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Authors: Suzy Kline

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BOOK: Horrible Harry and the Dungeon

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“Eagles eat snakes. The Mexican flag proves it!” Dexter replied.

Flash!

When Mrs. Kamaya took our picture, I noticed Miss Mackle had her hand over her eyes.

“Big deal,” I said. “Eagles can't swim. Snakes can. Here's a picture of one.”

Harry and I unrolled the mural we had made of a nine-foot-long sea snake.

Flash!

Dexter pulled a quarter out of his pocket. “Eagles are on coins and dollar bills.”

Suddenly Song Lee waved everyone over to the butterfly net. “Look! The last painted lady just hatched. She's perfectly still on this branch.”

Flash! Flash! Flash!

After Mrs. Kamaya talked with the Butterfly Club, Miss Mackle walked her to the door.

“Did you see new painted lady?” Song Lee said to Harry and me.

We looked.

“I put sugar water inside cage so butterfly can drink.”

We watched Song Lee carefully lay a lid of sweet water down on the floor of the net cage.

“She is so beautiful,” Song Lee said.

We nodded.

Then she did it.

Song Lee gently stroked one wing of the newest painted lady.

Harry and I gasped.

“You touched the butterfly wing!”
I shouted. “It could be
handicapped
now.”

Miss Mackle stepped back into the room. Mrs. Kamaya had just left. “What's going on?” she asked.

Song Lee started to cry.

“Who touched that butterfly wing?” Miss Mackle asked.

No one said anything.

“I just explained to everyone this morning about not touching the butterfly. That could keep the butterfly from flying!”

Song Lee was sobbing now.

“Who did this?”

Harry jabbed my side. When I looked at him, he was raising his eyebrows three times.

The Big Black Bag Plan!

I lowered my eyebrows. WHAT? I pantomimed.

Harry pantomimed back,
TELL HER I DID IT.

Huh? I thought. Put the blame on Harry? How could I do that? He was my buddy. He was innocent.

I looked at Song Lee. She was still crying. I didn't want
her
to get in trouble.

Then Harry jabbed me and raised his eyebrows up and down again three times.

This was The Plan.

Slowly, I opened my mouth.

“Harry ... did ... it.”

“Harry?” Miss Mackle replied.

“Yeah, I did it.”

Song Lee looked up at Harry, and then wiped her eyes with her blouse sleeve.

“That's the last straw, Harry!” Miss Mackle said. “You will report to the Suspension Room tomorrow.”

The Dungeon!
I thought.

When Miss Mackle walked back to her desk to write a note to Harry's parents, Harry folded his arms. “I'll find out what's in Sk-skooghammer's black bag now.”

I stared at Harry.

He was trying to be the tough guy.

But he was stuttering.

“What about Skooghammer?” I asked. “You said you would never want to spend a whole day with him.”

Harry shivered. “I wouldn't. And I'm not going to. I plan to be in the Dungeon about fifteen minutes, just long enough to check out the place and find out what sharp weapons are in his bag. At 9:15, you tell Miss Mackle what really happened.”

“You want me to rat on Song Lee?”

“No! Just tell the truth. Song Lee was out of the room when the teacher talked about the butterfly's wings. Song Lee won't be in trouble. She didn't know. Miss Mackle will feel bad, and come and get me.”

Then Harry paused.

“Make that ten minutes in the Dungeon. Tell Miss Mackle at 9:10.”

I shook my head.

Harry didn't know what he was getting himself into.

His Big Black Bag Plan depended on two important things.

Harry's bravery.

My tattling on Song Lee.

Neither was a sure thing.

Harry Goes to the
Dungeon

The next morning Harry was not himself.

He came into Room 2B, sat down, and folded his hands.

He never does that.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Harry nodded.

Then it came to me.

Harry wanted Miss Mackle to change her mind about sending him to the Dungeon.

I looked around the room. Song Lee wasn't there yet. I wondered if she was going to be absent.

Miss Mackle looked at the carnations on her desk. “Who brought these?”

Harry raised his hand. “I did. They're for the butterflies. They need pollen.”

Then he flashed a toothy smile.

It was Harry's way of saying he was sorry about yesterday.

Miss Mackle smiled back. “How thoughtful! Thank you, Harry.”

Everyone watched Miss Mackle snap the heads off the three carnations and place them on the floor of the butterfly cage.

Two painted ladies landed on them right away. We watched them sniff the petals.

A minute later, when Mr. Skooghammer appeared at the doorway, the entire class turned to look.

“Man, he's weird,” Dexter whispered behind me.

Some other kids whispered about the earring in his eyebrow. I noticed his S.O.S. pad hairdo.

Then I noticed Harry.

His folded hands looked like an air drill hammering on his desk.

“Are you afraid?” I asked.

Harry shot me a look. “Me? Afraid? Come on!”

Then he whispered, “Make that five minutes in the Dungeon. Tell the teacher at 9:05.”

I looked at the clock. It was 8:58.

“Okay, Harry,” I whispered back.

It would be easier to tell on Song Lee if she wasn't there.

“Boys and girls,” Miss Mackle said. “This is Mr. Kookhammer.”

“Skooghammer,” he corrected.

Everyone laughed except Harry.

Miss Mackle continued, “Mr. Skooghammer will unfortunately be taking Harry down to the Suspension Room for the whole day. I look forward to seeing Harry tomorrow, when he will have a better attitude.”

Mary folded her arms. “I knew Harry would be the first one to go from our room.”

Mr. Skooghammer pulled on his red beard as he waited at the door. He didn't have his black bag with him. It was probably in
the Dungeon.

Harry got up. He walked down the aisle like he was walking to his execution.

Slowly

Carefully.

Miss Mackle handed him a pile of work. “I expect this to be done by three, Harry”

Harry raised his head as if to say “yes” like a tough guy.

Then he dropped the books and papers. Ida got out of her seat and helped him pick them up.

Finally, Harry was at the doorway with his stuff. He was about two feet shorter than Skooghammer.

When Harry turned and gave me one last look, he held up five fingers. I felt so bad. My buddy was innocent. He was going to the Dungeon for a crime he didn't do.

And for what?

A big black bag that bulged?

I didn't think Harry cared about it anymore.

Trapped