She bit her bottom lip. “This isn’t a dream,” she replied quietly.
Evan shivered. It was a cold, clear night.
Andy wore her magenta windbreaker and a pair of silvery leggings. She had a
red wool ski cap pulled down over her short brown hair.
She raised the plastic can to Evan. “I think it’s the real thing. I hurried
over as soon as I was sure my parents were asleep.”
“Where did you get it?” he whispered.
“Behind the lab on Peachtree where my dad works. We were picking him up
before dinner. I was waiting in the parking lot behind the lab. I found this in
a whole pile of stuff.”
“You didn’t open it—did you?” Evan demanded.
“No way,” she replied. She tried to hand him the can. But he waved it away.
“I don’t want it,” Evan told her. “Why did you bring it over here?”
Andy shrugged. “I thought after this afternoon, you might want to pay Conan
back for being such a big jerk.”
“Yes, I do want to pay Conan back,” Evan admitted.
“So use the Monster Blood,” Andy urged. “You can put a little of it in his
lunch at school. You can—”
“No way!” Evan cried. “Conan is already a
mountain!
I don’t want to
make him any BIGGER!”
The light faded from Andy’s dark eyes. “I guess you’re right. But we could
put Monster Blood in his bed. Or—”
“Stop!” Evan ordered. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t want to use Monster Blood
on Conan. Kermit and I have another plan for Conan. A really good plan.”
“What is it?” Andy demanded eagerly.
“I’ll tell you as soon as you get rid of the Monster Blood,” Evan told her.
“I really don’t want that stuff around. Go hide it someplace where no one will
ever find it.”
“But, Evan—” Andy protested.
Evan didn’t let her finish. “You know what will happen if that can gets
opened,” he said firmly. “It will bubble up. And it will grow and grow, and we
won’t be able to stop it.”
“Okay, okay.” Andy rolled her eyes. “I’ll take it home. I’ll find a good
hiding place.”
“Promise?” Evan demanded, eyeing her sharply.
“Promise,” she repeated, raising her right hand.
“Hey—what’s that?” a voice called from behind them.
Evan spun around and saw Kermit scramble out the open window.
Kermit grabbed the blue can from Andy’s hand.
“Cool!” he cried. “Monster Blood! Is it real?”
He didn’t wait for an answer.
He gripped the can tightly—and pulled off the lid.
“No! Don’t do that!” Evan screamed.
Too late.
“Close it up!” Evan cried frantically. “Close the can—quick!”
Kermit stood staring into the open can. “It’s too dark. I can’t see
anything.”
“Give me that!” Evan ordered. He leaped forward and tried to swipe the can
away.
He grabbed the can—but knocked the lid from Kermit’s hand.
Kermit made a wild grab for the lid. But a gust of wind blew it out of his
reach.
As Evan gaped in horror, the wind lifted the plastic lid… lifted it over
their heads.
“Noooooo!” He let out a long wail as the lid spun crazily above them. He made
a wild grab. Another. Missed.
The wind carried the lid up to the slanted roof of the house. It hit the
shingles. Slid down a few feet. And came to a rest in the metal rain gutter.
“I don’t believe this,” Evan muttered.
“I’ll get the ladder from the garage,” Kermit offered. He took off across the
dew-wet grass.
“Hurry!” Evan cried.
“The Monster Blood—it’s moving!” Andy exclaimed, pointing with a trembling
finger.
Evan gazed down at the can gripped tightly in his hand. He couldn’t really
see inside. Dark clouds had drifted over the moon, blocking out the light.
Evan brought the can close to his face. And gasped.
“Andy—it’s
blue
!”
“Huh?” She pressed close to him. Their heads banged as they both eagerly
stared into the can.
Yes. The thick glop inside the can was blue—not green.
It made a sick
plopping
sound as it rolled from side to side, like an
ocean wave.
“It—it’s trying to get out!” Andy stammered.
“Hurry, Kermit!” Evan called.
Kermit came running from the garage, an aluminum ladder tilted over one
shoulder.
“Why is it blue?” Andy asked.
The thick goo lapped at the side of the can. As Evan stared in horror, it
splashed up over the top.
“Kermit—please hurry! Get the lid!” he cried.
Kermit propped the ladder against the side of the house. Then he turned back
to them. “Someone else has to climb up,” he called.
“Just
do
it!” Evan screamed frantically. “The stuff is spilling out
over the top!”
“But I’m afraid of heights!” Kermit declared.
Evan rolled his eyes. “It isn’t that high. Just climb up, and—”
“I can’t!” Kermit whined. “Really!”
“I’ll do it.” Andy ran to the ladder. Kermit held it steady for her.
Evan watched her scramble up. The Monster Blood bobbed and plopped in the
can. The clouds rolled away from the moon. It was definitely bright blue, Evan
saw.
And definitely trying to raise itself out of the can.
Andy climbed up to the gutter. Holding the ladder with her right hand, she
reached out to the lid with her free hand.
Reached… reached…
And the wind blew the lid from the gutter.
“Noooo—!” Andy screamed. She grabbed for it.
Lost her balance.
Grabbed the sides of the ladder with both hands.
The lid spun crazily in the air. Then it swooped down to the grass.
“I’ve got it!” Kermit cried. He dove for it and grabbed it in one hand.
“Yes!” Evan cried happily. “Put it on the can—quick!”
Andy carefully lowered herself rung by rung.
She reached the ground, turned, breathing hard, and hurried back to Evan.
Kermit came running over with the lid.
But before he reached Evan, a voice rang out from the yard across from his.
“Hey—what’s going on?”
Evan looked up to see Conan running across the grass.
“Oh, no!” Evan moaned, and the Monster Blood can fell out of his hand.
With a gasp, Evan bent to pick up the can.
Had the blue Monster Blood spilled out?
No.
He lifted it carefully, holding one hand over the open top.
Conan stopped at the edge of the yard. “What are you three babies doing out
so late?” he demanded. “I’ll tell your mommies!”
“Give us a break, Conan,” Andy called. “We’re not bothering you!”
“Your
face
is bothering me!” Conan shot back. Then his eyes fell on
the can in Evan’s hand. “What’s that?”
Evan nearly dropped the can again. “This? Uh… nothing…. It’s…”
Evan’s mind went blank. He couldn’t think of a good lie to tell Conan.
Kermit grabbed the can away from Evan. “It’s candy,” he told Conan. “Blue
Fruit Roll in a Barrel! We saw it on TV, and it’s awesome.”
“Give me some!” Conan ordered. He reached out his big hand.
“No way!” Kermit teased him, pulling the can back. “We’re not sharing with
you!”
He pretended to lick the blue candy. “Wow. That’s really excellent!”
“Guess I’m going to have to take it from you,” Conan declared menacingly. He
took a step toward them, his hand outstretched. “Give it.”
“Are you crazy?” Evan whispered to Kermit. “Why did you tease him? Now he’s
going to take it and—”
“No problem,” Kermit whispered back. A sly grin spread over his face.
“Watch.”
“Give it,” Conan thundered, waving his outstretched hand. He took another
step toward them. Another.
Evan heard the crackle of electricity before he saw the white spark.
Conan’s eyes bulged. His hands shot up. His knees buckled.
“Urg. Urg.” He uttered two strange cries as Kermit’s invisible electric fence
zapped him again.
Conan staggered back, gasping for breath. His broad chest heaved up and down.
He reminded Evan of a bull about to charge.
Kermit raised the can and pretended to eat the Monster Blood again. “Wow.
That is
excellent
!” he declared.
Conan glared at the three of them. Even across the dark yard, Evan could see the fury on his face.
But the bull couldn’t charge. Couldn’t get to them. Not as long as the
electric fence was turned on.
Conan balled his hands into fists. “You’re history,” he called to them. “All
three of you. You’re roadkill.”
He spun around. Swinging his fists hard at his sides, he stomped into his
house.
Andy let out a sigh of relief. “That was pretty good!” she told Kermit.
A high, shrill giggle escaped Kermit’s throat. “Yeah. Not bad!”
“There’s just one problem,” Evan murmured. “We’re roadkill if we ever leave
this backyard!”
He turned to Kermit. “Give me back the can. We’d better close it—”
Evan gasped.
The can in Kermit’s hand! He was holding it upside down!
Evan grabbed for it.
Too late.
With a sick
PLOP,
the blue gunk dropped out of the can.
It landed on the grass in front of Evan’s feet. He stared down at it as it
quivered. Quivered and shook, like blue Jell-O.
It glowed in the light from the moon. Glowed bright blue.
Bobbed and trembled.
And grew.
“It’s… changing shape!” Andy cried. She leaned forward, resting her hands
on her knees, and gazed down wide-eyed at it.
The blue blob wiggled. It rolled over once, moving away from Evan.
And grew some more.
It rolled again. Wiggled from side to side.
And then rose up. Up… as if trying to stand.
“I don’t
believe
this!” Evan choked out. “It’s some kind of
creature
!”
“You’re right!” Kermit agreed. “It’s ALIVE!”
Evan squatted on the grass, watching the blue Monster Blood intently. Andy
and Kermit stood openmouthed as the creature bounced, and grew, and took shape.
A sleek blue head popped up from the body. A curved gash in the head became a
mouth. It turned up in a goofy grin.
Two big, round eyes appeared above the mouth.
The creature was about the size of a chipmunk. It made a squeaking sound as
it bounced over the grass. Its rubbery body throbbed rapidly, like a heart.
“It’s so cute!” Andy declared, raising her hands to the sides of her face.
“It’s like a lovable little blob creature.”
“It looks friendly,” Kermit added. “It keeps staring up at us and smiling.”
Evan didn’t say a word. As he studied the creature, a heavy feeling of dread
formed in the pit of his stomach.
I don’t care how cute the little guy looks, he thought. This is Monster
Blood. And Monster Blood is always evil.
“Let’s try to push it back in the can,” he suggested.
The creature bounced and squeaked.
“Do you think it will fit?” Kermit asked.
Evan stared at the grinning blob. “We have to squeeze it back in,” he told
them.
“But it’s so cute!” Andy protested. She bent down close to the little
creature. “You’re a cute guy, aren’t you?” she said to it. “Do you like to be
petted?”
Andy reached for it with both hands.
It slid right through her fingers and bounced away, squeaking loudly.
“Oooh! It’s so cold and wet!” Andy declared. “Look! It’s like a little seal!”
She made another grab for it. But again the blobby creature bounced away from
her.
Kermit stepped in front of it. “I’d like to get it under a microscope,” he
said. “Maybe take a few tissue samples.”
“You have to catch it first,” Evan told him.
Kermit dove for it. Grabbed.
The creature bounced over his hands and escaped.
“Hey—he licked me!” Kermit exclaimed. “I think he licked me.”
“He seems to be friendly,” Andy said. She dropped to her knees. “Here, Blobby. Here, Blobby,” she called. She held out
her hands to it.
To everyone’s surprise, the creature bounced over to her.
Andy trapped it gently between her hands. She giggled. “It’s so
cold
!”
She ran her hand tenderly over the back of its quivering body. “Do you like
to be petted?” she asked it again softly.
The creature purred.
Evan and Kermit both let out cries of surprise.
Andy petted the blue blob some more. It purred louder.
“He likes it!” Andy declared, laughing.
“Weird,” Kermit murmured. “See if you can pull off a hunk so I can study it.”
“No way!” Andy cried. “You’re not hurting my little Blobby.” She petted it
tenderly.
“Be careful,” Evan warned. “This is Monster Blood—remember?”
“It can’t be,” Andy argued. “Monster Blood is green. This cute thing is
something else.”
“It might be a different kind of Monster Blood,” Kermit suggested. “You know.
A different flavor.”
“Whoa!” Andy cried out as the creature bounced out of her hands. Throbbing
wetly, it began bouncing and rolling toward the garage.
“Catch it!” Evan cried.
All three of them chased after the creature. It moved surprisingly fast.
Kermit made a grab for it—and it slid through his hands.
Evan ran in front of it and tried to block its path. But it rolled around him
and kept bouncing.
“Don’t let it get away!” Andy cried.
Evan made another frantic grab—and lifted the wet blob off the ground. “Got
it!” Evan cried.
But the creature changed shape. Squeaking loudly, it pulled itself in until
it resembled a giant worm. And then it slid easily from Evan’s hands.
“Whoa—it’s
cold
!” Evan exclaimed. He examined his hands. The
creature had left a coating of wet blue slime on Evan’s palms.
Evan glanced up in time to see the creature roll to the back of the yard.
“Stop it!” he cried. “Don’t let it go over to Conan’s yard!”