“No.” She shook her head. “It’s empty, Evan. The can is empty.”
His face fell. He sighed in total disappointment.
“But you can show the can to everyone,” Andy insisted. “That will prove you didn’t make it up. It will prove that Monster Blood really exists.”
Evan sighed again. “What good is an empty can?” he groaned.
He pulled off the top, peered inside—and screamed.
With a trembling hand, Evan tilted the can so that Andy could see inside.
“Oh, no!” she shrieked, pulling her hands to her cheeks.
The can was half full.
Inside, a green glob of gooey Monster Blood shimmered in the sunlight like lime jello.
“But it was empty!” Andy protested, staring into the can. “I know it was!”
Evan shook the can. The green glob inside quivered.
“There must have been a tiny speck in there,” Evan guessed. “Down at the bottom of the can. And now it’s growing and growing again.”
“Great!” Andy declared. She slapped him on the back so hard, he nearly dropped the blue can.
“Great? What’s so great?” he demanded shakily.
“Now you can show this to the kids at your school,” she replied. “Now they’ll have to believe you.”
“I guess,” Evan replied in a low voice.
“Oh! I have a better idea!” she exclaimed, her dark eyes lighting up mischievously.
“Uh-oh,” Evan moaned.
“Slip a little glob of it in that guy Conan’s lunch tomorrow. When he starts to grow as big as a hippo, everyone will see that the Monster Blood is real.”
“No way!” Evan cried. He cupped the blue can in both hands, as if protecting it from Andy. “Conan is already big enough!” he told her, taking a step back. “I don’t want him to grow another inch. Do you know what he could do to me if he became a giant?”
Andy laughed and shrugged. “It was just an idea.”
“A bad idea,” Evan said sharply. “A really bad idea.”
“You’re no fun,” she teased. She leaped forward and tried to wrestle the can from his hands.
He spun around, turning his back to her, and hunched over, protecting the can.
“Give it to me!” she cried, laughing. She started tickling his sides. “Give it! Give it!”
“No!” he protested, breaking free. He ran to the safety of a tall evergreen shrub.
“It’s mine!” Andy declared, coming after him, hands at her waist. “If you’re not going to use it, hand it back.”
Evan stood his ground. His expression turned serious. “Andy, don’t you remember?” he demanded shrilly. “Don’t you remember how scary this stuff was? Don’t you remember how dangerous it was? All the trouble it caused?”
“So?” she replied, her eyes on the blue can.
“We have to get rid of it,” Evan told her firmly. “We can’t let it out of the can. It will grow and grow and never stop.”
“But I thought you wanted to show it to the kids to prove that it’s real.”
“No,” Evan interrupted. “I changed my mind. This stuff is too dangerous. We have to get rid of it.” He locked his eyes on hers, his features tight with fear. “Andy, I’ve had nightmares every night because of this stuff. I don’t want any new nightmares.”
“Okay, okay,” she muttered. She kicked at an upraised tree root. Then she handed him the brown paper bag.
Evan clicked the top back on the can of Monster Blood. Then he shoved the can into the bag. “Now how do we get rid of it?” he wondered out loud.
“I know. Dump it in the creek,” Andy suggested.
Evan shook his head. “No good. What if it gets out and pollutes the creek?”
“This creek is already polluted!” Andy exclaimed. “It’s just a big mud puddle!”
“It isn’t deep enough,” Evan insisted. “Someone will find the can and pull it out. We can’t take a chance.”
“Then how do we get rid of it?” Andy asked, twisting her face in concentration. “Hmmmm. We could eat it ourselves. That would get rid of it!”
