Riddles and Danger by Bryan Chick

Author:Bryan Chick
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins

Chapter 17

Richie Goes Blind and Chocolatey

“What time is it?” Ella asked Richie.

The two of them were walking home from Noah and Megan’s, Richie’s pockets full of new batteries, and a new charm bracelet dangling from Ella’s wrist. They were expected by their parents to go to Ella’s house, where a few neighborhood moms, including Richie’s, were playing cards.

Richie pulled back his sleeve. “Almost nine-thirty.”

Ella scanned the surrounding yards. “Which is a lot like almost ten o’clock.”

“Huh?”

“The tarsiers, they come out at ten.”

Richie glanced into the trees. “That’s right. I almost forgot.”

Ella stared into the bushes in Mrs. Johnson’s yard. Then she peered into the hollow of a tree. “Don’t you think it’s weird that we’ve never seen them. I mean, never.”

Richie shrugged. “You saw how small they are. And the way they blend with the trees.”

They turned onto another street and neared Ella’s house. As they headed up the driveway, Ella reached out and plucked away Richie’s glasses.

“Hey!”

She stuffed them into her pocket. “I’m going to need these.”

“What are you—”

“Let’s check out the tarsiers! We’ll tell our moms that you forgot your glasses at Noah’s. That’ll give us a reason to go back out. We can go into the woods by the Millers’, just for a few minutes.”

Richie considered this. “I don’t know,” he said at last. “What if—”

“Quit being such a wimp!”

As they turned onto the sidewalk leading to the front door, Richie felt his way, his hands probing the space in front of him. “I can’t see a thing without my glasses!” His ankle slipped off the edge of the concrete, and he almost fell.

Ella grabbed his wrist and escorted him onto the porch. Richie stumbled on the welcome mat and banged his forehead on the door. Someone inside hollered, “Come in!” and Ella burst out laughing.

“You could always try the doorbell,” Ella teased as she led Richie into the house.

A group of women were seated around the dining room table. They were sipping wine and holding spreads of playing cards that looked like Asian fans.

“Why, here they come now!” Richie’s mother said. Her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed a bit cheery. “We were just wondering about you two! I was just about to call—” She stopped herself short and swung around in her chair. “Richie, where are your glasses?”

Richie squinted down at his mother. “Huh?”

“Your glasses. How come you’re not wearing them?”

Richie groped at his face. “Oh great. I must have left them at Noah’s.”

Ella peered over at him. “I thought you looked weird. More than normal, I mean.”

At Ella’s joke, the ladies spasmed with laughter. Mrs. Morris set down her cards and squarely clapped her palms.

“Well, you’ll have to go get them,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “Right away.”

Ella checked the clock and saw it was still more than twenty minutes until ten. She had to stall.

“Let’s get a cup of hot chocolate first.” She went to the cupboard in the kitchen and pulled out two white packets. “We’re freezing. It’s snowing out there, you know.”

“Is it?” the ladies said in various ways.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.