The Bear Who Wouldn't Leave by J.H. Moncrieff

Author:J.H. Moncrieff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: horror;supernatural;childhood fears
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2015-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The next day I was scared to go home. Edgar may have been gone, but I still had to deal with Michael, who would be furious at how we’d taken off on him. I shuddered at the thought of what would happen if he caught me home alone.

Sean understood my plight without my saying a word. He started his campaign at breakfast, begging his mother to let me stay another night.

“Well, I don’t mind, but won’t your mother want you home, Josh?”

Remembering the relief in her eyes when I mentioned I’d be staying with Sean, I shook my head.

“I don’t think so. I think she’s glad to get me out of her hair.”

Sean’s mom laughed and leaned across the table to rumple my own. “I doubt that. I’ll have to give her a call, but if it’s all right with your mother, it’s all right with me.”

The possibility of being able to avoid Michael for one more day awakened my appetite, and I piled more pancakes on my plate. Sean nudged me under the table, and I glanced up to see him grinning at me. He winked, and I grinned back. Maybe his parents would adopt me, and then I could live there forever and ever. They already had three boys—what was one more? I would keep my room clean and do all the dishes. I’d be so neat they’d never know I was there. And then I wouldn’t have to see Michael or worry about Edgar again.

It was a nice fantasy, but I knew it couldn’t work. I couldn’t leave my mother alone with him. Two days was one thing, but a lifetime? Never.

Sean’s mother called for him when we were up in his tree house, drinking Kool-Aid and reading about the latest adventures of Spider-Man. My friend poked his head through the trapdoor.

“No moms allowed!” he roared. Ordinarily this made her smile, but not today.

“I’m sorry, boys,” she said, and she really did sound sorry, “but you’re going to have to come down. Josh’s mother wants him home right away.”

Goose bumps broke out on my arms in spite of the warmth of the day.

“But why?” Sean said in his best whiny voice. When it came to getting his way, he was an expert.

“That’s what I want to talk to you about. I need you to come down here right now.”

“But—”

“Now, Sean.”

Resigned, we slumped down the ladder to the ground. By that point, my legs were trembling so badly that my sneakers kept slipping on the rungs. I almost fell twice. With our heads bowed, we dragged ourselves to where Mrs. Barry was waiting in the kitchen. She was frowning. I had never seen her so angry before.

“Is it true you were rude to Josh’s stepfather?” She glared at Sean. We both started at the question. We hadn’t been expecting it.

“No,” Sean said, his eyes widening until he was the picture of innocence. “No, Mom. I wasn’t rude to him.”

“Well, Josh’s mother tells it differently. She says Michael told you both to go home, and that you deliberately disobeyed him.

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.