“Wh-what’s he doing?” Clark stammered.
“There’s an old piano up there. It sounds as if he’s throwing it across the room!”
The floors, the walls, the library ceiling—everything quaked—as the monster hurled the piano across the third-floor room. Over and over again.
A porcelain vase, a crystal dish, little glass animals flew from a nearby table and shattered at our feet.
I threw my hands over my head as the library books spilled from their shelves.
Clark and I huddled together. On the floor. Waiting for the avalanche of books to end.
Waiting for the monster to stop.
We huddled there until the house grew silent.
A final book tumbled from a shelf. It landed on a small table next to me.
“Hand me that!” I ordered Clark, pointing to a heavy brass candlestick next to the book. “Stand back.”
I turned to the window. I pulled back my arm to swing the heavy candlestick—when I heard the whimpering.
Charley’s whimpering. From upstairs.
“Oh, no!” I gasped. “The monster—he’s got Charley!”
I ran for the stairway, clutching the candlestick in one hand, dragging Clark with the other.
I had to save Charley! I had to!
I raced up the stairs. I stopped when I reached the top.
My heart pounded in my chest as I peered down the hall.
The corridor was empty.
I crept toward the bathroom. Except for Clark’s raspy breathing and the thudding of my heart, the house was still.
As I neared the bathroom, the bathroom door came into view.
Shut.
I gripped the doorknob. It slipped in my sweat-drenched hand.
I opened the door a crack and peeked inside. But I couldn’t see anything.
I could feel Clark breathing down my neck as I pushed the door open a bit more.
A bit more.
“Charley!” I cried out with relief.
Charley sat in the bathtub. Curled up in a corner. Scared—but safe.
He gazed up at us with his big brown eyes. He wagged his tail weakly. Then he began to bark.
“Shhhh!” I whispered, petting him. “Please, Charley. Don’t let the monster hear you. Quiet, boy.”
Charley barked even louder.
So loud that we almost didn’t hear the car pull up outside.
“Shhhh!” I urged Charley. I turned to Clark. “Did you hear that?”
His mouth dropped open. “A car door!”
“Yes!” I cried.
“Grandma and Grandpa are back!” Clark shouted. “I’ll bet they brought help!”
“Stay,” I commanded Charley as we eased out of the bathroom. “Good boy. Stay.”
Clark slammed the door behind us, and we bolted down the stairs.
“I knew they’d be back! I knew they wouldn’t just leave us!” I flew down the steps, two at a time.
And heard the engine start.
