The Puppet's Payback and Other Chilling Tales by Mary Downing Hahn

Author:Mary Downing Hahn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780358067344
Publisher: HMH Books
Published: 2020-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The next morning, I left for school an hour early, hoping to find the old man in the alley and make him take the puppet back. Miss Wockanfuss already hated me. What she’d do when she saw Mr. Punkerino didn’t bear thinking about.

At the entrance to the alley, Mr. Punkerino said, “You can’t give me away. I’m yours for many a day.”

I ignored him.

The old man was going through the trashcans, making so much noise he didn’t see me until I was close enough to grab his sleeve.

“No,” he whispered. “No, not you.”

I didn’t know whether he meant me or Mr. Punkerino, but I thrust the puppet at him. “You put this on my hand. Now take it off!”

“Fickle, fickle,” Mr. Punkerino said, “got a face like a pickle.”

The old man shook his head. “Begging your pardon, but nobody can give you what you don’t want. You asked for him. You got him.”

Before I could say a word, the old man pulled loose and ran, a flash of gray rags disappearing down the alley. By the time I reached Elm Street, there was no sign of him. It looked like I’d have to take Mr. Punkerino to school after all. If he acted up—and I was sure he would—I’d probably spend the rest of my life in the principal’s office.

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