A Magic Crystal? (4 page)

Casey didn’t say anything for the next five minutes, which had to be a record for her.

Marvin felt bad for telling her to shut up. He felt bad for having made such a big deal over her cookie wish.

He tried to pretend there was nothing wrong. He bit into a cookie. “Ummm, good cookie!” he said enthusiastically. “I’m sure glad you wished for these.”

Casey didn’t say anything.

“So, what should we wish for?” he asked.

Casey didn’t say anything. She took the crystal from Marvin and put it in her pocket.

“Are you mad at me?” Marvin asked her.

Casey shook her head.

“Then why won’t you say anything?”

Casey smiled at him.

“Oh, I get it,” said Marvin. “Because I wished you’d shut up, now you’re pretending you can’t talk.”

Casey didn’t say anything.

“I know you’re just pretending,” said Marvin. “I know you can talk if you want to.”

Casey just smiled.

“Besides,” said Marvin, “don’t you remember? You told me you wished Clarence would stop talking. He can still talk.”

Casey rubbed her chin. She looked sideways at Marvin.

He knew what she was thinking. She was thinking that she had wished Clarence would stop talking about sticking a needle through his thumb. That was different. Marvin had wished for a total “shut up.”

“I don’t see the difference,” Marvin said.

Casey glanced at him in a way that seemed to say,
I can’t help it if you’re stupid.

“You’re faking,” Marvin accused.

Casey shrugged.

“Well, what do you want to do then?” Marvin asked. “You want to watch TV? You don’t have to talk to do that.”

Casey shrugged.

“All right, let’s watch TV,” said Marvin. “
Teenage Caveman
is on. Let’s see if you can watch that without laughing.”

Casey shrugged.

Teenage Caveman
was one of Marvin’s favorite shows. He knew Casey liked it, too. She could imitate the teenage caveman’s voice perfectly. She always made him laugh.

Casey followed Marvin into the family room. He turned on the TV.

Casey watched the entire show without laughing or saying one word.

Marvin didn’t laugh either. The show didn’t seem as funny as usual.

Casey’s father came by at five o’clock to take Casey home.

“It was very nice to get to meet you, Casey,” said Marvin’s mother.

“Bye, Casey,” shouted Linzy.

Casey smiled at Marvin’s mother and waved to Linzy.

After she left, Marvin’s mother told him that Casey seemed like a very nice girl. “Although she’s kind of quiet, isn’t she?”

Marvin didn’t say anything.

A Conversation?

Casey could talk. Marvin was sure of it. If she couldn’t talk, one of her parents would have called and asked what happened.

He knew she’d have to say something in school. It would be impossible for her to go through a whole day in school without saying one word.

“Good morning, Casey,” he said as he sat down next to her.

She smiled at him, but said nothing.

He watched her during the Pledge of
Allegiance. Her mouth formed the words, but she didn’t speak.

Finally, during math, Mrs. North asked her a question.

Casey pointed to her mouth. Then she held her hands out, as if to say she was helpless.

“She can’t talk,” said Judy Jasper.

“Do you have laryngitis?” asked Mrs. North.

Casey shrugged.

Marvin knew Casey didn’t have laryngitis. When you have laryngitis, you can still speak in a sort of raspy whisper. Casey had faker-itis!

Mrs. North had Casey come to the front of the room and write the problem, and answer, on the board.

“Very good, Casey,” Mrs. North said
when Casey finished. “I hope you feel better soon. Although I must say, I had been wondering why it was so nice and quiet in here this morning.”

Several kids laughed.

Casey smiled at Mrs. North. Then she turned and stared angrily at Marvin.

Marvin stared right back at her. He knew she would have to talk sooner or later. He doubted she could make it to recess.

Casey made it to recess. Marvin stared at her from the wall-ball line. She was standing on the blacktop with Judy and Melanie. Suddenly, Judy and Melanie laughed.

Marvin grabbed Stuart’s arm. “She said something,” he announced.

“Who?” asked Stuart.

“Why else would they laugh?” asked Marvin. “If she didn’t say anything?”

“Who?” asked Nick.

She probably said something about me
, Marvin thought.
Judy and Melanie are laughing at me.
He felt his ears get hot.

A ball hit Marvin’s shoulder. He quickly spun around.

“You’re up, Marvin,” said Travis.

He’d been waiting all recess for his turn. But now he just walked away and said, “I have to talk to Casey.”

“But she can’t talk,” Stuart called after him.

Casey had her back to Marvin, but turned around as he approached. She stared at him, hands on hips. Melanie and Judy backed off.

Marvin marched right up to her. “What
did you say about me?” he demanded.

Casey’s eyes widened.

Marvin could tell what she was thinking. He could read her face. Her face said,
How can I say something about you? I can’t talk. Remember?

“Don’t give me that,” said Marvin. “I saw Judy and Melanie laugh.”

Casey’s face said,
So? They’re allowed to laugh. It’s a free country.

“You’re going to get into trouble when Mrs. North finds out you don’t have laryngitis,” said Marvin.

Casey held out her hands.
It’s not my fault I can’t talk.

“First of all,” said Marvin, “I don’t believe in your stupid magic crystal. It’s not even a crystal. It’s just a rock. How do you know it got struck by lightning? And
besides, you’re the one who has it. If it really is magical, all you have to do is wish that you can talk again.”

Casey raised her eyebrows. Her eyebrows seemed to say,
How can I make a wish if I can’t talk?

“Oh, yeah,” said Marvin. He hadn’t thought of that. “All right. Give me the rock, and I’ll wish that you can talk again.”

Casey looked at him.

Marvin wasn’t quite sure what her face said. It either said,
You just said you don’t believe in the rock. It won’t work if you don’t believe.

Or else it said,
No way! I can’t trust you, Marvin. Not after your last wish.

“Well, then, give the rock to Judy and let her wish for you,” said Marvin.

Casey puffed out her cheek with her
tongue. This seemed to say,
Judy doesn’t know about the magic crystal. She doesn’t know that’s why I can’t talk. And since I can’t talk, I can’t tell her.

“Well, write it all down on paper for her,” said Marvin.

Yeah, right!
answered Casey’s angry face.
You know I hate to write. It’s bad enough I have to write for school. If I tried to write all that to Judy, it would take ten sheets of paper. And I’d probably sprain my hand.

“Now you’re exaggerating,” Marvin said.

Are you insane?
asked Casey’s scrunchedup nose.

“You’re just being stubborn,” Marvin replied.

Casey’s face turned red.
I’m stubborn? You’re the one who’s stubborn! You’re a stupid
,
stinky booboo-head baboon!

“Fine, be that way!” said Marvin. “I don’t care if you never talk again!” He turned his back on her and angrily walked away.

The bell rang before he made it back to the wall-ball area. Now he was really mad. He’d wasted his entire recess, and it was all Casey’s fault!

He used to kind of like her. Sort of. But not anymore! Not after she called him a stupid, stinky booboo-head baboon!

Last Chance

Casey did not say a word all day. At least not when Marvin was near. He didn’t know if she said anything when he wasn’t around, although he suspected that she did.

After school, he walked with Nick and Stuart to Nick’s house. “She’s lying,” Marvin repeated several times on the way there.

“How can she lie if she can’t talk?” asked Stuart.

“That’s how,” said Marvin. “Because she
can
talk.”

“Why would she pretend she can’t talk?” asked Nick.

“Why do you care?” asked Stuart.

“I don’t care!” Marvin insisted.

He didn’t tell them about the magic crystal. He had promised Casey to keep it secret. And even though she was pretending she couldn’t talk, and even though she called him a stupid, stinky booboo-head baboon, he still kept his promise.

“You want to play basketball?” Nick asked when they reached his house.

“I don’t care,” Marvin repeated, still thinking about Casey.

“Sure,” said Stuart. “Horse, or knockout?”

“I don’t care,” said Marvin. “I just know she’s faking.”

They decided to play horse, because they’d need two basketballs to play knockout.
Nick only had one basketball.

Nick talked and played at the same time. “… Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The amazing Nick Tuffle is now going to try a shot from behind the brown spot in the driveway! Can he do it? He’s taking careful aim. Oh, the pressure! It would be amazing if he can make this shot. He shoots! The ball is up. It bounces off the rim … and GOES THROUGH THE NET! He did it! Nick Tuffle made the shot!”

Marvin was the first to lose. He was too busy thinking about how much he didn’t care about Casey.

“Why don’t you go home and get your basketball?” Stuart said. “Then we can play knockout.”

Marvin liked knockout better than horse. It was faster and had a lot more action.

He only lived around the block from Nick. He headed home.

His basketball was kept in the garage, but the garage door was closed, so he had to go through the house.

Jacob and Nate were eating popcorn in the kitchen. Jacob was Marvin’s older brother. Nate was Jacob’s best friend. They were in middle school.

They were two-fisted eaters. Sometimes all four fists were in the large popcorn bowl at the same time.

“Hey, Mar,” said Jacob. “You have a visitor.”

“I do?” asked Marvin.

“Is she your girlfriend?” asked Nate.

“My girlfriend?” asked Marvin.

“She’s cute,” said Jacob.

“Who are you talking about?” asked Marvin.

“You mean there’s more than one?” asked Nate.

Nate and Jacob laughed.

“How many girlfriends do you have?” asked Jacob.

They laughed some more.

Marvin felt himself blush. “I don’t know who you’re talking about. And she’s
not
my girlfriend!”

“She’s upstairs, playing with Linzy,” said Jacob.

Marvin rushed up the stairs.

“He’s sure in a hurry to see her!” said Nate.

Marvin stopped. The only reason he was hurrying was because Nick and Stuart were waiting for him. He probably shouldn’t even go upstairs at all. He should just get his basketball and leave.

But maybe he could catch Casey talking.

Very quietly, he continued up the stairs, then down the hall to Linzy’s room.

The door was open. He peeked inside.

Casey and Linzy were sitting on the floor, playing Candy Land. Casey’s back was to Marvin. Marvin put his fingers to his lips so Linzy wouldn’t say anything.