The Suburb Beyond the Stars by M. T. Anderson

Author:M. T. Anderson [Anderson, M. T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-545-36979-4
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2010-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

It burst into the room. They heard it through the closet door. It was heavy. The floor shook when it stomped.

Gregory slid back farther among the shelved toys, shoving aside a hanging backpack.

“Deatley!” the thing yelled in a voice that was not human.

It threw the door open.

Gregory dropped to the floor and covered his head with his arms.

Brian stood awkwardly on one leg — the other raised slightly in panic — and stared the monster in the eye.

It was about seven feet tall, armed with a huge battle-ax, and encased in a strange armor, curiously wrought, with acanthus inlay on the plates and spikes. The visor of the helmet had a huge, hooked snout, from wherein came the terrifying voice of the giant, which, from a throat inhuman, through fanged teeth, rang in the metal as the beast spoke. It said:

“Brian?”

Brian stared at the giant and its battle-ax. “Kalgrash?” he said.

The monster looked quickly around. “Is, um, Milton Deatley here?”

“He left,” said Gregory from the floor.

“Darn.” The monster put his ax down. “I wanted to cleave him,” he explained. Hands free, he raised his visor.

It was indeed Kalgrash the troll. It was hard not to recognize his spiky nose and uneven, nail-like teeth.

“Kalgrash!” said Brian, jubilantly.

Kalgrash laughed and gave Brian a big hug.

“Ow!” said Brian. “Ow, your, you know, your plate mail is completely — ow!”

“Oh. Sorry,” said Kalgrash, releasing the boy. “I’m still not used to being as strong as a hundred oxen.”

Gregory stood up. “Great to see you,” he said. “You’re about three feet taller than last time.”

“Milk,” said Kalgrash. “Kidding.”

“You are taller,” Brian pointed out. “Way taller.”

“Yup, I was, how could you say it, refitted?”

“What? How?” Brian asked.

“A while ago — I can’t tell how long — I can’t tell anything anymore — well …” The troll clunked over to the bed and sat down. “We began to see the houses going up, and there was something wrong with them. At first, we thought it was just a normal development. But then Prudence sensed there was something wrong, that there was an eel in the Jell-O, so to speak, and I didn’t like how things were going. So I went up to Wee Sniggleping’s workshop and I said to him, ‘Look here. I think a hard time’s coming, and I need to be taller and armored.’ So just in time, he fit me up with some new body parts and this armor. I drew it on a piece of paper for him and designed it myself. He just took my crayon drawing and he built all of this to my specifications. It was really nice of him. Then he transferred my … you know … brain, I guess, and face.” Kalgrash paused. “He’s gone,” he said. “Wee Snig. He’s gone. Everything’s gone. I haven’t been able to find my house for weeks.”

“Prudence is gone, too,” Gregory said.

“I know. I’m terrified. And these kids,” said Kalgrash, gesturing to the kids in the walls. “Look at them. It’s awful, awful, awful.

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