by R. L. Stine
Todd laughed. Danny was completely right, he realized.
The idea of worms planning to get their revenge was just dumb.
Feeling a lot better, he slid down in the chair and started his lunch. “Let’s talk about something else,” he said, taking a long drink from his box of juice. He raised his peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to his mouth and took a big bite.
“Did you see Dawkins fall off his chair this morning?” Danny asked, snickering.
Todd grinned. “Yeah. Miss Grant jumped so high, her head nearly hit the ceiling! I thought she was going to drop her teeth!”
“Luckily Dawkins landed on his head!” Danny exclaimed, wiping the mustard off his chin with the back of one hand. “Dawkins can’t stay on a chair. No balance, or something. Every day he —”
Danny stopped when he saw the sick expression on Todd’s face. “Hey, Todd — what’s your problem?”
“Th-this peanut butter sandwich,” Todd stammered. “It … tastes kind of strange.”
“Huh?” Danny lowered his eyes to the half-eaten sandwich in Todd’s hand.
Reluctantly, Todd pulled apart the two slices of bread.
Both boys moaned in disgust and let out hoarse gagging sounds as they saw the half-eaten purple worm curled up in the peanut butter.
“Have you seen my sister?” Todd asked a group of kids at the door that led out to the playground.
They all shook their heads no.
After angrily tossing away his lunch, Todd had run out of the lunchroom in search of Regina. He had to let her know that her dumb joke had gone too far.
Putting a worm in his peanut butter wasn’t the least bit funny. It was sick.
As he ran through the halls, searching in each room for her, Todd could still taste the faintly sour flavor of the worm, could still feel its soft squishy body between his teeth.
It made his teeth itch. It made him feel itchy all over.
Regina, you’re not getting away with this! he thought bitterly.
By the time he reached the end of the hallway, he felt so angry, he was seeing red.
He pushed past the group of kids, opened the door, and burst outside. The bright afternoon sunlight made him lower his cap to shield his eyes.
He searched the playground for his sister.
Some kids from his class were playing a loud, frantic kickball game on the softball diamond. Jerry Dawkins and a few other guys called to Todd to join the game.
But he waved them off and kept running. He was in no mood for games.
Regina — where are you?
He circled the entire playground and teacher parking lot before he gave up. Then he slowly, unhappily trudged back toward the school building.
His stomach growled and churned.
He could picture the worm half wriggling around inside him.
All around, kids were yelling and laughing and having fun.
They didn’t eat worms for lunch, Todd thought bitterly. They don’t have a mean, vicious sister who tries to ruin their lives.
He was nearly to the door, walking slowly, his head bowed, when he spotted Regina standing in the shade at the corner of the building.
He stopped and watched her. She was talking to someone. Then she started to laugh.
Keeping against the redbrick wall, Todd edged a little closer. He could see two others in the shade with Regina.
Beth and Patrick.
All three of them were laughing now.
What was so funny?
Todd could feel the rage boiling up in him. As he crept closer, trying to hear what they were saying, he balled his hands into tight, angry fists.
Pressing against the building, Todd stopped and listened.
Regina said something. He couldn’t make out the words.
He took a step closer. Then one more.
And he heard Beth laugh and say, “So Todd doesn’t know you’re doing it?”
And then Patrick replied, “No. Todd doesn’t know. He doesn’t know I’m doing it.”
Stunned, Todd jammed his back against the brick wall.
Patrick?
How can Patrick be doing it? Todd wondered.
That’s impossible! Unless …
Todd couldn’t hold back any longer. He angrily stepped forward, feeling his face grow red-hot.
The three of them turned in surprise.
“So you’re doing it?” Todd cried to Patrick. “You’re giving my sister the worms?”
“Huh? Worms?” Patrick’s mouth dropped open. He held a large sheet of construction paper in his hand. Todd saw him slip the sheet of paper behind his back.
“Yeah. Worms,” Todd repeated, snarling the words. “I heard what you said, Patrick.”
“Patrick isn’t giving me worms,” Regina broke in. “What is your problem, Todd? Why would I want worms?”
“That’s where you’re getting them!” Todd insisted. “I heard you! I heard the whole thing!”
The three of them exchanged bewildered glances.
“I’m not into worms anymore,” Patrick said. “I tossed all my worms into my dad’s garden.”
“Liar,” Todd accused in a low voice.
“No. It’s true. I helped him,” Beth said.
“I got bored with them. I don’t collect them anymore,” Patrick told him. “I’m into comic strips now.”
“Huh? Comic strips?” Todd stared suspiciously at Patrick.
The two girls began to grin.
“Yeah. I’m drawing comic strips,” Patrick said. “I’m a pretty good artist.”
He’s just trying to confuse me, Todd thought angrily.
“Patrick — give me a break,” Todd muttered. “You’re a really bad liar. I heard what you were saying, and —”
With a quick move, Todd reached out and grabbed the sheet of paper from behind Patrick’s back.
“Hey — give that back!” Patrick reached for it. But Todd swung it out of his reach.
“Huh? It’s a comic strip!” Todd exclaimed. He raised it closer to his face and started to read it.
THE ADVENTURES OF TODD THE WORM
That was the title in big, block, superhero-type letters.
And in the first panel, there stood a smiling worm. With wavy brown hair. Wearing a silver-and-black Raiders cap.
“Todd the Worm?” Todd cried weakly, staring at the comic strip in disbelief.
The three of them burst out laughing.
“That’s what we were laughing about,” Regina told him, shaking her head. “Patrick can draw pretty well — can’t he?”
Todd didn’t reply. He scowled at the comic strip.
Todd the Worm. A worm in a Raiders cap.
Patrick thinks he’s so funny, Todd thought bitterly. “Ha-ha. Remind me to laugh sometime,” he murmured sarcastically. He handed the sheet of paper back to Patrick.
The bell on the side of the building rang loudly above their heads. Todd covered his ears. Everyone on the playground started running to the door.
Beth and Regina jogged ahead of Todd.
“So what about the worm in my sandwich?” he called to his sister, hurrying to catch up. He grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around. “What about the worm?”
“Todd — let go!” She spun out of his grasp. “What worm? Are you still carrying on about breakfast?”
“No. Lunch,” Todd shouted furiously. “You know what I’m talking about, Reggie. Don’t pretend.”
She shook her head. “No, I really don’t, Todd.” She turned to the door. “We’re going to be late.”
“You put the worm in my sandwich!” he screamed, his eyes locked on hers.
She made a disgusted face. “Yuck! In your sandwich?” She seemed really shocked. “That’s gross!”
“Regina —”
“You didn’t eat it, did you?” she asked, covering her mouth in horror.
“Uh … no. No way!” Todd lied.
“Ugh! I’m going to be sick!” Regina cried. She turned and, still coveri
ng her mouth, ran into the building.
Todd stared after her. She seemed totally shocked, he realized.
Is it possible that Regina didn’t do it?
Is it possible?
But then, if Regina didn’t do it — what does that mean?
“Aren’t you sick of worms? Why are we digging up more worms?” Danny demanded.
Todd dug his shovel into the soft mud behind second base. “I need more,” he murmured. He pulled up a long brown one. It wriggled between his fingers. “Move the bucket over, Danny.”
Danny obediently held the bucket closer. Todd dropped the worm into it and bent to dig up more. “My worms are all disappearing,” he said softly, concentrating on his work. “They’re escaping, I guess. So I need more.”
“But they can’t escape,” Danny insisted.
Todd dropped a short, fat one into the bucket.
They both heard the rumbling sound at the same time.
The ground behind second base trembled.
Danny’s eyes grew wide with fright. “Todd — another earthquake?”
Todd tilted his head as he listened. He dropped the shovel and placed both hands flat on the ground. “It — it’s shaking a little,” he reported.
“We’ve got to go!” Danny cried, climbing to his feet. “We’ve got to tell someone.”
“Nobody ever believes us,” Todd replied, not moving from the ground. “And, look — the rest of the playground doesn’t seem to be shaking at all.”
The mud made a soft cracking sound as it trembled.
Todd jumped to his feet and grabbed up the bucket.
“Maybe we should find another place to get worms,” Danny suggested, backing away from the spot, his eyes on the shaking ground.
“But this is the best spot!” Todd replied.
“Maybe it’s a sinkhole!” Danny declared as they hurried off the playground. “Did you see that sinkhole on the news? A big hole just opened up in somebody’s backyard. And it grew bigger and bigger, and people fell in it and were swallowed up.”
“Stop trying to scare me,” Todd told his friend. “I’ve got enough problems without worrying about sinkholes!”
* * *
When he arrived at school on Friday morning, Todd found three worms wriggling around in his backpack. He calmly carried them out to the front of the school and deposited them in the dirt under the long hedge that lined the building.
I’m going to stay calm, he decided.
They’re only worms, after all. And I like worms. I collect worms. I’m a worm expert.
He returned to the building, frowning fretfully.
If I’m such an expert, he asked himself, why can’t I explain how the worms are following me everywhere?
When he took out his math notebook an hour later, he found a mass of long purple worms crawling around near the binding and between the pages.
The kids sitting near him saw them and started pointing and screaming.
“Todd,” Mr. Hargrove, the math teacher, said sternly, “I think we saw enough of your worms at the Science Expo. I know you’re attached to them. But do you have to bring them to math class?”
Everyone laughed. Todd could feel his face growing hot.
“Todd’s saving them for lunch!” Danny exclaimed from two rows behind him.
Everyone laughed even louder.
Thanks a bunch, Danny, Todd thought angrily. He scooped the worms up, carried them to the window, and lowered them to the ground.
Later, in the lunchroom, Todd unwrapped his sandwich carefully. Peanut butter and jelly again.
Danny leaned across the table, staring hard at the sandwich.
“Go ahead. Open it,” he murmured.
Todd hesitated, gripping the sandwich in both hands.
How many worms would be crawling through the peanut butter this time? Two? Three? Ten?
“Go ahead,” Danny urged. “What are you waiting for?”
Todd took a deep breath and held it. Then he slowly pulled apart the two slices of bread.
“No worm!” Todd declared.
Both boys let out long sighs of relief.
Danny sank back into his seat and picked up what was left of his ham sandwich.
Todd didn’t eat. He stared thoughtfully at the peanut butter covered with smears of grape jelly. “They’re going to drive me totally crazy,” he muttered.
“What?” Danny asked with a mouthful of sandwich.
“Nothing,” Todd replied. His head itched. He pulled off his cap and reached up to scratch it. He expected to find a worm in his hair. But there wasn’t one.
Every time he opened his bookbag, he expected to find worms. Every time he ate a meal, he expected to see a worm bobbing or wriggling or crawling or swimming through his food.
He was starting to imagine worms everywhere. Everywhere.
* * *
Todd had dinner at Danny’s that night. Danny’s mother served fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Then she and Danny’s father argued all through dinner about where to go on their vacation, and whether or not they should save the money and buy a couch instead.
Danny seemed really embarrassed about his parents’ loud arguing.
But Todd didn’t mind it at all. He was so happy to relax and eat and not worry about finding any long purple worms on his plate or in his glass.
He and Danny went up to Danny’s room and played video games for a few hours after dinner. Danny had a game called Worm Attack. Todd made him bury it deep in the closet.
Danny’s father drove Todd home at about ten. Todd’s parents were already dressed for bed. “Your mom and I both had rough days,” Mr. Barstow explained. “We’re hitting the sack early. You can stay up and watch TV or something if you want, Todd.”
Todd didn’t feel sleepy. So he went into the den and turned on the TV. He watched a Star Trek that he’d already seen.
He was yawning and feeling tired by the time the show went off at eleven. He turned off all the lights and made his way up to his room.
He realized he was feeling really good, really relaxed. I haven’t thought about worms all night, he told himself happily.
He climbed out of his clothes, tossing them onto the floor, and pulled on his pajamas. A warm, soft wind was fluttering the curtains at the window. He could see a pale half-moon in the black night-time sky.
Clicking off the bed table lamp, Todd pulled back his covers and slipped into bed.
He yawned loudly and shut his eyes.
Tomorrow is Saturday, he thought happily. No school.
He turned onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow.
He felt something wet and warm wriggle against his cheek.
Then he felt something moving under his chest.
“Oh!” He jerked himself upright, pulling himself up with both hands.
A long, wet worm clung to the side of his face.
He reached up and pulled it off.
He jumped out of bed. It took a short while to find the bed table lamp in the darkness. Finally, he managed to click it on.
Blinking in the light, he saw a worm stuck to the front of his pajama shirt. Three long brown worms were crawling on his sheet. Two more were stretched out on the pillow.
“No! No! Stop!”
It took Todd a while to realize that the shrill screams were coming from him!
“I can’t take it anymore!” he shrieked, losing control.
He pulled the worm off his pajama shirt and tossed it onto the bed beside the others.
“Regina! Regina — you’ve got to stop it! You’ve got to!” Todd screamed.
He spun around when he heard footsteps at the bedroom door.
“Mom!” Todd wailed. “Mom — look!” He pointed frantically to the worms crawling on his pillow and bedsheet.
Mrs. Barstow raised both hands to her cheeks in surprise.
“Mom — you’ve got to stop Regina!” Todd pleaded. “You’ve got to stop her! Look what she did! Look what she put in my b
ed!”
Mrs. Barstow moved quickly into the room and put an arm around Todd’s trembling shoulders. “But Regina isn’t here, Todd,” she said gently.
“Huh?” He gaped at her in shock.
“Regina is at a sleepover at Beth’s,” his mother explained. “Regina isn’t here!”
“We’ll have to have a long discussion about this in the morning,” Mrs. Barstow said, her arm still around Todd’s shoulders. “Maybe your worms are escaping from the tank somehow.”
“Maybe,” Todd replied doubtfully.
His mother lowered her eyes to the bed. “Yuck. Take the worms back downstairs, Todd, and I’ll change the sheets.”
Todd obediently lifted the worms off the sheet and pillowcase. Two of them were mashed. But the rest were wriggling and squirming.
They’re taking their revenge, Todd thought with a shudder as he carried them out of the room.
Regina was right.
The worms are paying me back.
The worms dangled from his hand as he carried them down to the basement. He dropped them into the tank. Then he leaned over it, staring down into the soft, wet dirt.
Most of the worms were below the surface. But a few crawled across the top.
“Hey, guys,” Todd called down to them, lowering his face over the top of the glass aquarium. “Hey, guys — can you hear me?”
He had never talked to his worms before. And he felt very uncomfortable talking to them now.
But he was desperate.
“Listen, guys, I’m really sorry,” Todd said, speaking softly. He didn’t want his voice to carry upstairs. If his mom or dad heard him talking to the worms, they’d know he had totally lost it.
“I’m really sorry about what happened,” he told them. “I mean, about cutting that one in half. It will never happen again. I promise.”
Leaning over the tank, he stared down into the dirt. The worms didn’t seem to be paying any attention to him. Two of them were crawling against one of the glass walls. Another was burrowing into the dirt.
“So do you think you can stop following me around?” Todd continued, giving it one last try. “I mean, I don’t want to get rid of you all. I’ve been collecting worms for a long time. But if you keep this up, well … you’ll all have to go.”
