03 - Monster Blood Read Online Free Page A

sarcastically. “Hey—look!” He picked up a
lunchbox with a cowboy dressed in black emblazoned on its side. “Hopalong
Cassidy,” he read. “Who’s Hopalong Cassidy?”
    “A cowboy with a stupid name,” Andy said, taking the old lunchbox from him
and examining it. “Look—it’s made of metal, not plastic. Wonder if my cousin
would like it. He likes stupid names, too.”
    “It’s a pretty weird present,” Evan said.
    “He’s a pretty weird cousin,” Andy cracked. “Hey, look at this.” She set down
the old lunchbox and picked up an enormous box. “It’s a magic set. ‘Astound your
friends. Perform one hundred amazing tricks,’” she read.
    “That’s a lot of amazing tricks,” Evan said.
    He wandered farther back into the dimly lit store, Trigger leading the way,
sniffing furiously. “Hey—” To Evan’s surprise, a narrow doorway led into a
small back room.
    This room, Evan saw, was even darker and dustier. Stepping inside, he saw
worn-looking stuffed animals tossed into cartons, games in faded, yellowed
boxes, baseball gloves with the leather worn thin and cracked.
    Who would want this junk? he thought.
    He was about to leave when something caught his eye. It was a blue can, about
the size of a can of soup. He picked it up, surprised by how heavy it was.
    Bringing it close to his face to examine it in the dim light, he read the
faded label: Monster Blood. Below that, in smaller type, it read: Surprising
Miracle Substance.
    Hey, this looks cool, he thought, turning the can around in his hand.
    He suddenly remembered the ten dollars his mother had stuffed into his shirt
pocket.
    He turned to see the store owner standing in the doorway, his dark eyes wide
with anger. “What are you doing back here?” he bellowed.

 
 
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    Trigger yipped loudly, startled by the man’s booming voice.
    Evan gripped the leash, pulled Trigger close. “Uh… how much is this?” he
asked, holding up the can of Monster Blood.
    “Not for sale,” the owner said, lowering his voice, his mustache seeming to
frown unpleasantly with the rest of his face.
    “Huh? It was on the shelf here,” Evan said, pointing.
    “It’s too old,” the man insisted. “Probably no good anymore.”
    “Well, I’ll take it, anyway,” Evan said. “Can I have it for less since it’s
so old?”
    “What is it?” Andy asked, appearing in the doorway.
    “I don’t know,” Evan told her. “It looks cool. It’s called Monster Blood.”
    “It’s not for sale,” the man insisted.
    Andy pushed past him and took the can from Evan’s hand. “Ooh, I want one,
too,” she said, turning the can around in her hand.
    “There’s only one,” Evan told her.
    “You sure?” She began searching the shelves.
    “It’s no good, I’m telling you,” the owner insisted, sounding exasperated.
    “I need one, too,” Andy said to Evan.
    “Sorry,” Evan replied, taking the can back. “I saw it first.”
    “I’ll buy it from you,” Andy said.
    “Why don’t you two share it?” the owner suggested.
    “You mean you’ll sell it to us?” Evan asked eagerly.
    The man shrugged and scratched his ear.
    “How much?” Evan asked.
    “You sure you don’t have another one?” Andy demanded, going back to the
shelf, pushing a pile of stuffed pandas out of her way. “Or maybe two? I could
keep one and give one to my cousin.”
    “Two dollars, I guess,” the man told Evan. “But I’m telling you, it’s no
good. It’s too old.”
    “I don’t care,” Evan said, reaching into his shirt pocket for the ten-dollar
bill.
    “Well, don’t bring it back to me complaining,” the man said grumpily, and
headed toward the cash register at the front of the store.
    A few minutes later, Evan walked out into the bright daylight carrying the
blue can. Trigger panted excitedly, wagging his stubby tail, pleased to be out of the dark,
dusty store. Andy followed them out, an unhappy expression on her face.
    “You didn’t buy the