The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary) (15 page)

If either of the Mulberrys had been looking down at the path, they would have clearly seen the net. There’d been no time for Ben to camouflage it by throwing leaves or dirt over it. But since Mrs. Mulberry and her daughter were looking
around for Dr. Woo, they walked right into the trap. Ben yanked the cord.

“Mom?” Victoria asked as the sides of the net rose up around her. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Mrs. Mulberry said. “Is the ground moving?”

After another yank, the net closed over their heads.

“Mom, we’re trapped!” Victoria’s hat fell off as she kicked at the netting. Then her feet became tangled.

“Help!” Mrs. Mulberry cried. As she struggled, her feet also became tangled. She and Victoria toppled over.

“Where are my glasses?” Victoria cried. “I can’t see anything.”

“Your hair is in my face. I can’t see anything, either.”

“Now,” Ben whispered. As Victoria and her mother struggled to get back on their feet, Ben and Pearl grabbed the sasquatch’s arm and tried to pull it out of the forest. But it wouldn’t budge.

“I don’t have any more chocolate,” Pearl realized. “We need something sweet.”

“Victoria, your elbow is in my ear!”

“I’m sorry, Mom. But I can’t see your ear if I don’t have my glasses.”

“Get off me, Victoria. I can’t breathe.”

“I can’t get off you, Mom. I’m all tangled in this stupid net.”

There was no time to lose. Ben ran across the street and ripped open the Welcome Wagon present, hoping it would be just like the one he’d received earlier that morning. He shuffled through the
contents—the movie coupon, the bag of nails—until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the big chocolate button, tore off its foil wrapper, then held it up in the air. “Here, sasquatchy. Here, sasquatchy.”

With a happy grunt, the sasquatch emerged from the forest. Holding out its hands, it lumbered toward Ben. Pearl gathered the Sasquatch Catching Kit and followed. “They didn’t see a thing,” she announced as Ben broke off a piece of the chocolate button and tossed it. “That was so much fun! Let’s trap someone else!”

Ben was about to tell Pearl that he didn’t think trapping someone else was a good idea when a voice said, “Excellent work.”

At first, Ben thought the sasquatch had chosen this moment to begin a conversation. But a jingling sound directed Ben’s attention to the other side of the gate, where Mr. Tabby was fiddling with a ring of keys. “I see Dr. Woo’s Sasquatch Catching Kit came in handy,” Mr. Tabby said as he unlocked and opened the gate.

Ben waved the chocolate button in the air. The sasquatch grabbed the Welcome Wagon present and followed Ben through the gate. As soon as Pearl was also inside, Mr. Tabby locked the gate.

“Help! Help!” Mrs. Mulberry cried from the forest.

“Someone needs to untangle them,” Ben said.

“I shall make an anonymous phone call to the local police and let them know that assistance is required,” Mr. Tabby said as he led them up the driveway. “In the meantime, we must get inside quickly, before someone else comes along.”

The chocolate button lasted right up until they stepped safely into the old factory. Mr. Tabby slid the rusty dead bolt into place. “Dear, dear, what a worrisome morning.” He took the metal box, with its tranquilizer dart, blowpipe, guidebook, and whistle, and set it aside. The sasquatch bent over and scratched its feet.

“You’ve been a very bad sasquatch,” Mr. Tabby told it. “Now go on, get back upstairs. You need more medicine.”

Mr. Tabby pushed the elevator button. The doors swooshed open, and the sasquatch stepped inside. With what remained of the Welcome Wagon present tucked under its arm, it turned and waved to the kids. They waved back. As the doors closed, Ben wondered what the sasquatch would do with the bag of nails, the movie coupon, the refrigerator magnet, and the other things.

Mr. Tabby pulled out his creature calculator. “Sasquatch caught,” he said as he typed.

A loudspeaker, set high in the wall, crackled, and a nasal voice said, “Emergency code deactivated. Emergency code deactivated. Sasquatch has returned to the building.”

Ben and Pearl took long, relieved breaths and smiled at each other. They’d done it!

“You may go now,” Mr. Tabby said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Go? Was it over? Ben’s shoulders slumped.

“Wait a minute,” Pearl said. “We just brought back a sasquatch. And we did it without anyone in town seeing it. Don’t we get a reward or something?”

“Reward?” A low growl vibrated in Mr. Tabby’s throat.

Ben’s face started to feel hot. “Uh, we don’t need a reward. I’m the reason the sasquatch escaped. It was my fault.”

“Well, it wasn’t my fault,” Pearl said. She put her hands on her hips and stared right into Mr. Tabby’s half-moon eyes. “I know this isn’t a worm hospital. I’m not stupid. I know you have a dragon living on your roof. And I know about the hatchling and the sasquatch. I want to meet Dr. Woo, and I want to ask her some questions. That can be my reward.” She nudged Ben with her elbow. “
Our
reward.”

“That’s not possible,” Mr. Tabby said. “Dr. Woo does not speak to anyone. She’s—”

The loudspeaker crackled, and a soft voice said, “Send them to my office.”

T
he elevator still smelled like sasquatch, even though the creature was long gone. Ben tapped his feet nervously as he and Pearl rose to the second floor. “Take a left,” Mr. Tabby had told them. “Dr. Woo’s office is the last room at the very end of the hall. Do not open any doors along the way. This you must promise.”

“We promise,” both Ben and Pearl had vowed.

There were no windows in the second-floor hallway, and no overhead lights. The only light trickled from the end of the hall, where a door stood
open. “That must be her office,” Ben whispered.

Pearl led the way, her steps confident and loud, her ponytail swinging. They passed door after door, all closed. Ben wondered if the sasquatch was behind one. Or the dragon hatchling. Or another equally amazing creature. But he’d promised not to open any doors, so he kept his hands tucked into his jeans pockets.

About halfway down the hall, Pearl’s footsteps slowed. Then she stopped walking. “My mom and dad will be wondering where I am,” she whispered. “Maybe we should leave.”

Even in the dim light, Ben could see that Pearl’s eyes were as wide as golf balls. “You’re the one who wanted to meet her,” he said, his voice hushed.

“I know. But I’m kinda scared. What if she’s mean?”

He wasn’t going to admit that he also felt a bit scared. He figured that a doctor who worked with dragons had to be fierce, strong—maybe even a bit crazy. “Don’t you want to find out about the Imaginary World?”

Pearl nodded. But she didn’t budge.

“Come on,” Ben said. “We’ll walk together.” And so, with matching footsteps, they started walking again. A few moments later, they arrived at the open doorway.

“Come in,” a gentle voice said.

Sunlight streamed in through Dr. Woo’s windows, which overlooked a small lake. The water sparkled, the factory reflecting on its calm surface. The office itself was a mess, cluttered with baskets, crates, and moving boxes. A huge wooden desk, its legs carved like dragons, sat in the center of the
room. Papers and books covered the desktop. Glass jars filled with cloudy liquids and odd floating things crowded the shelves.

A woman stood next to a coatrack, unbuttoning a white laboratory coat. As she hung the coat on a hook, yellow glitter drifted through the air. The woman shook her head, and glitter fell from her long black hair. She removed her stethoscope and set it on the desk. Then she folded her hands behind her back and gazed at the kids. “You wanted to see me?”

Ben held his breath. Dr. Woo was nothing like he’d imagined. She wasn’t a towering superhero. She stood about his height, which wasn’t very tall. Her face was as pale as the moon, her almond-shaped eyes as black as ink. She was beautiful, even with the big scar that ran across one cheek. Another ran down her neck.

“Hi,” Pearl said. Then she nudged Ben. He released his breath.

“Hi,” he said.

“Please, sit down.”

Ben settled on a stack of boxes, as did Pearl.
After brushing yellow glitter from her skirt, Dr. Woo sat at her desk and faced the kids. “I’ve just returned from a house call, so I haven’t had time to clean up the fairy dust.”