Читать книгу Curse of the Komodo - M.C. Berkhousen - Страница 7

Chapter One—Cursed

Blood dripped from Austin’s nose. Gramps shoved himself up from his chair and stared at me.

“What’s the matter with you, Luke? You hurt Austin. How could you do that?”

“He started it, Gramps.” I glared at my brother. “He’s always bothering me.”

“I didn’t hit him,” yelled Austin. “But he hit me, hard!” He brushed tears from his eyes then bolted up the stairs.

“I’m sick of all this fighting. You both are too old for this.” Gramps plopped down again in the chair. His face was red and he was breathing hard.

Gramps stabbed a finger at me. “When Austin comes down, I want you to tell him you’re sorry. And there will be no screens for the whole weekend. No TV and no computer games.”

No TV? My favorite shows were on tonight.

“That’s not fair, Gramps,” I cried. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“But you did hurt him. This has to stop.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair. “I packed your lunches.”

I bit my lip. There was no point in arguing. Gramps was in charge while our folks were on vacation. Maybe he’d forget about the “no screens” by the time I got home from school.

“Did you sign the consent for the field trip, Gramps? We’re going to the zoo today.”

He pointed toward the kitchen. “On the counter, next to the lunches.”

“Thanks.” I found the paper and stuffed it into my backpack along with my lunch.

Austin thumped down the stairs. I licked my lips and tried to apologize.

“I’m sor—”

He didn’t let me finish. Shoving past me, he grabbed his backpack and stamped out the front door. I followed him. Austin jumped into the car and locked the doors. I banged on the window, but he ignored me. Gramps clicked the key fob and opened the door so I could climb in.

“You forgot something, buddy.” He leaned over the seat to hand Austin his lunch and the consent form. “You might need this if you want to go to the zoo today.”

Austin took the form. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. His cheeks were wet from crying and his nose was still bleeding. Gramps handed him a tissue.

Nobody talked on the way to school. Austin leaned his head against the window. He always did that when he was sad. He rubbed his eyes again, but the tears kept coming. I felt really bad. I wished I could take it back and start the morning over.

“One of these days you boys will realize it’s nice to have a brother,” said Gramps.

“I’d rather have a grizzly bear,” I muttered.

“I’d rather have a Komodo dragon than you,” shouted Austin. “They smell better.”

He wiped his eyes again and rested his head on the window.

“Enough already. I’m not sure I can stand another week of this.” Gramps eyed us through the rearview mirror. “You two act like you belong in a zoo. Maybe I’ll call and see if they’ll keep you there.”

When we got to school, Austin jumped out of the car without saying goodbye to Gramps. He ran across the schoolyard and disappeared into a mob of kids.

“He forgot his lunch sack.” Gramps held it out to me.

“Too bad.” I slid my arms into my backpack. “I guess he won’t eat today.”

Gramps frowned. “Just because you have red hair is no excuse for that temper, Luke. You act like you don’t even like your brother.”

“I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because he won’t leave me alone. He’s always hanging around and butting into my business.”

That was how the fight started this morning. I was reading my Nature magazine and he was reading over my shoulder. He reached over and turned a page before I finished. He was trying to show me how much faster he reads. I’d swung my fist up and backwards. I wasn’t trying to hit his face. I wasn’t trying to hit him at all. I just wanted him to stop breathing down my neck.

“Luke.” Gramps shook his head. “Don’t you understand? Austin looks up to you. That’s why he’s always trying to get your attention.”

Yeah, right. Austin was president of my fan club.

“Whatever. I’ve got to get going.” I started to walk away. Then I stopped. Austin was so upset he didn’t eat breakfast. Now he wouldn’t have lunch, either. I might not like him, but I didn’t want him to go hungry. I trudged back to the car.

Gramps smiled. He reached over and handed me the brown bag. I closed the car door and headed into school.

The halls were packed with kids. I had to find Austin and give him his lunch before I went to class. The sixth-grade classes were on the lower level. As I went down the steps, I heard somebody yelling.

“Leave me alone!” It was Austin’s voice.

I raced around the corner and saw him, but I was too far away to help. A kid named Jerry Magee had his arms around Austin’s chest. He was trying to shove Austin into his locker. Austin had his feet braced against the wall. Jerry hit him in the knee and Austin crumpled to the ground.

I rammed into Magee and knocked him sideways. “Leave him alone, you big jerk,” I shouted. “Pick on somebody your own size.”

Jerry pulled himself back to his feet. His eyes bugged out and he was breathing hard. “Mommy’s little baby needs his big brother to protect him.” He jabbed his finger at Austin. “See you later, punk.” He straightened his sweater and stalked off.

“Thanks for nothing.” Austin got up from the floor. “Now he’ll beat me up even worse.”

When Jerry was out of sight, I turned back to my brother. “Why did you take that? You could have knocked him on his butt.”

Austin held up his hands. “For self-defense only, remember?”

I remembered. Our Karate instructor had drilled it into us for a year.

“You can’t just let him beat you up, Austin. How long has this been going on?”

“None of your business.” Austin picked up his backpack and disappeared down the hall.

“Here’s your lunch,” I called after him. He didn’t answer, and he didn’t come back for it.

I stuffed his lunch bag into my backpack and headed up the stairs. The scene with Jerry bothered me. Austin could have taken him down in three seconds. He was good at Karate. He’d have at least a brown belt by now if he’d kept taking lessons. He quit because he didn’t want to hurt anyone. I quit because I didn’t want to get killed.

The intercom crackled as I slid into my seat. The principal read the day’s announcements. The buses would leave for the zoo at nine-thirty and return home at three. We should keep together and meet in the pavilion at noon for lunch. Boy Scouts working on their nature badges were to answer the questions on the worksheets.

“Have a great time at the zoo,” said the principal. The intercom crackled as she signed off.

In science class, the teacher handed back our exams. I was happy to see a big red “A” on my paper. It would probably be the only good grade I got all year.

Austin was a straight-A student. It wasn’t his fault, but I hated it. Austin takes after my grandfather, who teaches physics and astronomy at the college in our town. Gramps knows lots of things. Sometimes he uses big words I can’t understand. He’d be glad I aced this test, because he likes science, too. Maybe he’d give me back the screen time he took away this morning.

After first hour, I took the two lunch sacks and my consent form from my backpack and went outside to line up for the bus. I was already hungry and it wasn’t anywhere near lunchtime. Austin would be hungry, too. Gramps hadn’t given us our allowance, so Austin couldn’t buy his lunch, either. As soon as we arrived, I’d find him and give him his lunch.

Yellow school buses from every school in the county packed the zoo parking lot. Kids poured out of the buses and flowed through the zoo’s entrance gate. I watched for Austin, but it was like trying to find a raisin in a river of M&Ms. I decided to look for him later, when the crowd had thinned. I’d probably find him at the grizzly bear exhibit. Grizzlies were his favorites.

I showed my pass to the lady in the ticket booth and went straight to the Reptile House. I wanted to get there before it was too crowded. I could find Austin later.

My first stop was the snake displays. My favorite is the large glass aquarium where the cobras live. It’s a cozy home for cobras. They can curl up on rocks and crawl into hollow logs, just like they do in the wild. It even rains in their glass home. As usual, the cobras were asleep in the back corner, nestled behind a pile of twigs and leaves.

I stopped to check out the venomous snakes that are found in our state. I wanted Austin to see them, too. Austin got straight A’s at school, but he couldn’t tell a rattler from a garter snake. I’d been able to identify venomous snakes since I was six years old. I’d always known a lot about animals. Without even trying, I remembered everything I read about them. Too bad I couldn’t do the same with math and history. Or Spanish. Or English.

I visited the turtles and the poisonous dart frogs, and then headed for the crocodile pit. On the way I spotted something new. It was a really big glass enclosure, much bigger than the cobra exhibit. It was almost as big as our garage at home. In the middle of the big glass pen was a huge gray lizard. It was the biggest lizard I’d ever seen—at least ten feet long. It narrowed its yellow eyes and flicked its forked yellow tongue at me. It was a Komodo dragon!

A volunteer stood near the enclosure, talking to a group of people. “This is our new exhibit.” She waved her hand toward the big lizard. “It’s a Komodo dragon.”

I’d read about Komodo dragons, so I knew something about them. They can run twelve miles an hour or sometimes even faster. They can stand on their hind legs to reach prey in trees. They hunt water buffalo and can eat a goat whole. They eat humans, too. Their venom is poisonous and people can die from their bites.

“Their venom is poisonous,” said the volunteer, “and people can die from their bites.” It was like she was reading my mind.

The Komodo stared at me with dark, empty eyes. He flicked his fork tongue again and again. He looked like he wanted to come through the glass and eat me for lunch. A Komodo dragon can devour a deer in two bites. He could probably swallow me whole. Last month I read about a Komodo that walked into a Ranger station and ate the Ranger. Cold shivers went down my back. I took a deep breath. The zoo was careful about safety. The Komodo couldn’t get out of that glass aquarium. Probably.

The volunteer continued. “This enclosure has two sections. There is an indoor section and an outdoor section.” She pointed to the far end of the Komodo’s glass enclosure. Part of it was on the outside of the building, like a little porch. The Komodo could crawl out to his porch to see grass and trees. He could look up at the sky through the glass ceiling. I was glad the Komodo had a glassed-in porch. Komodos need sunlight.

“The Komodo dragon needs a daily dose of sunlight to keep him healthy,” said the volunteer. “He likes to bask in the sun.”

I moved back to let the little kids get closer to the glass. Austin’s class was in the group behind me, staring at the snakes. Austin was leaning his head against the glass of the cobra enclosure. He was probably sad because he was hungry. I was glad I’d brought his lunch.

Austin’s group moved toward the Komodo. I waved to get his attention, holding up his lunch with my other hand. When Austin saw me, he turned and ran from the Reptile House. I went after him. He needed to stay with his class. He didn’t know the zoo as well as I did, and I didn’t want him getting lost.

Outside, the sky had turned a funny shade of green. The air was damp and heavy. It felt like something terrible was going to happen. It might be a bad storm, with thunder and lightning. It might even be a tornado.

The wind whistled through the trees, bending and snapping the twigs. The sky was starting to turn purple. Goosebumps prickled my skin and crept along my spine like a centipede. Where was my brother? I couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Austin! Austin, where are you?” The wind roared, blowing my words away. I called Austin’s name again, but he didn’t answer. My mouth went dry, and something clenched in my stomach. I might not like him, but I didn’t want him to get hurt.

Thunder crashed over my head! ZING! A bolt of lightning struck the zoo’s water tower. Leaves, papers and twigs danced in the air. Colors bloomed in the graying sky, splashing it with green and blue and yellow patches. Dirt blew into my eyes. I put my hand up to keep twigs from hitting my face. A gust of wind slammed into my chest, pushing me backwards. I grabbed the rail near the outdoor section of the Komodo pen and hung on.

The wind tipped over one of the gift shop carts. Stuffed tigers and elephants rolled across the sidewalk. Stuffed pandas and monkeys caught on the bushes. A plastic possum hung from a tree branch. Or was it real? A large elephant balloon soared past me and landed on the Aviary.

The woman who ran the hot dog stand was trying to save her food. Hot dogs and buns slid out of her arms. Ketchup and mustard bottles tumbled to the ground and rolled around, streaking the pavement with yellow and red. A big zoo map crashed to the ground, but the sound was lost in the roar of the wind. Everywhere around me, people were screaming and crying out for help.

Things were falling out of the sky. A sharp twig hit me in the face. I wanted to push it away, but I didn’t dare let go of the rail. Something cracked over my head. A tree limb landed next to me, brushing leaves and branches against my arms.

Where was my brother? I hoped he was inside a building. He could get hurt out here. I couldn’t wait any longer. Somehow, I had to get to him. I let go of the rail and dropped to the ground.

“Austin! Austin, where are you?” The wind was so loud I couldn’t hear my own voice. Trees bent and swayed. A bird fell out of the sky and landed next to me. I staggered to my feet and grabbed the rail again.

“Help! Luke! Help me!” My brother’s voice screamed with the wind. I looked around, but I couldn’t see him. Where was he? Squinting, I scanned the area again.

Then I saw him! Austin was in front of the grizzly bear cage, holding the rail with both hands. His legs were straight out behind him, twisting in the wind. One of his shoes was gone. He was having a hard time holding on. I had to reach him before the wind blew him away.

The Komodo was now in his outdoor pen. He paced as he moved his head from side to side, flicking his yellow forked tongue. Hand over hand, I moved along the rail surrounding the Komodo’s glass enclosure. The bear cage was just across the lane. When I reached the end of the rail, I’d let go. Then I’d run across the lane and rescue my brother.

The green and yellow sky closed in around me. It bloomed pink and purple then all the colors of the rainbow. The colors began to spin like a rainbow tornado. My body whipped around in the wind, and it took all my strength to hang onto the rail. Austin wasn’t as strong as I was. What would happen to him? I had to help him, fast.

The colors in the sky became shapes. They blurred and danced in the air, like something out of a nightmare. A silver cloud stretched into the shape of a huge lizard. The lizard’s eyes gleamed like yellow moons. Its yellow forked tongue sent bolts of lightning across the sky. The lightning crashed and burrowed into the ground. The lizard followed the lightning and melted into a puddle next to me.

The puddle turned brown and began to bubble. It grew into the shape of a huge brown bear. The bear exploded into the sky. It pawed the darkness, shaping the air into a Silverback gorilla and then into a small red snake. In seconds they melted into a gray mist.

Everything sizzled and popped. It was like being in a giant frying pan. Animals snorted and growled. People screamed and cried. I heard Austin scream again. Fear stabbed my heart. I tried to run toward the screams, but my legs wouldn’t move.

An inky fog oozed over the zoo. The sizzling stopped. The air grew lighter. I took a deep breath and sucked fresh air into my lungs. The inky black faded away, and I could see again.

I must have fallen, because the ground was damp and cold under my face. I tried to stand, but my body flopped like a wet mattress. There was something strange on the ground in front of me. It looked like a dead rabbit.

“Austin! Where are you?” He didn’t answer. I couldn’t see him anywhere.

My heart thudded against my ribs. I was so scared I could hardly breathe. I was three years older and thirty pounds heavier than Austin. The terrible wind had knocked me to the ground. What had it done to Austin? Maybe it blew him into the hippo pond. Maybe it took him over a moat and into the lion enclosure. The zoo was full of dangerous animals. If the wind blew Austin into one of their spaces, he’d be in big trouble. I had to find him, fast.

First, I had to figure out where I was. Nothing looked familiar. I tried to think. When the storm started, I was just outside the Reptile House. I’d been looking at the outside section of the Komodo’s glass pen. Now I was inside the Reptile House, but it didn’t look the same. The doors and windows were high and out of my reach. So were the snake and frog aquariums. It was like being in one of those fun houses at the fair.

Beneath me the cement was cold and damp. It smelled bad, like pee and poop and rotten rabbit guts. The Komodo stared at me, flicking its forked yellow tongue. It paced behind the glass, moving its head from side to side. It seemed worried.

The front door was about twenty yards away. When I moved towards the door, I bumped into a wall of glass. I turned around to go the other way and bumped into another glass wall. Whichever way I went, my nose hit glass. Glass was all around me, like a huge aquarium. Something was very, very wrong.

Maybe I hit my head when I fell. Did I have a concussion? I raised my hand to feel for a lump. I could see the Komodo’s reflection in the glass. It raised one of its front claws and touched its head. I put my hand down and kicked out a foot. The Komodo put down its front claw and stuck out a back one. I moved in closer, and so did the Komodo. We were eye to eye with the wall of glass between us.

Then I looked down at my hands. I couldn’t believe what I saw! They were gray and covered with scales, like a Komodo’s claws. I twisted to see the rest of my body. I had a tail! A huge, gray, scaly tail! I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t looking at the Komodo—I was looking at my own reflection in the glass. I wasn’t a boy anymore. Somehow I’d turned into a Komodo dragon!

This couldn’t be real. I must have a serious head injury. Maybe I was in the hospital. Or maybe this was a nightmare. That was it. This was just a bad dream. Soon I’d wake up in my own bed. Austin would be in his bed, too. We’d get up and have breakfast. Then we’d go to school. Austin would go to the sixth-grade classroom and I’d go to the eighth-grade. I wouldn’t care if he got better grades than I did. I just wanted him to be safe.

I tried to wake up. I closed my eyes and opened them again. All I could see was concrete and a dead rabbit. Glass surrounded me. I squeezed my eyes as tight as I could. I opened them again and looked around. Nothing had changed. I was still a Komodo dragon, and everything around me was strange.

I stretched my legs and tried to move. Slowly, I started forward, scraping my belly on the concrete. Pushing up from my legs, I tried to move again. It was like dragging a mattress. I was much heavier now. My legs—all four of them—were short.

I tried to think. What happened to me? How had I become a Komodo dragon? I’d read about werewolves, people that became wolves when the moon was full. In Greek legends, people who were cursed sometimes turned into animals. Was that what happened to me? Was I dreaming? Was I injured and unconscious? That would be better than being a Komodo dragon.

Worst of all, I worried about Austin. The last time I saw him, he was hanging onto the rail in front of the bear cage. He was screaming and begging me for help. Where was he now? Was he hurt? Was he lying unconscious? Had he blown into a place with dangerous animals? I had to get out of here and find him, fast!