Chicken Pox Panic, the
Read Chicken Pox Panic, the Online
Authors: Beverly Lewis
Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers
P
ICTURE
B
OOKS
In Jesse's Shoes ⢠Just Like Mama What Is God Like? ⢠What Is Heaven Like?
T
HE
C
UL-DE-SAC
K
IDS
The Double Dabble Surprise
The Chicken Pox Panic
The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery
No Grown-ups Allowed
Frog Power
The Mystery of Case D. Luc
The Stinky Sneakers Mystery
Pickle Pizza
Mailbox Mania
The Mudhole Mystery
Fiddlesticks
The Crabby Cat Caper
Tarantula Toes
Green Gravy
Backyard Bandit Mystery
Tree House Trouble The Creepy Sleep-Over
The Great TV Turn-Off
Piggy Party
The Granny Game
Mystery Mutt
Big Bad Beans
The Upside-Down Day
The Midnight Mystery
Katie and Jake and the Haircut Mistake
www.BeverlyLewis.com
The Chicken Pox Panic
Copyright © 1993
Beverly Lewis
Originally published by Star Song Publishing Group under the same title. Bethany House Publishers edition published 1995.
Interior illustrations by Barbara Birch
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwiseâwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
eISBN 978-1-4412-6065-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
To my very own
cul-de-sac kids
J
ULIE
, J
ANIE
,
and
J
ONATHAN
Contents
ONE
It was an itchy gitchy Friday.
Abby Hunter sat up in bed. She rubbed the spots on her arm. On her face. And behind her knees under her pajamas.
“I hate chicken pox,” she said.
“Here,” said her little sister, Carly. “Put this gooey stuff on.”
She gave the bottle of pink liquid to Abby. Frowning at the spots, Carly backed away.
Abby shook the bottle and turned the lid. She wrinkled her nose. The spots on her nose wiggled. “Pee-uie. It stinks.”
Slowly, one at a time, Abby dabbed pink goo on her spots.
It was supposed to make the itching stop.
Abby counted to ten, waiting for the pink goo to work. “Nothing's happening,” she complained.
Carly leaned against the door. “I hope I don't get your chicken pox.”
Abby dabbed another coating of goo on the bumps she could reach. “Mommy wants you to catch them,” she said.
“How come?” Carly demanded.
“So you won't get them when you're grown-up.”
Abby buttoned up her mint green bathrobe.
She felt cozy inside. Spots and all.
Carly stared at Abby, then she pointed. “Look, Abby! You even have them on your feet.”
“I know,” Abby said. “I have them everywhere!”
“What do they feel like?” Carly asked.
“Ever have a giant mosquito bite?”
Carly nodded.
“Just multiply that times one hundred,” Abby said.
Carly shivered. She turned the door knob. “I'm getting out of here.”
“You'll be sorry if you don't get them now,” Abby said. She scratched between her toes.
“Will not,” Carly said.
“Will so” Abby said.
“Will not,” Carly said.
“Will . . .” Abby stopped.
Mother stood in the hallway carrying a large atlas. She gave it to Abby. “Is this what you need?”
Abby reached for the book of maps. “Thanks! This is double dabble good!”
She flipped the pages to the back of the atlas. “What's the capital of South Korea?”
“Seoul,” said Mother, smoothing Abby's quilt.
Carly giggled. “That's a funny name.”
Abby held the book open. “You just think it is. Come see how it's spelled.”
“Not me” Carly said, hugging the door. “I'm staying right here.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Afraid of my chicken pox?”
Mother gave both girls a kiss. “It's not so bad having them when you are little,” she said.
“That's what I told her” said Abby.
Mother grinned and left the room.
Abby turned to page 45 in the atlas.
She leaned on her elbows, looking at the map of South Korea. With her finger, she traced the borders.
“What are you doing?” Carly asked.
“It's a secret,” said Abby.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carly sneaking closer. Closer.
WHOOSH!
Abby plopped her pillow down on top of South Korea.
TWO
Abby climbed out of bed.
She went to her desk to find a ruler.
She kept her eyes on the pillow. The one hiding page 45 in the atlas.
It was time to measure South Korea. She sat on the edge of the bed. She held the pillow over the map, so Carly couldn't see.
Carly yelled, “You can't fool me. It's your homework!”
“Guess again,” Abby said. She put the ruler down.
Carly stomped her foot. “Tell me this minute!”
Abby looked up from the map. “Don t be so bossy.”
“Ple-e-ease, Abby?” Carly begged.
Abby looked into her sister's blue eyes. Could she trust her? “Do you promise not to tell?”
Carly grinned. “Cross my heart and hope to . . .”
“Don't say that,” Abby said. “It's dumb.”
“That's how you make a promise,” Carly said.
“Maybe in first grade, but not in third.” Abby picked up the pillow and uncovered the map.
Carly inched closer. “What's the map for?”
Abby scratched her nose. “Shawn used to live in Korea when his name was Li Sung Jin,” she said.
“I knowâbefore we adopted him and Jimmy.”
Abby leaned on the atlas. “When Shawn and Jimmy came to live in America, they had to leave their country behind.”
“I know that,” said Carly. She played with her curls. “So what's the map for?”
“It's a double dabble surprise for Shawn's tenth birthday. He's going to have the best birthday cake ever!” Abby slammed the map book shut.
“I don't get it,” Carly said. “Why are you looking at maps and talking about cakes?”
Abby smiled. “Just because.”
She felt like a jitterbox inside. Birthday secrets did that. Always.
Carly tiptoed closer. Now she stood beside Abby's bed. “Please tell me.” Carly crossed her heart.
“OK, OK. Here's my secret” said Abby. “I'm going to make a cake in the shape of South Korea for Shawn's party.”
Carly jumped up and down. “Goody!”
“Remember, you can't tell anyone,” said Abby. “The secret could get back to Shawn.”
“And that would be terrible,” said Carly. But she had a silly look on her face.
“You better not tell” Abby said. She slid under the covers.
“Or what?”
“Or you'll be sorry” Abby said. She pulled the quilt up. “I feel lousy.”
“Chicken pox does that. Mommy said so.” Carly opened the door to leave.
