Wanted . . . Mud Blossom Read Online Free PDF Page A

cave—” Vern lowered his voice. “My family’s coming in. I can’t talk. Junior’s already heard too much.”
    â€œI can’t talk either,” Michael whispered.
    â€œSave me a seat on the bus.”
    â€œRight.”
    Vern hung up the phone and was standing innocently by the sink when the family came in the kitchen.

CHAPTER 6
Mud in the Basement
    Friday morning came at last. No one in the Blossom family had slept well. Pap was worried about Mary.
    Maggie was worried about being an ogrette. Vern was worried about being found out. Vicki was worried that her new pants suit was too loud.
    Junior couldn’t sleep for two reasons. One, he was worried about Mary. He actually wanted to worry about her because she was his best friend in the world. But then in the middle of his worrying, the thought of his surprise would pop up like a bubble of joy, and he wouldn’t be able to sleep because he felt bad about feeling so good.
    Junior was the first one dressed and he was in the kitchen, fixing a breakfast of peanut-butter toast, when the others came in.
    â€œIs this gorgeous or is this gorgeous?” Vicki Blossom asked. She danced into the kitchen, holding her new pants suit against her.
    â€œOh, Mom, it’s beautiful!” Maggie said.
    â€œYou really like it? It’s not too … loud?” Vicki Blossom walked across the kitchen. She paused at the sink to look at her reflection in the mirror there.
    â€œNo, you look good in bright colors.”
    â€œI’ve got a friend who does people’s colors, and that’s what she said too. It was way too expensive, but …” She smiled at herself. “You only live once.”
    â€œOnce is probably going to be enough for me,” Pap told his coffee cup.
    â€œNow, Pap,” Vicki Blossom said. “You need to get a new suit.”
    â€œIt takes more than a suit when you’re seventy-five years old.”
    â€œI couldn’t sleep last night for worrying that it was too loud.”
    â€œIt’s perfect. It’s …” Maggie searched for the right word. “It’s you!”
    Mud lay under the sink. He was dividing his attention between two things—Mad Mary’s bag, which hung out of reach on a coat hook, and Dump, who was standing in the doorway and looked like he wanted to come into the room.
    Mud had control over Dump. Dump was scared of him. And all Mud had to do to stop Dump from coming close was to let out a growl pitched so low that no human ears could hear it.
    Dump took two steps into the room. Mud gave his warning growl, and Dump stopped.
    Mud turned his eyes back to the bag.
    The bag … that bag.
    Mud had actually gotten possession of the bag last night.
    When the family was distracted, he had taken a corner of the bag in his mouth and was halfway out the door before Pap noticed.
    â€œOh, no, you don’t.”
    Mud had frozen. He’d looked up at Pap, but he hadn’t let go. He needed this bag. He needed to take it somewhere private and sort out the smells.
    Afterwards, he would roll on it to keep the smell with him.
    â€œDrop it, Mud. I said, drop it!”
    But Mud couldn’t, so Pap twisted it free.
    â€œMary’ll want that back. That bag’s important to her. I doubt she’s going to want that possum though. It’s getting rank.”
    Pap, with Mud at his heels, had gone outside and tossed the dead possum into the brush. Mud did not leap off the porch to check out the dead possum, because it wasn’t the possum that interested him.
    Now Mud’s look intensified as a breeze came through the open door, carrying the scent to Mud under the sink. The scent called and yet repelled him.
    At the table Junior let out a sigh. “I’m trying not to be happy about the surprise, but sometimes I can’t help myself. I’m trying as hard as I can but—”
    â€œI’m trying hard to be happy,” Vicki