The Mutant Mushroom Takeover by Summer Rachel Short

Author:Summer Rachel Short
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 2020-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A tall, spindly man in a long dark coat glides between the trees. Something about the length of his nose or the slight stoop in his shoulders makes me think he’s old. But then I’m not so sure. His hair is jet-black, and his skin is so smooth it shines like when Gramma slathers on her wrinkle cream at night.

“Who have you brought me today, Ezra?” the man asks, tilting his head.

“This is my little sister, Maggie, and her friend, Nate.” Ezra’s eyes hover around his boots.

I scowl at Ezra. I don’t want this guy knowing my name.

“I am Albert Eldridge, the caretaker of these woods.” He extends a hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Nate lifts his chin slightly. “Hey.”

Albert’s face and hands have the same faint tint as Ezra’s, like after we dye eggs at Easter and the food coloring won’t quite wash out. Albert follows my gaze. “The mushrooms discolor the skin. It’s of no concern.” His hand still sticks out waiting for me to give it a shake.

I cross my arms, and at last Albert slips his hand back into the pocket of his seasonally inappropriate coat.

“How exactly did you end up the new caretaker?” I ask. “Bell just died. Are you related to him or something?”

“Mags, don’t,” Ezra says in a low voice.

“No relation.” Albert’s pale irises peer through me. “But I served as his apprentice for many months. It was natural that he leave the property to me.”

They haven’t even had Old Man Bell’s memorial service yet. I don’t know a ton about legal stuff, but Albert owning the land seems awfully fast.

Albert lifts a shaggy brow and surveys the field. “Would you like to join the others? There’s plenty of work for all.”

My heart hiccups and I exchange a quick glance with Nate. “We’re not here to join anything. We’re just doing some research.”

“I see.” Albert’s face stretches into something resembling a smile. “Please explore wherever you wish.”

“Albert’s just being generous. You don’t really need to hang around,” Ezra says.

“They are welcome here.”

“Right, of course, sir.” Ezra’s cheeks flush. “That’s very nice of you.”

Ezra says he’s investigating, but it looks more like he’s just here to suck up to Albert Eldridge. If I’m going to gather decent evidence, I need answers. And the new caretaker might be the only one who’s got them. “Why do you have my brother picking mushrooms? Why aren’t any of the workers wearing gloves? Aren’t you worried about their safety?”

A buzz whirrs from a nearby shrub and a lone bumblebee emerges, flying in an erratic zigzag. “You have many questions,” Albert says and stretches out a long, knobby finger. The bee lands and perches on the tip.

Nate takes a scrambling step back. “Um sir, there’s a bee on your—”

Ezra glares at me. “My sister likes to think she knows a lot about science and stuff. Don’t worry about her. She was just about to leave,” Ezra says, then drops his voice and says to me, “Just shut up, okay?”

“I do know a lot about science and stuff.

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