The Goblin's Winter by Alex Norton

Author:Alex Norton [Norton, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-05T04:30:00+00:00

Part Five:

In the Attic

They made their way, balancing the snacks carefully when opening the attic door. “Up here,” said Danny, ascending.

“You sleep in the attic?” asked Ezra.

“Yeah,” said Danny.

When they came to the top and Ezra looked around he said, “Oh. I see. It's nice.”

“You think they hide me up here with the cobwebs and bells like Quasimodo?” said Danny.

Ezra looked skeptical. “You've read the Hunchback of Notre Dame?” he asked.

“No,” said Danny, unaware it was a book. “I saw the movie, the old one with Lon Cheney. Not the cartoon, that one was kind of lame.”

“I've never seen either of them,” said Ezra. “I don't watch movies or television.”

“What movies have you seen?” asked Danny.

“I don't watch movies or television,” Ezra repeated as if Danny was being slow.

“You mean, like, ever?” said Danny. Now it was his turn to look skeptical. “You've never seen a movie. Any movie. Ever.”

“Okay,” said Ezra. “I might have seen a couple of movies. Maybe. A long time ago. Mostly I read books.”

“Oh, well, of course, you can't do both,” said Danny. “Because that would be ridiculous.” He set the plates down on his bed.

“Mindlessly watching screens reduces your brain's ability to focus. It's like eating nothing but sugar. Turns you into a drooling idiot.”

“That explains me, then,” said Danny amiably. “OH MY GOD!”

Ezra jumped at the unexpected outburst. “What?” he said, but Danny was already speeding toward the new structure standing in the middle of the attic.

He put his hands on it to make sure it was real. The giant, outdoor sized trampoline sat shiny-new and inviting, all set up and ready to go. You could fit a dozen people on it. “Look!” he said, pointing.

“I see,” said Ezra. “It's a trampoline.”

“Y-EAH!” said Danny.

“You're very excited by this?”

“I have a little one back at our old house,” said Danny. “It's like my favorite thing. It helps me think.”

“How?” asked Ezra.

“I think better when I'm moving,” said Danny. “I think that's why school is hard for me, y'know, just sitting there all the time.”

“Ah,” said Ezra, nodding. “So.....”

“So?”

“You lured me here by telling me you had to show me how you knew the answer to the riddle.” He spread his hands wide apart. “So. Show me.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Danny. He was nervous about that. He didn't know how Ezra would react. Plus, Danny was afraid he'd leave immediately once he knew the answer, whether he believed it or not. “Weren't we going to discuss goblin trapping strategies?”

“Mmmm-hmmm,” mumbled Ezra. “I want an answer to my question first.”

Danny took a deep breath. “All right,” he said and headed for the tower room. Ezra followed him.

Danny opened the door to the tower, and Ezra was immediately distracted by the windows, the view. “Wow,” he said quietly. “You can see the whole town from here.”

Danny went over to the chalkboard on the easel. “Here,” he said.

Ezra looked over. For one suspenseful moment, Danny thought he couldn't see the message. Maybe it was invisible, for Danny's eyes only. There was also the possibility that he was crazy and there was nothing there at all.

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