.
Ming smirked widely. “Oh my, no, I’m afraid not. After all, their mothers weren’t hairdressers, and they didn’t wear baseball caps in the winter!”
Looking back on it later, I realized it was that remark about Mom that really pushed my buttons. The small flame inside me blossomed into a hot anger, and without thinking, I said, “And you’re Little Monkey, too.”
The smirk disappeared. Ming put the book down on the floor. “No,” she said, “You’re Little Monkey.” She came quickly toward me, her big hands outstretched.
I scrambled to the ball and picked it up. Then, with my last ounce of energy, I brought my arm around like a slingshot, and fired the ball straight at her.
It didn’t have far to travel before it struck her full in the face. With a shriek you could have heard all the way to Shanghai, she jammed a hand to her mouth.
“My tooth!” I heard her say. She staggered away a few steps, gasping and moaning. “You knocked my tooth out!”
She glared at me, and I saw a shocking bloody gap in her upper row. A front tooth!
She dropped to her knees and began searching for it. “You miserable little …”
I scrambled to my feet, darted over, and snatched up Brass Monkeys. I don’t think she looked up until I had made it over to the trumpet and grabbed that.
“Come here, Eugene,” she wailed out. “You can’t go anywhere. You know that.” Her voice hardened. “Come here, you stubborn boy. This game is over!”
“You’re wrong, lady,” I snapped out. “This game isn’t over.” I turned and cupped a hand around my mouth and yelled, “Alvin! Weeser! I’ll be back! I won’t leave you! I promise!”
I ran toward the exit door and, before I reached it, it flew open and Harriet and Ray stood there, looking frightened.
“What the heck are you doing?” Ray hissed, his eyes wide.
“We thought you were right behind us,” said Harriet.
They froze as they saw Ming. She wobbled toward us, her mouth crimson with blood. “Come to me, Eugene.” Her face contorted with rage, and she shrilled out, “You’re too cowardly for this game! We all know that!”
“Run!” I cried to Harriet and Ray. They didn’t hesitate, and in a flash we were out the door, running straight into a twilight world. It took me a few seconds to realize the huge overhead lights were dimmed and this was “night.”
Ray led the way toward the big sand hill, the one he and I had hidden behind earlier in the day, and we didn’t stop running until we’d skidded around the base and plopped onto the sand. When I sat up, I was amazed to see Ray’s Hru-tu-du parked there, casting a shadow on the sand.
“Brought my friend,” Ray said proudly. “I had to do a little work on her after the explosion, but she’s good to go. I got her rigged for dual peddling, so hop in.”
We started to get in, but with a jolt we were stopped by the faint sound of … bells. Ray dodged back to get a look. In a flash, he rejoined us.
“She’s coming,” said Ray, grimly, “with all her buddies. And they’ve got lights.”
We leaped into the cart with Ray, and I at the pedals and Harriet in back.
Ray flashed me a look. “Which way, Bumpus-man? Your call.”
I was aware of their questioning gaze. I knew they’d wondered about my strange behavior back at the school. I knew also they’d heard Ming shriek out the bit about me being a coward. But the darkness, the pit that had seemed so likely to swallow me only minutes ago, had somehow vanished.
“There’s only one way to find McGinty now,” I said. “Down the Cliffs of Notes.”
There was a tiny pause, then Harriet bent toward me and kissed me on the ear.
Ray grinned heavenward. “Oh, man,” he said, “ain’t we having fun.”
We leaned into the pedals and slowly, then faster and faster, the Hru-tu-du began moving across the sand.
40
the great janitor dumps our scribbles here
We pedaled like madmen for at least ten or fifteen minutes, until finally Harriet sang out, “I can’t see their lights anymore.”
“Great,” said Ray, “but keep your eyes peeled for Devos. For sure old Ming-daddy will have him on the hunt.”
Ray kept steering us down to the flatter parts of the desert where the Stormies drove their trucks and motorcycles. The sand was packed hard, and we could really make the Hru-tu-du sing.
“Are we headed toward the cliffs?” I gasped out. The pounding Ming had given me was starting to take its toll. My back and legs felt like they were on fire.
“Absoltootly we are,” Ray said. “Well, sort of anyway. We’re headed a little more south so we can pick up a big old coil of rope I’ve got hidden.”
“Rope?” I said. “What for?”
“Duwang.” Ray shook his head at my ignorance. “You need rope to climb down the cliffs, man. Unless you plan on jumping down them.”
I laughed. “Rope’s good.”
Ray went on, “I got it off the discard pile about two months ago. Figured I might need it sometime, and I guess old Aunt Petunia was right.”
Just then there was a loud zapping sound, and the huge bank of overhead lights came on.
“Uh-oh,” said Ray.
He steered the Hru-tu-du into a thick clump of cactus, and we came to a stop.
Ray looked pale. “Ming-daddy turned on the lights so Devos can spot us from the air. We’d better get under cover.”
We jumped out quickly, and a sharp pain shot up my back. I grabbed on to the Hru-tu-du to steady myself.
Harriet flashed me a worried look. “What is it, Eugene?”
“My back,” I said. I tried to make a joke out of it. “I hurt it when Ming and I were playing dodgeball.”
Ray was hauling out the camouflage, but when he heard this he stopped and his eyes widened with wonder. “She went after you with the volleyball? Oh man, I heard talk about that. It’s supposed to be like doomsville.”
“She nailed me pretty good,” I admitted. “But I got her back, right at the end.” Quickly, I told them about her tooth.
“Whoa,” said Ray. “A front tooth? You are one hairy boy, Bumpus-man.”
Harriet’s eyes glowed. “It took a lot of courage to fight back like that.”
“Not really,” I said lamely. I knew it was more anger than bravery that had made me strike back. I tried to change the subject by pulling up my shirt and checking the damage.
“Oh my gosh,” said Harriet. “You’ve got a big bruise right here … and there’s a huge red mark on your neck.” She gasped. “And there’s something else.”
“What?” I turned and looked at her. Harriet hesitated, but Ray blurted it out.
“Man, you can see your Amberlight spot! Plain as anything. It’s gathering just like it’s done on all of us. I’m guessing it was her classes that did it and then the dodgeball game. I heard she uses that in stubborn cases—the fear sort of drives your last hopes into a corner.”
For some reason, this discovery terrified me more than anything else that had happened. In a panic, I ran my hand behind my ear, but I couldn’t feel a thing.
“Listen, you’re fine,” Harriet began. “It’s not very big, so don’t worry.”
At that moment we heard a loud electrical zerrrap! and the overhead lights went off.
“Okay, what’s this?” whispered Ray nervously. Now he snapped his fingers. “Waitaminnit, I know what happened. She can’t run the lights any longer, ‘cause she doesn’t have enough fuel to fire the generators. See, she and the Storm boys only keep enough wood ahead to fire up the boilers for one day. She simply ran out of fuel.” He began putting away the camouflage cloth. “Let’s get moving!”
We headed quickly for the cart. I started to take my position at the pedals, but Harriet stopped me with a warm, clear look.
“Listen,” she began, “I’m sorry I didn’t understand what was going on with you back there.” She drew in a breath. “I was a bit dazed myself—that’s my only excuse. I should have known Ming had hurt you in some special way.”
I nodded. “I think she tried, but I feel okay now.” I grinned. “Hey, I’m ready to wrestle Ming at noon hour. Lead the way to battle.”
Ray laughed at this. “Looks like the old Bumpus-man is back.”
“I’ll pedal for awhile,” Harriet said. “You rest. If we go down the cliffs, you’re going to need all your strength.”
“For sure,” I said. My legs and arms felt weak and trembly. Gratefully, I let Harriet take the pedal position and I climbed in back.
In a few seconds the Hru-tu-du was up to full speed again.
“It’s less than a mile to where I got the rope hid,” Ray called out. “We’ll get it, then head east to the cliffs. That’s the long part and it’ll take most of the night.”
That turned out to be exactly the case. We got to the rope, dug it up, and packed it in quickly. After that, our journey seemed to stretch forever. Harriet and I traded places several times, and each time I felt a bit stronger.
Harriet was back at the pedal station with Ray, and I was dozing fitfully when we thumped over something.
“A notebook,” Ray called out in a low voice. “And more coming.”
I sat up and looked ahead. The sand was littered with notebooks, both three-ring and spiral. A hundred yards beyond that was an ocean of white paper.
Ray turned and said, “We’re coming up on the western end of the cliffs. They run east and west for about five miles, but I’ve only seen this end of them.”
“Why does Ming dump all this stuff out here?” Harriet asked.
“‘Cause,” said Ray, “she’s kidnapped so many schools, she doesn’t have room for all the paper. So she’s started hauling it out here.”
We came off the carpet of notebooks and rolled onto a feathery bed of paper.
“How will we know when we’re getting close to the cliffs?” I said.
“Trust me, you’ll know.” There was a grim note in Ray’s voice.
Nervously I picked up my trumpet and blew silently through it. Then I couldn’t seem to help myself, so I began to softly play, “Malagueña.”
Ray and Harriet turned with surprised looks, and I stopped.
“Heck, go ahead and play some more,” said Ray. “My guess is there ain’t nobody within miles of us. Even the Storm boys don’t like to get close to the cliffs, especially at night. Plus, it makes me feel better to hear some tunes.”
I played a bit more of “Malagueña,” but doing it in a real quiet way, and right away my nerves settled down. Even my body aches didn’t seem so bad.
Harriet’s golden-brown eyes glowed. “I love that song,” she said.
“Me too,” said Ray. “Well, almost as much as—”
I didn’t wait, but rolled right into “These Boots Are Made for Walking.”
“Oh man,” Ray cried. “There you go; that’s my tune!”
I was just starting the chorus again, with Ray and Harriet singing along, when I heard what sounded like a scream. I stopped playing abruptly and held up my hand. There it was again, a high, keening wail that rose and fell eerily.
“Oh yeah,” said Ray, his lips forming a grim line. “We’re there.”
41
o see the slippery slimy sea
“It’s the wind around the cliffs,” said Ray as the wailing sound came again. “We’re close to the edge.”
The Hru-tu-du rose gently now and we started up a long incline of paper. Ray and Harriet pedaled as far as they could, then we jumped out and pushed. Grunting loudly, we finally heaved the Hru-tu-du over the top of the rise.
We stopped right there, frozen at the sight. Thirty yards ahead the paper carpet simply dropped away into a yawning blackness. You couldn’t see a thing below, just misty darkness and blowing paper.
Ray and Harriet turned and looked at me. I was biting my lip hard.
“It’s your show now,” said Ray, lifting his voice so I could hear it over the wind. “Better get that big brain in gear and tell us how we’re going to fasten the rope.”
I stared dumbly at them. “Fasten the rope?”
Ray nodded. “Yeah, you gotta hook it to something. The cart’s way too light and you can’t tie it to a three-ring notebook.”
“Of course not.” I could feel my face flushing. “I know that.”
We climbed cautiously out of the cart. When I stepped down, I immediately sank to my knees in paper. I could see Harriet and Ray floundering about, and I felt a terrible paralysis creeping up my legs. Seeing that horrible drop-off made me realize how insane this was. Still, I acted like I knew what I was doing while we bellied our way up to the edge. All I could see below was darkness and bits of paper that seemed to spiral down into nothingness. If that wasn’t bad enough, the slippery paper beneath me made me feel I might slide over at any moment.
“How far to the bottom?” I called out to Ray.
He gave me a pitying look. “Nobody knows,” he said.
Harriet turned to me, and I saw some of my fright mirrored in her eyes. “What are we going to tie the rope to?” she said.
“How about my neck?” I said, and let out a little bleating laugh. “Kidding. Actually, I do have an idea that might work. I think we should simply bury the Hru-tu-du.”
“Bury it?” Ray stared at me like I had marbles in my head.
“Yup, deep as we can.” I tied the rope to the lower part of the cart frame.
“Holy Crow, I get it!” Ray began scrabbling about, starting a hole in the papers. “Get the old Hru-tu-du down deep enough in the junk, sideways—that’ll keep ‘er from moving. Very cool, big-brain.”
Harriet and I joined Ray, digging downward like crazed moles. After five minutes of work, we had hollowed out a nice deep spot. I grabbed the trumpet out of the cart while Ray snatched up his backpack.
Then we rolled the Hru-tu-du into the hole and covered it up. I tugged on the rope to see how secure the whole thing was.
“It’s solid,” said Ray. He grinned. “Glad I thought of the idea.”
It took all three of us to roll Ray’s big coil of rope toward the edge of the cliffs. We ended up on our backs, using our feet to boost the coil along.
“How much rope do we have?” Harriet gasped out.
“I think about three hundred feet,” said Ray. “That’s a guess.”
We were at the cliff’s edge now and we simply gave the ball of rope a final kick. It went over the edge with a powerful hiss and dropped into the windy darkness.
Almost as if that were a signal, the great overhead bank of lights came on with a powerful crackle.
I looked around and my heart thumped with fear. With the lights on, I could see clearly the huge expanse of white paper and the dark line of the cliff stretching away into the distance. Still, what lay below was shrouded in mist.
Harriet and I glanced uneasily at Ray.
“Why did the lights go on?” I said. “Is it trouble?”
Ray gave me a bleak look. “Depends on how you look at it. It’s the start of a new day and that ain’t all bad. But it means you only got today and tomorrow to round up old McGinty and then sneak back up here and help your friends.”
“Right.” I swallowed nervously. “So I guess it’s down the rope.”
Ray held up a hand. “Hold it, Bumpus-man. You ain’t thinking. You can’t climb down hanging onto the trumpet like that. And how are you protecting the book? Huh? The most important thing we got? Right, you don’t know.”
Ray began rustling in his backpack. He came out with a piece of twine and a large plastic bag. Swiftly, he tied the twine to the trumpet, making a neat sling. With a satisfied grunt, he slung the horn over my shoulder. Next, he put Brass Monkeys in a plastic sack, then sealed it and stuffed it under my shirt.
“Now,” he said, “you’re ready.” He grinned at me. “It’s a good thing I’m along on this expedition.”
“Absoltootly,” I said, and I meant it.
I grasped the rope now and began inching toward the edge. When my feet went over, I had a sudden loss of nerve and froze. I must have looked like somebody who had just sat down naked on a block of ice.
“If you want to change your mind,” shouted Ray, “it ain’t too late.”
Then Harriet yelled out something that really hit home.
“Remember Alvin and Weeser! That’s why you’re doing this.”
That did it. She was right, and somehow the thought of their faces, and those of Jack, Lilah, and Teddy, gave me a burst of determination. I nodded and then, scootching slowly like a reluctant worm, I began moving.
Brass Monkeys Page 21
