Leon and the Spitting Image by Allen Kurzweil

Author:Allen Kurzweil [Kurzweil, Allen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-06-203397-0
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2003-08-28T04:00:00+00:00

Lumpkin glowered at Leon, then grudgingly relinquished the doll.

Leon grabbed it and limped out of the gym.

By the time dismissal rolled around, Leon’s ankle was throbbing, his knees and elbows were burning. His morale was battered, his animile damaged.

Sitting at his desk, Leon inspected the master piece. Spit had soaked through the cape and the dress, penetrating deep into the doll’s panty hose–stuffed core.

One might think that the black cloth would have hidden the stain. But it didn’t. A horrible blotch discolored a large expanse of torso. Lumpkin was right. There was no way the doll could be submitted in its current condition.

Maybe Maria can help, Leon told himself. She had all those special cleansers back in Housekeeping. Her Poop-B-Gone had worked miracles after a cheetah had an accident near the key rack. Maybe the stuff removed teacher’s spit, too. It’s worth a try, Leon concluded.

In the meantime, he did what he could to limit permanent damage. Not wanting to touch the spit directly, he rubbed the tarry blemish with the hand of the doll, failing to realize that his intervention would only spread the stain more.

As Leon brushed, the doll gave off a slight warmth. Then, for the briefest moment, a tiny sparkle of light seemed to enter the doll’s dull eyes.

Leon stopped rubbing.

Giggles suddenly spread through the room. At first Leon thought he’d been caught cleaning the doll. But to his considerable relief, Miss Hagmeyer hadn’t heard him and none of his classmates were looking toward the back of the room.

He returned his attention to the stain. But as soon as he did, more laughter erupted. He looked up and saw Miss Hagmeyer acting very oddly, even by her standards.

She was stony faced, as if in a trance. Yet she appeared to be strumming an imaginary guitar. Her gestures so startled Leon that he again stopped rubbing the stain. The moment he did, Miss Hagmeyer stopped flailing her arm and regained her normal expression. It was as if master piece and master were playing a game of Simon Says.

No way, Leon told himself. Not possible. Definitely not possible.

He decided to run a test.

“Leon says, ‘Lift up your arms,’” Leon whispered to himself as he raised the arms of the doll. He watched and waited.

Within seconds Miss Hagmeyer was lifting her arms!

“Leon says, ‘Lower your arms,’” Leon murmured, releasing the arms of the doll.

After a brief pause, Miss Hagmeyer flopped her arms to her sides!

Leon’s heart began to race. Could his doll be controlling his teacher?

A more challenging test was in order. But what?

Leon initially decided to make Miss Hagmeyer stick her finger in her ear. But as he brushed back the doll’s hair, he changed his mind. Here was a unique opportunity to resolve a dispute that had been lingering since the very first day of school.

Though getting the right hold proved tricky, Leon eventually managed to curl the tiny fingers of the master piece around its black yarn wig.

He did his good-luck squinch and cluck, then gave the wig a quick firm tug.

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