Tarantula Toes (5 page)

During recess, he had an idea. It was kinda crazy.

He watched Jimmy Hunter playing in the sand pit. Jimmy was barefoot.

That's when the idea hit.

Could Pinktoes walk over my bare toes?
Jason thought.

He laughed out loud and couldn't wait to find out.

“What's so funny?” a small voice said.

Jason spun around.

It was Dee Dee Winters.

“Oh, hi,” he said.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked. “I don't see anything funny.”

“Oh, it's nothing,” Jason said.

Dee Dee made her face twist up. “Well, I don't know about that, Jason Birchall. Laughing over nothing is pretty weird.”

He stood as tall as he could. “Oh, you'll see.”

“See what?”

“You'll see what's so funny if you come to my show. If you're
brave
enough.”

“Come to a silly spider show? Why would I wanna do that?” Dee Dee giggled.

Jason hated it when she giggled. But he kept smiling. “Because it's gonna be amazing. I'm gonna handle my tarantula with
bare hands
!” he replied. “That's why you should come.”

“Really?” Her eyes were bright now.

“Oh, it's gonna be so thrilling. Creepy, crawly stuff. Fangs and venom—you
know, spider stuff. Better come and see.” Jason grinned.

Surely this would get her attention.

The other Cul-de-sac Kids would probably hear about it, too.

Dee Dee was a little girl with a big mouth. She would spread the word.

Jason was counting on it.

TEN

Thursday afternoon came quickly.

All
the Cul-de-sac Kids were gathered in Jason's front yard.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Good work, Dee Dee
, he thought. Her blabby mouth had worked wonders.

“This is super great,” he told Pinktoes. “They've come for the show.”

He carried the glass tank out to the front porch. Carefully, he set it down.

Then he turned to greet his friends. “Welcome to the most amazing spider show on earth!”

He wished he had a trio of trumpets. He could hear them in his head.
Tah-dah-dah-DAH!

“Everyone sit on the grass,” he said. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

He was having a double dabble good time. That's what Abby always liked to say.

Dee Dee and Carly seemed nervous, though. Abby would call them jitterboxes for sure. Which was the truth.

Abby and her best friend, Stacy Henry, were standing nearby. Eyes wide.

Dunkum and Eric sat crosslegged in the grass. Shawn and Jimmy Hunter seemed excited. A little bit.

First things first.

Jason passed his baseball cap around.

Chinkle . . . chink
. The kids dropped their money inside.

Jason was laughing under his breath. His trick was working. They'd all come to see his daring show. A super-spider show.

But there was something his friends didn't know. The best spider secret known to man. It was the BIG secret about the spider's fangs!

He couldn't wait to fool his friends.

“I will now pick up the tarantula,” Jason announced. “Quiet, please. Pinktoes will perform best if it's quiet.”

Dee Dee and Carly giggled. But they seemed edgy.

Whispers rippled through the group. Someone said something about the fangs. And the venom.

It was perfect. The kids were really scared.

“Shh!” Jason said. “I must have it quiet.”

He waited for the group to settle down.

Finally, no one spoke.

He picked up his tarantula. Very carefully he sat down in the grass.

Slowly, he passed his gloved hands back and forth.

Carly was hiding her eyes. Dee Dee was peeking.

Abby and Stacy looked absolutely frightened.

But the boys looked brave. Dunkum and Eric watched without blinking. Shawn and Jimmy smiled brave smiles.

Jason was glad. His friends were enjoying the show.

And he was tricking them. Again.

He put his spider in the glass tank. He removed the gloves. Next, he reached back in and picked up the tarantula again.

The sound of
Oohs
could be heard. From the girls, mostly.

Dunkum whispered, “Willie Millie!”

“Now I will let Pinktoes crawl on my bare hands,” Jason said. “Remember, he has fangs!”

Dee Dee and Carly squeaked a little.

But not another sound was heard.

Jason held his tarantula correctly. Far
away from the fangs.

He sat on the grass again. Then he crossed his legs. One bare foot stuck high in the air.

Without a sound, he set the tarantula on his toes.

Jason grinned and put his hands behind his head.

“Tah-dah!” he said. “Just call me Mister Tarantula Toes!”

Quickly, he reached to free his pet from the high perch.

But before he could, Pinktoes jumped into the air.

Plop!

The tarantula landed on Jason's head.

“Eeee-eew!” the girls screamed.

Jason felt a stab of pain in his forehead.

“Ouch!” he hollered. “The fangs!”

ELEVEN

“Jason, Jason, are you all right?” Abby said.

The Cul-de-sac Kids gathered around.

“Is he gonna die?” Carly asked.

“Lie still,” Jason's mother said to him. She looked at Jason's friends. “Why do you think he might die?” she asked.

Jason spoke up. He felt terrible, but not from the spider bite. “People don't die from spider venom,” he mumbled.

Eric frowned. “But you said—”

“I tricked you on purpose,” Jason said. “I didn't tell the truth about Pinktoes.”

His mother finished treating the wound.

Soon Jason sat up and looked at each kid. “I wanted to fool you, to get back at all of you for not believing me.”

“Well, you did a good job of it,” Stacy said.

“He sure did!” Dee Dee said.

Jason felt the tiny lump on his forehead. “I shouldn't have made you think Pinktoes was a monster. With poison in his fangs.”

“Well, he
is
scary-looking,” Stacy said.

“I think he's beautiful,” said Jason.

“Not to me,” Abby said.

Jason began to explain. “Tarantulas are gentle pets. Their bites are milder than a beesting.”

“What about that nasty bump on your head?” Dee Dee pointed to the swelling. “That doesn't look so good.”

“It'll go away,” Jason's mother said.
She helped him up. “It's nothing to worry about.”

“For sure?” Carly asked.

Jason smiled and nodded. His friends cared about him. They really did.

He
wanted to be a better friend. Starting right now.

“Pinktoes was terrified,” Jason said. “That's the only reason he bit me. Tarantulas don't bite unless they're frightened. Or feel in danger. I never should've put him up so high.”

The kids peeked inside the glass tank. They wanted to see the jumping spider up close. And his giant web.

All except Dee Dee and Carly. They didn't want to look.

Dunkum and Eric inched closer to the tank. “Can we feed Pinktoes sometime?”

“Sure,” Jason said. “Wanna help me dig for his supper?”

“When?” said Shawn Hunter.

“Right now,” answered Jason.

Shawn rubbed his hands together. His dark eyes twinkled.

“Remember
The Mudhole Mystery?
” said Jason.

“Sure do!” Dunkum said. “Ooey, gooey worms are fun.”

“Worms are NOT fun. Worms are supposed to be spider snacks,” someone said.

Jason and the boys turned around.

It was Abby Hunter. She was hiding something behind her.

“Whatcha got?” Jason asked. He tried to peek around her.

Abby stepped back. “I'll show you if you make a promise,” she said.

Jason shrugged. “What kind of promise?”

“No more lies?” she said.

Dunkum and Eric were laughing.

But Abby wasn't. “Well?” she said.

Jason pinched up his face. Being pushed into a corner was no fun. Especially by a girl.

“I'm waiting,” she said.

Dunkum was holding his sides. He was laughing too hard.

“The club president has spoken,” Eric said.

Jason teased, “But is she brave?”

Abby held out a jar of wiggly worms. “Here's proof.”

“Hey, cool,” said Jason. “Thanks!”

Abby put her hands on her hips.
“Now
do you promise?”

“OK, OK,” Jason said. “I promise. And I mean it.”

She smiled. “You're a double dabble mischief,” Abby said. “But a good friend.”

“You can say that again,” Dunkum said.

Shawn Hunter spoke up. He said it again. “Jason is double dabble good friend. He very good friend.”

It came out like
velly
good.

But Jason didn't mind. Not one bit.

THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS SERIES
Don't miss #14!

GREEN GRAVY

Carly Hunter is chosen “Student of the Week” two days before St. Patrick's Day. Her classmates must wear green, because she's Irish. And Carly wants everyone to eat only green foods, too, during lunch.

But Jimmy, her adopted Korean brother, doesn't want to join the silly custom. He thinks foods that are green are yucky.

Who will win in this brother-sister tug-of-war?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beverly Lewis remembers picking worms off her father's strawberry plants when she was a kid. But spiders? Nope!

While researching tarantula facts for this book, Beverly visited two pet stores and the public library. “I felt as jumpy as Jason Birchall,” she admits. “Back at my desk, I covered up the creepy-crawly pictures. I didn't want to see even
one
hairy spider out of the corner of my eye!”

The idea to write this book came from her son. He thought it was time for a Cul-de-sac Kids book mostly for boys. “But brave girls are welcome!” says the author.

If you like humor and mystery mixed together, look for all the Cul-de-sac Kids books. Don't be too surprised by what you may see on the cover!

Also by Beverly Lewis

Amish Prayers
The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook

G
IRLS
O
NLY
(GO!)†

Youth Fiction
Girls Only! Volume One
  •  
Girls Only! Volume Two

S
UMMER
H
ILL
S
ECRETS
‡

Youth Fiction
SummerHill Secrets: Volume One
  •  
SummerHill Secrets: Volume Two

H
OLLY'S
H
EART

Youth Fiction
Holly's Heart: Collection One
‡   •  
Holly's Heart: Collection Two
‡
Holly's Heart: Collection Three
†