They Call Me Creature Read Online Free PDF Page B

are you and your dad up to these days? You two still making up Scrabble words? Still taking long walks in the woods?”
    I took a deep breath. “We don’t really play Scrabble all that much. We hardly do anything together lately.”
    My throat suddenly felt so dry. I coughed. “He’s—I don’t know—different lately.”
    Dr. Carpenter’s eyebrows went up. “Different? What do you mean? How is he different?”
    â€œWell … he’s very quiet and … angry. He hardly talks to me. He—he spends a lot of time alone, working in the shed.”
    â€œHmmm. That doesn’t sound like your dad at all. What is he working on?” Dr. Carpenter asked.
    â€œI don’t know. He won’t tell me,” I replied.
    Dr. Carpenter reached across the desk and squeezed my hand. “Laura, he’s probably just out of sorts. Leaving a job isn’t easy. You have to give him time.”
    I swallowed hard. “I … wanted to ask you about that. Why … why did my dad leave?”
    Dr. Carpenter released my hand. She leaned back in her chair and sighed.
    â€œPlease tell me,” I pleaded. “Why did my dad leave the animal hospital?”

 

    â€œI had to let him go,” Dr. Carpenter said finally.
    I gasped. “You mean—you fired him?”
    She sat up straight. Her cheeks reddened. “Well … that’s not really the right word. I had to let him go because—”
    â€œWhy?” I interrupted. “Why?”
    She swallowed. “It’s hard to explain, Laura. We … had different goals. We wanted to take our research in different directions.”
    I let out a deep breath. Different goals, I thought. That seemed okay.
    Suddenly I felt all the tension leave my body. It was good to have someone to talk to. I knew coming here was the right thing to do.
    I sat back in my chair. “What kind of work is Dad—” I started to ask another question, but the phone rang.
    â€œSorry,” she said, making a face at the phone. She picked up the receiver and talked for two or three minutes. “No, you shouldn’t bathe him,” she kept saying. “Keep the fur dry. I know, I know. You’ll have to put up with the smell. No. You shouldn’t bathe him.”
    After a few more minutes she hung up the phone and stood up. “I’m sorry, Laura. I’d better get back to work. But come back anytime. Really. I mean it. I’ve missed you.”
    We said our goodbyes and I left.
    Outside, heavy clouds had rolled over the sun, and the air had turned cold. Wisps of fog floated low to the ground.
    Visiting Dr. Carpenter was a good idea. But I still felt so confused. I wasn’t any closer to finding out why Dad was acting so strange.
    When I reached home, I headed to the shed. I put my ear to the door. Quiet. Dad wasn’t in there. I yanked hard on the lock.
    â€œYou won’t get it open that way.”
    I jumped back in surprise as Joe jogged out from the woods.
    He grinned at me. “I think a key would work better.”
    I laughed. I was glad to see him. He looked really cute in baggy khaki shorts and a faded red T-shirt.
    This time I’m definitely going to invite him to the birthday party, I decided. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “I was exploring, you know. I spotted the back of the house from the woods, but I didn’t know it was yours.”
    He grinned and swept back his long hair with both hands. “You should have come to the pond today. I saw a whole family of deer there.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Of course. The deer come when I’m not there. They don’t want me to get an A.”
    We both turned when we heard a growl coming from the trees.
    A dog’s growl.
    Georgie loped to the edge of the clearing. He stopped a few feet from us and raised his head, big, brown eyes studying us