The Curse of the Were-Hyena
Page 14
Right away, my eyes stung. That sickly sweet chemical smell filled my nose.
“Watch where you’re spraying!” I cried.
Something scuttled behind us. My overactive imagination pictured ten million cockroaches picking up speed. I risked a glance back.
It was worse.
The world’s biggest praying mantis was charging straight at us, wearing a hungry expression and an apron that read: WHY YOU ALL UP IN MY GRILL?
Benny checked over his shoulder, and his eyes grew wider than a sumo wrestler’s waistband. With a strangled scream, he poured on the speed.
From behind us came an unnatural cry that I swear sounded like, “Don’t you dare leave that fridge door open!”
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
According to my teacher, Mr. Chu, you’re supposed to grab your readers by the throat at the beginning of your story, but I feel like I’m just confusing you. You have no idea who Benny and I are, or why we’re being chased through the kitchen by a giant bug.
And that’s just not fair. (Both the confusion and the being chased, I mean.)
Let me back up a bit to where this story started. To the day Benny and I discovered what it really means to have a reputation as a monster fighter.
Raised by wolves just outside Los Angeles, BRUCE HALE began his career as a writer while living in Tokyo, and continued it when he moved to Hawaii in 1983. Before entering the world of children’s books, he worked as a magazine editor, toymaker, surveyor, corporate lackey, gardener, actor, and DJ.
From picture books to novels and graphic novels, Bruce has written and illustrated more than thirty-five books for kids, including his Chet Gecko Mysteries series, and his School for S.P.I.E.S. trilogy: Playing with Fire, Thicker than Water, and Ends of the Earth.
When not writing and illustrating, Bruce loves to perform. He has appeared onstage, on television, and in an independent movie called The Ride. Bruce is a popular speaker and storyteller for audiences of all ages. He has taught writing workshops at colleges and universities, and spoken at national conferences of writing, publishing, and literacy organizations. On top of that, Bruce has visited elementary schools across the country, from Hawaii, to Kansas, to Pennsylvania. (You’d never guess he loves to travel.)
These days, Bruce lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, Janette, and his sweet mutt, Riley. When he’s not at the computer or drawing board, you’ll find him hiking the hills, bicycling, or riding the waves (when it’s warm enough, that is). He also likes going to movies and playing jazz music.