21 - Go Eat Worms! (9 page)

The ground shook again.

Todd heard a low rumbling sound, like distant thunder.

“Hey—!” Danny cried, alarmed. He stopped digging.

“That always happens,” Todd told him. “No big deal. Keep digging.”

Danny dug his hand back into the mud. But he jerked it out quickly when the
ground shook again, harder this time. “Hey—why is this happening again?” he
cried.

“I told you. It’s nothing,” Todd insisted.

But then a loud roar made them both cry out.

The entire playground seemed to tremble. The roar grew louder, closer.

The ground shook. Then both boys heard a cracking sound.

Todd started to his feet. But the ground shook so hard, he tumbled back down
to his knees.

Craaaaaack.

“Oh, no!” Danny cried.

They both saw the dirt pull apart between them. It looked like a dark wound
opening up.

Another rumble. The ground quivered and shook. The mud split open. Wider.

Wider.

And something poked up from under the ground.

At first, Todd thought it was a tree trunk.

It was dark brown like a tree trunk. And round like a tree trunk.

But it was moving too fast to be a tree, rising up from the opening in the
mud.

And as the ground shook and the rumbling rose to a roar, Todd and Danny both
realized that they were gaping in horror at a giant
worm.

A worm as thick as a tree trunk.

Up, up it stretched, up from the mud, darting and dipping its enormous head.

Todd uttered a shriek of terror, and turned to run.

But his feet slipped on the wet, quivering mud. He fell forward, landing hard
on his knees and elbows.

And before he could pull himself up, the enormous worm swung around him,
swung around his waist, circled him, pulled itself tight.

“Ohhh!” he uttered a cry of panic.

A crazy thought burst into Todd’s head:
This is the mother worm. She’s come
up to protect her babies.

And then another crazy thought:
The worms are really getting their revenge
this time!

And then he had no more time for crazy thoughts. Or any other kinds of
thoughts.

Because the enormous worm was tightening itself around Todd’s waist, choking
off his breath, choking him, choking him.

Pulling him. Tugging him down into the mud, down into its cavernous hole.

He tried to call for help.

But no sound came out of his mouth.

He couldn’t yell. He couldn’t breathe.

The huge, wet worm was crushing him, crushing him as it pulled him down.

And then a dark shadow rolled over Todd. And everything went black.

Danny grabbed Todd’s feet and tried to pull him free.

But the worm had wrapped itself around Todd’s waist like a tight belt. Danny
pulled Todd’s ankles. Pulled hard.

But he couldn’t free his friend.

And now the worm was disappearing back into the gaping hole in the mud, and
taking Todd down with him.

And suddenly they were all covered in shadow.

“Huh?” Danny let out a startled gasp.

And raised his eyes to see what caused the shadow.

And saw the enormous robin bouncing along over the grass.

“Hey!” he frantically called out. “Regina! Beth!”

They were carrying the big papier-mâché bird home from school. He couldn’t see their faces. They were hidden on the other
side of the enormous robin.

“Regina! Help us!”

And then the bird’s shadow rolled over Danny and Todd.

And the worm jerked straight up. And began to tremble.

Did it see the shadow of the bird?

It jerked straight up—and let go of Todd.

Todd slid to the ground. And the quivering worm began to lower itself.
Instantly, with a sickening sucking sound, it dove back into the mud.

Gasping for breath, Todd scrambled away on all fours.

The worm—it thinks Christopher Robin is a real bird! he realized.

When he glanced back, the worm had vanished back under the ground.

“Regina! Beth!” Todd and Danny shouted together.

The two girls slowly lowered their science project to the ground. “What do
you want? What are you two doing here?” Regina demanded, poking her head around
from the other side of the enormous robin.

“Did you see it?” Todd cried breathlessly. “Did you see the worm?”

“It was so huge!” Danny added, pulling Todd to his feet. “It was as tall as a
building!”

“Ha-ha,” Beth said sarcastically. “You guys must think we’re really dumb.”

“No way we’re going to believe you caught a giant worm!” Regina added,
shaking her head.

“You didn’t see it?” Todd cried weakly. “You really didn’t see it?”

“We’re not making it up!” Danny shouted angrily. “It grabbed Todd. It was
huge and brown and slimy! It was pulling Todd down.”

“Give us a break,” Beth groaned.

“Go eat worms,” Regina said.

They hoisted up their giant robin and continued their slow trek toward the
street.

Todd watched the bird’s wide shadow roll over the grass. The shadow that had
saved his life.

Then he turned to Danny with a weary shrug. “Might as well go home,” he said
softly. “I’m not sure I believe it myself.”

Todd tossed all of his worms into the garden that afternoon. He told everyone
he never wanted to see a worm again.

When Danny came over to Todd’s house a few weeks later, he found Todd down in
the basement, busy with a new hobby. “What are you doing?” Danny asked.

Todd’s eyes remained on the fluttering creature inside the glass jar on the
worktable. “I’m chloroforming this butterfly,” he told his friend.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Danny asked.

“I dipped a wad of cotton in chloroform and dropped it into the jar. It will
kill the butterfly. Watch.”

When the gold-and-black butterfly stopped fluttering, Todd carefully opened
the jar. He lifted the butterfly out with long tweezers and gently spread its
wings. Then he hung it on a board by sticking a long pin through its middle.

“You’re collecting butterflies now?” Danny asked in surprise.

Todd nodded. “Butterflies are so gentle, so pretty,” he said, concentrating
on his work.

“Todd has changed a lot,” Regina announced, appearing at the bottom of the
stairs. “He isn’t into
gross
anymore. Now he’s into things that are soft
and beautiful.”

“Let me show you some of my most beautiful butterfly specimens,” Todd told
Danny. “I have a few monarchs that will knock your eyes out.”

Everyone was happy about Todd’s new hobby. Especially Regina. There were no
more cruel practical jokes played in the Barstow house.

Then, one night, Todd gazed up from his worktable—and uttered a horrified cry as he saw the big creature fluttering
toward him.

An enormous butterfly.

As big as a bedsheet!

Carrying an enormous silver pin.

“What are you going to
do
?” Todd cried.

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