Monsterstreet #3 by J. H. Reynolds

Author:J. H. Reynolds
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-07-01T16:00:00+00:00

19

Monster in the House

Ren couldn’t believe his eyes.

The carnie was gone. Forever.

Carnies can’t step beyond the boundary of the carnival, Ren realized. That’s why Zora said she couldn’t leave to visit her sister.

The Tick-Tock Man glanced in Ren’s direction, and Ren quickly hid behind a tent. He waited until he saw the Tick-Tock Man’s shadow disappear around the corner.

A few moments later, Ren sprinted through the carnival gates and back into the quiet world beyond.

The two miles back to Old Manor seemed like an eternity.

Coyotes howled from the forest.

Creatures lurked in the fields.

And hungry eyes stared back at him from the wild darkness.

Even the flyers stapled to the telephone poles seemed to glow in the dark, possessed by some strange magic that Ren had never known existed.

All the while, he thought of ways he might be able to trick the magician into getting close enough to the boundary to push him beyond it. Then perhaps all the deals would be voided—including Kip’s.

When he arrived back at Old Manor, he found Aunt Winnie helping the residents carve pumpkins for the jack-o’-lantern contest in the main hall.

“Hi, Ren. How was the carnival?” she asked.

“It’s evil!” Ren shouted. “It takes kids’ souls and makes them grow up overnight!”

“What are you talking about?” she said, putting down her carving knife and walking toward him, a concerned look in her eyes. “How many funnel cakes did you eat tonight?”

“You have to listen to me, Aunt Winnie,” Ren replied. “The magician—he’s—”

“I thought I told you to stay away from that man,” Aunt Winnie said.

Before Ren could explain, he heard the front door of Old Manor open. A teenage boy walked inside. The stranger looked about seventeen years old and seemed to know his way around. He walked into the next room, sat down in a chair, and stared out the window toward the carnival, his gaze unmoving, as if lost in a trance.

That’s when Ren realized . . .

The stranger was wearing Kip’s blue cap.

Kip? Ren thought, suddenly recognizing the young man’s eyes. He’s already aged ten years!

“Look, Aunt Winnie! Kip looks like a teenager now!” Ren said.

“What in the world, Ren?” Aunt Winnie asked in surprise, not understanding why he would say such a thing. She glanced at Kip in the other room, then back to Ren. “Kip still looks nine and not a day older. By the way, I left some homemade cookies in the kitchen at the guest house. Why don’t you take your brother over to eat a few and watch one of those monster marathons?”

Ren glanced over at Kip, then back to Winnie.

“You mean . . . you don’t see it?”

“See what?” Aunt Winnie asked.

When Ren turned back to Kip, he was gone.

The front door was open, and Kip was walking back toward the guest house.

“Never mind,” Ren said to Winnie, then hurried after his brother.

Aunt Winnie squinted, confused. She watched Ren as he ran out the door toward the guest house.

Once inside, Ren smelled the pumpkin–chocolate chip cookies that Aunt Winnie had made for them.

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