“Are you sure?” Sally asked.
“After that what did she do?” Adam asked.
Watch started walking back up the hill. “Let’s talk about that on the way to the tree. I think I have an idea.”
7
The tree was as weird as Sally had described. Standing alone in the center of a vacant lot, it looked as if it had witnessed many bloody battles and been splattered in the process. The branches hung low to the ground, ready to swoop up any kid who ran by. Adam spotted the large hole in the side. It looked like a hungry maw. The edges were rough—sharp teeth waiting to bite down and come together.
“I know a kid who went in there and came out speaking in tongues,” Sally said.
“Snake tongues.”
“It’s just a tree that’s been cursed,” Watch said. “I’ll go in first to show you there’s no danger.”
“How can we believe you when you come out?” Sally asked. “You might not even be human.”
“Oh brother,” Adam said, although he was glad Watch was going first. There was something pretty scary about a tree with blood-red leaves at the beginning of summer.
Together, Sally and Adam watched as Watch walked over to the tree and climbed inside the hole. A minute went by and Watch didn’t reappear.
“What’s taking him so long?” Adam wondered aloud.
“The tree is probably digesting him,” Sally said.
“How did it get the name the Derby Tree?” Adam asked.
“Old man Derby tried to chop it down once,” Sally explained. “I was only five years old at the time, but I remember the day. He blamed the tree for the disappearance of one of his kids. He had like ten of them, so he could stand to lose one. Anyway, he came here one morning with a huge ax and took a swing at the tree. He missed and accidentally cut off one of his legs. You’ll see Derby
walking around town on a wooden leg. All the kids call him Mr. Stilts. He’d be the first to tell you that tree is evil.”
“I just wish Watch would get back out here,” Adam said. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, “Watch!”
Watch didn’t answer. Another five minutes went by. Adam was on the verge of running for help when their friend finally poked his head out. He squeezed through the hole with difficulty. It was as if the opening had shrunk since he’d been inside. He walked over to them like nothing had happened.
“Why were you inside so long?” Sally demanded.
“What are you talking about?” Watch asked, checking one of his many watches.
“I just went inside for a second.”
“You were in there at least an hour,” Sally said.
“It was closer to ten minutes,” Adam corrected.
Watch scratched his thinning blond hair. “That’s weird—it didn’t feel that long.”
“Didn’t you hear us calling for you?” Sally asked.
“No,” Watch said. “Inside the tree you can’t hear a thing.” He paused. “Who wants to go next?”
“I will,” Adam said, anxious to get it over.
“Wait a second,” Sally said to Watch. “How do we know you haven’t been altered in some way?”
“I’m fine,” Watch said.
“You wouldn’t know if you’re fine if you’ve been changed,” Sally said. “You’d be the last person to know. Let me ask you a couple of questions just to be sure your brain hasn’t been operated on. Who’s the most beautiful girl in Spooksville?”
“You are,” Watch said.
“And who’s the best poet in Spooksville?” Sally asked.
“You are,” Watch said.
“You write poetry?” Adam asked her.
“Yes, and they’re awful poems,” Sally said. “I think he’s been altered.”
“If I have, it happened a long time ago,” Watch said. “Give it a try, Adam. I want to move on to the next spot.”
“All right,” Adam said, feeling far from excited about the prospect. He walked slowly toward the tree. As he did a breeze stirred the red leaves, making it look as if they were excited about his coming close. Adam’s heart thumped in his chest. Obviously time moved at a different pace inside the tree. Maybe when he emerged Sally and Watch would be old, like his parents. Maybe he wouldn’t get out, but become a part of the tree, a sad face cut into its thick bark.
The hole definitely seemed smaller than it had ten minutes earlier, maybe half the size it had been. Adam realized he had to get in and out quickly. Still, he hesitated. A strange odor spilled out from the interior of the tree. It could have been the smell of blood. Plus, as he stood under the tree, he couldn’t help noticing how far away his friends appeared to be. They were where he’d left them, but they could have been a mile away. He waved to them and it was several seconds before they waved back. Weird.
“I have to do it,” Adam whispered to himself. “If I don’t, Sally will know Tm a coward.”
Summoning his courage, Adam ducked his head and squirmed through the hole into the tree. He was able to get his whole body inside, and turn around, although he had to keep his head down. Standing hunched over, he peered through the hole and was surprised to see that everything outside had lost its color. It was as if he were looking at a black-and-white film. Also, as Watch had said, the interior of the tree was completely silent. All Adam could hear was his panting and the pounding of his heart. It seemed to him that the tree was also listening to his heart, wondering how much blood it pumped a day. How much blood the reckless boy had to feed its hungry branches . . .
