The Absolute Value of Mike Read Online Free PDF Page A

about calling Dad. He’d said to call only in a “dire emergency.” Since Poppy wasn’t actually a corpse, there was no dire emergency. And I sure didn’t want to admit that the artesian screw might be a bust. He’d just send more math problems. And he’d be more determined than ever to send me to the math and science school. Which meant more failure. More disappointment.
    â€œSo, Moo, where’s the artesian screw, anyway?”
    Moo shook her head and whispered, “Poppy and his helpers haven’t even started.”
    â€œOh, great.” I dropped my bags on the floor. “I’m only here for six weeks, you know.”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œIs that going to be enough time?”
    â€œI certainly hope so, dear. This is very important.”
    â€œNo kidding.” I glared at Poppy through the pass-through. He hadn’t moved, as far as I could tell, but the yellow yardstick was now on his lap.
    â€œMike, why don’t you try talking to Poppy? Maybe he’ll listen to you.”
    â€œMe?”
    She nodded, her big owl eyes looking sad yet hopeful.
    I walked slowly into the living room and made myself look at the creepy figure with hair horns. “So . . . dude . . . how about that artesian screw?”
    Poppy’s eyes narrowed and he turned away from me to look at the cat clock on the wall. I’d seen one like it on eBay. Although it was early afternoon, the clock was stuck on ten minutes after eight and was as motionless as Poppy.
    â€œYour clock’s broken,” I said.
    Poppy’s jaw clenched and his head dropped so far that his devil-horn tufts of hair stuck straight forward.
    Moo’s voice came from the kitchen. “Felix is fine. He just needs new batteries.”
    â€œFelix?”
    â€œFelix the Cat was a cartoon character Doug loved. He used to drive Poppy crazy singing that theme song.”
    â€œDo you have any batteries? I’ll put them in.”
    Moo beckoned to me through the pass-through and I went into the kitchen. “That’s sweet of you, Mike.” She glanced through the pass-through and lowered her voice. “Poppy doesn’t want anyone else to put the batteries in.”
    â€œThen why doesn’t he do it?”
    â€œHe doesn’t want anyone but Doug to put them in. You see, Doug gave Poppy that clock for Father’s Day many, many years ago. It was the first present he could actually buy for Poppy. He saved up a long time for that clock.”
    I looked at the grinning cat, wondering if Dad would feel that way about anything I gave him. I knew how Dad would feel about no artesian screw. “Listen, Moo, is there anything I can do to get Poppy’s project started?”
    Moo chewed her lip and looked through the pass-through at the Poppy lump. She leaned toward me and whispered, “I’m afraid the workshop is a mess. The first step would be to pick that place up.”
    â€œOkay, let me at it.”
    â€œPoppy doesn’t like anyone going into his workshop. It’s his man-cave. But maybe we should make an exception?”
    She padded into the living room, stopping at the row of keys by the front door. She checked to make sure Poppy wasn’t watching, snatched a key off the wall peg, and ran back into the kitchen, shoving the key into my hand.
    â€œSide door of the garage,” she hissed, and then, obviously for Poppy’s benefit, said, “Oh, Mike, WHY DON’T YOU GO OUTSIDE AND SEE MY VEGETABLE GARDEN?” She gave me a big wink.
    I headed for the garage. The door of the white frame building had a window in it, but it was so dark inside, I couldn’t see a thing. I stuck the key in the rusted lock, and after pushing against the door a few times, it opened. The smell of wood chips and shellac hit me and I breathed in deeply. It was a good smell and took me back to shop class at school. As I stepped into the garage to find light switches, my feet