Welcome to Alien Inn

Chapter 8

Matt hung around on the front porch of the inn until he was sure his parents had gone upstairs and Mr. Rogers had taken the Bronco around back. He didn't want any of their I-told-you-so looks.

His face was numb from cold, and his fingers were becoming stiff as he stood there, trying to think up a plan. He had to take someone with him when he went back to find the sunshine. That was the problem. He knew his parents wouldn't go. They were convinced it was a wild-goose chase. The twins wouldn't even go in the car, so there was no chance he'd get them to trudge through the snow.

That left only Bart.

Matt groaned. Bart would probably spend the whole time asking Matt a million more questions. But there was no one else.

"So, whatcha been doing?" asked Matt, trying his best to sound casual.

"Playing these stupid games," said Bart. "Man, I'm getting sick of them. I wish they'd get some new ones."

Matt brightened. "Hey, I know something we could do. We could go out and play in the snow."

Bart screwed up his face in a scowl. "Are you crazy? It's freezing out there."

"You get used to it after you're out there a little while," said Matt. "And it's pretty cool the way the snow's coming down. Sometimes, when the wind's really strong, it's almost horizontal. Come on. I'll show you. And we could build a snowman while we're out there."

Bart gave him a puzzled look. "A snowman?"

"Yeah, you know, a big snowball for a body, a medium-size snowball for a chest, and a little snowball for a head," Matt said, and snorted. "Give me a break."

"Forget it," grumbled Bart. "Let's go to the dining room and order some hot chocolate instead."

"Would you come outside with me if I promised to show you something unbelievable? It'll knock your socks off," Matt said, grinning.

"Why would I want something to knock my socks off?" asked Bart. "What is it, anyway?"

"So, I got your attention, huh? If you want to find out, you'll have to come with me," said Matt.

"Why don't we stay in where it's warm and talk? What's your school like, anyway?" Bart began.

Matt threw him a disgusted look. "I haven't been there in so long I've forgotten," he said, but his sarcasm didn't seem to faze Bart. Or stop his questions.

"So what kind of music do you listen to?" Bart went on. "I like Tommy Dorsey. He's the king of swing."

"Swing? What's that?" asked Matt.

"You know, stuff like 'In the Mood.' That's a groovy song," said Bart.

Matt looked at Bart. He was really a strange one. Nobody he knew said groovy except his grandparents.

"Come on, Bart," Matt urged. "Let's go out and build that snowman. It's boring in here."

The boys bundled up in their jackets, hats, scarves, and gloves and headed out into the storm.

Matt pulled his scarf up over his nose and shivered as snow stung his face. Leaning into the wind, he headed toward the road as fast as he could. Bart loped along beside him.

"Where're we going?" yelled Bart, the sound of his voice almost lost in the howl of the wind. "I thought we were going to build a snowman."

"I promised to show you something, remember?" Matt said.

Bart trudged along beside Matt in silence. He didn't even ask any more questions. Matt was glad. He didn't feel like answering any. He had to concentrate on finding the sunshine again.

It took all his energy to keep going forward. The exertion was making him sweat inside his heavy clothes, the way it did sometimes when he skied hard.

Bart didn't seem to be having any trouble keeping up. In fact, he almost seemed to glide through the snow. Still, he didn't look very happy.

"I want to turn back," he shouted above the gale. "It's stupid to be out here in this when we could be back at the warm inn playing video games."

"I thought you were sick of those video games," Matt shouted back.

"Well, I'm sick of this, too! Didn't you hear me? I said I want to go back!" Bart grabbed Matt's sleeve and pulled him to a stop knee-deep in a snowdrift.

"Get your hands off me!" Matt demanded. He jerked loose from Bart. "I can go anywhere I want to. Where do you get off telling me I can't."

"I just don't think we should go any farther, that's all," said Bart.

"Go back by yourself, then," grumbled Matt. He really wanted Bart to stay with him so that he'd have someone to back up his story if he found the sunshine again, but he definitely wasn't going to let Bart talk him into turning around. He had to try one more time to find a way out of the blizzard.

Bart got a strange look on his face. "You'll be sorry," he said, but instead of turning around, he started heading forward in the same direction they had been walking.

Matt hurried to catch up. Bart was pretty weird, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was that he'd be able to back up Matt's story about the sunshine, if he could find it again.

They walked along in silence for a few minutes. Matt was beginning to feel discouraged. It hadn't seemed this far from the inn before.

Just then he noticed a glow up ahead. It was as if the sun were trying to break through a thick fog.

"Sunshine!" he shouted as he struggled toward it through the snowbanks. "It's getting lighter. I know it's the sunshine! Look! There it is!"

Suddenly he smacked against something hard—hard enough to knock him backward. He lay in the snow, rubbing his aching nose and staring in disbelief. He could see the sunshine! It was just in front of him!

Cautiously he reached toward it. Something stopped his hand. Something invisible. Like a glass wall. Or a giant bubble. On the other side were blue skies and a clear road.

Where had it come from? It hadn't been there before. When he had been able to walk right out into the sunshine. And so had Dotti. She had even gotten a drink from a puddle.

Matt gasped. There was no way he could get out this time. He was trapped inside the blizzard!

Behind him, Bart was laughing like crazy.