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MONSTER BLOOD
Goosebumps - 03
R.L. Stine
(An Undead Scan v1.5)
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“I don’t want to stay here. Please don’t leave me here.”
Evan Ross tugged his mother’s hand, trying to pull her away from the front stoop
of the small, gray-shingled house. Mrs. Ross turned to him, an impatient frown on
her face.
“Evan—you’re twelve years old. Don’t act like an infant,” she said, freeing her
hand from his grasp.
“I hate when you say that!” Evan exclaimed angrily, crossing his arms in front of
his chest.
Softening her expression, she reached out and ran her hand tenderly through
Evan’s curly, carrot-colored hair. “And I hate when you do that!” he cried, backing
away from her, nearly stumbling over a broken flagstone in the walk. “Don’t touch
my hair. I hate it!”
“Okay, so you hate me,” his mother said with a shrug. She climbed up the two
steps and knocked on the front door. “You still have to stay here till I get back.”
“Why can’t I come with you?” Evan demanded, keeping his arms crossed. “Just
give me one good reason.”
“Your sneaker is untied,” his mother replied.
“So?” Evan replied unhappily. “I like ’em untied.”
“You’ll trip,” she warned.
“Mom,” Evan said, rolling his eyes in exasperation, “have you ever seen anyone
trip over his sneakers because they were untied?”
“Well, no,” his mother admitted, a smile slowly forming on her pretty face.
“You just want to change the subject,” Evan said, not smiling back. “You’re
going to leave me here for weeks with a horrible old woman and—”
“Evan—that’s enough!” Mrs. Ross snapped, tossing back her straight blonde hair.
“Kathryn is not a horrible old woman. She’s your father’s aunt. Your great-aunt. And
she’s—”
“She’s a total stranger,” Evan cried. He knew he was losing control, but he didn’t
care. How could his mother do this to him? How could she leave him with some old
lady he hadn’t seen since he was two? What was he supposed to do here all by
himself until his mother got back?
“Evan, we’ve discussed this a thousand times,” his mother said impatiently,
pounding on his aunt’s front door again. “This is a family emergency. I really expect
you to cooperate a little better.”
