Artifacts Read Online Free Page B

believe there are twenty-four.”
    “But …”
    “Seven stories are currently completed; therefore, you only have seventeen left to find and with which to astound me.”
    “Only?” I said. “Why don’t you create only seven displays? That way we’d be done with your project and can have fun for the rest of the year.”
    “I believe we should get Clarence to weigh in on the prospects of your completing your assignment,” Bartholomew said.
    “About one-eighty,” Mouth said.
    Bartholomew looked confused. “One-eighty … what?”
    Mouth cracked up. “That’s what you’d get if you had Crunch ‘weigh-in.’”
    “Clarence?” Bartholomew asked. “Is this something you will be able to complete in time or are we going to spend our summer together?”
    Crunch shot a look at Korie and me. We nodded and then Crunch agreed. “Yes,” Crunch said. “Twenty-four—”
    “Seventeen,” I corrected him.
    “Seventeen fairy tale displays to be completed before the end of the school year and I get to go to Camp Runamuck with everybody else.”
    “Then we have, as you say, a deal,” Bartholomew said. “Now run along. Scour the junkyards, garage sales, and trash heaps. The treasures are out there just waiting for you to pick them up with your grubby little hands. Be quick, be accurate, and be creative.”
    “Do you want us to bring these things back as we find them?” I asked. “Or hold on to them until we can bring them all at once?”
    “All at once would be perfect,” Bartholomew said. “And don’t forget your list.”
    He gave us a list of all the fairy tales we needed to find artifacts for. As I read down my list, it seemed to go on and on.
    “I’m not sure …”
    Bartholomew then proceeded to shoo us out of his classroom.
    “I hate getting shooed,” Mouth said.
    Tank laughed. “Good thing he didn’t shoo us like Dad does. I’m still kind of sore from the last time.”

Chapter Five
     
     
    Before we left the school, we ran down to the library and made several copies of the list Bartholomew had given us so each of us had our own.
    “We should split up to save time and cover more ground,” I said. “Korie’ll go with me.”
    Mouth laughed. “Now that’s a surprise.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
    “It means that you two never go anywhere without each other,” Crunch said.
    “And you’re never more than hand-holding distance apart,” Mouth added.
    I laughed. “What the heck is hand-holding distance?”
    “Hand-holding distance is the amount of space that if you moved your hands toward each other, you’d be holding them.” Crunch laughed. “You two have been like that since the second grade.”
    “That’s so not true.” I laughed, taking a step away from Korie.
    “See,” Crunch said, “you even moved away, but you’re still there. Hold your hands up.”
    Korie and I both held our hands out to our sides. At the last minute, I pulled mine in a little bit so they wouldn’t touch.
    “See,” I said.
    “Shut up,” Mouth said, pushing my arm until the elbow straightened out and my hand almost slipped right into Korie’s.
    I twisted around until I got away from Mouth and out of hand-holding distance from Korie … just to show I could do it.
    “Anyway,” I continued, surprised Korie didn’t seem to have a problem with that distance. “We need to split up. Korie and me, Mouth and Tank, and Crunch and …”
    “Crunch and Crunch.” Crunch’s face sank. “Just like always. I only have hand-holding distance with myself.”
    “Oh, come on now.” Korie pushed him. “You’re cute and funny. Now, if you just quit being such a whiner, there may be a Crunch and someone else.”
    Crunch smiled. “We all know that’s hogwash, but it was nice of you to say.”
    Okay,” I said. “Korie, Crunch, and I will go one way and the Wahoo brothers will go … wherever they want to stumble off to. I’m sure that whatever you bring back will be great!”
    “We’ll