Junior's Luck

Junior's Luck - Chapter 1

Kelsey stood in the doorway of Junior Rush's bedroom and looked around. It reminded him of a museum exhibit. Pictures of buildings, both modern and ancient, covered the walls. Model buildings constructed of balsa and cardboard collected dust on the three bookshelves Junior had made in shop class. And everywhere, like dandelions in the front yard, sprouted geodesic domes of various sizes constructed from toothpicks, bobby pins, ice cream sticks, twigs, pencils, paper clips, any material common to the environment of a fourteen-year-old boy.

Over in the corner, propped up by a mound of pillows and dressed in striped pajamas, Junior sat on his bed, gluing cotton swabs together. Soft, golden light from the late afternoon sun fell across cotton swab triangles scattered about the narrow work table that straddled the bed. A tube of glue lay bleeding on the wooden floor.

"Hey, Junior!"

The boy looked up with dark-circled eyes, his lank face expressionless.

"Hey," the boy mumbled. He reached under the covers and pulled out a transistor radio that was connected to an earphone lodged in his left ear. He turned off the radio and resumed his gluing.

Some days, Junior wasn't in such a good mood. Five months in bed, in and out of the hospital, would get anyone down once in a while, even Junior. Those days, he didn't talk much-just sat and fiddled with his triangles. Those days, Kelsey didn't stay long.

Today, Junior looked like he might be in one of his bad moods.

Kelsey walked across the room, taking care to keep the metal cylinder he had with him hidden behind his back.

"What were you listening to?" he asked when he reached the side of the bed.

"That new one by Cream, Sunshine of Your Love. Have you heard it?"

"No, not yet." Kelsey's parents didn't let him listen to rock music or own a transistor radio. His ignorance of popular rock music handicapped his ability to converse with his peers, especially girls. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Well, I did it!" Kelsey thrust the gray metal cylinder in front of Junior's face.

"Did what? What's that thing?"

"I got it from the haunted mansion," Kelsey said. "You didn't think I'd do it."

"I said you wouldn't go into the haunted mansion without me along. You never do anything by yourself. You're always afraid you'll get into trouble."

"Thanks-and you're supposed to be my best friend."

"What is it, a pipe or something?"

"It's proof that I went into the haunted mansion. See?" Kelsey removed an end cap from the tube and shook out a thick roll of paper. Junior leaned forward. Kelsey relished holding his friend in suspense.

"It's the blueprints for the haunted mansion," Kelsey said after an appropriate pause. "Want to see 'em?"

A mischievous grin animated Junior's face. A faint, familiar twinkle returned to his eyes. "Help me move this stuff."

The two boys cleared the table. Kelsey spread the sheaf of papers on it.

"Awesome," Junior gasped. He pored over the blueprints like they were a centerfold from a men's magazine.

After a few minutes, Junior asked, "Were there any ghosts?"

"Yeah, uh, I mean, no. It was daylight."

"That doesn't matter," Junior said. "It doesn't have to be dark."