Night of the Living Dummy Read Online Free PDF Page A

chair beside Mr. Wood. “Some kids were over, and I practiced my act for them. They laughed so hard, I thought they’d split a gut. When Slappy and I did our rap routine, Alice spit her chocolate milk out her nose. What a riot!”
    “That’s nice,” Kris said without enthusiasm. “Guess you and Slappy are ready for Amy’s birthday party on Saturday.”
    “Yeah,” Lindy replied. She placed Slappy’s arm around Mr. Wood’s shoulder. “They look so cute together,” she said. Then she noticed the clothing neatly draped over the desk chair. “What’s that?” she asked Kris.
    Kris raised her head from the pillow to see what her sister was pointing at. “My outfit for tomorrow,” she told her. “We’re having a dress-up party in Miss Finch’s class. It’s a farewell party. For Margot. You know. The student teacher.”
    Lindy stared at the clothes. “Your Betsey Johnson skirt? Your silk blouse?”
    “We’re supposed to get really dressed up,” Kris said, yawning. “Can we go to sleep now?”
    “Yeah. Sure.” Lindy made her way to her bed, sat down, and clicked off the bed-table lamp. “Are you getting any better with Mr. Wood?” she asked, climbing between the sheets.
    Kris was stung by the question. It was such an obvious put-down. “Yeah. I’m getting really good. I did some stuff for Cody. Out in the back yard. Cody laughed so hard, he couldn’t breathe. Really. He was holding his sides. He said Mr. Wood and I should be on TV.”
    “Really?” Lindy replied after a long moment’s hesitation. “That’s weird. I never thought Cody had much of a sense of humor. He’s always so grim. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh.”
    “Well, he was laughing at Mr. Wood and me,” Kris insisted, wishing she were a better liar.
    “Awesome,” Lindy muttered. “I can’t wait to see your act.”
    Neither can I, Kris thought glumly.
    A few seconds later, they were both asleep.

    Their mother’s voice, calling from downstairs, awoke them at seven the next morning. Bright, morning-orange sunlight poured in through the window. Kris could hear birds chirping happily in the old maple tree.
    “Rise and shine! Rise and shine!” Every morning, Mrs. Powell shouted up the same words.
    Kris rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then stretched her arms high over her head. She glanced across the room, then uttered a quiet gasp. “Hey—what’s going on?” She reached across to Lindy’s bed and shook Lindy by the shoulder. “What’s going on?”
    “Huh?” Lindy, startled, sat straight up.
    “What’s the joke? Where is he?” Kris demanded.
    “Huh?”
    Kris pointed to the chair across the room.
    Sitting straight up in the chair, Slappy grinned back at them, bathed in morning sunlight.
    But Mr. Wood was gone.

 
    7

    Kris blinked several times and pushed herself up in bed with both hands. Her left hand tingled. She must have been sleeping on it, she realized.
    “What? What’s wrong?” Lindy asked, her voice fogged with sleep.
    “Where’s Mr. Wood?” Kris demanded impatiently. “Where’d you put him?”
    “Huh? Put him?” Lindy struggled to focus her eyes. She saw Slappy sitting stiffly on the chair across the room. By himself.
    “It’s not funny,” Kris snapped. She climbed out of bed, pulled down the hem of her nightshirt, and made her way quickly to the chair in front of the window. “Don’t you ever get tired of playing stupid jokes?”
    “Jokes? Huh?” Lindy lowered her feet to the floor.
    Kris bent down to search the floor under the chair. Then she moved to the foot of the bed and got down on her knees to search under both twin beds.
    “Where is he, Lindy?” she asked angrily, on her knees at the foot of the bed. “I don’t think this is funny. I really don’t.”
    “Well, neither do I,” Lindy insisted, standing up and stretching.
    Kris climbed to her feet. Her eyes went wide as she spotted the missing dummy.
    “Oh!”
    Lindy followed her sister’s startled gaze.
    Mr. Wood