How I Got My Shrunken Head Read Online Free Page B

her hair. She twisted it around her finger, staring at me.
    Carolyn stepped behind the lab table and leaned her elbows on it. She rested her head in her hands. “Your aunt Benna is missing,” she said.
    Her words made my head spin.
    They were so unexpected. And she said them so flatly. Without any feeling at all.
    “She’s …
missing?”
    “She’s been missing for a few weeks,” Kareen said, glancing at her father. “The three of us — we’ve been trying really hard to find her.”
    “I — I don’t understand,” I stammered. I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets.
    “Your aunt is lost in the jungle,” Dr. Hawlings explained.
    “But — Carolyn said —” I started.
    Dr. Hawlings raised a hand to silence me. “Your aunt is lost in the jungle, Mark.”
    “But — but why didn’t you tell my mom?” I asked, confused.
    “We didn’t want to worry her,” Dr. Hawlings replied. “Benna’s your mom’s sister, after all. So Carolyn brought you here because
you
can help us find her.”
    “Huh?” My mouth dropped open in shock. “Me? How can I help?”
    Dr. Hawlings stepped across the small room toward me. His eyes locked on mine. “You can help us, Mark,” he said in his hoarse whisper. “You can help us find Benna — because you have Jungle Magic.”

9
    “I have
what?”
    I stared at Dr. Hawlings. I didn’t know what he was talking about.
    Was
Jungle Magic
some kind of computer game? Was it like
Jungle King?
    Why did he think I had it?
    “You have Jungle Magic,” he repeated, staring back at me with those amazing blue eyes. “Let me explain.”
    “Daddy, give Mark a break,” Kareen interrupted. “He’s been flying for a hundred hours. He must be wrecked!”
    I shrugged. “Yeah. I’m a little tired.”
    “Come sit down,” Carolyn said. She led me over to a tall stool beside the lab table. Then she turned to Kareen. “Do we have any Cokes left?”
    Kareen pulled open a small refrigerator against the back wall. “A few,” she replied, bending down to get to the bottom shelf. “Ernesto is supposed to bring another carton on his next flight.”
    Kareen brought me a can of Coke. I popped it open and tilted the can to my mouth. The cold liquid felt so good in my hot, dry throat.
    Kareen leaned against the table, close to me. “Have you ever been to a jungle before?”
    I swallowed more Coke. “No. Not really. But I’ve seen a lot of jungle movies.”
    Kareen laughed. “It’s not like in the movies. I mean, there aren’t herds of gazelles and elephants gathering at the water hole. At least, not on Baladora.”
    “What animals are on the island?” I asked.
    “Mosquitoes, mostly,” Kareen answered.
    “There are some beautiful red birds,” Carolyn said. “Called scarlet ibises. You won’t believe their color. Kind of like flamingos, only much brighter.”
    Dr. Hawlings had been studying me the whole while. He walked over to the table and dropped down onto a stool across from me.
    I held the cold soda can against my hot forehead. Then I lowered it to the table. “Tell me about my aunt Benna,” I said to him.
    “Not much to tell,” Dr. Hawlings replied, frowning. “She was studying a new kind of tree snail. Somewhere on this end of the jungle. But one night she didn’t return.”
    “We’re very worried about her,” Carolyn said, twisting a strand of hair. She bit her lower lip. “Very worried. We searched and searched. Then we decided you could help us.”
    “But how can I help?” I demanded. “I told you — I’ve never been to a jungle.”
    “But you have Jungle Magic,” Carolyn replied. “Benna gave it to you. The last time she visited you. We read about it. It’s in Benna’s notebooks over there.”
    Carolyn pointed to a stack of black notebooks on the bookshelf against the wall. I gazed at them, thinking hard. I still didn’t understand.
    “Aunt Benna gave me some kind of magic?” I asked.
    Dr. Hawlings nodded. “Yes, she did. She was afraid the secret