Time for Andrew Read Online Free PDF Page A

to take full responsibility for him."
    Her words made me shiver. It was wrong to joke about the dead, wrong to steal from them. Dropping the cigar box into the hole, I fled downstairs behind my aunt.

Chapter 5
    Before I went to bed that night, Aunt Blythe said, "I've been thinking about the marbles, Drew. If you're really worried, I'll put them back. Would that make you feel better?"

    I was standing at the foot of the steps, afraid to go to my room, but ashamed to admit it. Without looking at my aunt, I picked at a fleck of peeling paint on the bannister. "Can we do it now?"
    "Not in the dark." Aunt Blythe shuddered. "We'd probably fall through the floor."
    "First thing in the morning then."
    "Right after breakfast." She seized my hand and gave it a firm shake, a promise. "Go to bed now. It's past ten."
    Slowly, I climbed to the landing. Above me the hall was dark. I'd forgotten to turn on the light at the bottom of the steps. If I went back, I'd prove I was a baby, scared of everything.
    I put my foot on the first step and gripped the bannister. All I had to do was run up the rest of the steps, dash through my door, flick a switch, and leap into bed. I'd be safe in my own room. But I couldn't lift my other foot. It was like jumping off the high dive—the more you thought about it, the worse it seemed.
    Suddenly, my scalp tightened. Something moved in the shadows above me. For a second, I saw a flickering image as insubstantial as a drawing on air. Two women stood outside my door. They wore long dresses and clung to each other, sobbing, their faces hidden.

    Before I could make a sound, they vanished. The hall was empty. Moonlight patterned the walls and floor with shifting shadows. What had I seen? I didn't know, couldn't be sure. The figures had disappeared too quickly.
    Beside me, the window curtains stirred in a breeze. It was cold on the landing. I wanted to fling myself into my aunt's arms and beg her to protect me, I wanted to jump into bed and pull the quilt over my head, but I was too scared to move. The ghosts might appear again, they might be waiting for me, they could be hiding anywhere.
    Upstairs, the hall floor creaked, and Binky appeared at the top of the steps, grinning down at me. I took a deep breath and ran to him, scooped him up, hugged his warm, furry body. He'd protect me, keep me safe.
    "Are they gone?" I whispered.
    "Whuff." Binky licked my cheek and wagged his tail.
    Holding the dog tightly, I looked around. The hall was definitely empty. I carried him into my room and turned on the light. Everything was the way I'd left it. No sobbing ladies in long dresses. No Andrew either.
    Once more, I shoved the rocking chair in front of the attic door. Undressing quickly, I got into bed and put my arms around Binky. "You didn't see them, did you? If they'd been here, you would've barked."
    Binky wagged his tail again, and I relaxed a tiny bit. "It was just my imagination, wasn't it?"
    "Whuff."
    Hoping
whuff
meant yes, I pulled the dog under the quilt with me and tried to fall asleep.

    The next thing I knew, I was dreaming about a rocket ship traveling through space at hyperspeed. The captain had his back to me. He wore a jacket quilted with tumbling blocks. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was old. Very old.
    Suddenly a shower of marbles spun toward us out of the blackness—moonstones, cat's-eyes, immies, blood-red aggies. Like meteorites, they trailed fire. They struck the window, clickety click. They bounced and knocked against the ship's sides, clickety clickety click.
    "You found them," the old man said. "Don't deny it. If he comes for them, you must take full responsibility."
    When the captain turned and looked at me, it was my own face I saw. "Andrew," I cried. "Andrew!"
    Wide awake, I sat up in bed and stared at the ceiling. Overhead, things bumped and clattered. Someone was in the attic. Then I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs slowly, one step at a time. I knew who it was, I knew