by David Lubar
David Lubar created a sensation with his debut novel, Hidden Talents, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. He is the author of over thirty-five books, for readers ranging from first grade through high school and beyond. These include Punished! (a Junior Library Guild selection); the Weenies short story collections; the popular middle-grade series Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie; and the Looniverse early chapter book series. David lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and various felines. He used to have allergies.
“Strike one,” Herbert said from his spot at second base.
“No fooling,” I muttered as I pushed myself up from the muck. I could feel my face flushing. If it got any hotter, it would steam off the muddy water that was all over my neck and forehead. After I stepped back to the plate, I glanced at the playground monitor, just to prove to myself that I had to be wrong. Was she really totally uninterested in what had just happened? I’d done a face-first full-body plant in a mud puddle!
But she didn’t seem to react at all.
On the next pitch, as I backed up, I felt the itch again, on the third step. As I finished my five steps and started my dash, I felt another sneeze coming.
I gritted my teeth.
I’m not sneezing, I told myself.
I sneezed. This one was even harder. And yeah, I went flying again. And naturally, I landed in the puddle again. But I’d already soaked up most of the mud on my first fall, so this one didn’t make things all that much worse.
Still, it seemed to draw even more laughter.
“Strike two,” Herbert said.
I had no idea why I kept sneezing. But I realized that maybe this wasn’t the time to try for a home run. I’d have plenty of chances to score the three homers I needed.
I sneezed on the fourth step as I backed up. And then I sneezed a second time as I moved forward. But I didn’t try to nail the ball—I just sort of lashed my foot out at it and hoped to make contact. I actually made a solid hit. Unfortunately, it was also a weak one, popping up toward second base.
The kickball dropped right into Herbert’s hands. I could hear sighs of disappointment from all around the playground as I failed to land in the puddle again. I let out my own sigh because not only was I out, but because, thanks to catching my pop fly, Herbert was up. I was supposed to take his spot on the field, but I was just too muddy and discouraged to keep playing.
“Someone sub for me,” I said. I needed to wash off.
As I walked away, the ball smacked the back of my head with a loud POING!
I turned around and instantly spotted the ball’s source. Herbert had kicked it right at me.
“Oops, sorry,” he said, grinning. “Accident.”
“Yeah, right.” I didn’t believe him. I watched the next pitch so he wouldn’t hit me again. Instead, he nailed the ball for a home run. Great. Really totally wonderful and great. I was a mud ball, and Herbert was within one home run of catching me.
I went inside to the art room and used the sink to clean up my face and arms. The art teacher, Mr. Pemberton, had a bunch of old shirts he kept on hand for kids to wear when they painted. He let me borrow one.
I had lunch right after recess.
“What happened to you?” Sarah asked when she saw me walking past the table where she sits with the other girls from the science club. Even with the clean shirt, I was pretty much a mess.
“I sneezed so hard, I flew into a mud puddle,” I said.
Sarah laughed. “Wish I’d seen it. That must have been one monster of a sneeze.”
As the words left her mouth, her eyes widened. She stared at me. I stared back at her. My eyes widened, too.
“No way,” I said. Just the other week, after not having any allergies for a long time, I had gotten a very itchy rash as an allergic reaction to a ghost. But a sneeze wasn’t a rash. And there was no ghost on the playground. At least, I was pretty sure Gloomy Girl wasn’t a ghost. She wasn’t transparent.
But she sure was spooky.
“You’re right,” Sarah said. “One sneeze doesn’t mean anything. Everyone sneezes.”
I didn’t tell her that it was more than one.
#1 - Ghost Attack
#2 - Vampire Trouble
Text copyright © 2017 by David Lubar
Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Scholastic Inc.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing 2017
Cover art © 2017 by Karl West
Cover design by Mary Claire Cruz
e-ISBN 978-0-545-87668-1
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