Readers
"I can't get inspiration on a stupid farm! I can't believe you're doing this to me!"
She glanced around the park yet again. This time her gaze came to rest on Judd, at the top of the Boa. She turned to walk away—but not before I saw the glint of fear in her eyes.
I've come up with a plan," Dad said.
Phew, I thought, relaxing a little. Dad was a smart guy. I should have known he'd come up with a plan. Maybe he wanted to hang a bigger sign outside the store or advertise on the radio.
But it wasn't that at all.
"I've agreed to start renting out the big birds," Dad said. For a second, I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. What was Dad thinking? "For parties and conventions. It's a good way to bring in extra cash--" Here, he paused for a moment.
"They want Elmo first.
Why did everyone keep asking me how I felt? How did they expect me to feel? I felt rotten. I felt worried. I felt scared.
Scared about her falling and hurting herself.
And very very scared about what my friends would say when they found out what was going on.
How did I feel? What a dumb question.
"I wonder," I said quietly, mustering every ounce of courage that I had, "whether setting a vicious dog on two young girls is the kind of dangerous act that might make a judge rethink a bail order."
Benedict slid his chair back with a squeal. "I don't have to listen to this," he said. "You girls are treading a fine line. Very fine. One little push, and who knows where you'll fall."
"Oh," I said, "don't worry about us. We're cheerleaders. We have very good balance."
A few feet from my face, huge jaws smiled menacingly, revealing curved sharp teeth perfect for tearing flesh. The creature looked ready to pounce if I moved so much as a baby finger.
"That is one big ugly dude," my cousin Nick said, shaking his spiky black hair out of his face.
