by Gary Paulsen
OTHER YEARLING BOOKS YOU WILL ENJOY:
THE HAYMEADOW, Gary Paulsen
THE COOKCAMP, Gary Paulsen
THE VOYAGE OF THE FROG, Gary Paulsen
THE BOY WHO OWNED THE SCHOOL, Gary Paulsen
THE RIVER, Gary Paulsen
THE MONUMENT, Gary Paulsen
HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS, Thomas Rockwell
HOW TO FIGHT A GIRL, Thomas Rockwell
CHOCOLATE FEVER, Robert Kimmel Smith
BOBBY BASEBALL, Robert Kimmel Smith
YEARLING BOOKS/YOUNG YEARLINGS/YEARLING CLASSICS are designed especially to entertain and enlighten young people. Patricia Reilly Giff, consultant to this series, received her bachelor’s degree from Marymount College and a master’s degree in history from St. John’s University. She holds a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hofstra University. She was a teacher and reading consultant for many years, and is the author of numerous books for young readers.
For a complete listing of all Yearling titles,
write to Dell Readers Service,
P.O. Box 1045, South Holland, IL 60473.
Published by
Dell Publishing
a division of
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
1540 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Copyright © 1994 by Gary Paulsen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.
The trademark Yearling® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The trademark Dell® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
eISBN: 978-0-307-80386-3
v3.1
Contents
Cover
Other Yearling Books You Will Enjoy
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
•1
Amos Binder sat on the bench in the locker room waiting for his best friend for life, Duncan—Dunc—Culpepper.
Most of the boys had already finished their showers and were leaving by the time Dunc pushed open the double doors that led in from the football field. He pulled off his helmet. “I tried, Amos, but the coach just isn’t buying it.”
“Did you tell him it was a total accident and that everyone makes these little mistakes?”
“I’m afraid the coach doesn’t think having you knock him down, rip the cellular phone out of his hand, and push his head in the team water bucket with your cleats qualifies as a little mistake.”
“You’d think he’d be more appreciative. I was only trying to save him the trouble of answering the phone. I was positive it was Melissa calling to find out how my day was going and if I would go to the Sadie Hawkins Dance with her.”
Amos had a problem with ringing telephones. He was madly in love with a girl named Melissa Hansen, and every time he heard a phone ring he was sure it was her calling him. Dunc still hadn’t figured that part out because Melissa had never shown the slightest interest in Amos. In fact, she had a way of looking through him as if he were part of the scenery.
But that didn’t stop Amos. Deep down, he knew it was only a matter of time before she dropped Biff Fastrack, the team captain and star quarterback, and realized her true feelings for him.
Dunc sat on the bench beside him. “Was it Melissa?”
“I don’t know. I lost my grip on the phone, and it flew through the concession stand window. I had to fish it out of the pickle barrel. When I held it up to my ear, all I could hear was static.”
“Coach Sanders said it might be a good idea if you didn’t show up for practice for a while.”
“How long?”
“He said something about until the next ice age.”
“He was probably kidding.”
“Probably.” Dunc stood up. “I better get washed up so we can go. I can’t wait to go exploring for meteorite samples! Did you see that meteor shower we had last night? I think I saw one hit the earth not far from here and if I could find a real meteorite and locate traces of phosphorus in it … Of course, it would mostly be iron combined with an insignificant amount of—”
“Dunc.”
“What?”
“Let’s concentrate on my problem.”
“You mean finding a way to get Coach to let you come to practices?”
“No. Finding a way to get Melissa to ask me to the dance.”
“Amos, you’ve given it your best shot. The only reason we tried out for the team in the first place was that you thought Melissa would notice you if you wore a uniform. So far, she hasn’t given you the time of day.”
“That’s because she hasn’t seen me play yet. If Coach ever lets me off the bench, you’ll see things start to change around here.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath, Amos. The only time Coach ever let you handle the football was to carry it from the field house to the sidelines. And even then you dropped it four times.”
“What are you trying to say here?”
“Face it, Amos. Football just isn’t your game.”
•2
Amos was in the front of his house working in the yard. Actually he was clipping a giant M, for “Melissa,” in the top of the hedge between his house and the Grobowskis’.
“She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me.…”
“Amos, put that down and come on! You said you’d help me investigate that meteor shower I saw last night.”
“You’ve got enough rocks. Can’t you see I’m busy here?”
Dunc balanced on the pedals of his bike. “Think of it, Amos. If there really is something out there it could be the scientific discovery of the century.”
Amos faked a yawn. “Sounds real interesting.”
“It is. If we hurry and finish the testing, we’ll be the first ones ever to study this particular meteor shower—and who knows what important discovery we might make?”
“How exciting.” Amos held up his clippers. “Where was I? Oh yeah. ‘She loves me not. She loves me.…’ ”
“They’ll probably name the meteorite we find after us. The Culpepper-Binder meteorite.”
Amos stopped. “Would they do that? Name it after us, I mean?”
“They always name famous discoveries after the people who discover them.”
“That would make us sorta famous, wouldn’t it?” Amos dropped the clippers and edged toward his bike.
“Maybe.”
“And Melissa might hear about it.…”
“If it’s a big enough find, we’ll at least be on the local news. They might even put our picture in the encyclopedia.”
“What are we waiting around here for?” Amos jumped on his bike and powered down the street. At the end of the block, he turned and rode back. “Where is this meteorite, anyway?”
“Didn’t I mention that part?”
“No.”
“It’s not too far from here.”
“Dunc.”
“Okay. I think it landed on the other side of the waterfront.”
Amos closed his eyes and sighed. “The waterfront? Are you sure?”
Dunc nodded.
“You know I hate that place! It’s full of rats and winos and people who ar
en’t happy unless they can rearrange the parts of your body.”
“It’ll be okay this time. We’ll ride right through, cross the bridge, and come out on the other side. No problem.”
Amos thought about it. “You could be wrong about where it landed. After all, it was probably moving kinda fast.”
“I tracked it.”
Amos sighed again. “Of course you did. Tell me, how come you’re the only one who knows anything about this? They didn’t even mention it on the local news.”
“Pure luck. I was looking through my telescope around twelve thirty last night—”
“What were you doing up at twelve thirty? If Coach knew about that, he’d be all over you.”
“I had a good reason. It was a clear night, and I was searching for a white dwarf.”
“Right. And how about the tooth fairy?”
“Amos, a white dwarf is the technical name for a star that’s losing its light and slowly fading away.”
“If you say so. But what does this have to do with me risking my life down near the waterfront?”
“Like I said, I was searching for this white dwarf that night when I saw the meteorite. At least, I think it was a meteorite. I heard a whistling noise and saw a light when it hit the ground.”
“You mean you’re not sure? You want me to put my life on the line for a hunk of rock, and you’re not even sure if that’s what you saw?”
“Have I ever steered you wrong before?”
Amos looked at him.
“Recently?”
Amos waited.
“Okay, since yesterday. But when I suggested you go back to the gym to find your lost gym shorts, how was I supposed to know the girls’ choir would be practicing in there? And it was your idea to wrap that towel around you because you were too lazy to get dressed. Besides, who would have thought Ms. Fishbeck would accuse you of dropping your towel on purpose?”
Amos turned his bike and started pedaling in the opposite direction—hard.
“Wait up, Amos! This time it’ll be different! Trust me!”
•3
“Hey, Dunc. Did you see that big guy with the patch over his eye by the dock?”
“Keep going, Amos. Don’t look at him.”
“I’m not sure, but I think he just insulted your whole family.”
“Don’t pay any attention. We’re almost there.”
“You won’t forget what you promised to name it?”
“How could I forget? It was the only way you’d agree to come with me. I still think the Binder Blockbuster is kind of an unusual name for a meteorite, though.”
Amos rode across the bridge. “Okay, where is it?”
“It should be right around here somewhere. You look over in that direction. If you find a big rock sitting in an even bigger hole, that’s it.”
Amos headed toward the trees. A big rock and a hole in the ground. That shouldn’t be too hard.…
“Ummmfff.” Amos ran his bike into a wall—or what felt like a wall. “Uh, Dunc. You might want to come over here.”
“What is it? Did you find the meteorite?” Dunc rode over and stopped behind him. He sat back on his bike and watched Amos pull himself up off the ground. “We don’t have time for games, Amos. Pretty soon reporters and scientists are going to be crawling all over the place.”
Amos brushed the dirt off his jeans. “Do me a favor. Ride your bike from here to that tree over there.”
“I told you, we don’t have time to goof around.”
“Just do me this one small favor, and then I’ll look for your dumb meteorite the rest of the day.”
Dunc gave him the same look his mother did when he told her he was sure he had seen an international terrorist having lunch at Burger Land. “Okay, Amos, if it’ll make you happy.”
Dunc pushed off. He only made it three feet. The front tire of his bike bounced back, and he came off and landed in the dirt with his bike on top of him. He stood up and stared.
There was nothing there.
Cautiously he stepped forward, one hand feeling in the air. His fingers touched something. He put both hands on it. “It’s like a clear wall.” Dunc pounded on it. “I think it’s made out of some kind of see-through plastic.” He felt his way around it. “Look, Amos. It goes in a circle. I wonder what it is.”
“It’s a spaceship.”
“Don’t be silly, Amos. Why would you think it’s a spaceship?”
“Him.”
Dunc turned. A tall, at least eight-foot-tall, thin creature with a huge round head, no hair, and large oval eyes was staring at him. The creature was rocking Amos in his arms like a baby.
When Dunc moved, it stepped back and shifted Amos to its side with one large bony hand. It started making excited squeaking noises and waving a long, shiny, pink arm, motioning for Dunc to go away.
Dunc took a step back. “I think he wants me to leave, Amos.”
“Are you crazy? Who cares what he wants? Get me down from here!”
Dunc studied the alien. “I’ll see if I can make a trade.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a stick of gum. “Here, boy. Are you hungry?”
The alien pointed a long, skinny finger at him. Dunc raised his arm to protect himself.
Nothing happened.
He was fine, but the gum was gone. The alien had it.
Dunc whistled. “How’d he do that?”
Amos watched the creature put the gum, paper and all, into his mouth. “He likes it. Quick, give him another piece.”
Dunc pulled out another stick. This time, he unwrapped it. The alien pointed his finger at the gum. It disappeared for a second and then reappeared in the alien’s hand.
“Did you see that, Amos?”
“Amos?” Dunc blinked.
Amos was fading before his eyes.
•4
Dunc sat staring at the spot where the alien had been standing just thirty minutes before. Now there was nothing. Both Amos and the alien had disappeared. “This can’t be happening.”
“What can’t be happening?”
Dunc turned. Amos was standing behind him. “Where have you been?”
“In there.” Amos pointed at the force field. “Girrk took me on a quick tour of his spaceship.”
“Girrk?”
“That’s his name.”
“He told you his name?”
“Yeah. He has this machine in there. You put it on your head, and it makes what he says come out in our language.”
Dunc sat down. “This is incredible.”
“Poor guy. He really doesn’t want to be here. He’s got a wife and kid waiting for him back home. He had to make an emergency landing last night. What you thought was a meteorite shower was really Girrk making a crash landing.”
“How bad off is his spaceship?”
“He thinks he can fix it in a few days if he can find the right parts. I hope you’re not too upset about your meteorite turning out to be Girrk.”
“Are you kidding? This is better than an old meteorite! Once we get Girrk to the authorities, we’ll be internationally famous. There won’t be a person on earth who doesn’t know our names.”
“We can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Girrk doesn’t want anybody to know he’s here. He needs a little time to find parts for his spaceship, and then he just wants to go home to his family.”
“But Amos, this is important! We have proof that life exists on other planets. The world deserves to know about this.”
“I promised him we wouldn’t tell anybody.”
“What else did you promise him?”
“I said he could stay with us until he found what he was looking for.”
“And just how do you think you’re going to hide an eight-foot-tall alien?”
“No problem. He can stay invisible for long periods of time. I figure we can take turns keeping him.”
Dunc sighed. “Where is he?”
“He’s right here.” Amos patted the
air. “He thought it would be more polite to let me ask you in private if he could stay over.”
The alien suddenly materialized beside Amos. He reached out to pick up Dunc, but Amos stopped him. “No, Girrk. Remember I told you on this planet we shake hands.”
The alien grabbed Dunc’s arm and jerked it up and down.
Dunc rubbed his arm and looked at the alien in amazement. “He knows what you said.”
“Yeah. He’s real smart. He programmed that machine of his with my voice pattern, and now he understands everything I tell him.”
Dunc leaned close to Amos. “I don’t suppose you could talk him into letting me have a look at the inside of his spaceship?”
“Maybe later. Right now he wants to start looking for parts.”
Dunc’s eyes narrowed. “Did he tell you that?”
The alien stepped past them. He bounced and landed ten feet away.
“Girrk—wait up!” Amos ran for his bike.
The alien stopped. “Up? Wait up?” Girrk slowly rose above their heads.
“No, Girrk. Down. I mean, wait down here.”
The alien scratched his head. “Girrk wait down.” He floated back to the earth.
Dunc’s mouth was hanging open. “He talks!”
“Of course he talks. He still doesn’t have a handle on some words, but he catches on real quick.”
“Can he understand me?”
“I don’t know. Try him.”
Dunc pushed his bike close to the alien and looked up at his big round face. “Nice to meet you, Girrk.”
The alien cocked his head to the side and studied Dunc. He patted him on the head. “Nice.”
•5
“This is my room, Girrk. What do you think?” Amos moved aside a pile of dirty clothes so they could get in the door.
Girrk looked around the room. Trash, dirty clothes, and pieces of moldy pizza were lying all over the place. The alien held his nose.
“My sentiments exactly.” Dunc moved a banana peel and sat at the desk.
Girrk sat down on the bed. It groaned with his weight, and then something snapped. The bed fell to floor with a loud crash. Girrk flipped over backward into a pile of clothes.
“Someone’s coming.” Amos looked at Girrk. “Quick, make yourself invisible!”
