The Neighborhood by S. K. Epperson

Author:S. K. Epperson [Epperson, S. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Tags: cookie429
ISBN: 9780843941098
Google: fMcEAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 084394109X
Goodreads: 1395478
Publisher: Dutton Books
Published: 1995-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Chance had a great time setting the birds free. He didn’t understand why Mr. Vaughn had been chained up, and he meant to ask, but he had to help him get home first. Mr. Vaughn didn’t want anyone to see them, he said, so he made Chance look carefully around to see if anyone was watching. Chance didn’t see anyone. There was a strange car at Eli’s house, so that meant Eli’s dad had a patient and wouldn’t be looking outside. There was no one home at the Conlans’, and Chance knew Mrs. Vaughn was gone. There was only Chance’s mother to worry about, and Chance wasn’t worried about her because she was working in her sewing room and never looked up for anything when she was doing her sewing.

He told Mr. Vaughn that everything was okay and he helped him out the back door. When they were down the steps, Mr. Vaughn said, “Wait. We need to leave the back door open so the birds can fly out. Get that brick over there, Chance. We’ll prop it open.”

Chance let Mr. Vaughn lean against the trunk of a maple tree while he got the brick and opened the back door. One bird, a white cockatoo, flew out immediately. Chance laughed and clapped his hands.

“That’s probably the one who screamed for help. Did you see him? Look, he’s in that tree over there.”

Mr. Vaughn looked strangely at him. “The bird screamed for help?”

“He told me he was trapped and couldn’t get out. He asked me to help him.”

Mr. Vaughn rubbed his face and looked at the sky. Chance watched him and asked why he was chained up in Mr. Peterwell’s house.

It was several moments before Mr. Vaughn answered. He felt his swollen nose and said, “We were playing a game, Chance. I got loose, so I win. Let’s keep it a secret, all right? You don’t tell anyone I was there, and I won’t tell anyone you broke into Mr. Peterwell’s house. Okay?”

Chance’s nod was vigorous. “I won’t tell. I won’t tell anyone. And you won’t tell anyone I let the birds go.”

“That’s right. Now, help me home, Chance, and remember, don’t tell anyone you saw me. I’m not home. You haven’t seen me. Got that?”

“But you just said to take you home.” Chance was confused.

“I know I did, but don’t tell anyone you helped me. You haven’t seen me, all right? If anyone asks, you haven’t seen me at all.”

“Okay. I understand now. You don’t want anyone to know you’re home.”

“Right. No one. Not even your mother, okay?”

“Okay. Mr. Vaughn, we better get going now.”

Chance went to help him into the house next door. As they rounded the corner of the yard, Chance wrinkled his nose. It wasn’t nice to say so, he knew, but Mr. Vaughn didn’t smell very good. He smelled like pee.

They went in through the garage, where the window was broken, and Chance asked Mr. Vaughn how he was going to get in his house. Mr.

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