by Abby Hanlon
Oh . . . yeah. Click.
“Rascal! What is going on in this bathroom?” my mom asks. “What happened in here? And why are there books all over the floor? Were you taking a bath?”
“I was just reading,” I tell my mom.
“Really? You were? That’s . . . wonderful!” she says.
“I got into the book,” I say.
“I just love when that happens,” she says, and gives me a hug.
• • •
That night before bed, my dad reads my favorite book to me.
Later when my mom tucks me in she asks, “Why did you come home from school in such a bad mood?”
I tell my mom the truth. “I don’t think Rosabelle will want to be friends with me anymore. ’Cause I’m such a bad reader.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m pretty sure Rosabelle can see there’s no one else like you,” says my mom.
As I fall asleep, I wonder if my mom is right.
CHAPTER 3
Everywhere That Dory Went
On the walk to school the next morning, I suddenly have a funny feeling. “Wait,” I tell Luke and Violet and grab their arms. “Stop right here! Don’t move a muscle!”
“SHUT UP ABOUT THE STICKY POIJ!” they both yell at me at the same time.
“No, it’s not that, it’s something else.”
Then I whisper, “I think I’m being followed by a lamb.”
“Did she say a lamb?” Violet asks Luke.
“Yeah, I did, husssshhhh.”
Violet laughs. Then she sings, “And everywhere that Dory went, Dory went, Dory went, everywhere that Dory went, the lamb was sure to go.”
“I said husssshhhh!”
Luke sings, “He followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day, he followed her to school one day, which was against the rule.”
“Wait for me,” I tell them, and go look behind the bushes.
“HOLD ON! Give me one sec!” I yell, looking in some garbage cans. “It was a little black sheep,” I say.
“The only black sheep that is following us is YOU!” says Violet.
“Okay, I was wrong,” I say.
But when I get to the school yard . . . there he is. I knew it! Don’t wave at me, please don’t wave at me, please don’t wave at me. Why do these things always happen to me?
Then Goblin starts sniffing my backpack, and I realize he must be hungry. So, I give him some of my salami sandwich. And what the heck, I’ll have some, too.
Rosabelle comes running over. “Rascal! Why are you eating your lunch before school again?”
“I’m not eating it all. I’m sharing with . . .” I start to say but then stop. I don’t want to tell Rosabelle that a lamb escaped from my embarrassing babyish farm book.
“Oh, never mind,” I say.
“Oh,” she says, and looks disappointed.
But when I see Clara walking over to us, I quickly change my mind. “I’m being followed,” I whisper.
“Uuuuuuhhhh! Really? Is it Mrs. Gobble Gracker?” she asks. “Is she back?”
“No, it’s a little black sheep named Goblin.”
“Hi, Rosabelle!” says Clara. “Guess what? I’m on chapter ten already! ’Cause I read four more chapters last night!”
“Really?” says Rosabelle. “Wow. That’s a lot. Hhhhmmm . . . a black sheep named Goblin? Do you think he’s a spy? Do you think he’s dangerous?”
“Sheep? There’s no sheep in this book, is there?” asks Clara. “Wait a minute, are you ahead of me, did you read more than me last night?”
“Huh?” says Rosabelle. “I don’t think so.”
“Actually, he’s kind of cute,” I tell Rosabelle.
“Really? No fair!” says Rosabelle. “I want a cute lamb to follow me!”
• • •
At reading time, I have no partner because George stuck his finger in the pencil sharpener. And the teacher is busy trying to get it out.
So it’s the perfect time to sneak over to Rosabelle. I pretend I’m looking for something in the closet, so I can be near Rosabelle’s reading spot. But when I hear Clara and Rosabelle talking about their book, I just stop and listen:
“I feel sooooo bad for Hannah when she starts to cry!”
“Yeah, why is Henry so mean to her?”
“I think he doesn’t like girls.”
“I love Hannah. She’s smart. Besides, I think she is going to solve the mystery without Henry’s help. Remember when she went through the haunted castle alone?”
“But how will she get past the three-headed monster?”
“Well, she does have her own sword!”
“But she has a broken leg!”
Listening to them, I’ve never been so jealous in my life. I would chop off my right arm to be able to read that book.
In the closet I sink into a pile of backpacks.
Before I get in trouble for being in the closet again, I go back to my desk. “Why did you stick your finger in the pencil sharpener?” I ask George.
“’Cause I thought I could miss ALL of reading, but I only missed SOME of reading,” he says. “But it was fun anyway!” He smiles and holds up his bandaged finger. Then he says, “Guess what! I had a dance party last night! And I invented this new kind of dance we can do when we’re bored during reading. It’s called the Mini-Dance. Watch.”
Then George does a little dance with his hands.
“Shhh,” I say, opening my book. “We have to read.”
“Come on, let’s read together,” says George.
“Fine, you can come with me,” I say. “But I’ve got a sheep to return, so this is serious business.”
“Where are we?” asks George.
“Just stick with me, I’ve been here before,” I tell him.
We come to a bunch of signs, but we can’t read them.
“How about this way?” asks George.
“All right,” I say. “Let’s go!”
“Hmm, we’re still at a farm, nothing too different. Well, maybe it’s a little different,” says George.
“Look! Someone is coming over to us,” says George.
“Hi. I’m Gigi. Can I play with your sheep?” says a little girl with a super-scratchy voice.
Gigi stares at us, waiting for an answer, but we don’t know what to say. There is something strange about her . . . but also familiar.
“Watch!” she says. “There are so many ways to play!” Then she climbs on Goblin. Goblin is furious!
He runs in crazy circles around us until Gigi gets thrown off. She lands in a bucket of water. While Gigi is stuck in the bucket, I give Goblin a little pat—he’s even softer than he looks.
When I pet him, he closes his eyes and licks my leg.
Gigi crawls out of the bucket and says, “Want a cup of coffee?”
“Sure.” George shrugs.
I give him a little kick. “Ow! Why’d you kick me?” he asks.
“We don’t want coffee,” I say. For some reason, I do not trust this girl at all.
Gigi takes a big gulp of her coffee. “Listen, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll give you a huge jar of pickles if I can have your sheep . . . for keeps.”
“Those don’t look like pickles,” says George.
“They’re pickled spiders, dummy,” says Gigi.
“No deal,” I say.
“Why not?” asks George. “This is your chance to get rid of that sheep!”
“I changed my mind,” I say, and pick up Goblin.
“Oh phooey,” says Gigi, and kicks some dirt. “Well, what do you want to do then?” she asks. “’Cause I want to play with your sheep! We could give him bubbly water and see what happens! I already know what happens . . . it’s really funny. Have you ever put pants on a sheep? Want to do it? Or, w
e could just throw rocks at each other if you want? Wait! Are you hungry? Do you want to make chicken soup?”
Gigi runs inside the barn and comes out with a big pot and spoon. She chases the chickens and yells, “Hey, chickens! Hop in the pot!”
“Lost in a good book?” says my teacher, standing over me. She does not look happy.
How did she know we were lost, I wonder.
“Dory and George, I noticed you were playing during reading time today.”
Then she says, “And Rosabelle, what are you doing over here? Go back to your reading spot right now please.”
Rosabelle? What is she doing hiding under the desks?? Was she spying on me?
Slowly, Rosabelle walks back to her reading spot.
• • •
After reading, we line up for gym. Rosabelle rushes to line up next to me. “I figured it out! Gigi is Mrs. Gobble Gracker! As a kid!” I try to look scared, but I can’t help smiling because I love this game.
“But how did Mrs. Gobble Gracker get five hundred years younger?” asks Rosabelle.
I whisper in Rosabelle’s ear, “She drank the wrong potion.”
“I just can’t believe it!” says Rosabelle. “I’m in shock. I think I’m going to faint.”
CHAPTER 4
Twenty Minutes Every Day
When I get home from school, I grab a banana to call Farmer Nuggy.
“What do you need? More potatoes?” he asks.
“No, I’m fine. Hey, listen, do you know that your potion turned Mrs. Gobble Gracker into a kid named Gigi?”
“A kid?” he asks. “Oh dear! I must have used a little too much vinegar.”
“And guess what? She wants to play with me!!”
“With you?” asks Farmer Nuggy, and then he starts laughing. He is laughing so hard that I can’t understand what he is saying. I think he said he peed in his pants.
“It’s not funny! I’m hanging up!” I say.
“Wait!” I hear him say just as I put the banana down.
I jump off the counter and am walking out of the kitchen when the banana rings. “Can you get it?” I ask Mary.
• • •
Upstairs in my room, I find Goblin sitting right in the middle of my bed. That’s it! I’m keeping this sheep! He can sleep in my closet. He can have my sleeping bag! I didn’t choose this sheep, but this sheep chose me! I give him a little kiss on the head.
“There you go, nice and safe. Need anything else? A cookie? A song? I know! I’ll go get you a bowl of water!”
On my way out, I run into Mary. “Farmer Nuggy told me to tell you that the po—” she says. But my mom is right behind her.
My mom interrupts Mary. “It’s reading time,” she says, standing at my door.
“No, no, no, no, please!” I say. “I’m busy. Not now.”
“Every day after school you need to read to me for twenty minutes. That’s your homework. And it’s getting late.”
“Can I just get a bowl of water?”
“A bowl of water? No! Come on! Let’s read on the couch.”
And then the phone rings. My mom gets up to answer it. While she’s gone, I quickly run upstairs to get Goblin a bowl of water.
Then just before my mom comes back, I hide the book in my pants.
“Guess what? That was Rosabelle’s dad,” she says. “Rosabelle wants you to come over after school tomorrow.”
I stare at my mom in disbelief. “To her castle?” I say. “I’ve been invited to her castle?”
“Dory, just because Rosabelle likes to pretend to be a princess, doesn’t mean she lives in a castle, you know that. Now, where’s that book we were reading?”
“To her castle?” I say again. “TO THE CASTLE!” I shout.
Then I spin and spin all around. What else is there to do with all this happiness?
“Is that the book in your pants? Ugh! Forget it,” says my mom. “I’m making dinner.”
At dinner, I tell Luke and Violet my big news. “If anyone is looking for me after school tomorrow, I’ll be at Rosabelle’s.”
I wait for them to react. Nothing.
“THEE Rosabelle,” I say in my fanciest voice.
Still nothing.
I try again. “Rosabelle . . . you know, my friend who lives in a castle? Did you know that Rosabelle can draw a 3-D cabbage? And she said if you can draw a 3-D cabbage, you can draw anything!”
Still nothing.
“Does anyone in this family care about cabbages?” I shout.
“I care about cabbages,” says my dad.
That night I can’t sleep. “What do you think her castle looks like inside?” I ask my parents.
Without opening her eyes, my mom says, “How many times are you going to come in here and ask me that?”
“Do you think that at the end of a very long hallway there is a tiny little secret golden door that leads to Rosabelle’s bedroom? Does her ceiling have those drippy lights that are actually real candles and diamond necklaces? And is her bed so high up like in The Princess and the Pea? And there’s probably a ladder to get up. And a slide to get down! And at the bottom of the slide, she has fluffy pink bunny slippers that are perfectly lined up, just waiting there for her to wake up! And—”
“If you can’t sleep, why don’t you try counting sheep?” mumbles my dad.
“Sheep? Why would I count . . . SHEEP!! Ahhh! I forgot!” I run out of their room.
I open my closet door and count “One sheep,” nice and cozy and warm.
CHAPTER 5
Captain Puff
Rosabelle’s dad picks us up after school. On the walk home, we jump into puddles, over the Sticky Poij, and I tell Rosabelle all about my new pet sheep. When we get to Rosabelle’s house, there’s definitely not a moat to cross. Strange.
A little boy in a Batman costume runs to open the door for us.
“RO-RO is home!” he screams, and hugs Rosabelle.
“This is my little brother, Ridley,” says Rosabelle.
“HEY! Who are you?” says Ridley, pointing at me.
“Dory,” I say.
“She looks like a dumb bear!” Ridley screams, still pointing at me.
My mouth drops open. “What did you say?”
“Ridley!” says their dad, “That is very rude!”
“She does!” Ridley continues. “She really does. She looks like a dumb bear.”
“Forget him,” says Rosabelle. “He’s four. He’s crazy. . . .”
“What’s going on?” Rosabelle’s mom calls from her office. “Hi, Dory, nice to meet you! Welcome!” I look around Rosabelle’s house. It looks sort of like my house, but only when our house gets really messy. Not one thing castle about it.
As I’m walking up the stairs to Rosabelle’s room, Ridley points at me and screams, “She ate my chicken nugget!”
“What?” I say.
“That bear ate my chicken nugget!”
“I did not! I just got here! What is he talking about?”
Then he starts this terrible annoying cry, “She ate my chicken nugget!”
• • •
Finally, we are safely away from him in Rosabelle’s room with the door shut. But I can still hear him crying downstairs, “She ate my chicken nugget!” while Rosabelle’s parents try to calm him down.
Rosabelle’s room is not exactly The Princess and the Pea. It is the biggest mess I have ever seen. I can’t even walk without stepping on a Lego. Her bed is covered with books, and her sheets and blankets and pillows and skirts are on the floor in a nest.
“Um . . . do you want me to help you clean up your room?” I ask.
“No thanks,” she says, hugging her dragon.
“Are you sure?” I say. “I don’t mind.”
“We can just shove everythin
g over,” she says, and gets on her hands and knees and makes a clearing. Then she sets up a little tea set with water. “Now that Mrs. Gobble Gracker is a kid, anything could happen,” she says, and sips her water with her pinkie up. “What if she becomes the new kid at school? Or what if she moves next door to you and your mom makes you play with her?”
“Mrs. Gobble Gracker is so sneaky, I bet Gigi is even sneakier!” I say.
“Wait!” she says. “I just remembered—whatever you do, don’t say anything about Mrs. Gobble Gracker in front of Ridley,” says Rosabelle. “I do NOT want him to know about her! He always copies me and ruins everything, and it’s not fair. Okay?”
“Okay,” I say.
Suddenly, Ridley bursts into Rosabelle’s room and starts taking off his Batman costume until he is down to his fire engine underwear.
“What are you doing? Get out!!” says Rosabelle.
He hands the costume to me and says in a creepy robot voice, “YOU. WEAR. IT.”
“NO,” says Rosabelle. “She’s not wearing it.”
“How about . . . let’s just see if it fits,” I say, because I actually kind of want to wear it.
“Really?” says Rosabelle.
It’s a lot of work to get it on because it’s super tight, and the mask feels like it’s going to shrink my brain, but when I get it on . . . WOW! Something about this costume just feels awesome.
“Come on! Let’s go back to our teatime!” says Rosabelle.
But now that I’m wearing this costume, I can’t stop jumping off her bed.
